The idea that the Switch would be better off as a pure handheld or home console is completely rediculous. Maybe you want that, and that's fine, but I would rather just buy one system (which also will have the advantage of having a bigger library than previous Nintendo systems once they kill the 3DS) than have to buy a console and a handheld separately. Besides, clearly it's selling much better than most people anticipated, and I think at the end of the generation, once they've dropped the price and released a Switch Lite and it has a complete library, it will have sold better than a regular home console or handheld would have.
Not sure if intentional or auto spell shenanigans lol
Psalms 22:16 (1,000 yrs before Christ)
They pierced My hands and feet
Isaiah 53:5 (700 yrs before Christ)
He was pierced for our transgressions
Zachariah 12:10 (500 yrs before Christ)
They will look on Me whom they pierced
@UmniKnight It could be a lot of things, but the most likely one IMO is one that has the JoyCons "fused" to the screen, essentially making it a Vita. It most likely wouldn't include a dock, either.
@KirbyTheVampire Yeah, I can see that. I can also see them improve on the Switch as it's current concept, considering Nvidia's long-term partnership with them now, which also works with that lite version.
But I don't think it'll be for a while.
That said, I wonder if they'll do anything with that supplemental computing device patent of theirs.
I’m not feeling the home console only version or the handheld only version. It’s called The Switch (or just Switch) because you can easily switch between the modes. That’s what the whole concept is built around. If it sold like cold mouldy flapjacks Nintendo might abonden the core concept ala Wii U but thankfully it’s selling like piping hot scones.
@BigBadJohn It's not like Nintendo isn't willing to design something in the same family of devices that ditches the core "gimmick" (2DS being a prime example), but I doubt it'll happen for a long time. I could see them launching cheap home console only Switches in the twilight years of its life once sales start sagging. The thing with the Switch is that it's the handheld form factor that is adding to the cost of the machine: taking out the screen, battery, etc. would, alongside the falling cost of components, allow Nintendo to shave off a really decent fraction of the price and target hold-outs with an alluring $200 price point.
Currently Playing: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond (NS2); Corpse Factory (PC)
I'd like to see Bandai/Namco go head-on with their support and port over their three Digimon games to the Switch. Cyber Sleuth in particular is a pretty good game, though I think the v-pet nature of Digimon World Next Order would benefit from the system the most.
@JaxonH Ironic, I could say the same of you. But what you don't know, and probably don't believe, is that I'm playing Devil's Advocate to find legitimacy in the dock. I'm merely exploring the outer corners here.
The dock is hardly expensive though, it's just overpriced. The real price savings would come from not having to have detachable joycons with motion controllers and hd rumble. But they've already painted themselves into a corner by releasing games that make use of all the different configurations of joycons. It would probably be some consumer backlash if you couldn't play all Switch games on all Switches.
Just soldering the joycons on the main board won't do anywhere near the savings they could do by ditch the battery, dock and screen. Aka a stationary console. If they did that, they can also change the internal flash to an hdd to add storage without the cost going up.
Soldering the joycons on the board would destroy one of the biggest features of the switch, local portable multiplayer out of the box.
@UmniKnight There is no reason at all for nintendo to make the switch handheld only. None. It won't save much money, which means they can't really lower the price. 20% of users are using it primarily as a home console. This means an handheld only would be expected to have at least 20% less sales. Unless you think an handheld only model for $300 would take up the slack.
The traditional handheld market is gone. Many of the DS sales was because you could dump one on your kids and hopefully they were quiet in the car for the ride to grandma. That part of the market has been completely eclipsed by cheap android tablets. Not only are they cheaper than the 2ds, the games cost far less. It isn't fun to give the kids a game for $40 and they are playing it for 20 minutes and never pick it up again. Far better to give them some free shovelware or something that costs a fraction of that price.
This also means Nintendo started losing brand awareness with younger audiences. This is a huge deal for a company that has built their entire brand around family friendly. The switch is rebranding Nintendo slightly more towards mature gamers. The games so far seems to be slightly more edgy than their counterparts on the wii u.
I think it does make sense to sell more SKUs. One without handheld for example. Options are always good.
It is interesting that we find different opinions here. One side thinks that Nintendo will release a Switch version as home console only and the other group thinks that a portable-only Switch will come.
Both scenarios will probably never happen. The core concept of the Switch is the hybrid concept and this is what makes the Switch attractive for many people. Confusing people with different versions doesn't work. A large part of the failure of the WiiU is due to that. Having WiiU besides the popular Wii and having different controllers was not transparent.
The comparison with the 2DS is similar but the 2DS just ditched an optional feature. However, the confusion also was present. It only works since Nintendo dominates the portable market.
Maybe we will get a Switch-Lite but only the design and memory will change there, I guess. Like going from DS to DS Lite. Going from 3DS to New3DS. Attachable Joy-Cons are essential. They won't vanish. The same holds for the screen, the dock and even the motion controls.
[Doug] Bowser: "The Switch is off to a great start. We’ve seen people engaging the Switch in a number of different ways, and we’ve been given some raw data that I won’t get into, but across the spectrum, some never take it out of its cradle, others use it as a portable device, but a lot of people are right in the middle, with a balance between home and portable play. We absolutely believe there’s still a future in handheld, and so we’re investing in it."
To me, that sounds rather that they have no plans to make a dedicated home console for the foreseeable future. Aka, the switch is working, stay course.
I won't be surprised if we will see a clam-shell switch in the future, but I don't think it will be anywhere near as successful as the ordinary switch. I am not saying the handheld market is totally gone, but the one Nintendo excelled in is.
@Therad: Clam-shell without dual-screens? Do you have a design idea for this that is also comfortable to play with?
@MegaTen: Eventually, the Switch will get a successor and we can be sure that it will be more handheld than home console.
No, clam-shell with dual screens and no joycons. But the same architecture as the switch. It is a logical next step if they would still have a dedicated handheld line. In fact, any new iteration should have the same underlying architecture. There isn't really any good reason to change up the nvidia (or amd) + ARM combo.
@MegaTen: that article is really not evidence that they will continue to have 2 lines of consoles. The part you quoted, was basically saying some only use switch as an handheld, some use it only docked. And later in the article he says this:
Paste: Will the next handheld will be another iteration of the 3DS, or a brand new handheld altogether?
Bowser: Right now the one we’re working on is the one we’re about to launch. I think time will tell. We’re only in the early stages of the Switch, we’ll see how the year plays out.
Which is basically a wait-and-see approach on switch performance.
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