Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

@JaxonH I don't think anyone knows what he is on about.

@ReaderRagfish
I think a fair assessment would be to say they are correlated, but that correlation is decreasing at an increasing rate.

Top 30 bestselling games on the US eShop for the month of October:

1. Fortnite
2. Super Mario Party
3. Overcooked 2
4. Zelda BotW
5. Dark Souls Remastered
6. Mega Man 11
7. Dragon Ball FighterZ
8. Undertale
9. Starlink
10. Minecraft
11. Overcooked
12. Rocket League
13. Hollow Knight
14. Stardew Valley
15. Okami HD
16. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
17. My Hero One's Justice
18. Splatoon 2
19. Darkest Dungeon
20. NBA 2K19
21. TWEWY: Final Remix
22. FIFA 19
23. Diablo 3
24. Paladins
25. Arena of Valor
26. Dead Cells
27. Super Mario Odyssey
28. Mark of the Ninja Remastered
29. MHGU
30. Jackbox Party Pack 5

@IceClimbers Seeing Fortnite take top spot isn’t at all surprising though I don’t personally feel like free to play games should count as best selling. But that’s just my personal opinion. How did you get these statistics by the way?

@FragRed The news section on the Switch itself

@IceClimbers I really need to pay attention to that section, I don’t think I’ve checked it in months.

@subpopz Indeed, my thoughts exactly. I must admit there’s a couple of games that I’m surprised to see where they are. For example, Zelda is really high up yet Mario Odyssey which I’d have thought would have a much wider appeal is right near the bottom.

@GrailUK
unfortunately no, it was just an example to support the long time desire to play the same games on tv and portable, you had said you hope it stays, I was just basically reaffirming that the hybrid idea will be a cement from now on

I think Nintendo will stay with hybrid systems while they're still creating hardware but may also continue offering a cheaper handheld only option in the form of advancing the 3DS line. Meanwhile Microsoft and Sony continue their never ending battle for "world's most powerful console".

Ya, Nintendo isn't done with the handheld only scene just yet. They are too greedy to not try and launch a 2nd platform.

They might have thoughts such as "we should really consolidate because we can't support two platforms at once without one of them floundering" and then they put all their effort into making their primary focus successful.

But then...

They see it's successful, and they say to themselves, well, it's already successful, let's see if we can get another platform going so we can secure our future for another half decade. And then they proceed to shift focus away from said platform into a new platform for the next few years. And that shifting focus causes the other platform to fizzle out slowly, contributing to its own demise.

Then they see that platform is no longer viable, and they decide to shift all of their focus into the new one they had created. They tell themselves they need to consolidate because clearly, they can't support two at the same time. I mean, look at what just happened. So they put all their focus into that platform and make it successful.

But then...

Not sure what the point would be in releasing a new Nintendo portable when handheld mainstays like Pokemon, Fire Emblem, Ace Attorney, Animal Crossing, etc. are coming to the Switch. Unless it's literally just a portable only Switch, of course, but that's not the same thing as a brand new portable platform.

@IceClimbers I wonder why Zelda experienced such a large boost in sales in October?

I personally feel like they could expand the Switch ecosystem to include a Switch mini that is as cheap as a 3DS or a bit slightly more expension. Not a full-fledged new portable, that would divide their resources yet again.

If they can reduce the cost significantly it can be a candidate to buy to kids instead of a mobile phone. This should be possible since there are a boat load of cheap graphics chipsets thanks to phones. The clamshell is also a very good design when it comes to children.

I also don't think they need to be 100% compatible. Don't expect a switch cartridge being able to fit into it. It is enough if they are super simple to port between. Same game engines and OS and you are set basically. Think iphone/ipad.

One thing to note, the vast majority of games don't need high-end graphical power. Look at the top-30 list, many of those games could be ported to something with less power than the switch easily.

This also have the added benefit that it fits with some of the things Iwata talked about. Paraphrasing, "the next home [switch] and handheld would be like siblings." "The market will decide if we should have multiple form factors". But you all know this, since it has been said earlier in the thread.

And yes, I think they will release an handheld in 2019. Possibly with pokémon as a dual release switch/4ds.

@Ralizah My guess, slow month = not many sales = a few copies can change up the list considerably.

Maybe getting Valkyria Chronicles 4 on a portable system was a mistake. I've spent the last five hours obsessively playing that game...

I need sleep.

You're right that it doesn't always mean more performance. It generally just means more performance per W and per $... which also happens to translate to more performance in similarly sized and priced devices. Like for example a portable game console.

The point about GPUs you made is also interesting but doesn't mean much here. Games in general haven't really been CPU limited for a while. Even on the Switch the GPU is the bigger limitation. There are plenty of mobile devices with CPUs that run rings around the Switch, not many with a better GPU but

@JaxonH
why is it "Too Greedy" to not try and launch another handheld only system when the current handheld only is still relevant and popular in current/continuing sales ???
greedy ???
sounds like they are pretty benevolent to not have just shut down the 3DS/2DS console and game production asap, they are making it out like it has at least another 2+ years before ceasing production of the hardware, that's pretty damn selfless or NOT greedy if you ask me

and what's with so many people's whole fascination about a dedicated portable anyway ???
what is the big deal if it has the ability to hook to the tv that makes it a turn-off ???
if Nintendo made "The Nintendo 3DX", a 3DS/2DS that comes with a box that hooks up to your HDMI input on your tv and wirelessly transmits the video and audio to the tv, would you be pissed ???
has all the same things as the regular (New) 3DS/2DS, but just that added piece, would you be so unhappy that it is no longer a Dedicated Handheld ???

I still see the lure of consoles for now, more power (for now) at a reasonable price, but I do not see the point of dedicated handheld anymore, hybrids are merely dual function, an "option" if you you will, you can own for for 10 years and never hook it to your dock and visa/versa, you can spend 10 years docked and never take it out, it won't kill it by not doing one or the other at least once every year, but it is the ability that you can do either that makes it so useful and desired

so I want to understand your fervor (and others) for another dedicated handheld.......
present to me...with REASONABLE accuracy to how Nintendo has designed their handhelds historically,
make me (theoretically) Nintendo's next handheld.....
but remember,

*it has to be realistic for a product sold in 3 years (2021)
*it has to bring a significant but realistic amount of changes from it's predecessor (3DS/2DS)
*it has to be significantly but realistically different from Nintendo's next gen Hybrid to warrant it being considered a separate but sellable product
*it has to be at least 25% LESS than the next gen Switch, which realistically will probably be $375 +/-,
remember, I gave three years for tech to go up but the tech price to get cheaper, so you have options you can predict for a product in 2021, but don't forget, Nintendo is also taking what they learned from their 2017 Switch to design their new Switch, adding all sorts of new powers and abilities to the New Switch also

So (I'm not being an ass, or sarcastic in my next sentence) Mr. JaxonH, President of Nintendo of UK (or wherever you are, forgive me), it is April 2021ad, present to the world, your next "Dedicated Handheld",
"The Nintendo *** *** System"
try to bring the dedicated handheld into the next generation.....

@Nemodius Jaxon was saying that Nintendo probably will release a new handheld because they're too greedy not to (ie they wouldn't want to miss out on a chance to make more money). He's not saying that it's greedy not to make a new handheld.

@Nemodius geeze calm down

@Nemodius
Psst....
It will be Nintendo HDS.

@subpopz you're boring me Popz
and unrelated, nor a "demand"
I hear lot of talk about those who would like the continued separate handheld line
lot of defending of dedicated handhelds, but no mention of what it would be or why it could be a better thing

all I asked was, these people have such fervor, they must have something in mind, so to sell me on the idea, I'm a very open mined person and am always up for new things, I basically only stipulated it had to be able to sell itself against the next gen Hybrid and set some realistic parameters

it's like a......."wish list" but keeping it real

now, drop it, I find where Paul got me that data from, it's yours, but that was dropped days ago and I did promise all future fact predictions would be backed up, let's move on and have fun with this new posit

@diwdiws
not rialed up, all I did was give those who want the continued existence of dedicated handhelds a chance to show me how they could do it successfully while competing against the next gen Hybrid
it's for fun, like all the other threads that ask what would you want in your next console, handheld or hybrid, nothing more, just fun