Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

The biggest problem with the N64 was that the games cost way too much. Both because of the cost of games at retail in general but also because Playstation games were a lot easier to pirate. And little things like gaming magazines for Playstation coming with demo disks. On the N64 that wasn't a thing.

But I think the N64 vs PS1 was an extreme example. It's probably the only time where there was such a large difference between consoles. And those hardware differences largely sealed Nintendo's fate. Every other generation? I think we can scrape over the coals and find some reason or another. But really, it's a bit of a coin toss.

There are far too many variables to determine what the market truly wants. However, one thing that works is effective PR and marketing.

… the want is always artificial.

It’s important for nintendo to work on the internet narrative. Most of the fun appeal of the wii U was drowned by internet sentiment. If you help that part, you’ll have half your marketing done for you.

This 100%. Making people believe they need your product is the cornerstone of marketing 101. If there's no target demographic waiting for a particular product to cover their needs, you have to create those needs yourself.

In previous generations the cheapest and most expensive consoles sold the best. The one with the most exclusives and the one without. The one with the gimmick and the one with the horsepower. The one that did all the media things and the one that focused on the games. The one that was marketed heavily and the one that came out of nowhere.

All you can say for sure is that the market wants the console that ends up selling the most units.

Couple things about consumer demands and wants, the issues that make Nintendo consoles sell poorly, and the NX hybrid concept...

As I see it, the fewer expensive devices people need to buy, and the more value/variety of uses a device offers, the better. For example, the more things I can do with my PC, the less other devices I need. Hey, I bought a PS3 only because it has a Bluray-player (and I don't mind being able to get the great exclusives too).

This is part of the problem with Nintendo consoles. Nintendo has usually offered almost 100% gaming centered devices. The additional media features have been an afterthought. Also the unconventional hardware design choices have left Nintendo with a relatively poor multiplatform support.
Meanwhile especially the PlayStation has appeared as a perfect livingroom centerpiece with a great library of games, movie/music playback and decent online features.
And again, most people have to make a choice, because buying multiple expensive devices with a particular purpose is a privilige of a few.

The same goes with software. It's almost too much to have to buy multiple licenses to Windows and other software for multiple devices, but fortunately gaming is different.
It's great to have my whole Steam library available with me at home on a desktop and on-the-go on a laptop (it'd be great to have a DS/Vita like Steam machine!).

So that's why I like the idea of a hybrid Nintendo of sorts. A single multi-use device and/or a single game library that's "always" available.
(Please let it have great performance and awesome online/multimedia features as well - I wouldn't mind paying top dollar for that)

Jeez Louise on a pogo stick there were actually people who thought Zelda Williams would have anything to do with the NX's launch, not least the actual reveal of it.

If you were one of those people there's nothing more that needs to be said than what she already said. Calm. Down.

The video game hype culture has to be one of the most reprehensible things about modern gaming, I don't at all envy the genuine people involved in creating and promoting games because from the 'AAA' games that thrive in it to the rabid people that eat it up it's an absolute dumpster fire.

Unbelievable.

With next financial briefing coming expect at most an announcement of an announcement of an announcement. Mere whispers, if anything

Has Zelda Williams ever even had any insider information? Her names Zelda, doesn't mean she gets the lowdown on Nintendos secrets. The fact that people think that at all is just laughable.

While I agree that the market can be unpredictable...I'm just a little curious about these three claims. I can't think of any examples off the top of my head.

I agree with the general consensus that Nintendo needs to create the demand rather than follow it. In terms of hardware, Nintendo have always given us something that we didn't necessarily ask for, for better or for worse. Nintendo didn't give us the Gameboy, DS, or Wii by simply copying their competitors.

It's more embarrassing to watch than it is laughable. These fans are truly stupid.

It be nice to have a 4K or UHD handheld
I was thinking of a 1200p or higher screen

@TomJ That is a terrible video

@andrew20 Seems excessive. For reference a "retina display" 13-inch Macbook is only 2560 x 1600 (density 232 ppi). I'd be surprised if a handheld would be even 1/4 of that size, so I reckon 720p would be plenty, 1080p at a stretch.

Actually that has brought my attention to something... Say the NX is at least part handheld, would we expect dual-screen and DS/3DS backwards compatibility? Has that become a Nintendo staple?

@Buizel I think it should be, but most people think it won't.

Has the PS4 had compelling exclusives? I can't think of any this generation, the attention is more on third party games than first party games. Meanwhile, the Wii U is agreed to have the best first party lineup and it failed miserably. So that one does go out the window. The other two, I'm not as sure about.

True...actually that's an especially difficult one to assess as exclusives may differ in quantity and overall quality. For example, last generation I always assumed that Wii had more exclusives than XB360. It seems XB360 had more, however Wii may have had more notable ones (although subjective...)

Maybe the language I used was a bit too black and white. What I meant was that those factors have been argued by some as the most important thing. But then there are a whole pile of exceptions. So the PS4 might not be the most expensive console on the market but it's by no means the cheapest. It's doing more than fine. And the Wii/DS were marketed pretty heavily but it was hardly a conventional campaign. Most of the legwork seemed to be done via word of mouth.

My point is, it's not as simple as following a formula. Partly because there are other players and when you're planning the hardware you don't know what they're doing. But mostly because what works can change rather dramatically from generation to generation. People want something new while also wanting something familiar. Those two things are kinda contradictory

One thing (living in the UK) I am currently worrying about is whether Nintendo will be forced to delay launch here, owing to the MASSIVE devaluation of the pound. Even a $299 price tag will now be around £65 dearer here. Either Nintendo is going to have to discount the UK price by 25-30%, just to remain on par, come out drastically more expensive (and be annihilated by Sony and Microsoft), or delay till a later date.

I you want to forget about Bloodborne, Uncharted 4 and the The Last of Us Remastered (and many more). The PS4 seems to get many more console exclusives over the Xbox One too. And of course, COD, GTA and FIFA are the best selling games on the system, but that seems to be the case for any system where those games appear on; the Xbox One, the 360, PS2 and PS3. Anyway, I do think that a lack of third party games hurt a system more than the lack of first party games. Most people want to play the CODs, GTAs and FIFAs, so if your console doesn't have them, you're out of the race. If you do, then it comes down to marketing, exclusives, price, additional features and so on. Launch window is important too, the more sales a console gets, the more word of mouth it generates.

It's really easy to miss out on game releases for a console if you don't own one. I didn't own a 360, and I probably can't even name you ten exclusives.