Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

@WebHead I looked it up and it was Phantasy Star Online that used the online connectivity. It was cumbersome, a broadband adapter and modem adapter was required and it was limited to Phantasy Star Online. Japan got Homeland as well, but that's it. Basically non-existent.

Yeah, that's very true. Especially when it comes to nintendo. Just gotta hope that the NX is something many people didn't know they wanted.

So, we need to hope the NX isn't what is rumored? lol

@DefHalan you mean you. Look it's not what I want either but don't speak for everyone else.

@WebHead That post was a half joke. I am serious about not being excited about this rumor at all, but I know others are. (I don't understand how they can be, but they are) So it was a half joke, that is why I put "lol" at the end there to show people I was joking around...

@DefHalan it's hard to believe that Nintendo fans are excited for a powerful portable that can play Nintendo games in the TV and on the go, a steady stream if such due to no more split resources at that?

Well, to go on another rant...

• It is hard to believe anyone is excited about a machine with all these random features.
• More power means more power consumption, 3DS and Wii U GamePad batteries last about 3 hours. How long will this last?
• Portable games are designed differently than Home Console games, and for good reasons. There aren't many games that work well on both without any alterations.
• Who knows how "steady" Nintendo software releases will be. Nintendo had a hard time with the Wii U, and this will be more powerful than Wii U, also they already had to delay the hardware once to make sure the software was ready. How many more delays will we get on more powerful hardware? Why not try to get 3rd Party content with even more powerful hardware because the 3rd party content would soften the blow between Nintendo release delays.

There are many things to question and be concerned about, that I am not sure how so many people can see a ray of sun light with this rumor. (and this is not even to mention detachable controllers, which I am just left wondering "Why?")

The main objection against this latest rumored NX seems to be that it is not a powerful home console. I'd say that Nintendo doesn't have a lot of options, and this is their best choice given business realities. The NX can be:

• powerful
• portable
• affordable

You cannot have all 3. You can only have 1 or 2 of the above. Nintendo has apparently chosen portability and affordability.

The NX cannot go head to head with the PS4 and XB1. This generation's console war is over, and Nintendo is toast. Think about it: the NX will will enter the market with (at best) a handful of games and a gaming community of 0. The PS4 has 1173 games and a community of over 40 million. Why would anyone adopt NX as their main console? Why would anyone port AAA games to it when the AAA players have chosen the other consoles? This is a very red ocean. A plain home console NX has no hope of success.

Nintendo seems to be going for the "second console" market. More than before, it needs to offer something else that the established players do not have. One offering seems to be the ability to play home console class games on the go. The fact that you can use your home TV is their way of infiltrating the home console market through the back door. But I see this as primarily their portable product. If the NX sells a bunch, we can expect 3rd party support to follow, and then a home console NX will be viable. Not before.

I personally want a home console, but I also want Nintendo to succeed. The way I see it, this rumored NX portable is their best shot at success. So I hope this rumor is true, and I'm personally excited by its possibilities.

There's far more money to be made being a platform holder. Just look on the PC space at how many of the big studios have their own distribution network for games. Business logic would say that Nintendo should hold onto a platform of their own as long as they can. And then sell as much content through it as they can.

Would they love to be in the same boat as Steam or the PS4? Well sure. If they could do that AND sell their own IP then that would be the ideal position for them. Not for us because of monopolies and what not. But it'd be fantastic for them. Failing that? They need to have something to differentiate themselves. And from what we know so far the NX is going to be different. It'll be the only platform on the market for:

High end visuals on a portable system
We're talking at least 2x the raw GPU performance of the highest end Apple tablets, 3x their phones. Possibly more if it's using the X2. Then ontop of that they're not going to have the OS holding it back. There's also the fact that a lot of people don't have the latest mobile devices. I mean, Apple still supports the iPad 2 and that thing has a GPU that's about on-par with the Wii. My smartphone (it's a cheap one but it does the job) has only about 2x as much raw GPU power as the Wii. So it'll be a long time before mass-market mobile games look as good as games will be able to look on the NX.

A portable system with actual buttons
Even if mobile gaming does catch up in terms of visuals before the NX is updated. And they will eventually catch up at some point. The NX will still have buttons built in. Which opens it up to a whole pile of games that won't work on mobile without clunky accessories that nobody buys. I can't see games like Bayonetta, Smash Bros, Rocket League, Overwatch etc ever working on a tablet. I can easily imagine them on a more powerful version of the 3DS however.

First party content
Where else are you going to get proper versions of Zelda, Metroid and Mario? What about Animal Crossing, Smash Bros and Mario Kart? Nowhere else that's where. If you want that content then you'll have to get an NX.

I can honestly see some "hardcore" PC/PS4/XBOne gamers grabbing the NX for the above reasons. Hell, it happens already. Go to a PC gaming forum and hear someone ask about which console they should get. People will scream at the top of their lungs "get a PC" while others will mumble about their favourite team. Ask about a portable system? You'll get a couple of pages of people talking about how great the 3DS is and what games they should get. Nintendo owns that space.

@BiasedSonyFan
I stand corrected then. Clearly I misread. Though I'm not sure how much I agree with that point either.

The NX as a portable system? It's going to be the only portable platform where you can play some of those "core games". Whether they appear on the platform or not. It's best chance of being able to play something like Doom or Overwatch while on a plane or lying in bed. You can get those "casual games" on portable systems already and everyone has a phone or tablet. So I don't see how the system will appeal to "casual gamers" more than the "hardcore" gamer who wants a portable system. Which is what the 3DS has done to some extent.

On the other side of things it's also a home console. And there's also Nintendo's own content and what they should do there. As a home console they're not going to impress anyone with the games I listed above. In the same way that nobody cared when the Wii U got Assassin's Creed. So in that space they need different content. And that's what Nintendo does better than anyone. Is a game like Super Mario Maker a "casual" game for the "tablet crowd"? Well maybe. But it's also something that you're not getting on the PS4. And it was that sort of content that got some people into the Wii U. As little as it was.

If they combine those two things? Do the Wii Sports/Mario Maker/Galaxy/Splatoon thing for the TV. Then do the Metroid/Resident Evil/Zelda thing on a portable. I think it can do both. Be a more "family friendly" style party console for the TV in a way that the PS4 isn't. Then be a portable system that can play actual games in a way that a tablet or phone can't. And there's a market for both.

Personally, I think it is a mistake to only do a portable, even if it can be docked. But then again, we don't know if it is only a handheld or if they have plans for other form factors.

Btw, re-read Q5 in this report and think about the Eurogamer rumour. Hindsight is marvelous.
https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/library/events/140130qa/02.html

@Therad Indeed, I think it is very telling about the eurogamer rumour. Also on the subject of 'the eurogamer rumour only speaks to one device, but not necessarily all NX systems'- check out this Iwata comment:

"Whether we will ultimately need just one device will be determined by what consumers demand in the future, and that is not something we know at the moment."

The way I read this is that there is no definite plan to release multiple form-factors (e.g. Apple/Android style) unless the NX doesn't do well- e.g. whether one device is enough is dependent on how well that sells/goes across with consumers. If the NX doesn't do well, then there is possibility of releasing pure handheld/home style versions of the NX but nonetheless share the same architecture that allows porting of the games to be quick/painless.

Indeed, hindsight is an amazing thing.

@BiasedSonyFan
I don't think we have our definitions straight. So I'll state the definitions I'm using because I personally think they're the only way these terms make sense. And then I'll again explain why I think you've got it backwards.

Hardcore gamer:
Someone who is heavily invested in gaming. They'll buy into multiple platforms and buy multiple releases from various genres. They'll always have something they're currently playing and they'll play multiple hours a week. And they'll generally keep up with gaming news. They'll know when the new consoles are coming out or when a new release is on the horizon.

Casual gamer:
Someone who likes to play games but isn't really that into it. Will maybe buy into one platform a generation and may even skip a generation. If they buy into a system they might buy 2-4 games on it. And that'll be enough for them because they don't really ever have a game on the go. They don't really keep up with gaming news, the first time they find out about a system is when they someone else gets one.

NX sell to Hardcore gamer:
It's another console with different games. If those games are interesting enough they'll probably buy into it. The fact that it's a portable system that has more than puzzle games and endless runners? That'll be a key selling point. As a home console the hardware itself is boring compared to the PS4. But as a portable there is no competition. It's the only option if you want a high end portable gaming experience with traditional controls.

NX sell to Casual gamer:
They'll barely know the thing exists unless it does well. And even if it does they'll probably not buy into it unless it's cheap enough. Because you don't need a dedicated portable gaming system to play games these days. There are plenty of simple games for free on the phone/tablet they already own. So what will grab them is the home console function. Because their phone/tablet probably doesn't do that and if it does it doesn't do it well.

I really dislike trying to cram everyone into either casuals or hardcore gamers. It is a spectrum of different tastes, not binary.

As a primarily PC gamer, I also have a hard time taking primarily console gamers seriously when they start talking about how hardcore they are. You spent 300-400 on a piece of locked down tech? How cute, my phone is more expensive.

I agree with the spectrum of different tastes, but when I have to put people into terms, Casual for me is closer to how Skywake put it but maybe they buy more games and play them more. A lot of people I consider casual buy the newest versions of their shooters or sports games every year and play them all year, until the new version comes out. More hardcore gamers, in my opinion, play a wide variety of games and may not even complete them. They will play games until the gameplay gets boring, whether that is a couple playthroughs or not even one. Hardcore gamers are willing to try any genre. Then there are your more basic Gamers right in the middle. They play a variety of genres but rarely play anything not AAA. They play each game to completion or put hours into the multiplayer. The middle group is the biggest audience but not a very flexible one. They are willing to try new things but it has to be something highly recommended (like Shovel Knight popularity levels)

I'm with @Therad - no serious games business would rely on market distinctions as over-simplified as hardcore and casual. No two customers are the same.

I understand the sentiment but the general idea is there are people that care more about gaming than others, and that's where the terms come from. No, hardcore gamers aren't just Call of Duty playing, Mountain Dew drinking teenagers that only buy Xboxes. Skywake is just saying there are people that care about certain types of games and there are others that don't care as much. The terms are just easier to use. Perhaps people would feel better if "dedicated" was used instead of "hardcore".

Heya folks I have been away on my hols (and omg...everyone is playing Pokémon Go in the sun! (It was nice to see actually). Anyhoot, do we know what the NX is yet?

I'm so hardcore, I shot a pigeon with the wii u gamepad crosshair.