For what it's worth, I don't think things from the past are inherently better than things from the present. And I also love the direction that Nintendo has taken the Switch in, and I think it was a wise and effective choice.
That said...the Wii nostalgia is really starting to set in.
Now that we're a sufficient distance away from the Wii, and Nintendo's current direction is significantly different, I think the pros and cons are starting to shine through.
Mostly it was this video about ordering pizza on a defunct Japan-only food delivery channel that hit me hard with the feeling. The Wii was in that era where game companies were convinced that the future was making an "all-in-one" media device for the living room.
We didn't know back in 2006 exactly how smartphones or smart TVs would become the ubiquitous all-in-one devices. So Nintendo designed the Wii to be a place to check the weather, check the news, share your Miis, vote on polls, and I guess maybe order dinner. There was no standard UX practices for how these things should be presented as apps back then, and Nintendo seemed adamant about crafting each of these experiences with their own charm and personality.
It's also funny that I had thought that the Wii interface was personality-less and too "Apple" at the time, but looking back on it now, I miss that it at least had more of a visual identity. As people have already spilled a lot of ink about, the Switch UI, plus Zelda Breath of the Wild, Mario Odyssey, Mario Tennis, etc. all share a somewhat unified "blank" modern aesthetic that seems mostly intent to avoid your notice. The Wii had big round buttons, and felt like a magical television set! That counts for something!
That's not to say that these things were perfect or super useful. And obviously I wouldn't use my Switch to check the weather in 2023, even if I could. But still, it's a bummer to see the Switch's [probably well-advised] shift into being a pure gaming machine. From what I hear, even the lack of start-up music on the Switch was a necessary trade-off to get the load-times the be near-instant when docking, undocking, and turning the console on.
I'm hoping that whatever Nintendo makes next tries to strike a balance. The Wii U/3DS era seemed like a smart compromise: largely gaming-focused devices that still allowed for charm, customization, cute presentation, social features with other players, and other unique gimmicks.
Please just give me a little something to brighten my day.
