The Japanese-based video game giant Nintendo is set to launch its latest gaming console “Switch 2” on June 5, for which the pre-orders will begin on the 9th of this month. It was launched as early as the 19th century by Fusajiro Yamauchi in Kyoto’s small street. The founder mastered the art of beautifully handcrafted playing cards that were popular by the name “Hanafuda.”
Soon the cards became a rage in all of Japan, but things went haywire when “Hanafuda” was linked to illegal gambling in the country forcing the makers to stop the production. But this did not close their business, rather made them change their direction. The company is currently under Fusajiro’s grandson, Hiroshi and has become a leading name in the video game industry.
The success story of the brand was not easy as after the initial failure Fusajiro started a rice business inspired by noodles which became a complete disaster. He also tried venturing into other businesses but the breakthrough for the company came in the 1970s when it produced a video game inspired by “Othello”, a popular board game.
It was named “Donkey Kong”, and made Nintendo a worldwide phenomenon. It launched a game console in 1983, which also became a hit, especially in the US where it sold 62 million units. Nintendo DS launched in 2004 became the company’s most celebrated game selling 154 million units only below Sony’s PlayStation 2. After the launch of Wii U, which did not make profits it recovered with “Switch”.
Switch has become popular due to its hybrid model and its obsession is visible with the excitement for the latest version of the game, which is to be released in June. It is priced at $449.99 for a standalone console. It is expected that the company will produce 20 million unities of the game this year, which is five million more than the original version of Switch.
It will also have a larger LCD of 7.2 inches, with HDR support, and is said to be thinner and more compact than earlier models. A new C-button is added to ensure voice chat, and it comes with a mouse-like device for select games. It also has an inbuilt 3D sound and microphone for communication. The storage has also been increased compared to the earlier model.
A few games have been confirmed by the company and include Super Mario Party Jamboree, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, and Mario Kart World. It will be interesting to see the worth waiting for the experience that it will provide for video-game enthusiasts.
