This week marked five years (yikes) since the mysterious Nintendo 'NX' became the Switch. It was a pretty big deal and, to the relief of Nintendo, it was received well. Let's be honest, the reaction wasn't going to be worse than the Wii U E3 reveal, when most follow-up questions were "so is the tablet an add-on for the Wii?". There's arguably little doubt that as an initial unveiling and proof of concept, the original video did a rather good job.
The trailer became a bit iconic and meme-worthy. Yes, it had photogenic people in very nice houses doing their best wondrous faces, people casually playing with strangers in airports, the works. It also had the famous rooftop party scene that was parodied and joked about endlessly. Now, I've not been to a rooftop party with Switch action going on (we don't do many rooftop parties in Scotland, to be honest), but I have seen people playing a Switch at a wedding and in a pub or two, so it does happen.
In any case, it amused people on social media. It also had a pretty snazzy tune - nice one, White Denim; it's quite cool that it's actually called Ha Ha Ha Ha (Yeah).
Beyond the photogenic cast and slightly silly scenarios, it is worth saying that the trailer did a solid job of promoting the actual gaming too. The concept had been widely rumoured and leaked, but seeing the dock to portable play transition, and the simple cleverness of the Joy-Con controllers, was still a lightbulb moment that gave us cause for optimism. Let's not forget that Nintendo smartly 'revealed' games too (though Nintendo didn't formally announce them for another couple of months), showing in-progress clips of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (though we knew that was coming to 'NX'), Skyrim, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Splatoon 2 and Super Mario Odyssey. It was pitch perfect in terms of getting people talking.
The Cyclical Pre-Reveal Hype
Looking back at how Nintendo did the unveiling in October 2016, it's quite funny to see how similar that frenzied period was to the downright tedious 'Pro' Switch rumours, which seemed to hit a notable peak in E3-season this year. Rumours for years, some of them feasible and others clearly made up? Check. Nintendo continually dodging and avoiding saying anything? Check. Increasingly desperate and eager fans bombarding the company on social media? Oh yes, CHECK.
The context was a little different, though. For one thing the Wii U had been genuinely doomed for a few years by that point. Often there's hyperbole thrown around about 'failures' in gaming, but even though many of us have a soft spot for the system it was genuinely a disaster for Nintendo. Its lifetime hardware sales were 13.56 million units; as a contrast the most recent Switch figure is 89.04 million. Now, that era did also have the 3DS, which reached 75.94 million units over its lifetime, so when you combine the two systems of that generation it's interesting how close the numbers are. Of course, the Switch is still going and, despite declining demand, is still selling strong numbers. When all is said and done the Switch will have sold a good bit more than Wii U and 3DS combined, and aside from a few straggling 3DS releases in the early period Nintendo has only had to focus on one main hardware line, not two.
So, in 2016, when 'NX' was a codename and the concept hadn't been revealed, it was a relatively tough period for the company. The run-up to the concept reveal, never mind its release, was also interminably long. Under investor pressure due to the Wii U's woes and the fact that 3DS wasn't anything like the monstrous success of the DS, former company President Satoru Iwata first mentioned the 'NX' as a new 'dedicated gaming platform' back in March 2015. That was a starting gun for the online frenzy that follows any new hardware coming out of Nintendo's HQ.
Nintendo said next to nothing for well over a year, leaving rumours and leaks (one or two of which were genuine) to fill the void. Nintendo eventually confirmed a release window of March 2017 - right before the end of its financial year, the same tactic we saw with 3DS - but still didn't show the concept. Famously E3 2016 only had one game, Breath of the Wild, but it was the Wii U version. Nintendo was not going to be rushed and the internet became almost insufferable as a result. "Where is NX?" "What is NX?" "Is Nintendo doooooooomed?"
Of course, we did our best to cover rumours we trusted or could verify, and dealt with lots of "why haven't you covered this?" emails for the rumours that were clearly nonsense. The volume was increasing and Nintendo's message was simple - "we don't have anything to share yet".
We've been looking back with fondness (I suppose) at some of our editorials right before the reveal. In this one we wondered how Nintendo would reveal the 'NX', and of course the company didn't quite do any of those approaches. It went for the viral trailer drop, sort of, but tweeted a time just hours before the video. Not quite a stealth drop, but not a million miles away.
Just a few weeks before that we'd written that NX is testing fans' patience, which means that it was also testing our patience. Again, Nintendo had officially said almost nothing about the NX, so in the context of that time the atmosphere online was out of control. You think 'Switch Pro' discourse is getting annoying? It has nothing on that late NX period.
It All Worked Out In The End
Ultimately, the initial teaser was pretty well received, and Nintendo's PR machine churned into life as it started to reveal more information about the system and all it would entail. Then in mid-January 2017 there was a flashy live presentation for the system and a whole lot of games; that kicked off pre-orders, previews and a deluge of information. A couple of months later the system was in the wild.
And, ultimately, it's been a resounding success for Nintendo, helping to bring it back into the heart of popular culture and contributing to levels of profit not seen since the DS and Wii era. Shifting to a hybrid strategy of handheld and home console in one, which was devised and initially implemented by Satoru Iwata way back in early 2013, has enabled Nintendo to flourish and regain its place at the lead table in the hardware business.
It's been typical Nintendo hardware, too, in that it's been the concept, gameplay opportunities and library of exclusives that have elevated its success, leaving Sony and Microsoft to battle it out over graphical power and teraflops. And, whatever Nintendo does next, the sensible money will be on future hardware being similar - modest power consumption, less graphical capability than other systems, but games and a 'hook' to stand out. If you're hoping Nintendo is going to produce a tablet-sized device with the equivalent grunt of the now current-gen of PS5 and Xbox Series X, you're setting yourself up for disappointment.
When Nintendo does have new hardware to share, though, there'll be a huge amount of buzz, coverage and scrutiny thanks to the company's notable success over the last 4.5 years.
And to think it all started with actors pretending to squint at Super Mario Odyssey on a rooftop.
Comments (82)
5 years is insane. I was still in high school! Now I’m an ‘adult’ and a few months away from my degree. And the Switch has been with me almost all that time!
That was such a fun trailer. My friend played games, but wasn't vested in much more than Animal Crossing, but I sat her down and showwd her to trailer, and it was so hype that she was instantly in love and announced to my parents that she was getting one. It was pretty cute.
The 2004 Internet speculation around the "Nintendo Revolution" was a lot more interesting. I remember all the mock ups people did of what they thought the controller would look like.
@Pokester99 I hear you, it still feels like the Switch is in beta or something but it's pretty clear now Nintendo is happy with what it is. 5 years though wow, what a ride. I remember when the 3DS hit that milestone and it felt like forever. The passage of time is cruel 🥲
@Pokester99 Agree on the critics, but not on the "more ports than original games". Of course I'm sure you only wrote it like that just to emphasize the big amount of ports, but still, for personal pleasure, some times ago I wrote a list of all the Nintendo games on Switch and discovered that there are 52 new games (I counted Nintendo Labo as a single one) and 20 "old" (where for olds I counted both porting/remastered like Skyward Sword and full remakes like Link's Awakening).
@Pokester99
I love some ports (with hd remaster for some games) from other machines such as Go Vacation (Wii), Miitopia (3DS), FF X/X-2 HD (PS2/PS3/PS4), FF XII TZA (PS4), etc.
Just read a short article from verge that was discussing Nintendo's announcement in 2013 to merge the console and handheld divisions in the company:
"It's not clear how exactly this reshuffling will aid Nintendo's operations, but the company appears to be serious about switching things up"
I thought the word choice here was pretty serendipitous in hindsight
EDIT: Here's the article:
https://www.theverge.com/2013/1/16/3881770/nintendo-to-unify-console-and-handheld-divisions-in-major
@yuwarite I remember hearing so many rumors - I was pretty young at the time to so it was almost like a game for me trying to figure out what was true and not.
The only thing I knew was certainly official was from mentions of the mysterious "Revolution" in Nintendo Power!
The best console ever made. Nintendo killed it with the Switch, and still does.
@Edu23XWiiU No arguments from me. Basically has most of my favourite games of all time there anyway!
@ERIC_MACK It was pretty obvious Nintendo was going to make a hybrid with that merging. All the "leaks" were only common sense thought.
Damn 5 years, I feel old, can't wait to see what Nintendo will do with their next console.
@Pokester99 and still, it's a huge success. It seems voice chat is not that important, the port case can also be used for other consoles, and there's cloud saving, which works great. Complaining just for the sake of complaining, right?
@yuwarite The Revolution speculation was wild. That was back when NOM turned into ONM and I’d buy the magazines every month just to get the latest scraps of news about the new console. I saw that @scully1888 released an audio commentary of E3 2006 which could be a fun trip back in time for those of us that remember the hype. I still have that E3 2006 DVD somewhere!
I remember reading the skeptics who said Switch was going to bomb when its reveal trailer dropped and, after the Wii U's failure, I couldn't help but believe the pessimism.
Really glad that we were all wrong!
@Pokester99 all true but Nintendo's fanbase doesn't seem to care
@Edu23XWiiU Sure - to be clear, the article is not about a leak but an official announcement from Nintendo about the structure of their company. I just thought it was funny that the article described it as "switching things up" since the name "Switch" wouldn't be used by Nintendo for several years to come.
@Elvie I loved the wii u but stopped playing games around 2015. So when the switch was announced, I glanced at it but thought that it looked like the Wii U as well in terms of marketing and potential sales, but to me it looked like it had even less Nintendo Soul.
I ended up getting back into games when I purchased my switch with BotW in 2018 though and am glad that the company is doing well again!
Games sell consoles. The combination of Nintendo's first party games being exemplary coupled with the notion of being able to play them anywhere is simply on fire!
@Pokester99
Looks like it is doing very well without online chat
The ports argument also applies to the other consoles (and even PC)
There's cloud save. what on earth are you talking about?!
Yeah yeah I know, you want Nintendo to make another failure like N64, Gamecube and Wii U so you can be the big fish in the small pond, right?
It ain't gonna happen. So though it up.
You know Nintendo is doing a great job when their console hits the mainstream and N64kids cry and whine about it.
One thing is alot of NintenDoomed fandom has gone awfully quiet when it was announced it was 5 years running. So did we get all these predictions it wouldn't last a year after release? But 5+ going and we have a v1 now v2 now OLED and a Lite. So all those Nostradamus has gone by the way side and now they are saying it doesn't have enough Power what other straws are they grabbing for now.
@nessisonett Me too! I was in high school as well. And now I’m in college and in my last year. Crazy how fast time flies!
Has it really been that long? The Switch still feels like the new kid on the block to me! I swear I just got this thing.
Nintendo did say that the Switch was not a replacement for the Wii u. But it was, as we now know.
Nintendo have a habit of introducing a console that is not very future proof, within a couple of years fans wanted more, especially when the 3ds days were numbered.
We are left with three Handheld console variants including the improved Oled, but an outdated home console.
That said the answer may be hidden in the Oled itself, or a new console next year, maybe not a Nintendo console though.
At the time I was finally planning to get a Wii U, but one look at the trailer I told myself to wait. It has been a magical time of gaming for us Nintendo fans.
By and large their best console, best portable. Also it has been five years of people complaining about the specs from a company that has been selling underpowered cheap tech through brand recognition for decades. It shouldn't be this difficult to grasp that if you want current tech & features, Nintendo will never be the place - particularly after they have another runaway success on the lateral thinking with withered technology approach.
@Curbie Nintendo will never be the place - particularly after they have another runaway success on the lateral thinking with withered technology approach.
They could be but that would put it out or reach for casual gamers and others they want to re-introduce Nintendo back to. It's not Power that it's successful - it's that it can get all ages/gender/Country Regions to play the Switch as one that makes it the success it is. GPU power only goes so far and if you don't have Games for All Ages/Gender you will not keep gamers coming back and back. They can always come back for something with Power like a Stronger GPU that can now as indicated by reviews the OLED DOCK can output 4K/DLSS with docked so it's already coming it's just when can they do it and where and if they have enough inventory to meet the demands. There are those like me will surely spend the money for a OLED 4K/DLSS (DOCKED) unit and those that will just go standard OLED because they don't need all that boost for their games. They construct something like that to choose the 4K options and some Standard this will insure Nintendo can have a range available for gamers of all stripes.
Still amazed that Hybrid is what it took for Nintendo to hit the big times. Sure the 3DS series if anything was a prelude what was to come but the rest was in the dark with the NX now the Switch. It's the versatility that can go Portable and Dock and still be playing a paused game try that with a console that needs constant wall outlet power that isn't the nature of portable gaming. Power wasn't the reason for its Rise - that was innovation taking risk knowing what gamers wanted. The 3DS family series told them where to go.
@nessisonett i know i emigrated since then my two kids now speak fluent german. andwell i can speak enough get by.
Love that the switch is till going strong after all these years! 5 more years!
I wasn’t at a Scottish roof party but I was waking around the Riverside Museum in Glasgow when that aired
@Pokester99
If you’re talking about Nintendo’s output when you say ‘more ports than original games’ you are completely wrong. It’s over 2.5 to 1 in favour of original games.
And Themes? Never ceases to amaze me the banal irrelevancies people worry about.
@Would_you_kindly
Except not true, as 5 minutes and a bit of counting would tell you. If there’s a problem with Nintendo’s fan base it’s putting down a successful system with tons of games because it doesn’t have (chortle) ‘Themes’ on the UI.
@Edu23XWiiU The ports are the main/only thing that annoy me - I bought most, if not all these games on Wii U and I'm not about to drop £60 per game when I already own them. That aside, I love the console.
I'll be honest, I didn't pay much attention to the NX speculation. (I didn't even realize until a few years later that Nintendo had actually talked about NX themselves, and it wasn't just leakers and rumormongers who came up with that codename.) The Wii U was such a tremendous dud for me that I was totally "over" Nintendo by mid-2016, but that Switch reveal trailer changed my tune instantly. I was immediately smitten, and the Switch turned out to be the first console I ever preordered. Honestly, it's probably my favorite console ever, and I can't quite understand why people get so down on it. People just love to hate on popular things, I guess.
I worry the next Nintendo system will be all digital in 2023.
It also might not be fully BC with Switch & only compatible games would be downloadable.
If you wanted to keep using your cartridges, you'd have to just keep using your old Switch.
The news of the new Nintendo console reveal came a few days before the trailer, not hours as stated in the article.
@Mana_Knight X2. Everything I've ever loved is on the Switch, plus the new games I love even more!
@B4L0R_CLUB I double dipped on Mario Kart 8, and I don't regret it hahahah.
@ERIC_MACK I know, I know hehehe. I was referring to the leaks that appear later. Thr phrasing on the article was just perfect!
The Switch is fine but held back by some really bad issues with build quality, flimsy joycon, flimsy plastic case and screen, and the missed opportunities with a lack of virtual console. For the fist couple of years it was a port machine, a botw player, a dust collector.
I like the Switch, but it is far from perfect.
@electrolite77 it's not just themes though is it it's the most basic features
I thought for sure after the Wii U that Nintendo would drop hardware and go full software. They were really hurting at that point and it seemed like it was a two horse race with Sony and Microsoft (PC as well).
The Switch was so innovative and cutting edge, even though it was built on aging technology. The fact that you could play console quality games at home or on the go seamlessly is still so ground breaking. On top of that, Nintendo figured out a way to appeal to casual gamers, Nintendo fans, as well as dedicated gamers as well, with such a diverse, strong lineup of titles from first party exclusives to third party ports to a whole slew of indie titles, as well as retro favorites. I get it that it has flaws, but even with the flaws, it's become my favorite console of all time.
I really, really hope Nintendo keeps the concept going. Make the Switch 2 fully compatible with older Switch games and update the specs. You have a winner if you do that.
@Moistnado Virtual Console was ditched because it wasn't bringing in enough revenue. Sega said in an interview that they hated it and thought it cost them more than what they were getting in return. Plus, the games themselves were overpriced. The Switch online service, combined with Arcade Archives, Sega Ages and a slew of retro collections, more than make up for the need for Virtual Console.
@Edu23XWiiU Ah, gotcha!
The switch was a needed hit but I truly miss the ds/wii and 3ds/wii u eras. The 3ds is my favorite system ever but it seems the switch does a little bit of everything but nothing exceptionally. I also miss the smaller game releases from Nintendo. With everything HD now, even combining the handheld and console divisions has resulted in far fewer games a year.
@kingbk Well, NSO brings in zero revenue from me. Sounds like Nintendo needs to be realistic about what their really old games are worth. I spent a lot more on virtual console. I got Sega collection on switch too, because it is a realistic price to BUY those games.
@GamerDad66
Nintendo still sees 60-70% of their software sales via retail (higher in Japan) and you expect them to go digital-only next gen?
And Nintendo is the company with the longest history of backwards compatibility, only ditching it when absolutely necessary (change in hardware architecture, form factor, physical media, etc).
@anzzjam Nintendo doesn't release as many games because they don't need to. Indie developers flock to the console and Nintendo has the best third party support they've had since the Super NES era.
I love the Switch. It's my favorite gaming console of all time, by any manufacturer, of any generation. As a 60:40 docked:handheld player, it meets my needs perfectly. The games are awesome and it definitely doesn't lack for variety or selection. Everyone whinging about voice chat (you know Nintendo's never gonna do this, so why, just why, continue whinging for it?), folders, themes, and everything else, just proves how entitled gamers can be. Check the Wikipedia page for list of Nintendo Switch games (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nintendo_Switch_games); there are 3859 games available on the Switch. Complaining about Wii U ports literally no one is forcing you to buy is the height of a first world temper tantrum. Meanwhile, some of us wish they'd port more, like Xenoblade Chronicles X. IDK, just seems like some are missing the point.
1. We know Nintendo is done trying to compete on cutting edge technology and processing power. It's never gonna happen. "Lateral thinking with withered/seasoned technology" is still and will likely always remain their approach.
2. The most important features of a console are user friendliness, reliability, and the games. The Switch, in my experience, performs admirably in all 3 respects.
3. Everything else is just details.
Just my opinion, of course. If you think otherwise, that's cool.
I hope everyone has a great day! 😁
@kingbk They can’t get a gba remake out for the holidays. Obviously, developing in HD has reduced the frequency of releases.
I will always remember the day my family got the switch.we had just cam home from school.(ps this is on the day or right after mario oddesy released) I did my homework with my brothers and my dad called us over to him because he wanted to show us something.so we went to him and he showed us the switch box.we were livid(at this point the only big nintendo game I played was wii sports, yes I was that kid,and super mario bros wii)and he said we could get mario odyssey. So we set it up and we all watched our dad play it .then we all set up our own profiles and played it,I loved the game.from then on I tried to learn more about nintedo and all the other cool games they had.
Now here we are with me knowing just about every nintendo console and nso expansion pak coming out tomorrow.
The joys of nintendo
I think the Switch is pretty fantastic. I wanted one at launch. It was the first Nintendo platform I really desired since the GameCube and Nintendo DS, which were my last two Nintendo systems. But at the time the PS4 was really hitting its stride and we were getting bombarded with fantastic games left and right every month or two. I just couldn’t justify spending the money and being afraid I wouldn’t really want to play anything other than Zelda.
Then November 2019 hit. I had cleared all the big PS4 games in my backlog by that point. I picked my Switch up then. Brand new V2 model with better battery life. And immediately fell in love with it.
I use it 90% docked. Mainly because I’m a snob in the sense that I like playing games through my 1000 watt sound system lol. But there are times when I undock it and play it handheld. It was a godsend during the ice storm we had in the southern US back in January of this year. I was without power for a week. So I charged the Switch in my work Jeep and played it by my grandparents heater, since they had gas heat (mine was electric so no staying at my place). I felt like a kid with a Game Boy Color all over again.
@Debo626
I agree that a lot of it is whining. But I do think Nintendo needs to really refresh Nintendo Switch Online. NSO is by far the weakest part of the system and it’s the only thing I really don’t like it.
They don’t have to match my PS5’s online features. They just need to get it up to PS3 levels. Basically cross game invites, native voice chat, and messaging. They do those three things and my complaints about the service are fixed.
I think NX would of been a cool name if it wasn't going to be the switch.
The NX rumours were rife and interesting because we knew Nintendo were moving past the failed WU. The Switch Pro rumours never had any basis, and simply proved to be the regular minor updates that Nintendo typically do. Yet we're still obsessed that a "Pro" will arrive. Move on and focus rumours on the Switch 2. That's the real juice!
I remember on reddit when there was an AMA with a supposed nintendo employee who was saying the NX was going to be a system with touchscreen controllers and a pack in 3D mario game set underneath the mushroom kingdom. The only thing he ended up getting right was that it would be a hybrid and use cartridges..
I remember seeing that ad...it was a sh** up and take my money moment and I shared that ad to all my gamer friends.
5 years in, I agree with how it is now missing more modern "features" ...but that wasn't much of an issue when it was launched. I guess the excitement on the idea that is the NSW won over any technicalities when it was released. Thankfully, Bluetooth audio was made available via firmware update recently...which should've really been done from the get-go.
On the topic of voice chat support...it's really great to talk to people you're playing with...that interaction enriches the overall gaming experience. It is a shame it's not built-in the NSW. Thankfully, working around this limitation is easier now with smartphones. Maybe Nintendo assessed that it would be better to leave that aspect for communication devices? And that building their own infra to support voice chat maybe wasn't deemed profitable...arguably, they could add voice chat to help the NSO Expansion pack. Anyway...I digressed...5 years in, it is showing age, but we still love it, not sold on the NSO Exp Pack. Can't wait for what comes next.
This is the first Nintendo system I've owned since the N64 back in the 90's and now pretty much all I play. That's mostly because of DDLC Plus getting me into visual novels and the insane amount available on the Switch, lol. I haven't touched my PS4 since the Summer. I also play a high amount of FPS and horror games as well. Still waiting on that Alan Wake Remastered official announcement for the Switch! I would also die for Fallout 3 Remastered on Switch.
@HotGoomba I was playing educational games on an Apple II in school back in 1989. How you think I feel? 😅
I think the Switch being region free is the best part. Tons of visual novels don't get physical releases in North America but they do in Asia and Europe and also have English subtitles so you can just easily import if you want. PlayAsia and eBay are go to's for these fine products.
@Pokester99,
Just goes to show how out of touch the core minorities are when it comes to the wider mass markets buying motivators.
Nintendo have managed to do something even the mighty Wii could not, it has sold lots of more traditional software to a wider demographic, for example the best selling Mario Galaxy game sold 12.8 million copies, whereas Mario Odyssey has already notched up 21.4 million copies, which is insane for a Mario 3D title, and will be much better for Nintendo when then move on to the Switch's replacement.
@Pokester99,
No I never said that, but they are not going to cater for the core minorities personal whims and wish lists, people who pretty much own every console and perhaps a gaming P.C, and who spend a lot of their spare time playing video games and are notoriously hard to please.
And if you actually think the Steam deck will affect Switch sales at all, just goes to show how out of touch with reality you and the core minorities are.
I always fail to to understand why people on internet forums fail to see this, guess they can't see past their own personal reasons for buying things. Yet time and time again are proved wrong, when they try to predict what will appeal to a wider demographic than themselves.
https://www.neogaf.com/threads/betting-time-do-you-think-the-switch-will-be-a-success.1333545/page-99#post-264516509
This classic thread is just one example from many, and is pure comedy crow eating gold.
I'll be honest, the Switch isn't my favourite Nintendo console in terms of the number of games that are among my all-time favourites. But seeing Nintendo back on top, where they belong, is well worth the nitpicks I have with the platform. The fusion of home console and handheld is a smart move and needed to happen. As much as Nintendo drive me up the wall sometimes, they are the spiritual centre of gaming and are responsible for the vast majority of the games I enjoy the most.
In relation to some other comments: "Nintendo is doomed/is about to go software-only/needs to have the most powerful hardware/will be bankrupted because of X new platform" has been an evergreen talking point since about 1990. If you're a younger fan, and don't understand why people are always saying this, just learn to roll with it.
I was there when the N64 was going to be the last Nintendo home console, when the Wii was going to be annihilated by the mighty PS3, when the Game Boy Advance clearly couldn't compete with the Nokia N-Gage, when smartphones were going to kill dedicated game hardware by 2013. The first rule in video game punditry should be "never underestimate the Big N." Here's to the next five years and beyond!
@johnvboy Just you wait and see...the mighty SteamDeck will bring Nintendo to its knees. It'll have wallpaper and everything. All this and more in a mere 16lb handheld. 😂
@WiltonRoots,
You could be right, but I doubt it.
@johnvboy It's got no chance. It will sell to Very Serious Gamers™ and that's about it I reckon.
@Pokester99
Dedicated servers are certainly not standard on PlayStation Online services. I agree about Voice Chat (though, you know, Discord), in fact the Online service generally is pretty poor.
However you were miles out about the ports v new Games ratio and it just genuinely amuses me that you get people going ‘isn’t this system great? So many games’ and others going ‘not for me. No themes on the UI.’
@WiltonRoots,
Just underlines the core minorities detachment from reality, if they think the Steam deck will do well, yet thought the Switch would fail.
@Pokester99,
You would be surprised, these comment sections are filled with people wanting Nintendo to fail.
I just like the Switch as it is, it's interface is simple and quick, and we have had some awesome games, can't think of anything else, themes and folders would be nice, but not a deal breaker for me.
@Pokester99
Where did I say you were a hater? 🤷♂️
@Would_you_kindly
Oh don’t get me wrong the Online service is rubbish. It’s just that the balance of. Intends output is much more weighted towards Internet content than many realise. And I value system speed and most importantly, the Games library, over stuff like Themes. One of them makes a games system worthwhile, the other is a nice to have novelty.
@johnvboy The stripped back super snappy interface is one of the things that endears me to the Switch, it's bloat-free, open, start game, done. It's designed to get you playing with minimal fuss. The focus is on the games, not superficial nonsense.
@WiltonRoots,
Which is why the console has such wide appeal, anybody can just pick up and play, of course the core minorities do not understand this concept.
@westman98 the only reason they ditched backwards compatibility with the switch is so they could resell games
@Would_you_kindly
No it's because the Switch has a different hardware architecture, form factor, and physical media format compared to the Wii U (or 3DS). Plus, it doesn't have dual screens.
BTW, you don't need to abandon backwards compatibility to resell old games. Sony literally just published enhanced ports of Ghosts of Tsushima and Death Stranding on PS5, even though the PS4 versions of those games are already playable on PS5. They'll soon port Uncharted 4 + Lost Legacy to PS5 as well.
@westman98 obviously the switch isn't going to play disks but they could've easily allowed people that bought virtual console games on the wii u to redownload them on the switch & I'm not saying playstation doesn't ever resell games but atlesst I can play the PS4 versions of games I bought if I don't want to pay for the ps5 upgrade also ghosts of Tsushima director's cut has a big expansion included so it's like mario 3d world + Bowser's fury
@Would_you_kindly
Nintendo abandoned Virtual Console in its entirety, so it's not a backwards compatibility issue and more an issue of "Nintendo has replaced VC with NSO". (Nintendo also used different emulators for NSO compared to VC, partially to account for the change in hardware architecture).
"but atlesst I can play the PS4 versions of games I bought if I don't want to pay for the ps5 upgrade"
Exactly - PS5 being backwards compatible with PS4 didn't stop Sony from porting PS4 games to PS5. Ghosts of Tsushima and Death Stranding were fortunate enough to receive new Bowser's Fury-esque expansions; meanwhile, the PS5 ports of Uncharted 4 + Lost Legacy have no such content expansions yet are going to be sold as PS5 games anyways.
Nothing is stopping Nintendo from selling Breath of the Wild 4K Edition on Switch 2 while also making the current Breath of the Wild playable on Switch 2 via backwards compatibility.
Five years? Really?
I remember watching that reveal trailer and being blown away by the idea.
I didn't get my Switch until 2018 from a going-out-of-business sale at Toys R Us. I knew that was like my only chance ever to get one at a discount, lol.
@TheRedComet I hear you, really, I do, I just don't think Nintendo will ever add native voice chat. They're too concerned with maintaining their family friendly image. People are pretty toxic on certain games even without voice chat. I personally think that could be solved with parental controls like every other family friendly concern, but I don't think Nintendo is ready to move on from that image they've created for themselves.
@SwitchForce
I wouldn't really say that the power issue is grabbing at straws, the hardware is definitely showing its age
again its not a case of "nintendoomed" , but more regarding performance issues in 3rd party ports, just look at the process of bringing the likes of the Ori games to the system, its impressive the level of work put into ports like that.
definitely hoping that they keep with the concept in its successor since it definitely feels like theres a lot of untapped potential in the idea.
On an unrelated note, I can’t believe 2022 is only 2 months away. I can almost taste Breath of the Wild 2’s release date creeping ever closer
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