Nintendo’s Switch 2 reveal felt like a lightning bolt delivered straight from Zeus himself for everyone except, well, most people. In fact, since the console – which fans have spent years clamoring for – looks so much like its predecessor, some analysts predict it’ll have trouble appealing to a general audience.
“I can imagine ‘normies’ being a bit confused,” gaming industry consultant Serkan Toto tells GamesRadar+. “The device is bigger than the original Switch, but not comically large. The form factor, button layout, and overall design are very similar to Switch 1, so I can imagine issues arising when potential mainstream buyers look at the new device.”
The Wii had so many peripherals and used naming like “Wii blah” so often, that WiiU was viewed as an attachment and not a new console. The name Switch 2 is very clear. I don’t think it’s comparable at all.
I think people are familiar with numbers
If “normies” are able to buy a Playstation 5 after having bought a PS4, 3, 2 and 1, Then I think Nintendo is going to be just fine.
Some analysts are morons. The reason the Wii U failed was because it wasn’t clear that it was a successor console, and not just a weird add-on.
People have been conditioned to understand numerical console increases for over two decades now thanks to the PlayStation.
Edit: As an aside, are there any console manufacturers besides Sony who have had sequential model numbers consistently? I’ve been mulling this under the last couple of hours and nothing comes to mind!
The reason the Wii U failed wasn’t because of its name. Sure, it didn’t help the slightest but Nintendo’s console iterations have struggled in the past because they hardly bring anything new. The Wii U brought literally just a gamepad (and stronger hardware, though marketing focused on the gamepad). Why pay so much for an incremental upgrade? The same fate nearly occured to the 3DS:
The Nintendo 3DS was released in Japan on February 26, 2011, and worldwide beginning the next month.[10][11] Less than six months after launch, Nintendo announced a significant price reduction from US$249.99 to US$169.99 amid disappointing launch sales.
After all, why pay money just for a 3D effect? Without continued support and selling at a loss, the 3DS would have bombed.
By the way, the Xbox One - despite its similarly stupid name - never faced the same issues as the Wii U because people actually wanted it.
Windows 7 8 9(lol) 10 11
Mac OS 7 8 9 X 11 12 13 14 15
I can verify that. I am a video game fan, though don’t always follow everything that closely. I remember seeing Wii U for sale and not really understanding what it was. It seemed like just a Wii with a weird controller.
I had a coworker who was convinced that the whole thing was a scam. That it was just an upgraded Wii with a weird controller. So he went out and got a secondhand Wii U console. Just the console. Gave it to his kids for Xmas. Got mad when it didn’t work. Eventually got a gamepad (and maybe the power brick? I don’t remember if it’s cross compatible) and ended up spending more than buying it new.
I’m pretty sure even he can follow Switch -> Switch 2.
Also the touch component and motion controls were something of a turnoff for adults who bought previous generations.
Even if they don’t buy consoles, it’s how most thing works, phones are an obvious example. iPhone 14 comes after iPhone 13, but iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max are just versions of 14.
If gamers can navigate Xbox -> Xbox 360 -> Xbox One -> Xbox X -> Xbox S, I think they can figure out Switch 2.
Heh, glad you mentioned Xbox - they’re a perfect example of consistent inconsistency! 🤣
If this was true the PlayStation 2, 3, 4 and 5 would have all failed.
If parents weren’t confused by
Xbox Xbox 360 Xbox One Xbox Series S/X
Then the number 2 should be just fine.
I mean, they were. I have personally heard from people that couldn’t be bothered to understand the Xbox SKUs for the possibility of buying one because of how horribly Microsoft names things.
They did all look very different from their predecessors though, especially the ps1 to ps2 jump was quite significant in terms of design.
Dunno, to my parents all consoles did look like cardboard boxes in the shop. What did clue them in, however, was the big number written behind the name.
I think with Nintendo’s attack on emulators and stuff, I’m going to finally crack my OG switch (the unpatchable one) and rip all of my games and buy a Steamdeck, honestly. I heard emulation there is great, and I’ve already backed up all of the emulators since before they were taken down.
If the Switch 2 is backwards compatible and can play the OG switch games; then we know exactly WHY they started the crackdown - because likely the same methods as before will work just fine against the Switch 2 as well.
I won’t pirate the games, but I don’t think I’m gonna worry about my old switch being banned from their online network any longer either. Especially after they shut down the old DS network.
