Summary
Nintendo has made major strides as a hardware company, with the launch of the NES helping the gaming market make a comeback after Atari almost single-handedly destroyed the industry. Ever since then, Nintendo has been at the forefront of gaming innovation, prioritizing player fun over everything else.
Regardless of how successful Nintendo’s console gimmicks have been, there’s no denying thattheir hardware always stands outwhen it comes to their competitors, which typically prefer to go down a safer, more iterative route. Some gimmicks have launched Nintendo’s sales into the stratosphere, while others were hard for players to grasp — despite having some redeeming qualities.
Nintendo Wii U
There’s no denying that the Wii U was a massive failure that forced Nintendo through a very tough period. However, despite the issues of its clunky controller and weak hardware, there’s no denying that the second screen element could’ve made things quite interesting.
Zombi Ushowed a unique take on this concept, where players would have to look down to check their backpack, adding to the tension if they looted locations while zombies were shuffling around. The second screen could’ve been used in more memorable ways like this, andit did in a few notable entries, but the lack of Wii U sales ensured that Nintendo wouldn’t force this gimmick down players' throats.
3DS
The 3DS is an important Nintendo handheldthat arguably kept the company afloat while the Wii U was struggling. Nintendo ensured that this console was full to the brim with quality titles, with new editions of the handheld console being released regularly.
The biggest gimmick of this title was its stereoscopic 3D, although it soon became nothing more than a novelty. Sure, players didn’t mind switching on this feature to enjoy layered visuals every now and then, but the existence of the 2DS makes it clear that it was far from a critical component forthe handheld’s massive collection of stand-out games.
Nintendo 64
To call 3D gaming a gimmick may be a stretch, but there was genuinely a time when players were wowed by the addition of 3D polygons in their video games. The Nintendo 64 was made solely to capitalize on 3D gaming, which it accomplished to an extent.
The success of titles likeOcarina of TimeandSuper Mario 64makes it clear that the Nintendo 64 is one of the better consoles offered by this studio. Over time, 3D gaming stopped being a gimmick and turned into the industry normby the time the Nintendo 64 reached the end of its lifecycle.
Nintendo DS
With the simple addition of two screens (one of which featured touchscreen functionality), Nintendo released a console full of some truly innovative titles that fans would have a great time with. In no time at all, the Nintendo DS became the company’s most popular handheld by a country mile.
Improved graphics andquality gamesensured that Nintendo fans would love everything that the DS brought to the table. Touchscreen gaming was a welcome innovation, even if mobile phones took over this technology and cheapened it with a deluge of freemium titles.
Nintendo Wii
The Nintendo Wii was marketed to families and children, and for obvious reason! The motion controls were exciting and one of the biggest reasons why so many people bought this console, wanting to enjoy some simple motion games with their friends.
The Nintendo Wii sold like gangbusters and occupied a major niche in gaming, delivering someincredible video gamesover its lifetime. To this day, the motion controls feel amazing, and it’s a shame that the Wii U failed to capitalize on this console’s runaway success.
Nintendo Switch
The Nintendo Switch is one of the biggest engineering marvels in gaming, showing how far tech has come. The fact that this hybrid console could work in portable or docked mode was amazing enough as is, and the support of third-party games ensured that the Switch would blow everyone’s minds withits quality selection of games.
After the colossal failure of the Wii U, the revolutionary tech behind the Switch ensured that players would love its amazing functionality and the wealth of quality titles it had to offer. To this day, it’s hard to believe that major AAA hitters likeThe Witcher 3andSkyrimare playable in handheld mode, but this is precisely what makes the Nintendo Switch such a special marvel. It’s easy to see why the Switch 2 iterated upon this gimmick instead of going back to the drawing board, with Nintendo realizing that this groundbreaking tech deserved to enjoy more time in the sun before they decided to innovate on their hardware offerings yet again.
