Nintendo’s Long Line Of Hits Followed By Misses Might Continue With Switch 2

The large news of nan week – speech from different ruinous onslaught from nan United States on its ain economy – was nan long-awaited debut of nan Nintendo Switch 2. It looks solid, pinch an intriguing salvo of early games (Mario Kart, Donkey Kong, a caller FromSoftware game), but price tag and preorder shenanigans near fans wondering if they really need to fork complete truthful overmuch money for what is fundamentally an incremental upgrade to nan first Switch. Now a mobility looms complete nan console: Will it beryllium nan adjacent ubiquitous Nintendo knock-out hit, aliases nan adjacent Wii U?

On this section of Aftermath Hours, we’re joined by typical impermanent Mike Drucker, comedian and writer connected shows for illustration Adam Ruins Everything, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and Full Frontal pinch Samantha Bee, to talk astir his caller book, Good Game, No Rematch: A Life Made of Video Games. We talk really games and people’s narration to them person changed complete nan years – and besides nan clip Mike sewage changeable successful nan dick pinch a paintball weapon while moving for Nintendo. 

Speaking of Nintendo, we past move connected to nan Switch 2, which nan institution yet revealed successful earnest this week pinch a fistful of cool games and a value tag that’s giving would-be buyers superior sticker daze arsenic a consequence of, well, everything other going connected successful nan world correct now. We besides put retired into nan beingness nan thought of a caller DK Rap – but this clip they prosecute a legit rapper and play it wholly straight. Please, Nintendo, fulfill our dreams.

You tin find this week's section beneath and connected Spotify, Apple, aliases wherever other you for illustration to perceive to podcasts. If you for illustration what you hear, make judge to time off a reappraisal truthful that we tin make an full medium of DK Raps. 

Here’s an excerpt from our speech (edited for magnitude and clarity):

Chris: The economy’s a smoking spread successful nan crushed correct now. Part of that’s not Nintendo’s fault, but besides portion of it is Nintendo’s responsibility because they’re for illustration “Hey, we cognize you’re gonna do this. You cognize you’re gonna do this. Let’s conscionable do this.” I don’t cognize really successful that’s gonna beryllium long-term, peculiarly erstwhile not conscionable Steam but besides different console makers want a portion of that really badly. Nintendo will ever beryllium nan leader, but by really much? And bully of a woody is that? If Sony comes retired pinch a handheld tomorrow that’s par-for-par and you tin play your PlayStation 5 games connected it, that’d beryllium a bully woody for a batch of people. That’d beryllium a spot wherever you bargain PlayStation games.

Nathan: Yeah, location is nan discourse of, pinch nan Switch and its monolithic success, Nintendo benignant of brought nan thought of a handheld backmost into vogue, and now they’re dealing pinch nan world they created. The Switch 2 is an incremental upgrade that’s not arsenic instantly earthshaking arsenic its predecessor to benignant of participate Nintendo backmost into their ain market. And to what grade do they admit correct now that nan transportation [in position of price, astatine least] isn’t rather arsenic thrilling arsenic it could be? The week earlier this, they did a large Switch 1 Direct wherever they were for illustration “Look astatine each this worldly we still person coming to Switch 1. We person not coiled it down rather yet.”

Chris: It’s not moreover conscionable “Will this succeed?” It will succeed, but successful my bosom of hearts, I deliberation they’re gonna support up nan alternating-console-being-trash streak that they’ve had since nan Gamecube. Like, OK, Gamecube sucked. Wii was a hit. Wii U–

Nathan: I liked nan Gamecube!

Chris: But it didn’t do [well saleswise]. If you play Smash, it’s fantastic, but comparative to its competitors, it was a dud. They fucked up. The rhythm of Nintendo is that they person an unthinkable hit, and past they get hubristic and up their ain ass a small bit, and past they’re for illustration “You guys will bargain anything.” And past it’s not ever nan case.

Mike: Having been wrong location [working astatine Nintendo of America], I kinda consciousness sympathy. I cognize that this is Nintendo of Japan’s decision. I wasn’t location erstwhile nan Wii U came out, but I was location successful immoderate of nan naming meetings. And I deliberation nan thesis of each naming gathering was “Please don’t telephone it nan Wii U.” And nan main consequence from Japan was “We cognize what we’re doing. We’re gonna do it. We’re gonna sanction it nan Wii U.” And we were for illustration “OK, we tried.”