Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

@UmniKnight The various games being frequently announced? New details on others?

Yes your discussion is relevant but again, we bring up points regarding your fear of handheld only games, why the hybrid idea is necessary, and how developers approach it.

Some of your fears like Pokemon being handheld only are frankly absurd. Its up to developers how they market their games and for third parties its a LOT easier to sell a game because it can be portable should you choose, rather than a slightly lesser TV experience that people will ignore. The whole point of marketing is a Unique Selling Point. The USP of Switch is that it is a hybrid. Game developers are wise to do that and even with the 2 handheld only games, it doesn't go against the play anywhere slogan.

All your counter arguments have simply dine is restart the debate. We get to a certain point and you bring up the dock again. We go further and you bring up the 2 handheld only games. Then you bring up how people use it again. Then you bring up marketing again. It goes on and on.

@BLP_Software I'm not going to repeat myself, as you've said, let's just move on. Time will tell what happens with the Switch and it's games in the end. What I meant by third-parties, is if they're doing well on Switch, that's all.

@UmniKnight Third party sales numbers seem to be good. Disagaea 5 hit 100k, Bomberman was 500k and SF2 was 450k.

Skyrim will no doubt do well, and its interesting to note EA is Fe over before theyve seen FIFA do well. Maybe they have some faith.

@UmniKnight Oh yeah BotW has quite some frame drops. Not just Stasis, Magnesis and Cryonis can also cause some slight drops. But with the patches, it's MUCH better than it used to be.

I just wish that developers would prioritize aiming for a mostly locked 60 FPS at 1080p (or even 1440p if possible) instead of keep pushing to 4K with potentially horrific FPS/frame pacing. Granted most people can't tell the difference between 30 FPS and 60 and some people aren't sensitive to FPS drops, but if more and more and more developers start targeting consistent 60 FPS instead of just pushing graphics, more and more people will go back and think "wow, this game of old feels worse than today's games. What happened?" I doubt that will happen since it's easier to sell on graphics than frame rate, but that's just a dream I wish developers (outside of Nintendo, who really REALLY take high and consistent FPS seriously) would step back and prioritize, even though it's likely to not happen for a long time.

Granted some of Nintendo's own games in the past did not run at high frame rates (N64 games, pretty much every 3D Zelda) and other games like Xenoblade are very unlikely to hit 60 FPS, but I want as an industry standard.

@EvilLucario I know all about horrific frame-drops, since I've gone through my fair share of MMO's. I've once experienced 0 FPS for about 15 seconds during a world-event, falling down in an area with 50+ players all doing their abilities on 1 big boss, only landing when it all went quiet again.

Frame-drops are are just annoying, but I guess BotW can get away with it, on account on it being on Wii-U as well.

@UmniKnight @EvilLucario The catch is:

What sounds better in an add? 4K ultra high drfinition, or 60fps smooth gameplay?

To the average joe at least. Remember TV and movies are 25fps. Gaming is ideally 60. So resolution is the logical sell

@BLP_Software It'll be very interesting to see how Rabbids does, since that's pretty much the first ground-up third-party game, isn't it?

@BLP_Software I don't know, since I'm very far from the average Joe in terms of thinking, but I'm guessing you mean 4K ultra high derpfinition.

@UmniKnight Yeah pretty much. A third party exclusive using Nintendo IP in honestly a very unique way. Bit like Hyrule Warriors

Also I hope Skyrim has something akin to mod-support, even if I'm nearly sure it won't, as that would help it a looooooooooong way.

@BLP_Software Yeah, I brought that up earlier. It's much harder to sell people on higher FPS versus better graphics. In a way I hate it, but I can understand.

@UmniKnight Yup, and it can be an important game for third-parties to go all-in. If it does uber well, that paints very good things between Nintendo and third-parties, and we could get more Bayonettas or Wonderful 101s added to the exclusive lineup the Switch is bursting with.

@BLP_Software But I'm not sure if that's truly what third-parties should gun for to get good sales on a Nintendo platform (Nintendo has great IP, but still a finite amount of them). I'm simply hoping there's enough people on Switch now, that want third-party games, if only for that handheld component so that they see enough sales to support it regardless.

@EvilLucario I've got more third-party on my list these coming 2 months than I have Nintendo games right now. I'll be 5/2 at the end of September

Me too! I wouldn't have expected Nintendo to allow cross-network play on Rocket League or Minecraft, but they surprised me with that...not gonna lie, I'm not expecting mod support in Skyrim either, but maybe - just maybe - Nintendo might surprise me again?! **fingers crossed**, **touch wood**, **prays to the Old God's and the New**, **please, please, pretty please!**

@UmniKnight @EvilLucario I think the big thing about Switch and third parties is they arent being dumb.

Like why would a Nintendo fan want Mass Effect 3, the conclusion to a story heavy trilogy that until that point skipped that market?

But Switch by design has the extra value of possible portability. But in addition that games are coming that make sense to a Nintendo audience, like Skyrim, Fe, FIFA, LEGO, WWE, NBA, Sonic, Bomberman... with the addition to the wider gaming market that for the first time...its portable.

Its like the games themselves have value to Nintendo fans, and them being usable in handheld mode has value to other gamers.

@NaviAndMii Old Gods? Is that a WoW reference I see there? Has C'thun come to say hello?

@BLP_Software Extra, interesting wording you're using there.

I believe the Switch is tapping into a larger market of people with tastes, beyond the usual Nintendo demographic. We'll probably see games we otherwise wouldn't have grace the system, which is nice. Also let me just say this: Even if it's a port, we finally have a good Dragonball akin to Tenkaichi on a Nintendo system again! I missed those on Wii-U, made worse by me having lost my Tenkaichi 2 CD.

@UmniKnight Well to us as Nintendo fans if the games line up to our tastes, the portability is really just extra value. Whereas to other gamers, its the main reason to maybe double dip, and provides extra value to them.

Extra in this context means additional, by the by.

And yeah even if they are ports, I mean portable Skyrim. I know people who want that. I got Sonic Mania on Switch because I can ALSO play it anywhere. DBZX2 is a great example.

As opposed to in the past where third parties threw whatever even if it wasnt what the market wanted, they are giving games that match tastes, and in the case of pirts, the Switch by design gives those ports a benefit over other systems, and to wider gamers, thats a nice thing to have.

The Wii U got downgraded ports. Switch will get less downgraded ports, but its also portable if you want it.

Worded like that, it sounds good.

Thing is Switch already has a wide library. All thats really missing is thibgs coming by the end of the year!

@BLP_Software And yet with all of this, there's still the water-testing and caution. I wonder how long it will take before that's finally 100% over, if there even exists such a thing.

I hope they'll make Pokemon and the other portable first, home-console as well now games looks and run well on the Switch. Those frame-drops during horde battles were inexcusable... especially bad when finding a Koffing in ORAS.

@UmniKnight @BLP_Software I can't completely blame third-parties for the continued caution for now considering Nintendo is only now seriously third-parties back onboard. Plus, all these 2017 games might have been too far in development to be ported easily to the Switch.

2018 will show more to see how that goes. If they're STILL testing the waters, then that would be foolish.