Nintendo vs. Microsoft: Who Could Win 2017?

Nintendo

Now that 2017 is in full swing it’s time to look at two of the major console market competitors and see which one has a better chance at providing the more solid lineup for 2017. Yes, we are omitting Sony from this distinction as Microsoft and Nintendo are currently the developers that need to play catch up if they want to take the crown away from the PlayStation 4. With the Switch’s full reveal last week, it’s clear Nintendo is going to try and make itself know as a true contender in the console market. However, this console has some hurdles it needs to overcome.

Unlike Microsoft, the Nintendo Switch is currently lacking in the third-party support department as major developers like Ubisoft and EA have only announced a few titles for the new console. However, where they lack in third-party support Nintendo more than makes up for in their console exclusives as heavy hitters like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Splatoon 2, and Super Mario Odyssey are set to deliver memorable experiences to casual and hardcore gamers alike. Compare this to Microsoft’s ever dwindling list of exclusives, especially with the loss of Scalebound, and Nintendo is poised to deliver a far better first-party experience.

Yet, this may not be enough for Nintendo to overtake Microsoft as their online policies have yet to be fully detailed and from the minor information we’ve received, it’s not looking spectacular. While Microsoft is offering their customers free monthly games to own forever, Nintendo has made their free titles available to consumers for that month only. This feels at odds with the direction that modern consoles are going with online services and helps show that Nintendo still has a lot of catching up to do.

However, what could save this year and help them make their mark is the fact that the Nintendo Switch is still fresh. Given that E3 is only a few months away, the ball is in their court and they have ample opportunity to not only adjust their policies but also build on them in significant ways. There’s also a chance that Nintendo was saving a majority of game releases for this press event, so that could certainly help them see a spike in sales.

Microsoft

Mircosoft started 2017 off on a rather sour note with the cancelation of the hotly anticipated Scalebound. However, one shouldn’t count the Xbox One out just yet. Microsoft has a pretty good change of delivering a solid year of titles and hardware this year, especially with the release of the upcoming Scorpio sometime during the holiday season. This will be their biggest game changer for 2017, as the Scorpio (Microsoft’s answer to the PS4 Pro) has been highly anticipated by players for over a year now. Given that Nintendo’s Switch is an entirely new console, Microsoft has the benefit of riding the Xbox One’s name in order to sell these units. This is already an established console in the next generation market, so unlike the Switch, it will be easier to push these onto undecided consumers.

There’s also the heavy third-party support that is available on the Xbox One, which is still an unknown factor when it comes to the Nintendo Switch. Yes, we know what companies have signed on to work alongside Nintendo, but not to what capacity and how many brand new releases that could mean. Consumers will always know what they’re getting when it comes to Xbox One since it has fully established itself in the market. There’s a rather large library of games for people to choose from while the Switch is still quite small since it was only just revealed. This means that one system is currently offering less games than the other, which could be a rather important factor for which system players are going to choose to purchase or support.

However, Nintendo is currently taking the lead when it comes to exclusives between these two as Microsoft’s numbers are dwindling. While Xbox’s head Phil Spencer has come out and praised the yet to be released Crackdown 3, the last time we heard anything new about this title was over seven months ago. Sure, players can enjoy Halo Wars 2 and Sea of Thieves, but there is no doubt that Nintendo will be offering far stronger titles. There is also more faith given in the Switch’s exclusives, considering that they are not only coming from established franchises but Nintendo has also always been more transparent, thanks to their Nintendo Direct events which spotlight entire exclusives for upwards of a half hour.

Looking forward, Microsoft desperately needs to have a strong showing at E3 if it hopes to take the crown this year. Not only does the Scorpio need to release without a hitch, but players also need to know that there are more exclusives set to release this year. Microsoft has a very strong chance of delivering a plethora of great and memorable experiences, but they need to deliver some truly quality titles.

Conclusion

While Nintendo has a strong opportunity to be taken as a serious contender for one of the best consoles on the market, there are still too many unknown factors swirling around this system. As it stands, the Nintendo Switch, despite having the better first-party lineup, still needs to embrace their third-party developers and provide a system that can handle modern gaming titles. Microsoft’s Xbox One has proven that it can and has the support of almost every major non-exclusive publisher in the industry.

Microsoft also has the edge when it comes to online platforms, as their Xbox Live network is far more fleshed out and extensive than the Nintendo Switch’s. This is especially notable since Nintendo just jumped into modern online gaming, while Microsoft pretty much refined it for consoles. Even though the Scorpio is still months and months away, Microsoft just offers the stronger system, support, and library that modern consumers will flock to. The Nintendo Switch’s capabilities are still very much unknown and that is a very important factor to consider. Consumers know what they are getting into when it comes to the library and system offerings of the Xbox One, which could be all Microsoft needs to get the edge over Nintendo this year.