Nintendo Switch

[BillLoguidice]

Thats the main reason I think the Switch will succeed. Nintendos portables have done extremely well over the past decade, even when their console sales suffered. Also, I don't want another tablet in my life. I'm glad Nintendo has for the time being disallowed Netflix and other common tablet uses. Focusing on what it is makes it a compelling reason to own one. I think it also has the potential to bring over the casual Sony ps vita owners.

 

I don't see why having the option to have a Web browser or Netflix is in any way a bad thing. Options are good. I'm sure if it were practical Nintendo would do it, and no doubt will eventually do it.

 

I'm also not sure how many casual Vita owners there are. It sold less than the Wii U, although is technically still in production, unlike Nintendo's console. Nevertheless, Nintendo has to move well beyond both the Vita and Wii U markets to make this thing succeed. This can't be another 13 million seller. Fortunately, it's looking like it won't suffer the same fate as either of those devices based on early pre-orders and general enthusiasm.

[Punisher5.0]

The Vita has definitely outsold the WiiU and will continue to outsell it. In Europe and Japan it's actually doing pretty decent.

 

I consider myself a relatively hardcore Vita guy ( 2 systems and 100+ games) and I'm getting a Switch. It seems like a lot of people are interested in the Switch. Won't amount to much but it's nice to have that loyal support carry over.

[Keatah]

Nintendo is trying hard to ensure maximum sales of the software. 1 iteration per person.

[BillLoguidice]

The Vita has definitely outsold the WiiU and will continue to outsell it. In Europe and Japan it's actually doing pretty decent.

 

The last figures I saw, it was just under the Wii U lifetime. Do you happen to have a link to recent numbers?

 

In any case, the Vita is hardly a success, even though it has done just fine in handheld crazy Japan.

[BillLoguidice]

Nintendo is trying hard to ensure maximum sales of the software. 1 iteration per person.

 

Funny that Sony, Microsoft, and Steam have no problems with being flexible.

[Flojomojo]

In any case, the Vita is hardly a success, even though it has done just fine in handheld crazy Japan.

 

Um, what? What's wrong with being big in Japan?

[Keatah]

Nintendo is old and stodgy.

[Guest LiqMat]

 

Funny that Sony, Microsoft, and Steam have no problems with being flexible.

 

Nintendo is old and stodgy.

 

This old article kind of nails it for me. Don't get me wrong, I was one of the few who absolutely had a great time with the Wii U. I thought it was a solid console and still love the games that I can play solely on the GamePad. It is the ONLY console I have ever hooked up on my bedside table so I could play a few games without the TV on before some slumber. It was a great experience.

 

http://www.themarysue.com/nintendo-stubborn/

Edited February 24, 2017 by LiqMat

[Guest LiqMat]

 

Um, what? What's wrong with being big in Japan?

 

Some Swedish friends of mine introduced me to them. I wore that cassette tape out so many times in the 80s. Great album.

[adamchevy]

 

I don't see why having the option to have a Web browser or Netflix is in any way a bad thing. Options are good. I'm sure if it were practical Nintendo would do it, and no doubt will eventually do it.

 

I'm also not sure how many casual Vita owners there are. It sold less than the Wii U, although is technically still in production, unlike Nintendo's console. Nevertheless, Nintendo has to move well beyond both the Vita and Wii U markets to make this thing succeed. This can't be another 13 million seller. Fortunately, it's looking like it won't suffer the same fate as either of those devices based on early pre-orders and general enthusiasm.

I've been a casual vita owner 2 different times. Of course I'm a weirdo who has to try every console and hand held that I can get my hands on. I wanted to like the vita. It didn't have enough in the end to keep me interested. I still think about buying another one from time to time. According to Metal Jesus, its the best Hidden Gem in the gaming world. Maybe the Switch will become the best UnHidden Gem.

 

https://youtu.be/4mwjo9f9Z0I

Edited February 24, 2017 by adamchevy

[BillLoguidice]

I've been a casual vita owner 2 different times. Of course I'm a weirdo who has to try every console and hand held that I can get my hands on. I wanted to like the vita. It didn't have enough in the end to keep me interested. I still think about buying another one from time to time. According to Metal Jesus, its the best Hidden Gem in the gaming world. Maybe the Switch will become the best UnHidden Gem.

 

I've been a Vita supporter since before it came out. I even wrote a mainstream book on it. That doesn't change the fact that it failed to take off everywhere except Japan. It's kind of silly too, because, especially if you have a PSN subscription, you get a bunch of games every month. I have over 145 games for it without even trying all that hard (just being there since the beginning), or buying more than maybe 10 of those games.

 

Speaking of all those games, that's the kind of value proposition the Switch is up against. Not counting all the backwards compatible 360 stuff, I have over 90 games for my Xbox One with only a dozen or so actual purchases. On PS4, it's over 130 and maybe a dozen actual purchases.

[Flojomojo]

Speaking of all those games, that's the kind of value proposition the Switch is up against. Not counting all the backwards compatible 360 stuff, I have over 90 games for my Xbox One with only a dozen or so actual purchases. On PS4, it's over 130 and maybe a dozen actual purchases.

 

Me too -- with EA Access, it's well over 200 titles for me on the XBone and likely something similar to that on the PS4 ...but they're mostly freebies from the subscription service, not stuff I consciously chose and am way less likely to play than something from Nintendo.

[Tickled_Pink]

 

Nintendo is no doubt going to sunset the 3DS series, although probably not until next year since it may still have another 5 million+ or so unit sales left in it before all is said and done. There really is no good reason to keep it around much longer, though, particularly if they're able to iterate on and improve the portability of the Switch going forward. The Switch is 100% about getting on a single hardware platform for Nintendo. Regardless, I think 3DS sales will naturally decline on their own either way and at a faster rate than they've already been.

 

I don't doubt that it's the case. I was surprised that the Switch wasn't touted as a direct replacement for the 3DS, which it will become eventually. Sales have been dropping off but they have remained respectable. Something like 7.3million units in 2016, which was a little better than Nintendo's revised forecast of 6.6million units earlier in the year (and only 300,000 short of Nintendo's original estimate). So I'm guessing there's another 3 years' useful life left in the platform.

[Atariboy]

I doubt it.

 

Other than holding steady this year or perhaps even surpassing last year's results when the final quarter results are in soon (The numbers are already awfully close to the results of the last full fiscal year after just 9 months, which could mean this is the first year in several years that 3DS sales rose instead of dropped significantly), it has been dropping steadily for quite a while.

 

I don't see three more years here. Not when they're moving only half the systems at this point that they did back at the height of the platform, 2/3's of the software, and with the somewhat weak release calendar of recent years that showed the lack of priority for the 3DS at Nintendo or the software we know to be in development for a 2017 release.

 

Nintendo is going to have to have to have a lot of surprises in development, and not small scale titles like this lackluster looking Pikmin platformer, to reveal over the next couple of years if they're to string this along that long. Otherwise, the 3DS domain will soon be the bargain bin for shovelware releases, maybe a system or two kept in stock at stores like Wal-Mart for those needing to replace their old system, and hopefully more Nintendo Selects rereleases of stuff like Majora's Mask 3D.

[Jinks]

 

You do realise that the DS is still doing well, right? They've even introduced an updated model recently.

 

I agree that the switch is overpriced compared to the direct competition. But when you compare it with other high end tablets it's not too bad. Nintendo's problem, though, is that they're not aiming it at casual gamers. If it has full tablet functionality then it may persuade some people to ditch their iPads in favour of the Switch.

I wonder like the U no flash player for websites etc. Cant doenload any plugins.

That makes it a useless device for internet.

[Jinks]

 

Me too -- with EA Access, it's well over 200 titles for me on the XBone and likely something similar to that on the PS4 ...but they're mostly freebies from the subscription service, not stuff I consciously chose and am way less likely to play than something from Nintendo.

Wow I have never got a free anything on any console!! I got thousands into each the U, wii and gamecube.

[Tanooki]

Well PS+ gives monthly freebies, 3 on average, as long as you keep up the sub and download/register that freebie on the account you're set. Nintendo gave apology (and not) freebies on the 3DS. Anyone who paid up early before that $80 price drop got 10 GBA and 10 NES games as an apology (of which the 10 NES later got released on the VC but the GBA stupidly for fans never was.) And then they also shoved out a free Zelda Four Swords style game for awhile a few years ago too.

[Flojomojo]

Nintendo also got two Humble Bundles (the only console maker that did this so far) and some good eShop sales. I'm all digital so this is how I like my games.

[Atariboy]

There was a Playstation Humble Bundle featuring Capcom content a while back. Was a great deal with lots of solid releases like Okami HD.

 

Just no Capcom Arcade Cabinet.

[Schizophretard]

On the Xbox One, when I log into another Xbox One, it immediately logs me out of the other one. If it's your home console, you can play all of the digital games on your system offline. If it's not your home console and it can't validate you (if for some strange reason you don't have Internet), then you don't have access to all of your digital games (and on your home console, no new validation checks are required for any other account on there either). I'm merely asking for the same thing on the Switch, since I can do that on pretty much any other modern system (just using the Xbox One as the example). The Switch is a modern online platform, so there's no reason it can't do the same thing other than Nintendo not wanting to, which we know is a very real thing with them.

 

Yes, the Switch is a modern online platform except when it is not. Like when taking it on the go and there is no internet connection between it and the Switches one is trying to do this immediate logging out as one is logging in always online validation switcheroo. That could be a reason why it couldn't work exactly like the Xbox One. The Xbox One is designed to be stationary while always being online with the connection between it and other Xbox Ones never being severed.

 

It's not the same thing. I'm not talking about making one system more portable, I'm talking about being able to play the games I legally own after logging in on any system. It shouldn't matter what Switch I'm using. That would be like saying why don't I just unplug my family room Xbox One and then plug it into a matching set of cables in my bedroom if I want to play in the bedroom. I realize the Switch is portable, but, for the accounts to be truly portable, it shouldn't matter what Switch I play them on.

Well, why don't you just unplug your family room Xbox One and then plug it into a matching set of cables in your bedroom? Because that would be inconvenient which is why logging out of one of your Xbox Ones to log into the other makes sense to me. You can move the game from one TV to the other without having to unplug and plug back in a big box. The Switch has no such inconvenience. It is actually more convenient than the Xbox One for that scenario because buying another Switch isn't absolutely necessary. You could just buy another dock, pick up your Switch from the family room, dock it in your bedroom, and you moved the game just the same with no need for internet verification at all.

 

To use a real world example, let's say one of my daughters is playing the Switch on the Family Room TV. I want to play a different game. Instead of kicking her off, I grab our second Switch and log into my account to play my games. As it's being communicated now, that's just not possible if she's using "my" Switch. All I'm asking is take away the restrictions. I'm happy to log in for validation purposes, etc. It's not like I don't have constant Internet access.

 

But taking away the restrictions may create new restrictions. You may have constant internet access but that doesn't apply to everyone. Obviously one of the reasons Microsoft has it automatically log out of one while logging onto the other with online verifications is for DRM to satisfy developers. If Nintendo implemented a similar system the developers may demand it work the same which may create new restrictions. For an example, people were already concerned about if Nintendo's multiplayer phone app would be required even at home, if it would have to be used as a WiFi hotspot, and use their data plan(if they even have one). So, what if Nintendo had to use that to make it work? What if people ran out of data and it would log them out? What if their phone dies and some if not all of their games won't launch? In other words, if they did it like the Xbox One then maybe Nintendo may have to find a way to keep Switches always online while on the go to make it work and the extra DRM could cause new restrictions and inconveniences. Therefore, it may be harder for Nintendo to make it work in a way to satisfy everyone more than it was for Microsoft with the Xbox One because they just had to deal with stationary home consoles that are always online instead of portable handheld consoles moving all over the place with and sometimes not with an internet connection.

[BillLoguidice]

But taking away the restrictions may create new restrictions. You may have constant internet access but that doesn't apply to everyone. Obviously one of the reasons Microsoft has it automatically log out of one while logging onto the other with online verifications is for DRM to satisfy developers. If Nintendo implemented a similar system the developers may demand it work the same which may create new restrictions. For an example, people were already concerned about if Nintendo's multiplayer phone app would be required even at home, if it would have to be used as a WiFi hotspot, and use their data plan(if they even have one). So, what if Nintendo had to use that to make it work? What if people ran out of data and it would log them out? What if their phone dies and some if not all of their games won't launch? In other words, if they did it like the Xbox One then maybe Nintendo may have to find a way to keep Switches always online while on the go to make it work and the extra DRM could cause new restrictions and inconveniences. Therefore, it may be harder for Nintendo to make it work in a way to satisfy everyone more than it was for Microsoft with the Xbox One because they just had to deal with stationary home consoles that are always online instead of portable handheld consoles moving all over the place with and sometimes not with an internet connection.

 

We can argue semantics all day. The point is, it's not 100% a handheld, nor 100% a console, but it is 100% a 2017 piece of connected technology. While it's true that Internet connectivity on the go is not universal, it's still perfectly common and people are connected via their smartphones and tablets all of the time out in public. As you imply, Nintendo is requiring a smartphone for online gaming anyway, so why not go one step further and use the smartphone app as a validator? If they're expecting people to have a smartphone, they can expect them to also be able to use it for validation. Again, lots of options here that don't require a constant connection.

 

Obviously, I know why Nintendo is not doing a lot of the things we're asking about - they're usually not interested in technical parity and are as stubborn as any company about getting with the times - but it's still a bit frustrating when you're used to doing something for many years on everything else and then a brand spanking new piece of technology comes out and doesn't bother to support it.

[BillLoguidice]

I wonder like the U no flash player for websites etc. Cant doenload any plugins.

That makes it a useless device for internet.

 

I don't think Flash is really all that important these days for the vast majority of people. It will obviously continue to slide further into irrelevance as more time passes. It's a performance and security nightmare, although was obviously quite useful in it's heyday all those years ago. For the 5 - 10% of the population who needs specialized technology, we'll obviously buy stuff that supports what we need. Otherwise, for everyone else, it's better to err on the side of performance and security.

[BillLoguidice]

Well PS+ gives monthly freebies, 3 on average, as long as you keep up the sub and download/register that freebie on the account you're set. Nintendo gave apology (and not) freebies on the 3DS. Anyone who paid up early before that $80 price drop got 10 GBA and 10 NES games as an apology (of which the 10 NES later got released on the VC but the GBA stupidly for fans never was.) And then they also shoved out a free Zelda Four Swords style game for awhile a few years ago too.

 

If you own a PS3, PS4, and Vita, it's even more, and an ever better value. The one perk that the Xbox One equivalent has now is that you no longer also need an Xbox 360 to get maximum benefit, since the two 360 games a month automatically work on the Xbox One now.

 

I got in on the 3DS freebies thing as well. On one level, that was completely out of character for Nintendo. On another, it was completely in character when they didn't allow us to pick our own games. I also got in on the PS Capcom Humble Bundle and the Nintendo Humble Bundle for 3DS/Wii U. There was also the $1.00, .49, and .10 Wii U sales. Those were really the only times I felt comfortable buying digital stuff on the Wii U, when the risk of me losing the money invested was relatively low. I was a little more adventurous with digital purchases on the 3DS, but again, I've held myself back more often than not.

 

I'm still not sure how I'll approach digital on the Switch as of yet. I'm not sure if I'll be comfortable building a large digital library. While I feel comfortable that I can recover those purchases with the new setup if something were to happen to my Switch, I have some concerns about long-term viability about the platform after the Wii U thing (although again, I'm leaning towards this being a success at the moment), among other issues. At the same time, I have little interest in swapping cartridges in and out these days (although my first three Switch purchases are all on cartridge, and that number may rise to 1 - 3 more in the launch window).

 

Another thought in the back of my mind is that if I go the cheap route with the external SD storage and get, say, a 64GB card, and eventually want to upgrade to 128GB or higher when I start to hit the upper limits of the 64GB capacity, how easy will it be for me to put in a new card and keep the data that I have on there. Obviously on the Xbox One and PS4 you can just re-install the stuff without issue (as long as you're logged in), but how exactly would that work on the Switch? Hopefully, it's straightforward, and hopefully that's something that they've already thought long and hard about because the external SD storage is a key day one feature (and, for comparison purposes, it's a sloppy setup on the Vita).

[Andromeda Stardust]

 

As you imply, Nintendo is requiring a smartphone for online gaming anyway, so why not go one step further and use the smartphone app as a validator? If they're expecting people to have a smartphone, they can expect them to also be able to use it for validation. Again, lots of options here that don't require a constant connection.

I simply do not believe they would be that assinine to require a 3rd party smart device to connect the Switch to the internet. Has this not been debunked yet?

 

I, and numerous other gamers, believe it or not, do not own Android or iOS devices, or do not wish to sync them to our game consoles.

 

Fact: The Switch tablet has a 1/8" TRRS plug for use with wired gaming headsets. Third parties are already offering Switch wired headsets.

 

Funbling two devices while gaming instead of one is cumbersome. I fail to see how an android or iOS device is needed for any type of online connectivity not already possible with the Switch hardware, browsing and streaming apps aside. I've read the devkit leaks, and there is an html5 browser "applet" built into the system, only it is not user accessible and only called upon by apps, to access greenlisted content. I seriously doubt Nintendo would be so stubborn as to require an account on external smart device to ie participate in randomized online matches in games like Mario Kart or Splatoon.

[Mord]

I simply do not believe they would be that assinine to require a 3rd party smart device to connect the Switch to the internet. Has this not been debunked yet?

 

I, and numerous other gamers, believe it or not, do not own Android or iOS devices, or do not wish to sync them to our game consoles.

 

On the plus side, we'll know for certain in about a week. Doesn't matter to me too much as I won't be picking one up until sometime in the summer or fall. At most I'll be picking up the zelda game if there are extra copies lying around when I pass by the store on the way to work.