Nintendo Switch

[charliepanayi]

It's the latest Nintendo system:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5uik5fgIaI

[Fynn]

Looks neat! Though I can see that screen scratching easily.

Does that mean the DS/3DS line of handhelds won't be continued? Because I'd be really sad if that's the case :(

[Depression Moon]

Damn, this thing is coming out fast. March of next year? I still haven't got to experience the Wii U I own. I only have one game for it.

[Depression Moon]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CvN2t8wUkAEfZru.jpg:large

Looks like Square Enix will be having a game on this within a year or two and Tokyo RPG Factory too. I doubt a Setsuna port considering it didn't sell well, likely something original.

[Fox]

Excellent concept. I predicted this is what they'd come out with more than a year ago, along with many other people, so there's some minor smugness on my part as well xD

I fully expect this to kill off the 3DS assuming the price point is right (which I expect it will be). Why would you need a 3DS when you have a handheld and home console in one.

[Fynn]

Excellent concept. I predicted this is what they'd come out with more than a year ago, along with many other people, so there's some minor smugness on my part as well xD

I fully expect this to kill off the 3DS assuming the price point is right (which I expect it will be). Why would you need a 3DS when you have a handheld and home console in one.

Because handheld and console gaming are still entirely different experiences. I'm guessing it's incredibly difficult to design a game that's equally satisfying as a handheld experience and a console experience.

Idk, I just like to have a dedicated handheld system, is all.

[Depression Moon]

I don't really see the difference in some of these handheld games from consoles. I've been playing a lot of stuff from the DS and GBA this year and I don't see how they would be any different on a home console.

[Fynn]

Well, I sure know I'd miss my dual screens and 3D :(

[Skyblade]

Excellent concept. I predicted this is what they'd come out with more than a year ago, along with many other people, so there's some minor smugness on my part as well xD

I fully expect this to kill off the 3DS assuming the price point is right (which I expect it will be). Why would you need a 3DS when you have a handheld and home console in one.

Because handheld and console gaming are still entirely different experiences. I'm guessing it's incredibly difficult to design a game that's equally satisfying as a handheld experience and a console experience.

Idk, I just like to have a dedicated handheld system, is all.

Well, Nintendo collapsed handheld and console gaming development into a single organization about a year, year and a half ago? Something like that. I'm bad with time scales.

Anyway, I disagree with your premise. I play most of my games handheld, and I frequently think "oh, I wish this game was on a handheld system". There are undoubtedly games that work better, that are better suited to shorter play times. But I don't think there are any that inherently work better with one style or the other. I prefer playing without having to stay oriented and seated towards a single viewing screen. I lie on my back, sit in a chair, walk around... Even when I have huge, multi-hour game sessions, I prefer a handheld system. Most of my Wii U was spent on the GamePad.

The ability to transition is just great. As they showed, what if you're in the middle of a huge console game session, and have to walk your dog? You can pick it up and go, and finish off where you were, without any trouble. Versus saving at an awkward moment or potentially losing progress.

Also... ATLUS CO LTD. Announce Persona 5 for NX now, please. Please?

[Depression Moon]

Atlus is one of the partners, so it's possible. Not sure what else Atlus could be putting on it.

[Fynn]

Guys, don't get me wrong. I like what I see. I would just like for the 3DS to get a separate successor, is all.

[Depression Moon]

We haven't seen Dragon Quest XI since it was revealed. It was supposed to be Wii U only I think. I wouldn't be surprised if it got switched to Switch now. That's likely Square's game. I doubt we will see Final Fantasy XV for it. Kingdom Hearts III maybe.

[TheKeybasHKey]

Pretty neat concept and we already knew that Square Enix would be there because cough Dragon Quest XI cough.

[Fynn]

We haven't seen Dragon Quest XI since it was revealed. It was supposed to be Wii U only I think. I wouldn't be surprised if it got switched to Switch now.

From what I remember, it was announced for PS4, 3DS and NX (now Switch). No Wii U release was ever planned. The only main DQ game on Wii U was X but that's an MMO that will probably never make it here.

Still, if this ends up succeeding both the Wii U and 3DS, we might get an SMTV for it! Sweet!

[Fox]

Excellent concept. I predicted this is what they'd come out with more than a year ago, along with many other people, so there's some minor smugness on my part as well xD

I fully expect this to kill off the 3DS assuming the price point is right (which I expect it will be). Why would you need a 3DS when you have a handheld and home console in one.

Because handheld and console gaming are still entirely different experiences. I'm guessing it's incredibly difficult to design a game that's equally satisfying as a handheld experience and a console experience.

Idk, I just like to have a dedicated handheld system, is all.

I only think this has been an issue because of differences between tech and control methods. Once you standardise those... there's no need to have any real difference between handheld and console gaming. I see this as a handheld device primarily that you can plug into an adaptor to play at home, so more a successor to the 3DS than to the the WiiU.

As long as the price point is right (which I expect it will be in order to be viable in the handheld market) I'm very excited for it.

Speaking of 3rd party developers - I work for Codemasters. Codemasters is on that list. Nobody has told me we're developing Switch games?!?!

[Skyblade]

Atlus is one of the partners, so it's possible. Not sure what else Atlus could be putting on it.

Well, the SMT series has gone 3DS exclusive, and they've already crammed tons of their spinoffs into the system as well. So, plenty of SMT. But the only Persona content has been Persona Q.

[Fynn]

SMTV!!!! :hyper:

[Depression Moon]

We haven't seen Dragon Quest XI since it was revealed. It was supposed to be Wii U only I think. I wouldn't be surprised if it got switched to Switch now.

From what I remember, it was announced for PS4, 3DS and NX (now Switch). No Wii U release was ever planned. The only main DQ game on Wii U was X but that's an MMO that will probably never make it here.

Still, if this ends up succeeding both the Wii U and 3DS, we might get an SMTV for it! Sweet!
My bad. I guess I just wanted it for the Wii U.




Excellent concept. I predicted this is what they'd come out with more than a year ago, along with many other people, so there's some minor smugness on my part as well xD

I fully expect this to kill off the 3DS assuming the price point is right (which I expect it will be). Why would you need a 3DS when you have a handheld and home console in one.

Because handheld and console gaming are still entirely different experiences. I'm guessing it's incredibly difficult to design a game that's equally satisfying as a handheld experience and a console experience.

Idk, I just like to have a dedicated handheld system, is all.

I only think this has been an issue because of differences between tech and control methods. Once you standardise those... there's no need to have any real difference between handheld and console gaming. I see this as a handheld device primarily that you can plug into an adaptor to play at home, so more a successor to the 3DS than to the the WiiU.

As long as the price point is right (which I expect it will be in order to be viable in the handheld market) I'm very excited for it.

Speaking of 3rd party developers - I work for Codemasters. Codemasters is on that list. Nobody has told me we're developing Switch games?!?!
It's above your pay grade.

[Skyblade]

Speaking of 3rd party developers - I work for Codemasters. Codemasters is on that list. Nobody has told me we're developing Switch games?!?!

Not surprising, given how hush-hush Nintendo has been.

But I'm hoping this is a good thing.

If you can develop for the system without needing a huge overhead staff or full knowledge of it, hopefully that means that ports from other systems will be easier to implement than they have been in the past. Faster and easier transitions between consoles means it's easier to sell across multiple consoles. So more stuff would likely be coming to Switch.

[Depression Moon]

I want to play Pokemon on this.

[Slothy]

Speaking of 3rd party developers - I work for Codemasters.

Oh neat. Love their racing games.

[Del Murder]

I was concerned about what this was, but damn, that's genius. Love that you can use a standard controller in console mode instead of the hulking screen thing and that you can detach the sides to play off the screen even in handheld mode.

What was that Mario game she was playing?

[Skyblade]

I was concerned about what this was, but damn, that's genius. Love that you can use a standard controller in console mode instead of the hulking screen thing and that you can detach the sides to play off the screen even in handheld mode.

What was that Mario game she was playing?

A new one.

[Fynn]

My wife's the first person I heard that was completely unimpressed by this XD

[NeoCracker]

Now we just need word on whether or not it's compatibale with WiiU games and if the Classics are available like on Wii U (And if you have to re-buy them or not).

[Skyblade]

Now we just need word on whether or not it's compatibale with WiiU games and if the Classics are available like on Wii U (And if you have to re-buy them or not).

Well, you don't have access to a second screen while using it in console mode, because the dock portion covers the handheld screen.

And, it doesn't have an optical disc drive, which will save on space and cost.

So, I don't think it likely. But possible, especially for the games which only use one screen (though no touchscreen also makes games like Pikmin 3, which are played heavily with the stylus, unlikely).

I'm more curious as to whether there will be any 3DS compatibility. No second screen, but it is cartridge based...

[NeoCracker]

I doubt compatibility with either to be honest, and even if so Wii U games would not be playable on the Go I'd imagine. Would still be nice though.

[Slothy]

My wife's the first person I heard that was completely unimpressed by this XD

It's a neat idea (actually neat, not the crap we got with the Wii and WiiU), but I'm not going to run out and buy one as soon as they're released. Games are what matters and until we see some, especially from third parties, I won't be sold on it.Not even a list of third parties does it for me since I'm sure most, if not all, of those companies made games for Wii and WiiU (and Gamecube for that matter) and those never drew me in.

I'm intrigued, but after more than a decade of being disappointed by Nintendo consoles and the games on them they've got a long way to go still before I'll buy one. But on the plus side, they've managed to get me more interested than anything they did since the N64 or their handhelds (fuck 3d though) so they're off to a good start just so I don't sound too unimpressed. If this was being released after a console with a surprisingly great library like the N64 and not after three consoles that were flops for me I'd be downright excited.

[Del Murder]

I want to see this in their next video:

Angry Dad: Boy! Go get me a switch.
*kid returns with Nintendo console*
*shows them playing games together*

[Slothy]

Have to admit that would be some great advertising.

[NeoCracker]

So, I wrote up a list of things I would like to see the console do. :p

https://basedgamer.com/article/224/the-six-things-i-want-to-see-out-of-the-nintendo-switch-

tl;dr version:

Long batter life for portable
More indie support
A steam-like refund policy on digital games
Compatible with all Wii U Virtual console titles
More then the Wii U 32 GB storage.
You are working with square, make another Legend of the Seven Stars dammit!

[Pumpkin]

Looks super neat to me! I often wish I could play my handhelds on the big screen.

But dude needs to pay more attention to his dog

[KentaRawr!]

It looks neato! :)

[Colonel Angus]

I got verklempt watching this.

[Skyblade]

My wife's the first person I heard that was completely unimpressed by this XD

It's a neat idea (actually neat, not the crap we got with the Wii and WiiU), but I'm not going to run out and buy one as soon as they're released. Games are what matters and until we see some, especially from third parties, I won't be sold on it.Not even a list of third parties does it for me since I'm sure most, if not all, of those companies made games for Wii and WiiU (and Gamecube for that matter) and those never drew me in.

I'm intrigued, but after more than a decade of being disappointed by Nintendo consoles and the games on them they've got a long way to go still before I'll buy one. But on the plus side, they've managed to get me more interested than anything they did since the N64 or their handhelds (smurf 3d though) so they're off to a good start just so I don't sound too unimpressed. If this was being released after a console with a surprisingly great library like the N64 and not after three consoles that were flops for me I'd be downright excited.

Well, we have an NBA game and Skyrim. So... That's two third party titles right there. And two that don't usually come to Nintendo consoles.

Hopefully we'll here of more in the coming months.

[Colonel Angus]

I've notice Konami's name shown as 3rd party support. I hope they know this isn't a pachinko machine.

[Depression Moon]

So, I wrote up a list of things I would like to see the console do. :p

https://basedgamer.com/article/224/the-six-things-i-want-to-see-out-of-the-nintendo-switch-

tl;dr version:

Long batter life for portable
More indie support
A steam-like refund policy on digital games
Compatible with all Wii U Virtual console titles
More then the Wii U 32 GB storage.
You are working with square, make another Legend of the Seven Stars dammit!


I'm concerned about the battery life and I'm with you on a Seven Stars sequel.

[Depression Moon]

I want to see this in their next video:

Angry Dad: Boy! Go get me a switch.
*kid returns with Nintendo console*
*shows them playing games together*


https://frinkiac.com/meme/S09E25/386001.jpg?b64lines=TElTQSwgR08gQ1VUIE1FIEEgU1dJVENILg==

[Wolf Kanno]

It looks interesting, but like Vivi22 mentioned, it will come down to the games. Nintendo will be good for their own properties but the footage of what looks like Skyrim makes me fear it will suffer the curse of the last two Nintendo consoles and most of it's third party support will be lousy ports of already existing games. The concept is interesting to say the least.

[Slothy]

My wife's the first person I heard that was completely unimpressed by this XD

It's a neat idea (actually neat, not the crap we got with the Wii and WiiU), but I'm not going to run out and buy one as soon as they're released. Games are what matters and until we see some, especially from third parties, I won't be sold on it.Not even a list of third parties does it for me since I'm sure most, if not all, of those companies made games for Wii and WiiU (and Gamecube for that matter) and those never drew me in.

I'm intrigued, but after more than a decade of being disappointed by Nintendo consoles and the games on them they've got a long way to go still before I'll buy one. But on the plus side, they've managed to get me more interested than anything they did since the N64 or their handhelds (smurf 3d though) so they're off to a good start just so I don't sound too unimpressed. If this was being released after a console with a surprisingly great library like the N64 and not after three consoles that were flops for me I'd be downright excited.

Well, we have an NBA game and Skyrim. So... That's two third party titles right there. And two that don't usually come to Nintendo consoles.

Hopefully we'll here of more in the coming months.

Yeah, that's what I'm waiting for. They've got me curious enough to get me to keep my eye on things and see what games show up. That's more than I could say about the WiiU.

[Skyblade]

It looks interesting, but like Vivi22 mentioned, it will come down to the games. Nintendo will be good for their own properties but the footage of what looks like Skyrim makes me fear it will suffer the curse of the last two Nintendo consoles and most of it's third party support will be lousy ports of already existing games. The concept is interesting to say the least.

Actually, it looked like Skyrim Special Edition, the HD port that is releasing in one week. So, while it is still an old game, it's been visually remastered, at least, and still looks quite spiffy on the Switch.

[Depression Moon]

GameXplain released an 11 minute video about the 6 sec Mario footage. Shit got me hype. They can get a lot out of a little bit.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFGAJtnky7A

[Skyblade]

GameXplain released an 11 minute video about the 6 sec Mario footage. trout got me hype. They can get a lot out of a little bit.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFGAJtnky7A

They actually missed something pretty huge.

Namely, that the girl's room is themed around the game in question. With the number of ornamental vases, brightly colored woven throws, and other art, you could infer quite a bit more about the game's inspiration than just "vaguely Mexican". Nintendo's been using little details and culture additions with a great deal of thought in their recent titles, as the incredible Alola region looks to be highlighting. I would expect that to continue.

[maybee]

If titles like Harvest Moon and Fire Emblem are going Switch, then count me in . :love:

[Del Murder]

It will be interesting to see if this is intended to replace the 3DS. It seems like they are going that way. I think I'm fine with that as long as it retains some of the features that made the DS/3DS such great systems. It doesn't have a dual screen, but I'm not very bothered by that since the second screen has been mainly used as an immediate pause menu or minimap which could easily be done on Switch games using intuitive touch controls.

Another feature it needs is the ability to suspend games in a sleep mode to preserve battery and prevent you from having to boot everything up each time you want to play. This is standard these days but I mention it because WiiU absurdly doesn't have this feature.

The other issue is the games. Obviously any system will be rated based on its games but in particular Switch needs to continue the legacy of great portable games that Nintendo has consistently held up over the years if it is going to replace its latest successful portable system. Series like Fire Emblem, Professor Layton, Pokemon, various Square-Enix ports and handheld titles, and the Zelda handheld series need to be able to continue to thrive on Switch as true next iterations of those series. For that to happen Switch needs to prove itself as the next generation of handheld gaming and not just the next generation of console/handheld hybrid gaming.

[Fox]

If it turns out to be region free I will be all over this like a... person who is all over something.

In order to practice my Japanese I have a Japanese 3DS and a few Japanese 3DS games; all of which is a massive pain because of course the system/store accounts are entirely in Japanese and it takes forever to get anything done. If I can just buy the damn game to play on an English system... I will be super happy.

[Miriel]

But dude needs to pay more attention to his dog

That is literally all I took away from this video. Play with your fucking dog you dead beat dog-parent!!! Oh man, that got me so mad.

[Depression Moon]

This trailer got 11 million views in one day. THAT IS INSANE!

[Skyblade]

It will be interesting to see if this is intended to replace the 3DS. It seems like they are going that way. I think I'm fine with that as long as it retains some of the features that made the DS/3DS such great systems. It doesn't have a dual screen, but I'm not very bothered by that since the second screen has been mainly used as an immediate pause menu or minimap which could easily be done on Switch games using intuitive touch controls.

Unfortunately, there was no stylus or indication of touch controls in the Switch ad. It's hard to imagine they would abandon touch controls, especially with how well they've been worked into so many games, and how strongly titles like Mario Maker use touch controls. But we have no evidence of it as yet.


Another feature it needs is the ability to suspend games in a sleep mode to preserve battery and prevent you from having to boot everything up each time you want to play. This is standard these days but I mention it because WiiU absurdly doesn't have this feature.

Well, I'm positive the handheld aspect of it will include that feature, at least. Saving the battery life is mostly a handheld feature, so maybe that's why they felt it wasn't necessary on the Wii U?


The other issue is the games. Obviously any system will be rated based on its games but in particular Switch needs to continue the legacy of great portable games that Nintendo has consistently held up over the years if it is going to replace its latest successful portable system. Series like Fire Emblem, Professor Layton, Pokemon, various Square-Enix ports and handheld titles, and the Zelda handheld series need to be able to continue to thrive on Switch as true next iterations of those series. For that to happen Switch needs to prove itself as the next generation of handheld gaming and not just the next generation of console/handheld hybrid gaming.

This is true, and this is one of the big worries of the device.

With Nintendo merging development of console and handheld gaming, they have to make sure not to lose either.

Part of what I believe has made the Switch appealing to developers (every developer I've heard speak about it has been overwhelming popular) is the ease of development. Being both a handheld and a console, neither target game is out of bounds. Handheld titles are usually simpler and with fewer mechanics or less extensive graphics, which makes them easier to develop.

Nintendo can't lose sight of this either. If they start pushing everything in the console style, it is going to cost them, and cost them a LOT. They need to remember what makes each game popular, and not push past the strengths of that title or series. We've seen console Pokémon games before, and console Fire Emblem games. And they weren't as popular as their handheld iterations. Granted, Pokémon Coloseum did away with a lot of the traditions of the series (like random encounters), but it was still a darn fine game. And the Tellius Fire Emblem games were quite good, though not as good as most of their handheld iterations, in my opinion. I think they suffered from a style transition to 3D that the developers weren't really prepared to handle, and the battle field graphics looked odd and clunky a lot of the time because of this (while the sprites for that game were AMAZING).

This is something that Nintendo cannot afford to do. They can't afford to push games to use the new power of the system when those games aren't prepared for that power, or don't necessarily use it well. They have to understand that this is their ultimate platform for ALL of their games, and let it flourish as such.

[Skyblade]

If it turns out to be region free I will be all over this like a... person who is all over something.

In order to practice my Japanese I have a Japanese 3DS and a few Japanese 3DS games; all of which is a massive pain because of course the system/store accounts are entirely in Japanese and it takes forever to get anything done. If I can just buy the damn game to play on an English system... I will be super happy.

Leaked tech details include a 50/60 Hertz AC adapter, which means that the plug would be compatable with both US and EU power systems. So, region free seems more likely.

Only a few days until the first big event revealing details, though.

[Squall Leonhart Loire]

As someone who despises Nintendo for being incompetent and stuck in the past, I have no hope for this. They are the most incompetent game developers. Also, they need to get their hands off of Monolith Soft. Xeno games need to come to the PS4 and PC.

[Fox]

If it turns out to be region free I will be all over this like a... person who is all over something.

In order to practice my Japanese I have a Japanese 3DS and a few Japanese 3DS games; all of which is a massive pain because of course the system/store accounts are entirely in Japanese and it takes forever to get anything done. If I can just buy the damn game to play on an English system... I will be super happy.

Leaked tech details include a 50/60 Hertz AC adapter, which means that the plug would be compatable with both US and EU power systems. So, region free seems more likely.

Only a few days until the first big event revealing details, though.

Leaks also suggest a price point of under £200, or abut USD$250. Which as far as I'm concerned is a license for Nintendo to print their own money, that's a fantastic price.

[Depression Moon]

As someone who despises Nintendo for being incompetent and stuck in the past, I have no hope for this. They are the most incompetent game developers. Also, they need to get their hands off of Monolith Soft. Xeno games need to come to the PS4 and PC.

If yo really believe that you must not have tried game development yourself.

[Fynn]

Honestly. Nintendo has produced some of the most flawlessly designed games, whether you're into the games themselves or not. Super Mario Run alone is one of the most polished mobile games I've ever played.

[FFNut]

Honestly. Nintendo has produced some of the most flawlessly designed games, whether you're into the games themselves or not. Super Mario Run alone is one of the most polished mobile games I've ever played.

This is very true. It is hard to find many bugs in a Nintendo game. They take their time putting it out there. Nothing gets rushed.

[Scruffington]

As someone who despises Nintendo for being incompetent and stuck in the past, I have no hope for this. They are the most incompetent game developers. Also, they need to get their hands off of Monolith Soft. Xeno games need to come to the PS4 and PC.

Really? Nintendo is one of the few consistent and high-quality game developers in the industry right now. Every first party title they put out is excellent.

Nintendo the console developer, however, is nowhere near as good. I do agree that I wish the Xeno games would come to PS4; I have no interest in buying a Nintendo console for its third party games or RPGs. That's what my Playstation systems are for.

[Slothy]

To be fair, it shouldn't be that hard to maintain a consistent level of quality when, at least in the console space, they've spent the last 20 years or so making the same few games over and over. :exdee:

Honestly the new Zelda and the switch as a piece of hardware are the first really interesting looking things to me that I've seen from them since the N64 was the console du jour.

[Squall Leonhart Loire]

As someone who despises Nintendo for being incompetent and stuck in the past, I have no hope for this. They are the most incompetent game developers. Also, they need to get their hands off of Monolith Soft. Xeno games need to come to the PS4 and PC.

Really? Nintendo is one of the few consistent and high-quality game developers in the industry right now. Every first party title they put out is excellent.

Nintendo the console developer, however, is nowhere near as good. I do agree that I wish the Xeno games would come to PS4; I have no interest in buying a Nintendo console for its third party games or RPGs. That's what my Playstation systems are for.
Their consoles are what I was referring to but even the games lack substance. Barely evolved from the past. Only good games on the Wii U, in my eyes, are Bayonetta, Xenoblade Chronicles X, and heck even Tokyo Mirage Sessions. Mario has barely changed. All their other IPs are just... eh. Nintendo doesn't really offer me much. And the lack of features on the Wii U are unbearable. The console feels like 10 year old hardware. My friend owns a Wii U and honestly the best use he gets out of it is being a dust collector. He despises the bare-bones features and lack of games.

Nintendo can speak about all the third party developers helping them all and whatnot but it's all lies. They did the same thing with the Wii U. Show all the list of developers, third party games barely sell, and then the first party games take forever to develop.

I want Nintendo to succeed but as of now my eyes can't. It's too hard for me to see them succeeding in the industry. They refuse to change/modernize and that is why we have so many people who find the Wii U as one epic fail of a console.

I'll buy the Switch if it means having all those Japanese 3DS games and such. However, I'll be cautiously waiting to see what Nintendo can offer. I followed the Wii U's failing so close for someone who hates the console, and Nintendo's actions proved to me how shady they are.

[Scruffington]

Their consoles are what I was referring to but even the games lack substance. Barely evolved from the past. Only good games on the Wii U, in my eyes, are Bayonetta, Xenoblade Chronicles X, and heck even Tokyo Mirage Sessions. Mario has barely changed.

Completely disagree. Zelda and the mainline Mario series are incredibly different with each installment. Both series have similar tropes and gameplay in every title, but each game is different enough from its predecessor to feel fresh and exciting. Even the leap from Galaxy to Galaxy 2 was incredible.

At least with those two series, Nintendo takes the approach of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." The formula of these games are excellent and don't need to change whatsoever.


All their other IPs are just... eh. Nintendo doesn't really offer me much. And the lack of features on the Wii U are unbearable. The console feels like 10 year old hardware. My friend owns a Wii U and honestly the best use he gets out of it is being a dust collector. He despises the bare-bones features and lack of games.

I disagree about their other IPs, but that's a matter of opinion. I do agree that the Wii U is a pretty bad console. I sincerely hope that Nintendo implements a better UI, an actual consistent Nintendo account system, and modern online features like Achievements and easily accessible friend lists.


Nintendo can speak about all the third party developers helping them all and whatnot but it's all lies. They did the same thing with the Wii U. Show all the list of developers, third party games barely sell, and then the first party games take forever to develop.

I don't really buy a Nintendo system for the third party games. I buy it for the core first party titles. If I want multiplatform titles or RPGs I will always play them on PS4 if they're available.

[Squall Leonhart Loire]

The thing is if you only buy a Nintendo console for the first party titles that just goes to show Nintendo systems are nothing but for those type of games. Back in the NES-SNES days, Nintendo was for every type of gamer. Now the consoles have degraded into something that gamers find as childish, under-powered boxes made entirely out of kiddy IP's with few exceptions. Of course, it's subjective. However, in my opinion, the only thing Nintendo can pull out that's good is a handheld system. Everything else is a handicap for them.

[Scruffington]

The thing is if you only buy a Nintendo console for the first party titles that just goes to show Nintendo systems are nothing but for those type of games. Back in the NES-SNES days, Nintendo was for every type of gamer. Now the consoles have degraded into something that gamers find as childish, under-powered boxes made entirely out of kiddy IP's with few exceptions. Of course, it's subjective. However, in my opinion, the only thing Nintendo can pull out that's good is a handheld system. Everything else is a handicap for them.

Nintendo systems have always been about the first party titles for as long as I've lived. I've always bought their consoles because they've had good games that aren't available on any other platform.

[DMKA]

It's a neat idea but unless I hear about some exclusive game I simply can't survive without playing then I probably won't buy it. If what I've read about the technical specs is true then the thing is obscenely under-powered next to its contemporaries, again, just like the Wii and Wii U. Which, don't get me wrong, as long as the games are good it's fine, but that doesn't bode well at all for third party support.

I paid full price for my Wii U and have played maybe three games on it. I don't want to do that again.

[Mirage]

If it turns out to be region free I will be all over this like a... person who is all over something.

In order to practice my Japanese I have a Japanese 3DS and a few Japanese 3DS games; all of which is a massive pain because of course the system/store accounts are entirely in Japanese and it takes forever to get anything done. If I can just buy the damn game to play on an English system... I will be super happy.

Leaked tech details include a 50/60 Hertz AC adapter, which means that the plug would be compatable with both US and EU power systems. So, region free seems more likely.

Only a few days until the first big event revealing details, though.

Basically any AC adapter these day can accept any voltage between 100 and 240 volts, at both 50 and 60 hertz, so that doesn't mean much.

Usually, they're just differentiated by the physical plug. Guess it's cheaper to just have one design that works everywhere, rather than one for each region.

source: here's 4 random adapters i had in arms reach. (https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1132077/images/_SAM8556.JPG)

[Skyblade]

It's a neat idea but unless I hear about some exclusive game I simply can't survive without playing then I probably won't buy it. If what I've read about the technical specs is true then the thing is obscenely under-powered next to its contemporaries, again, just like the Wii and Wii U. Which, don't get me wrong, as long as the games are good it's fine, but that doesn't bode well at all for third party support.

I paid full price for my Wii U and have played maybe three games on it. I don't want to do that again.

Well, there are a ton more good games you can get for it, for cheap too now (probably cheaper after the Switch announcement).

Yoshi's Wooly World
Hyrule Warriors
Mario Kart 8
Fatal Frame: Maiden of Blackwater
Super Smash Bros.
Super Mario Maker
Splatoon
Pokken Tournament
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE
Pikmin 3
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
Xenoblade Chronicles X
Super Mario 3D World

Not to mention ports like Wind Waker HD and Twilight Princess HD.



I usually take the opposite approach to games, though. I'm quite happy to buy a console for one killer game. After all, I own a Vita (most expensive Persona game I've ever bought, but I've gotten hundreds of hours out of it, and eventually got Dancing All Night to go along with it, so it was worth it).

Nintendo keeps quality coming.

And, frankly, most third party companies that push for bleeding edge graphics rarely, if ever, impress me any more. I don't own a 4k TV (and can't tell the difference between 4k and 1080p unless I'm doing a side-by-side comparison), so all those lovely extra pixels mean nothing to me. They could be putting that development time into having games that don't need a patch day one to stop the game from crashing.



The Switch isn't a new idea. The Vita tried the idea, but was too expensive to develop for, and was a separate console for people to buy. Ages before that, the SEGA Nomad was a thing. But it was another expensive piece of hardware for fans, and it was designed by someone who thought that the Game Gear didn't chug batteries enough.

The idea of a hybrid console/handheld is one that keeps popping up for a reason: It's a good sell, if you can pull it off right. I think it's honestly the future of the industry. Scorpio and Neo can run their 4K gaming, but where will the next gimmick be, the next console generation? Graphics can only really be pushed so far, and plenty of developers have already commented that they don't like the developmental troubles that Sony and Microsoft's half-generations have pushed on them.

But the ability to play your games anywhere? When graphics can't be pushed further, miniaturization will take center stage. This idea will play out, and will be mainstream. If Nintendo can capture it now, they have the potential to make bank as they take a step that the rest of the industry is going to follow behind them in.

The real question, in my mind, is whether Nintendo hit the right time or whether this idea should have waited longer. For me, personally? I'm sold. It's more powerful than the Wii U, and that's about all I need. That system has some fantastic games and only maybe two of them have ever performed poorly. But is the mainstream market? Or will it take another generation? I genuinely don't know.

[Pumpkin]

Honestly I'm also excited for the Switch because then the WiiU will be cheap and I can get some games I've wanted for it

[DMKA]

Yoshi's Wooly World
Hyrule Warriors
Mario Kart 8
Fatal Frame: Maiden of Blackwater
Super Smash Bros.
Super Mario Maker
Splatoon
Pokken Tournament
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE
Pikmin 3
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
Xenoblade Chronicles X
Super Mario 3D World

Not to mention ports like Wind Waker HD and Twilight Princess HD.

Xenoblade Chronicles X is the one game on that list that looks right up my alley that I've not already played, but unfortunately I can't stomach the puketastic kawaii desu ne anime visual style of the characters to allow myself to play it.

The vast majority of that list is the same old ho-hum rehashed for decades characters and settings that just aren't my cup of tea anymore. Which, don't get me wrong, I'm not dissing you if you're into that, but I'm not. I'm sure they're all fine games too, but they simply don't excite me anymore.

[Mirage]

The visual direction isn't even the worst part about that game.

[Fox]

The visual direction isn't even the worst part about that game.

* Entire world comes to a standstill
* Fade to black
* Offer response

- NOD <
- SHRUG

[Mirage]

And don't even get me started on the atrocious music in some of the areas.

[Scruffington]

And don't even get me started on the atrocious music in some of the areas.

Really? I've listened to some of the music from X and it sounds incredible.

It really gives off Attack on Titan vibes.

[Mirage]

Well the thing is that the game has like 8 different tracks that you'll hear for 99% of the time, Two of them are so bad that they make me embarrased to play around my brothers, and these two are heard way more than the other 10. The other 8 most commonly heard tracks are either really forgettable, with a few good ones.

[Colonel Angus]

Today I saw a video about third party peripherals for the Switch & one of them was an arcade style joystick for a fighting game. There haven't been any specific fighting games announced for the system, but I imagine this means we may see a MK or SF game on the system.

[Skyblade]

No one watched the presentation?

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Also: Confirmation for Skyrim, Street Fighter, Dragon Quest X, XI, and Heroes, Rayman, a new IP from Square (that looks frelling amazing), and a new Shin Megami Tensei game.

[Scruffington]

What a dreadful conference.

Nintendo seems to have learned nothing from the Wii U. Prices for both the system and accessories are awful, poor and restrictive hardware, paid online and a very weak launch lineup outside of Zelda (which is available on the Wii U).

I think I'm going to pass on this system until it goes down in price or gets a bundle.

First time in my life that I don't have interest in being an early adopter of a Nintendo console. I'm disappointed.

[Fox]

Me a few months ago:

- Nice work Nintendo! This is exactly what the market needs! Just don't smurf it up!

Nintendo, this morning:

- We smurfed it up!

[Fynn]

I still can't wrap my head around what the smurf they've done to Xenoblade

why


why why why why why why why

[Sephex]

Wait, what? Everyone is mad at Nintendo for having a paid online service? Microsoft and Sony can do it, and tons of people constantly blow money Steam sales for games they will never have time to play, but Nintendo can't get a slice of that pie? That's just very odd to me. Granted, I'm not totally on board with that aspect, but it certainly doesn't shock me at all, and I have no idea why that of all things is upsetting people.

The press conference was odd, but whatever. It answered the questions I had about the console. I think the price is fair for what they are offering too. I am interested in Mario, Zelda, Splatoon, that one Square-Enix Octopus RPG, and midly interested in other things.

Looking forward to people saying Nintendo is finished again, though. That's always my favorite part. You know, that thing that people have been saying since the Genesis/Megadrive was released (at least in droves of angry, cynical gamers).

Not really sure if I am there on day one, but mainly because I don't feel like blowing all that money at once. If I can find a Gamestop or something that will let me put some money on it, and THEN I can pay it off some until the launch day, then I might go for it. Though I am sure all the preorders will be snatched up since you have to be in person to do that AND I doubt they do it that way anymore (it literally has been years since I have pre ordered anything).

[Fox]

Wait, what? Everyone is mad at Nintendo for having a paid online service? Microsoft and Sony can do it, and tons of people constantly blow money Steam sales for games they will never have time to play, but Nintendo can't get a slice of that pie? That's just very odd to me. Granted, I'm not totally on board with that aspect, but it certainly doesn't shock me at all, and I have no idea why that of all things is upsetting people.

Yeah, I'm mad when Sony and Microsoft do it as well. Steam manages without. They don't make you pay for online because they need it, they do it because they can get away with it. Nintendo are no different, and all it's doing is decreasing the value proposition on a console that is already £60-£80 too expensive.

[Psychotic]

The controller costs are really offputting. It's all a bit pricey, especially in the UK. I remain intrigued by the concept but I think I'll be sitting back and waiting a year or so to see how it's playing out before I consider buying one.

[Skyblade]

Well, fuck. This place just got depressing as hell. Am I the only person who enjoyed what I saw? Fantastic trailers, teases for what will probably be great games, decent third party support, several pleasant surprises (new IP from Square + Dragon Quest + I Am Setsuna all point to good support from Square, for example, not to mention Konami actually doing something right with Bomberman).

I thought it was great, overall.

I guess I won't have anyone to talk to about the games here, though.:(

[Fynn]

I mean, I don't have anything against it and might pick it up at some point. I don't think it was a fuckup by any means. Heck, the Breath of the Wild trailer actually got me finally interested in the game.


I am just not okay, alright? I feel so betrayed by Monolith Soft for making the sequel to my favorite game of all time look like a porn game :whimper:

[Sephex]

Wait, what? Everyone is mad at Nintendo for having a paid online service? Microsoft and Sony can do it, and tons of people constantly blow money Steam sales for games they will never have time to play, but Nintendo can't get a slice of that pie? That's just very odd to me. Granted, I'm not totally on board with that aspect, but it certainly doesn't shock me at all, and I have no idea why that of all things is upsetting people.

Yeah, I'm mad when Sony and Microsoft do it as well. Steam manages without. They don't make you pay for online because they need it, they do it because they can get away with it. Nintendo are no different, and all it's doing is decreasing the value proposition on a console that is already £60-£80 too expensive.

I still don't get it. I see the same people crying and moaning over this that have had a paid subscription for MULTIPLE online MMORPGs for years. Also, the console is $50 over what the original Wii cost. It's been 11 years since that console was out. Hell, the Wii U cost $400 when it came out. I say $300 is fair. Not good, but fair.

EDIT:


Well, smurf. This place just got depressing as hell. Am I the only person who enjoyed what I saw? Fantastic trailers, teases for what will probably be great games, decent third party support, several pleasant surprises (new IP from Square + Dragon Quest + I Am Setsuna all point to good support from Square, for example, not to mention Konami actually doing something right with Bomberman).

I thought it was great, overall.

I guess I won't have anyone to talk to about the games here, though.:(

While my original post isn't glowing, keep in mind that I do want one. I am just not committed to launch day because the way I want to reserve mine probably won't pan out. Also, I am used to these negative reactions towards Nintendo by this point. If this was any other company that makes game consoles conference hyping up their latest stuff, the backlash wouldn't be as bad. Nintendo always gets dumped on. Other companies only really get dumped on if they ROYALLY screw up (see the 2005 Sony E3 deal), but every major Nintendo announcement is treated like they just said they are launching the Virtual Boy again.

[Skyblade]

The $300 price is a little disappointing, but not much. For a long time I've been expecting $300, and hoping for $250, especially once they announced that they wouldn't be selling the system at a loss. But I mean, $250 is still the price of a New Nintendo 3DS. So $50 more than that for a significant upgrade is not bad.

My concern is, if going forward the Switch replaces the 3DS, then $300 is slightly more than I think is best for something each person would purchase.


I mean, I don't have anything against it and might pick it up at some point. I don't think it was a smurfup by any means. Heck, the Breath of the Wild trailer actually got me finally interested in the game.

Taking that trailer just on it's own, I honestly think it's one of the best trailers Nintendo has ever produced.


I am just not okay, alright? I feel so betrayed by Monolith Soft for making the sequel to my favorite game of all time look like a porn game :whimper:

Fair enough.

[Psychotic]

I can understand why $300 is meh but not atrocious for American gamers but do keep in mind that in UK the cost will be £280 - the equivalent dollar cost is $340. Also while the pricing of the console itself isn't terrible, this bit is what is the most disappointing:

A Pro Controller, in the style of a traditional console controller, costs $69.99, additional Joy-Con controllers are $79.99 and a spare dock to use the Switch with another TV or monitor is $89.99.

[Fox]

I still don't get it. I see the same people crying and moaning over this that have had a paid subscription for MULTIPLE online MMORPGs for years. Also, the console is $50 over what the original Wii cost. It's been 11 years since that console was out. Hell, the Wii U cost $400 when it came out. I say $300 is fair. Not good, but fair.


An MMORPG is a different system. The MMO developers have running costs and they charge you in order to manage those running costs and make profit. You can kinda see the logic although also bear in mind that subscription MMOS have become less and less popular in recent years with the growth of not just F2P but broader ranging subscription services such as Netflix and Spotify.

A platform holder's online service is already bringing in revenue from multiple sources. You buy anything on their digital store, the platform holder takes a cut. Offer micro-transactions? They'll take a cut. It's also not unreasonable to offer some kind of premium service with perks. But just "play the game you bought with your buddies" functionality is a jerk thing to charge for.

I agree with the cost. It's not extortionate, you know, it costs less than a car for example. But it is not good. It is higher than I believe it should be to be an appealing prospect to the audience it wants to capture. I think this is because they're too attached to the 3DS - they don't want the Switch to be seen as a replacement. Whereas IMO that's exactly what they should be doing.


I am just not okay, alright? I feel so betrayed by Monolith Soft for making the sequel to my favorite game of all time look like a porn game http://home.eyesonff.com/images/eoff_smilies/whimper.gif

TIL all anime games I like look like porn games.

[Sephex]

Eh, it is what it is. I see stuff like this as an inevitability across all forms of media. It doesn't make it right or fair, but Nintendo is a business at the end of the day. I might not do the online thing, but I am a gamer who doesn't really use online functionality all that often.

[Fox]

It doesn't make it right or fair, but Nintendo is a business at the end of the day.

No argument there! But I don't think "they're a business" is a statement that should protect them from criticism. I understand exactly why they're making this move, it's still a jerk move and they deserve to be called out on it :)

I will never pay a subscription for an online platform service again after dealing with PS+, so for me this announcement is basically saying: "you can never play multiplayer".

[Fynn]

I only use Nintendo for local multiplayer anyway :p

[Psychotic]

It doesn't make it right or fair, but Nintendo is a business at the end of the day.

No argument there! But I don't think "they're a business" is a statement that should protect them from criticism. I understand exactly why they're making this move, it's still a jerk move and they deserve to be called out on it :)I think it's fair to say Nintendo is a business and so it's reasonable that their number one goal is to make money, but by the same token you must also say we're all consumers. As consumers, it's perfectly legitimate to not place the same value on a product or service that the business does and thus choose not to purchase it. Or rather, Nintendo owe us nothing and in turn we owe them nothing.

[Depression Moon]

Well, smurf. This place just got depressing as hell. Am I the only person who enjoyed what I saw? Fantastic trailers, teases for what will probably be great games, decent third party support, several pleasant surprises (new IP from Square + Dragon Quest + I Am Setsuna all point to good support from Square, for example, not to mention Konami actually doing something right with Bomberman).

I thought it was great, overall.

I guess I won't have anyone to talk to about the games here, though.:(

You mean that game everyone forgot about?



I did like some of the stuff I saw, but was disappointed with some of the shit. Online charging for one, but it's not a surprise for me considering the other two are doing it, 32GB which ain't shit, and the controller prices, but I'm cheap as hell.

I did like the following:

Breath of the Wild
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Super Mario Odyssey
Super Bomberman R
Dragon Quest XI
Splatoon 2
Sonic Mania

[Slothy]

I don't know about what the prices are in America, but I feel it worth pointing out that a $300 USD price, at current exchange rates, would put it at a few dollars shy of $400 Canadian. Which would make it more expensive than an Xbone or a PS4 by about $50 or more depending on what you can find for deals. Now maybe it won't be quite that high when it's actually released, and I understand they're packing the hardware into a small form factor with an actual screen attachment as part of the package so that price may make some sort of business sense to their accounting department. But as someone on a limited budget, considering it won't hit anywhere near the power of the other two so goodbye most multiplatform titles off the bat, and given Nintendo's general failure to do anything that really interested me (let alone blew me away) in the last fifteen years, and my initial gut reaction to that price is essentially "why the smurf should I buy this?" Because Zelda looks interesting?

Sorry but I'm more of a PC gamer these days anyway and since my GPU could do with an upgrade (first upgrade in seven years I might add despite only paying about $250-300 for the thing), I think I know where my money is going this year. We'll see how you're doing in a year or two Switch.




It doesn't make it right or fair, but Nintendo is a business at the end of the day.

No argument there! But I don't think "they're a business" is a statement that should protect them from criticism. I understand exactly why they're making this move, it's still a jerk move and they deserve to be called out on it :)I think it's fair to say Nintendo is a business and so it's reasonable that their number one goal is to make money, but by the same token you must also say we're all consumers. As consumers, it's perfectly legitimate to not place the same value on a product or service that the business does and thus choose not to purchase it. Or rather, Nintendo owe us nothing and in turn we owe them nothing.

Completely agreed. "They're a business," has been used to justify a lot of shady crap over the years so even when what's happening isn't really shady but kind of anti-consumer just the same, it's not our jobs to justify their choices. It's their job to justify their decisions to us. Honestly, I see far too many companies in this industry getting away with a lot worse because people just roll over and take it when really, with some of the ways companies have screwed consumers in recent years, if all gamers were rational none of us would ever pre-order a game again as an example and we'd skip buying things at launch until review embargoes are lifted and we get some actual information from a source other than the company (I'm looking at you Bethesda and your no one gets review copies until release day).

[Scruffington]

Wait, what? Everyone is mad at Nintendo for having a paid online service? Microsoft and Sony can do it, and tons of people constantly blow money Steam sales for games they will never have time to play, but Nintendo can't get a slice of that pie? That's just very odd to me. Granted, I'm not totally on board with that aspect, but it certainly doesn't shock me at all, and I have no idea why that of all things is upsetting people.

Microsoft has the best online service by a significant margin. When it first came out it had really high network speeds, and during the Xbox 360 era it was a solid investment because of how stable and reliable the online experience was. They have proven they can provide a quality service for money.

Sony ran a successful online service for years before they started charging for it. They earned faith from their consumers because they had provided a good free experience for several years until Plus came out. And despite some of its problems like the occasional service outage, it's still not that terrible of an investment.

Nintendo has proven for years that their online functionality is abysmal. They've lacked basic messaging systems, social media functions, game sessions, achievements, and a variety of other features that are standard for a system in 2017. They have done absolutely nothing to convince me that they deserve my money for their online service. Especially considering that some of the details look sketchy at best.

- The online features aren't even finished yet and won't be until Fall 2017.
- You get a rental of ONE S/NES game for a month. Just one old game, for a limited time. Not a good value compared to PS+ or XBL.
- No real demonstration of how their paid service will offer more than their old one (which was free).
- Apparently no voice chat built into the system, you have to pay to be able to download an app to talk on your phone (seriously Nintendo?).

The lack of online functionality is bad to me, but that's not even the worst part.

Here in Canada, the console is $400. Doesn't include any games. If you want another JoyCon set? $100. A Pro Controller? $90. If you plan on being able to install more than 2 games on the system because it only has 32GB of storage space (in 2017, seriously) you need to spend $40 on a MicroSD card. This is all without having even bought a single game. Australia gets it worse.

Why would anyone drop $500 on a Switch and a game when they could just go out and buy a PS4 Slim which comes bundled with a pretty new, highly acclaimed game in Uncharted 4 for $329.99?

The most damning part is the lack of games. 1-2 Switch isn't even bundled with the console. Zelda: Breath of The Wild looks gorgeous but it is also on the Wii U, and the Wii U version reportedly runs better than the Switch version.

[krissy]

sony can now scoop their lack of a JET SET RADIO game and put it on ps

come onnnn

[Del Murder]

Count me as someone who is not sure what there is to get so upset about. The price tag is about what you expect for a new console. If you don't like it, just wait, it will go down. $70 for a regular console controller is absurd, though. Does it come with a controller or only the side thingies?

The new Mario and Zelda look fantastic as usual. And Xenoblade 2 and the new SE RPG are promising. Now just announce a gods damn Metroid game! I'd also like to see some new games in their successful handheld series, like Ace Attorney, Pokemon, Fire Emblem (there was a FE trailer but it gave you nothing and it may be more of a fighting game), etc.

[Scruffington]

Count me as someone who is not sure what there is to get so upset about. The price tag is about what you expect for a new console. If you don't like it, just wait, it will go down. $70 for a regular console controller is absurd, though. Does it come with a controller or only the side thingies?

The new Mario and Zelda look fantastic as usual. And Xenoblade 2 and the new SE RPG are promising. Now just announce a gods damn Metroid game! I'd also like to see some new games in their successful handheld series, like Ace Attorney, Pokemon, Fire Emblem (there was a FE trailer but it gave you nothing and it may be more of a fighting game), etc.

The price tag is not worth $400. Since it's being marketed as a handheld the pricetag is too high compared to the 3DS which is a great system. And since it's also being marketed as a console, the hardware doesn't have anywhere near enough power to justify its price either. It's only marginally better than the Wii U's hardware.

If the Switch had launched on Day 1 at $350 CAD bundled with a game like Zelda or Mario, it would have been a much better sell. As it is now it's unreasonable.

Probably going to wait to pick this one up until the holidays when there's a price drop and a bundled game. Can't justify buying it as is.

[Del Murder]

The 3DS was $250 USD at launch in 2011. The Switch is $300 for launch in 2017. Six years of inflation put them at roughly the same price. Maybe it is different in other countries?

You can't compare a console launch price to the current prices for older consoles. Every single console has launched at a high price to take advantage of early adopters who will pay that much. It will go down once those people have all bought it. This is straightforward economics and every console or handheld has done it this way.

[Psychotic]

Count me as someone who is not sure what there is to get so upset about. The price tag is about what you expect for a new console. If you don't like it, just wait, it will go down. $70 for a regular console controller is absurd, though. Does it come with a controller or only the side thingies?That's the controller, but it's more of a solid traditional controller. The side thingies (copyright Del Murder) are $80.

[Scruffington]

The 3DS was $250 USD at launch in 2011. The Switch is $300 for launch in 2017. Six years of inflation put them at roughly the same price. Maybe it is different in other countries?

You can't compare a console launch price to the current prices for older consoles. Every single console has launched at a high price to take advantage of early adopters who will pay that much. It will go down once those people have all bought it. This is straightforward economics and every console or handheld has done it this way.

And the 3DS had an awful launch. It had a very weak lineup and was way overpriced. The system only started picking up steam when it got a price drop, the XL model came out, and the games started coming.

The Switch is not competing against the PS4/Xbox One of 2013. They are competing against the PS4/Xbox One of 2017. The Switch's high price and lack of games compared to the other systems which are cheaper, more powerful and have robust lineups make it a hard sell.

If the 3DS and handheld devs do get on board with the Switch in 2018-2019, then it will be a good investment. But that's a gamble and the best-case scenario.

[Slothy]

I would say that I actually agree it will be a hard sell for a while. Not for the diehard Nintendo fans who would buy the thing even if it was Virtual Boy levels of bad of course, but compared to the competition you've got an underpowered console (so kiss most serious third party support goodbye), without the benefit of three years worth of game library, and it's biggest sell is it's portable but you're realistically looking at being in the low end of that 2.5-6 hour battery life for games like Zelda.

I don't envy it's position, and I honestly feel it'd be able to sit at a better price point if they'd made a few better choices like not putting those god awful motion controls in there. They were a gimmick, and not a very good one. Motion control is dead Nintendo. Time to move on. Even being $50 USD cheaper would have been a massive boon if you ask me.

Though frankly, I kind of expect it's launch to be shit anyway because it's Nintendo and they'll only make ten or twelve for launch anyway.

[Fox]

Though frankly, I kind of expect it's launch to be trout anyway because it's Nintendo and they'll only make ten or twelve for launch anyway.

Five :)


http://gearnuke.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Nintendo-Switch-Launch-Titles-1024x512.jpg

[Slothy]

I meant actual consoles, but it's nice to know the launch is typically thin on titles. No surprises there just like every other console launch ever.

[Scruffington]

I meant actual consoles, but it's nice to know the launch is typically thin on titles. No surprises there just like every other console launch ever.

A console doesn't need a ton of first party titles to have a healthy launch lineup.

PS4 had Battlefield 4, Assassin's Creed IV, a new CoD, FIFA, NBA, Madden, and a few first party titles like Killzone and Knack.

While a bunch of those aren't exclusives, they are games that sell systems. I can't see anyone picking up a Switch for anything other than Zelda at launch.

[Formalhaut]

What even is a deluxe Mario Kart game?

[FFNut]

I may pick one up, but not at launch. I think I would buy a DS before I would buy a Switch at this point. Wanted a DS for a while now.

[Sephex]

Well you guys convinced me. I'm headed to Nintendo's HQ as we speak to burn the building down.

[FFNut]

Honestly I love Nintendo, all they release is usually great but it does come with a age limit. They almost have focused on young children. Wish they would make some more age appropriate titles as well. Also it would be nice if they tried to compete with Sony and Microsoft. It was almost like they rolled over after the GameCube lost out to the XBox and PS1.

They used to to be giants for trouts sake.

[Del Murder]

The Switch is not competing against the PS4/Xbox One of 2013. They are competing against the PS4/Xbox One of 2017. The Switch's high price and lack of games compared to the other systems which are cheaper, more powerful and have robust lineups make it a hard sell.
That is all true, but there are also people who will pay a lot of money for any Nintendo system once it comes out. The launch price is probably on the cheap side for them.

Nintendo has the very difficult job of pricing the system to compete with current console prices while at the same time getting as much money as possible from their die-hard fans (of which there are still many). The only direction the price can go is down. They have to weigh the risk of losing out on sales to people who will never buy the system if it is not at a reasonable launch price with the risk of losing revenue by selling it too cheaply to customers who would gladly pay more. Sometimes, companies get around this with 'special edition' bundles and other high-profit extras to mark things up for the most dedicated fans. That's probably easier to do with a game than a console, though.

All things considered, I think their price point is very reasonable from a business standpoint. It will of course not be each individual's reasonable price, but at least you can console (no pun intended) yourself with the fact that, eventually, the price will lowered to the the point you are willing to buy it if you ever wanted it to begin with.

[Mirage]

What even is a deluxe Mario Kart game?

It's just MK8 with some modifications. Calling it a port wouldn't be very inaccurate.

[Slothy]

Well you guys convinced me. I'm headed to Nintendo's HQ as we speak to burn the building down.

I don't recall telling you to do that.

I'm not going to stop you of course. I enjoy a little arson as much as the next guy. I just did not encourage you to do this and you will not tell the authorities otherwise.

[Skyblade]

aCrjI3O0fWY
Solid analysis here, I think.

[NeoCracker]

Guys the Switch is getting a Story of Seasons game.

http://nichegamer.com/2017/01/14/story-of-seasons-games-coming-to-nintendo-switch/

Things are starting to look up.

[Skyblade]

GameXplain does a Q&A on the Switch after attending the demo event (unfortunately a lot of repeated questions, but they have a lot of good info in there):
n1zaEi6_7Jo
And ProJared gives his thoughts after playing with it as well:
7ZKI3XMa4b8

[Mirage]

I was just made aware that the "grip" for the joycons to turn them into a more conventional controller doesn't have a usb plug to let you charge the controllers while they are connected to it. You have to take them out of the grip and put them into the Switch unit to charge them, then take them off and put them back into the grip when you want to resume playing later. Unless of course you pay another 30 bucks for a "charging stand" for the joy cons.

Additionally, going digital on the Switch is going to be just as difficult as on the WiiU. Breath of the Wild alone takes up nearly half of the console's internal storage, and no doubt the system's OS uses a bit too. The console supports Micro SD cards for storage expansion, so if you want a console with reasonable storage space, you'll have to add another 40-50 bucks for a high-speed micro SD card. However, SD cards, while starting to get reasonable sequential reads and write speeds, still lag horribly behind in random access IOPS. In other words, if you install your games to a SD card, they're gonna load slower than they do on the internal storage.

[Slothy]

Let's not forget that SD cards don't last very long if you're using them as much as you would playing a game off of them. Probably have to buy more than one over it's life and have fun when they start to degrade and corrupt game or save files.

[Del Murder]

Yeah, the way Nintendo has handled the Switch accessories is mind-bogglingly dumb so far.

Has any console truly found a solution to going digital? Isn't space an issue on all the consoles?

[Mirage]

The PS4 comes with 500 GB on the cheapest models, and supports replacing the entire drive with a bigger drive if you need more. 500 GB is already over ten times the Switch's storage space, and a replacement HDD for the PS4 would be just as reliable and fast as the original. Additionally, you could sell the old drive or use it in another device if you want.

I've yet to run out of space on my PS4, but I don't have the largest selection of games either. I think I have 150 GB left, after picking up a dozen PS+ handouts, 5 PS2 games (around 3-4 GB each) and 5 "triple a" PS4 games.

-edit-
nah, i actually have 10 PS4 games, one of them is even the last of us, which clocks in at 50 GB alone. 107 GB free.

[Slothy]

Seriously, when you can put any hard drive you want in a console space is no more limited than it would be in my computer as an example. Assuming 20GB per game (probably at the upper end of games that Nintendo will put out), you'd get 25 games on a drive at once. Stick a 1TB drive or larger in there and most people probably won't even buy enough games during the consoles life time to fill it.

[Mirage]

You can't put a regular HDD in the Switch, though. It would consume too much power, take too much space and also break too easily due to the portability of the platform. However, 64 GB would have been doable.

Alternatively, the dock could have been smarter, and given us an e-SATA port, or even a USB3 port. It doesn't, though.

[Slothy]

Yeah I'm not actually saying the switch should have a hard drive, just that space isn't a massive issue on other systems and comparing to the switch solely for the sake of demonstrating how useless their internal storage is compared to others.

The switch clearly couldn't have a mechanical drive when portable, though I agree that something like an e-sata port in the dock, combined with a mechanical hard drive could have been cool actually. Let people back up the games they aren't planning to use on the go to that and leave the mobile stuff on the device itself.

[Mirage]

heck, maybe the dock could have had a 2.5" hdd slot in it. but that's probably going to be less user friendly than just supporting an external drive, even if it would look nicer.

considering the dock on its own costs like 70 bucks, is it really too much to ask for?

[Del Murder]

Thanks for the information. Yeah, putting a large HDD in the dock and just storing the game you are currently playing on the console unit seemed like a pretty good way to go. Unless Nintendo knows something about the future price of large and fast micro SD cards, this seems like another dumb hardware decision.

[FinalxxSin]

Has any console truly found a solution to going digital? Isn't space an issue on all the consoles?
Space is an issue on all consoles as of right now. Sure, with the PS4 consoles for example the hard drive can be switched out, but even then there are huge file games such as with FFXV for example already being at 50 GB with more content on the way to increase the total. An all digital service on consoles probably won't take place for a long time because it has a lot of cons to it. Not every person has a decent internet speed. It's possible for a digital copy to become useless data if the company that owned it got bought out by another, which may result in your license with the game no longer being of any use. Then there's also the issue of the file still being available to download if need be years after it has been released.

[Mirage]

There's actually no real difference in internal storage use no matter how you get the games on PS4. My bloodborne install from disc is as big as the digital download of the game anyway. Having the game on disc doesn't save me any internal storage space. It's really just for people who either like physical items, or who don't have the internet service to download hundreds of gigabytes each month.

[Scruffington]

Has any console truly found a solution to going digital? Isn't space an issue on all the consoles?
Space is an issue on all consoles as of right now. Sure, with the PS4 consoles for example the hard drive can be switched out, but even then there are huge file games such as with FFXV for example already being at 50 GB with more content on the way to increase the total. An all digital service on consoles probably won't take place for a long time because it has a lot of cons to it. Not every person has a decent internet speed. It's possible for a digital copy to become useless data if the company that owned it got bought out by another, which may result in your license with the game no longer being of any use. Then there's also the issue of the file still being available to download if need be years after it has been released.

Space is not an issue on other consoles. Unless you buy 100% Digital, that's just straight up not true.

I've been using my 500GB PS4 since the 2013 launch. I purchase a physical copy of almost all of my games. I'll usually delete the game data of games I haven't played in months just to keep my hard drive space full. There's no reason to have 10+ games fully installed at all times when you can just delete the data as necessary.

Aside from that, the PS4 keeps all of downloads saved to your account. You can delete/re-download any DLC or downloaded titles as often as necessary.

The Switch's 32GB storage is exactly the same as the Wii U's 32GB edition from 2012. It is proof that Nintendo has stagnated, considering they haven't upgraded the hard drive space at all. It also reeks of Nintendo greed, attempting to cut corners in hopes that the consumers will fork over the cost of the hard drive space on their own.

[FinalxxSin]

..
Space not being an issue for you =/= Space not being an issue for everybody else.

I'd recommend you read up on some of the licensing stories online with digital titles, if you haven't already. They aren't as much of a fairy tale as you may believe them to be.

[Squall Leonhart Loire]

As someone who is primarily a PC gamer, the only reason I even buy consoles is because of JRPGs(my favorite genre). However, this system has nothing exclusive that interests me in that realm. Xenoblade II will pale horribly in comparison to this game:

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT5iWdLUUzPMaeVTmFqeFD-t3c1uTrlRUtfaoScPnOQJz91-IbiOg

[Scruffington]

..
Space not being an issue for you =/= Space not being an issue for everybody else.

I'd recommend you read up on some of the licensing stories online with digital titles, if you haven't already. They aren't as much of a fairy tale as you may believe them to be.

I've bought several games online, and dozens of DLC. I've always been able to redownload everything.

No idea what you're talking about.

[Mirage]

Has any console truly found a solution to going digital? Isn't space an issue on all the consoles?
Space is an issue on all consoles as of right now. Sure, with the PS4 consoles for example the hard drive can be switched out, but even then there are huge file games such as with FFXV for example already being at 50 GB with more content on the way to increase the total. An all digital service on consoles probably won't take place for a long time because it has a lot of cons to it. Not every person has a decent internet speed. It's possible for a digital copy to become useless data if the company that owned it got bought out by another, which may result in your license with the game no longer being of any use. Then there's also the issue of the file still being available to download if need be years after it has been released.

Space is not an issue on other consoles. Unless you buy 100% Digital, that's just straight up not true.

It's as much of an issue if you don't buy digital, as they consume the same amount of internal storage. You can delete installed data from downloaded games just as well as for disc games.

[Scruffington]

It's as much of an issue if you don't buy digital, as they consume the same amount of internal storage. You can delete installed data from downloaded games just as well as for disc games.

I misunderstood, considering I always buy physical games and never had any issues.

This makes the Switch's lack of hard drive storage even worse IF it turns out that Switch cartridges install on the console. It means that you WILL need to upgrade if you intend on playing more than 2 games with the system. What a dreadful decision.

In fact, this goes completely against Reggie's comments that they wanted to sell the system at $300. Not only does that comment not make sense when you consider it comes with no games (making the console useless), but they are also expecting their customers to fork over an additional cost for an SD card because they couldn't be bothered to include more than 2 games worth of space with the system.

I really want Nintendo to succeed but man, they always seem to make boneheaded and anti-consumer decisions.

[Mirage]

No, probably not. I can't imagine that the switch will do it the same was as the PS4 does.

The PS4 fully installs all games to the HDD for performance reasons, seeing as optical drives are very slow. A game cartridge for the Switch will undoubtly be significantly faster than the PS4's optical drive, perhaps even faster than the PS4's HDD, so installs will likely not be required.

However, as a person who prefers digital for most things these days (and especially on a portable system. i don't want to bring with me several game carts that i could lose), I'm going to be screwed by the Switch.

[DMKA]

Yeah, so far everything I've seen and heard about the Switch is a huge disappointment, and that's coming from someone who had zero hopes or expectations to begin with.

[Skyblade]

For a handheld that's $50 more expensive than the New 3DS XL, and that can play some of the prettiest darn games out there, I'm quite happy with what I've seen so far.


Also, according to those who have tried it, the JoyCons are quite comfortable, even for large handed people.

[NeoCracker]

I dislike the Idea of the 32GB since it's not a great for purposes of digital games, and I worry about the online.

That said, the system clearly isn't focused for online, they are focusing a lot more on local multiplayer and portability, which is fantastic.

Also, this is real.

https://twitter.com/XenobladeHearts/status/789205265069387776


Someone at Nintendo deserves a raise.

[Sephex]

Damn. Shots fired. Probably from the NES Zapper, but effective nonetheless.

[Skyblade]

Not actually a comment from Nintendo, though.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CvQvCVQXYAAb5vV.jpg:large

[Scruffington]

For a handheld that's $50 more expensive than the New 3DS XL, and that can play some of the prettiest darn games out there, I'm quite happy with what I've seen so far.


Also, according to those who have tried it, the JoyCons are quite comfortable, even for large handed people.

The argument I would make is that at this point in time, if you don't own a 3DS...why wouldn't you just buy a 3DS over a Switch? It's less expensive, doesn't require any additional costs outside of buying games, and has a great library to choose from.

The Switch literally only has Zelda, and even that is virtually identical to the Wii U version.

I am optimistic about the JoyCons. Supposedly the HD Rumble is great.


https://twitter.com/XenobladeHearts/status/789205265069387776

Someone at Nintendo deserves a raise.

How ironic that Nintendo is taking shots at the very product they require you to use in order to voice chat.

[Skyblade]

For a handheld that's $50 more expensive than the New 3DS XL, and that can play some of the prettiest darn games out there, I'm quite happy with what I've seen so far.


Also, according to those who have tried it, the JoyCons are quite comfortable, even for large handed people.

The argument I would make is that at this point in time, if you don't own a 3DS...why wouldn't you just buy a 3DS over a Switch? It's less expensive, doesn't require any additional costs outside of buying games, and has a great library to choose from.

Why would you buy a PS4 over a PS3? It's less expensive, doesn't require any additional costs outside of buying games, and has a (relatively) great library to choose from. :roll2

This argument is true every time you upgrade to a new console.

It's less expensive, yes, but it doesn't have near the capabilities either. It doesn't require additional costs outside of the games, but from what I've heard, neither does the Switch (as the attached JoyCons are supposedly really nice to play with, even for Zelda). And it has a great library to choose from, but there are games I want to play on the new system.


The Switch literally only has Zelda, and even that is virtually identical to the Wii U version.

Actually, I'm quite excited for Bomberman R as well.

Then there's Snipperclips, which is apparently great fun. PuyoPuyo Tetris (awesome puzzle game crossovers, yay!). Splatoon 2. Xenoblade 2. Super Mario Odyssey. And upcoming titles like Fire Emblem Warriors (which we should hear more about at the Direct tomorrow).

I mean, heck, I didn't hear nearly this many complaints about the Vita, which only had Persona 4 Golden for years. THAT was a console with a sad library. This one is actually doing quite well.


How ironic that Nintendo is taking shots at the very product they require you to use in order to voice chat.

Except they aren't. That didn't come from Nintendo.

[Scruffington]

Why would you buy a PS4 over a PS3? It's less expensive, doesn't require any additional costs outside of buying games, and has a (relatively) great library to choose from. :roll2

This argument is true every time you upgrade to a new console.

Notice the part that says "if you don't own a 3DS." Kind of surprised you missed that considering it was the very first sentence I wrote.

I was an early adopter of the 3DS when Ocarina of Time 3D came out. After that came out, the system got put on a shelf until the 3DS XL and several other games came out. I regret buying a 3DS early because it really didn't have any other software behind it for a very long time.

The Switch is the exact same as far as we know. The only big hit for the system, Zelda, is on the Wii U, and the only other "new" confirmed first party title for the first 6 months of the console's life is Splatoon 2. Personally I feel that the game was fast-tracked as a full sequel and really doesn't seem like one. Just seems like it could have all been Splatoon DLC.

There really isn't a good reason to buy this thing until at least Christmas.


Actually, I'm quite excited for Bomberman R as well.

I don't know much about Bomberman, but I have heard from several people that it really doesn't seem like a game that justifies a $60 price tag.


Xenoblade 2.

I can almost guarantee you that Xenoblade 2 won't come out in NA in 2017. That trailer looked awful. The art style seemed fairly poor compared to the original game, and the performance issues were very evident in the trailer (really bad FPS). Technical issues will likely keep it delayed to 2018.


I mean, heck, I didn't hear nearly this many complaints about the Vita, which only had Persona 4 Golden for years. THAT was a console with a sad library. This one is actually doing quite well.

That's because the Vita was completely different. It started out with really strong first party support, which eventually fizzled out. That first party support was replaced by third parties stepping in to create a niche for the Vita with Japanese games. It has tons of great games like Danganronpa 1 & 2, Stein's;Gate, Virtue's Last Reward, Persona 4 Golden, etc. Plus the Vita's technology is actually really impressive.


Except they aren't. That didn't come from Nintendo.

I've been bamboozled! I should have taken a closer look at the actual Switch layout; the analog sticks aren't accurate at all.

[NeoCracker]

Not actually a comment from Nintendo, though.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CvQvCVQXYAAb5vV.jpg:large

WHoops, my bad.

I kind of which it was though. :p