Nintendo doesn't see cloud gaming taking over any time soon

Nintendo's global president Shuntaro Furukawa doesn't see an end to the reign of console gaming anytime this decade.

While the company's former North American president Reggie Fils-Aime has previously predicted cloud gaming would be the dominant method of playing games over the next decade, Furukawa sees things differently. It may take a decade before we see cloud gaming overtake traditional dedicated consoles, he says in an interview with Japanese publication Nikkei - translated by Nintendo Everything.

"It’s possible that cloud gaming could capture the public’s interest in 10 years from now, however at this point in time, I do not think that dedicated hardware will go away," the Nintendo head told Nikkei.

Nintendo has so far released a number of cloud games to its Switch console, including a cloud gaming version of Assassin's Creed Odyssey which remains exclusive to Japan.

"It’s a long way off before we’ll really know the outcome," he continues. "With that said, it would be pointless to solely focus on methods of play that can only be had on dedicated hardware. Once your audience starts saying they can play on other consoles or smartphones instead, you’re finished."

However, the company is still keen to embrace new technologies, Furukawa says.

"Something I do not want the public to misunderstand is that we are not turning our backs on new technologies – we are constantly researching and developing. Our hardware development teams evaluate all kinds of new technologies available thus far and consult with our software developers. If they determine that a technology can be used with a game, then they will utilize it. We will not be changing this fundamental approach moving forward."

This includes finding new uses for tech that Nintendo has previously employed, like augmented reality.

"As for AR, it is definitely one of the many aspects we are interested in. We are currently researching what interesting ways we can utilize it."