Topic: The Best Value in Gaming: Nintendo Switch 2

@metaphysician
Exactly. Fundamentally, philosophically they operate differently than the rest. They’re over a 100 yrs old company for a reason. They saw the end game that is pursuing graphics and specs as your consoles features. Once everyone has the same or similar specs what’s going to differentiate you from your competitors. This is going to be the challenge moving forward for Microsoft and Sony , the specs arms race is becoming unsustainable so can they innovate enough to stay relevant ?

@UpsideDownRowlet
Amen to that! It’s sad that the hobby of gaming itself is becoming unaffordable for so many. Which is why even after the increase the Switch 2 is a solid value proposition right now. It will very interesting to see what the MS Helix and PS6 will offer and cost. Sony still has to deal with Valve and MS so they’ll need to offer something with high specs even if PS6 is portable. That will not be cheaper than the current price of the PS5 Pro so we will be entering new territory most likely once they launch

To be fair, Sony is an 80 year old company so not exactly young. Microsoft is the baby at only 51.

If you look at what comes in the box:
Switch 2 console ( bigger screen, 120hz)
Detachable Joy Cons (Can be split for 2 players)
Dock
Motion ,Mouse capabilities
Gamechat!
Backward compatibility(Big value nowadays)
Free upgrades for some games

You get a pack in game depending on the bundle. Most other systems you’d need 2 controllers for 2 players and usually would have to buy the Dock as a separate accessory. Gamechat requires online account BUT it does cut the cost of a headset/mic accessory. Obviously it can play Switch 1 games, even upscale some at no extra cost which is a nice bonus. Overall that is a good value in today’s market.

I do think the Switch 2 is a cool system for what it is and if anything it would be 70 dollar games existing for any reason or the accessories or the new expensive SD cards that would make it not ideal.

But the most popular game is Mario Kart World and everyone seems to prefer 8 Deluxe so maybe you shouldn't buy it so that I don't have to hear more people pretend MK World is the first Mario Kart not worth its price tag. :V

@FishyS
They may be 80 years old but holy moly do they make some unwise decisions. They once had that same vigour for innovation that Nintendo had and that drive just kind of fizzled out. They do make great TVs, lenses and headphones , sound systems…but they aren’t really innovative. We won’t even touch on Sony films 😝. Financially both companies are in different spaces now , with Sony showing much more instability over the years. Nintendo is growing at a faster pace right now in the entertainment world , Sony is trying to gain more footing in the streaming media space. It is kind of ironic they are the studio behind the Zelda movie though

@Rainz I think the big 3 will always be around and considered; they've all just changed over the years. the last time there was truly a big 3 era was the GC/PS2/XBOX generation. Nintendo still being discussed in the big 3 convo is probably more for historical reasons, and well, the switch is still a type of console - hybrid or not. As far as who's winning this war - I'd say Sony. They have a monopoly over the home console space and third parties. The switch (2) gets its fair share of third parties, much more than the wii/gamecube/wii u; but I think we can agree that for most people, a PS5 is the de-facto platform for third party games. However you feel about Sony is your prerogative, but that ultimately doesn't take away the fact that Sony does have an identity and niche that distinguishes it from Nintendo. Theres a reason to own both platforms and they complement each other well. Xbox, on the other hand, even still has a purpose - albeit very small.

@nomither6

Sony and XBOX both have their own niche markets and identities. I don’t think anyone is arguing that.

”As far as who's winning this war - I'd say Sony. They have a monopoly over the home console space and third parties.”

The PS5 has sold appx 94 Million, the Switch 1 is sitting at $156 Million…what makes no sense is you saying Sony has a monopoly when it’s clearly sitting in a very distant 2nd place. The Switch is a hybrid which is both home console and portable. I agree Sony receives a ton of 3rd party support …but 3rd party games can also be played on other systems so it’s not a major advantage for them. If anything it goes to show just how dependent they are on 3rd party support as we’ve seen them struggle with 1st party releases this entire generation.

Sony does have their own identity and maybe we will see when they release PS6 if they lean into that or just copy Nintendo’s homework with their own copycat Switch-like hybrid console. I think it was Sony former president Shuhei Yoshida who said Sony ignores Nintendo in Japan when it comes to the sales stats because the psychology of always being in 2nd place is deflating. 😂 I’m sorry but that does not sound like a company that’s enjoying a monopoly in any way.

I personally think this generation was the only chance that we could've had three consoles who all succeed without massive caveats (barring maybe the brief moment when Ps3 was gaining momentum but Wii and 360 hadn't lost it yet around 2009), so it is very annoying that Xbox completely fumbled the ball as hard as it could and Sony wasted their developers on stupid live service garbage that would often never even release.

Honestly the whole "console war" rhetoric is kinda dying as each of the Big 3 are diverging into very different niches and not directly competing anymore. Nintendo got out of the specs arms race long ago with the Wii and now have pioneered the hybrid market which right now is working out extremely well for them. Xbox seems less interested in making hardware and shifting towards subscription services. Sony seems to be the only one interested in making a traditional console. So you could say they "won" by default in a sense, but with mobile and PC growing and Nintendo creating a new hardware niche, it's not as if they're monopolizing the market, it's that the market has spread out into something much wider than it used to be. There's room for one player to dominate the traditional market without it being a true monopoly.

As far as the 3rd party support, Sony is definitely winning among the Big 3, but Microsoft and Nintendo aren't far behind, and outside of the Big 3 PC has equal or even greater 3rd party support. So again nominally "winning" in a sense but not really.

@Rainz “what makes no sense is you saying Sony has a monopoly when it’s clearly sitting in a very distant 2nd place”

I don’t see the Switch 1/2 as home consoles - they’re handheld consoles that can be connected to a TV via a dock adapter that charges it as you play. “Hybrid” sounds cool and all for fancy marketing purposes, but it’s literally just a handheld - it’s competition is the steamdeck (Which can also be connected to a TV) & the like. Nintendo has always sold handhelds that pushed a 100mil units.

“ I agree Sony receives a ton of 3rd party support …but 3rd party games can also be played on other systems so it’s not a major advantage for them. If anything it goes to show just how dependent they are on 3rd party support as we’ve seen them struggle with 1st party releases this entire generation.”

Yes but it’s virtually a fact that 3rd parties on Playstation are superior - this has been a common pattern since the N64. Nintendo was never the go-to for any games outside of their own first party, so one could argue that Nintendo is entirely dependent on their first party and the day that they ever port them to other platforms could possibly be very dangerous for them. Again, Sony and Nintendo both have their purposes, but considering the overwhelming majority of video games are third party - it would be detrimental if it were only Nintendo around.

With that said, I can’t keep going on about this, sorry. I like both Nintendo & Sony and have my criticisms about both without favoring the other because i like gaming & own both brands. I like games & i like my toys (consoles).