A Voice In A Chorus, Or the Lead Singer?

As I stated before in a previous blog, when Nintendo started this journey into the hybrid-console world, they were a lone voice on stage. Microsoft and Sony were still fully engaged in the norm of the set-top box model which has been a successful strategy for nearly 50 years. However, things in society are rapidly changing, and the need for the gaming industry to change with it has become apparent to everyone. Even Microsoft and Sony. Nintendo saw where the industry was heading, and got out in front. Noah didn't wait to build the Ark until after it started raining. He started building it right after God told him to. Nintendo saw the storm coming and got busy. Fortunately for them, where the industry was going fell right into the wheelhouse of an area where Nintendo has always been dominate. So, it was an easy transition for them. In many ways, it was probably a weight lifted off of their shoulders. At first, Nintendo stood on stage by themselves with the Nintendo Switch. One stage, one microphone, and all the attention on them. They had it this way for 5 years. Then, Valve walked onto the stage with the Steam Deck. Their voice may not be as loud as Nintendo's voice, or command the same level of attention, but a lot of people like that voice and these are people that if the Steam Deck wasn't there might be listening to Nintendo's voice. Then Ayaneo stepped onto the stage. Then ASUS stepped onto the stage. Then Lenovo stepped onto the stage. Then several other smaller companies stepped onto the stage. While it had been rumored and supposed for quite some time, both Microsoft and Sony have CONFIRMED their intentions to jump up on that stage as well. Now, instead of Nintendo just being the lone musical act, now you have a bunch of people on the stage singing. So, all of the clutter that Nintendo was trying to get away from has followed them. Nintendo built the Ark, but now everyone is jumping in at the last minute before the flood comes. Hybrid-gaming is DEFAULT. It is NORMAL. It is not niche' anymore. My question is this. Whenever Nintendo decides on releasing the successor to the Nintendo Switch, what are they going to do to standout again from the competition now that the competition has taken what made the Switch unique and made it into normal functionality? Now, for the Nintendo fan, the FIRST thing that is usually brought up is Nintendo's FIRST-party titles. Fair enough. Nintendo's first-party titles are very strong and very important as they are with every console manufacturer. One MAJOR reason why Microsoft is struggling so mightily is because they all but destroyed their first-party division. With Sony, they have the bangers for their first-party division, but we are only getting like 1 or 2 per year because of the "hindrance" of high-end machinery. In other words, why have a powerhouse game-console, but not have your first-party titles showcasing all the power that it has? The games will be spectacular masterpieces..........when FINISHED, but we will see them few and far between, AND have to wait long intervals between when we see them, IF we want "quality" and not just shovel-ware with a pretty coat of paint on it. So, that is the catch-22 with the PS5, and to a lesser extent the XSX. Instead of the supreme high-end power being an asset, it has become an albatross around the neck of Microsoft and Sony. They could make a lot more first-party games that still look pretty good, but maybe not enough of a bump over the best-looking games on the PS4 Pro and XBOX One X, which makes the PS5 and XSX a pointless buy. Especially if you have PlayStation Plus or XBOX Game Pass. Some Nintendo fans will say that Nintendo's first-party titles will separate it from the pack. Well, for Nintendo fans that most certainly is true, but not everyone is a fan of Nintendo's first-party. The vast majority of the install-base of the Nintendo Switch are casual gamers who probably do have a few first-party Nintendo games, but that was not the determining-factors as to why they own a Switch, or why they bought one in the first place. Who has the "best" first-party titles is a matter of opinion to begin with. So, there is no right or wrong answer there. It just comes down to what each individual consumer likes. Put yourself in this scenario. You are NOT a Nintendo fan. You DON'T care about Mario. You DON'T care about Zelda. You DON'T care about Pok'e'mon. You DON'T care about any of their IP. You just wanted a hybrid-device and at the time, Nintendo was the only company offering one. Now that we have set the stage, let us ask the question..... "Why am I choosing the Switch successor????" That is the question of the day. I'm not saying someone shouldn't. I'm just asking. What is Nintendo going to do to make it stand out from all the competition? What is the hook at makes it a more attractive buy for non Nintendo fans? Nintendo has to have an answer to this question. If you are selling hamburgers and some people don't like the taste of your hamburgers, you don't just give up on those customers. You add different entrees to your menu in hopes that customers that didn't like your hamburgers will like something else on the menu, and thus, will have a reason to come to your establishment even if they don't like the main entree that you sell, or it is just mid to them. I mean, back in the day when McDonald's was still good, the burgers were certainly tasty, but those fries..............WHOO! I've been known to get my sandwich from one burger place, but get the fries from McDonald's. I still do that today. I might get a sandwich from Culver's, but then get curly fries from Arby's. The point is that each establishment has something on the menu that I like that I can eat even if I don't care for their main entrees. Even though it is just an opinion of some (not me personally,) if we go out on a limb and say that Nintendo has the "best" first party games in the industry, what else do they have? You see what I'm saying? It's gotta be more than that. It's even gotta be more than it just being "more powerful." Steam Deck, Ayaneo 2, ROG Ally, and the Legion Go do not have the first-party library Nintendo has, but they have a lot of things that the Switch does not have and Nintendo has no intention of making those things available anytime soon. I'm sure that the Switch successor will be more powerful than the current Switch, but it still may only be on-par with the current Steam Deck. There is a Steam Deck 2 coming and Valve has stated it won't release it until they know it can be a generational-leap over the current Steam Deck. The Switch successor will still be less powerful than the ROG Ally. There is a ROG Ally 2 coming. It still will be less powerful than the Legion Go. There is a Legion Go 2 coming. We KNOW it will be less powerful than whatever Sony and Microsoft are working on. With Sony, you'll most likely have access to PlayStation Plus. With Microsoft, you know you'll have XBOX GamePass. With Nintendo, what are we getting excited about? Are we supposed to get excited about them trickling out 30 year-old Game Boy titles on their online library every couple of years, for FULL PRICE? Are we supposed to get excited about Wii game remakes or remasters for FULL PRICE (here's lookin' at YOU Donkey Kong Country Returns HD?) C'mon, now. I mean, be honest. We ALL complain about them doing that. Don't we? We know that Nintendo will not be allowing a third-party OS like Windows, Linux, or Steam OS onto the Switch successor which cancels out a LOT of features and abilities. We DEFINITELY know that emulators will be as far away from the Switch successor as we are from the Delta Quadrant. So, that is a lot missing that the competition will have. They gotta do better than that. Here's the thing. I think they will. I honestly think that Nintendo might be working on some type of streaming-service with access to a lot of their old games and possibly even video content. This could be why Nintendo is going after emulation so hard all of a sudden. I mean, why buy a streaming-service with access to all the NES titles or something like that when I can just emulate them? Now, most people that are in that line of thinking already have ROM stashes and emulators safely tucked away where they can play them whenever they choose, but not everyone is into emulation. Not every is tech-savvy enough to deal with emulators, but they still want to play those old games. Well, this is where the streaming-service comes into play. You can either pay a service to have access to play these old games, and/or buy selected titles for your own library. Seeing that Nintendo is fully committed to producing visual entertainment now, the possibilities are endless when you think about all the IP that they have, and the potential for movies, TV shows, cartoons, and anime to air on their streaming-service. There are patents out there that suggest such a thing. IF this is a real thing and not just conjecture on my part, and IF they are planning a simultaneous launch between it and the new console, it could be a reason why Nintendo has been so quiet, and why they are taking so long. Once last thing. One of the things that Nintendo does best is take ideas other failed with, and make it a success. The inventor of the motion-control Nintendo used for the Wii failed everywhere he tried until he finally sold the patents to them. We saw what happened with the Wii. It was a success. Hybrid-devices go all the way back to the Sega Nomad in the mid 1990s. It didn't catch on. Probably three years too late. We saw what happened with the Switch. It was a success. Game-streaming services have been around for awhile also. The most recent large-scale game-streaming service was Google Stadia. That had a promising start, but it also failed............ ............I'll let you fill in the blanks here. I guess that this blog was a long-winded way of me saying that I honestly believe that Nintendo is cooking something and that the Switch successor will NOT be "just a more powerful Switch." I'm not gonna be Boo-Boo the Fool and say that can't happen. I'm just saying that I honestly feel that they won't

Are People Tired Of Switch 2 Talk?

Well, we are fast approaching the end of 2024. Still, no news regarding the Switch successor, but there has been no shortage of copy being printed, and videos being made regarding rumors and..........let's just be honest, MADE UP stories and narratives based on circumstantial information that is out there on the internet. First, people said that we would hear something about it around the 2024 Tokyo Game Show. This was because Nintendo released back-to-back Nintendo Directs which admittedly was out of character for them. We heard nothing. Next, people said that we would hear something about it around October 20th, 2024. This was based on the fact that we initially heard about the Nintendo Switch around the same time back in 2016. We heard about a $100 digital alarm clock, but no Switch successor. Then, people said that because of Nintendo's investors meetings on November 5th, 2024, we would HAVE to hear SOMETHING because Nintendo can't go into an investors meetings without something substantial to satisfy shareholders. We got a lot of interesting information about Nintendo's short-term plans, and did at least get confirmation of backwards compatibility for the Switch successor. We also got information about the partnerships that Nintendo will be continuing with, and bringing into their space for the future. However, no other tangible information was given. In fact, one could interpret this situation as possibly not hearing ANYTHING about the Switch successor until at LEAST February 2025 because that is likely time when the next Nintendo investors meeting takes place. Now, some people are suggesting that we will hear something about it at the 2024 Game Awards. While Nintendo does have a good relationship with Geoff Keighley, and to be honest, a surprise-reveal at The Game Awards would be kinda tight (especially if one more time they brought in Reggie Fils-Aime to do it,) I seriously doubt that would happen. Too many things could go wrong, and Nintendo doesn't like letting other people captain their ship. Game reveals? That's okay. It's hard to mess that up. However, revealing new hardware (especially if the Switch successor is more than JUST a stronger Switch) could be problematic in that setting. I'm not saying that it can't happen. I'm just saying don't bet the farm on it.

Lastly, in the midst of all these failed attempts at predictions, many YouTubers have claimed sources (both named and unnamed) from various social media accounts have said one thing or another about what Nintendo is doing in regards to the Switch successor.

These are people that post videos on their account with headlines in their thumbnails saying, "HUGE SWITCH 2 NEWS!" or something to that effect. When you click on the video however, it is basically just 10-15 minutes of them talking about some random word or phrase in some random tweet by some random person that says something regarding the Switch successor that they try to "twist" into something relevant. YouTube is LOADED with these videos, and they are posted seemingly every day. To be fair, I have to point out something. The YouTube algorithm does not care about pushing content that is resourceful, informative, positive, uplifting, creative, fun, or engaging for the mind. It DOES care about content that is loud, obnoxious, silly, damaging, repetitive, misinforming, useless, negative, fear-mongering, divisive, or just content that is affixed to whatever the common narrative is in that particular genre at that time. Being that the Switch successor is at the top of the list of conversation in the gaming industry despite there being very little tangible information about it, that is what the algorithm wants, so a lot of YouTubers choose to take the easy way out by mindlessly and relentlessly pumping out "Switch 2" videos to keep that ad-revenue high.

I've heard Nintendo YouTubers say that their ad-revenue drops severely when they post non "Switch 2" related content. I have no reason to doubt that, because many YouTubers that I have followed over the years that produced many different types of content, I have seen their channels have a significant DROP in content, them admitting that they have to get regular 9-5 jobs to make ends-meet again, or their channel just goes under altogether because the ad-revenue isn't there like it used to be. So, while we are being critical of people who are spamming "Switch 2" videos, we need to keep the full situation in context. We don't know their financial situation. It's annoying to see all these useless videos regarding the Switch successor, but people gotta do what they gotta do to put beans on the table.

For a few reasons, I do think that people need to find some way being more creative with these "Switch 2" videos so that they aren't so repetitive. The algorithm CAN be manipulated. Start thinking about more engaging conversation regarding the Switch successor to embed in your videos. You can start off mentioning whatever "rumor" there is out there at the time, but then, while the viewer is there, transition into a topic that is more creative and interesting, and then wrap up the video with final thoughts on the rumor. This way, your viewers don't come away with an empty bag, while you can still get YOUR bag from YouTube.

Too Late For Portable XBOX?

Last year, in Microsoft's legal battle against the Federal Trade Commission, it was revealed that they were planning a portable device. There has been so much more going on with the XBOX division since then, this finding had fallen off the radar until last week when Phil Spencer confirmed that Microsoft indeed is working on a portable device, but it is still a few years away. The response from the media and from gamers was very mixed. Some saying that it is too little, too late. Others are intrigued about the prospect of a portable XBOX, and some are excited about it. Let's start off with the notion of it being "too late" for Microsoft to release a portable console. I'm curious as to why someone would come to that conclusion. It is almost 2025 and we STILL have not even heard an official code-name for the Nintendo Switch successor yet. We honestly have no idea when we will hear anything because Nintendo is in no hurry to announce anything. Valve has stated that they plan to release a Steam Deck 2, but only when a "generation-leap" is possible, and affordable. That could be some time, but there is a caveat to that in regards to what the "possible" hook is in the Switch successor that I will discuss later. ASUS has not made any major statements on a possible ROG Ally 2, but it is believed that they are working on something. Lenovo has flat out stated that Legion Go 2 is coming, but no ETA on the device. So, all of these devices are in the future, and not necessarily the near future. Microsoft definitely has time in that regard. Secondly, it is clear that hybrid-gaming is the future of consoles. While the set-top box may never go away 100%, I think with devices such as the PS5 Pro, set-box boxes will transition into become more of a niche' device for enthusiasts that just want the hardcore, powerful, gaming-machine. Consoles may start to become basically gaming PCs in a box, but instead of it being a closed-system where whatever you have is what you have and you are stuck with it, you might be able to upgrade components on your own. This is just a theory though as there are several problems that could get in the way of doing that. Still, I don't think set-top boxes as we know them have much of a future. Hybrid-devices definitely have a future, and from that aspect Microsoft is certainly not "behind." Lastly, I think why several people are clinging onto this notion of it being "too late" for Microsoft to release a portable device is because of the elephant in the room. XBOX Game Pass Regardless on whatever opinion you may have, XBOX Game Pass on a dedicated XBOX portable device is going to cook like Chef Boyaredee, and if you are a hopeless-fanatic of any brand or piece of plastic that doesn't have an XBOX or Microsoft logo on it, that frightens you. If you are a NORMAL-person, XBOX Game Pass on a dedicated-device either doesn't interest you one way or another because you aren't into XBOX, it is interesting, or it is potentially exciting. With someone like me that really has little to no interest of Microsoft's 1st-party IP going forward (because they ruined them all,) BUT you still want to play your old XBOX games spanning the original XBOX all the way to the current XBOX Series family, and have the ability to take that with you on the go? I'd buy that. I miss not being able to play all my old XBOX titles, but I have no desire to buy an XBOX Series X or S just to gain access to them. A hybrid-device from Microsoft might be just what the doctor ordered. Now to be fair, this would also be just a niche' device. Obviously, you can play 1st-party XBOX titles on many other devices, but having a dedicated-device built from the ground up with Windows in mind would be more of an asset than a hindrance as it is with other PC hybrid-devices. So, this door is wide open for Microsoft right now. I think that one of the reasons why a portable device is still a few years away is because they want to be able to match or exceed whatever Lenovo, Valve, and ASUS are working on, and they want to find a way to incorporate Windows in an intuitive way that is not as cumbersome as it is on the other devices. It's not too late. It fact, it might just be right on schedule. However, that caveat that I spoke of earlier could change the plans of all the other companies. As I've stated in previous blogs, the "RUMORED" code-name for the Switch successor is "Oz." This would suggest that despite the modest hardware that may be in the device, Nintendo and nVidia may have come up with a way to make the visuals and performance "appear" to be top-end, thus giving you pseudo bleeding-edge performance at an affordable price. IF that is the case, that changes everything and it could once again be Nintendo pulling the okey-doke on the industry. As I always say about Nintendo, just when you think you've got all the answers, they change the questions. Microsoft knows this, and this is probably why they are bringing Call Of Duty to the Switch platform, and it could be why they are waiting. If my suspicions of what the Switch successor is are true, and it is a success in the marketplace, rather than go hard on horsepower, Microsoft may choose to do what Nintendo "ALLEGEDLY" is doing. To be honest, I think everyone is waiting on the first domino to fall with the

Switch successor.