I think the claim that the success of the Nintendo Switch was driven by these two games isn't a controversial one to make at all- especially after the Wii U era, where Nintendo's hardware and software both seemed to be losing mainstream relevance, it took these two games and the mass appeal and rave critical acclaim they garnered for them to get the public's attention again. But: which of these two games was ultimately more important for the Switch's success, and why?
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild garnered a ridiculous amount of hype right upfront, and the rave critical acclaim and anticipation it generated can almost single handedly be credited with the early momentum that the Switch got. On the other hand, Super Mario Odyssey was the game that demonstrated that BotW wasn't a fluke, and the game that showed us that Nintendo was serious about keeping a steady stream of meaningful content for the Switch flowing. Odyssey is the game that's pushed the Switch into the mainstream, and accelerated its sales.
I do think Odyssey was very important for the Switch's success, but, having said that, I will double down on Breath of the Wild having been far more important to the Switch's early success than Odyssey. There are many reasons for me feeling this way: for starters, Breath of the Wild generated far more critical acclaim and mass hysteria than Odyssey ever did, which, I think, was very important for the Switch, which was coming right off the Wii U, and a not-too-convincing January reveal event. Breath of the Wild has far more appeal among the enthusiast core gamer, which was the demographic Nintendo needed to win most of all with the Switch- a western style AAA open world RPG simply has far more credibility and cachet with that audience than a 3D platformer, even one as accomplished as Odyssey, would.
Even though Odyssey was a true Switch exclusive, while BotW was also available on Wii U, I think that without BotW, Switch simply would not have had the start and the presence that it did- its early fate and sales may have been far too different. But I can see, for example, an argument that Odyssey in BotW's place as a launch game (with BotW subbing for Odyssey as the Holiday tent pole) might have achieved the same result, too- so what do you think? Which game was ultimately more important for the Switch's success? And why?
