When buying a new game console, what matters most? If you had to choose between the Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X|S, or PS5, what would influence your decision?
Whether it is exclusive games, portability, or something else, Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendo’s legendary game designer and producer, believes that people no longer choose consoles based solely on their technical specifications.
In an interview with Famitsu, Miyamoto shared his thoughts on how Nintendo has approached hardware over the years.
Gamers No Longer Choose Consoles Based on Specs
Nintendo has focused on creating new ways to play since the Wii and Nintendo DS era, instead of competing only on raw technical power. While this strategy meant Nintendo’s hardware was often less powerful than its competitors, it proved highly successful.
The original Nintendo Switch, for example, was not as powerful as the PS4 or Xbox One, but it introduced a new way to play and has become one of the best-selling consoles of all time, with nearly 156 million units sold.
Its biggest strength was offering different ways to enjoy games. Players could switch between playing on a TV at home and gaming on the go whenever they wanted.
He explained, “First of all, I was happy that the Switch lasted for 8 to 9 years. I think that customers are no longer just looking for specs. I think the ideal is that ‘if you buy the software, you can play it on the device you have at home.’”
“Smartphones are ‘everywhere,’ aren’t they? I think that’s one ideal. But Nintendo has always been ‘providing gameplay that only we can create,’ including the interface,” he added. “Compared to smartphones, it has the advantage of being able to respond quickly and having a high degree of freedom because it only requires one architecture and support for one piece of hardware.”
Miyamoto also explained why dedicated gaming hardware can make development more efficient.
He said, “If you use a general-purpose device, you have to support all versions, so the amount of work increases. We still want to make a living with minimal effort, to live without working… that’s half a joke, of course (laughs). But we believe that reducing the amount of work as much as possible is important for making development more efficient, so considering that, I think we’ve created a pretty good environment.”
In other news, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa says the company will continue supporting the original Switch while encouraging a gradual transition to Switch 2.
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