NINTENDO: ADVANCE
In this part, we'll be concentrating on Nintendo's main consoles they sold in the market during the late 2000s - present day.
LET'S-A-GO!
One feature that Nintendo really tries to distinguish is physical interactivity. For example, with Nintendo DS, they had two screens; one for viewing the gameplay, and one other touch-screen at the bottom where you can interact with, using a stylus.
This idea then developed further when they created the Nintendo Wii. You receive a Wii Remote controller that detecs your body movement in 3D when it's connected and calibrated to the Wii's sensor.
The Wii's first game release was Wii Sports, where you can go against other players at home in different sports activities. Or, you can also just play the CPU. That's if, you're willing to go against Matt...
Wii came with other games too, but when they started releasing third party games, it was definitely something else.
One game that I feel is so underrated, was a game called The House of the Dead. This was special because it was originally an arcade game that have been remastered for Wii. It was best played with a Wii gun zapper blaster (a remote adaptor that makes the Wii remote look like a gun)- this gave the ultimate retro experience in Wii: they even released House of Dead 2 & 3 as a trilogy game, and the special edition came with the zapper too!
Here's also an example of the gameplay:
If you think about it, they've come a long way to try and give gamers an experience like no other. Nintendo continued to create better versions of its consoles throughout the years e.g. Wii's newer version, the Nintendo Wii U. The Wii consoles have been their biggest selling units so far. Although, it wasn't until the recent years, that Nintendo built their latest and best creation yet, which may even beat their highest console sales in the future:
The Nintendo Switch (2017).
If you've been living under a rock, then let me help you catch up on Nintendo's latest:
What is the Nintendo Switch, and why is it so popular today?
The Switch is Nintendo's latest game console that not only lets you play Nintendo's latest developed games, but it includes features that breaks the boundaries of how games are played in this generation.
The Switch combines the idea of home, portable and flexible gaming.
You can play it while commuting by connecting its special controllers called Joy-Cons. This can easily be removed and transformed into a two-player gaming mode. When you get home and still want to continue playing the Switch, you can easily place it in the docking station it comes with, which allows it to connect ito the TV via HDMI. Immediately, you have a home gaming system.
For better understanding, this promotional video for the Switch shows features that I explained:
During the release of The Switch, Nintendo featured its five first-party titles of Legend of Zelda: Breath of Wild, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Super Mario Odyssey, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Pokémon: Let's Go! Just last year, they've sold nearly 23 million units of the console, beating their other big predecessor GameCube & Nintendo 64 (see Statista for more details).
A respected feature that The Switch upholds is how they have integrated the flexibility of gameplay. I say this because not a lot of consoles pack the same abilities. Sure, you can play two or more players on a PlayStation console, but you can't do that on the way to work. You might even argue that they still have PSP (PlayStation Portable) or PS Vita to contest this point, but you'll have to go online to play in multiplayer mode. As much as I (really, really, really) love Playstation consoles, it's not like with The Switch: it enables you to physically bring the two-player mode wherever or whenever you get bored on a trip.
Gaming is fun, but it's better when you can share your experiences with others (we will cover this topic further during Level 4!). It's amazing how The Switch can become customisable. You can even customise the look of your Switch, they also have a page where you can try and order different colours of the Joy-Cons to see which colours you like best on your Switch. Give it a try!
You have just completed Level 2.
CONGRATULATIONS!