Its hardware looks more engaging than the Wii U's ever did, but if the Nintendo Switch is ever going to be a success, it's going to have to do what many Nintendo consoles have previously struggled with - attract third party games developers.
But, according to noted industry analyst Michael Pachter, the Mario house might have cracked it this time by creating development tools that ensure making games for the Switch is a simpler process than for the rival PS4 and Xbox One machines.
Speaking on his Pachter Factor podcast, the analyst stated that he'd “[...]actually heard from developers that Nintendo is the easiest of the three to develop for. The issue’s going to be processing power.”
Grunt for games
It's a double-edged sword then, according to Pachter. Simplifying the development tools is one thing, but if the console itself can't power the experiences that developers envision, they may well look elsewhere rather than considering porting to the Switch too.
The issue may lay with the Switch's semi-portable design - though it's yet to be confirmed, it's rumored that the Switch runs in a less powerful state when on-the-go, away from its home dock.
Nintendo will be chomping at the bit to keep third-party developers on side. With the exception of the Wii, it's not been since the SNES era that Nintendo had consistent third-party support.
Even when things were looking up with the Wii U, its contrary dual-screen format meant that development was costly, leading to a chicken and egg scenario where gamers where waiting for a larger catalogue of title before picking up the console, and developers waiting for a larger user base before creating the games.
