Nintendo Polygon

The Nintendo Polygon is a 9th generation home-console successor to the Nintendo Switch made by Nintendo in collaboration with Step Ahead Studios. It was made to indirectly compete with the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. It features an optical disk drive to run Polygon-exclusive games, as well as a Nintendo Switch Cartridge slot, to run games in TV mode only.
==History==
===Development===
Following the low sales of the Wii U and the success of the 3DS, Nintendo were hesitant to make a standard home console again, opposed to a "Switch 2". After developing Super Mario Galaxy Deluxe in March 2021, Step Ahead Studios mentioned that the realtively low power of Nintendo Switch had not helped development. They offered to develop a full home console for Nintendo, to rival the power of the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, to release as Nintendo's "true" 9th generation console. Nintendo agreed, with an 80:20 profit cut being agreed on for the console. Nintendo specified that the new console would need a switch cartridge slot, to run all switch games in TV mode, as backwards compatibility is "very important in the 9th generation."
At E3 2021, Nintendo hinted at the "future of Nintendo Switch," with Doug Bowser saying that a "console that continues to support Nintendo Switch for years to come." Nothing to do with the console was shown, but it was believed a 2022-2023 release was likely. Shortly after, in August 2021, the official codename of the console, the NX2, was revealed at a press conference. Due to this, it was speculated the console was either the long-awaited Switch Pro, or a Switch 2 that had been thrown around a few times when talking about Nintendo's next move. Because of this, fan renders showed off a more premium Switch, instead of a new console.
In February 2022, the controller for the console leaked. It was revealed that Nintendo had chosen a standard controller as their main controller, as opposed to something that follows the recent trend of "innovation," like the Wii Remote, or Gamepad. It was much more akin to a Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, rather than the detatchable Joy-Cons. Also shown in the leak was the disk drive and cartridge slot, which proved it was in fact a successor to the Nintendo Switch, rather than a Switch Pro.
===Reveal===
At E3 2022, the Polygon was officially revealed to the public. The console was aimed towards more serious gamers, likely to try and drag in people who had bought the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, while still showing how it aimed towards less-serious gamers, with more classic Nintendo games being shown. In terms of specs, it was about halfway between the PlayStation 4 Pro and PlayStation 5 in graphics. Nintendo announced that, like Microsoft, they would have support for all previous-generation accessories and games from the Switch, as well as still developing games for the Switch for "at least the next year." It would use the same Nintendo Online network and subscriptions could be used on both Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Polygon.
Along with the Polygon being shown, the controller was revealed. It resembled the Switch Pro Controller, however, there was a "swap" button on the console, with two arrows pointing in opposite directions on top of each other. This was titled the "Game Swap" button, revealing the gimmick of the console. The Polygon could run two "AAA titles" at once, with one obviously being suspended. With a press of the Game Swap button, you could switch over to another game. It was mentioned that the console has measures in place to save your game and exit should the title not being played cause the system to run out of RAM.
A number of 1st party titles were revealed, the headline being Super Mario Galaxy 3. As well as Super Mario Galaxy 3, an enhanced port of Super Mario Galaxy Deluxe was shown, which was marketed more as DLC for Super Mario Galaxy 3 rather than a full game. Splatoon 3 was briefly shown, with planned release in October 2023, as well as the Metroid Prime Trilogy UHD, a 4k remaster of the original 3 Metroid Prime games, which would be a launch title. A number of 3rd party titles were also shown, including a remaster of the original three Skylanders games, a port of Sonic The Hedgehog (2021) and a gameplay reveal of Bayonetta 4.
The official pricing was $400 for the base edition, and $500 for the Deluxe Edition, which came with the Polygon Pro Controller, Super Mario Galaxy 3, and a 1 year subscription to Nintendo Online (formerly Nintendo Switch Online), which would later be extended to 1.5 years due to a network outage shortly after the launch of the Polygon due to the new users pouring into the older servers.
===Marketing and Promotion===
Nintendo had to play it safe with the marketing. They couldn't completely copy Sony or Microsoft as they were clearly aimed at more "hardcore" gamers, but if they went too soft, they'd have another Wii U on their hands. They managed to hit a sweet spot between both, showing that the Polygon can be used with both AAA games like Bayonetta 4 and more family-oriented games, like Super Mario Party Deluxe. It was generally agreed, while the marketing was not as good as the Switch's marketting, it still spoke the message that this was more powerful than anything Nintendo had done before but still making sure their core values of family fun are still there, and "avoided another Wii U."
==Hardware==
===Console===
Much like the PS5 and Xbox Series X, the Polygon has a custom Ryzen chip not based on their 4000 architecture. The graphics chip does not support RTX, and is similar to a mid-end/high-end GTX10/GTX16 series chip, giving it support for 4k gameplay at a minimum of 60 FPS. It has 16GB of RAM, and an in-house custom SSD, with 1TB of storage in both editions of the console. The console supports both USB-C and USB 4.0, as well as traditional USB 3.0 ports on the back of the system. An optical drive includes support for Polygon games, and a cartridge reader literally identical to the Nintendo Switch's cartridge reader next to the MicroSD card slot.
===Controller===
The Polygon controller looks a lot like the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller. However, it is not a translucent black, instead opting for an opaque dark green similar to the console's logo. On the console are all traditional buttons, as well as two triggers on the "handles" of the controller that act as a "ZZL" and "ZZR." The Polygon Pro Controller lets you program these buttons, as well as change out things like buttons, triggers and sticks much like the Xbox Elite controller line.
When Splatoon 3 launched, Nintendo announced a special editon Splatoon Polygon Pro controller, which later expanded to the Nintendo Legends line of Polygon Pro Controller, with custom patterns based on popular game series. The first lines were Mario, Pokémon, Yoshi, Metroid and Pikmin, which was heavily discussed to be a hint at Pikmin 4, which did inevitably release on Polygon in 2025. An exclusive Generations controller was released later in life, with the main logos of all previous Nintendo consoles around the controller, some overlapping each other.
Unlike any other Nintendo console, Polygon supports Keyboard and Mouse, for use with supported games and a web browser. While Nintendo themselves usually don't support the feature, games like Call of Duty and Fortnite do, as well as the built in web browser.
==Release==
Nintendo Polygon was released December 2, 2022. The base edition came with a standard Polygon Wireless Controller, the Nintendo Polygon, a HDMi cable (though the console supported DisplayPort, hinting at >60FPS support later into life) and a power cable. The deluxe editon came with the Polygon Pro Controller, now more akin to the Xbox Elite Series 2 controller with customisable triggers and control sticks, the Nintendo Polygon, a HDMi and DisplayPort cable and a power cable. On the Deluxe Edition, Super Mario Galaxy 3 is also preinstalled.
The Polygon had a good reception. While not gaining the traction that the Switch had with it's 1st year sales, it would eventually surpass it with the release of new games, like Splatoon 3, Bayonetta 4 and Super Smash Bros 6 (working title).
===Post-Launch===
Shortly after launch, a major network outage on Nintendo Online was reported, which lasted around a day and a half, varying slightly for some users. As an apology, a free 3 months of Nintendo Online was given to all Switch and Polygon users, and deluxe edition purchasers got an extra 6 months on top of their existing year.
In October 2023, with the launch of Splatoon 3, an update was released for the Polygon, allowing users to select either 2160p60 or 1080p120, if they connected their Polygon through HDMi 2.1 or DisplayPort 1.4. While users loved the option, reports of slowdown in "graphically intensive situations" was reported.
In January 2024, Nintendo announced that they were no longer developing 1st party games for the Nintendo Switch family of systems, instead directly focusing on games for Polygon and Nintendo Push. The last game to release for the Nintendo Switch was The Legend of Zelda: Jewel of Ganondorf, which would launch for both Switch and Polygon. The Switch edition would come with a free Polygon shirt, and the Polygon edition came with extra content, like more shrines and weapons to be found across the map.
==Software==
The Polygon runs on a custom OS called StepAheadOS. This is also found on the Nintendo Push, but modified to give a unique experience for the user. Because of the upgraded specifications in the console, StepAheadOS can deliver on many features people wanted with the Switch, such as folders, themes, and menu music.
The Nintendo eShop is a blend of the Wii U eShop and the Nintendo Switch eShop. Unlike the Switch's eShop, it has a much more "Nintendo-like" design, instead of the flat, laggy eShop of the Switch. However, unlike the Wii U's eShop, it is fast and responsive. Shovelware titles are no longer the first things displayed. Instead, the landing page is a variety of 1st party and "approved" 3rd party games (such as Skylanders: Portal Master Trilogy, or Bayonetta 4).
===Online Services===
Nintendo Online now have dedicated servers for each game. Polygon still uses Nintendo Switch Online, however it has now been rebranded to Nintendo Online to include the Polygon branding. The price is still the same, but to promote Polygon, Nintendo introduced GameCube Online, with a wireless Gamecube controller (in a traditional shell, unlike the Wavebird) purchasable separately exclusive to Polygon. Some games include Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Mario Sunshine, Pikmin 1 and Pikmin 2.
==Games==
===Launch Titles===
The Nintendo Polygon launched with 9 launch titles, some being Nintendo Switch ports with more content or better graphics, others being original games.
====1st Party Titles====
*Super Mario Galaxy 3
*Super Mario Galaxy Deluxe (Switch Port)
*Metroid Prime Trilogy: UHD
====3rd Party Titles====
*Just Dance 2023
*Bully: Snitches Get Stitches
*NBA 2k23
*Skylanders: Portal Master's Trilogy
*Sonic The Hedgehog (2021)
*Sonic Mania 2
===Fantendo Titles===
To get your game on the Nintendo Polygon, add the category Polygon Games in the categories section. You don't need to ask for permission to develop for the system. To display your game in the list, make sure to purge this page after publishing your article.
==Gallery==
Step ahead studios 2.png|The company's logo.|link=Step Ahead Studios
Polygon banner.png|A banner used for Polygon's advertisement. It also serves as a logo for the console and can be found at the top of all box art.
Super mario galaxy 3 polygon.png|Super Mario Galaxy 3 for the Nintendo Polygon|link=Super Mario Galaxy 3 (Step Ahead Studios)
Category:Home Consoles
Category:Ninth Generation Consoles
Category:Fan Consoles
Category:Articles under Construction
Category:Consoles
Category:Nintendo Polygon