The coolest Nintendo Switch feature is a big reason it's been a major success
Switch is, as it turns out, working as intended.
Nintendo's sorta-console/sorta-handheld has taken off in a big way since its March 2017 launch, and one of the big reasons for that -- to no great surprise, really -- is the fact that it delivers on its core value proposition. Fans have taken to the hybrid console approach.
For proof, look no further than Nintendo's six-month earnings report for fiscal 2017 (which is the period covering April 1, 2017 through March 31, 2018). There's a handy graph that breaks down some key usage stats.
Of the global Switch owners Nintendo has been able to track, via registered Nintendo Account users, around 18 percent are playing primarily in TV mode and 30 percent primarily play without being plugged into the dock. The rest -- roughly 52 percent -- play in both configurations equally.
To be clear: there are lots of reasons the Switch has been a success for Nintendo. Equally important to its wide adoption, if not moreso, is its library of games: More than 200 are available right now, eight months after release, including buzzed-about new additions to the Zelda, Splatoon, Mario, and Mario Kart families.
But the fact that the majority of players are using the console as Nintendo engineers intended is the clearest sign of all that Switch gets things right. To me, it feels like a more perfect version of the deeply flawed Wii U, which bungled the hybrid approach by limiting the Wii U GamePad's portability to the TV-connected console's relatively small operating zone.
Nintendo is on the same page.
"I would agree ... that the Nintendo Switch potentially would not be what it is if we had not done the Wii U in advance," Nintendo of America Reggie Fils-Aime said during a recent interview.
"The Nintendo Switch potentially would not be what it is if we had not done the Wii U in advance."
As he sees it, there were three main factors contributing to the successful Switch launch.
"First, we needed to make sure that the product proposition was clear, communicated, and compelling," Fils-Aime said. "Because when you look at the Wii U, we weren't able to do that effectively. In 10 words or less, what was the Wii U proposition? It was tough to distill it down."
The Switch, on the other hand, has a very clear value proposition: "Home console that you can take on the go, play anywhere with anyone, anytime. It is crystal clear."
Having games was the second thing. Not just a pile of games, either; "A steady cadence of great games," as Fils-Aime put it.
"Because in the end, when you buy into a new platform, what do you want? You want confidence that there's going to be great content to play. And while we had all the best intentions with the Wii U, we weren't able to execute it."
Switch, on the other hand, launched with a convention-shattering Zelda game and never let up from there. Yes, for the first month or so, calling Switch a "Zelda machine" became something of a running joke, but the reality is that Nintendo's had a marquee release to highlight every month since Switch launched.
Very few consoles can claim the same, and Fils-Aime knows it. "If you look at [Switch's] first year, I would stack up our first year of content with any other platform that's been launched," he said.
"I would stack up our first year of content with any other platform that's been launched."
The final piece, and perhaps -- due to its technical bent -- the least talked about element in Nintendo's new console success is the fact that it's an approachable platform for all developers to work with, not just Nintendo.
"We needed to have an environment that would enable third-party and independent developers to flourish on our system," Fils-Aime said.
He's talking about game engines, the oft-misunderstood foundational software tools on which games are built. Wii U notably had problems, especially early on, with Unity (which it didn't support) and Unreal (the latest version of which wasn't technically supported). Those two game engines are among the most widely used in the industry.
"We were able to bring Unity on to Wii U, but it happened well after launch," Fils-Aime said. "With Nintendo Switch, right out of the gate we had Unreal and Unity as [supported] development environments, which enabled developers to quickly come on board."
The same goes for game engines that are wholly owned by third-party publishers like Activision, Electronic Arts, and Ubisoft. Those, too, are supported.
"We did that early with Nintendo Switch," Fils-Aime said of each publisher's proprietary engines. "We were not as effective at doing that early with Wii U."
Topics Gaming Nintendo Nintendo Switch
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
