August 31st 2024.
Is Nintendo currently outshining its competitors? A reader recently expressed their frustration with the recent actions of Sony and Microsoft, and hopes that Nintendo's upcoming console will push them to improve their own offerings. In the latest Reader's Feature, the focus is on the potential of the Nintendo Switch 2, not only for its own success but also as a catalyst for Xbox and PlayStation to step up their game.
It's no secret that Microsoft has been facing a lot of criticism lately for their lack of competence. Some of their decisions, such as announcing Indiana Jones And The Great Circle for PlayStation 5 right away, seem to be doing more harm than good by discouraging people from buying an Xbox or subscribing to Game Pass. It's hard to ignore the fact that over the past two generations, Microsoft hasn't exactly been excelling in the video game industry. However, they're not the only ones.
The past two years have been a mystery for Sony, with various theories circulating about their sudden shift away from their successful strategies of the past 30 years in favor of a fleeting trend. This trend has already proven to be short-lived, as Sony is now making a U-turn that will take just as long to complete. Whether this is the case or not, the current state of PlayStation HQ gives off the impression that those in charge have no idea what they're doing. Thankfully, we have Nintendo to turn to.
Of course, Nintendo is not immune to making mistakes. As with PlayStation currently, we may never truly know what they were thinking during the last few years of the Wii and the launch of the Wii U. However, instead of jumping on the first bandwagon that came their way, they dug themselves out of the hole with hard work and more unconventional ideas that ended up being a hit with fans.
The Switch may end up being the best-selling console of all time, and it's a well-deserved achievement for both the console itself and its games. Throughout this generation, Nintendo has been incredibly competent in almost everything they've done. Their first-party games have been consistently good, their business decisions make sense, and they haven't been as anti-consumer as their competitors.
When compared to Xbox and PlayStation, Nintendo feels like the mature, responsible adult in the room. This is surprising, considering their experience in the industry, but even Xbox has been around for 23 years now. They should be better at this. They shouldn't be making so many careless mistakes and appearing so incompetent and lost compared to a company that is much smaller in size.
But let's not forget that Nintendo is not perfect. The purpose of this piece is not to solely praise Nintendo, but rather to criticize Microsoft and Sony, who have been a disappointment for quite some time now. While there's always a chance that Nintendo's next console could flop like the Wii U, it's more likely that we'll see a sensible evolution with some unique features and a strong lineup of first-party titles, along with a surprising amount of third-party support. If that's the case, it will bring a breath of fresh air to the gaming industry, and it's about time.
This will also expose Microsoft and Sony for the lazy, complacent giants that they are. Hopefully, this will inspire them to do better, but the reason why I have faith in Nintendo is that they understand what gaming is all about. It's not a secret, any gamer could tell you, but apparently not every publisher gets it. Ultimately, the most important aspect of gaming is the games themselves, and when it comes to purchasing a new console, exclusive games are the primary factor. Everything else is secondary.
Microsoft has never seemed to understand this, and Sony has somehow forgotten it in just a few short years. If they can't remember this crucial aspect of gaming, they will be steamrolled by Nintendo, and I won't feel sorry for them when it happens.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
