Nintendo is a household name as the company has been around for a hundred years, long before entering the video game console market. However, upon their entry with the release of the Famicom and Nintendo Entertainment System, the company has managed to bring new life into the video game industry as a whole.
With the last console generation release, the Nintendo Wii U, failing to meet the standards that Nintendo had hoped for and the upcoming console release, the Nintendo Switch, already being underpowered compared to the Sony PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, this may be troubling times for the company. A new interview with Nintendo’s President of America, Reggie Fils-Aime and YouTube channel, The Game Theorists, spoke on the topic of why Nintendo continues to push out new consoles each generation.
There’s been plenty of chatter online after the reveal of Nintendo’s upcoming Switch console. Some gamers found that the company would be better off focusing on software and accessories rather than competing with other big name manufacturers.
It’s with countless facts and questions from The Game Theorists that Reggie stands firm behind Nintendo’s policies and ideology. Some of the biggest statements and reasons as to why Nintendo pushes out consoles is to give new ways for gamers to enjoy video games. Some of the biggest innovations we’ve seen from the industry such as the D-Pad, Start, Select, wireless controllers, portable gaming, motion controls, and 3D gaming all came from Nintendo.
Though outside of taking risks and delivering new exciting innovations for gameplay, Nintendo keeps producing consoles because of their family friendly name. When a family picks up a Nintendo consoles there’s a sense of safety and a family friendly environment. The Nintendo Switch will be releasing with several parental controls that will allow parents to monitor and adjust what their children are allowed to play and for how long.
While it’s a nice idea of being able to pick up the latest Mario and The Legend of Zelda releases on any console and PC platforms, Nintendo doesn’t seem to be changing their outlooks on the console market anytime soon.