NintendObs Thinks: Surveying Nintendo’s hardware strategy at the wake of the OLED.
We could see exponentially longer console lifecycles in the years to come.
Nintendo Switch — OLED Model (not “Pro,” had to put that in there) just launched, and though we won’t know the numbers and the vision moving forward from Nintendo until November via either their quarterly investors meeting or a celebratory press release powered by NPD figures in the United States, it is safe to say given the current appeal of Metroid Dread that the launch has at the very least been successful. I thus conclude that if everything goes as planned for Nintendo in the following months this holiday season, Nintendo Switch — OLED Model will have established its position and its pricepoint as an integral and consumer-accepted part of the Nintendo Switch family of systems.
This is important because I believe it marks another stepping stone in Nintendo’s admitted strategy of, in the words of Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser, “redefin[ing] the lifecycle, and vitality of videogame consoles.” Indeed, priced at 349.99, Nintendo Switch — OLED Model acts a justification for the original Nintendo Switch’s constant 299.99 manufacturer suggested retail price more than four years after launch, therefore clarifying Nintendo’s intentions of keeping their pricing for the Nintendo Switch family the way it is now for as long as they possibly can. It is also important to reiterate how global Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa did specifically say Nintendo Switch is in the “middle of its lifecycle,” meaning that at the very top of Nintendo as a company it has already been decided that they plan to continue supporting Nintendo Switch for another five years and a grand total of ten.
It is my belief that this long haul approach is here to stay, and I’ll explain why. Not only do I think Nintendo’s next gaming system will last for at least ten years as well, but I believe as consoles will keep becoming more and more powerful, at least when it comes to Nintendo, console lifecycles will simply adjust by becoming longer and longer and longer for as long as the console they have on the market manages to remain successful, which is why they will do everything to ensure that it does.