Set to become Nintendo’s biggest hit, the Switch redefined what a console could be by uniting the best of handheld and home gaming into a single, seamless device.
The Switch has done so well that Nintendo doesn’t feel the need to reinvent the wheel with the Switch 2. Both systems build on concepts the company’s been refining since the Wii U, or perhaps even before that.
The Wii U couldn’t match up to its successor, the Switch soared past 150 million units, while the Wii U sold just 13.56 million, making it the least successful home console in Nintendo’s history.
How the Switch Marked A Turning Point for Nintendo’s Tech Ambitions
The Wii U, released in late 2012 and replaced by the Switch within five years, had a short lifespan. Yet, its creativity shone through, many of its ideas and titles were groundbreaking and surprisingly predictive of today’s gaming landscape.
By enabling play on both a TV and in handheld form, the Wii U’s controller offered flexibility that’s become increasingly popular — just look at today’s Steam Deck or PlayStation Portal.
The idea has now inspired an entire segment of gaming tech — Xbox is even planning its own handheld. But Nintendo’s roots in handheld-console crossover tech go way back to the GBA’s GameCube link and the SNES’s Super Game Boy.
Its biggest flaw as a portable device was the fact that it wasn’t really portable. Move too far from the Wii U, and gameplay would drop. Plus, the battery life didn’t help matters.
Nintendo’s Switch streamlined the experience. Rather than relying on a console to connect to a tablet, the Switch itself is the main system. Its dock makes TV connection and recharging incredibly simple, just drop it in and keep playing.
The Switch’s library owes a lot to the Wii U, where many popular titles first debuted. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, the highest-selling Switch game, started as Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U. Breath of the Wild was also intended to launch solely on the Wii U, but Nintendo later opted to make it available on the Switch too.
The first Splatoon and Super Mario Maker games launched on the Wii U before their sequels hit the Switch. Likewise, excellent Wii U titles such as Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Super Mario 3D World, Pikmin 3, and Xenoblade Chronicles X were given new life with Switch versions.
Following in the footsteps of the Switch, the Switch 2 offers backward compatibility with the majority of Switch titles, including the updated versions of Wii U classics.
Breath of the Wild is getting a third version featuring technical improvements, and new additions like GameChat and GameShare aim to make gaming with friends easier and more fun.
The company realized even then that their concept was promising, but perhaps ahead of its time. Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of Mario and Zelda, spoke about this in a 2016 interview with Andrew Webster during the debut of Super Mario Run.
Also Read: Nintendo Switch 2 Pops Up In U.S. Stores Ahead of Launch Week
