Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

@NaviAndMii YouTube made 4K available in 2010... What's your point? Seven years later and 4K isn't the norm yet, although I do believe that we're at a turning point. Even if they broadcast the Olympics in 8K, that doesn't mean everyone, or a substantial amount of people for that matter, will own a 8K TV in 2020 (or even by 2025).

@Octane Rrmind me when I let my phone lock when watching YouTube that its a bad thing because it stops the video. Thats an OS feature of the lock screen sadly that most apps dont work around.

Thankfully the app has a feedback form. Zo get to it. Or maybe they didnt catch that when reviewing.

@BLP_Software YouTube on mobile is terrible, and I rarely use it. It's not as if there isn't a work-around. Spotify does it, so their app could do it too in theory. Voice chat also renders your phone useless, and it's weird how they don't even let you talk when you're not in a match. I thought the app was a completely separate thing, but it's also limited by what you're doing on the Switch. I thought it was going to be something that you could use anytime.

At this point I don't know why I should even bother with their voice chat. Third party offerings are way better.

@Octane No, but like I say, the average family only buys a new TV once every 7-8yrs - people might be buying more and more 4K TV's, but the average person won't be buying a TV this year at all, or next year, or the year after...TV tech might move forward, but the average person only upgrades once in a blue moon.

If my TV breaks today, I'll pop out and buy a 4K one - no problem...but it probably won't, so I probably won't.

What would make me buy a new TV without my old one breaking? Something which offers a tangible improvement over the current standard. 4K isn't a 'must have' because it doesn't solve any of the problems of HD TV - 8K will, so it has a better chance of gaining real traction going forward. If 4K ever does become standard (ie. the average TV in the average home), which I doubt, it'll be short-lived.

My general point - and I believe the original point of the entire discussion - is that the Switch, X1S and PS4 have more mass-market appeal because a) people don't want to upgrade their TV unless they have to and b) the average TV is a HD TV and these are HD consoles...the X1X and PS4P don't fall in to that bracket, so shouldn't be considered to be 'direct' competition.

@rallydefault 2 years will have been plenty of time for the Switch to gain a foothold in the market.

Assuming the industry wide NAND shortages get sorted out and haven't completely neutered the system by then of course.

@Octane What baffles me is that people want to talk with random players.

And hey. If they know Japanese then great XD

"Not only does your Nintendo app have to stay open for voice chat to work, but your screen has to stay on, making this a substantial battery drain on your phone."

Oh wow, that actually really sucks. I can take calls and listen to audio with the screen off, why not voice chat? That's just a blatant waste of energy, it would almost certainly necessitate keeping your phone plugged in, which would get my phone really really hot as well with the screen on.

Nintendo really doesn't know how to develop for smartphones, do they? I thought DeNA were supposed to be experts at stuff like this.

Wow, that app sounds embarrassingly bad...

@BLP_Software That can be solved with simple region zoning, or matching people with similar languages, which is already stored on your console information. I bet that's what most games do.

@Nicolai Perhaps.

But then take my country, the UK. My region in servers in the EU. 28 other countries and not all speak English.

This kind of backs into the whole censorship during localisation thing. Different places, different standards.

And even then...the problem persists outside of Splatfests. The world is a big place and quote frankly with the some of the things I say, its best its not an option to talk to randoms

@Nicolai In an online team-based shooter, I'd much rather have faster matchmaking than sacrificing speed just for the possibility to chat with strangers.

Totally with you! This app seems like it's going to need more than just a 'stability update' to patch it up... :/

@BLP_Software Was that a reply to me? Cause I don't remember saying anything about talking to strangers. I have no interest in speaking to people that don't know a language I do either, but I believe there are simple solutions for that, and I don't think you need a phone for that.

He's always right

@Octane Its just a general complaint ive seen.

I dont reply without tagging as you know

@Octane I know its not actually him but doesn't make the statement any less true lol.

What a savage!

@WebHead True, the E3 stuff was amazing though. It's always good to check that Twitter account once in a while if you want a good laugh.

@NEStalgia good post.

The other major thing to note is that the drive to adopt 1080p TV sets had another 2 major driving factors.

Firstly LCD or LED TVs are much smaller and lighter (even while offering a bigger screen) than old crt TVs. This was, to many, a much bigger driver than the improved screen quality (indeed I'd hazard a guess than a majority of HD TVs owners have never used it to display full 1080p content and that a sizeable minority has only ever used it to watch 480p content).

Secondly crt TVs were more unreliable - they broke eventually creating a 'push' factor. LCD and LED TVs can live much longer.

4K doesn't have those advantages. It'll become the standard - if only because economics mean the manufacturers will eventually find it cheaper to make only 4K sets - but it'll take a much longer time than 1080p adoption did.

This doesn't affect the Xbox One X though. It's not aimed at the mainstream consumer and, anyway, it mostly exists so that Microsoft can say 'Xbox is the most powerful home console and the best place to play the industry's biggest games'.

Reviews and professional YouTubers will play on their One Xs and the brand attributes will be carried by marketing onto the One S.

It's a pretty clever approach really and they're doing it better than Sony has so far (although they're sitting on one of the most successful consoles ever so they didnt really have to nail it). I fully expect Nintendo to try the same trick with the Switch eventually (especially since they've already done it in a more low key way with the 3DS).