FISCHER: Going backward

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

Okay, let’s do this.

Let’s talk about the big news that happened on Tuesday. After all, it’s the only one thing on people’s minds right now anyway.

Of course, I’m talking about the announcement that Nintendo’s yet-to-be-named next generation console will be backwards compatible for Nintendo Switch games.

This means that my library of games will remain playable long after I replace my current console with its eventual successor.

Backwards compatibility should be a no-brainer for console developers. For the consumer’s side, it lets gamers keep their library without needing to deal with the hassle of maintaining the old system. For publishers, it helps games that come out during the tail end of the console’s life avoid getting cannibalized by the hot new system and helps with the increasingly common problem of next-gen systems not having enough next-gen games ready to play at launch.

It’s a pretty standard practice nowadays, but getting confirmation is still welcome news. After all, the Switch itself isn’t backwards compatible with its predecessor. I had to re-purchase several “upgraded” Wii-U titles to play them on my current hardware.

One would think that you’d be safe assuming that Nintendo would behave as expected, but you never know when they’re going to throw a curveball at their audience.

It can be tough to be a Nintendo fan sometimes.

I’ve grown up around Nintendo systems since the original NES and Super Nintendo, back when the company was the gold standard of the gaming world and it really felt like they always would be.

I remember when the N64 came around and really changed things, ushering us into the future by bringing 3-D gaming front and center. It wasn’t always a smooth development. There were definitely some struggles along the way, but by the time the GameCube came around and the wrinkles had been worked out it really felt like things were getting on track.

But then came the Wii, with its silly little motion control gimmick injecting itself into all my favorite Nintendo franchises, often to their detriment. I never asked for it. I didn’t want it. It’s a system that appealed to a very different kind of gamer than me, and it was a long stretch of years waiting for things to turn around. I basically spent 2006 through 2012 ignoring Nintendo completely.

Nothing lasts forever though. Following the Wii was the, probably poorly named, Wii-U, which dropped the motion controls for a gamepad accessory. Sadly, the system was criminally under-appreciated and Nintendo really struggled to successfully convince consumers why it was deserving of their attention.

So yeah, it can be tough. It sucks to know you’re going to sit-out of a console’s lifecycle for an unforeseen number of years and it’s frustrating to watch Nintendo shoot themselves in the foot when they course correct.

But there’s nothing you can do but vote with your wallet, wait it out, and find something else to play until the next time around.

Travis Fischer is a news writer for the Charles City Press and hopes he doesn’t still have to end up buying “Mario Kart 8” for a third time.