During a recent investor Q&A session Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto stated that he believes the Switch could be successful for a long time because of its unique hybrid design and, the companies efforts to bring about exciting games to the console that compliment its unique capabilities. Usually the lifespan of consoles only lasts about 6 years. But Miyamoto expressed how he feels that the Switch could be around a lot longer due to its unique features and, that Nintendo is focused on extending the life of the console.
“When you think about what can be done with the Nintendo Switch as a device that can be taken on the go and that every person has in their hands to play, you realize it has many features not available on any other hardware to date. Nintendo also has a system in place whereby the software developers focus on these hardware features in their development efforts for the continuation of the Nintendo Switch business. Up until now, the hardware lifecycle has trended at around five or six years, but it would be very interesting if we could prolong that life cycle, and I think you should be looking forward to that.”
Nintendo director Shinya Takahashi also added that they are working closely with “junior” developers inside the company to “create interesting products” that a variety of players will enjoy. The console has definitely been off to an amazing start, since its release in March of last year it has already surpassed its predecessor the Wii U in lifetime sales. Nintendo predicts that we could see the Switch still in the market all the way into 2023 or beyond. It seems that the momentum is definitely there and if Nintendo can continue to deliver on bringing popular content to the console then we could see it stick around for the long haul.