{"id":1518,"date":"2016-10-23T22:20:51","date_gmt":"2016-10-23T22:20:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jeremiepgagnon.wordpress.com\/?p=1518"},"modified":"2016-10-23T22:20:51","modified_gmt":"2016-10-23T22:20:51","slug":"the-switchs-sound-raising-the-curtain-on-nintendos-new-console","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jeremiepgagnon.net\/index.php\/2016\/10\/23\/the-switchs-sound-raising-the-curtain-on-nintendos-new-console\/","title":{"rendered":"The Sound of the Switch – Raising the Curtain on Nintendo’s New Console"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"nintendo-switch\"<\/p>\n

Nintendo unveiled their upcoming home\/handheld console this week,\u00a0a machine that put versatility at the forefront.\u00a0While presented primarily as a home console, it is clear that the Switch (previously known as NX) is also meant for a variety of other uses through its\u00a0detachable controllers that can accommodate single or multiplayer experiences. In addition, by featuring the logo multiple times over the duration of the unveiling video, Nintendo is making sure that the name \u00ab\u00a0Switch\u00a0\u00bb is fully penetrating market consciousness a long time before its release (unlike what they did with the Wii U). In fact, the rhythm of the video is very much dictated by appearances of the logo, and the later is itself punctuated by a sonic hook embodied in the sound of the hy\u014dshigi<\/em>. Tchak!<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=f5uik5fgIaI<\/p>\n

My first thought watching\u00a0this video was to speculate as to the\u00a0link between\u00a0the console itself and this\u00a0traditional Japanese musical instrument. While the hy\u014dshigi<\/em> is used for music and religious ceremonies, it is primarily used in traditional theater performance to signal the beginning of a play. Its use thus evokes traditional arts and crafts, from both the classical and popular sides of Japanese culture. Drawing from such elements is not completely surprising in the case of Nintendo. The company is, after all, firmly rooted in Kyoto, the traditional arts capital of the country.<\/p>\n

\"img61832835\"

Hy\u014dshigi<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

The hy\u014dshigi<\/em> is played by smashing two blocks of wood together to\u00a0generate\u00a0a single sharp note. The rhythm at which one hits the blocks together is what turns these blocks into a usually short musical performance. But beyond music, it is striking how similar the design of the console’s controllers is to that of this musical instrument: two blocks of plastic equipment with various buttons (Joy-Con) that can be attached to either a main controller unit (Joy-Con Grip) or a tablet, thus turning the devices into either a potent home console controller or a handheld machine.<\/p>\n

\"nintendo-switch-shot-04\"<\/p>\n

I might be reading too much into this, but there seems to be a connection between the\u00a0hy\u014dshigi’<\/em>s as a instrument that signals the beginning of a performance\u00a0and the \u00a0Nintendo Switch’s signature controller.\u00a0As a an object designer, Nintendo is most likely\u00a0consciously creating this marketing narrative around the metaphor of the Switch’s controller (or the action of attaching them to another device) as the start of the gamic performance. Doesn’t the video end with the glorification of the idea e-sport, which is itself a large-scale performance in front of an audience? Perhaps a message that consumers outside Japan will not catch on, but a metaphor that could be efficient\u00a0locally.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nintendo unveiled their upcoming home\/handheld console this week,\u00a0a machine that put versatility at the forefront.\u00a0While presented primarily as a home console, it is clear that the Switch (previously known as NX) is also meant for a variety of other uses … Continue la lecture →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-english","category-nintendo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jeremiepgagnon.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1518","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jeremiepgagnon.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jeremiepgagnon.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeremiepgagnon.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeremiepgagnon.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1518"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeremiepgagnon.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1518\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jeremiepgagnon.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeremiepgagnon.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeremiepgagnon.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}