Topic: The Nintendo Switch? More like the Nintendo Port U.

My biggest gripe with this whole port thing is that if people had known that all these WiiU games would have been re-released three years later on a newer, more popular and (arguably) better system, nobody in their right mind would have bought a WiiU in the first place.

Ports might be fine on certain occasions, but taking an almost entire library and moving it to another system feels like a slap in the face. And it's baffling that the people who are okay with this are the people who praise, and defend, and fight for exclusivity in console gaming (if a game appears on multiple system is not exclusive to a certain console anymore is it?), people who scream bloody murder if an exclusive game goes multi-plat or if their console of choice gets given the lesser version of a certain port. Some of you folks are confused as usual - you preach one thing and then do the opposite.

It also sets a dangerous precedent - if your console fails, simply take the whole library and move it to the next system 3 years later, thus nullifying any concept of exclusivity and giving people LESS reason to buy a current console. In light of recent events, I must conclude that if the Switch suddenly stops selling (you never know what can happen in the current market), then all the decent Switch games released so far will be recycled for the next system!?

@ieatdragonz True, but it kind of confirms that they're not going to mercilessly wield the axe on the 3DS like they did with the WiiU at least (this year anyway)

_{(Plus, my girlfriend - who still regularly plays 3DS - only let me watch the Direct livestream yesterday because it featured some new content for her system-of-choice...so for purely selfish reasons, I hope they keep it around for a while yet! )}

@spizzamarozzi by the same token people would have done the same with the tens of PS3 and 360 games ported to PS4 and XBONE, even though these were successful consoles. I think you're overthinking it. Nintendo is just following an industry trend: they use remasters to fill their release schedule knowing that they require minimal effort and that they can sell them as "complete" or "deluxe" editions. A very quick glance at how many ports the other consoles had would easily prove my point, and I'm saying this as a Wii U owner who sometimes wonders the exact same thing you expressed, i.e. why did I buy some of these games on the Wii U? But then I think that I got to play them and enjoy them when they came out and only wish that people will get the same enjoyment even if they buy their ported versions.

@spizzamarozzi From what I can tell your gripes are on the video game market as a whole. We are in a generation that is not about "You can only play this on this system because of Power/motion controls/online." Instead we are in a generation of preference.

Let me show an example with another failed system of Nintendo's, the Virtual Boy. Unlike the Wii U the games on the Virtual Boy could only really be played on the Virtual boy. Wario Land would've been a great addition to the gameboy color or even the GBA. But because it was locked to the system, it was lost.

Now back to the Wii U, what games are truly locked to the console? I can only think of Nintendo Land, Wii Fit U, and The downloadable Wii Sports U. Nintendo Developers themselves had no idea of the Switch, yet they refused to take advantage of the gamepad. Why? Cause it's a waste of development, you are making a game, not a tech demo. As we see now, its even more of a waste of development because games like Captain Toad have to patch out touch controls.

The Switch is a preference, are you okay with playing some older games, some newer ones, but now portably? PC is the same, do you want to micromanage many things for your games because you want the experience catered to you specifically? Xbox One and PS4 are also the same, do you want a simple pick up and play experience with pretty good graphics? The only real thing that seperates the three is power, which devs have proven to be a non-issue (most of the time).

I do agree I am a little scared for the next generation, and if all PS4 XBONE and Switch games will be ported over, success or not. But to say no it shouldn't happen seems wrong. Would you prefer every game be locked to VR? I know I sure as hell wouldn't.

If a console fails because of the lack of good games it would be useless anyway. If a console fails despite actually having good games, only because of hardware's fault, it makes perfect sense.

@gortsi the main difference is that PS3 had hundreds of half decent games, so even if they ported tens of them, they weren't really affecting the big bulk of the PS3 library. Not just that but with so many must have PS3 games, even hardcore Sony fans must have found something new to play among the remasters. Virtually, you could buy a PS3 tomorrow and still find hundreds of good games that are exclusive to that platform.

Here things are different because the WiiU had a very small number of exclusive must-play games and Nintendo nearly ported all of them. Almost the whole library has been duplicated. The WiiU might as well have never existed. And this is not a (over)thought, it's a fact.

@gortsi Couldn't have said it any better, but I'll put in my two cents anyways, and while I'm at it, I'll slap this great video in here again as well. SO. MUCH. LOGIC.

@spizzamarozzi No offense, but you and other people are taking all of this WAY to personal. You have to look at this from a business point of view: what would you do if you were Nintendo? And REALLY think about it, and don't say that you wouldn't do the same, because that would be nonsense.

The Wii U sold really badly, and they've invested millions upon millions in all the games they made for it, and you can bet your behind that they didn't even get close to recouping all of the costs they made on manufacturing, distributing and marketing those games.

And seeing as only so few people actually bought a Wii U, it's no more than logical that Nintendo tries to give these games a second chance, to REALLY shine, on a platform that actually DOES sell very well and is highly popular. It's really a very simple conclusion to come to, if you take the time to think about it in a more objective way, instead of as a burned Wii U owner...

@spizzamarozzi No backwards compatibility is the bigger factor rather than the Wii U's commercial performance. Look at the XB1 for example, that had lots of Xbox 360 ports in its early life cycle and the Xbox 360 was a very successful console. There were fewer Xbox 360 ports released after Microsoft added their version of backwards compatibility.

Whether lots of Switch ports come to the Switch's successor depends significantly on whether it has the same architecture as the Switch.

On the same note, no one complains about ports when it's a part of virtual console.

But nobody bought the Wii U anyway so it's kinda irrelevant.

@spizzamarozzi oh I don't disagree with you, I have a PS3 myself and greatly enjoyed, even though a lot of the stuff has been ported over. But as @ThanosReXXX said, it's purely a business decision, nothing more, nothing less. @ieatdragonz also correctly pointed out the lack of backwards compatibility as another factor. We have all come to accept that the Wii U was a failure that could not be saved. At the same time it was host to some wonderful games that I think would be unfair to be forever lost as it inevitably fades away.

@ThanosReXXX that the thing. If you look at ports being moved to switch on a pure business angle then I really don't see how anyone can say it's a bad move.

Actually I think some people actually would rather Nintendo don't release Wii U ports even if it's makes money. Small minority would rather these games don't get released just so so they are happy.

@jump That's fair, because they're not counted as new releases. If you don't count them on Switch, you're left with Mario Tennis, Kirby... and Labo I guess? But that game targets an entirely different demographic. And that's the ''issue'' most people have I think. The first half of 2018 has been pretty quiet on the first party front.

@gortsi @kobashi100 Indeed. And stranger still, as is also mentioned in the video I posted, even though people complain about ports, they still DO want Virtual Console and GameCube support. If that isn't the epitomy of putting old games on a new system, then I don't know what is...

@Shellcore https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ti-i40Ez6KY

Is this not Bayonetta 3's trailer even? Unless this doesn't count because not showing gameplay I guess?

What gets me is that people act like there aren't a lot of new games on Switch, which is objectively untrue. There ARE a lot of ports, sure, and I'm in the crowd that likes that. I had the Wii U but getting these games enhanced and on the go is a big bonus for me. But a lot of the games coming are new to Nintendo. Take Doom or Crash for example! Ports, yes, but new to the console and the company itself.

In terms of first party games, things have been a little quieter for this first half of the year, but there are still some big first party new titles coming up that have already been announced! Mario Tennis, Kirby, Yoshi, Labo, Metroid, Pokemon, Fire Emblem, and finally SMASH (which I maintain will be a new entry in the franchise). A lot of people complain I think because a lot of these games don't target THEIR demographic, or because the latest direct didn't give updates or new info on some of these titles, or they didn't announce anything else that is important to them. I get that disappointment, but don't act like there aren't a ton of great new games to play on Switch, because that's just BS. Also, the holiday is the big money making time for these companies. E3 is where the bigger franchise announcements are going to be, 100%.

It is a bit of an overthought...the WiiU had a unique 'second screen' feature - and, so far, any game that used that feature as a core gameplay mechanic hasn't been (and likely won't be) considered a suitable candidate for porting. In that regard, the WiiU will always have its identity - and unique games - but any software that could 'make the Switch' without overly compromising the experience is fair game, I feel.

As others have said, it's the smart business play - and also, from an artistic perspective, I think it's only right that a developers' work gets to be enjoyed by as broad an audience as possible...it'd be pretty disheartening to think that you'd worked for several years on something great, only for it to have been a bit of a flop (because the hardware it was released on) and that it was in some way 'trapped' on that system, never to be seen or heard of again. I think that it's great that stuff gets given a 'second chance', or even just a chance to reach a different audience.

@spizzamarozzi Why is this a slap in the face? You can still go back and play these games on your WiiU instead, if you want. But a lot of Nintendo fans didn't get to play some of these really excellent titles because they didn't have a WiiU-- what's wrong with giving them the chance to? Not everything should be catered to hardcore Nintendo fans who buy every console. I had a Wii U and I'm glad they're porting all these games. I bought several but didn't have a chance for one reason or another to get my hands on a lot of these titles. Now I can, and in handheld mode! That doesn't have to be a feature you care about, but to act like it's some sort of personal betrayal by Nintendo to give people a chance to play really good games that they previously wouldn't have had access to is really bizarre.

@darkfenrir doesn't count unfortunately

@Yorumi Well, that's a fair enough point, so I agree to owners perhaps being eligible for some kind of discount, but knowing Nintendo, that'll probably not happen anytime soon.

And I too have a Wii U, and even though I don't have a Switch yet, I'll definitely buy one, and I'll personally just skip the games I already have on the Wii U. And I don't feel burned or disadvantaged, because I understand the why and I welcome a broader catalog to the Switch, regardless of whether or not all of these games are of interest to me personally.

It's like the video I posted said: Don't want these ports? Simply skip them. But if you DO want them, for whatever reason, then having to pay the price again comes with the territory. I would simply sell my Wii U versions, if I would be inclined to buy the Switch versions instead, but I'm the guy that keeps all of his consoles, so I probably wouldn't, because then I would have a Wii U without any games...