Daily Debate: Did Tears of the Kingdom Prove the Switch Is Still Viable for Years to Come?
Posted on June 24 2023 by David Lasby
It’s been over a month now since The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has been out, and the game has been heralded by nearly everyone with perfect scores and generational praise. From visuals to gameplay, Tears of the Kingdom is hands down the best game on the Nintendo Switch; but given that Nintendo’s console is going into its seventh year, how much longer can the company go before releasing a new console? Did Tears of the Kingdom prove the Switch is still viable for years to come?
Critics of the Switch’s continued viability point to terrible game launches such as Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet, in which players experienced awful glitches and bugs that were a public embarrassment for Nintendo and the Pokémon Company. Some argued that these problems were evidence that the Switch’s hardware couldn’t keep up with the demands of next-generation games, while other insisted that the developers simply failed to properly optimize the game. Either way, the game was a mess and stirred up a lot of frustration toward Nintendo.
The idea that the sunset of the Nintendo Switch had arrived seemed close to reality until Tears of the Kingdom. The game is a technological marvel that has many in the industry questioning how the game exists at all, let alone runs on the Switch. While it may be true that the Xbox Series X and the Play Station 5 have unmatched graphical capabilities, Nintendo has never staked its reputation on those qualities; rather the gaming giant has amassed its fortunes by creating unparalleled gameplay experiences and pairing them with characters that fans love. Nintendo delivered big-time with Tears of the Kingdom, a contender for Game of the Year, and in so doing, has proven that the Switch can still support generation-defining games.
Tell us what you think! Did Tears of the Kingdom prove the Switch is still viable for years to come? Share your reactions in the comments below.
I’m a life-long fan of video games and have been playing since I got my NES in the 1980s. The Legend of Zelda, Super Smash Bros., Aliens, and Halo are some of my favorite game franchises. I write for several sites, including Zelda Dungeon, Boss Rush Network, and The Mighty. Find me on Twitter to check out my other content!
