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Revision, Half-Step, Successor, whatever the labeling ends up being is irrelevant to this discussion. There is new hardware coming, this is a guarantee.
However what's new hardware without a game to take advantage of it? There's bound to be a title, one stand-out piece of software that launches alongside the unit that shows off it's power. Which game do you think that'll be?
While you're free to simply answer the poll question and move on, I'd love to hear your reasonings for your choices in the thread. I think it'd make for an enlightening discussion.
Here's my stance: I believe the new unit will launch in March 2023 alongside Pikmin 4. Let me explain why.
It's no secret that supply chains right now are extremely constrained. Electronics manufacturers are struggling to make enough product to meet demand in almost every electronics and electronics-adjacent industry. Video game hardware is no exception.
As a result, it's safe to say that Nintendo will not meet demand with supply at launch for this unit. It is unavoidable.
I think the easy answer to this question is to say "it will launch with Zelda." I get it, there's precedence for this. The Switch launched with Breath of the Wild, the Wii launched with Twilight Princess. Following simple logic, the New Hardware will launch alongside Tears of the Kingdom.
However I don't think launching this unit alongside Zelda is the right move. Let's do some hypothesizing about the two main markets this new hardware will appeal to at launch. You've got The Nintendo Hardcore, who will buy any new Nintendo hardware at launch regardless of what games it launches with, and you've got the Mainstream Consumer, who will buy new hardware to play new games. The more casual buyers won't be factored in here, because they're probably still satisfied with their current existing Switch unit, and are not likely to purchase new hardware in its launch window.
If you launch this new unit alongside Zelda, Hardcore Nintendo fans are going to want this unit, as they would regardless of what it launches alongside. But you'll also have the mainstream consumer, who would like to play the new Zelda game, and will see it launch alongside new hardware and think, maybe uneducated as to it's ability to run on a current Switch, or maybe knowing the new hardware will give them a superior experience, also wanting this new unit. Supply is already going to be tight, and appealing to all markets at once is going to result in unhappy people who were unable to get a unit when they wanted one.
Pikmin, a game known for it's high on-screen character counts, is a series that doesn't have a whole lot of mainstream appeal, but Hardcore Nintendo fans adore. It's also a game that would immensely benefit from 4K resolutions, with even Shigeru Miyamoto himself admitting as much. Where the cell-shaded, artistically unique Zelda game Tears of the Kingdom would look notably better than Breath of the Wild on new hardware for those who know what to look for, the benefit for a highly-detailed game that blends incredibly life-like environments with dozens and dozens of on-screen characters like Pikmin would make itself almost immediately evident.
So, in short, here is what I believe to be the play:
The New Hardware launches in March 2023 alongside Pikmin 4. Pikmin 4 shows off the power of this new unit and the benefits of higher resolutions, and appeals directly to the Hardcore Nintendo fans. The Early Adopters eat it up alongside the long-anticipated follow-up to fan-favourite Pikmin 3, while the Mainstream audience becomes aware of this powerful new unit, but does not rush out to buy one immediately because Pikmin isn't really for them.
Nintendo then has 2 extra months to manufacture more units for Zelda's launch in May, while still selling what few consoles they have been able to make to their hardcore fanbase. Once Zelda lands in May, then the mainstream audience will really want the new unit, but the hardcore fanbase will have already gotten theirs. This will prevent the demand spiking at launch, and help smooth it out over a few months. This will hopefully ensure the story isn't "no one can buy the new Nintendo unit" like it has been for Sony's PS5 for almost two years, and is closer to "Nintendo's new hardware launch was very successful."
So this is why I personally think Pikmin 4 is the launch game. By launching alongside Pikmin 4, it'll better showcase the new hardware's capabilities, while spreading the first-year demand spike over a few months to prevent an enormous disparity between the unavoidably tight supply with the inevitable enormous Zelda-fueled demand.
But what do YOU think? Let me know below, I'm excited to read everyone else's thoughts on this topic.
However what's new hardware without a game to take advantage of it? There's bound to be a title, one stand-out piece of software that launches alongside the unit that shows off it's power. Which game do you think that'll be?
While you're free to simply answer the poll question and move on, I'd love to hear your reasonings for your choices in the thread. I think it'd make for an enlightening discussion.
Here's my stance: I believe the new unit will launch in March 2023 alongside Pikmin 4. Let me explain why.
It's no secret that supply chains right now are extremely constrained. Electronics manufacturers are struggling to make enough product to meet demand in almost every electronics and electronics-adjacent industry. Video game hardware is no exception.
As a result, it's safe to say that Nintendo will not meet demand with supply at launch for this unit. It is unavoidable.
I think the easy answer to this question is to say "it will launch with Zelda." I get it, there's precedence for this. The Switch launched with Breath of the Wild, the Wii launched with Twilight Princess. Following simple logic, the New Hardware will launch alongside Tears of the Kingdom.
However I don't think launching this unit alongside Zelda is the right move. Let's do some hypothesizing about the two main markets this new hardware will appeal to at launch. You've got The Nintendo Hardcore, who will buy any new Nintendo hardware at launch regardless of what games it launches with, and you've got the Mainstream Consumer, who will buy new hardware to play new games. The more casual buyers won't be factored in here, because they're probably still satisfied with their current existing Switch unit, and are not likely to purchase new hardware in its launch window.
If you launch this new unit alongside Zelda, Hardcore Nintendo fans are going to want this unit, as they would regardless of what it launches alongside. But you'll also have the mainstream consumer, who would like to play the new Zelda game, and will see it launch alongside new hardware and think, maybe uneducated as to it's ability to run on a current Switch, or maybe knowing the new hardware will give them a superior experience, also wanting this new unit. Supply is already going to be tight, and appealing to all markets at once is going to result in unhappy people who were unable to get a unit when they wanted one.
Pikmin, a game known for it's high on-screen character counts, is a series that doesn't have a whole lot of mainstream appeal, but Hardcore Nintendo fans adore. It's also a game that would immensely benefit from 4K resolutions, with even Shigeru Miyamoto himself admitting as much. Where the cell-shaded, artistically unique Zelda game Tears of the Kingdom would look notably better than Breath of the Wild on new hardware for those who know what to look for, the benefit for a highly-detailed game that blends incredibly life-like environments with dozens and dozens of on-screen characters like Pikmin would make itself almost immediately evident.
So, in short, here is what I believe to be the play:
The New Hardware launches in March 2023 alongside Pikmin 4. Pikmin 4 shows off the power of this new unit and the benefits of higher resolutions, and appeals directly to the Hardcore Nintendo fans. The Early Adopters eat it up alongside the long-anticipated follow-up to fan-favourite Pikmin 3, while the Mainstream audience becomes aware of this powerful new unit, but does not rush out to buy one immediately because Pikmin isn't really for them.
Nintendo then has 2 extra months to manufacture more units for Zelda's launch in May, while still selling what few consoles they have been able to make to their hardcore fanbase. Once Zelda lands in May, then the mainstream audience will really want the new unit, but the hardcore fanbase will have already gotten theirs. This will prevent the demand spiking at launch, and help smooth it out over a few months. This will hopefully ensure the story isn't "no one can buy the new Nintendo unit" like it has been for Sony's PS5 for almost two years, and is closer to "Nintendo's new hardware launch was very successful."
So this is why I personally think Pikmin 4 is the launch game. By launching alongside Pikmin 4, it'll better showcase the new hardware's capabilities, while spreading the first-year demand spike over a few months to prevent an enormous disparity between the unavoidably tight supply with the inevitable enormous Zelda-fueled demand.
But what do YOU think? Let me know below, I'm excited to read everyone else's thoughts on this topic.