Nintendo's new console: the Switch (formerly NX)

[cruelio]

I would preorder right now if they'd confirm you can play WII U games on it since I completely missed that generation.

Since the switch uses cartridges....

What's online store?

 

[CyberWhale]

I would preorder right now if they'd confirm you can play WII U games on it since I completely missed that generation.

You will probably be able to play them - but only in the form of remasters (ala Mario Kart 8 Deluxe).
Switch is a cartridge based system so direct backwards compatibility with WiiU (which used DVDs), or any other Nintendo system for that matter, isn't possible.

GameCube VC is in preparation if the rumors are to be trusted, and since one of the joycons has the same motion capabilities as Wii nunchuck, I personally wouldn't be surprised to see support for the Wii library sooner or later as well.

 

[tet666]

Ironically, in Canada here its still cheaper than going PC.

It's a console so ofc it's cheaper initially but i won't be for long cause of the inflated prices for games and everything else plus it's a console, you don't really want to compare this it's stupid.

[ I just hope that Switch manages to get those 3DS numbers so that Nintendo won't abandon the platform after a few years again. Phantasy Star Online was still better on the GameCube and PC tho.

Lol no fucking way not with this stupid concept, not even in a parallel universe where Ninty won the Console war.

No, I mean it costs over 1500 to get a decent PC with a 760 in it.

PC gaming fucking licks balls in Canada.

Dude a 760 isn't decent unless decent means old ghetto tech to you.
I have to assume you are way out of loop with hardware and prices for it.

 

[ultimanecat]

It seems with the trouble they seem to be having with providing decent specs and battery life at a nice price, it might have been smart to cut the touchscreen out entirely and just have a portable base unit, smallish controllers, and an app that lets you stream to your own (nearby) tablet or phone.

 

[Edward The Mediocre]

How the fuck would they "get the audience" of the Nintendo DS/3DS with a console that is twice as large, heavier, a lot more expensive

The switch is just as big as the 3ds xl without the controllers attached, since I have never owned a 3ds xl I can't say how portable it is. My guess if you were going to carry it in your pockets you'd put the controllers in another pocket from the tablet. The intial price of a 3ds was 250USD though it didn't start selling until it dropped in price, nintendo clearly needs to have a price drop for the switch to get similar sales numbers.

presumably offers shit battery life, comes with a 32GB HDD: http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-file-size-i/1100-6446937/ (about the capacity to have one or two games installed), has nogaems and doesn't seem to offer gimmicky games that the casuals want?

All of the 3ds models have about the same battery life as the switch, where as the switch usb-c which will become more prominent in the years to come and the 3ds has only a 4 HDD, but could use SD cards as external storage. Nintendo has stated that the switch can accept 2tb mirco sd cards, although those aren't on the market yet, so nintendo expects the consumer internalize the cost of a bigger hard drive; Plus the fact that if you buy it as a cart instead through the online store you don't have to download the game onto your hard drive. The 'joycon', 1-2 switch, and ARMS(the sock em boppers game) seems to be the causal bait for now. Not that people will take the bait, just stating nintendo's intentions.

Again the major issue I see with the switch is the initial price point, and the eventual lack of third party support. If they can address one or the other they'd get more sales.

That would be a Nintendo move, so I wouldn't put it past them, it seems like really good business to drop platforms with 150+ Million and 60+ Million in market share and install base they could develop for to concentrate on and put all your hopes in an unproven platform with a low million install
base and practically no market share: http://www.vgchartz.com/analysis/platform_totals/

The long term goal is to retain and merge their handheld and console market share into one, that way they have enough horsepower to make the games they want with the safety net of cashcows like pokemon. I'm not saying it will work but rather if doesn't work they can just stick with what they said before and keep the 3ds line up.

 

[tet666]

How the fuck would they "get the audience" of the Nintendo DS/3DS with a console that is twice as large, heavier, a lot more expensive

The switch is just as big as the 3ds xl without the controllers attached, since I have never owned a 3ds xl I can't say how portable it is. My guess if you were going to carry it in your pockets you'd put the controllers in another pocket from the tablet. The intial price of a 3ds was 250USD though it didn't start selling until it dropped in price, nintendo clearly needs to have a price drop for the switch to get similar sales numbers.

presumably offers shit battery life, comes with a 32GB HDD: http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-file-size-i/1100-6446937/ (about the capacity to have one or two games installed), has nogaems and doesn't seem to offer gimmicky games that the casuals want?

All of the 3ds models have about the same battery life as the switch, where as the switch usb-c which will become more prominent in the years to come and the 3ds has only a 4 HDD, but could use SD cards as external storage. Nintendo has stated that the switch can accept 2tb mirco sd cards, although those aren't on the market yet, so nintendo expects the consumer internalize the cost of a bigger hard drive; Plus the fact that if you buy it as a cart instead through the online store you don't have to download the game onto your hard drive. The 'joycon', 1-2 switch, and ARMS(the sock em boppers game) seems to be the causal bait for now. Not that people will take the bait, just stating nintendo's intentions.

Again the major issue I see with the switch is the initial price point, and the eventual lack of third party support. If they can address one or the other they'd get more sales.

That would be a Nintendo move, so I wouldn't put it past them, it seems like really good business to drop platforms with 150+ Million and 60+ Million in market share and install base they could develop for to concentrate on and put all your hopes in an unproven platform with a low million install
base and practically no market share: http://www.vgchartz.com/analysis/platform_totals/

The long term goal is to retain and merge their handheld and console market share into one, that way they have enough horsepower to make the games they want with the safety net of cashcows like pokemon. I'm not saying it will work but rather if doesn't work they can just stick with what they said before and keep the 3ds line up.

Honestly Dude it seems to me like you are just projecting what you want this thing to be on it, i don't think it will work out like that and even Nintendo itself clearly doesn't seem to follow your delusions.

 

[Edward The Mediocre]

There's a difference between understanding someone's elses delusional goals and oneself hopes. I fully expect that this shit will become another wii u, especially if they don't announce any changes from a year after the release of the switch, like the ambassador project they did with the 3ds or some price drops on some the controllers and shit.

 

[tet666]

There's a difference between understanding someone's elses delusional goals and oneself hopes. I fully expect that this shit will become another wii u, especially if they don't announce any changes from a year after the release of the switch, like the ambassador project they did with the 3ds or some price drops on some the controllers and shit.

Well at least one thing we can agree on.

 

[CyberWhale]

Pretty much everything Edward said, except the part about keeping the 3DS line-up. That console is dead in the water (read: no more earning on the hardware) and it is going to increasingly sell less and less software as well. Even if Nintendo made the Switch portable only (and marketed it as such), the console wouldn't reach more than half of 3DS numbers.

I have no doubts that Nintendo will give up on that sinking ship (just like they did with NDS), but I do think that this time around it would have been much smarter to let everyone know their intentions. Switch could have easily succeed if they did the following:

• lower price - $199 would be sweet as fuck, but even $249 would be acceptable. $299 isn't to anyone but the most rabid N fanboys
• strong first party support - Zelda at launch is great, but Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Pokemon Stars HD would have been even better. If they really had the balls they would have done the same thing many indie developers had done - cancel the version for existing consoles and tell everyone to Switch if they want to experience those games
• strong third party support - they should have gone to large publishers and given a special deal (smaller cut for N) to everyone who agrees to bring their AAA titles (they can be done, you only need a bit of effort, smaller resolution and lower details to achieve it) in the first year since console launch. GTAV, RDR2, The Witcher 3, Fallout 4, Mass Effect: Andromeda and so on, even if they look more like X360/PS3 titles than current gen
• free online - I know that subscription earns M$ and Sony a bunch of money (billions literally) but having a modern online system for free would go a long way. They could bring paid online later, but not after six months. This should have been announced while everyone already owned the console. Something like: "Yeah guys, I know everybody likes this, but the console sales are pretty bad and this model isn't financially viable, we need to switch to paid online".
• future lineup - saving some announcements for teh future is a great element of surprise, but this time around Nintendo should have done a completely different thing. Announced the whole lineup of games for the next 18 months. Even if they don't have anything to show, a CGI/live-action trailer (look at Shin Megami Tensei) would do the trick. Include indies and 3rd party titles that you have closed. Add HD remasters to fill up the gaps.
• Virtual console at launch - every single title that has been released on WiiU/3DS Virtual Console should be available at launch. To further incent existing WiiU/3DS players to switch as soon as possible - give them a one-time opportunity to transfer their digital library to Switch for free - but only up to a certain date. For example, 7.1.17. sounds great. It's only 4 months from the release and it's just the time when summer breaks are about to begin. Perfect argument for kids to present to their parents.

This is basically it - and even that wouldn't be a sure way to achieve 3DS level of success, not to mention Wii or NDS. I think that those days are bygone, most of those people are gone forever and they have smartphones and/or facebook games to kill their time.

Other things that people like to use for bashing Switch are, as Edward has pointed out, barking at the wrong tree. Just to point several things out THAT ARE NOT A PROBLEM:

• size - if you remove the joycons and put them in the other pocket, it is basically the same size as a closed 3DS XL. Or a regular 5.5" smartphone. Most people nowadays carry some small baggs with them, men included. Children carry schoolbags, students purses and everyone who travels has some kind of a luggage.
• battery - not really that far from 3DS/Vita. Not to mention that it has an USB-C connector that you can plug into ever more popular power bank. Even people with smartphones are starting to carry it.
• 32GB HDD - small compared to regular home consoles, but large when compared to portable ones. Guess what? This uses CARTRIDGES just like the latter, so you won't need o install games on the HDD. That space can be used for tens of indie games, not to mention hundred of VC titles. If you really want to buy AAA titles in a digital form, you can buy a micro SD card (standard ones, cheaper than Vita ripoffs and usable on other devices as well) up to 256GB. 512Gb are coming out soon. The technology supports up to 2TB, but I don't really see anyone needing that much space for a portable gaming device.

Again, the main problems are the price and the (lack of) games. Nintendo still has time to fix both, but doing so after the launch isn't going to be that easy. The console could easily fall into a vicious cycle that happened to WiiU: the player base is to small, 3rd party developers either bring shitty ports or wait until the base gets bigger, people don't want to buy the console because 3rd party support isn't strong enough, 3rd party developers don't release shit... You know the deal. As Trump would say: SAD! Especially since the first reveal was so full of promise.

 

[Morality Games]

OH look Switch won't replace the 3DS :
https://www.wired.com/2017/01/reggie-fils-aime-nintendo-interview/
What a fucking surprise i mean who would have thought...

The dumbest (marketing) move Nintendo ever made. Switch needs the 3DS audience if they want to sell more than 10 millions units.

Translation: Please buy 3DS either way even if we don't support it. Be good retards.
Once switch will release they will drop 3DS support harder than they did to WiiU after release.

I mean, the 3DS has a huge library.

 

[Edward The Mediocre]

I mean, the 3DS has a huge library.

Hence why they do this song and dance every time they replace the current handheld that uses a new format. So devs don't feel cuckolded when they're still developing a game for
system that's being replaced.

 

[CyberWhale]

About to start in no time.

 

[CyberWhale]

3DS Fire Emblem: Echoes - Shadows of Valentia - basically a remake of Fire Emblem Gaiden
Switch Untitled Fire Emblem - higher budget classical SRPG in vain of previous home console sequels
N3DS/Switch Fire Emblem Warriors - Team Ninja is also working on the game
Mobile Fire Emblem: Heroes - has cute 2D sprites. Looks better than Echoes IMO

 

[Perkel]

Never played gaiden.

 

[NeoKino]

Too pricey for what it is, It should have been a dedicated handheld starting at 250 USD with a Tegra x2 graphics and A8 processor. The TV gimmicks would be regulated to a "pro" version.

 

[Edward The Mediocre]

Or observationally more powerful than ps4 to justifiy its price point. Anyway:

Never played gaiden.

Only weebs have played any fire emblem game that was released before Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword (the one just called Fire Emblem).

 

[CyberWhale]

Nintendo should have made a video like this on their presentation, just like I said in the post on the previous page. Even Reggie admitted it during his interview with ProJared.

 

[Perkel]

News:

- matchmaking and lobbies only via phones app
- voice chat and chat via phones up.

Nintendo proving they don't have a single fucking clue with online.

I fully believe they will still use friend codes. Hay add me to your friends ! Sure here you are 1231231212312123123553453

 

[Snorkack]

Nintendo should have made a video like this on their presentation, just like I said in the post on the previous page. Even Reggie admitted it during his interview with ProJared.

I actually like the idea of a handheld/home console hybrid and I neither mind the price tag nor the weak specs.

But this video reminded me that on consoles you mainly get to play console garbage. What a weak line up. Oh, well, thats 500 bucks saved for me.

 

[CyberWhale]

It definitely isn't something to write home about, but I wasn't talking about the quality of the products, more about the presentation technique.
Still, I'm interested in hearing what kind of games you were expecting to see Snorkack.

 

[Snorkack]

Well, maybe one or two of those: A new Metroid entry. Mega Man or some other brutal 2d sidescroller. An Etrian Oddysee. A Harvest Moon.
So far the only games that interest me are Zelda and Mario Galaxy, but not nearly enough to warrant a purchase. The other two, three games that got my attention are either re-releases, won't release '17 or there are barely any informations about them yet.

I'll probably re-evaluate the lineup after a year or so, but the question whether to early adopt or not is pretty much resolved for me.

 

[CyberWhale]

Well, maybe one or two of those: A new Metroid entry.

It's speculated.

Mega Man or some other brutal 2d sidescroller.

Shovel Knight? Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap? Sonic Mania? Spelunky?

An Etrian Oddysee.

Shin Megami Tensei? Although I do agree that they should have re-released the whole series in an HD format.

A Harvest Moon

Stardew Valley?

I'll probably re-evaluate the lineup after a year or so, but the question whether to early adopt or not is pretty much resolved for me.

I would agree with you on this, but for completely different reasons. I don't even think you're expectations were that high or unreasonable (quite the contrary), but I do think they're probably a bit too specific. My are too, but they are mostly wishes. I did however expect a wider range of genres and AAA ports, even if they did look like crap and even if I wasn't interested in playing them. Nintendo has top-notch exclusives, and Switch will probably get some of them too, but not having proper 3rd party support again, really?

 

[Snorkack]

Any chances for proper 3rd party support from the get-go dropped to zero the moment they decided to use anything else than x86. As for the titles you mentioned: They all are either re-releases/ports or they won't release anytime soon, like I said. At least it's less of a DOA case as the Wii U was.

 

[Perkel]

Any chances for proper 3rd party support from the get-go dropped to zero the moment they decided to use anything else than x86.

That has nothing to do with 3rd party support.

It will have 3rd party support when either:

- It will sell shitloads
- It will have just enough sales and about power of Xbone or PS4 which isn't the case

So they relly on first which is imo probable since they will be essentially releasing 2 consoles in one. If you would count 3DS + WiiU sales you would end up as 70mln which is a lot.

 

[tet666]

So they relly on first which is imo probable since they will be essentially releasing 2 consoles in one. If you would count 3DS + WiiU sales you would end up as 70mln which is a lot.

It's getting beyond stupid now...