Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

Just as a fun story that I don't know if there is a better place to put this, I saw a kid today win a Switch in one of those impossible to win game machines where you have to push the key through the hole and knock it down. I was a little ways away so I couldn't see what he was going for, then I just see this incredibly shocked look on his face. He reaches down and pulls out a Switch box. The way he was carrying it, it was clearly empty, so I watched his mother and grandmother look all over the machine for a number and spend like 15 minutes on the phone trying to figure out how they get their prize before they left. Not sure what happened, but I hope they get it.

@JaxonH Have you tried Yakuza 0?

@IceClimbers
I have actually... I own it.

Haven't played too much, couple hrs at most, but it was pretty entertaining. Story was good. Combat was... brutal.

Nothing in the world could make me waste money on an Xbox One X. There's just nothing I like about it. The fetishistic fixation on 4K gaming. The complete lack of any real exclusives. The boring, undistinctive build (seriously, the thing is a dead ringer for my cable box!). I've never been less interested in a console.

I do hope whoever buys it enjoys it, but there is nothing about it that will ever appeal to me on almost any level as a gamer.

@Ralizah
I actually agree with pretty much everything you said.

Buuuut.... even though I'm not fixated on 4K I do appreciate it. And in truth it does look better than the PS4 Pro (that is honest to goodness the ugliest console I've ever seen in my life, and it's staring right at me). And despite their exclusive line up being practically nonexistent going forward, there are multiplatform games that I am interested in, and would really appreciate experiencing it in the best visual fidelity possible.

I wouldn't say I'm super excited for it but, it's a nice little upgrade. Better than the PS4 Pro. When you have a 4K TV it's nice to have consoles that render in 4k, if possible.

@JaxonH Hmm. I guess the thing is that I play almost no multiplats, and, the few times I do, I prefer doing so on the PC, where you have full control over the presentation. PS4 Pro and Scorpio (I'll never understand why they don't keep these cool sounding code names) are fixated on 4K to the exclusion of everything else, which means games still often run at lower framerates than they would on PC.

PS4 Pro... hmm, I still think the "alien tech" aesthetic it has going for it helps it to not look terrible, but I'm not really a fan of the segmented design either. It's certainly a much less sexy looking console than my Wii U or Switch.

It really is funny how much Nintendo speaks to me as a gamer on both a hardware and software level. The Switch is pretty much everything I want in a console, which appears to be the opposite of what so much of the "hardcore gamer" crowd seems to like.

@Ryu_Niiyama also, fun discovery, yes, toy can use a usb-usbc adapter to connect the hrap directly to the handheld!! If course toy can't also connect an external battery at the same time ask play time is limited to the switch battery.

BUT its game dependent. Home menu controls fine. UsfII controls fine. Sonic mania doesnt respond at all to the hrap connected direct to the tablet, but does respond is connected to the dock. But at minimum you get a portable arcade cabinet fir sfII And prolly neo geo

@NaviAndMii I think indie developers love the hybrid features more than bigger game companies. That's why there are so many indie games on Switch, they are all migrating from Vita to Switch. On Sony console they have to develop 2 versions: one for Vita, one for PS4. On Switch it's just one version for home console and handheld.

Big gaming companies preferred horse-power, since they have the resources to do complex graphics. I think they will be going for docked games to attain parity with PS4 and Xbox.

I think the future for Switch is this: Indie/simpler games on the go and AAA games docked. Most indie games can be hybrid except those ported from mobile that relied on touch screen.

@Ralizah the x1x hardware is so much nicer that ps4pro and the is actually let's you set obvious settings regarding downloads and such that the terrible sony os doesn't. Its a much superior console and environment to ps4 pro.

On the other hand, so was the 32x. The lack of games still didn't make me want one

although may not likely be switch related. (it could since Nintendo owns the company) but we got some concept artwork for monolith's new unnamed game.
http://nintendoeverything.com/xenoblade-developer-monolith-so...
tbh, it has that "Bravely Default" feel. to me, not sure. what do you guys think?

@Aozz101x It's definitely Switch related; Monolith Soft is a 1st party developer.

Looks like they're hiring staff for a new medieval fantasy action RPG. They're wanting to make something different from the Xenoblade brand that they're known for.

That artwork is fantastic.

@IceClimbers First party? That would make Retro first party as well and Rare back in the day.

I don't really care about the Xbox One X personally. I'd rather get myself a One S before getting the X. Too expensive when I can basically get 90% of half the price. However, Microsoft's first party offering doesn't really interest me. Sunset Overdrive and... er... Cuphead are maybe the only two games I'm interested in, but I can play the latter on my laptop. I use my PS4 for any other multiplat games. I don't own a PC since I need a laptop for school/work, so I don't see the point in owning two ''PCs''.

@Spoony_Tech Nintendo owns Monolith and Retro, they never owned Rare. Monolith and Retro are as much Nintendo studios as EAD 1 till 6 (or whatever it is these days) are. So yeah, 100% guaranteed this is for Switch (unless it's a 3DS game...).

@Spoony_Tech Retro studios are first party, they even state that they are owned by Nintendo on the website plus there is a giant Nintendo logo at the bottom of every page. Monolith Soft is a subsidiary of Nintendo so again are first party. Just like Naughty Dog are first party for Sony as they are owned by the company.

@Octane lol that would be a bummer. But since it says 'ambitious new project' i'm not too concerned.

Artwork looks great! Especially the one on the bottem with this overview of a city.

@JaxonH Now, Jaxon, I remember you saying you don't like fiddling with PC's, but "games that I am interested in, and would really appreciate experiencing it in the best visual fidelity possible" doesn't count without a damn good gaming PC....

I don't think they will release a GPU add-on. If they do, they will effectively split their install base. And how does an addon to the dock enable wireless VR? The only real way to create wireless VR would be to have the processing happen in the VR-helmet. Low-latency is crucial if you want to have a pleasant VR experience, much more than pixel count.

@NEStalgia Xbone's UI is a bloated nightmare like the PS4's, and it's lacking in the one area that really matters (the games). Also: bulky, generic design; terrible controller layout; and, personally, I prefer trophies to achievements.

@Therad I'd agree with one minor caveat.

I don't think "dock only" games are an impossibility. It could easily be the case that a big hit game comes along that Switch can run at 720p docked but not without far more serious compromises in handheld. If the install base is big enough and the game is big enough a publisher might well decide to go for it...

I don't see Nintendo making a "docked only" game any time soon though - additional super powered dock or not.

I never said dock only is an impossibility, it is the add-on and wireless VR I don't think will happen.

But I do think it is highly unlikely that a game will be docked only though. If a dev can make a game run in docked mode, they should be able to make it run undocked. The difference between the two modes isn't that much.