Why Nintendo's Next-Gen Console Must Keep Up With The Competition

Nintendo, a company known for its innovative and family-friendly gaming consoles, has been incredibly successful with its current console, the Nintendo Switch. However, as the gaming industry continues to evolve and advance, it is becoming increasingly evident that it is crucial that Nintendo develop a next-generation console that can compete with Microsoft's Xbox Series X|S and Sony's PlayStation 5 consoles.

Fortunately, the arrival of a next-gen Switch 2 console might no longer be a pipedream for Nintendo enthusiasts. As spotted by Reddit user u/anirakdream on the GamingLeaksAndRumors subreddit, an article published in the Nikkei, a respectable Japanese financial news source, claimed that Nintendo is "hitting a growth plateau," with stagnation threatening its relevance in the modern, next-gen console gaming market.

Accordingly, the user copied an excerpt from the Nikkei article (originally in Japanese) that suggested that the company was starting negotiations regarding the production of its next-generation consoles. Noteworthy, upon inspection of the original article, there was no mention of Nintendo being in "negotiations with suppliers on a production system, although it's possible this text might have been removed post-publishing.

It's also worth mentioning that despite this, the development of the next-generation Switch 2 was alluded to previously in a Digital Foundry podcast, a credible source for Nintendo leaks, which came shortly after Nintendo reportedly scrapped its production of the Switch Pro late last year. That said, it does beg the question of whether Nintendo even stands a chance against behemoth Microsoft and Sony in the next-gen gaming space.

Mobile users: Jump to the 50:00 timestamp for the related segment.

Regardless, what is clear is that Nintendo desperately needs to work on a next-gen console to stay competitive in the market. As technology advances, consumers have come to expect more powerful and visually impressive games, and Nintendo's Switch is not as powerful as its competitors. If Nintendo does not release a next-gen console that can match the capabilities of the Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5, it risks losing market share to these competitors.

Additionally, to stay relevant in the industry, Nintendo desperately needs to keep up with the latest trends and advancements in gaming technology. Virtual reality, for example, is becoming more popular in the gaming world, and the Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 both offer VR capabilities; that said, Nintendo is sorely lacking in this department.

Furthermore, to keep a strong user base, Nintendo needs to continue to release new and exciting games that harness more powerful hardware and software. Nintendo's in-house software, such as the "Mario" series and "Animal Crossing," has been incredibly successful and helped drive Switch sales. However, as evidenced by the botched launch of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, which was ridden with performance issues, Nintendo's archaic hardware places a hard cap on users' experience and is a massive bottleneck to the overall franchise.