If the rumours are anything to go by it sounds like we’ll be getting a Nintendo Switch Mini very soon!
Nintendo has been killing it with the Nintendo Switch recently. However Nintendo sales reports for 2018 actually show a drop in Nintendo Switch sales. Maybe it’s time Nintendo sparked some life into the middle aged console. But how should they do that?
New reports coming out from Nikkei state that Nintendo Switch mini or micro is likely in 2019. However is this a good idea or should Nintendo focus on bringing us the Nintendo Switch VR?
Nintendo Switch Mini
Rumours of a sequel Switch have been around since the launch of the console itself. The latest rumour isn’t of a new Nintendo. It is of a smaller, more portable Nintendo Switch. In theory a Nintendo Switch Mini, which would be easier for gamers to transport.
The Nintendo Switch mini, if it does exist, could be on the way by the middle of this year. It seems like Nintendo is hoping to expand its user base with a more affordable price tag. However, would that mean a trade off of more limited functionality?
Nintendo 3DS
Nintendo are probably also looking into a more portable version of the Switch to make up for decreasing 3DS and 2DS sales. But if we get a Nintendo Switch Lite does that mean we won’t get a dedcated handheld console?
I hope not! I for one love the idea of Nintendo always having two consoles per generation. A main console and a handheld. Nintendo’s history and excellence with handhelds warrants the Nintendo handheld consoles to exist in their own right with their own games library. The Switch mini might ultimately dilute the success of the Nintendo Switch. Whether Nintendo would do this with a smaller, more limited Switch is debatable.
Switch Mini Specs
If they did make the Switch Mini more limited, what would they change? Would they remove the dock? That initially doesn’t sound like a smart idea as it completely takes away the home console feel of the Nintendo Switch. However, lets not forget that Nintendo took the 3D out of the 3DS! I guess the Switch Mini could still interface with your TV via a cable.
Another option for Nintendo is to make the Joy-Con controllers part of the console itself, rather than devices which slide off the sides. Again, I think this kind of defeats the point of the Nintendo Switch. I guess maybe you could still use standard Joy-Cons with the Switch Mini but that doesn’t’ seem as slick. This would definitely make the Switch Mini more portable though!
Despite the amazing initial sales figures. Sales of the Nintendo Switch seems to be slightly declining. Nintendo sold 9.41 million Switch consoles in the last three months of 2019. Making a total of 32.27 million consoles since the launch in 2017.
Nintendo has re-estimated their targets of April to April sales for the Switch from 20 million down to 17 million. Maybe sales of the Nintendo Switch have peaked. Therefore Nintendo is probably looking to extend the life of the Switch by giving it a mid life boost with the Nintendo Switch Mini.
Official Nintendo Switch VR
If Nintendo did not go down the Switch mini route then what other option are there for injecting life into the Nintendo Switch. Nintendo Switch VR is the answer. In December 2016 Nintendo filed a patent for a VR headset which would enable the Switch screen to slot in. Kind of like a mobile VR headset but with added accelerometer.
The very idea of Nintendo Switch having a VR headset – and VR games to use with it, of course – has been a rather hot topic for debate over the console’s life. Recently it may have subdued a bit. However many have expressed a desire to see it happen.
Some have even gone to the lengths of creating their own homemade kits. You can find a few Nintendo Switch VR videos on YouTube.
One company has even gone so far as to make a more legit option. Canadian company exklim has jumped on the chance to create its own VR-style headset for the console. Called the ‘NS Glasses’, the kit has been described as the “world’s first headset for Switch”. It’s a decent piece of kit but I’m sure it’s nothing compared to what Nintendo could come up with if they focused their attentions on an Official Nintendo Switch VR!
If you include in the equation that the right joy con has an infra red motion camera then Nintendo have all the pieces in place to support the Nintendo Switch VR. I for one think it would be a great idea and would cement the Nintendo Switch as the “one console to rule them all!”
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