Astrologically Violated: The Nintendo Switch Successor
Everything Astrology has to say about Nintendo’s Next-Gen “Switch 2” Console
Every now and then I like to talk about less serious stuff to take the load off of all the heavy events happening around the world. I low-key have been struggling to finally do some in-depth research on the legendary video game company Nintendo. Today is that day. If you follow gaming news, you’d know that there is so much buzz surrounding just when Nintendo will reveal their next gaming console currently dubbed “Switch 2” (some have opted for Super Switch). Many people in the gaming community have spoken on the fact that there may be a “Nintendo Direct” (a video presentation where Nintendo announces their upcoming plans and game releases) happening in February, as the cycles of their presentations would suggest. This got me thinking. I’ll bet certain cycles link to a console announcement or reveal that no one is aware of. So I went back in time to see what astrological cycles and analyze the house of Nintendo to see what’s in store for the next generation of Nintendo.
This Is “Nintendo Switch 2,” Astrologically, Violated…
So first things first. Let’s cover the basics of their astrological chart of Nintendo. Nintendo’s video game genesis began with the launch of its first gaming console, the Nintendo Entertainment System, or NES, on July 15, 1983. I say “video game genesis” because of course they were a company even before this. A snapshot of the sky on this day tells us their sun is at 22° in the sign Cancer. With the sun and Cancer in conjunction with the Midheaven, they have gone on to be known as the “family” video game company that defined many peoples’ childhoods. Cancer rules home and family. Their moon is at 26° in the sign of Virgo. And the ascendant sign is at 19° in the sign of Libra. The ruler of Nintendo and especially the NES is their Venus at 3° in the sign of Virgo.
Let’s note how futile predicting Nintendo actually is and why:
- The ruler, Venus, is in the 12th house, the house of the unknown.
- Their Jupiter and Uranus are retrograde in Sagittarius, and Venus is receiving a square aspect on both sides — one courtesy of Jupiter and the other, compliments of Uranus.
Nintendo has a Jupiter and Uranus conjunction in Sagittarius in the 3rd house, the house of marketing, skills, and games. Both planets are retrograde, and since Venus is at 3° Virgo, both planets are making a square to Nintendo’s ruler. Jupiter is at 1° Sagittarius, and Uranus at 5° Sagittarius. I could literally spend a whole day just speaking on how these two things alone make it not only complex but also difficult to predict Nintendo’s moves. What I can say, though, is that Venus rules what you value; because Venus rules Nintendo, we can see why it is very tied to their values and business practices, even if it doesn’t quite compute or make sense (Jupiter-Uranus, 3rd house) to everyone else.
Okay, so now that we have all that data out of the way, what we have to pay attention to is the 11th house, which would signify new iterations of their gaming systems. As I said, the third house rules games and marketing, but this is where we can also understand the overall gimmick of the console. The NES, for example, was really about adventure and quite frankly the novelty of the video game. A hero travelling across unfamiliar worlds to save a damsel in distress. A young boy who goes on a journey to save the land from evil: Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda. Sagittarius rules adventure; it is ruled by Jupiter. Jupiter rules the Mario series, but Jupiter also rules Pisces, and the Legend of Zelda series has its sun in Pisces. And the theme somewhat continued with other games in that legendary gaming era.
The most important house, however, is the 11th house which can speak to succession. For example, the 10th house is the business, and the house after that would be the gains of a business and the business’s “next step.” Similar to a child — first they are born; then come their first steps. The 11th house would have some predictive value concerning the console’s successor, which often comes right before its end (the 12th house).
Okay, let’s skip a few generations and begin with the Wii to the Wii U era.
Wii — Wii U
Let’s keep this brief. In the Nintendo Wii’s chart, you have the 11th house ruled by Jupiter. Jupiter is in the 29th° of Scorpio, which for the Nintendo Wii was amazing because of its conjunction with one of my favourite fixed stars, Toliman. But for the successor, not so much. Jupiter in Scorpio is ruled by Mars. Mars is in Scorpio in 18° — the worst degree ever. Mars was also being squared by Neptune, which is a no, and Saturn, which is a hell no. And to make things worse, that Wii U went on to release on November 18. If you’re an avid reader of EXOP, you’ll know that whenever the 18° comes up, it’s one of the only moments I really can’t justify, no matter how hard I want to or try. It’s unfortunately relegated to the “doomsday degree.”
Wii U — Switch
So now we see why Nintendo needed to switch things up mid-generation. The 11th house in the Wii U’s chart is in Sagittarius, similar to the Wii’s. So again ruled by Jupiter, but let’s see what was different… Jupiter is in Gemini retrograde (my first reaction: uh oh) The ruler of Gemini is Mercury, which is placed in Scorpio, retrograde as well. (Breathes) But Mercury is conjunct with the North Node (before I continue, let me just say that they really were in a tight situation with the Wii U here…like damn…it was pretty bad).
I think what saved them was indeed this conjunction with the North Node. The North Node rules something completely new or inventiveness. It also speaks to the story of becoming godlike and immortal. With the North Node in Scorpio, they had to completely die and be reborn (Scorpio). The company had to soul search and burn the Wii U to the ground to recover itself and rise like the Scorpio into the phoenix. With Jupiter retrograde and even Mercury retrograde, it suggests that they really had to go back to what works. Jupiter in the fifth house meaning they had to go back to being about the fun and the games (Gemini — games; 5th house — rules fun). Nintendo had to make that their priority to save their company. Nintendo ended up starting a trend (also 11th house btw) for a new type of gaming system. Taking the success of their handheld gaming platform and merging it with console gaming to be reborn as the hybrid model that is the “Switch.” As far as the release of their next console, the 11th house ruled by Jupiter in Gemini — ruled by Mercury; they chose to release their console in Pisces season. Why? One of Jupiter’s original signs is Pisces, and the ruler of this particular Jupiter in the chart (Mercury) was in 24 degrees — the degree of Pisces. The Switch was the first worldwide release on March 3, 2017, in Pisces season.
Switch — Switch 2
Now that we have established the cyclical precedence and veracity of the 11th house, we’ve come to the moment of truth… Here is my prediction on the next Switch console announcement, reveal, or release:
The Nintendo Switch’s astrological chart has a Taurus 11th house ruled by Venus. The moon is in this house as well. Pluto is in 18° Capricorn and even though it’s in a harmonious trine aspect to the moon, I’m now actually kind of nervous about that for the future of the next console.
I think it’s gonna have a similar look and maybe a similar name to its predecessor because there’s a sextile aspect from Chiron in Pisces (echoing the sun of the Nintendo Switch). So with Venus being the ruler of the 11th house in 13° Aries, this puts it in a square to Pluto at 18°… groans… When Mars was in that 18°, as we discussed earlier it was really powerful because it was in its “domicile” (the sign that it originally rules and feels the most comfortable) in Scorpio. Pluto here is in 18° Capricorn, but unlike Mars, Pluto is an “outer and transpersonal planet,” so I’m not exactly sure how destructive this will be or how the destructiveness of the 18° might manifest with the next era. The moon in the Switch’s chart is exalted in Taurus, so it’s powerful, but again, Pluto is making an almost exact aspect to the moon. Even though it’s a harmonious trine, it’s 18°, so I’m really stumped there. Mysterious.
Moving on, Venus is also in detriment (the sign it feels really uncomfortable) in Aries here. Looking at the ruler of Venus, which would be Mars; Mars is strong and in its own house and domicile of Aries. Mars is conjunct Uranus but it’s also still getting the energy from Pluto at that 18°, it’s not exact but still… However, the ruler of Pluto and the ruler of Venus are in a trine. So again, it’s really hard to say. What I can say is that it’s looking like spring 2024, but most likely spring 2025 Aries season, Taurus season, Cancer season, and even Libra season 2024 are all potential time periods that we could see an announcement, a reveal trailer, a release, etc.
I do think there’s a nature of unpredictability or unexpectedness (obviously) with the release because of the presence of Uranus with Mars. With some of the eclipses in Aries and Libra coming up in 2024, we’re going to hear a lot about the “Switch 2,” which I personally (after seeing this chart) think is gonna be a spring 2025 release. It’s my personal and professional astrological recommendation too. If you’re reading this Nintendo, do it in Aries season because Neptune is going to go into Aries and Uranus is going to go into Gemini, which will form a sextile and help with whatever that 18° thing is. Pluto will be in Aquarius, which will sextile that as well, so Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto will form a b-sextile! Your best bet is an Aries season launch or worst case scenario a Libra season launch, but honestly, I wouldn’t recommend that.
All in all, I think we will get an expanded super version of the switch. Pluto is threatening destruction if they try something wildly new. Saturn, the ruler of Pluto in Capricorn, is saying “Don’t fumble the ball; just build and expand on what you have already done in the past.” Mars is also in opposition to Jupiter but retrograde. Again: do not go wild and try to be the game changer; expand (Jupiter) on what is already established (retrograde). I do hope they release in Aries season/spring 2024 or most likely 2025 because if they’re wise (Jupiter) about the upcoming planetary cycles in a few years and into the foreseeable future, a Sun/Saturn/Neptune conjunction now (and you might even be able to throw in the North Node if your timing is amazing) is way better than choosing a Saturn/Neptune/Sun opposition.
Heed my words, Nintendo.
Godspeed.
“Nyhir’vana Rho Ophiuchi is a Ghanaian award-winning musician, author Western astrologer, Alchemist, and Astro-AI researcher in Los Angeles, California specializing in Astrocartography, Cynexus & Evolutionary Astrology. Rho creates media experiences on AI, the gaming and technology industries on his Youtube Channel ‘The zo.di.AI’ and literary compositions on the Elix’r of Plutoshine publication. Rho is also the founder of the Men of Cosmos movement and monthly ‘MOCA’ astrology magazine.”
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