Phil Harrison, formerly the President of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios and then Microsoft corporate vice president thereafter, had some kind words to say about the current position of Nintendo in a recent interview. Talking to GamesBeat, he comments on how Nintendo has surprised him with the Nintendo Switch and even points out that the Switch is popular in his own household. Harrison also airs his thoughts on why the Wii U wasn’t a big hit with gamers.
GamesBeat: From the sidelines, where do you see the big three here and how well they’re doing?
Harrison: Nintendo has surprised me in a good way. They’ve put some excitement back in, or at least added a dynamic to the console equation that wasn’t there previously. From my focus group of a household with younger children, Switch is definitely the console that gets used. Mainly because of the content types. Surprisingly, the TV-to-mobile use case works way more effectively than I expected. I really enjoy that.
GamesBeat: That seems to be what they tried to do with the Wii U, but it didn’t take. It may have been too early. The tethered tablet may have been a real problem.
Harrison: The tablet mode on Wii U just wasn’t powerful enough. It was rendered as a single frame from the console sent wirelessly from the console to the device. The Switch combined both modes into one and just switched the power state. When you’re tethered you get access to more wattage on the CPU and GPU. Maybe that technology didn’t exist when they were developing the Wii U. I suspect not. A great idea is about timing as much as it is about technology.
Yes its because Nintendo is not a threat anymore to get the real gamers-costumers because it is only just for kids. So now they are safe
I don’t think it’s just the cosplayers that are “real” gamers. I’d consider myself a pretty serious gamer in what little time I have nowadays, and I’ve never once worn a costume. Unless Halloween counts. Does Halloween count? Can I be a real gamer?
So… I’m 36 and I’ve been gaming since 1985. Because I want a Switch, does that make me not a real gamer and a kid?
You got ps4 or xbox(pc)? if you do then you are not a threat. to microsoft and sony the goal is already done. If you only got a switch yes you are still a kid. your age is irrelevant when your brain in stacked
Liking the name change there Peter very creative. As always play nice my dear child
ONLY A REAL SCOTSMAN
Oh my god…
Real gamers play video games,not limit themselves.
To be honest, the switch is a delight. Console games have been getting darker and darker. Nintendo seems to bring back some light into gaming.
It may not have the top tier 3rd party titles, but I remember how Activision had a complete turnaround during the Wii era, with call of duty.
Nintendo just needs to sort out the supply issues first
The story will ALWAYS be this.
You buy Nintendo consoles to play Nintendo games.
You buy the others to experience everything else. Nintendo games do offer something different. And yes. It is very Kiddie. But I’ll always go back to my PS4
The content “may be kiddie”, but the game mechanics, the level of detail, the level design on Nintendo games are superb. Definitely their games are designed to be enjoyed by people of all ages. Their games can get pretty serious too, they are designed to be easy to learn but very hard to master. It’s the kind of challenge that I, a 31 year old guy really enjoy.
Look at the Metal Gears, Witcher, Grand Theft, Arkham games just as an example. I do enjoy Nintendo games but they do not compare in terms of RE-Playability for me. Bar Mario Kart
The word “real” does not exist. Only true real gamers play games on all systems… including Nintendo.
:D! Maybe…
you hear the competition always say nice things about nintendo, yet you hardly hear nintendo say anything nice about its competition.
It’s mostly coming from Reggie. I honestly believe he’s really just a fanboy in a position of power at Nintendo. It’s never good when someone like that is a CEO because he, or she, is too dumb or ignorant to realize his/her company is doing something wrong. NoA will always be trash in one form or another til he’s gone.
You really need to let go of the past, King. It’s not healthy.
I’ll let it go when they let him go. And it’s not in the past as Reggie is still doing the same crap. Like with 4K TV. Considering how pricey a Switch can be, you can definitely afford a 4K TV for around 400 bucks if you can get a Switch. “If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball!”
Looks like some people want to take Reggie’s job.