For Nintendo, the launch of any hardware platform needs to be handled in a specific way in order to get results. Unfortunately, sometimes it takes them a while to full show the power of the items they make. The DS and 3DS both had slow starts, but then got momentum late and definitively won the handheld wars with Sony. Sadly, the WIi U was not like that. Due to Nintendo’s vagueness at the start, some didn’t think the Wii U was a new console, but rather a new controller. This thought has carried to this day, and led to it, among other things, to be dead last in the console war for this generation.
With the NX coming, there is a lot of pressure on Nintendo to pull out all the stops to stay relevant and prove they can still make amazing consoles. Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime understands that, and acknowledges that the launch of the NX, along with the perception of it, is crucial
“We have to do a better job helping people to understand its uniqueness and what that means for the game playing experience,” he said to AList
Furthermore, he knows that the console has to do better software wise, a problem that also plagued the Wii U. For though they had some amazing games, it took a while to get them, and some still haven’t come out. Reggie aims to fix that with the NX:
“We have to do a better job from a software planning standpoint,” Fils-Aime added, “to have that continuous beat of great new games that are motivating more and more people to pick up the hardware and more and more people to pick up the software. Those are the critical lessons […] You have to make sure people understand the concept, you have to make sure you’ve got a great library of games, and when you do that, you tend to do well.”
“Nintendo has been in this video game business over 30 years. We have a rich legacy of wonderful IP. Those are strengths that we have that our competitors don’t, and so leveraging those strengths as we drive our business forward is going to be critically important.”
Not much is known about the NX still, which is probably part of Nintendo’s plan, likely wanting to do a massive announcement event. As of yet, there’s only 5 confirmed games for it, so more announcements are sure to come when the announcement is given.
The NX is set to launch in March.
