Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

@Zyrac See, my argument would be this - at the moment, a lot of the larger 'AAA' games seem to be off the table - too little power, too many compromises...if a Switch owner wants to play those games, they'll need to buy a PS4/X1. If Nintendo release an Expansion Pak, those game could come to the Switch (docked only) - the Switch owner no longer has to buy a whole new £250 console to play those games - just a, say, £100 Expansion Pak instead...a far more attractive proposition. Plus, from Nintendo's point of view, the more third-parties they can get on board, the more Sony & Microsoft would have to rely on their exclusives...which they'll never win vs. Nintendo.

Of course, if (to use the same example) Overwatch could play docked and undocked, all the better - it'd probably sell better too - but an Expansion Pak allowing those games that flat-out can't run on the vanilla Switch to still come over, I think would be great...and so long as Nintendo's first-party titles are built with hybrid-gaming in mind, I don't think the Switch would lose its identity - Nintendo games will outsell all others, so the perception will always be that the core games are hybrid - but with an option to boost and expand if you wish too...

@StuTwo I would say it's best for Nintendo to stay in the middle, use both modes equally.

@Therad @NaviAndMii @StuTwo PS4/PS4 Pro or 3DS/New 3DS. It will happen to Switch down the road: all Nintendo needs to do is release an add-on GPU for the dock or release a new dock with Nvidia GPU built-in. This reduces the need for current Switch owner to buy the handheld unit: makes it cheaper! Maybe just like the New 3DS, Nintendo will only make one game (Xenoblade 3D) that required docked-mode.

By using an external GPU, Switch will be powerful enough to drive a VR headset. Next version of Vive and Rift will be wireless. In fact all the new VR units coming out from now on will be wireless. You already can make the Vive wireless with an add-on device, latency is less than 2ms. Next year, PSVR and current VR headsets will look silly with all the connected wires.

Before Switch was unveiled last year, factory workers in China were leaking news about the Switch's dock having a cube-shape processing unit. I think they saw some of the prototypes Nintendo were testing with external GPU. Sooner or later Nintendo will release an upgraded Switch, personally I rather have an external GPU add-on for the Switch than having to buy a New Switch with upgraded mobile GPU. The GPU for the dock is desktop class Nvidia chip, it's what Switch needs... for portable, the current GPU is more than enough.

@Grumblevolcano And so is it if you do handheld only, save of course for the quirky touch-screen games.

@UmniKnight Exactly, the only purpose of handheld only should be touch screen games.

@Zyrac At the same time, I'd happily buy such games because I'm a more home-console oriented gamer (as in 100%) And so we arrive at the camp handheld vs camp home-console argument yet again.

My thoughts exactly! If Nintendo released a GPU expansion in, say, 2 years time - it'd help the Switch to keep pace (or at least stay in touch) with the PS4/X1 - then, perhaps in 4 years time, they might consider bringing out a beefier 'Switch 2' capable of, say, 1080p undocked/4K docked....the Switch is essentially a tablet - and tablet tech keeps advancing year-on-year...but I don't think people would want to buy a new 'home console' every year or two - this would just allow Nintendo to keep with the times without rinsing customers...

That's the beauty of this GPU expansion idea though - it'd mean the Switch is the best of both all worlds -
handheld, hybrid, portable, touchscreen, home, docked, undocked - all rolled in to one! ..the place where you can do all of your gaming! ..offering even greater flexibility that before!

Would be great to see a proper Nintendo home console (for those that want it) with crossbuy for Switch. I know people wont like this idea, but it appeals to me.

If Nintendo ever offers an enhanced dock, I agree with those who believe Nintendo needs to be careful not to split their user base or dilute the expectations users have that their games will "just work" in both docked and portable modes. If an enhanced GPU were offered in the dock, I would hope for it to be primarily in support of additional display devices and modes (4K, VR, 3D, HD at guaranteed 60FPS, etc.) rather than to produce games that are "dock-only".

If there can be touch-screen handheld only games, I don't see why there wouldn't be docked only games, given that improved GPU so a game can run docked, but wouldn't be able to without said dock.

@gildahl But that's already the case with some indie games (Voez and Severed). I'm guessing it's a matter of time before there's a handheld-only AAA game popping up, unless Nintendo has strict rules on those, and last I checked with them, they said it's up to the developer, aka any kind of developer.

Gotouchi Tetsudou is coming to Nintendo Switch
http://nintendoeverything.com/bandai-namco-bringing-gotouchi-...
one of the few Japanese only switch games, that i'm looking forward to. (other than MHXX and DQX)

Also true, they're appearing to be a lot more 'third-party friendly' these days - I read something from the Rocket League devs recently where they said that they asked Nintendo about cross-network play and their response was 'whatever you need' - what a lot of third-party AAA developers say they 'need' is more GPU performance - Nintendo may have just the solution before too long!

As you say, they already allow handheld only, they already allow touchscreen only - allowing docked-only (+GPU expansion) would be no different...so long as Nintendo-developed games stick to the hybrid concept, I don't see that it really matters what other developers do - the core will be hybrid - the rest just proves the flexibility and diversity that their system can offer...

I hear you on the fact that there are "handheld-only" games now, but these don't require one to purchase an expensive add-on to play. Thus, these games don't split the user base (there is no one who can't buy Voez because they don't have the hardward to do so).

Really, much of the sentiment here is that the Switch should be able to do the things other consoles can do, which is an idea Nintendo have pointedly rejected since the Wii. I wouldn't hold my breath.

And I have to think that as soon as a single docked-only game comes out, it damages the Switch's image by adding a big ugly asterisk to the "play anywhere" pitch.

@gildahl Ahhh in that regard. True, but at the same time there's a PS4, PS4 Slim and PS4 Pro, yet they can all play the same games, some just with better settings. I guess Nintendo could do that, instead of dock only, though I don't think that's what a majority of Nintendo gamers will really care about. I'm diverting the point though, but yes, it would somewhat split the base, but arguably, Voez and Severed-like games do that already.

@NaviAndMii Just hoping we don't actually see games that really split the Switch users by camps of home-console and handheld. I'd love not to have to argue in favour of my only used mode, just because it can do another. Might have to regardless, as it's a side-effect of having 2 things in one, and people going towards 1 side or the other.

@Zyrac Again, I'd argue games like Voez and Severed already damage this. I can't play those games in as the Switch advertised home-console TV-Mode, now can I? Even if it does make logical sense.

@gildahl Nintendo already has history of doing exactly that though...

The N64 had an Expansion Pak - which was (from memory) required to play the likes of Perfect Dark, Donkey Kong 64, Majora's Mask, Conker's Bad Fur Day etc - it just helped the N64 keep up with the times a bit...

...similarly, there are certain 'New 3DS-only' games that won't run on the older 3DS hardware - which, if anything, is more extreme, as there is no possible way to run those games on the older 3DS (no Expansion Pak) - thus forcing people to buy a whole new unit just to play those games.

An Expansion Pak is a healthy proposition, I think - and certainly more consumer friendly (price wise) than forcing people to buy a whole new 'Switch 2' console in a couple of years because the original Switch is lagging behind the competition...

@UmniKnight It's much less damaging, though. "Anytime, anywhere, with anyone" still holds true (as much as the last bit can for single-player games). You can still play a handheld-only game in your house. You can't play a docked-only game on the bus.

@Zyrac Still puts that Asterisk there, and less damaging is but a matter of perspective. It adds more validity to handheld mode at the cost of TV-mode.

If anything, docked-only games would help to balance out what can already be seen as handheld favouritism.