Topic: Was this the right time to release the Switch?

@rk3388
But as I said earlier, to what end? I don't think Nintendo loses anything by shuffling people who are only interested in Mario Kart or Splatoon back a few months. If they can spread demand fairly evenly across the year? They're going to have an easier time meeting that demand. If people can more easily walk into the shops and get the console when they want it? That means more sales.

Has Nintendo ever released Zelda and Mario Kart (or any other prominent IP) at the launch of a console?

If I recall correctly they have never released a Zelda game, Mario Kart game, and main Mario game in the same year, much less all near each other at launch. So I'm not sure where the expectation is coming from.

@AlexSays
Well here are the two biggest day 1 games for every Nintendo system....

NES: Super Mario Bros & Duck Hunt
SNES: Super Mario World & F-Zero
N64: Super Mario 64 and Pilotwings 64
GC: Luigi's Mansion & Wave Race
Wii: Twilight Princess & Wii Sports
Wii U: Nintendo Land & New SMB U

GB: Super Mario Land & Tetris
GBA: Super Mario Advance & Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
DS: Super Mario 64 DS & Feel the Magic XY/XX
3DS: Pilotwings Resort & Nintendogs + Cats

Switch: Breath of the Wild & 1-2 Switch

I'd argue it's second only to the Wii on day 1 and second only to the Gamecube if you extend it out to the first few months. Because the Gamecube followed up soon after launch with Smash Bros and Pikmin. But even so, I think you have a point. I'm not quite sure what people are wanting from this launch.

It should also be noted that for the SNES and N64? In some regions those were literally the only two games you could get at launch. The 3DS didn't get much else at all during that "launch window". The Wii had to wait about as long but it didn't matter as much because Zelda was there. The Switch? It comes out of the gates swinging and gets a big release about once a month for the first 9 months. No comparison

Fans are ready...Just wait for the lauch...

@skywake
"I'm not quite sure what people are wanting from this launch."

That has been my exact thought for the past few weeks lol

Not quite the right time, February 29th 2017 would've been more suitable

On a more serious note, the timing's not that bad but the timing on giving info has been pretty bad. Like the Nindies presentation should've been like a few weeks ago for example.

That will be a LONG wait!

@Grumblevolcano I don't know I think the way Nintendo has drip fed info since November has been perfect. It's kept people talking about the launch and built the hype tremendously. Now they just need to deliver.

Woah....indeed! I would have done with 28th of Feb 2017

In all honesty though, I don't think there ever will be the perfect time to launch it. There'll always be pros and cons to each quarter. I actually think it's a perfect time to launch. It gets them out there at a time where PS and XB are rather quiet on their hardware front. PS4 have had their glory and Xbox's will come with Scorpio later this year.

@skywake That's a nifty list you compiled for reference. Hopefully people have looked at that and adjusted their expectations a bit.

1-2 Switch likely won't have a fraction of the impact that Wii Sports did, but BotW may blow away the reception of Twilight Princess if the previews are anything to go by. That game alone will sell consoles for such a long time that Mario Kart may actually be released too soon. Supply may not be caught up by the time Mario Kart is released, so they could have saved that a little later to spark demand when the Switch was somewhat available in stores.

@AlexSays I think you are over estimating the impact BotW will have on the sales of consoles after launch month. Zelda isn't as big a potential seller as Mario Kart 8 when it comes to the average potential buyer.

Launching with a bunch of major first party games would be stupid. They'd cannibalize each-other's sales, and would probably end up selling less overall as a result.

I'll be happy if we get a high-quality first-party release every few months, and it looks like Nintendo is obliging for 2017. Hopefully they're using this time to work on a variety of software for 2018.

@aesc All I am seeing in the UK commercials are multiplayer games, mainly Mario Kart 8 - which is really bizarre as it won't be out until end of April. Though the bus stop poster outside my work has Zelda as promoted game. I just hope this isn't a March marketing spree which stops suddenly come April.

They should have waited till Christmas, so they would have a stronger launch line-up With New games like Zelda, Splatoon 2 and Super Mario Oddysey together With the release of Mario Kart 8 deluxe and Skyrim.
Then they could have also made bundles with any of these games.

Right now, the Switch launch is entirely carried by the new Zelda and a lot of WiiU owners ( a lot of them burned how it turned out ) might just buy the WiiU Version, since they are already invested in that console.
Then, if you already played Splatoon and Mario Kart 8 to the death ( or Skyrim and Lego City Undercover for that matter ).... there is nothing "big" coming until Christmas with the release of Super Mario Oddysey.

So I fear that now the Switch will have a strong launch day sale and sell out, but after march the sales will start to crash and burn and Nintendo will yet again lose sales momentum, like they did with the WiiU.
Just some occasional spikes with Super Mario Kart 8 deluxe and Splatoon 2 perhaps, but that's it for this year.

This is going to not boost any confidence for the big 3rd party Publisher, who will see a repeat of WiiU.

CATCH22

The thing sold out everywhere and everyone who sees one likes it. Only some people that get paid for writing crap on the internet don't seem to like it. Makes you wonder.

I don't know on which planet you live, but here on Planet Earth the console hasn't been released yet!

The current "professional" reviews are very mixed. The Switch has some serious issues at the moment, like the disconnect issues with the left Joy-con! That is not minor! I hope Nintendo manages to fix that tomorrow in the day 1 update or it's not going to be pretty when the average joe is going to get their hands on the console.
The choice for plastic cover on the screen, instead of some form of Gorilla glass is also questionable and pretty much forces you to buy a screen protector on day 1.
Never had to for my PSVita and still haven't got a single scratch on that one.

We will see when I get mine delivered tomorrow, as yes I pre-ordered one myself. But I am not oblivious to the facts and current issues and can't deny to be a bit worried how Nintendo is going to handle it and how the software drought this year is going to affect sales momentum and how that then will affect confidence in the big 3rd party Publishers as seeing Switch as a serious enough platform.

Its a smart launch IMO. Hardcore Nintendo fans will buy the system at launch, as evidenced by pre-orders selling out within hours, if not minutes.

In the US, this is the time when people are getting their tax refund checks, which gives people disposable income. Plus, this gives Nintendo a lot of time to work out the kinks in the system, add updates and patches and have the console humming for the holiday release.

If they have truly turned a corner in their marketing, this upcoming next few months leading into E3 provides a great opportunity to really push the system with a ton of live events: March Madness, NBA playoffs, opening week for MLB, NFL draft, etc.

As for the launch, the Switch is getting: Zelda, 1,2 Switch, Snipperclips, Bomberman, plus a lot of great indie content in the 1st month. Seems like a pretty good launch to me.

It's a great time. They can only make so many of the things at launch. The supply will be bought up by the Nintendo hardcore no matter what. Nintendo now have over 6 months to get things right and ramp up to holiday, which is when they will start trying to sell the system to everyone else. The 3DS showed you can have a rough launch in March, but as long as you turn it around by the first holiday, things can go well.

People swearing that Nintendo should have released both Mario & Zelda at launch are insane - why would Nintendo release their biggest franchises together, with the risk that they would cannibalize itself? Did that happen with PS4 & XONE?

Anyway, I think it is a good time to launch. They have the whole year to release killer apps, to crown the year at Christmas with Mario and convince people on the fence. We're far away from Christmas as to let those expenses be a problem. The only problem in the southern hemisphere is that March is the back to school month, so here it will probably have stronger sales after this month's craziness goes away.