Switch will get streaming services "in time", but for Nintendo they're not really the point

Switch will one day boast the usual lineup of media apps, but it's supposed to be a games box.

Switch does not currently support the variety of streamlined media apps found on most consoles.

Speaking to the Washington Post, Nintendo of America boss Reggie Fils-Aime said Switch owners will have access to these services eventually.

"We’re talking to a range of companies about other services, companies like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon — things that will come in time," he said.

Refreshingly, Switch doesn't seem to be intended for that centre-of-the-living room, all-in-one entertainment box approach role Sony and Microsoft have had a go at over the years.

"We built the Nintendo Switch to be a world-class gaming device, meaning we want you first and foremost to play games on the system and have an incredibly fun experience," Fils-Aime said.

The executive said that streaming media service are "not differentiators" - they don't set Switch apart from rival consoles and other devices. What differentiates Switch is "the way you play and what you can play", and that will be Nintendo's focus for the platform.

"I think first the biggest differentiator is that our platform is the only place you can experience our IP: Zelda, Mario, Fire Emblem," Fils-Aime said elsewhere in the interview. "You’re not going to see that on the competing home platforms."

The way players can take Switch from home to portable to home again is a "compelling" second differentiator, he added, while a third thing Switch has going for it is unique independent content - something Nintendo plans to pursue mightily this generation, apparently.

This understanding that its games are what matters adds some weight to Nintendo's promises of steady first-party releases. New Mario before the end of the year if all goes well, remember.