Japanese news publication The Nikkei has chatted with Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa in a new wide ranging interview. Mr. Furukawa was asked about Nintendo’s future plans and he replied that whatever form the next system takes, it has to offer video game fans a new experience. However, he says that we are still in the middle of the Switch’s lifecycle, but this life cycle can still be extended. Mr. Furukawa wouldn’t elaborate further, but presumably there’s a room for future Switch models including a slightly more powerful variant. Here’s the translated version thanks to Video Games Chronicle.
Any successor to the Nintendo Switch must be able to offer consumers “new forms of entertainment”.
Furukawa said Nintendo doesn’t have a specific time frame in mind for hardware development, rather it is “constantly researching technology.”
“The hardware and software development teams are in the same building, communicating closely and thinking about how we can propose new forms of entertainment.”
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Shuntaro Furukawa’s thoughts:
“In order to create a single piece of hardware, we have to do a lot of preparation several years in advance, so we are working without stopping. In the end, the deciding factor in whether or not to commercialise a product is whether it can create a new experience.”
“We always say that we are in the middle of the Switch’s lifecycle, and since one piece of hardware can be used to play both stationary and portable games, we can offer a wide variety of software for this purpose,” Furukawa said. “The life cycle can still be extended.”
“The most important thing for us is to continue to provide new and interesting games. The basis of Nintendo’s game creation is to make it as intuitive as possible for anyone to play. We want to lower the barriers to play, and create many games that can be played by as many people as possible, including family members, through communication.”
“We have experienced many times in the past when our business took a nosedive. That is why I, as well as others in the company, do not believe that this situation will last for long. Rather, I believe that every year is a critical time. If we don’t make fresh and surprising proposals to new customers, we will always be forgotten.”
Extending the life cycle work wonderfully for the Nintendo 3DS, is a no brainer that it is the best option for the Nintendo Switch, the system still feels new to everyone.
It’s weird bug you are right. I got my Switch on launch day and it still feels like a new-ish system…. Which is even stranger because I had to get my launch joycons repaired once and eventually just had to buy two new joycons.
I feel like the Switch could last as much as the 3DS or even longer, an improved revision could help with that i guess.
Yeah same here. I mean, We know we haven’t gotten any new major updates for the system yet, actually we got one from the system back in early December. some of us are still expecting a few more major updates for the system soon and some people are asking for custom themes.
It isn’t a “no brainer” you don’t release a beefed-up/superior version when the original is still selling as well as it is, the 3ds was never selling the way the switch is. They’re going to wait for a tangible dip in sales(which is probably a long way off) before you get a “Switch Pro” or “Switch 2”
The only reason the Switch CONCEPT feels like something new is because no other company has had the guts to try a hybrid console, offering gamers a portable and stationary device. That’s it.
But a more powerful revision this “early” (because of the pandemic, that is) that the Switch is getting even more games would be asking those Devs/Porters to work for triple-resolution: Docked, Handheld, and this other extra work for such “more powerful device”. From the customer perspective, that’d be great. But for Developers, it’d be spending too much time on a Nintendo platform, when ps4 and Xbox are waiting in line. The competitors only have two variants, Nintendo would be the first to require too much work to port a game to the platform, had this new, more powerful version been a thing – as if the way it is didn’t require too much work and optimization already.
But they already do it for the games that get released for the Series S/X and the last gen consoles.
I think that they can adjust the resolutions by patching the games with textures etc.
But maybe I am wrong.
Well, whatever kind of machine they are planning after the Nintendo Switch, they might make it more powerful and greater then any other next gen system. I mean, I got my Switch at a launch day, but I still have doubts on the Switch future.
I feel like its going to last a bit longer like the 3DS. I hope the next system resolve the issue of the controller drifting everyone still having issues with today.
“We have experienced many times in the past when our business took a nosedive. That is why I, as well as others in the company, do not believe that this situation will last for long. Rather, I believe that every year is a critical time. If we don’t make fresh and surprising proposals to new customers, we will always be forgotten.”
This is the most interesting and insightful bit of information in my opinion. He’s aware of past failures & faults even when times are good and so are other people in the company. I’d be really interested to see how they plan on avoiding past mistakes to ensure consistent growth through sales and expanded business ventures.
As long as they don’t take the hybrid nature away I’ll be happy. Switch has been all I could ever hope for since I’ve always been a more handheld focused gamer.
Why can’t it just be a more powerful Switch? The only reason why I like the Switch is because it makes it easy to play games in handheld or on the tv depending on the game, but even then that’s not exactly a new thing since their old game consoles have had peripherals letting you play the gamecboy games on the tv.
Honestly, console consistency is why PlayStation and Xbox used to be industry leaders at some point. I’m totally on board for a new experience, but please Nintendo, keep the Switch concept and build on that. It’s a home run!
I guess it’s too early for that discussion. And I really don’t need a novelty in its successor; just more power, battery, more QoL, more oomph is appreciated.
I mean we can’t have games like AoC run like a PowerPoint presentation on it, now can we?
I don’t think I like the sound of that. But, then again, I wouldn’t be surprised if their next thing is the total opposite of what a lot of people want. Good old, classic Nintendo.
Switch should have some personality features by this point. Backgrounds were awesome on the 3DS, I paid for several and loved them all really.
Folders dont really matter now that the SNES games etc are wrapped into the online service. While it’s nice to have access to both libraries for a small fee, many of the games I own on other systems haha.
I don’t see where they can go from here with a new concept that no one else is doing. VR is becoming more mainstream now. As for AR, I only see that as a handheld only concept but that’s become slightly mainstream, too. Unless they can pull off affordable holographic technology for the next system which is not gonna happen for at least half a century (maybe I’m being too generous.)
“If we don’t make fresh and surprising proposals to new customers, we will always be forgotten.” That’s true. And yet they make the same old Mario, Zelda and co. while the industry moves forward and creates Minecraft, Fortnite and other games that the kids play today or in the future.
The NINTENDO 3DS successor is in laboratory development, perhaps NINTENDO of JAPAN President, Shuntaro Furukawa, might be hinting at announcing the NINTENDO 3DS successor to show off at E3 2021.
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