Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

@Octane Well Ill keep them in mind. Only got 60GB free on my Switch so bigger games will be physical.

Post #3 started the derailment.

They will probably do something, probably some sale or so. Don't expect more than that though.

But the trick is to release a new console at the point just before momentum runs out though - not just after.

Like @Shellcore I actually think we’ll see new hardware from Sony for late 2019 for a number of reasons.

The XBox One X being so much more powerful than the PS4 Pro means they have to release something more powerful sooner rather than later. They can’t allow a more powerful console from a rival to accumulate a significant user base.

Also - to reiterate something I’ve said before: beyond a certain point console unit sales don’t matter as much. Late adopters spend less and play less. They’re less valuable to a company like Sony or Microsoft. The early adopters who spend whatever it takes to have the ‘best’ version are much more lucrative and you need to have that power edge to keep them on board.

This is a good illustration of how most people respond...

Natural variation occurs, some ups, some downs, and when a few go up people get all excited and hyped, and then when a few go down people get all freaked out and worried and concerned.

But if you take a step back and look at the whole process (the bigger picture) you'll see the trend. A few ups and downs is natural. And you don't need to see what's coming in the future, because we can safely predict the stable process will continue. Which is how I know whatever is coming in second half of the year will line up with what we've been seeing from the start. Roughly a game a month, couple big games a year.

People look at the short term ups and downs and form rash conclusions, when they should be taking step back and looking at the larger picture.

@JaxonH My point is about quantity. Bayonetta 1+2, Kirby Star Allies, Hyrule Warriors Definitive Edition, Nintendo Labo, Tropical Freeze and Mario Tennis Aces is a rather weak first half of the year on the 1st party front. It relies too much on Nintendo Labo to keep Switch momentum, don't get me wrong I do think Labo is going to be a big success but it still seems too risky. If Mario Tennis Aces is before June then that already guarantees at least 1 1st party game that isn't already confirmed for Spring to be released in the first half of the year (namely a June game).

@Grumblevolcano
Quantity? It's a game a month. I could at least relate to a preference argument or magnitude of largest game argument, average impact per release argument... but quantity is on lock. How many more games do you expect to be released quantity wise? 2 per month? Even 1/mo was completely unheard of pre-2017...

The only legit argument I've seen is from previous Wii U owners, because there are a few ports and maybe they just don't want to replay them (totally doesn't apply to me, but I can understand those who do feel that way). But even then it's not a quantity issue.

@JaxonH The actual release date matters just as much as the month. Like we know Tropical Freeze launches May 4th, let's say Mario Tennis Aces was a June release but came out June 29th. While it is still 1 game a month (there's 1 in May and 1 in June), the gap between the 2 games is very close to 2 months and Tropical Freeze isn't particularly a long game.

@DarthNocturnal I was using the current announced lineup to justify why I don't think that lineup is all we're getting on the 1st party front for the the first half of this year.

@Grumblevolcano It's only a weak month if you were a Wii U owner, like most of us here were. If not then that's a pretty stellar lineup.

@Grumblevolcano

Nah, that just means 2 games are scrunched together closer though in exchange. It means just 2 weeks between the April/May games and 2 weeks between the June/July games.

It all averages out in the end. Getting hung up over a game releasing earlier in the month and later in a month seems petty. Especially when there are other games releasing around that time frame (Dark Souls, Street Fighter Collection, Mega Man Collection, Y's, etc)

@OorWullie @JaxonH Like I said earlier, the current lineup isn't an issue for me (have a large backlog and want 5/6 games, don't want Labo) but for maintaining Switch momentum it is a problem.

Yes. The momentum that has not been halted despite having no notable releases in January somehow managed to top the NPD charts. Despite having to compete with MHW in Japan and had a retail flop in Bayonetta in February, has completely maintained sales in Japan.

Clearly it will slow down because the vast majority of the world will not be picking up games they didn't have access to before on Wii U as they did not own one, and a lack of games has clearly stopped the system from selling thus far.

Spot the sarcasm.

Year 1 was epic. We had
March - BoTw
April - MK8DX
May -
June - ARMS
July - Splatoon 2
August - Mario and Rabbids
September - Pokken DX
October - Super Mario Odyssey, Fire Emblem Warriors
November - Skyrim
December - XC2
January -
February - Bayonetta 1 & 2
My minds completely drawing a blank as to what/if anything was released in May and January, but if you compare what we know of Year 2, it’s a little bleak, to say the least.
March - Kirby
April - Labo
May - DK Tropical freeze, Dark souls
June - Mario Tennis? Hyrule Warriors?
And I always hear the argument for such a great year 1 is the number of Wii U ports, but Year 2 already has at least 2.
I think it’s safe to say we won’t see Metroid Prime 4, Pokemon or Bayonetta 3 this year. And on the flipside I’m sure we will see Smash, Animal Crossing and possibly Pikmin 4. I just think that they really need to have a few rabbits in the hat to keep year 1 momentum going.
Sorry for my long winded rant!!

@GrailUK

@Grumblevolcano
Maybe in theory but, afaIk Switch just topped NPD and Media Create so... reality and theory aren't really aligning.

I'm not worried about momentum. Momentum will be maintained by new Switch owners, not the core faithful Nintendo followers such as ourselves. And new Switch owners will see games like Bayonetta 2 as much as a new game as Nier was, same quality too (better, if you ask me). They'll see DKC Tropical Freeze as a shiny new masterpiece (word of mouth for that game is strong). They'll see Hyrule Warriors as a new Zelda game to play (helps when non core Nintendo fans like Jim Sterling endorse it as the "best Zelda game in years"). So for the people who actually matter when it comes to momentum, everything is in place.

And come June, when Fire Emblem is revealed, that's going to be the big, new hype game. The "non platformer, mature, quality Nintendo exclusive". Fire Emblem reveal and release date will immediately have people excited. Toss in Smash Bros also, people won't even remember the week prior. All they'll care about is Smash like they did Mario Kart. Toss in Pokemon... shoot... It's a wrap. You'll be seeing articles discussing how Nintendo managed to repeat the highs of 2017. Toss in Yoshi for good measure, and another unknown like Pikmin... they'll have momentum in spades.

Now... If Fire Emblem was delayed to 2019, Pokemon not even mentioned, Smash not revealed, and Nintendo just said hey, we've got nothing after Mario Tennis all year except Yoshi in November... then I would be concerned for losing momentum. But that's not going to happen.

On a different note, Kirby Star Allies demo is available now (not March 4th like the ad said).

@G0dlike
You're also comparing Mar 17 - Feb 18 to what we know in Feb 18. Until we know every game released from Kirby until March 1st 2019, the comparison is incomplete. And right now we don't even know what's coming past e3.

I guarantee you by the time March 1st, 2019 comes around it's gonna be a different story. Goes back to my illustration earlier. Look at the full process, not short term variation.

Not to mention, comparisons to 2017 are mostly meaningless. Because all you're really saying is, "this year won't match the best year on record". Well... ok. That's not really saying much.

@G0dlike 2 of the 12 months you listed for the first year had no major game and 5 of the remaining 10 months relied on a port. That leaves 5 months with an original game. I'd personally remove ARMS(don't like it), that brings it down to 4. Splatoon 2 is a bit like 1.5. So then, we're left with Mario and Rabbids: Kingdom Battle, Super Mario Odyssey and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 which are all excellent and were the games I bought with my Switch.

That’s a really fair point. But this time last year we knew about BoTw, Odyssey, Skyrim, ARMS and Splatoon 2.
It’s not the quantity, it’s the quality @JaxonH

@Grumblevolcano Thanks for the heads up, downloading now. I hope it's at least decent as it's the only game I have any interest in this first half of the year.

I like how we are now saying "ARMS doesn't count because I don't like it". Like ok...game still existed though.