 Hey everyone, welcome back to Prime News and I've been on a bit of a different setup today because we only have two stories, it just so happens that these two stories are massive and because they're massive I want to sit down, read off some of this stuff here, it's going to be huge because we're talking about Nintendo's next platform and really we're talking about it because Nintendo themselves, Shantaro Furukawa came out and said he's actually really concerned about that next generation platform and how Nintendo is going to be able to successfully transition to it. And then we also have Nintendo Switch's first ever price drop and it looks like it was a bit of a whoopsy today but could be a real thing happening soon. Before I get into that I have to remind you guys that we have a giveaway going on right now for two copies of Mario Strikers Battle League. Now to enter this giveaway all you have to do is head to the pinned comment or the link down in the description. I wish everyone luck. You can enter all the way up to June 9th. The winners will be announced on June 9th at 9am at our kickoff event for Prime Gaming Fest. Hopefully I see all of you guys there will be announcing it during that live show along with many many other giveaways. We have thousands of dollars being given away during that show but you'll have to be there live to win all those giveaways not this one but those ones so hopefully you guys show up and enjoy as we react to Summer Game Fest and all the other gaming news and do our own gaming contest and events are going to be a lot of fun. Alright so let's get into our first story and it deals with the fact that Nintendo is really concerned about next generation and we have some quotes here from Shatero Furukawa during the Q&A session that are very telling about Nintendo being really scared for what's about to happen. How are they going to transition to that next generation without losing customers? I actually think it's not as scary as Nintendo is making it out to be but maybe it is depending on what Nintendo's plans are. So here is what Shatero Furukawa said when pressed about how Nintendo is going to transition into the next generation. We have already announced a portion of our software roadmap releasing up to next spring. Unlike the past, we continue to have a large variety of games scheduled to be released even beyond five years of release. This is because the Nintendo Switch has had such a smooth launch allowing us to focus all of our development resources on a single platform. However, the question of whether we will be able to adjust as smoothly transition from Nintendo Switch to the next generation of hardware is a major concern for us. Based on our experience with Wii, Nintendo DS, and other hardware, it's very clear that one of the major obstacles is how to easily transition from one hardware to the next. To help alleviate this risk, we're focusing on building long term relationships with our customers. While we continue launching new software on the Nintendo Switch, we will also provide services that also use Nintendo account and other IP outside of gaming software. We intend for this to help build a lasting impact with our customers. Now look, I understand what Nintendo is doing and what they're talking about in terms of expanding their IP. I don't really know that that's stuff that translates into system sales. We've seen Sony and other platforms do this and I'm not necessarily sure that's what Nintendo should be learning from them. The reason PlayStation is consistently successful is one, it's not confusing about what system is the next system. We already know the next PlayStation is going to be called PlayStation 6. It's a pretty safe bet. We don't really have to be confused about that. Also, they always end each generation strong so while the sales are still going well and the games are kicking ass and so that way they launch that new hardware into a realm of gamers that are already feverish and wanting PlayStation hardware as it is. Already wanting PlayStation 4 and then you tell them, oh there's a new one out man we better get that one as well with PlayStation 5. So I think Nintendo has a couple lessons they should be taking from someone like Sony and that is end your generation strong, make sure there's still demand for the switch while you release your next one, and make sure the next one isn't such a deviation from what the last one was like going from a hybrid handheld to hey we're now just going to make a home console and call it a no. Stick with the concept that's working, do it better, do it right, don't use a confusing name for it like Wii U was and market it correctly while the switch is still the hot ticket item, not when your platform is no longer relevant. See the transitions from Wii and DS, guess what you waited till those platforms were basically no longer relevant to release the next one. Can't do that. That's not what you do. You need to strike while the iron is hot. So I do think it's cool to make sure the IPs can survive outside of gaming by expanding their popularity with movies and theme parks, but I also think that's not necessarily going to be the translation you think it is to keeping and maintaining relevancy. This is going to be a major concern for Nintendo moving forward. Shintaro Furukawa has talked many many times about not wanting to fall off the cliff, which Nintendo usually does before they try to climb back up and usually fail. So I need to see what Nintendo is going to do here. We all need to see it. And right now, he did say just yesterday, yeah, well, no comment on if new hardware is coming this year, but they clearly are thinking about it and wondering how the hell they're going to transition and not lose their current user base. Moving on to our next topic, our last topic of the day, a switch price drop. Is it coming? Today, something weird happened. So at what is it? Walmart, GameStop and Amazon, the red box switch, which is the original switch system dropped price. Well, technically original isn't that because there was a version before that. But whatever, you know what I mean, the base switch model, not the OLED, not the light, the base switch dropped price at Walmart, Amazon and GameStop by $40 down to $259.99. This is really, really interesting that this happened. One of them actually sold out of systems. The other ones, it seemed to be temporary. It ran for about 15, 20 minutes and then they popped the prices back up to MSRP. What I find interesting here is the fact that one retailer sold out and the other ones decided to set the prices back up to MSRP. It makes me wonder if these prices were actually from Nintendo, that Nintendo is planning to cut the price of the original base switch system. And then, well, these retailers obviously got the marketing material for it and jumped the gum because not every retailer did it, but three major retailers participated. So they aren't going to lose money on purpose. The switch is still selling well. So why the hell would they lower the price unless Nintendo was planning to lower the price already? That's really the running theory at the moment. So I do think some point later this year, Nintendo is probably price dropping the original switch. And I think it's a smart move. There's part of it saying, oh, just get rid of the stock of the old one, only make switch OLEDs, only make switch lights. I understand that logic there. They also could be prepping to release another model. That's another reason that you would want to throw out the stock. It's also possible that maybe Nintendo realizes that more people want switch OLED than they want that original base switch at the price it's at. So maybe we need to price drop it just to stay competitive. I don't know. When you drop it to that point, you might as well just get the light. Maybe they're hoping that people that consider the light will say screw it. Let's spend the cost of a game $60 more and just get the original switch. I don't know what the logic is here. It kind of feels weird to see a price drop of a system that's been out of stock for years. But hey, you know what? Nintendo is in a position to do it. And I think part of it is because I think they're just going to phase this system out. I talked about when switch OLED came out that this was the distinct possibility. And I think we're now entering that realm where Nintendo is about to cancel it out. I don't know. Maybe I'm overthinking this. You guys, let me know what you think about this down in the comments below. I am Nathan DeRubble Jants from Nintendo Prime. I want to thank you so much for tuning in. Yep, a little short Prime news, a little Prime news mini. But hey, look, these topics are big. They're important and we needed to talk about them. Let me know what you think about it down below. Catch you guys in that next episode.