This is a totally different article for you today. I’m very much unsure whether a reaction will work in an article format. If you are reading this reaction to CNBC and its “The Rise of the Nintendo Switch” video, then the editing gods will have thought so…
CNBC Make it is a channel I’ve watched as few times before. It mostly covers business and financial well-being with a lifestyle spin. It’s most popular series is its “Living on X in year in Y location” videos, but it also covers other slightly random topics. (It’s most viewed videos is about mansions with water parks in their backyards!)
A few weeks ago, it did a feature about the rise of the Switch, and I thought it would be interesting to share with you my reactions to what a mainstream network thinks about a console we’ve been talking about since launch (We got here first, so back off CNBC!).
00:17 CNBC starts off talking about the Switch’s rarity during the COVID-19 pandemic. I am a big advocate for the Switch and regularly try and persuade friends to pick one up, if only as a way to get more people to play with (Add me: SW-5977-8229-5286). Unfortunately for one of my friends, their trying to get a Switch coincided with COVID, so they really struggled to find one (Although in the end, they got one.).
I think this is probably the main reason this video is being made now. Nintendo has used rarity as a way to get a few more sales in the past, and whether the current shortages are intentional or not, they have certainly caused a surge of interest in the console.
00:39 I always knew Nintendo was a really old company and that they had made trading cards before the got into video games, but I hadn’t known their greatest hit in physical games had been Disney trading cards. You learn something new everyday. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
01:33 It’s slightly eye-opening when CNBC explains here that Nintendo is no longer the leader in handheld gaming. There are way more smart devices out there. That being said, if you asked any Switch user who the king of handhelds is they would almost certainly say Nintendo. That’s because back in 2012, while mobile may have been more mysterious, it became clear that mobiles would never be home to premium games, and since a console is nothing without the games, you could very much still argue that the Switch puts Nintendo in the lead.
02:07 Ahhh that initial trailer brings back the memes. I think I remember hearing about it on Gameranx’s Friday show and being tremendously excited.
03:49 The Switch’s design is so unique, and I think that itself drew Nintendo fans in. The company has always been pretty original. It’s creativity is what allowed it to dominate the 80s video game market. I think that retro Nintendo gamers would have been drawn in at least a small way by the nostalgia of Nintendo being creative. From the push down and click to close the game card slot to the k-cha noise of putting the controllers on the device. The other major consoles really can’t compete in terms of how satisfying the physical design is.
07:12 This definitely applies to my family. We had Zoom meeting after Zoom meeting doing everything from inter-family quizzes to fancy dress. Like a lot of people, I had just been laid off and needed something to do, and the Switch definitely provided.
I’ve been having a lot of fun playing Box Boy and Box Girl (a 2-player puzzle game) as well as Mario Kart 8 with my siblings over the lock down. The Switch along with Nintendo itself can be summed up pretty well with the word “fun”, and I certainly think while the world collapsed around us, we all needed a bit of that.
07:50 Animal Crossing!
Every long-running Nintendo franchise is beloved, but not every Nintendo fan loves each franchise equally. I’ve loved Mario and Zelda for as long as I can remember. My first Metroid game was Metroid Prime, and I’ve loved the series ever since. But my first foray into Luigi’s Mansion came last year with the arrival of the third game (and I loved it). Animal Crossing is another widely beloved series that I’ve never given the time of day. Until now, that is.
Switch Watch’s Will Heath in Animal Crossing for a First-time Player
09:20 Almost everyone I know either has another current gen console that they no longer use as well as their Switch or they use both. For me, comparing the Switch with say an Xbox is kind of unfair as they provide totally different experiences. Xbox is what I’ve been playing Call of Duty: Warzone on with friends over the lockdown whereas the Switch is what I use to hangout with family or just for some alone time.
There you have it, I hoped you enjoyed the article as well as the video. It’s incredible to think just how massive the Switch community is at this point and to hear what others think about our favorite handheld is surprisingly refreshing. If you want some more Switch content, you can check out the latest physicals video/article here or just scroll down as we have infinite scroll now.
