Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

@skywake Yeah, I believe that 3 different studios currently make (mainline) Call of Duty games - each on a 3 year rotation, so that there's a new installment to the franchise annually - with each game presumably taking ≈3years to develop...

CoD has different teams.

• Infinity Ward: CoD (2003), CoD 2 (2005), CoD 4 Modern Warfare (2007), Modern Warfare 2 (2009), Modern Warfare 3 (2011), Ghosts (2013), Infinite Warfare (2016)
• Treyarch: CoD 3 (2006), World at War (2008), Black Ops (2010), Black Ops 2 (2012), Black Ops 3 (2015)
• Sledgehammer Games: Modern Warfare 3 (2011), Advanced Warfare (2014), WWII (2017)

So developers had a 2 year cycle but that increased to a 3 year cycle starting with Advanced Warfare.

Guess I was wrong then. I figured they used the same graphics and physics engine and merely had to build a few new maps and character models each time. I figured that's why each iteration of games like CoD and Assassin's Creed looks so similar.

Well, now you know! Of course, that's not the reason why the games aren't on Switch. PS4 and Xbox One didn't have their first year devoid of third party titles. If Nintendo gave them a dev kit, and they and Activision wanted it to happen, it would have happened.

I think the main reason is that third parties don't want to waste resources on a system that could flop. On top of that, the Switch is probably the most expensive to develop for, and would also be the console with the least amount of profits (low install base and reluctance to buy third party games). In terms of profits, they're probably not missing out by not developing for Switch right now.

@Octane All true. But my original point is that this goes to show that, even when Nintendo gets it right, they're always gonna be fighting an uphill battle to get third party support. I suppose they could have made the NX an Xbox One clone of power, but even then, with Nintendo's reputation, it probably wouldn't have made a difference.

I bought a Switch this week and so far I like it. I have downloaded Fast RMX, Kamiko, Graceful Explosion Machine, Snake Pass and Samurai Shodown IV as well as all the demos that are currently available. Haven't touched Kamiko or Snake Pass yet. Focusing on couple of games at the time.

Haven't played on my TV yet. Seems like too much of a hassle to set up the dock for someone who has hard time turning on TV to play on Wii U. (I'm not really that lazy otherwise.)

I've had no trouble playing with my sister on the handheld screen. It's big enough for me. I tend to watch videos on my phone too so it's not that different. If you haven't yet, download Spelunker World demo from Japanese eShop. It's a fun multiplayer game with lots of levels to try out.

@Octane
PS4 and X1 first year included Call of Duty, but there were a fair few games that continued to release on PS3 and 360. I remember thinking "come on, why isn't this on PS4" constantly. Obviously it had far more than Switch is getting, but then again those franchises have had 10+ years of releasing on those systems, with sales to back them up. Switch doesn't.

I'm honestly surprised Nintendo has been able to secure what it has. Alot (I'd say most) AAA games don't have a large enough dedicated market on Nintendo to be viable, and certainly not in it's fledgling infancy with install base in the single digits. What support may come, it likely won't come until late 2018 or beyond, simply because Switch will need to prove it's on a path to success, and then, after development begins, it'll take at least a year (likely more) for those games to start surfacing.

So I'm not sure why people act so surprised at these games not coming, given the low install base, historical lack of market demand, less power and Nintendo's suffocating chokehold on the release lineup with top tier game after top tier game.

That all said, there is Skyrim, Rocket League, Street Fighter, Monster Hunter, Bomberman (fact Konami is supporting is encouraging), Disgaea, I Am Setsuna and Lost Sphear and Project Octopath Traveller, Dragon Quest Heroes and DQXI, Sonic Mania and Forces, Lego games galore, Steep and Rayman (Ubisoft is just carefully choosing games catering to the market), NIS games like Disgaea 5 or Tohou Kobuto V, Mario Kingdom Battle and FE Warriors (3rd party games of Nintendo IP is a great way to get exclusive support that actually sells), expanding lineup of Nicalis retail releases, Puyo Puyo Tetris, a new Shin Megami Tensei, lots of Koei Tecmo games since Switch is now embedded in their multiplat engine (Nobanugas Ambition, Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII, Nights of Azure 2), and a number of games announced or rumored (like Tales or Dark Souls), and the list will only increase with time as Switch continues to chase success.

That's not bad coming off the back of Wii U, especially given the low install base, typical lack of demand and overbearing 1st party lineup hogging all the attention. Switch will never be a 3rd party machine, but I don't think it needs to be. It just needs to have enough great games to keep everyone having fun, and of course it will always inherently offer that fun both on the TV or on the go.

But there are a few choice 3rd party games that would be extremely popular on Switch, and I hope Nintendo does everything they can to seek those games out (Skyrim and Rocket League being good examples, but Dark Souls Trilogy needs to happen, and although I'm confident it will, an exclusive new MH needs to come to Switch as well).

Call of Duty not coming out on the months-old Nintendo console that still needs to prove itself to a massive corporation like Activision that demands obscene profits on all of its games?

I'm shocked.

To add a bit of seriousness, I KNOW, I KNOW: But Call of Duty blahblahwhatever was on the Wii U during its launch. It was, and guess how well it sold? Pitifully. Shockingly bad. It was the same trend that chased most of the large third-parties, eventually even Ubisoft, away from the Wii U. Activision was NEVER going to bring the next CoD to Switch so early in its lifecycle after how hard they got burned with the Wii U.

I wouldn't even be surprised if NEXT year's CoD skips the Switch again. I don't think Activision will spend the resources to bring a franchise like that (and most likely a pretty different version of the game due to power limits) to the Switch unless we start seeing an install base close to what the Xbox has. Sure, maybe we see something small and relatively painless like Hearthstone from ActiBlizz, but CoD? No way. Not until install is in the multiple tens of millions. At that point any third-party would be crazy to overlook the system.

So I've been thinking again about Nintendo's comment about VC. Wouldn't collections like Metroid Prime Trilogy technically count as a physical form of VC?

So like with Metroid Prime Trilogy, that being essentially including 2 GC games for Wii VC or the Kirby collection that was NA and Japan only would be 6 games for Wii VC in one (2 GB, 1 NES, 2 SNES, 1 N64).

If so then it would cool if Nintendo did more of these, say for example a Pikmin Trilogy pack (2 GC, 1 Wii U) or a 2D Zelda pack (LoZ, Zelda II, ALttP, Link's Awakening, Oracle of Ages, Oracle of Seasons, Four Swords, Four Swords Adventures, Minish Cap).

Consumer demand for Switch has 'surpassed' Nintendo's worldwide estimates

This morning, GAME cited "lower than expected" supply of the Nintendo Switch as a key contributor toward its revised sales outlook, but Nintendo has reassured MCV that the platform holder will continue to ramp up production as it enters the second half of the year.

GAME said today that it had anticipated "an overall positive sales performance in the second half of the year" but warned that "this positive momentum would be highly dependent on stock availability of the Nintendo Switch."

While consumer demand for the Switch has remained "very strong," GAME stated that "the level of supply to the UK market had been lower than expected," which "combined with the continued softness in our core Xbox and PlayStation markets, have impacted sales."

However, a spokesperson from Nintendo UK told MCV that consumer demand has exceeded all expectations around the world, so it's not just GAME who's been suffering from constrained supply. Here's the statement in full:

"For Nintendo Switch, our initial plan for the fiscal year ended March 2017 was to ship two million units by the end of March, but we increased production which resulted in shipping 2.74 million units globally.

"For products like Nintendo Switch, it takes time to procure parts and run production, so we perform demand estimates far in advance of launch. Actual demand following the launch of these products surpassed our estimates globally.

"To take advantage of this favorable momentum, we will continue to bolster our manufacturing facilities and strive to increase production in preparation for the Christmas period, which has been factored into our forecast of shipping 10 million units globally by the end of this fiscal year.”

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/consumer-demand-for-switch-has...

Guns, Gore & Cannoli will be making its way to Nintendo Switch

http://info.gunsgorecannoli.com/back-from-the-dead/

And a trailer of what the game is all about. This is from 2 years ago.

Guns, Gore & Cannoli Official Trailer

@SLIGEACH_EIRE That's some pretty good animation there. I may need to check that out when it hits the Switch.

@Grumblevolcano Not really I think. They are juat re-releases, remasters and/or remakes. That's fine, but they're never going to release their entire "retro" library in physical form. I think the best part of VC was that older games were available for a low price and you could pick the games you want yourself. Plus, if they're ever going to do more re-releases like the Prime Trilogy, I prefer them to be remasters at least, preferably remakes if the games are a bit older.

@Octane @Grumblevolcano
I don't think it really makes much sense to sell physical VC. Outside of very specific things like the NES/SNES classic and maybe anniversary editions of games. The issue is that as soon as you make a list of games from an old system there will always be some you miss out. And if you are going to do a physical release you can't sell them one at a time, you have to bundle them.

If they were to do a physical version of the VC in the form of compilations? We'd never see some of the less well known releases. They have to sell them one at a time if they're going to have a large collection of classic games available.

@skywake Selling them as a compilation can also be a way to sell the lesser well known releases to those who wouldn't buy them individually.Say there was a Nintendo Classic Racing Collection,you'd have the obvious ones like SMK and MK64 as well as F-Zero SNES and 64 along with old favorites like RC Pro-AM,Rock N Roll Racing and Top Gear.But the package can be bulked up with titles like Uniracers,Street Racer and Road Blasters.Would many people care about those if they were released individually on VC?But having a few well known classics headlining the compilation could be enough to sell the whole package to the masses.Same with a Classic Platforming Collection,having Mario,Kirby,Yoshi and Donkey Kong as the main attractions but pad it with lesser known but still good titles the majority wouldn't even look twice at if they were on VC.

@Spoony_Tech It seems like a modern take on Metal Slug. Very interested in this.

@OorWullie
Well Unirally is never going to happen but I get your point. Even so I can't see that sort of compilation approach covering all of the games. I also think that it wouldn't take long before they ran out of themes to create compilations around. I think it's an idea that works well for collectables and anniversaries but not much beyond that.

Now if there was some kind of digital bundle system in place on the eShop? I think that would make a lot more sense. Especially if the deal was able to be a bit more flexible. Like a deal where you can buy any ten classic games at once for a discounted price.

I get that people are into the idea of reinventing everything with the Switch. Post Wii U it makes sense for them to look at everything again. But IMO the VC isn't too bad. The issue is more the pacing of releases, the inflexibility of pricing and the fact that purchases don't carry from console to console. The fact that they're selling individual games digitally? That's not the thing that needs chancing, that's one of its key strengths.

Going to finally buy my Switch tomorrow. Neon colour with free screen protector and 2 amiibo. Plus I'll buy a Pro Controller along with it as I get a $15 discount if I do. Got $350 of Amazon gift vouchers which I'll use to buy $350 of Eshop credit. Question, it's a Japanese region Switch . Can I still set UK as my main region and add a NA account for adding my Eshop credit?

@OorWullie
Yep! Since it's region free, you can set any region as your main one. For the NA credit, I think you need to create a different user though, I'm not sure. You would have to google that.

@OorWullie It's region-free, so you can choose whichever region you like. About the eShop, you might need a NA card for that. Didn't try it myself, but I recall people having problems buying Kamiko when it first came out on the Japanese eShop. Not sure if accessing the NA eShop would cause the same issues, I don't see why it should.

Edit: Ninja'd by 16 seconds. You have to create a new user and a new Nintendo Account for each region you want to add to the device, yes.