[News] Nintendo Switch

[AmetsuCAT]

Wait a minute...was that Skyrim? On an Nintendo console? Not only that, but a potentially portable one too?! I'm definitely in on this, if it means that Nintendo will also allow other games for it as well as Nintendo exclusive ones.

 

[Z25]

Wait a minute...was that Skyrim? On an Nintendo console? Not only that, but a potentially portable one too?! I'm definitely in on this, if it means that Nintendo will also allow other games for it as well as Nintendo exclusive ones.

It is Skyrim, and Bethesda is on the list of third party developers, so we may see more from them as well.

 

[Entermaid]

I like the branding of "Nintendo Switch" as opposed to a meaningless combination of letters or numbers tacked on to the end, i.e. (360, U, Box, Cube, One, Zero, 1/2/3, X, Z, ect) . That is why the Wii as in "we" worked so well as a brand; it was meant to sell to families and friends playing videogames casually together.

"Switch" implies that this system is versatile as a portable single player or multiplayer, stationary single player or multiplayer, remote or sensor active controller in one, ect. ect. This all just seams super convenient as opposed to the Wii U, which essentially tried to make the controller versatile, but only in an aesthetic sense rather than a functional one. I never thought of a portable system being multiplayer, that to me is the most important "switch" featured since the market has yet to produce anything like that experience. The closest would be individuals looking at separate screens on the ds, psp, 3ds, or vita. The other important "switch" featured was the idea that the sides of the gamepad can be taken off and used as a portable nun-chuck and remote. All in all, it really does seem to be "easy" and "simple" rather than clunky in the way it transforms. I am totally saving up for this Spring.

 

[Rin Sohma]

This is a combo of the two though, so it serves fine as a console and handheld, it's just a new way of doing it. I don't imagine that all portable games will be forced to live up to the standards of console games. Folding the markets (if that's really the case) just makes it easier to sell more games. Person A has a one or the other but can't justify buying the system they don't have for a few games, this gets rid of that problem.

That said, an immersive 3D Pokemon game could potentially be one of the biggest sellers Nintendo's ever seen. (and something fans have wanted for a long time as well)

The thing about this is that when you have a large family, like I do, we all have separate handhelds and share the console. I can't see any reasonable way we could all have our own Switch, and sharing it between us all would be obnoxious as we all would want to play separate games on a shared screen. The combo aspect and replacing handhelds, while cool, would be more of a hindrance to people in my position than a plus.

 

[Z25]

The thing about this is that when you have a large family, like I do, we all have separate handhelds and share the console. I can't see any reasonable way we could all have our own Switch, and sharing it between us all would be obnoxious as we all would want to play separate games on a shared screen. The combo aspect and replacing handhelds, while cool, would be more of a hindrance to people in my position than a plus.

From the looks of it, you can have additional tablets and play together from there. It is unknown if you need another system for the tablet to work though.

 

[Banz]

I like the branding of "Nintendo Switch" as opposed to a meaningless combination of letters or numbers tacked on to the end, i.e. (360, U, Box, Cube, One, Zero, 1/2/3, X, Z, ect) . That is why the Wii as in "we" worked so well as a brand; it was meant to sell to families and friends playing videogames casually together.

But the GameCube was a Cube!
And Playstation is the single most recognisable name in console gaming today. In fact it's a generic trademark for TV consoles here. Those numbers don't matter, it's the PS name that does.

Switch itself sounds like a good name, fit the idea of the console very well. Me biggest concern is the tiny removable controllers which are useless by themselves. I hope we are able to use the pro controller or the assembled controller when playing in portable mode.

 

[Attribule]

I hope we are able to use the pro controller or the assembled controller when playing in portable mode.

According to this you can: https://twitter.com/LaurakBuzz/status/789105191916343297

 

[El Héroe Oscuro]

I'm actually very, very stoked about this product. And personally, even though I'm not the biggest Nintendo advocate, I give Nintendo a lot of props for the marketing of the Nintendo Switch. Unlike the Wii U, Nintendo made a clear emphasis on what the product was and it's capabilities. The ability to "switch" in and out of home and portable gaming is something that I feel will play really well to the company's best interests.

In terms of the controller, however, I'm a little bit cautious on the size of it. It seems very small, and unless you're used to finite mobile gaming controller schemes, I could see it being an issue to some gamers. However, I did see that they semi-marketed a tradional controller as well, so that would meet the needs of that niche group of gamers (which hopefully that won't be too bad.) Hopefully the battery life on it is good as well, considering how Nintendo products are sometime's hit and miss (i.e. the Wii U gamepad had a bad battery life if I recall.)

Overall, I'm pleasantly surprised about this announcement. If Nintendo launches this system with a lot of Wii U backward compatible games, I think this could definitely boost Nintendo's reputation and bring it back to a former state of glory. However - and this is a huge emphasis - that all depends on the games the console has, as Nintendo is notorious for having really shitty or poor third party support (although I'll admit, my eyes bugged when I saw that guy playing Skyrim which was pretty cool.) I'll be keeping my eyes on this product to say the least.

 

[Esper]

I know a couple of people who work at one of those partner companies. Gonna poke them and see what they can tell me, which is probably nothing, but gotta try anyway.

Nintendo is usually head of the game, but now they are behind. Xbox and Sony are already working on VR systems and are already passed the Switch.

Honestly, they should have just stopped with consoles and went completely to handheld systems that is as powerful as the PSV. They should have put research and time into VR.

Maybe it's just me, but I see VR as a gimmick like 3D movies so I'm fine with Nintendo not going down that path. Plus, you can't use VR when you're not home.

 

[Juno]

I was just about to point out the battery part as well, haha - that's my only concern, all this looks absolutely amazing but I'm dubious as to whether the battery life will actually allow for all the switching, taking the console out and about for a decent amount of time, etc.

Realistically I'd probably just play at home anyway, but the versatility is super cool, and just having the option is nice (ROAD TRIP, ANYONE?!). I had no interest in the Wii U and did not expect to be excited at all for the NX news but this honestly looks awesome, I'm so on board right now and am definitely considering getting it. :D And so, so happy that you can play more than just Nintendo games on this.

That switch sound in the trailer was such an earworm, that alone will sell this thing, its so catchy.

Right?! Just mentioned that on Discord too, lol.

 

[Pinkie-Dawn]

I'm not convinced that's Spla2oon.

Sure the graphics are updated, but it's possible that it can display Wii U games better. It's to early for a sequel, a port maybe, but I still no reason for it. We'll see though. It looks great either way.

It's definitely Spla2oon because look:

Spoiler:

Hair styles!

 

[machomuu]

I'm seeing a lot of people say this and I think that's a really great sign. Definitely don't remember such a reaction for the Wii U at least so hopefully it'll have a positive effect on the sales of the console!

Yeah, the Wii U's announcement was literally the worst combination of things to happen. First they showed off the gamepad making people think it was a controller, then they showed off the system making people think it was a new version of the Wii, and then they showed off the technical details and the reception was as parted as the Red Sea. This was definitely the better reveal, even despite happening outside of E3. Glad they learned from their mistakes and really switched things up this time around.

 

[Juno]

Glad they learned from their mistakes and really switched things up this time around.

I see what you did there

 

[Z25]

It's definitely Spla2oon because look:

Spoiler:

Hair styles!

That's not much though, customization is something an enhanced port would definitely cover. It's to early for a sequel, they want it on the Switch, so they can salvage sales from those that brought and didn't buy the Wii U. It's the same style like what seems to be the Mario Kart 8 port. Just with features to make them better so they don't need to build an entire game from the ground up again.

A lot of people are thinking they are ports. They could be sequels, but I don't see it at the moment. I'm sure we'll find out soon enough though.

Anyone posted this? You've gotta admit it's definitely a step up (Wii U is bottom).

Nice! The Switch definitely has upped the support, which is really good. If they can keep this throughout the system's entire lifeline, they it should become a pretty solid console.

 

[Caaethil]

GameFreak confirmed a while back they will make games for NX, which seriously suggested then that it would be replacing both the Wii U and 3DS. Now that it's 100% confirmed this is a hybrid, we can be fairly certain this is where we'll find Gen 8. So everyone who wanted home console Pokemon is getting their wish. I was hoping to see Sun and Moon on there too, but I guess not. The fact that it uses a cartridge makes me optimistic that we can play DS and 3DS games, but I won't get my hopes up.

And Skkkkkyyyyyrrrriiiiimmmm.

 

[Sheep]

I almost never play games outside my phone anymore yet I'm oddly excited for this. As a huge fan of handhelds and moving around when gaming the ability to swap is perfect for me. Looks very promising. Can't say I'll buy on release, but I'll certainly be massively tempted to. Nintendo is rockin'.

 

[Captain Fabio]

The whole concept is interesting. But, for me, I need to know the indepth tech behind it. I have seen some things, like Nvidia have done a custom GPU chip for it, but still. Apparently, reports of the cooling fan being loud? That would be highly annoying, as when you're being all portable, pissing people off with fans could be an issue.

Also, I'm unsure why everyone's going crazy over Skyrim. Like, don't get me wrong, it's one of my favourite games of all time, but it's years old and you can just be portable on a laptop with it... Unless it's a newly rebuilt Skyrim game.

I'm withholding my excitement for now, as the previous consoles have just fallen at the first hurdle, broken their legs and had to be put down for me.

 

[machomuu]

The whole concept is interesting. But, for me, I need to know the indepth tech behind it. I have seen some things, like Nvidia have done a custom GPU chip for it, but still. Apparently, reports of the cooling fan being loud? That would be highly annoying, as when you're being all portable, pissing people off with fans could be an issue.

Indeed, all we've had so far is "X developers say the Nintendo NX is a powerful piece of tech" and "X says the NX won't be able to stand up to Sony and Microsoft", yadda yadda. But honestly, not long after I watched the trailer, I found myself thinking "...So when's the follow-up Nintendo Direct?" Because honestly, that's what we need right now.

I am looking forward to the console, but that was a lot of seeing and not really much in the way of explaining. Admittedly that worked much better here than it did in the past since they gave a hell of a lot of speculation fuel without creating a lot of confusion in its wake, but hearing more about its architecture and, well, what it actually is'll definitely be the make or break for the masses.

I don't suppose there's any rush for Ninty, though. For now they can ride on this speculation-fueled excitement and really put info out there once it's past its fever pitch.

 

[El Héroe Oscuro]

Indeed, all we've had so far is "X developers say the Nintendo NX is a powerful piece of tech" and "X says the NX won't be able to stand up to Sony and Microsoft", yadda yadda. But honestly, not long after I watched the trailer, I found myself thinking "...So when's the follow-up Nintendo Direct?" Because honestly, that's what we need right now.

I am looking forward to the console, but that was a lot of seeing and not really much in the way of explaining. Admittedly that worked much better here than it did in the past since they gave a hell of a lot of speculation fuel without creating a lot of confusion in its wake, but hearing more about its architecture and, well, what it actually is'll definitely be the make or break for the masses.

I don't suppose there's any rush for Ninty, though. For now they can ride on this speculation-fueled excitement and really put info out there once it's past its fever pitch.

If you think about it, Nintendo is essentially just creating a hype train just like any other game developer does. Take the new Red Dead Redemption game that was most recently announced. The trailer itself, which released today, doesnt' give any real insight as to who the main character is, what the plot is about, but moreover just the sense that "hey look we've got a think in development and it's about something you guys really want."

Inevitably, I think Nintendo just wanted to first present the idea that "hey, we've got this really cool inventive console that will hopefully be able to compete with Microsoft and Sony moving forward." I think if they had right up showed the tech of the console, it could have destroyed the hype that the console was trying to garner through the unveiling trailer that came today. And besides, with PS4 Pro and Scorpio coming out very soon, I would actually be very shocked if Nintendo Switch can stand up to those juggernaughts tech wise. Sadly, I think it's going to fall flat in comparison, and thus is why I believe they are holding back on unveiling the specs of the new console.

 

[Caaethil]

Also, I'm unsure why everyone's going crazy over Skyrim. Like, don't get me wrong, it's one of my favourite games of all time, but it's years old and you can just be portable on a laptop with it... Unless it's a newly rebuilt Skyrim game.

It's the remastered version which is going live on PC in 8 days time. Tech requirements are gonna be a fair bit higher than 2011 Skyrim. And of course, there are situations Nintendo is pushing which a laptop is no good for, like in the car.