Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

@StuTwo Haha! Yeah, well that's precisely it...

I mean, GAME has always been a 'destination' for me - I think I drop in to my local store pretty much any time I pop in to town - but I guess that's not the case for everyone...and I can kind of see where they're coming from on the software front too - most of the people on my PS4 friends list pretty much seem to just play GTAV (or something like that) and don't really seem to have played much else in the past year...if the average person is only going to buy one-or-two games a year, down from, say, 3-4 a few years ago - that's really gonna hurt...

@Zyrac Yeah, me too to be honest...

I got my Switch and Zelda from GAME - but I noticed that you tend to get better pre-order bonuses if you buy direct from Nintendo's online store (for the same price), so they're usually my first port of call these days...

I used to prefer Gamestation when that was about - they used to offer more retro games and consoles and (at least where I live) the employee's seemed to be more passionate and knowledgeable about games...when GAME took them over, I wished they'd have taken what was good about Gamestation and encorporated it in to their GAME stores - but they just kind of swallowed them up, re-branded them and stripped their soul away! Sad times, no doubt..

@NaviAndMii I've been left cold by them as a destination for a long time.

I remember often visiting in the early PS2/GCN/XBox era and they'd have a very wide variety of games stocked, a few kiosks to play and in general the feeling of a lot of space. I wouldn't say it's a place you could spend hours and hours in (like Waterstones) but it was the barebones of a "destination".

For the past 10 years they've shed all of that. They survive today because there is no real competition. If you see a kiosk for instance it's almost always FIFA which a) will sell to the audience who wants to buy it anyway, b) is more likely to attract nothing but school kids.

It's a shame because I'm sure there is a market for a video gaming equivalent of Waterstones that could justify slightly higher prices.

Switch is £280 including the 20% VAT here.

Thats $366. €312. $456CAD. $459AUS.

But the games cost more than in Canada or the US. Weird isnt it

@StuTwo Absolutely! I live in a small village myself, with a small town nearby that has an independent game retailer which seems to be surviving okay - they just seem to have more of a soul, doing things like Pokémon trading and 'swap shop' events, selling Etsy-style accessories and collectibles, having a stock of retro games...I'd absolutely love it if GAME could try to make themselves in to more of a 'gaming Waterstones' - with sofas to play games, a social atmosphere, gaming clubs etc - you'd think that'd be a great way to (atleast attempt) to draw the crowds back in...

@NaviAndMii It's easier to have a soul when you're small. I'm sceptical as to whether the idea would be viable at scale. I'd love to see someone try nonetheless, but I'm sure GAME are too risk-averse at this point. You might think a struggling company would be willing to try for some sort of big play to rejuvenate itself, but that doesn't seem to be how the big-business mindset works.

@Zyrac I doubt that it could be done under the GAME brand - it's too big and unwieldy and fatally wedded to a business model that inevitably ends up desperately trying to compete on price in a race it can't win. But a chain of glorified cafes with a few consoles set up for multiplayer and some racks of slightly overpriced games and gaming merchandise could be a real winner in the UK if it had the right financial backing and vision.

Thing is if GAME goes...what do we as Nintendo users have? Amazon and Nintendo UK Store which are both cheaper. But on the high street for the average joy where sales numbers really come from?

No supermarkets stock Nintendo stuff en masse beyond maybe 3DS. CEX is all preowned. Grainger Games isnt in the south. HMV doesnt touch Nintendo.

What does the UK market in retail stores do for Ninyendo outside of GAME? Nothing. And thats the worst part. If GAME goes we lose even more of our already tiny market share here because no physical store will do it.

So we either fall even further to the side or stick up with high prices for the few who will look at GAMEs overpriced and tiny Ninty section.

Argos maybe but thats now owned by Sainburys. And they dont do Nintendo stuff. And people dont go for games.

Smyths? Maybe?

@Octane
In Pennsylvania I have 6% sales tax, so that brought my Switch to $318. Pro Controller is $69, so about $73 with tax. After that, I assume you could just buy your games on the EU eShop and/or just buy them over there physically. But over here, physical "full" releases like Zelda and Splatoon are 60 bucks. UNLESS you are an Amazon Prime member and you can get most new releases for a little under 50 bucks.

GAME is the UK equivalent of Gamestop, I take it? Specialist game stores (big chains, at least) have been struggling more and more over the years. The combo of online retailers like Amazon and digital purchases is really doing them in.

@rallydefault So that's about $63.6 (€54), for a big game. It's €60 over here and digital prices are guaranteed to be €60. Digital is the most expensive option. Retailers will often undercut the price and I get most of my games for around €52. That's the lowest I can find new games for on day one. The US prices for games are cheaper on paper, but the European market is a little more flexible, so if you look hard enough, you can find some good deals over here. Of course this only happens if there is enough stock. So any big Switch game is not going for less than €60. Not a big issue, but that also means that accessories and the console itself can be more expensive than the MSRP.

So, provided it's not a rare item, it's not all that bad. For example, I pre-ordered (and I know that works differently in the US too*) Uncharted Lost Legacy for €32 today, €8 less than the €40 MSRP.

_{*Pre-orders are free of any additional costs. You just pay the price up front and you get the game delivered on the day of release (or even before in some cases).}

Remember when I mentioned that murder mystery game "The Sexy Brutale" got a PEGI rating for the Switch? Well, it's now been confirmed that it's coming to the system. It's going to be released in Japan this autumn by Nippon Ichi Software. I'd imagine a western release will come around then.

http://www.perfectly-nintendo.com/sexy-brutale-headed-nintend...

@OorWullie I agree. Best experience is the first time you do it.

@NaviAndMii I don't see any kind of deficiency in my left Joy-Con, so I think I'll be ok with this one.

@Ralizah IIRC Gamestop is the Gamestop of the UK. Game is the even WORSE version.

So with Dragon Quest XI being announced for localisation in 2018 and being released tomorrow in Japan, there is one lingering question.

Where the actual hell is that Switch version?

We dont know what versions are being localised but safe bet its PS4 only as the 3DS in the West in 2018 is iffy at best.

But the Switch version is....well...vaporware.

Im betting its cancelled because at this point the game is out already and theyve said its coming West. That pretty much ends the games cycle in the market.

And if its true that they didnt want the Switch to overshadow two seperate versions of the game....then the same would hold for the west. So if THATS true then we might not see it until 2019!

@BLP_Software
I don't think it's cancelled, but I do think it will come later and that DQ XI is a timed exclusive for PS4. Kind of what happened with Rise of the Tomb Raider, except they're not dumb enough to say it out front and get so much backlash.

@Luna_110 Timed exclusive....to PS4 AND 3DS?

Thos whole situation is weird but given the "Adult situation" they cant talk about and how more and more companies are pledging Switch support but only if it doesnt go to PS4 too...has me concerned.

There are two constants: It doesnt go to Switch but is multiplatform on PS4 and others, or its Switch exclusive.

And this is a weird situation because as we are told third party support is good and the fruits are slowly appearing....it also shows signs of being none existent. And that is worrying because us as consumers dont know where we stand.

I can see the switch version getting a worldwide release in 2018 and Squenix will act like they planned it that way all along.

@BLP_Software
The 3DS isn't a direct competitor to the PS4 - the 3DS versión will sell either way. But if the Japanese had the same (similar, at least) version of DQ XI and had to choose between PS4 and Switch? The Switch would take the lion's share due to portability.
That's why I think Sony could have made it a timed exclusive, they want to sell well in Japan, as well as they can without portability.

Plot twist: The Switch version is a 3DS port.

@Octane Oh that's mean.