If you haven’t heard about the Nintendo Switch, the game company’s next foray into console gaming, I welcome you to the internet. For everyone else who’s excited about the portable / home console coming in March 2017, Nintendo just announced a few important details fans need to know about.
At the Nintendo investors meeting on Wednesday morning in Osaka, CEO Tatsumi Kimishima told investors about their plans for the next fiscal year with the Nintendo Switch. According to Wall Street Journal reporter Takashi Mochizuki, Nintendo expects to sell two million copies of the Nintendo Switch in its launch month.
Nintendo CEO says current FY financial guidance assumes 2 million units of Switch to be shipped this fiscal year ending in March
— Takashi Mochizuki (@mochi_wsj) October 26, 2016
Kimishima also said the Switch will not operate at a loss, but unless they can pull a time machine out of one Mario’s hats, there’s no way to know how the console will do.
Mr. Kimishima reiterated his remark on 3DS today: will continue supporting it and make games for it. Switch isn't a 3DS replacement. https://t.co/P2gSDcxSes
— Takashi Mochizuki (@mochi_wsj) October 26, 2016
Once the Nintendo Switch launches, the company will continue supporting the 3DS, Nintendo’s dual screen mobile device. That’s a relief for me; I was sure Nintendo would push the Switch as their main mobile device. Knowing that, it makes me wonder what the battery life of the Switch on the go is going to be, if Nintendo still needs to invest in a handheld. The scenario seems to suggest the Switch might not have the most robust battery for full-time portable gaming.
The Wii U has not been selling well, so Nintendo really needs to knock it out of the park with the Switch. If it’s a flop, the company might be in danger of going under completely or at the very worst, devoting everything to mobile gaming. I can’t live in a world without Nintendo consoles and the spectre of Pok é mon Go , reminding us all how great the old times used to be.
