When the DS became the best selling gaming handheld we got
DS OG 2004
DS Lite 2006
DSi 2009 (removed Gameboy slot)
DSi XL 2010
They then went on to make the 3DS in multiple iterations including one where they just removed the 3D functionality and sold it again as a DS and the most recent model in 2017 was…
New Nintendo 2DS XL
When they have a successful and well selling portable console they slow down on the innovation and go full into embrace the ecosystem as long as possible with minor improvements and if we use the DS as an indicator we have a decade of this.
The difference here is the entire DS line played the same games and provided the same core hardware. The 3DS, 3DS XL, and 2DS all played the same games.
The Switch comparison here would be:
OG Switch
Switch Lite
OLED Switch
The closest comparison for Switch 2 would be the “New 3DS” which had a handful of games that weren’t backwards compatible. Or maybe the Wii U, although that tried to be innovative enough to be its own thing.
Yeah, but those are just different models, not different systems. Those DSs were all running the same operating system and playing the same games. We’re not talking about a new generation of console (except from DS to 3DS, which I would say is a pretty big graphical shake-up).
Eh, I had the Gameboy, then the Gameboy pocket, then the Gameboy color, then the Gameboy advance, then the Gameboy advance SP, then the DS, and so on. Sure, some were just different models of the same base console, but several were real upgrades with exclusive game libraries. This upgrade feels par for the course when it comes to Nintendo handhelds, and honestly, I like that. The switch was a great idea, and jumping to a new thing just because there’s some competition would be lame. Pretty much the only benefit of capitalism is supposed to be the whole “competition breeds innovation” thing. Maybe we’ll get a bit of that in the handheld market for once.
You’re actually skipping one of their handhelds: the Virtual Boy, Nintendo’s attempt at a 3D console in 1995. It was such a huge flop that its designer, Gunpei Yokoi, delayed his retirement in order to help develop the Gameboy Pocket, which was meant to hold the company over until the Gameboy Color was ready for launch.
I get what about not jumping to a new thing just because, but that’s kinda Nintendo’s whole thing (well, that and abusive IP lawsuits). Sometimes it’s a huge hit, like the Wii, and sometimes it’s a train wreck, like the Wii U, but it’s always different and, either way, it usually causes them to innovate.
That’s what I like about Nintendo; unlike their competitors, they’re not releasing the same product every few years with a graphical update, but that seems like what they’re doing here. I’m used to seeing them keep the same system alive for a decade, like the Gameboy or DS, and I’m used to them coming to market late with a relatively underpowered system, but I’m not used to seeing them say, “That was successful, let’s just make another one of those.”
When the DS became the best selling gaming handheld we got
They then went on to make the 3DS in multiple iterations including one where they just removed the 3D functionality and sold it again as a DS and the most recent model in 2017 was…
When they have a successful and well selling portable console they slow down on the innovation and go full into embrace the ecosystem as long as possible with minor improvements and if we use the DS as an indicator we have a decade of this.
The difference here is the entire DS line played the same games and provided the same core hardware. The 3DS, 3DS XL, and 2DS all played the same games.
The Switch comparison here would be:
The closest comparison for Switch 2 would be the “New 3DS” which had a handful of games that weren’t backwards compatible. Or maybe the Wii U, although that tried to be innovative enough to be its own thing.
Yeah, but those are just different models, not different systems. Those DSs were all running the same operating system and playing the same games. We’re not talking about a new generation of console (except from DS to 3DS, which I would say is a pretty big graphical shake-up).
Eh, I had the Gameboy, then the Gameboy pocket, then the Gameboy color, then the Gameboy advance, then the Gameboy advance SP, then the DS, and so on. Sure, some were just different models of the same base console, but several were real upgrades with exclusive game libraries. This upgrade feels par for the course when it comes to Nintendo handhelds, and honestly, I like that. The switch was a great idea, and jumping to a new thing just because there’s some competition would be lame. Pretty much the only benefit of capitalism is supposed to be the whole “competition breeds innovation” thing. Maybe we’ll get a bit of that in the handheld market for once.
You’re actually skipping one of their handhelds: the Virtual Boy, Nintendo’s attempt at a 3D console in 1995. It was such a huge flop that its designer, Gunpei Yokoi, delayed his retirement in order to help develop the Gameboy Pocket, which was meant to hold the company over until the Gameboy Color was ready for launch.
I get what about not jumping to a new thing just because, but that’s kinda Nintendo’s whole thing (well, that and abusive IP lawsuits). Sometimes it’s a huge hit, like the Wii, and sometimes it’s a train wreck, like the Wii U, but it’s always different and, either way, it usually causes them to innovate.
That’s what I like about Nintendo; unlike their competitors, they’re not releasing the same product every few years with a graphical update, but that seems like what they’re doing here. I’m used to seeing them keep the same system alive for a decade, like the Gameboy or DS, and I’m used to them coming to market late with a relatively underpowered system, but I’m not used to seeing them say, “That was successful, let’s just make another one of those.”
Ok. That’s great buddy. (☞ ಠ_ಠ)☞
I’m gonna exit this conversation now.
LOL, weird reaction, but OK.¯\_(ツ)_/¯