Nintendo's Next Console: 10 Ways To Blow Switch Out The Water

With the recent announcements of the Xbox Series X and PS5, fans are beginning to speculate what the successor to Nintendo's much-loved fusion console, the Switch, will look like.

Will it follow in the footsteps of the Wii, Wii U and Switch, or will it make a dramatic shift to high-tech home consoling, a la its Microsoft and Sony competitors?

While the Switch is only three years old, and continues to sell incredibly well (partially thanks to the popularity of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which has reportedly sold better than the entire Metroid franchise), anticipation for Nintendo's eighth home console is at an all-time high, thanks in part to the gaming giant's lack of big announcements for the rest of 2020, as well as the persistent rumours of a Switch Pro that have been floating around for the better part of a year.

Indeed, some feel the success of the Switch might represent a move away from traditional consoles, especially given the popularity of the handheld-only Switch Lite and Nintendo's failures to match its immediate competitors in terms of graphics and third-party releases.

Nonetheless, the popularity of Mario, Zelda and other Ninty-exclusive franchises ensure there'll always be a market for a Switch successor, however that may look.

Since the advent of 3D gaming, Nintendo has always strayed behind in terms of graphics compared to other consoles, choosing to focus instead on (admittedly more important) gameplay and innovation rather than striving to produce graphical powerhouses.

Finding and pursuing niches in the market since the glory days of the Wii (which sought to open up gaming to all-new audiences), Nintendo's last few releases have relied on a combination of must-have titles and imaginative takes on what a video game console can be to stay ahead of the competition.

While Nintendo's experimental approach has given us all-time classics such as the Wii and Switch, this gameplay-first approach does make Ninty systems looked rather aged, even when compared to their immediate counterparts. Poor graphical capabilities also can put developers off importing AAA titles to Nintendo's consoles.

4K support capabilities will put Nintendo's next system on par with the new Xbox and Playstation devices, attracting an all-new audience while still retaining a core audience of casual gamers and Mushroom Kingdom devotees.