Overall, the hype for the upcoming Nintendo Switch console is positive. There are some concerns about the price and online infrastructure, but the media coverage, as a whole, seems great for the House of Mario.
It must mean the Switch is bound to place Nintendo back on the map in the home console scene, right?
One positive sign for this line of thinking are the Switch preorder sales. Type in “Switch sold out” into Google, and look at all the headlines which flow in Nintendo’s direction.
– “Nintendo Switch sold out at GameStop; good luck finding it elsewhere”
– “Nintendo Switch Preorders Sell Out Instantly at Best Buy”
– “Bad news: Gamestop has already sold out of the Nintendo Switch”
Wow. Can the Switch mania be this huge?
Yes, but use caution. Remember when the Wii U launched in 2012 and was reportedly selling out? To jog people’s memory, type in “Wii U sold out 2012” into Google, and see what happens.
– “Nintendo Wii U Consoles Sold Out, Already Selling for Over $500 On …”
– “Nintendo’s Wii U off to a sold-out start”
– “Wii U – US launch is a sell-out, but hardware problems reported …”
The headlines sound familiar.
As most gamers know, the Wii U ended up as Nintendo’s least successful home console, and sold a relatively minuscule 13 million units. For comparison, the original 2006 Wii sold over 100 million units.
The upcoming Switch offers a couple of unique ideas, including the potential of a hybrid home and portable console. Nintendo is also making it a point to hype up their pending Switch third-party support (which was almost non-existent in the Wii U’s last year or two). While there are concerns, Nintendo is certainly selling an intriguing product.
This could be the right console for Nintendo to win back the trust of gamers who left for the Xbox or PlayStation 4. At the same time, it could turn out like the Wii U too, and flame out. It is simply too early to know for sure.
For those hoping to pick up a Switch, despite the headlines indicating “sold out,” the console releases on March 3 for $299.99, plus the cost of whichever game is chosen.
from Nerd Reactor
0 comments: