Right now, there are three major console makers that are trying to own the biggest piece of the gaming market as possible. Two of them are trying to do it by making systems with the best processing power, graphics, and things of that nature. But Nintendo has never been that way. Or at least not in recent generations. After certain setbacks, they decided to focus on trying to innovate gaming as a whole versus just trying to “make them look better.”
According to President Shuntaro Furukawa, that is an important part of their process.
In an interview with NHK, and translated by Nintendo Everything, Shuntaro Furukawa explained that Nintendo doesn’t innovate just for the sake of it but to try and bring something new to gamers:
“While there is no particular technology we are focusing on at the moment, we are conducting research on a variety of new technologies. However, I believe the most important thing for our company is not seeking new technologies for novelty’s sake, but rather considering how they can lead to revolutions in the act of play itself. The idea is that if we become convinced that incorporating a certain technology can provide customers with a fresh and surprising experience, then we covet its research more strongly, making investments when necessary as well.”
The two biggest successes of this philosophy were the Wii and the Switch. The former brought motion controls to gaming and set a trend for some time. Then, with the Switch, it was about playing console games anywhere you wanted, and it’s become one of the best-selling consoles ever.
The question is, what kind of “fresh and surprising experience” will they bring to their next system? We’ll have to wait and see.
