How Nintendo Can Sell Me A Switch

Hey gamers, have you heard of Nintendo?

Okay, okay, stupid question. Put the shiv away. Besides, considering the reception the Wii U got, can you really blame me for wondering? The most underwhelming Nintendo console since the Virtual Boy that basically only exists for the first party games made by Nintendo? I didn't buy one. I don't know many people who did. Even if you're a big fan of Nintendo games, there weren't enough tentpoles to hold the thing up, and the other 8th gen consoles left it far behind in terms of performance.
The Nintendo Switch: swan song, or comeback anthem?
That's the landscape as it stands now, with the world seemingly having forgotten about Nintendo. That is the landscape that will receive the Nintendo Switch in March, and despite the console overflowing with that signature Nintendo wackiness, it remains to be seen whether Nintendo is going to be able to maintain their status as the final holdout of Ye Olden Console Times, or whether their next console with be a PC that runs Mario games. I'll admit I'm cautiously optimistic that this console will be great, and Nintendo really only has to do one thing to sell me one of these things.

Make me a solid value proposition, Nintendo. That's it.
I've always admired Nintendo's willingness to be weird.
What we have right now is a promise of functional couch co-op and convenience, a $300 price tag, and a few launch titles. The co-op and convenience caught my attention, and the $300 price made me smile. Between Zelda: Breath of the Wild (which looks like a story-driven RPG instead of more traditional Zelda) and Super Mario Odyssey (which looks like a reimagining of classic Mario, ala Super Mario Galaxy), I'm pretty excited about the games Nintendo is bringing. But the scarcity of third-party titles and the paid online multiplayer do worry me ever so slightly.

See, I don't want to worry that my brand new console is only going to ever have five good games on it. Maybe I'm spoiled because there's such a huge backlog of great PC games and dozens more added every couple of months, but considering the reception developers granted the Wii U... I'm sure you can understand the concern. Don't get me wrong, the new Zelda and Mario games look fantastic, and I'm even excited about the new Splatoon game and that hilarious boxing game. And a few great games, with hours upon hours of replayability, can make a console worth it if the price is right. Honestly, that's about all the use my original Wii got, and I've never regretted that purchase.
I'm actually pretty excited that this controller is both weird and familiar all at once.
But here's the catch: I got a good value on that thing. I paid $100 for it, and I've gotten well over $100  worth of enjoyment out of it. I think the Switch looks totally boss, and I'm really excited for some of those launch titles. $300 isn't terrible, either. But paid multiplayer and no real indication of developer support has me worried. The possibility of a great console is there, and great online multiplayer and some good support from devs other than Nintendo would totally make this thing.

So c'mon Nintendo. The ball is in your court. I want to buy one. Just make me a value proposition.

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