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| Nintendo has long focused on how and where people play, rather than competing purely on hardware power. |
By Jon Scarr
Every time Nintendo releases a new console, the same debate comes back. It’s not the most powerful. It’s behind on specs. It isn’t trying to match PlayStation or Xbox. And yet, people keep buying it.
That happened again with the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2. Even knowing it wouldn’t compete directly with the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X on raw performance, people showed up anyway. The conversation quickly shifted away from teraflops and toward something far more familiar for Nintendo.
What will they do with it? That question sits at the centre of Nintendo’s long-running success, and it explains why the company continues to thrive without playing the same game as everyone else.
This approach didn’t appear overnight. Nintendo’s modern philosophy can be traced back to the Nintendo Entertainment System, which helped revive the video game industry after the crash of the early 1980s. The Nintendo Entertainment System succeeded not because it was the most advanced machine on the market, but because Nintendo focused on reliability, strong first-party games, and a consistent experience people could trust.
That foundation gave Nintendo the freedom to experiment in later generations and shaped how the company approached hardware long after the Nintendo Entertainment System era ended.
Nintendo Didn’t Always Avoid Power, It Used It Differently
There’s a common misconception that Nintendo has always avoided powerful hardware. That isn’t true.
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System was more advanced than the Sega Genesis in several key ways. It supported a broader colour range, stronger audio, and built-in visual features developers could use directly. Mode 7, which allowed for real-time scaling and rotation, became one of the system’s defining traits and helped shape games like Super Mario Kart and F-Zero.
That wasn’t Nintendo holding back. It was Nintendo applying technology creatively.
The Nintendo 64 followed a similar path. While its cartridge format limited storage compared to the PlayStation’s discs, the hardware itself was strong. Fast load times and capable 3D performance made games like Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time possible in ways that pushed the industry forward.
At that point, Nintendo was still competing on hardware, just not in the same way as everyone else.
The Nintendo GameCube and the First Warning Sign
The Nintendo GameCube is where the story begins to shift. From a technical standpoint, it was a capable system. In some areas, it even outperformed the PlayStation 2. Games like Metroid Prime, Super Smash Bros. Melee, and The Wind Waker showed exactly what the hardware could do.
But this time, power wasn’t enough. The decision to use GameCube Game Discs, proprietary miniDVDs that held about 1.5GB of data. Online features lagged behind what Xbox was starting to offer. And while Nintendo’s own games were excellent, the system struggled to define itself in a crowded market.
The Nintendo GameCube didn’t struggle because it lacked strength. It struggled because Nintendo was competing on terms that didn’t suit it. That lesson would matter more than anything that came next.
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| Luigi’s Mansion was one of the Nintendo GameCube’s popular titles, showing the system’s creativity even as it struggled to find a clear identity. |
The Nintendo Wii Changed Everything
With the Nintendo Wii, Nintendo stopped trying to win the traditional console race. Instead of pushing graphics or processing power, the company focused on interaction. Motion controls, simple menus, and approachable design brought in people who had never owned a console before.
It wasn’t about outperforming competitors. It was about changing who games were for. That decision worked. The Nintendo Wii became one of the best-selling consoles of all time and proved that Nintendo didn’t need to chase hardware trends to succeed.
The Nintendo Wii U Shows What Happens When the Message Fails
The Nintendo Wii U is often treated as an outlier, but it fits perfectly into Nintendo’s broader story. The idea behind the system wasn’t bad. A tablet-style controller that could extend gameplay beyond the TV made sense. The problem was communication.
Many people didn’t understand what the Nintendo Wii U was. Some thought it was an accessory for the Nintendo Wii. Others didn’t see why they needed one at all. The name didn’t help, and neither did the marketing.
Despite having strong games and solid hardware, the Nintendo Wii U failed to clearly explain its purpose. That failure wasn’t about power. It was about identity.
The Nintendo Switch Fixed What the Nintendo Wii U Couldn’t Explain
The Nintendo Switch took the core idea of the Nintendo Wii U and made it obvious. One device. Two ways to play. No confusion.
The hybrid design was immediately understandable, and it fit naturally into how people already lived. Dock it. Take it with you. Hand it to someone else. No extra explanation required.
It wasn’t the most powerful system of its generation, but it didn’t need to be. The clarity of its design did the work. That clarity is a big reason the Nintendo Switch became one of Nintendo’s most successful platforms ever.
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| Nintendo’s Switch launch events made the console’s identity clear from day one, something the Wii U struggled to achieve. |
The Nintendo Switch 2 Builds on a Strategy That Works
The Nintendo Switch 2 follows the same logic that has guided Nintendo for decades. It doesn’t try to outmuscle the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X. Instead, it builds on a design people already understand, refining it rather than reinventing it.
While Sony and Microsoft continue to push performance and technical scale, Nintendo stays focused on approachability, identity, and play. That philosophy extends beyond hardware. Nintendo’s success now spans games, movies, theme parks, and merchandise. The brand works because people know what it represents.
And that kind of recognition doesn’t come from specs.
The Numbers Back It Up
The success of the Nintendo Switch 2 isn’t theoretical anymore. The numbers tell a clear story.
As of September 30, 2025, Nintendo had shipped 10.36 million Nintendo Switch 2 units, making it the fastest-selling console launch in gaming history. The system passed 3.5 million units in its first four days and crossed the 10 million mark in less than four months.
For comparison, the Nintendo Switch sold 4.74 million units in the same timeframe. The PlayStation 5 reached around 7.8 million, while the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Wii both fell short. Even the Nintendo DS didn’t reach that pace.
Nintendo has since raised its sales forecast for the Nintendo Switch 2 to 19 million units by March 2026, a clear sign that momentum hasn’t slowed. Software performance tells an even clearer story.
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| Fans celebrate the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 as sales quickly reached record-breaking levels. |
By the end of September, Nintendo had sold 20.62 million Nintendo Switch 2 games, with Mario Kart World leading the charge. Nearly 97 percent of Nintendo Switch 2 buyers picked it up, either through a bundle or as a standalone purchase. Donkey Kong Bananza followed closely behind, helping first-party titles account for more than 60 percent of all software sold on the platform so far.
Financially, the impact has been just as clear. Nintendo reported a 110 percent year-over-year increase in net sales for the first half of its fiscal year, with operating profit climbing nearly 20 percent. Hardware demand, not discounts or services, is driving that growth.
Nintendo’s Real Advantage
Nintendo keeps winning because it understands something the rest of the industry often overlooks. Most people don’t buy consoles because of numbers on a spec sheet. They buy them because of how those systems make them feel.
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System showed how smart hardware design could elevate games. The Nintendo 64 showed how technical ambition could reshape genres. The Nintendo GameCube revealed the limits of competing head-to-head. The Nintendo Wii and Nintendo Switch showed the power of clarity and accessibility.
The Nintendo Switch 2 is simply the next step in that evolution. And based on everything we’ve seen so far, it’s a step Nintendo knows exactly how to take.
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