Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

@Grumblevolcano Ah, okay. But I don't think it has anything to do with Color Splash.
Like @SLIGEACH_EIRE said, "At this point there has to be a major reason why Nintendo haven't shown the NX yet."
I think the reason is that they're waiting on to get certain game demos to a point that they could be showcased properly. Waiting on enough games to be finished for the launch was the official reason for postponing to March in the first place after all. Either that, or they're delaying the console launch.

I for one don't think they're delaying the announcement because of what their competition is doing or any game releases. Honestly I'm not even sure that they're delaying the announcement at all. What makes people think they didn't have a date worked out from the start? Reddit chatter? The hype train?

@skywake well, they did delay the NX to March, I am sure they had a window they wantes to announce it before that delay, but then delayed the announcement to line up better with the new release window

I really don´t want to see slide pads on NX, give us analog stick like with Wii U and previous Nintendo homeconsoles.

But how would that work for a portable system?

I would definitely sacrifice portability if it meant I got proper sticks for the home console portion. Or at least swappable controller aorta with proper sticks. There's a reason they decided against slide pads for the wii u and I'm thankful they did

@DefHalan
But do we even know that the launch was delayed? The first confirmation of a date was earlier this year when they said March. Before then we were told nothing. Just that we'd hear more about what the NX is in 2016. That's it. For all we know they had always planned a 2017 launch for the NX.

And here's another thought on the topic of Nintendo "competing". Maybe Nintendo has been planning on pulling out of the home console space for a while now. Maybe the Wii U was more of a stop-gap solution because mobile tech wasn't quite there yet. Nintendo haven't tried to compete on power for a while now. And if that's what they're doing? Why not go portable only?

As a portable? March is a sensible release date.

@skywake I would agree with what you are saying if not for the fact Nintendo aren't pulling out of the home console market, at least according to leaks/rumours. The NX is just going to be sold with the idea of it being a portable first and foremost and kinda a pointless excuse for a home console second.

I see the Wii U as Nintendo's attempt to try and compete and it failed miserably due to a number of factors and this is likely meaning the NX will be more of a casual audience focus which again will fail miserably.

@FragRed
To the extent that the NX as rumoured will be a pointless excuse for a home console? The Wii U and Wii were the same. The fact that you can plug it into a TV is not what makes a home console a home console. Not in terms of content anyways. What makes it a home console is the higher amount of horsepower. Nintendo have been deliberately falling well short of the mark in that regard for quite a while now.

@rallydefault Does it work in cycles? Cause I'd say the numbers tell a different story. PS1 era, Sony dominated. PS2 era, Sony dominated. PS3, Sony shot themselves in the foot repeatedly yet still ended up beating the 360 in the end and would've gotten first if not for the Wii's existence. PS4? Sony's dominating. Sony's dominated this industry since they've entered it, and the one time they didn't was because they screwed up.

Also, exclusives really don't matter as much as people think in the AAA mainstream space. The mutliplats sell the most in that space. Hence why the delays, while annoying, won't matter much for them.

@IceClimbers what about the ps go, vita, and vita tv? They are part of the industry

@SLIGEACH_EIRE

Not only just that but also the image on the tv screen has been taken from the E3 trailer.

I agree with the general notion of your post, that things will never be the same and that they can be easily turned around. I just don't see it happening anytime soon. About VR, you only need the PSVR headset. PS Move controllers and PS Camera are completely optional. I'm not sure about the impact either of Scorpio, if you're waiting for Scorpio, why not wait for the PS5 instead, or buy a PC if you the best performance of games? And as is said before, Sony's own games don't matter for the holiday season. Games like Battlefield and Call of Duty move way more systems than any other game ever could. The things you listed are things that someone like you and me would complain about. For the average gamer? They don't care as long as they can play their annual sports game or shooter.

I don't think they've tried either. If the Wii U was based on the x86 architecture? It would've been easier to port multiplat games, despite the relatively low horsepower of the system. The unfortunate thing is that exclusives are difficult to keep relevant (although I think Ninty have done a pretty good job at keeping them relevant). It's just that multiplat games get way more attention, because they're available to more people. When I hear my friends talk about games? They talk about Overwatch, Rocket League, Battlefield and FIFA. Multiplat games have the potential to sell more than exclusives; More sales = talk of mouth. These games are important. And although I respect Nintendo for trying something different. Giving up third party games in favour of unique experiences was a risky move. Yes, it worked with the Wii, but you gotta have a damn good concept to repeat that. I don't see that happening anytime soon. I'd argue that from a business perspective and for the sake keeping the company relevant, it's important to have to games. It's important to market your system to a wide audience. Maybe even more important than having a unique controller..

We know it was delayed because: 1) in Dec 2015 Nintendo hinted BotW would be released 2016 with the short trailer when they announced TP; 2) didn't Kimishima (or somebody else) talk about they wanted to ensure games were ready when asked about a delay?

Just bumping this post from last night because I think it's spot on.

Nintendo have been meandering for sometime now- they've jumped from concept to concept with very little consistency inbetween. Look at the movement from N64 --> GameCube --> Wii --> WiiU. Very different gimmicks, with little obvious progression from one to the other. You throw in the handheld line with the latest 3D and it gets even more confusing.

I think what this leads to is a bit of a loss of identity with consumers. They don't really know what to expect from Nintendo, and there isn't a clear message. Even if consumers jump on board one system, the next system is likely to be very different.

Which is why I think whatever the NX is, it has to be something that Nintendo can build around for at least a solid decade. They need to stick with a concept and begin to shape their business identity around it. If they think that a hybrid is that concept then great- but Nintendo need to be in this for the long haul. We can't be sitting here in 2022 with Nintendo saying the next console is going to be a brand new concept. Just innovate the existing one and build a clear vision that is understandable to the consumer.

Another week begins...

#nonewsisgoodnewsapparently

How about Vita style sticks for the portable NX? Then more beefy ones for a stay-at-home additional controller.

@dtjive @skywake I could swear I've seen Kimishima say to investors that they missed the Holiday window because they wanted to allow more time for games to be finished and make sure that there would be a steady stream of games from the launch onwards.

@dtjive
You're assuming a few things there. For all we know they intended to launch Zelda:BotW on the Wii U first. The delay of BotW does not necessarily mean that the NX was also delayed. Also just because they have said they're not going to launch until they have the right amount of software doesn't mean they delayed it BECAUSE they didn't have enough software. For all we know the Zelda:BotW delay was because the NX was running ahead of schedule. Why launch on Wii U only if there's going to be a new console out soon?

@Octane
Which is why it makes sense for them to shuffle into the portable space. With a portable system they can get away with not having all of the multiplatform releases. People are far more willing to accept different content on a portable than they are another home console.

@dtjive I'm sure they had the plan to expand on the Wii brand and keep it strong for years to come with the Wii U, but we all know how that turned out.

The closest thing Nintendo had to a stable household name on the hardware side was the Game Boy line, and they dropped it when an innovative concept came around. A parallel can be established with their portables, actually. This has been the only generation in which they've expanded the concepts introduced by its last portable and console. They failed, so it's time to move on.

Personally, I don't think they'll ever stick to one/two brands of devices. They seem to be too inventive for that. Besides, with console generations seemingly losing importance, we still don't how or if Nintendo will adapt.

@skywake That's fair, but that also means that my original comment about them giving up still stands. I get that it makes sense from a business perspective; Not competing means you can make more money and they pretty much already have a monopoly on the handheld market. I still think it's unfortunate, because I always preferred their home consoles over their handhelds.