A recurring theme that is being seen among early reviews of Nintendo’s Switch is that the console apparently “isn’t ready” to be launched. Alongside its relatively slim launch line-up, other complaints that have been made about the system is its connectivity issues with its Joy-Con controllers, radio silence from Nintendo regarding its online functionality and the absence of core features such as the Virtual Console at launch.
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But if the Switch isn’t ready to be released, then it isn’t an anomaly. Over the years we’ve seen plenty of consoles that have launched in a sub-par state, to the point where a system actually being fully ready to go out of the gate is practically unheard of. For those concerned that some of the Switch’s teething issues could lead to it suffering the same fate as the Wii U, there have been plenty of examples of consoles managing to overcome launch day troubles before going on to become successful. Here are some of the most popular:
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 will go down in history as one of the most popular consoles ever made, but it’s also the poster child for rushed hardware. After the loss Microsoft suffered with the original (and highly underrated) Xbox, Microsoft put its best foot forward to beat its competitors to launch. Unfortunately, this meant that the Xbox 360 made its way to store shelves with major technical issues.
The “Red Ring of Death” is the most notorious console fault in history, with thousands having to send it back to its manufacturer for it to be repaired or replaced. Its failure rate was estimated to range between 25% to 50% (Microsoft claimed it was actually between 3% – 5%, a number which has been widely refuted), and despite the Xbox 360 going on to great success, its technical issues were arguably the worst in console history.
PlayStation 3
Sony’s announcement that the PS3 would cost a jaw-dropping $600 was met with stunned silence from the crowd at E3 2005, with it experiencing a troubled launch that led to it failing to capture the attention of consumers as swiftly as the ultra popular PS2. But it wasn’t just its extortionate price tag that caused it to stutter out of the gate.
Whereas the PS2 was home to a large proportion of the greatest games of its generation, the PS3 released with an incredibly lackluster launch line-up, before experiencing post-launch issues with third-party games struggling to run smoothly on its hardware. Then there were the problems with the PlayStation Network, which was abysmal at launch in comparison with Microsoft’s Xbox Live service, and continued to struggle for years after its debut. In many ways, the PS3 was a prime example of how not to launch a console, and Nintendo would have to really make a concerted effort to make the Switch’s launch as disappointing.
Xbox One
A lot of things were in place to make the Xbox One more successful than the PS4 at launch, but prior to its release Microsoft pulled out all the stops to make sure that didn’t happen. So much of Microsoft’s pre-release advertising was spent fawning over the Kinect 2.0, which was bundled in with the console despite literally no one asking for that to be the case.
Unable to let go of the ghost of motion control, Microsoft ended up making the Xbox One pricier than the PS4 despite it being less powerful, turning many people off the console and towards its competitor. Unfortunately, Microsoft even decided to make the Xbox One’s UI thoroughly awkward to navigate without using the Kinect’s voice control, which was only remedied after several updates and a final admission from Microsoft that the Kinect really wasn’t working out. Eventually the Xbox One was sold without the motion control camera.
Nintendo 3DS
The Nintendo 3DS is a pretty huge success when you consider just how long it took the console to get off the ground. With 3D failing to resonate with audiences despite a huge push from movie studios and TV manufacturers, there were concerns that Nintendo going all-in on the gimmick would cause its successor to the bank-rolling DS to struggle.
Its launch certainly didn’t help to disprove this notion, with its underwhelming line-up consisting of Pilotwings Resort and Nintendogs + Cats. It took a substantial amount of time for it to receive anything in the way of a system seller, with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D releasing months later, but it eventually went on to sell like gangbusters thanks to games such as Pokemon X and Y, Super Smash Bros. 3DS and Mario Kart 7. Hopefully the Switch will lead to a similar amount of success.
