Nintendo’s new Switch Concierge Service has a particularly useful feature that should be included on all platforms and consoles in the future.
Nintendo recently announced its new Switch Concierge service, which helps new Switch owners get to know the console and, most importantly, which games they can try. It’s also not just a step-by-step tutorial, but a virtual one-on-one meeting with a Nintendo representative. It’s a nice touch and a great way to really learn more about the console by asking questions. The reps can even recommend what to play next based on what you’re playing and what accessories you own. It’s a concept that other companies should be using for their gaming platforms.
This is clearly a big question. Even Nintendo doesn’t have unlimited resources to reach everyone, and there are waiting lists to join. But it doesn’t have to be the same everywhere. A simple helpline or chat, specifically for using a platform like the PlayStation 5, would go a long way for customers to install them. However, that is not the most important feature; it would be the personal recommendations.
Click the button below to launch this article in quick view.
Many gamers these days have huge libraries to play through, and while some have organized their backlogs into lists, others have a hard time choosing what to play next. When they’re indecisive, they scroll through their library instead of playing anything. Nintendo gives players personalized recommendations based on what they are playing, what is favorite, most genres of their own / played, and even proprietary accessories is a much needed feature for any gaming platform.
It wouldn’t be possible for every company to offer this level of personalized service, but even Steam has such a thing in the form of AI. Every Steam user’s main library page has sections called shelves, one of which is called Play Next. It’s a fairly new feature that just came out of Steam Labs last year that makes a recommended list from your library. It works in the same way as the Steam store’s discovery queue, except it learns from the types of games you’ve played recently and the number of hours of play each game has. Like the discovery queue, Play Next requires some tweaking and learning to be really useful, and often games with the lowest playtime win which can be a problem.
Other consoles need a feature like this, and an AI approach like Steam’s is just one solution – and there are ways to improve it. Adding an option to ignore certain recommendations based on a game you didn’t like would help improve those recommendations. If you can get suggestions for a genre you haven’t played recently, it can also help gamers looking for something different.
A combination of AI and a quiz could also be implemented in platforms. These questions can refine games based on their action level or length. Combining that information with an AI that looks at past game times, favorites and more can result in personalized recommendations. Between Steam’s underrated Play Next and the Nintendo Switch Concierge service, other companies might take note and create similar features for their audience.
About the author
