INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Could Nintendo be having its heyday? There have certainly been ups and downs in the past few years, but the success of the Nintendo Switch
console has truly put the House of Mario back on the map, and offered a viable and portable alternative to the encumbering home consoles
offered by Sony and Microsoft.The secret to this success may be in quantity: Nintendo has released far more console iterations in the last
And the willingness to experiment and innovate in the form factor of its gaming hardware has been crucial to get Nintendo to where it is
the past ten years, as well as how strong its position is going into the next decade
So, what did we make of it?A lot of new ideas, but we didn't want themThat's right, jump out of the screen! (Image credit:
TheIndianSubcontinent)At the start of the decade, we caught our first glimpse of the Nintendo 3DS
Carrying over the dual-screen form factor of the DS Lite and DSi, its glasses-free 3D effects were wildly impressive ahead of launch, and
helped build up hype for the next-generation handheld as the possible future of gaming visuals.History, however, sees the 3DS differently
The 3D functionality never quite became a crucial feature, as the popularity of the lower-spec 2DS models has testified
Just as 3D TVs disappeared from the market, so too did the 3D screen become the least talked-about feature of a console built on its
success.Shigeru Miyamoto with the Wii U tablet controller
It's no surprise Nintendo has relaunched so many Wii U games on the Switch, given they never reached the wide audience they were designed
for.But the lasting legacy of the Wii U was what came after: the Nintendo Switch.The Nintendo SwitcherooThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the
Wild was a launch title and remains one of the Switch's very best games
it captured the imagination (and wallets) of millions of players in the two years after its launch.Without the missteps of the Wii U, would
catch-up for years afterwards
(Remember the Microsoft Kinect? We thought not.) Its willingness to offer the unexpected may be what makes it stumble from time-to-time, but
awe-inspiring open world Hyrule for the Switch, without ditching the spirit of the beloved franchise
quality indie titles that had struggled for recognition on PC, has made being a Nintendo gamer today a very different proposition to what it
was even a few years ago.The future of Nintendo: what lies aheadCould a truly budget Switch cope with Breath of the Wild's massive vistas?
(Image credit: Nintendo)Nintendo is certainly ending the 2010s in a strong position, with a near-enough three-year-old console hybrid that
continues to sell in huge numbers, and the beginnings of new models and refreshes such as the handheld-only Switch Lite.The death of the 3DS
A full-on VR headset or PS5 rival? Probably not
When it comes to Nintendo, though, you can never be too sure.There will be challenges ahead for the gaming company: keeping its Nintendo
Switch Online service full of goodies to keep gamers interested, for one
It will be hard keeping the Switch eShop well-curated as more third-party titles flood onto the platform too, while Nintendo will need
