According to its creator, theNintendo Switchstill has quite a bit of life left in it. TheSwitchmight be five years old, but Nintendo says that it plans to keep supporting its highly successful modular console for some time. So far, Nintendo is putting its money where its mouth is. In terms of game releases, 2022 looks like one of the Switch’s strongest years yet, featuring the ninth generation ofPokemongames, the sequel toThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild,the long-awaitedBayonetta 3, and many more hotly demanded games. If Nintendo manages to keep supporting the Switch with content like this, then it may manage to last a few more years.
RELATED:The Wii U/3DS eShop Closure Makes Another Great Argument for Preservation Efforts
Nintendo Switch Online Rewards' Utility
At the moment, Nintendo Switch Online rewards are focused on avatars, offering new backgrounds and character icons inspired bySuper Mario OdysseyandAnimal Crossing: New Horizons, but avatar customization could only be the tip of the iceberg for future NSO rewards. Ideally, NSO’s Mission and Rewards section will add more drastic customization rewards, like themes that change the Switch menu’s white background to something else, much like the 3DS’s themes. Beyond visual customization, NSO would be a great place to offer sound packs that replace the Switch menu’s sound effects with classic Nintendo game sounds.
Since the NSO rewards only focus onSuper Mario OdysseyandAnimal Crossing: New Horizons,there are also tons of other games that could inspire rewards after March’s offerings expire, including Switch games that haven’t released yet. It wouldn’t be surprising if Nintendo-themed future NSO rewards after game releases; for instance, April’s rewards could focus onNintendo Switch Sportscharacters, summer month mightspotlightSplatooncharacters forSplatoon 3’s release, and so on. Through NSO’s rewards, Nintendo gets a valuable way to advertise new releases, while Switch users get more ways to celebrate the release of their most anticipated games.
RELATED:Nintendo Should Take Another Shot at VR
Adding to the Switch’s Life
Beyond the potential behind NSO missions and rewards themselves, the update represents a broader potential for change on the Switch. Adding an entirely new feature to NSO after so many years is a bold move on Nintendo’s part since the console has been around for some time. Nintendo will presumably keep updating missions and rewards for months and even years to come, all whileadding more games to Nintendo Switch Online, but more importantly, NSO’s missions and rewards could herald untold future Switch features added late in the console’s life. Nintendo may yet be able to compete with rival consoles by updating the Switch’s software in other unique ways.
Nintendo Switch Online’s Missions and Rewards page isa good step forward for Switch customization, but hopefully, it’s just the beginning. There are lots of ways that Nintendo could stand to let fans customize their Switch outside of avatars, and it’d be great to see even more features join the Switch in its late years in order to extend its lifespan. Between the Switch’s strong lineup of games for 2022 and a possible new wave of Switch software updates, Nintendo’s plan to run with the Switch for a few more years may be plausible after all.
