The PS5 and Xbox Series X are very nearly upon us. It's the dawn of a brand-new console generation, and yet, Nintendo doesn't seem to have gotten that memo.
It's no secret that the Nintendo Switch struggled to keep up with the Xbox One and PS4, let alone the more powerful consoles that are soon to be in people's hands.
Is there a reason that despite that fact, Nintendo just doesn't seem to be interested in putting out a new console?
Well, one analyst has some ideas about that.
Is Nintendo pulling an iPhone?
In a piece on Bloomberg, Toan Tran of investment manager 10 West Advisors, said that "With every console generation, the install base resets to zero and their earnings power essentially resets to zero. They can continuously have an install base of say 100 million consoles out there, that just moves along over time."
The idea is that Nintendo could simply update the console every few years instead of making a new console.
Basically, imagine a world where Nintendo releases a Nintendo Switch 2 then a Nintendo Switch 3 every other year or so.
It's a fascinating idea, and it would probably work for the company, but the way they've done things up until this point means it might not be realistic.
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How likely do we think this is?
Nintendo is known for constantly pushing things forwards and experimenting. While they could certainly do this while retaining the Switch model, it seems unlikely that they'd do it for very long.
We've seen small upgrades to the last couple of handheld consoles, but never to the actual consoles.
Despite how the Wii and Wii U were named, the latter was definitely an entirely new console. So, while it might make sense from a business standpoint, it does seem at odds with how Nintendo has traditionally done things.
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