Nintendo is not having the best time right now, with the Wii U majorly struggling to shift units. Sales figures may have picked up slightly in the latter half of 2015, but the console is miles behind the sales figures of both Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Even the figures for Nintendo's 3DS took a big hit in 2015, with mobile gaming taking bigger and bigger chunks out of their portable sales. Those predicting the eventual downfall of Nintendo might still be jumping the gun. Their legacy in terms of progressing the medium of gaming is unparalleled, and they have the power to breathe new life into ageing franchises, as proven by Mario Kart 8 and Super Mario 3D World. They have shown they can still create exciting new IPs with Splatoon, and Super Mario Maker showed the potential of the Wii U gamepad more than anything else. Part of the reason many still believe that Nintendo can recover their past glories is an ability to doggedly innovate and improve, time and time again. Here, I look back at ten of their biggest and most important new features, all of which have become industry standards in the world of gaming.
10. Shoulder Buttons On Controllers
You may best remember the SNES for the awesome rendered graphics of Donkey Kong Country or your first ever Mario Kart experience but its controller helped its games feel great. Combined with four action buttons on the front of the joypad - also a first that became industry standard - these additional finger-appropriate buttons allowed for a greater number of input combinations, and lives on to this day on every modern joypad. The greater number of inputs allowed for more complex controls, particularly for fighting games. Plus, it made mastering drifting on Super Mario Kart unbelievably fun.
Tom, simple country boy, scarily close to his 30th birthday. A juxtaposition of sporty and active alpha male with TV and gaming nerd. Newcastle United fan who lives a LONG way away from Newcastle.
