Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

I mean, geez, TV networks start advertising new shows 2-3 months in advance. I've been seeing ads on NBC since the beginning of June for shows that won't premiere until September. I would hope Nintendo's marketing department would be able to fill at least 3 months of time between announcement and launch for a whole gosh-darned new console. This silence becomes increasingly boggling to me. Especially with the Sony event coming up and Microsoft's different versions of Xbox getting media attention.

I know they don't want to compete directly with those two, but like it or not, they're stuck to being in a lot of the same print and digital media. When are they going to start competing AT LEAST for public visibility for a product they are reportedly excited about?

I'm starting to think the NX is a myth. Tales of this fabled beast will be told around campfires many years from now. It'll go down in gaming folklore as the best machine Nintendo never released. This thread will never end...

Then one day, hundreds of years in the future, a dev kit will be found in somebody's basement and gamers around the world will rejoice _{(while at the same time moaning about the gimmicks and poor specs)}.

I don't think a strategy of announcing just before release is a bad idea at all. Apple does it all the time. Hell, Apple has done it for entirely new product categories! So that's not the issue at all.

The issue is two fold IMO. If they announce it "too late" there will be too much to cover in one direct. We'll get information overload and not know what to do with it. More importantly the press will get information overload and not know what to cover. Which is why they need to spread the announcement over at least a few months. Much more effective if they tell us about a thing, wait a month or so, then give us a bit more info.

The other issue isn't an issue for Nintendo at all. It won't impact sales at all. And that's the fact that a lot of people are impatient. That's the thing that is being expressed on these pages here. And frankly, I don't think it's even an issue really. If anything the absence of information is building up the hype for them. If anything the more they build anticipation the more media is going to cover the actual announcement.

I agree that a late announcement shouldn't be an issue but the NX was announced nearly 18 months ago (March 2015), and nothing has been mentioned since. In this case, revealing anything just before release could be way too late.

Hm, didn't you just say that a late announcement wouldn't be an issue? Regardless, I agree about the staggered approach. Unfortunately Nintendo aren't very good at it. Zelda BotW is a prime example: snippets of information spread out over years isn't an ideal strategy. Sure, we had information overload at E3 but why haven't Nintendo kept the momentum? Again, it's back to the silent treatment.

I disagree about sales not being affected. How can anybody be excited about something they know nothing about? There's a certain time-frame for hype-building and Nintendo are in danger of missing it. You can only dangle a carrot for so long before people get fed up and walk away (especially if said carrot is nothing more than a project name). If anything, the absence of information is starting to build frustration rather than hype, and other consoles are on the horizon...

Impatient? People have been wondering about NX for nearly 18 months. Speculation is rife. Heck, the rumours are so bad we even had a physical mock-up. Yet still we know nothing. There's only so much patience the buying public can have - why wait for so long when other things (which we do know about) can be purchased now/saved up for?

Surely at this point the NX hype train is shuddering to a halt? If Nintendo don't announce anything soon the occupants will be forgetting why they boarded in the first place.

"Sure, we had information overload at E3 but why haven't Nintendo kept the momentum? "
Because you can't keep it interesting for almost a year. Therefor it is better to get out info now, and let the super-fans pick apart all interesting snippets they can find. People still can't buy it yet, so it isn't a good idea to spill all the beans. To be fair, even if we got a lot of information, there is still much missing, such as story, timeline placement etc.

Many here has complained about how they don't care, or how they should have released info over a year ago. Yet you continuously keep coming back. Why?

I also find it funny how people talk about needing to save money. Why do you need a reveal before you start saving? If you need to save money for the console start saving, no one is forcing you to spend it. If you have saved up money and realize you don't want the NX, you can start spending it then or continue saving for something you really want. Saving money is never a bad thing.

To be frank, Apple was not always Apple. And in terms of market interest Nintendo is far more Apple than Apple used to be. With the NX they're arguably more Apple than Apple is currently. The only reason I bring up Apple is because they have been masters of product releases. How did they do that? Long periods of leaks and rumours followed by an announcement with a lot of fanfare. How close to release? As little as a few months.

I was playing devil's advocate and also pointing out one reason why they might not take it too close to the wire. With a new phone or something there's nothing much new to say. Even a console revision doesn't really need much of a build up because there's nothing to say. But a brand new console? I don't think it'll be as close to launch because they need time to talk about content. Not years, I doubt they could pad it out that long. But maybe ~6 months rather than ~3 months.

And? What's your point?

I mean you say that it's going to impact sales or something but honestly I doubt it. If it's a product you want to get and it's affordable you'll get it. If it's not or it doesn't have the titles you want at launch then you won't. For the people who are following this it's not like they're going to not know it exists. The launch is more about the people who aren't following this. And for them? If anything. It's better to hold off until fairly close to launch.

"As little as a few months."
Months? Days is more accurate.

Personally I have a strong suspicion we will be teased about it in September and it is revealed in November.

But based on current statistics we are very likely to get a Nintendo Direct in November. September is the most likely month before that (if at all)

(I am basing that off the spreadsheets I have done on Directs)

From wiki because I don't have this stuff from the top of my head
iPhone: January announcement, June release
iPad: January announcement, March release
Apple Watch: September announcement, April release
iPad Pro: September announcement, November release

Coincidentally their biggest failure of those four is the Apple Watch. Anyways, the point is that a late announcement didn't hurt them. And like them or not, Apple are the masters of product hype. Or at least were.

"The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus were unveiled on September 9, 2014 and released on September 19, 2014; pre-orders began on September 12, 2014, "
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPhone_6

There's no real point comparing reveal/launch date timeframes to Apple/Playstation etc. Both those companies have big consumer bases who are familiar with the product generally is and new versions don't tend to deviate too much from the previous one. As such there isn't so much for them to have to get over to consumers about the product. In that case, big hype can be generated quite quickly.

In contrast, if we are to believe the eurogamer rumour this will be another product by Nintendo that is distinctly different to traditional consoles and doesn't naturally follow on from their previous gens. That means there is a lot more that needs to be conveyed to the consumer, and it will also require more persuasion too. Consumers outside of the core fanbase are going to need to be convinced that they need this product. That is going to take some time and serious marketing to ensure that people understand the product.

I think that is potentially possible that Nintendo might be able to achieve that with a Nov/Dec reveal date leaving them around 4-5 months to market the product, but anything less than that seems quite suicidal.

I think it's fair to say Nintendo could do anything they want as long as it was good. I agree with @dtjive, I am putting my chips on November. Not December as that is too crowded due to the Xmas season. Nintendo rarely do December Directs.

Personally I believe it is a hybrid. But I was spouting that before it was cool. I had always thought it was the way Nintendo would go. Get all their IPs on the same device would be a lethal weapon

You could always make the case that if they reveal it in January they will have 3 months completely for themselves since that period usually don't have big video games news.

But I think it is better to reveal it before the holidays, to be able to get some more pre orders.

@Therad "Here ya go lil Jimmy, Santa got you a pre-order."
Erm...quite possibly the worst Christmas present ever!

Well ok, but it's not really equivalent.

Probably more along the lines of
"ahh crap, have to do the Christmas shopping. But what's this? Nintendo has a new portable coming out soon? Well, I'm spending all this money anyways. I guess I could lock that in for a birthday or something. Maybe myself."

@GrailUK It depends if the pre-order includes the purchase of the console. I would jump at the console being bought for me in the future as a christmas present

thing is, what apple does works for apple because they release said new products every year, usually on the same month.

it just seems that nintendo doesnt know how to build hype anymore.

@skywake I agree that a Apple-style reveal schedule is a good strategy, but I'd also argue that it's too late for that. I understand the reason why NX was mentioned last year, but I'm starting to think that Iwata should've said dedicated gaming device or something similar instead. It didn't help either that Nintendo mentioned the NX on a regular basis after that; even during E3 (even though the NX wouldn't be out for almost two more years). Best case scenario? They wouldn't have mentioned the NX at all until this year.

I don't agree about Nintendo doing it like Apple. Nintendo is a company that has recently struggled in the console market. Apple is one of the most valuable brands on the planet and king of their own game. Apple is a cult following. Apple could release a brick, put it a premium price tag and it would sell. Apple has arguably released underpowered hardware for overpriced values with great success. See the new Macbook with a no less than mediocre Intel core m chip inside. See some iMacs with 5400 rpm hard drives in this day and age. When Nintendo attempts the same, they end up like they did with the Wii U.

Nintendo only wishes they were like Apple. But they are not on the consumer point of view (the only one that matters) and pretending won't do them any good.

NX should have been presented to the public already. I don't know where Nintendo is going with this.

Umm.... isn't that all that Nintendo has said officially? Because I'm pretty sure that's all that's been said officially. Everything beyond that has been because of leaks. Really, to this point Nintendo hasn't really said anything more than they have to say.