Topic: Buying early, or not?

@shani Yeah, it's weird how quickly they backpedaled on that idea when the rumours of an NX version of this game started popping up.

Preordered on Amazon which is a surprise given my lack of enthusiasm for anything Nintendo related for the past decade or so.

Bridging their mobile/console platforms and adding a paid online service are huge steps in the right direction.

I agree with that bridging argument. Definitely awesome to just buy one console and have all the games you want.
But why is a paid online service a good thing? Its good if you use it a lot and want some free rentals for a month
But if are more of a casual online gamer its not really that great. I may have spend about 10 hours in the last two months playing mk8 online, this worries me a little

It shows they're taking their online services more seriously; whether its maintaining completely stable servers for their games, offering digital content, providing more online utilities for users. Sony and MS have both been able to offer more to consumers in exchange for a paid service.

Its like a toll road (in theory, for the sake of not starting a politics debate). Everyone pays a small fee, and that road receives regular maintenance. Previously Nintendo was taking a hit on online services (they cost money, and weren't receiving anything in return). Now they'll have an additional source of income which they can use for the benefit for the system.

For certain people it will suck. Some people only play Halo a couple times a month on the Xbox, and it sucks needing XBL for that. But for the good of the console it's better that they implement this and then utilize the extra money for the system's benefit.

This is already a better launch lineup than most Nintendo launch lineups, and definitely equates to more than 3DS and Wii U combined. I'm not entirely happy with the Day 1 lineup, but I'll definitely get it sometime this year.

Day one for us, along with Zelda.

@shani it's not the traditional graphics discussion with BotW. pop-ins break the immersion and that's really important for games like zelda. i also don't care about super cool effects and such, but if the game doesn't run stable then it sucks. i'm pretty sure there will be more fps drops on wiiU than on switch.

@6ch6ris6 Yeah you're probably right about the fps drops. But I don't mind pop-ins that much (but of course I'd prefer if there weren't any), why would they break the immersion? For me the immersion (in non VR games) is caused through the story, the characters and the liveliness of the world, not through pop-ins and other graphical stuff. Besides, pop-ins are not uncommon in open world games, GTA V on PS3/Xbox 360 was full of pop-ins for example.

BUT - after watching this video...

... I also realized that the Switch version offers a great level of detail, especially for things that are far away like the trees in the background.
The Wii U version also has more fog, which may even prevent too frequent fps drops.

Well, before I was sure that I would buy the Wii U version.
Now I already have three reasons to buy the Switch version (if I should really buy one):

1. region free, which means I can buy the Japanese version (unless every version offers all languages for voice acting)
2. The Gamepad functionality for Wii U was scraped for no reason (but strangely enough, the Sheikah slate, which is basically a Wii U Gamepad, still exists in the game)
3. Higher level of detail

@shani The fog is probably there to cover up the lack of detail in the distance. Or it could be the time of day, think that's more likely. Anyway, yes, the difference is noticeable. I hope it won't affect the gameplay too much in the end.

It's my birthday 2nd March so thought I'd treat myself. However, when comparing the £329.98 price tag (Switch and BotW) to my £35 pre-order of BotW (Wii U) it doesn't feel like much more of a treat. There's a high chance I'll cancel my Switch pre-order and stick with the Wii U for now.

Wikipedia disagrees. Looking at those lists it seems the Switch will have one of the worst launch lineups ever, especially from a first-party point of view.

Well for one, I was speaking more launch window than launch day, second, I was speaking more quality over quantity. There's 4 high selling IPs in the first year (Mario, Zelda, Splatoon, and Mario Kart), and several styles of games that were completely absent on Wii U. And most of what the Wii U has that the Switch doesn't will come eventually. So it's not premature at all to say the Switch's lineup will be better than Wii U's.

If Breath of the Wild wasn't at launch I would have waited but when Amazon pre-orders went live I secured one the same night as the presentation. But I do agree the launch line up is rather poor when you take Zelda out of the equation, I know we got MK8D a month later but thats the thing, its still a month later.

@Monkey_Balls
Are you off your rocker? The Switch is launching with ZELDA. The Wii U launched with . . . a NSMB reskin. And . . . Nintendoland.

But you think this is "one of the worst launch lineups ever"?

The Switch will have freakin' BOMBERMAN in March (launch month), Mario Kart in April, Splatoon in summer, and more RPGs than you can shake a stick at throughout launch/first few months, but you think this is "one of the worst launch lineups ever"?

We have a CONFIRMED 3D Mario seemingly in the vein that everyone has been clamoring for slated for Holiday '17. The Wii U got . . . Pikmin 3 about 6 months into the Wii U's life. PS4 had . . . Knack. Xbox One had . . . Ryse.

How. Please. HOW is the Switch's launch and launch window not one of the most fantastic lineups we've seen in recent memory?

@rallydefault @Bolt_Strike As mentioned, Zelda can be bought for the Wii U. Therefore it's not an essential or (more importantly) system-selling title for Switch. People are getting excited about Bomberman? Really? Mario Kart and Splatoon can be played on Wii U. The new Mario isn't due until holiday 2017 - it's hardly a launch title. It's not even in the launch window.

Look again at the Wii U's launch titles: 34 games in the US, 31 for the UK, 11 in Japan. That's day one, not launch window - more than the entire first year of Switch it seems (US and UK, at least).

I did say "one of the worst", not the worst launch lineup. I can only comment on what we've been shown, coupled with Nintendo's output in recent years. I wish I could share your enthusiasm, guys, but being a bit cautious this time around.

Considering that only 13 million people own a Wii U and that the Wii U is being dropped, it most certainly will be a system seller. There's a lot of gamers that were specifically waiting for this game and since they don't have a Wii U already, there's more incentive to get it on the Switch which is getting more games over the next couple of years as opposed to the Wii U which is dying.

Mario Kart you can argue since it's just a port. But again, it's a port from a system only a handful of people bought, and there's an untapped audience for it.

Splatoon is a sequel though, and it's a different game from the original. Just because it's the same IP doesn't mean it's not a system seller, by that logic nothing should be except 1, 2, Switch and Arms and I'm sure very few people will be buying a Switch for those games. But even still, the same argument applies, for many people this could very well be their first Splatoon game.

Launch window = 1st year of the release.

Yes, for the Wii U. Cheaper system; cheaper game.

As I just posted in the main Switch thread, the Switch is expensive, has few games and limited stock. The Wii U is cheaper, has a larger library and is readily available. BotW is being released on both. I guarantee Wii U sales will go up come March 3rd.

Those games didn't help the Wii U to sell so why would they help the Switch to sell? Plus, with increased Wii U sales due to BotW, surely those buyers will also purchase the cheaper versions of Splatoon and Mario Kart for that system instead? Plus with free online. More reasons to not need to buy a Switch.

A launch window is definitely not one year. It's typically three to four months after release date.

If it were as simple as that we'd still be playing Game Boys.

The Wii U, the gimmicky console that had terrible third party support, is going to see an increase in sales? People actually believe this? No, there's going to be much more interest in the Switch version. There's much more interest in the Switch as a console. And yeah, it has less games, but guess what? New consoles tend to have less games. Shocker. What matters more is that the Switch is going to have a future whereas BotW is most certainly the Wii U's last hurrah, so they're going to be more inclined to spend their money on a Switch so they can play future games.

Because the Switch is less gimmicky and has a future.

Launch window is pretty much whatever they announce out of the gate. Three to four months is too short for a launch window.

I didn't realise that BotW was available for the Game Boy.

Here in the UK, Switch pre-orders can be found everywhere. There is hardly any interest. Look around on gaming forums or YouTube. The general consensus regarding Zelda - a much anticipated game - is "I'll get the Wii U version", even by folk who don't yet have a Wii U. The console is cheaper. The game (BotW) is cheaper. It has a bigger library of games. Of course Wii U sales will increase when BotW is released.

I guess you didn't watch the Nintendo Treehouse, in particular the part where they showed folk milking cows or eating baguettes.

And a year is too long for a launch window. Let's compromise and say it's six months. Regardless, have a read of this.

Way to miss the point. People don't automatically go for the cheaper console, there's way more factors involved than that.

Yeah no, I'm seeing nothing of the sort. And again, being cheaper is not the end all be all of console sales. Older consoles tend to be cheaper, that doesn't mean people want them. If they were going to get a Wii U, they would've decided that already. The console's been out for 4 years, they knew exactly what they were getting. BotW wouldn't suddenly change people's minds, especially when we've known it's coming for most of the Wii U's lifespan.

I'm talking about the console, not its games. Unlike the Wii U, the Switch can easily function as a normal controller. That was a major factor in the Wii U's failure, and should help the Switch do better.

No it's not too long. Like I said, it's whatever they announce at launch. That typically spans about a year.

And as for that link, again, quality over quantity. Show me another console that has 4 mega sellers in its first year. Several of which we didn't see in 8th gen at all.

After all my initial complaints and hard feelings about certain issues I have come to the conclusion to buy as early as I will be able to. It probably wont be march 3d, though - gotta do some car repairs and on top of that car insurance will need to be renewd.
I think nintendo will do a great job with the switch. Botw will most likely be goty, mk8 and splatoon 2 will again be awesome online games and even get me to pay that fee for playing. Xenoblade 2 is a no brainer for me. Fe warriors maybe not so tempting but still interesting. Super Mario awesome holiday game. Dragon quest 11 looks beautiful, not interested in hereos though. What else can we expect? The pikmin reboot maybe. In the end I think there is no reason for a purchase delay other than financial issues.