Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

@WebHead And the hardcore audience doesn't need them either - they have Xbox and PlayStation.

I think we will see multiple form factors. Some of their quotes have pointed towards more form factors, and home and handheld being more of siblings.

One thing to notice is that the GPU part in NX will be of a newer architecture than ps4, porting shouldn't be any problems (unless of course you need a convenient excuse). And since Sony requires their developers to target the old ps4, it would be only politics dictating if NX gets third party.

@Lzeon Pokemon isnt wholly Nintendo.

@Therad The architecture will be the problem here, the rumours are all pointing towards NX not being x86 which will cause major problems for 3rd party support. One of the big Wii U problems was the choice of PowerPC rather than x86.

@Grumblevolcano except it isn't a problem. No game developer are programming games in such a way it would pose a problem. They are all using game engines in high level languages.

And it isn't like the CPUs in Xbox or ps4 is some kind of power beasts, they have been chosen for low power consumption rather than calculation power.

And that matters...why? Pokemon is a major franchise that is associated with Nintendo. When you think Pokemon, you don't think of Sony or Microsoft.

@Therad Surely the code isn't identical?

@Therad thing is the Wii u CPU is very old. Dating back to 2000 due to GameCube. Wii had an over clocked version and Wii u had a triple core, further over clocked version. It just wasnt built for today's engines, today's games.

@grumblevolcano since everything is done in high-level code, and in sophisticated game engines, yes the code base should be nearly identical. Some things might differ, such as network connectivity. But even there, it shouldn't matter for those that have their own servers (I.e EA, ubi, Activision...).

@WebHead Wii Us CPU is well beyond GameCube. It is much more capable. Besides, CPU power is basically a non-issue today. It is about GPU power.

It is quite simple, Wii U did get less ports than 360/ps3 despite being an upgrade in hardware. Even though they were also powerPC based and had amd graphics.

If the NX releasing in march is a 'handheld with detachable controllers and a dock with TV out, I can easily imagine a 'pure' handheld with a sleeker form factor and no detachable controllers further down the line, possibly also with tv-out via a micro-HDMI and a wire included. Also a 'pure' home console version with more internal storage and a bundled NX pro controller (Wii U pro controller +gyro). There's be no major spec upgrades, but would be affordable and would launch with a bunch of games already available. Could be good! I'd get a hybrid at launch, then a home version later so me and the missus can play splatoon 2 together online, plus local multiplayer Mariokart with no splitscreen BS...

@toxibunny I don't see it happening, the whole point of the hybrid move I'd imagine is for Nintendo to not only have more games on a single console but also escape from the home console market whose motto is "Power is everything".

All I'm thinking is how the lowest possible rumour compares to the Wii u. If even the lower spectrum performs better than the Wii u, I'm good.

I thought about those form factors too... I expect a multitude of them over time, especially with incremental hardware changes becoming the norm. I'm buying the all in, no compromise version of it.

Make no mistake, any other form factors would only arrive if the first isn't a success. Nintendo aren't planning to release variants.

@Grumblevolcano The problem is with that trail of thinking, because the NX can be docked and linked to a TV, it's being automatically assumed to be a home console by media and most people across the gaming spectrum whom are bashing for not having the PS4 power. They can't escape that motto "Power is everything" unless the system has no TV link up, thus being entirely handheld and not a hybrid.

I'm pretty sure 'power is everything' isn't true. Price is a big factor, software support is a big factor, media capabilities have been a big factor, also people mention stuff like achievements/trophies and online features like instant messaging and voice chat. The Xbox one took a big PR hit with the stuff about DRM and the kinect spying on you and stuff. And if power really is/was everything, then the original Wii wouldn't have been such a big hit, and the Gamecube would have done better...

It's not, but it plays a huge factor. Another huge factor is marketing. The PS4 is not really that impressive, but Sony pushed it like it was the next big thing. And all that paid off

@Lzeon For its price, and considering it launched three years ago, it was fine. Sony learned from the mistake they made with the PS3. The PS3 was a lot more powerful for its time than the PS4 is, but its manufacturing costs were estimated to be around $800 ($950 today). They sold it at a loss for $499 ($600 if adjusted for inflation) and it was still too expensive, and that was the 20GB model, the 60GB version was $100 more expensive than that. I believe the PS4 was briefly sold at a loss, but it was nowhere near as much as the PS3. In terms of console gaming, it was and is the best thing still in terms of hardware. Comparing to PC has always been an unfair comparison; unless you want to manufacture $1,000 consoles, there will always be better PCs out there.

In general, the PS4 performs better than the XOne, and if you're not a PC gamer, that's what matters in the end.

First of all, it was "599 US Dollars" when it launched

Second, the price did indeed help the PS4 a lot.

Third, Sony's marketing was "Well we're not Microsoft! You can play used games without all this DRM! Yay!"

Nintendo needs to be really aggressive with their marketing if they want to be more relevant. They can still go for their family image, but they can also make a marketing scheme for different targets. For instance, they can keep the "Play Nintendo" scheme for the younger gamers, but have another slogan for the older audience. They definitely do not need to shy away from their more mature titles like Bayonetta.

@Lzeon $599 for the PS3? That was the 60GB model, the 20GB model was $499.

I do agree with the pricing on the NX though. It really depends on what their target audience is. If it's the Wii audience, as in basically everyone with a focus on families, then it cannot be too expensive. $250 at most I think, but I'm not sure if that's feasible. As a handheld it's pretty powerful, even if it uses the Tegra X1, however it comes at a cost of battery life. I'm not sure how they're going to solve that, but it does sound to be like a pretty expensive system. Even if they got a good deal with nVidia, I still have difficulty to imagine this being a budget system. I think we need to see it first though.

I hope the rumours of easy ports from mobile are true too. Square Enix is porting stuff to android nowadays - NX might launch with that nice rejigged version of Final Fantasy IX, and I might even buy it and even complete it this time! I'm not spending 20 euros on anything from the play store when I don't know if it will run well on my device, or even if it'll work at all..