Highlights
- Apple's iPhone 15 poses a serious challenge to the Nintendo Switch in the handheld gaming market, with its advanced gaming features like ray-tracing and compatibility with gaming controllers.
- The Nintendo Switch's focus on unique experiences over hardware may not be enough to compete against smartphones like the iPhone that can run AAA games and offer better convenience.
- Nintendo needs to upgrade its hardware in the next iteration of the Switch to remain competitive, as its current limitations, such as its inability to play modern AAA games, may push gamers toward smartphones for their gaming needs.
Apple recently revealed more information about the gaming specs of the iPhone 15, and it looks like it could be giving the Nintendo Switch a run for its money. Apple has been steadily expanding the gaming potential of its devices for years now, recently announcing that big-budget games from series like Resident Evil will be coming to iPhones, making the leading smartphone a viable option for mobile gaming.
Despite smartphone manufacturers encroaching into its territory, the Nintendo Switch has been leading the handheld gaming industry since it launched back in 2017. Nintendo's leap into hybrid gaming arguably started something of a revolution in the gaming hardware industry, with companies like Valve following suit with the powerful Steam Deck handheld. Nintendo itself even created some competition for the Switch in the form of the Switch Lite, a more affordable, pared down version of the Switch that can't port to TVs or monitors. Despite its mammoth sales and the release of the upgraded Switch OLED model, Nintendo's handheld has been criticized for its dated hardware, especially when measured against flagship consoles from Xbox and PlayStation.
The iPhone 15 is a Reminder that Nintendo Needs to Upgrade the Switch
Nintendo has greatly de-emphasized powerful hardware during the last few console generations. While Sony and Microsoft reach for better graphical fidelity, performance, and special features with each new console, Nintendo has focused more on building its core franchises and offering unique selling points for each of its devices. With the Wii, it was the motion controls and the Wii U had the Wii U GamePad, for example. The Nintendo Switch has followed this tradition of prioritizing novel experiences over hardware, and that has worked out well for the company thus far.
However, the underperforming Wii U proved that Nintendo isn't immune to failure (relatively speaking), and the Switch could suffer a similar fate if it doesn't start being more competitive with its hardware. Currently, the Switch can't even run most modern AAA games, making it a tough sell for gamers who want to experience phenomenon releases like Elden Ring or Cyberpunk 2077. The Switch's main selling point, aside from its selection of exclusive first-party Nintendo games, is its portability, but it has competition now, and not just from gaming companies like Valve; Apple has entered the arena, and is boasting impressive gaming features.
In the recent Wanderlust event, Apple revealed that the iPhone 15 Pro will have ray-tracing and other advanced gaming-related features at launch, and will offer leading AAA games like Death Stranding and Assassin's Creed Mirage. Considering that the Switch is not even capable of playing these games, the new iPhone will already have an advantage over it in the handheld gaming market. Couple this with the fact that iPhones are compatible with a number of gaming controllers and accessories that mimic the JoyCon setup of the Switch, and it's an even more appealing option for anyone interested in gaming. Since most people have a smartphone and will be looking to upgrade already, spending an additional few hundred dollars for Nintendo's less powerful, bulkier, less convenient gaming device is a tough sell.
With little more than rumors to go off for the Nintendo Switch 2, it's not impossible to imagine a scenario where smartphone gaming overtakes Nintendo as a portable entertainment option. Nintendo has unparalleled brand recognition and best-selling franchises like The Legend of Zelda that will likely never be available on other devices, but those upsides may only take the company so far. To remain competitive, the next Nintendo Switch should offer stronger hardware - being a handheld console might not be enough to set it apart when millions of iPhone users have better options in their pockets.
