Nintendo's new Cam & Watch handset proves that the company is going its own way
Ebenezer Robbins November 13, 2020 3 min read
This is a busy week for video game hardware. This week marks the launch of the PlayStation 5 and Microsoft's Xbox Series X and Series S devices on two next-generation platforms. Each site is built around new developments such as radiation-tracking and fast loading SSD. Meanwhile, today, Nintendo is releasing … playing a clock Super Mario Brothers. This may seem like a weird time, but it's right in the light of Nintendo's history: it's a company, always going its own way.
New Game & Tracking: Super Mario Brothers. An exceptionally beautiful hardware. It is designed with the color scheme inspired by the classic Japanese & watch handheld – Game Boy's forerunner – original Japanese famicom console. In terms of functionality, the device is incredibly straightforward. It has three built-in games, especially the first SMB Sports. There is even Super Mario Brothers2, Well known in the West Lost levels, A really evil sequel that remixes the first game with bad features like killer mushrooms. Circling the queue Ball, The simple-yet-surprisingly-fun version of the 1980 LCD cheat game, this time starring Mario.
The games all have solid ports, and the screen looks nice and bright when there is an excellent D-Pad on hand. I found myself taking the Cam & Watch incessantly to sneak into a level or two whenever I had a few leisure minutes. The lack of excitement is almost fine: I can focus on playing. It has storage states, so you can pause the game and return to the same location whenever you want. Outside of games, the main function of Cam & Watch is a watch. One of the face buttons simply reads "time" and pressing it a Super MarioThemed clock with plumber running and jumping in classic mushroom kingdom locations. The game time of the day changes even with the real world.
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Photo: Nintendo
If I am honest, the device is completely a novelty. There are better and easier ways for both Super Mario Brothers. Check the time. But Cam & Watch has the perfect mix of nostalgia and action for me. I'm not sure Required That is, but I like it. It's similar to Nintendo's line of miniature consoles, which began a surprisingly long trend in 2016 following the release of the NES Classic.
Here's the thing: Nintendo will only be releasing an innovative, innovative handset the same week that its biggest competitors are launching ambitious home consoles. The situation refers to Nintendo as a whole. While Sony and Microsoft focus on maneuvering each other, Nintendo is in its own world, divorced from worries like frame rates or 3D audio or 4K graphics.
This is not always a good thing. Often, Nintendo's single-mindedness leads to direct failures like its predecessor, the Wii U. But for now, the company's distinctive focus is a clear positive. Just yesterday, Nintendo revealed that this switch has been the best-selling console in the US for 23 months, and that its global lifetime sales will soon embrace the Nintendo 3DS. Meanwhile, aNimal Crossing: New Horizons – It was only released in March of this year – already Switzerland's second-selling game, moving over 26 million copies.
It is unclear how long this speed will last. It has been rumored for a long time that one day Nintendo will finally release the 4K switch. For now, the company's current philosophy – a powerful tablet with great games – is the best experience for most people – works. The size of the threat to the next gen consoles does not seem to change that.
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