Hideki Kamiya of Platinum Games offers up a list of characteristics he especially dislikes about the Nintendo Switch. Despite having developed Bayonetta on Switch, Kamiya expresses to fans which elements he thinks should improve on the Nintendo Switch.
In addition to the Bayonetta series, Hideki Kamiya has worked on other famous games like Resident Evil, Devil May Cry, and Okami, to name a few. His track record shows that he has some insight into memorable and enjoyable experiences. While the Nintendo Switch is a console that has broken sales records compared to Wii, it is still lacking in plenty of common features.
In a tweet to followers, Kamiya points out the five main things he dislikes about the Switch currently. First and foremost, he states how the Home Screen is particularly bad. This is likely referring to how it has little to no customizable options, like themes or app folders. Next, Kamiya laments how the Switch will not get a Virtual Console. On Nintendo's previous consoles, the 3DS, Wii, and Wii U, players could purchase retro games from a bygone era. Now that these Virtual Console titles are gone, there is no way to access classic games on the Switch besides Nintendo Switch Online's meager NES and SNES collections.
And the complaints do not stop there. When it comes to the hardware of the Nintendo Switch, Kamiya pulls no punches. He points to how the console no longer has an actual D-Pad, something common to every other console controller. Another known downside he refers to is how the Switch cannot connect to Bluetooth headphones natively. This can be especially frustrating now that wired headphones are quickly becoming antiquated. The final issue Kamiya takes with Nintendo's portable hybrid is Space Harrier and OutRun's lack of movement. On the 3DS, these games had an arcade cabinet tilting feature that is no longer available in the Switch release.
Even though it is dominating sales in Japan, the Switch is a console that could see some improvements. It is rather unfortunate that after all these years, the Home Screen still has limits. Customizable themes were a feature available on 3DS, so why is Switch still missing them? Especially when players can currently change between a white and black "theme" in the options. Replacing the Virtual Console with NES and SNES collections seems like a bit of a misstep as well. While offering these titles through the online service is not the worst idea, the extremely slow release rate makes it inferior to the old way.
However, some of Kamiya's complaints could be seen as splitting hairs to fans of the Switch. While it is true that the device does not have a traditional D-Pad, it does have four buttons which simulate the feature. The issue he takes with Space Harrier and OutRun is questionable too. Many players may never have played or even heard of these games before, so how many are actually effected by this? The console has gyro capabilities as well, so it is not like it is missing the ability to simulate tilting. In any case, Hideki Kamiya makes some strong critiques of the Nintendo Switch, and hopefully Nintendo is taking note.
Source: NintendoSoup