Opinion

Console launches have become boring – but there’s an upside

20.6.2025

Translation: Katherine Martin

The Switch 2 broke all sales records, making for an unexciting launch. Unlike the drastic upgrades seen in previous generations, the new console isn’t much different from its predecessor. But there’s an upside to this lack of magic.

Shrill screams? Tears of joy? Wrapping paper shredded into a thousand pieces? Granted, I’ve never been quite as ecstatic about a console launch as the stars of certain unboxing videos. But I can’t deny the immense joy I felt when I got my first Nintendo 64, Gamecube or Wii.

Booting up the Switch 2 for the first time, however, I was practically indifferent. Sure, it looks a bit nicer, the games run better and Mario Kart World is really fun, but that’s it on the highlight front. In fact, the Switch 2 is the latest piece of evidence confirming my theory that console launches have got boring. Where did the magic go?

A pilgrimage for Star Fox 64

The first game console I ever owned was the Nintendo 64. Back then, my best friend and I used to leaf through one gaming magazine after another, soaking up every little detail about the fabled successor to the Super Nintendo, known until then as Ultra 64. With their 3D worlds, soon-to-be-released games, such as Super Mario 64 or Wave Race, looked like something out of the future.

The waves in Wave Race looked photorealistic to us back then.
Source: Nintendo

When I was 15, I finally fulfilled my long-awaited dream and bought a console just for myself. Naturally, I got my hands on the new Super Mario 64 too. And my goodness, was that an experience. I was free to roam in a Super Mario world – in 3D, no less. I could run around Goombas instead of having to jump on every single one. This was also the simpler solution at first, as the 3D controls took a lot of getting used to. Nevertheless, my journey through the Mushroom Kingdom was overwhelming. It offered never-seen-before things, with each level enchanting me anew.

I can also still vividly remember making a three-hour pilgrimage to get Star Fox 64, which, for some inexplicable reason, was called Lylat Wars 64 here. The game had hit the shelves in a big shopping centre in the industrial area of Dietikon. When I got home, I proudly showed my dad how amazing it looked when a bomb exploded in the water. He just shook his head in bewilderment. Sadly, he didn’t have the same appreciation for groundbreaking polygon effects.

I don’t understand why my dad wasn’t impressed by these effects.
Source: Philipp Rüegg

Windows 95 and the 3D accelerator boom

At the same time, PCs were developing in leaps and bounds. Windows 95 came out in 1995, heralding the end of MS-DOS. One of the first games to come into its own on Microsoft’s operating system was Mechwarrior 2 by Activision. New 3D accelerators were springing up like mushrooms. Companies such as 3dfx, Ati and Matrox launched new graphics cards, each with their own version of the sci-fi mech simulator. Each card made the game look completely different. My buddy had a Matrox Mystique, giving his game moving clouds that were reflected in the cockpit. Wow. That blew our teenage minds.

The launches of the Gamecube and PlayStation 2 a few years later were just as exciting. During my apprenticeship as an automation engineer, my colleague and I spent hours talking through the specifics of the consoles instead of wiring control cabinets. Both the Gamecube and PlayStation 2 promised to be revolutionary. The Gamecube was set to overtake the competition in terms of performance for the first time. I could scarcely imagine what that would mean for Nintendo games.

Meanwhile, the PlayStation 2 promised better-developed games and huge advancements when it came to graphics. Since I was more into Nintendo at that point, a new Mario Kart or Luigi’s Mansion seemed more enticing to me than Tekken Tag Tournament. Of course, I still played both consoles.

Mario Kart Double Dash still had decent levels for Battle Mode.
Source: Nintendo

Another major milestone was reached in 2007 when the Wii came on the scene. Although it looked unassuming compared to the PlayStation 3, which was released in the same year, it had a totally novel motion-control system. Nobody quite knew what to make of it. My own curiosity was so great that I actually managed to briefly curb my World of Warcraft addiction for the Wii. I bought the console as soon as it launched, then started playing it in student halls. Whole days would pass, with the Wii running right into the night. Every time a new person joined a gaming session (there were 35 students living in our halls of residence), the fun started all over again. We only ever played one game, Wii Sports.

Wii’s technology may have been lagging behind that of rival consoles. Wii Sports in particular may have looked ugly (even back then). But we were captivated by the concept. It was exciting, new and innovative. After that, I’d get that feeling about a console just one more time. And even then, it wouldn’t be to the same extent.

Wii Sports was ugly, but good.
Source: Nintendo

The last hurrah

That moment came in 2017 in the form of the first Nintendo Switch. The hybrid console combined the best of both worlds: the portability of the 3DS and the depth of a real console title you’d normally only be able to play on a TV. And the concept took off. I’d play The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild on the train home from work, then come home, plug the Switch into its dock and go right on playing without a hitch.

If I wanted to, I could even use the integrated stand to prop up the console and use it as a mini TV. I rarely played games with that setup, but the possibility alone was thrilling. When the Switch came out, it once again seemed as if everything Nintendo touched turned to gold. The company created a new market, which, thanks to consoles like the Steam Deck and the PlayStation Portal, is growing rapidly today.

The Switch 1 opened up a completely new possibility: console gaming on the go.
Source: Nintendo

Performance over innovation

Gentrification kicked in with the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. Both consoles switched to the x86 architecture and became increasingly similar. Basically, they were small PCs. Innovation was thin on the ground and the launch line-up was disappointing. Knack, Killzone Shadow Fall and Resogun didn’t knock any PlayStation 4 players’ socks off. With Dead Rising 3, Ryse: Son of Rome and Forza Motorsport 5, things didn’t look any better in the Xbox camp. Mind you, they at least had the new version of Kinect. Motion control was developed with the Xbox 360 as an answer to the Wii. However, apart from a fitness app, I’ve hardly used Kinect. Microsoft’s attempt to turn the console into a home entertainment hub with TV integration failed disastrously too.

Xbox boss Don Mattrick unveiled the Xbox One, but there wasn’t much to see.
Source: Microsoft

The current generation of consoles, consisting of the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X/S, were released during the pandemic. However, the launches in autumn 2020 fell short of providing us with a ray of hope during lockdown. The most exciting thing about the consoles was their design. While the PS5 resembled a UFO, the Xbox Series X/S looked like a small fridge. As far as games were concerned, it was slim pickings. Spider-Man Miles Morales and the remake of Demon’s Souls for the PS5 are worth a shoutout, but they didn’t set the heather alight either. There were no noteworthy exclusive titles for the Xbox. While the PS5’s Dualsense controller sparked a little excitement, it was nothing more than a gimmick. The consoles turned out to be sheer performance upgrades, similar to when a PC gets a new graphics card.

It’s the same story with the Switch 2. Nintendo’s latest console does everything a little better than its predecessor. But that’s it. Mind you, at least with Mario Kart World, there’s an exclusive game that isn’t just filler. There’s a sniff of innovation in the form of the Joy-Con controllers, which can be used as a mouse. The Gamechat feature, which uses the camera to make you and your friends appear in the game, is fun too. Even bearing all of this in mind, the Switch 2 launch didn’t get much more than a weary smile out of me. I’m missing a couple of really great games.

The most interesting thing about the Switch 2 launch was the developers’ colour-coordinated outfits.
Source: Nintendo

All the same, all good

Now, here’s where this lack of innovation becomes an advantage. If game studios don’t have to spend years getting to grips with new hardware and systems, they have more time to focus on the essentials: new games. The best games are regularly released at the end of a console cycle, when developers are familiar with the hardware. The more similar the platforms, the more minor the idiosyncrasies, the more efficient the processes. For us, that means more and better games. And at the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about.

Obviously, it’s a shame that consoles aren’t developing in the same quantum leaps as they were when we switched from 2D to 3D. Instead, progress is being made in storytelling, art design and gameplay. And who knows? Maybe Nintendo and the like will be able to surprise us with something totally new one day. Either way, I’m curious to find out.

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Philipp Rüegg

Senior Editor

Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.ch

As a child, I wasn't allowed to have any consoles. It was only with the arrival of the family's 486 PC that the magical world of gaming opened up to me. Today, I'm overcompensating accordingly. Only a lack of time and money prevents me from trying out every game there is and decorating my shelf with rare retro consoles.

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