Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

@BLP_Software
Good luck! Maybe in a few months or this time next year you'll be in a better place and can see what the system has grown into.

But I am with @skywake on this. We're 2 weeks into the system's life, and so far it's pretty much like every other system I've ever owned. It launched. It has some games I want to play. It's gonna get some more in the coming months. End of story.

But everyone is different, and I know you have very different decisions to make because of your education in game programming.

Not if you obsessively dust it down!

Seriously though - if it's an issue of your work life as a small independent games developer that you've assessed the Switch and found it's not the right platform for your business then that's a shame but your viewpoint is (or rather should be) very different from the viewpoint of a typical consumer. You're looking for things that don't matter to most people buying a console.

From an outsider it looks to me as if Nintendo has taken a curated approach to "indies" - they've pursued small partners with a proven record of success (like Yacht Club Games and Shin'en) but smaller players have been frozen out to an extent. I don't know the business logic but then, being brutally honest, I buy very few "small name" indies because, even when I like the concept and I feel like I'd enjoy playing them, I don't have the time to play them. It's a really difficult business I think. Hopefully things work out well for you professionally.

I think that, despite what it may seem, Nintendo hadn't really fundamentally changed much, if at all. We'll still see them isolate third parties, drip feed content on the eshop, and see them market to the same people they've been marketing to in the long run.

I'd love to be proven wrong in the future though. I'm. Just skeptical until I see some real changes in their personality

@rallydefault @StuTwo Its a little of both. For the business side this thing is working out to be a mess and I cant sit on it too long.

From a consumer stand point, well that comes into the business side.

My funding comes from me. My pocket. ANd things lately have cocked up because of my landlord (Yaaay). So that's one issue and my goal as stated here in the past, was to crowdfund to cover any gaps.

But I cant do that. I'm not the kind of guy who says "Yeah, coming to Switch" lets crowdfund it only for Nintendo to do what its doing. I don't want to do any consumers over.

I bought the Switch before my landlord randomly decided I needed to pay more rent for some reason. Apaprently it wasn't enough or some BS but whatever.

You know, for my desire to see Switch succeed, there is one tale I will tell because its both infuriating and hilarious.

So for an assignment at uni I had to, as part of it, create a feasible concept of of something in the future. And me, being me, did one based on past trends of phones and PCs getting smaller and portable, and Nintendo having peripherals to paly handheld stuff on console, and console ports to handhelds, and the ever closing gap over time.

I basically said, as my feasible concept of something in the future, that based on that and other tech, Nintendo would release a hybrid system.

I lost marks for that. I actually did. Said it wouldn't happen and there was no basis for it. Yet here we are.

@Operative2-0 I don't think too many folks would disagree with this; Nintendo do come up with novel ideas that has an universal appeal for their platforms - be it a home console or a portable device - as the DS (dual screen) and the Wii (remote control) has successfully proven.

Their actual sense of business, though, is very much the same.

The last time Nintendo had a consistently healthy amount of third party suppport was on the GameCube, which is a shy over sixteen years ago now. The Wii had a LOT of games, but most of them were catered to the mini-games and party crowd, for better or worse.

Likewise.

I bought (or was gifted) a DS lite, a Wii, a 3DS XL and a Wii U all within their first year on sale. I have been a Nintendo fan since the N64 and GameCube days!

The Nintendo Switch is the first one I have felt little compulsion to buy (yet). I still have my Wii U to play its swan song, and outside of Super Mario Odyssey, I know so little about its line up in both the near and foreseeable future. I simply don't see any tent-pole third party games making an appearance on it either.

I'm quite content with accepting that Nintendo will inevitably release the kind of games that makes it worth me buying their newest toy however, saying that, I can no longer exclusively own a Nintendo platform like I used to in the past, when I fully well know that I am missing out on all these games on the other side.

Everybody sees things differently though.

@Peek-a-boo very well written. I'm the same. I'm a huge Nintendo fan. I love the hardware they put out. I just wish they did more to make their consoles fleshed out. That said, their games are always top notch and I never regret owning their hardware in retrospect. They just need time to build up their library as they do each generation

I'm just a huge Nintendo fan. I'm aware of it. It's just that i was raised with Super Mario World, playing it with my brother. I think it's pretty reasonable so, i love it so much. So it's just normal for me to buy Switch on D1. And Zelda was a pretty good reason too, it helped really a lot

Yea, it was about the PS2/Gamecube era when it became clear that Nintendo was not going to be keeping up in terms of media capability, online, etc.

And it's REALLY coming back to bite them, because that's the direction the mainstream went, and Nintendo got left behind and seemingly are intent on not changing.

It's weird, though, because the Wii U really did have most things: Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, YouTube, etc. They had the "big" ones, at least. They even tried the Tvii thing or whatever. But it's clear with the lack of this stuff on the Switch that they still don't "get it," or they're not willing to pay to get those services. It could be a reason why many people write off the Switch from a purchase, honestly.

I really don't know if the Switch is going to work out. They had a fine launch, but now the numbers from Japan are already sharply declining. Whether that is due to stock limits or just the time of the year, who knows, but I think April and Mario Kart Deluxe are going to be really crucial in telling us if the demand is actually there for this system.

I had decided to hold off on a Switch and was really looking forward to adding Breath of the Wild to my Wii U collection, but I'm so pleased I went the other way now. The Switch is great, the games will come, and I've been able to play at least snippets of Zelda everyday since release, which wouldn't have happened with my Wii U version.

The bulk of Nintendo's software effort is going to go on this thing over the next few years. When the first mainline Pokemon game hits Switch exclusively it'll likely sell 5 million units on its own. I just don't see the point in holding off on one if you want to play Zelda because you get that rare feeling that comes from playing one of the greatest games ever made on a new, snazzy piece of hardware, that just happens to be take-anywhere.

@rallydefault Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't they say they were getting streaming services like Netflix just a few days ago?

They said they were in talks. I'm sure they'll show up eventually

@gcunit
I never understood people waiting in the first place. Unless a person is genuinely unsure they'll end up wanting one... but if a person knows they're gonna buy it eventually, why wait? At best you save like $50 on a (potential) price drop in a couple years. Why sacrifice 2 years of enjoyment (and everying that comes with it like playing on the go, continuing your game when you leave then seamlessly transitioning back to TV) for a lousy fifty bucks... Idk, that's why I always, always, always buy day one.

I tell ya, Switch has already proven its worth for me. The system goes everywhere I go now. Every day I play Zelda at work, and show the system off and talk Zelda with my coworker who bought one (initially for Skyrim portably but then also for Zelda once he saw the trailer)... it's a constant good time with Switch around. It never fails to strike up a conversation with people, and in tabletop mode it's the next best thing to playing at home. Idk how we lasted so long on dinky little handhelds... now that I've experienced true, quality gaming on the go with those detachable Joycons, man...

And just to play Zelda with the Joycons is worth having it. Gosh I love those things. Tried Pro Controller and was like yup, feels great for a traditional controller but traditional controllers just don't cut it for me anymore. I can't wait til they figure out how to connect both Joycons as a single set on PC, cause I'm gonna play everything with these Joycons once they do.

Well, at this moment in time, there are a handful of things to consider:

• It's quite expensive; not everybody is lucky enough to be able to walk into a shop and afford to buy the Nintendo Switch at present.
• Apart from Breath of the Wild, as glowing as the reception it has received is, what else is there to play? I - and many others - can happily play the very same game on our trusty old Wii U!
• The launch window is a little bit bare bones. This time next year, however, the catalogue will be far more compelling, and you won't have to worry about any immediate software drought either.
• Hardware issues are looked upon, fixed and improved over time. There's a saying in the technology community that those day one owners are the 'beta testers', which is somewhat true.
• Some folks own other consoles and may well be quite content with its current selection of games.

Me personally, I prefer to wait until there is at least four or five games I like the look of (and wish to play) before I begin to consider buying said system. I find the idea of buying a console for just one game rather inconceivable, but that's just me.

You are clearly happy with yours, and that's great! Enjoy your new toy.

Sonic Mania is delayed until summer

Yeah, not everyone is lucky enough to have disposable income where just buying a console they might or might not use alot during its first year is possible.

People want to know that the $300+ they spend will be worth it. If they feel one game isn't enough to justify the price, that's a perfectly valid reason to hold off.

@JaxonH Because I'm getting that Mario Odyssey bundle that saves me €50! On a more serious note, I don't have a reason to get a Switch right now. I've got Zelda for my Wii U, so I'm all set to go. Don't think ARMS is a system seller for me, and neither is Splatoon with paid online services. The last thing I want is buying a system to collect dust for 6-9 months. And maybe we're getting an updated model for the holiday season. I don't mean a Switch Lite or anything like that, but it happened with the PS4 too, the older models are a bit noisier than the newer models (not the Slim or Pro versions). Maybe they improve the Joy-Con issues or improve the dock a bit, you never know! And since I have no reason to get one today, I might as well wait.

Project Sonic 2017 is now known as Sonic Forces.

And everyone was saying Forces would be the delayed one. Welp!

I don't get the name Sonic Forces. Unless there is a war going on. I mean could be looking at that trailer.

Also, poor Sonic 4. It had zones with new names, new mechanics in each act, and apart from aesthetics, were separate beasts from what they drew inspiration from if they weren't completely unique zones full stop like White Park.

Yet Sonic Mania is getting praise for mixing new zones, which 4 also had, and bringing back old zones again. No new names or anything to differentiate. Straight up old levels.

But whatever. Nice to see Flying Battery Zone.

@Octane
Reasonable logic.

For me though, $300 is barely half the extra disposable income from a single paycheck. I'll buy it now, enjoy Zelda, FAST Racing RMX, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Arms, Ultra Street Fighter II and Sonic Mania, Splatoon 2, Skyrim, (hopefully!) Xenoblade 2, Fire Emblem Warriors, and then at the end of the year, if they do have an upgraded model, I'll buy it and sell this one. Or keep it as a spare. No Joycon issues so don't need that improved.

I dare say it may be the only system I'll be playing this entire year. The PS4 and X1 backlog is already starting to grow with games I'll simply never get around to playing because there's so much to play on Switch this year, and with being able to play at work too, it's going to keep me gaming nonstop around the clock.

To be honest if MK8 Deluxe wasn't coming out in April, I'd probably have waited post-E3 for Switch. But as it is, I'll hopefully have a Switch on April 10th of which I'll start my library with indie games (FAST RMX, the one that looks like Advance Wars, etc.) rather than have BotW for both platforms.