Miyamoto hopes fans own multiple Nintendo consoles

Legendary Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto is drawing up a fascinating blueprint for the future of gaming—one where hardware serves creativity rather than creating development headaches. He envisions a world where players don’t just buy a console, but collect generations of them, unlocking a revolutionary approach to game development.

In a recent discussion, Miyamoto spoke about a desire to streamline the entire creative process. For him, reducing the workload and optimizing the environment is paramount to allowing creators to focus on what they do best: making amazing games. He believes that this streamlined approach would create the ideal setting for innovation.

“We all want to put minimal effort into making a living; live the easy life… I’m half joking,” Miyamoto chuckled. “I think it’s really important to reduce workload and streamline development, and in this regard, I think we created the perfect environment.”

This “perfect environment” is built on the idea of flexible access. Nintendo aims to establish a scenario where developers can reach a much wider audience by targeting both current and future generations simultaneously. Imagine a world where games aren’t forced into an impossible choice between old and new hardware, but can thrive across multiple platforms.

By leveraging shared hardware architecture, Nintendo plans to offer high-performance options like the Switch 2 while ensuring that developers don’t have to worry about market cannibalization. The goal is to create a market where creating games for both platforms isn’t a struggle, but an opportunity to engage more players.

This philosophy positions Nintendo uniquely among competitors. While other hardware strategies often force developers into rigid feature parity—like mandating that new consoles must support exactly the same features as older ones—Nintendo seeks to offer choice. Developers gain two clear paths: either target a broader player base across generations, or focus on maximizing the power of the latest system.

Beyond the technical architecture, Nintendo’s ecosystem is designed to reward multi-console ownership and family fun. The company supports homes with multiple consoles through features like Game Share and cooperative play modes that foster shared experiences. Furthermore, offerings such as the Nintendo Online Family Plan extend online benefits across multiple systems at a discounted rate, cementing the idea of gaming as a shared family activity.

Ultimately, Miyamoto’s vision is about liberation: giving game creators the freedom to innovate without the burden of platform competition. It is a thoughtful strategy that looks beyond immediate sales and focuses on building an enduring, enjoyable future for everyone who loves to play.