Topic: Is Nintendo resting on its laurels?

@skywake

1st, it's not because a game is not above 90% on metacritic that its not a good exclusive. So I even dunno why you came on that 90%...

2nd, I don't compare the work that you have to do when you take an SD game and rebuilt it from the ground in HD, with an already HD game that you port in HD too.

3rd, Rayman Legends (like a lot of other multiplat on the Wii U, Deus EX, Resident Revelations, Mass Effect 3 etc...) have several additions via the gamepad use. So basically, there is a benefit to play those versions. On the Switch, the multiplats offer LESS (framerate, textures etc... than the other platforms). It's a little bit different ! ^^

4th, the Wii U had a lot of great exclusives from the start. It's not the case of the Switch.

5th, the Wii U games that 90% of the gamers didn't care during the Wii U era became by god knows what miracle, AWESOME GAMES on the Switch... this is insane.

What are the exclusives since the beginning of this year ?

A mediocre Kirby
A mediocre Mario Tennis
A cardboard game
and ?

Fortunatly Square Enix save July with Octopath Traveler but god, 8 MONTHS between Xenoblade 2 and Octopath Traveler... 8 freakin' months... unacceptable from my perspective.

Even so it's not particularly unusual to have to wait this long for a "real" Pokemon game to appear on a new console. I'd argue it's actually kinda typical and if anything they're pushing for Switch a bit harder than they have previous consoles. Case and point X&Y launched in late 2013, a good two and a half years after the launch of the 3DS. More in line with when the "proper" Pokemon on Switch is going to launch.

Very easy to look at the early life of a console in comparison to EOL platforms and complain about the library. Much harder when you actually look at the timeline. All I know is that 511 days after launch I have brought more games for Switch than I had for the Wii or Wii U at the equivalent point. All three of which I brought at launch. I also know that, despite buying more games on Switch, I'm being more picky about which games I get. On the Wii U I wouldn't have skipped a game like Mario & Rabbids, on the Switch I found myself getting Splatoon 2 a good 6 months after it came out.

Perspective. Easy to make a list of things to whine about if you're in a mood. Much harder to actually find a reason to complain about where the Switch is at currently relative to previous consoles. Especially from a software output point of view.

Metacritic rating is the most objective measure we have. If you want to complain that one game should count more or less we end up endlessly debating the merits of blah, blah, blah. I don't care. The fact is the Switch has a good number of games that have received universal acclaim from critics. No amount of hand waving from you can change that fact.

As a consumer I couldn't care less how much effort was required. The only thing I care about is how new the game is to me personally. And while I owned a Wii U not a lot of other people did, to them these are brand new experiences. If you're dismissing BotW on Switch as a port I'm sure as hell going to dismiss Wind Waker HD.

This is why I'm using metacritic ratings and not personal opinions. As far as I'm concerned being fully portable makes games like Bayonetta, Rocket League, Mario Kart 8 worth buying again. I'm sure the same is true for games I haven't picked up like Doom, Skyrim etc even if there is a bit of a performance hit.

I'd also add that none of the games I listed earlier perform worse on Switch. All of the ones that were ported from Wii U perform better on Switch i.e. BotW, Mario Kart 8, Bayonetta. All of the others you were dismissing are indie releases which hit 60fps without issue, most of them aren't on Wii U and all of them benefit from portability.

It really didn't

Difference between Wii U and Switch game rating on metacritic for "Wii U ports":
Mario Kart 8: +4%
Shovel Knight: +3%
DKC TF: +3%
BotW: +1%
Bayonetta 2: +1%
Captain Toad: +1%
Fast Racing Neo/RMX: 0%
Axiom Verge: -2%
Lego City Undercover: -2%
RE Revelations: -2%
Rayman Legends: -8%

There's obviously more interest now because more people have a Switch than had a Wii U. But in terms of critical reception? Overall not really much of a difference. Certainly not from not caring at all to thinking these are the best games ever.

@Cobalt
3rd: You can see it that way, but then the Switch is probably not really meant for you. The main advantage every port/multiplatform game on the Switch has is portability. This is the main feature of the Switch after all. And having games on the go is a HUGE additional feature for many, so why do you question that?

5th: I don't think anyone ever questioned the quality of the Wii U games in the first place. It's just that no one bought them, because no one owned a Wii U. It is different with the Switch. Why would Nintendo hesitate to release the Wii U's best games on Switch? People can buy them that would have otherwise not been able to play them. It doesn't lower anythings value. It just makes sense.

One would suspect that sales figures kind of underline the aspect that there are many people liking the Switch and the games available. You can disqualify Mario Tennis and Kirby and whatever from being a worthwhile game, but that is very subjective and you cannot argue that those are no games that were made, liked and bought at all by anyone. Your perception is no universal truth.

@skywake:
I really like how you argue very rationally.

I'll also add this graph while I'm here. Note that this is as of today for all three platforms shown. Wii U, 3DS and Switch. So the Switch is at a massive disadvantage given that those other platforms have had years to build up a library. Yet it still has more games and in particular games rated highly.

@Tiefseemiez

The portability could be great IF :

-you could play outside when it's sunny day because if looking at the screen of my phone is absolutly possible, I can't with the one of the Switch (the screen is not treated against sunlight, it's a little stupid for a portable device)

-you could experience your games on the go without a downgrade espacially when these games are not polished even when you play docked... Xenoblade 2 is the perfect example. The game has issues when docked but goshhh, in the portable mode is just unacceptable. There are some places, I thought that my Switch was broken that bad it was... :/

So yeah, portability, portability, port a bi li ty is not really a working promise from my perspective. Sure it's nice as a concept but in the real world it's not that great...

@skywake

What's the date of that graph ?

reading comprehension....

Oh go suck a lemon, the portability is great. The whine about performance is a load of bollocks especially when the console you've been comparing it to is the Wii U. The Wii U was not only far less portable but it also performed worse on the TV than the Switch does undocked.

@Cobalt
Well, there can always be made improvements, sure.
I enjoy playing with the Switch outside and I especially enjoyed playing Xenoblade 2 on the go.

That is what I meant: Your perception is not a universal truth. We both did the same thing, but you are botheres by it and I wasn't. Many people think the Switch is great because of its portability, many do not. Since it is the main selling point of the Switch, you are probably out of luck and should have considered purchasing a brand new portable console in beforehand. After a while you could have decided if the concept of the console and the games offered on it are for you or instead are not.

@skywake

"Oh go suck a lemon, the portability is great. The whine about performance is a load of bollocks especially when the console you've been comparing it to is the Wii U. The Wii U was not only far less portable but it also performed worse on the TV than the Switch does undocked.

You mean a 2012 system with a technology of 2007 perform less than a 2017 system with the latest portable GPGPU + double of RAM ? NOOOOOOO, O RLY ?

Sorry but this is ridiculous, it's even more ridiculous when you can clearly see that there is not a HUGE GAP between the 2 systems... LMAO

@Tiefseemiez

I'm agree with you but when I buy NINTENDO, is because I love NINTENDO's games.
So, the portability is a "gadget" for me because the main reason is NINTENDO GAMES.

I'm still waiting for them sadly...

@Cobalt
Which ones are you waiting for?
I understand that there is a big part of Nintendo's fanbase that does not care what system they make, as long as it has their IPs. But have they ever been faster at releasing them? I mean it takes time to develop a game and you cannot deny that they released quite a couple of games so far?
Even if they could it would be really unwise to release all of their main franchises at once.
And I prefer having a great iteration every few years rather than a lackluster one every year (which happened to other franchises).

I was surprised to learn that today apparently it already counts as a comeback when a musician does release an album after a "break" of one year. Most of the musicians I like take 2-4 years in between albums.
But there is other music to listen to and other things to do. So I am happy when they release new music, even if it took them years.

Nope. Phil Spencer, on stage during the MS E3 conference this year briefly mentioned that the next Xbox was in development. He called it, "Xbox Scarlet". Although I doubt that'll be the final product name, it's probably just the project codename, like how the Switch was known as Nintendo NX before it was unveiled. The next Xbox will probably be called Xbox Two or Xbox One-Two, or something equally uninspired.

@Tiefseemiez

I'm waiting for METROID PRIME 4 even if I admit that I'm freakin' scared because of Bandai/Namco...
for Bayonetta 3, for a return of 1080 snowboarding, wave race, F ZERO, a Wario Platformer, a 3D donkey Kong, why not a 2D zelda (I'd killed for that ^^) pfff there is so much you can do with the awesome IPs they have. And to conclude, NEW IPS ! I want Nintendo to surprise me, the same way they did in the past.

You know, to be honest with you, I'm sad to see the sells of the Switch... I know it sounds crazy to say that kind of things BUT it's like a system can sell not because of the real potential of it but only through a BUZZ, a good buzz...

I feel like there is more and more people who don't think by themselves but who just copy and paste the dominant doxa... I think it's really sad...

PS : I wish Nintendo a huge success but for the good reasons, being Nintendo means something to me and that's never gonna change...

We're talking specifically about portable play. Yes it is indeed impressive that I can play games on a portable system at similar specs to what I would've been playing on a home console 5-10 years prior. Because portable systems released prior to the Switch were always 10-15 years behind. The 3DS is behind the Gamecube, the DS was closer to the N64, the GBA was a portable SNES. The Switch is a Wii U Pro or a 360++. It's impressive.

You know what's actually ridiculous? That you keep saying the Wii U had a much stronger start when...

Idk what you use them for @Cobalt, but for me, the portability is useful... even in house. Yes, in house and I refuse to use a TV or get a TV is silly to think of right?

Have you played Vita or 3DS before playing some games on Switch? Portability has always come with compromise... there's a reason why even laptops are pricier than a PC for the same specs, because it's... portable, but you can plug a laptop with a monitor to make it akin to 'home console' experience.

Actually just realised that laptop and Switch are quite comparable, only that Switch is smaller and much, much more comfortable to game on and that it's small enough to be brought around if you have decent enough bag for it.

It's just that no matter how much you crow about Wii U's being better than the Switch... I... can't see that? Like I honestly can't think that. After 4 years, even if we don't count exclusives, Wii U didn't offer me anything better than Switch (yes, I'm saying ME not you).

Can Wii U allow me to play all the games I currently own on the go? Breath of the Wild, Xenoblade 2, Wizard of Legend, YsVIII Lacrimosa of Dana, Octopath Traveler, Shining Resonance: Refrain, Dead Cells? Will it be able to play these future games I'm aiming? Little Dragon's Cafe, The World Ends With You, Torna's Story DLC, Starlink, Let's Go Eevee, Tales of Vesperia, Daemon x Machina?

Here's the value I have for Wii U... only Xenoblade X and Tokyo Mirage Session, because I have to be tethered to the Wii U itself, the multiplats are easier at my own laptop, then look at the exclusives... why should I play tethered to the Wii U and TV if I can play them on Switch? Just doesn't make sense at all.

Sorry if I'm sounding rude to you but it just feels a ton like you really dislike Switch's existence :v

@darkfenrir

You're not rude dude, it's ok !

I understand your point, and it's great, I swear.
But like you say, we are all different, we all think different even if we are all basically the same. ^^
We want to have fun, right ?

@Cobalt Yeah, it's just that in my eyes the Switch is very fine, and the list of games I wanted out of it is just getting too big for me to play (Well, I'll definitely play all the games, it's just a slow progress)

It's just that as a whole, I find Switch... is great piece of technology. The fact I can play all of these indies AND JRPG on the go without compromising much? It's a dream! Heck, I know I was leaning to even get GPD Win for the portability, and then I went and grab Switch instead... no regrets.

I have always been with the portable side of gaming world, so the fact I can play these games I want to play portably now... it's pretty much love in first play.

Being able to think something different doesn't make it any more correct. When people say that they're entitled to their opinions all they're saying is that it's physically possible for them to hold that view. The act of believing that the Switch has no games won't result in you being struck down by lightning. This is true. Same with saying that what it can do in portable mode is not impressive. But a wise person would say "well damn, you make a good point. I was wrong". Because you are quite literally measurably and provably wrong.

I think the Switch is comfortable where it is. It's not directly competing in the power console market, nor the PC market, but rather its own thing.