With the Switch 2 announcement, it's kind of clear that they aren't even trying to be a tech company anymore. While not every last one of their consoles released was a true innovation, it did feel like something that was built into part of their brand. Now we just have the Switch 2 which is mostly what you'd expect with some decent QoL upgrades.

Nintendo is pursuing the walled garden approach. You're barely even buying a console anymore, a lot of this hardware has more or less converged. What you're buying is access to the cultivated ecosystem. Like everything else these days, they entice you in with the big, recognizable brands and hope there's enough else to keep you there. Emulators straight pierce that veil and it's why they went so hard on them.

I'm not criticizing (too heavily) the people that choose to hold on to the franchises they love, but once you step outside and choose alternatives, there's very little to bring you back. Pokemon lost me a few gens ago, honestly not the biggest Zelda fan, and Mario alone won't do it for me. Metroid and Starfox are scattershot ... Personally I'll stick with the Steam Deck and wait for Switch 2 emulation to roll around. And if it doesn't, there are just so many other games to play these days.

[–] Kyrgizion@lemmy.world 13 points 1 day ago (1 children)

. You’re barely even buying a console anymore, a lot of this hardware has more or less converged. What you’re buying is access to the cultivated ecosystem.

Bingo. In an age where most people's phones have better hardware than the Switch, it's all about access to the walled garden instead of hardware.

[–] addie 5 points 1 day ago

Not that I disagree with your point about walled gardens, but "better" hardware for a handheld gaming machine needs to have a decent balance between performance and battery life. Longest plane or train journey that I'm likely to take is about five hours, and I'd need to rate any gaming hardware on the ability to run for that length of time. On that basis, the Switch is pretty much optimal. My phone has a higher resolution and can probably push more frames, but it would run hot for about forty-five minutes maximum. Plus, I'd then not be able to make calls or listen to tunes at my destination.

Steam deck would probably be a better choice, though. Fuck Nintendo.

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