The console wars appear to have a new competitor. The Nintendo Switch is proving to be a hit with its "play wherever you want" gameplay, and possibly due to the availability of the first original "Zelda" title we've seen in years. The company which Miyamoto built has been struggling with sales numbers ever since the lukewarm reception to the Wii.
The release of the NES Classic Edition didn't help much, as it backfired on most anyone who actually wanted it and wasn't lucky enough to be in the industry. Practically as soon as it was announced, pre-orders had become useless as scalpers swiped every unit available for months to come.
Now it appears that the NES Classic Edition has been officially discontinued before it even had a chance to spend more than a day on sale anywhere. The only good news from this is that they have apparently only discontinued the mini-console for 2017, so there is a chance next year ... if you live in Japan. No more North America sales will happen, unfortunately.
'Breath of the Wild' appears to be what drives most gamers away from Nintendo's competitors
One thing Nintendo is notorious for is its first-party exclusives. They were also responsible for bringing the gaming market back to profitability after the crash of 1983, countering the near-unplayable "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial" for Atari 2600 with the undyingly fun "Super Mario Bros.
" for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Also exclusive are the "Zelda," "Metroid," and "Donkey Kong" series, all of which have proven the test of time. Just try playing "The Legend of Zelda" today and see if you're not still playing it obsessively for the next week.
"Breath of the Wild," the latest in the "Zelda" series, has brought a true open-world sandbox to the franchise, which aside from shooters is one of the best-selling genres.
While this means you could literally take on the final battle immediately from the start, it's not recommended. Previous titles usually had certain items you needed to collect and use to proceed to the next area, with barriers only those items could bypass.
For those of us still pining to get their hands on "The Legend of Zelda," it seems likely after the North America discontinuation of the NES Classic Edition that the Switch will also include the Virtual Console when their paid subscription launches later this year.
There has been no confirmation on this, however.
How can Nintendo keep ahead of Xbox and Sony?
Sales are amazing for now, with Nintendo officially stating sales figures of over 900 thousand in March, outselling the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, but can they keep it up? The introduction of the paid subscription is a lot like what Nintendo's competitors have been doing for years, marking the first time in history that Nintendo wasn't the one to introduce something new. However, it may be the key to keeping them on top for the future.
While the Switch didn't launch with Netflix or other streaming services available, those additions could easily be what keeps them ahead of the competition. If you're falling behind on "Legends of Tomorrow", or "Better Call Saul," for example, just take the tablet out of the dock and watch it wherever you're going.
No need to change devices. Xbox and PlayStation have yet to do this, though the ill-fated Vita came close.
Until we have confirmation on the Virtual Console and streaming services with the paid subscription, this could still be only a temporary win for Nintendo.
