A company that started life as a playing card manufacturer, Nintendo has worn many hats since its founding in 1889. 1973 saw the company experimenting with video game technology for the first time, and by 1983, Nintendo released its first home console. Flash forward a few decades, and Nintendo has become one of the biggest names in global entertainment, with a long line of home consoles, as well as handhelds, under its belt. The Nintendo Switch is the company's latest console, and now, five years after its initial launch, the Switch seems to have kept Nintendo at the top of the gaming world.
However, while the Switch's extreme success in the last few years is undeniable, it wasn't always smooth sailing for the home console/handheld hybrid. In fact, the first year of its life was met with incredible highs, but it also suffered from some pretty bad lows. Over the last five years, the Nintendo Switch has gone from an interesting handheld with some potentially innovative ideas to an absolute must-have console for any type of gamer.
A Sparse Launch Line-Up
The Nintendo Switch arrived on March 3, 2017 worldwide, and while the vast majority of reviewers gave it a high score, praising the console's potential, the lack of day-one titles was a massive drawback for the system. Many outlets also pointed to a number of technical and hardware flaws that the console showed, including some Bluetooth connectivity issues and the tendency for the Switch's screen to get easily scratched when being plugged into the dock.
Although the Switch's launch line-up had far more games than the Wii U's, the quality of the titles on offer were quite a mixed bag. Obviously, the standout for Switch's launch line-up was The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, a game still widely considered to be one of, if not the console's best experiences. Five years later, Breath of the Wild remains one of the most influential games of the modern era, with 2022 titles like Elden Ring and Pokemon Legends: Arceus clearly using it as a point of inspiration.
For many, Breath of the Wild was enough of an incentive to own a Switch, with its bold art direction and innovative open-world mechanics marking a true step-up for the franchise, along with Nintendo as a whole. But for those who weren't fans of Zelda, or who couldn't justify dropping $300 on a console just to play one game, there was little to encourage the rather lofty purchase.
The only other first-party Nintendo release for the Switch's launch line-up was 1-2-Switch, a party game that was said to show the full potential of the Switch's HD Rumble and IR motion sensor features. In reality, the game was incredibly simplistic, consisting of only a handful of mini-games that took too long to set up, and were over too quickly. In hindsight, many fans now believe that 1-2-Switch would've worked much better as a pack-in game, similar to Wii Sports, showcasing the potential of the new technology to excite new console owners as opposed to asking them to shell out $50 for a half-baked experience.
Aside from Breath of the Wild and 1-2-Switch, the Nintendo Switch had a severe lack of titles for quite some time after release. Early adopters were forced to grab any available game, which led many to picking up the average Super Bomberman R along with Shovel Knight, a game many had played already, and the surprisingly fun co-op adventure Snipperclips.
Becoming A Must-Have Console
Thankfully, it didn't take long for the Switch to build up a solid catalog of games, and by the end of its first year, with titles like Super Mario Odyssey, Splatoon 2, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, the Nintendo Switch was really starting to turn heads. In December 2017, Nintendo announced that the Switch had already sold over 10 million units, and was confirmed to be the fastest-selling console of all time in the vast majority of the world. It was also reported that by the end of 2017, the Nintendo Switch had already outsold the Wii U's entire lifetime sales.
With a bit of momentum behind it, the Nintendo Switch continued to amass a library of stellar first-party titles. 2018 saw Super Smash Bros. Ultimate join the roster, while 2019 delivered Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Luigi's Mansion 3, and Pokemon Sword and Shield. These excellent titles bolstered the Switch's value, making the console an absolute must-have for any Nintendo fan.
Along with these phenomenal first-party exclusives, the Switch was also home to a number of impressive ports. Doom, Skyrim, and Wolfenstein all ran surprisingly well on the Switch, proving to many that despite the console's limited hardware, it wasn't too far behind its competitors.
The intuitive design of the Switch, and its ability to take games on the go, made it a natural home for Indie games. In just a few years, the Switch eShop was flooded with countless Indie games, and while not all are worth their place on the console's limited storage, players can enjoy a wealth of superb Indie titles, ranging from Hades to Hollow Knight and everything in between.
In the last few years, the Nintendo Switch has continued to deliver impressive first-party experiences, along with a handful of great ports, and a slew of excellent Indies, making it a console that's truly perfect for just about any type of player. While the global pandemic saw cinemas and restaurants close, it had the opposite effect on the video game industry, leading to the Nintendo Switch selling out across the globe.
As of December 31 2021, Nintendo has confirmed that the Switch has sold an unprecedented 103 million units worldwide. Though it released five years ago, the Switch shows absolutely no signs of slowing down, and although rumors about a "Nintendo Switch 2" continue to crop up every so often, it seems as though Nintendo is happy right where it is. With new Switch titles still being announced regularly, it seems as though Nintendo fans will be kept happy for a while yet.