Thoughts On the Nintendo Switch Presentation

[Please note this is about the presentation that Nintendo put on, not on the Switch itself]

     It should be self evident that the presentation for the Nintendo Switch has been a tad divisive. Some feel as if it was great, others feel as if it is spelling doom for Nintendo. While writing this I feel that the observations I place here will not change many minds. However i do hope my thoughts can add clarity and focus to the event we all watched.

     First I would like to bring up my over arching opinion, that this was not a consumer presentation, but a business one. Notice that the audience was filled with stanch, middle-aged, Japanese businessmen. There nary seamed a fan in sight. Nobody to whoop and holler in excitement. The added bits of personality that were on display were not met well by the audience, and seemed awkward most of the time. And the reiteration on the consoles features and not spec shows off that Nintendo wants to have a wide variety of games.

   Of the games the were announced during the presentation, most of them feel as if they were calculated to show longevity and business deals. Party games like 1 2 Switch harken back to the Wii, one of Nintendo's best selling consoles. Square-enix showed off a number of games, like the super popular Dragon Quest, and a new IP. They showed cult favorites like Shin Megami Tensei, and the works of Suda51. Also Suda51 came and represented indie developers. Fire Emblem Warriors was there to show their commitment to continuing the expansion of the existing IP's. Splatoon 2 was a huge hit in Japan, showing the audience their commitment to keeping an eye on what's popular. And with Skyrim and FIFA, Nintendo shows that they are having a much better relationship with American developers.

     Now this is probably just me overthinking it. This may just be me trying to justify a somewhat lackluster line up of games for the upcoming year, though I am excited for about 70% of the games announced I understand why most aren't. Part of me is just hopeful I guess. I hope that what we saw was not their entire strategy for the system, but just a single part.  So here's hope for the future.