While the announcement of Red Dead Redemption 2 may have made a big splash recently, it wasn't the only major piece of gaming news recently. Nintendo, one of the most recognizable and important names in all of gaming, has recently revealed their next console, the successor to the Wii U.
The Nintendo Switch is very unique beast based on the reveal. It's a hybrid home console/portable gaming platform which allows you to seamlessly switch - hence the name - from gaming on the couch to gaming on the go. The unique removable half-controllers, which can be used individually for local multiplayer, allows the device to act as a portable console, or as a regular one when docked.
While all of that is well and nice - we're personally quite impressed and interested in the console - one of the most interesting things weren't related to the hardware. Throughout the reveal video, one game was shown many times: Skyrim. Now, while this has become less prominent in recent years, there was always a vague divide between the "Nintendo games" and the "everything else games".
Skyrim once fell squarely in the "everything else games", and the fact that it appeared in the Switch reveal indicates that the console might be an indication that Nintendo will embrace more "mainstream" third party properties.
The fact that the Red Dead Redemption 2 and Nintendo Switch reveals were so close, and the latter showed indication of a wider library umbrella lead to the rise of speculation about a link between the two - because of course it did. However, in spite of all this, things are looking grim for the prospect of such a port.
The Nintendo consoles of recent years were generally behind the Xboxes and Playstations in terms of hardware and performance, as they relied on things other than graphics to sell. The same seems to be the case with the Switch, as the very obvious gimmick seems to be the selling point, so chances are it won't be able to yield the same performance as the XB1 and PS4.
In such a case, Rockstar would be unlikely to develop a Switch port. GTA 5, and based on the trailer, RDR2 have and will capitalize greatly on their top-notch visuals. GTA 5 was, after all, once lauded as the first "truly next-gen" game due to the graphics. If Red Dead Redemption 2 gets the same treatment, downscaling that to fit the Switch would be a resource-heavy undertaking.
On the other hand, Nintendo consoles, and thus games, have in the past few generations sold less than their Sony and Microsoft counterparts. This means a Switch port would be a big investment for little revenue, and thus a potential loss, for Rockstar. Would you jump into such a project?
Are you hoping for a Nintendo Switch port of Red Dead Redemption 2 nonetheless?
