Nintendo Switch Revelation
- Thread starter Rodéric
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I see this as the best bet (complemented by their mobile plans) for Nintendo. It leverages their strength in portable consoles, unifies their software efforts, and offers unique features vs. both stationary console competitors and phones/pads.
Specs and above all price will of course make a difference, but the concept is viable.
Third party support for unique Switch features in multi platform titles will of course be iffy. But that is still better than if those titles aren't there at all. And given that decent volume looks probable for the first portable Nintendo platform ever with really strong specs, third parties are likely to be more interested in dipping their toes here than in the waters of a stationary Nintendo console.
This actually has a chance, and if it succeeds, it will do so by having an appeal that is not a cookie cutter version of Sony and MS consoles, that is, it is likely to help expand the overall console market.
Specs and above all price will of course make a difference, but the concept is viable.
Third party support for unique Switch features in multi platform titles will of course be iffy. But that is still better than if those titles aren't there at all. And given that decent volume looks probable for the first portable Nintendo platform ever with really strong specs, third parties are likely to be more interested in dipping their toes here than in the waters of a stationary Nintendo console.
This actually has a chance, and if it succeeds, it will do so by having an appeal that is not a cookie cutter version of Sony and MS consoles, that is, it is likely to help expand the overall console market.
I still haven't really figured out what I think of this yet.
One positive is that I see is an increased number of Nintendo games on one platform. If you combined the 3DS and WiiU game library it would be very large collection of excellent games. That too me is the biggest and most compelling reason to own the console.
I really hope they nail virtual console on this system as well. It can finally be the unified Nintendo platform with an incredible backlog of games.
One positive is that I see is an increased number of Nintendo games on one platform. If you combined the 3DS and WiiU game library it would be very large collection of excellent games. That too me is the biggest and most compelling reason to own the console.
I really hope they nail virtual console on this system as well. It can finally be the unified Nintendo platform with an incredible backlog of games.
I think you're missing the point, by basically arguing that Switch is perfect because it sits in between a bunch of vacant feature points. Kinda like arguing in favour of a five wheeled, micro-sized convertible SUV because no-one's made one yet.
There exist a number of products on the market that Switch is competing with. Handhelds are small enough to fit in your pocket and take anywhere. Mobiles and tablets are generally necessary things to carry around that also provide a portable gaming fix. For gaming at home, consoles provide a 'high-performance' experience to provide the best games that a handheld or mobile can't. Each has a role it satisfies and is designed specifically to serve that role. Switch is Jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none, and therefore lacks a strong selling point. For handheld gamers, it's too big. For people happy to carry a tablet around, Switch isn't functional enough. For people wanting to play games on TV, Switch isn't powerful enough. So the audience for Switch is looking like a subset of a subset - those who want portable gaming for who their existing tablet isn't good enough but for who less than state-of-the-art is good enough for the TV experience. Given that the audience for core portable games are likely gaming enthusiasts and kids, and the gaming enthusiast audience likely want a better TV experience, don't the targets for Switch contradict each other?
What you're personally comfortable with doesn't matter - Switch's success will depend on what the mainstream consumer is happy to do. However, that's probably similar to you.Only peasants have to take the train so you'll look like a tool regardlessPersonally I couldn't care less what people might or might not think of me on the train/airplane.
edit: This post is something of a Devil's Advocation
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@tongue_of_colicab My point is that many things combine to influence desirability (in this case for the worse IMO), just as they do with many products. By breaking up the list, comparing only single factors, then taking examples from other markets where those factors aren't important you can dismiss anything. But in reality, for customers, it doesn't make those factors go away.
And consequently tablets and phablets are far less commonly carried around with people. This reinforces the point.
The point is that you then have to carry two devices - and gaming devices at that - around with you. And the phone will soon be higher specced and have a massively larger library of mobile oriented games.
Neither X1 or PS4 is designed to be carried around with you. 3DS is smaller than the NX, and protects it's own screen and nubs when closed so doesn't need a carry case or special pouch ... and despite that it is still losing market to phone gaming.
It might be or might not be close enough to matter, depending on the user. All we can say is that it will be lot less powerful than X1, and that on increasingly large and high resolution tvs you will clearly be able to see the difference. And those won't be 80 GB game cards for "highest quality asset" versions of games either.
So in terms of performance, this is a negative factor against other mainstream gaming devices.
I think $300 for a supplementary gaming device - likely in addition to a phone and also a console or PC - and that excels in neither portability nor performance would be pretty pricey.
I wouldn't bet on it! This is Nintendo, and they know that not everyone will use it.
I obviously don't know for sure, but I think Nintendo will be looking to keep costs down. I think Nintendo may go as low as 4 ~ 5 hours of playtime with a demanding 3D game. I also think that a fast Tegra chip will tear through a moderately sized battery while gaming.
Shield K1 with 19.75 Wh battery was 3 ~ 4 hours gaming.
It will underwhelm on a tv because it will be considerably less capable that the devices people have been used to seeing on their tvs for the last few years. Some people avoid consoles and stick to far more powerful PCs. For others, who like the console experience, they buy a console but that doesn't mean they don't want "good graphics" along with that.
You cannot take the fact that people buy consoles as proof that they will not be underwhelmed upon seeing a significant drop in the quality of graphics on their increasingly large and increasingly high resolution tvs.
Sony are about to release PS4 Pro, and Scorpio lands the same year as NX. If you're primarily looking to play on a tv, yes, NX will be very underwhelming next to the 10x (or more) faster Scorpio.
I only take a tablet or laptop with me if I'm planning to use it. I'd guess most people are the same. And then you have to make sure you've got somewhere safe and waterproof to carry it, and somewhere secure to leave it so it doesn't get robbed. A phone you just keep in your pocket. NX is a different and much lesser type of portability - like a tablet or laptop.
If customers don't want to spend console $$$ on portable games then it becomes a valid argument, regardless of whether you (or I) personally think phone games are real games or not. How are Vita software sales looking now btw?
Wouldn't bother me either! Hell, give me an Atari Lynx (first gen) and the three seats I'd need to use it. But we live in an increasingly self conscious and appearance obsessed world and I don't think playing an NX will be as invisible as playing Angry Birds on your iPhone.
And consequently tablets and phablets are far less commonly carried around with people. This reinforces the point.
The point is that you then have to carry two devices - and gaming devices at that - around with you. And the phone will soon be higher specced and have a massively larger library of mobile oriented games.
Neither X1 or PS4 is designed to be carried around with you. 3DS is smaller than the NX, and protects it's own screen and nubs when closed so doesn't need a carry case or special pouch ... and despite that it is still losing market to phone gaming.
It might be or might not be close enough to matter, depending on the user. All we can say is that it will be lot less powerful than X1, and that on increasingly large and high resolution tvs you will clearly be able to see the difference. And those won't be 80 GB game cards for "highest quality asset" versions of games either.
So in terms of performance, this is a negative factor against other mainstream gaming devices.
I think $300 for a supplementary gaming device - likely in addition to a phone and also a console or PC - and that excels in neither portability nor performance would be pretty pricey.
I wouldn't bet on it! This is Nintendo, and they know that not everyone will use it.
I obviously don't know for sure, but I think Nintendo will be looking to keep costs down. I think Nintendo may go as low as 4 ~ 5 hours of playtime with a demanding 3D game. I also think that a fast Tegra chip will tear through a moderately sized battery while gaming.
Shield K1 with 19.75 Wh battery was 3 ~ 4 hours gaming.
It will underwhelm on a tv because it will be considerably less capable that the devices people have been used to seeing on their tvs for the last few years. Some people avoid consoles and stick to far more powerful PCs. For others, who like the console experience, they buy a console but that doesn't mean they don't want "good graphics" along with that.
You cannot take the fact that people buy consoles as proof that they will not be underwhelmed upon seeing a significant drop in the quality of graphics on their increasingly large and increasingly high resolution tvs.
Sony are about to release PS4 Pro, and Scorpio lands the same year as NX. If you're primarily looking to play on a tv, yes, NX will be very underwhelming next to the 10x (or more) faster Scorpio.
I only take a tablet or laptop with me if I'm planning to use it. I'd guess most people are the same. And then you have to make sure you've got somewhere safe and waterproof to carry it, and somewhere secure to leave it so it doesn't get robbed. A phone you just keep in your pocket. NX is a different and much lesser type of portability - like a tablet or laptop.
If customers don't want to spend console $$$ on portable games then it becomes a valid argument, regardless of whether you (or I) personally think phone games are real games or not. How are Vita software sales looking now btw?
Only peasants have to take the train so you'll look like a tool regardless
Wouldn't bother me either! Hell, give me an Atari Lynx (first gen) and the three seats I'd need to use it. But we live in an increasingly self conscious and appearance obsessed world and I don't think playing an NX will be as invisible as playing Angry Birds on your iPhone.
GrimThorne
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Hardware wise, all I see is a mini-tablet with a tv dock. I hear Nintendo saying it's a home console first but that's just not what this looks like.
D
Deleted member 13524
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I have to go back to the fact that any kind of gaming beyond puzzles and other ultra casual stuff is a complete crap in either ios or Android.
I own a smartphone with decently amplified stereo front facing speakers, several bluetooth gamepads to connect to it, a SoC that is well over 5x more powerful than the Vita's, with 5x more RAM at higher bandwidth, 8x higher screen resolution and I play mobile games in.. my Vita.
My smartphone is technically better than the Vita at playing games in pretty much every possible metric, yet the game library sucks, gamepad controls don't work in too many games and even finding titles in the store that aren't crap is mighty hard.
With Sony's absence, Nintendo is alone in the portable gaming market for anything past very casual games.
The Switch's audience is not a niche. The 3DS and Vita families together sold around 75 million units, and the die-hard Nintendo fans who will buy whatever hardware runs the next Mario Kart got 14 million Wii Us.
There's at the very least a potential market of 80 million for the Switch. That's not niche in any metric. That's pretty big.
I wish Sony had made a Vita successor because taking my PS4 for plane travels is out of the question, and packing it for car trips isn't all that practical.
They didn't, so I'm definitely very interested in the Switch. I mean playing videogames in the plane with my wife using a single console is nothing short of spectacular.
I only need to know if it'll be powerful enough to run multiplatform titles because I'm not willing to go through another Wii.
Screen protection is overrated. Proof of that is how smartphones aren't clamshell designs anymore.
The 3DS isn't losing market to phone gaming (which as I stated above is ridiculously bad for anyone looking for non-casual gaming). It's losing market to itself because the console is over half a decade old.
I own a smartphone with decently amplified stereo front facing speakers, several bluetooth gamepads to connect to it, a SoC that is well over 5x more powerful than the Vita's, with 5x more RAM at higher bandwidth, 8x higher screen resolution and I play mobile games in.. my Vita.
My smartphone is technically better than the Vita at playing games in pretty much every possible metric, yet the game library sucks, gamepad controls don't work in too many games and even finding titles in the store that aren't crap is mighty hard.
With Sony's absence, Nintendo is alone in the portable gaming market for anything past very casual games.
The Switch's audience is not a niche. The 3DS and Vita families together sold around 75 million units, and the die-hard Nintendo fans who will buy whatever hardware runs the next Mario Kart got 14 million Wii Us.
There's at the very least a potential market of 80 million for the Switch. That's not niche in any metric. That's pretty big.
I wish Sony had made a Vita successor because taking my PS4 for plane travels is out of the question, and packing it for car trips isn't all that practical.
They didn't, so I'm definitely very interested in the Switch. I mean playing videogames in the plane with my wife using a single console is nothing short of spectacular.
I only need to know if it'll be powerful enough to run multiplatform titles because I'm not willing to go through another Wii.
Screen protection is overrated. Proof of that is how smartphones aren't clamshell designs anymore.
The 3DS isn't losing market to phone gaming (which as I stated above is ridiculously bad for anyone looking for non-casual gaming). It's losing market to itself because the console is over half a decade old.
Plenty of phone screens get scratched and smashed, despite them normally being in a pocket surrounded by cloth or in a protective case (often with a close over cover). Keys in the purse is a classic. Screen replacements, screen protectors and phone cases are a huge business. Mobile phone insurance is a huge business too.
On top of this, phones typically have vastly shorter life cycles than console. 18 month ~ 2 years on subsidised upgrade packages compared to 5+ years of buy outright time for consoles.
Adding protective covers and cases to the NX will only increase it's size, and travelling with an NX will require additional care.
Gameboy used to be the place to go for portable casual gaming. Now it's phones. Pokemon on mobile phones has been tremendously successful as a casual game.
Every kid I've known with a mobile has cracked the screen. Typically numerous times across numerous handsets. Plenty of people add screen protectors - tempered glass ones now are as cheap as plastic ones (and incidentally I don't see why phone manufacturers don't acknowledge this and create cheaper glass screens with integrated replaceable protectors). Plenty of people add protective cases, certainly for anything going into a pocket or loose in a bag full of junk.
While this is true, it is also just stating the obvious. Everything is loosing marketshare to mobile gaming. So it makes sense for Nintendo to have a strategy for mobile gaming. And they do.
However, this is about their dedicated gaming platform. Of course it has competition, the question is if they could have gone with any other approach that would have given them better odds at building a sustainable volume platform.
D
Deleted member 13524
Guest
So you guys actually think the Switch is going to sell poorly because people crack their screens..?
Vita lacked both clamshell protection and a screen protector, and sold like crap. 
RancidLunchmeat
Veteran
Yes, that's exactly what I was expecting and from reading other reviews (before the Nintendo statement) and watching Youtube reviews of the reveal, nearly everybody believed the dock would be more than just a charger with video output and would provide some sort of improved graphic enhancements when playing on a larger screen.
That's the big question isn't it: could they have come up with something better? If they could, I for one can't think of it.
Nintendo are being squeezed between phones in the mobile space (offered by huge companies with deep pockets and carrier subsidies) and big, powerful consoles under the tv (from huge companies with deep pockets). I'm not sure how Nintendo can create a platform between those two devices types that can reach out into the mass market.
The idea of combining your home (WiiU) and handheld (3DS) markets together and then making a push for a new type of device to attract new customers is probably the best plan at this time, but unless phone apps can draw people back to the NX I think they might end up with just the remnants of their 3DS and WiiU customers supporting it. Though hopefully that'll be enough to support the platform.
That's the equivalent of me asking: "Do you think it'll sell well because people enjoy breaking them?"
3 hours. Does that even class as portable?
Dammit, I said 4~5. My expectations weren't low enough.
So same ballpark as the Tegra shield. http://www.trustedreviews.com/nvidia-shield-tablet-k1-review-games-camera-battery-and-verdict-page-3
RancidLunchmeat
Veteran
Except for the controller coming together and acting as one or being able to be used by two people in certain less complicated games, both Windows and Android tablets already have these capabilities. Plus touchscreen, plus casting, some are more powerful, and can also provide all the standard facebook, twitter, snapchat, social apps as well as some degree of productivity apps either through Office 365 or Google. I also think we'll see third party "side controllers that can be combined into one" hit the market before the Switch actually does.
What the Switch will have when it launches that Android and W10 devices don't have is Nintendo games. It seems to me that the hardware is just the price of entry required if you want to play 1st party Nintendo games.
RancidLunchmeat
Veteran
I thought she was pretty good in Lake Placid vs Anaconda, but then I saw Roboshark and that is really where she had her best moments. But as great of an actress as she is, I'm not sure why we should believe her comments over those straight from Nintendo?
Don't get me wrong, I hope she is correct that the dock does improvement performance because otherwise this entire product is pretty damn pointless.
