Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

@Ralizah I still say give it time. I really think Nintendo wanted to do a console a year for NSO to entice renewals, but COVID19 knocked some of those plans askew. I would honestly be shocked if we didn't get a game boy family addition, I'm combining them as I'd say looking at their VC output and reprints they would be more likely to leverage several games over several systems than just go by gameboy generation. If they don't do it this gen, it should hit by next... provided the successor isn't something totally new instead of an iteration.

Nintendo has always been about hardware innovation and using old tech in new ways, but I wonder if some of that may change in the future. I think there will be more emphasis in making a switch family rather than starting from scratch. Also they will likely keep using the back catalog as a way to generate NSO revenue, especially since the market as a whole is becoming vocal enough about access to BC that MS and Sony and finally Nintendo came up with their subscription services.

I personally don't feel that retooling the ds and later (likely not on the switch but switch 2) line will require a second screen successor. Nintendo had to build capture peripherals to show 3ds games at shows, so I think they understand that you can put the dual screens on one wide screen and it still mostly work. The big question is the ROI more than anything. Even Nintendo has issues with emulation and back catalogues are generally least effort in, max output out (This isn't a knock....it's project management) endeavors so I feel like the issue is less interest or understanding of market interest and more, they don't have teams that they can focus on that, when they have other projects in the pipeline. Especially given that many of their recent games have been pretty big projects with expanded support. And that is even with outsourcing to other studios. Nintendo isn't small but they have stayed in the black by being very picky with where they put their funding.

Then of course there is licensing...the dreaded hydra that makes offering old catalogs into swiss cheese. Nintendo has a massive library of their own of course but I'm sure there are swaths of games that are owned by others that they don't wanna go through the tap dance of trying to get licensed. That is why I feel it is on 3rd parties to release their own collections. Konami needs to dig in for those castlevania games, but then that runs into to the wall of snes games are easier to emulate, but I don't think 3rd parties are going to put in the time to come up with ways to port their ds entries and are waiting for Nintendo to put in the work making an emulator. So it becomes a bunch of companies holding back even as they eye the potential revenue source. I feel it is a bit of a catch 22 situation.

However I think someone, is going to have to blink...too much potential revenue from old gamers. Or gamers that just want a master system. (Which I feel is the series x's selling point.)

@Giancarlothomaz some of the above addresses what you were pointing out about dual screen games. TLDR: they can do it, and have for demos and live shows, and the switch screen (can't speak to the liteswitch) is big enough that I feel its not a can they question and more of a is it worth the ROI to them to bother question. Again, perhaps not this gen but we shall see what the new consoles do to sales and once the world figures out its new normal post COVID19.

@HeavyArms55
I don't think licensed game problems are really just a western problem. Just look at Sega's Sailor Moon, that arcade Speed Racer game, or any Ultraman game all using Japanese IPs and having Japanese developers.

I do wonder how many publishers even care that much about back catalogue that can't easily be slapped into an emulator without any negotiations. Just look at how many of Sega's arcade releases have never even received a home port. Or how Konami put effort into getting some of their licensed beat-em ups on consoles, but have completely ignored them this generation.

But then again, I'm sure that there are plenty of companies asking for way too much when they're offered to license their IP for a simple rerelease too.

@Toy_Link I suppose that's a fair enough point.

one of the problems of potencially bringing N64 to NSO, most of the N64 catalog is of games made by Rare and we are tired to know Rare belong to Microsoft now,how Nintendo for example is gonna bring Banjo Kazooie/Tooie and Donkey Kong 64 in a potencially N64 NSO, are Nintendo willing to pay a lot of money to bring this games, if they add N64 to the Nintendo Switch Online catalog? i think not.

@Giancarlothomaz
Donkey Kong 64 is owned by Nintendo, they wouldn't have to pay Rare or Microsoft anything to port that game over to Switch. Same with Star Fox Adventures on GC. All the other games like Banjo-Kazooie, Perfect Dark and Jet Force Gemini would have to be negotiated with Microsoft. While not impossible for this to happen, I do think it's unlikely we're getting these games on Switch anytime soon.

i found very unlikely that Nintendo is gonna abadom the hybrid formula/format of Switch to potencially make a dedicated Handheld console like DS for the possible sucessor of Switch, after i played my Switch of extended battery, i can't return to a dedicated home console or Handheld, Nintendo thinking in improving the hybrid formula/format until they found another sucefull formula to use it for futures Nintendo consoles, and istead let make a dedicated Handheld or home console for Switch sucessor, is a huge step back for a lot of people incluiding me.
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2020/10/does_nintendo_have_...

@Giancarlothomaz that didn’t stop them from being N64 games to the Virtual Console. There was more to the N64 than just Rare games.

@Rexenoboy maybe because some characters and enemies in this game belong to Rare, after all Rare created Diddy Kong/Dixie Kong and the Kremlings(specialy King.K.Rool).

Nintendo has shifted its approach to hardware design, as before the Switch Miamoto and Iwata has a much larger influence on the design and they took a more blue ocean approach. And while Switch was still designed with blue ocean in mind, it was also designed to merge blue ocean with something dedicated gamers would enjoy, which IMO was the key missing ingredient from previous generations.

Koizumi and a younger team designed the Switch, and given its success, I think it’s fair to say they’ll continue spearheading hardware development moving forward. As a result, I think it’s reasonable to expect a pronounced shift in the focus of future hardware, specifically, appealing to hardcore gamers. And now that they’ve finally discovered a way to ensure longevity of their brand, I don’t think they’ll abandon it. Besides, there’s really nowhere else for them to go at this point. Gaming has evolved, and Switch is the ultimate evolution. Aside from VR/AR which most people have little interest in, there’s really nothing else left to try. They’ve done it all already. 3D? They’ve done it. Dual screen? Done it. Controller with a screen? Done it. There just isn’t anything left to try. Switch is the ultimate evolution of Nintendo hardware, and moving forward, I think we’ll see iteration rather than revolution.

@Giancarlothomaz
Those all belong to Nintendo, not Rare. Remember, most of those characters Rare created came from the Donkey Kong Country games on SNES, and Nintendo has had no problems porting those games over to other consoles.

@Giancarlothomaz those characters have appeared in Nintendo games multiple times since Microsoft bought Rare.

This starting to remind me when Microsoft bought Rare and thought they owned Donkey Kong lol.

@Grumblevolcano You can play DS games on your phone, so they can make it work on Switch I think.

I look forward to revisiting this post in 20 years or so after Nintendo has released the Nintendo Tri (triple screen), the Nintendo Quad (quadruple screen), and yes, even the Nintendo Sex (six screens), not to mention the Nintendo Bounce - an interactive screen that rolls up into a ball, with motion sensors and omni-directional cameras on board that allow you to play augmented reality ball games.

The only slightly surprising thing is that Cranky Kong in DKC2 has Killer Instinct pictures over his room and talks about playing that game. I suppose it wasn't in anyone's interest to go back in and edit those things out of the game.

We had many N64 games when I was a kid and only one of them was from Rare, Goldeneye.

So yeah, the idea that the N64 was mostly Rare games is a bit silly. They made like, what? 7 games?

@Eel
You're absolutely right, but when people think of N64 many think about Mario 64, the two Zelda games and the Rare games and forget about everything else.

That's not actually some sort of rule, and the same arbitrary limitation could be applied to any other console.

As a kid, the only other Rare games I ever saw by visiting friends and family were Jet Force Gemini and Conker's Bad Fur Day.

(On the subject of that Gemini game, All I ever saw of it was my cousin accidentally killing a bear he wanted to rescue. What was it even about?)

@Toy_Link What sega sailor moon game? Is there a new game????

@JaxonH @gcunit Gcunit was a bit more snarky than I would have been but I somewhat agree. Never underestimate Nintendo's willingness to innovate. The question is if someone will keep R&D focused. My hope is for a switch 2 but if any company would change up for "reasons" (and cost) it would be Nintendo.

I always find it interesting when people talk about rare games first. There are so many other games in the Nintendo library that were good or popular. I'm not a fan but Turok got an insane amount of releases on the N64. The bomberman games (you know the good ones), mischief makers, glover, the Goemon games, and the amount of fun racing and wrestling games (you know before 2k got its hooks in wrestling games and before Yuke's got burnt out), all the extreme sports and arcade sports games was insane. Aside from Jet force Gemini (I would love a remake of that though) and Goldeneye I didn't even own any other Rare games until I was an adult...and yes that includes DK64. Nintendo of course produced some of its best work during that time as well, if you had asked 11-13 year old me who would have won the console warz (TM) I would have put all my chips on the n64 with ease. I didn't even think about sony as a kid since I had so much to play on the N64. Considering how small that system's library was I think that was pretty amazing.

@gcunit Th-the Nintendo Sex?

That could actually make a good system, minus the title. For adult gamers only.

@Ryu_Niiyama
I used to fear they’d make a drastic departure because “Nintendo” but over time I’ve changed my stance on this. The more I ponder it, the more I’ve come to believe that actually won’t be the case at all.

I don’t doubt they’ll innovate, but with one consolidated system, they don’t have the luxury of a failure like they did with 2 platforms. As long as the hybrid approach remains popular (which I think will basically be forever) they’ll stick with a hybrid system. They might innovate in other respects, but I don’t see them attempting a drastic departure. It’s too risky. The only reason they ever completely reinvented the wheel in the first place is because the old idea wasn’t popular or didn’t catch on and stay popular. Every time they found an idea that stayed popular for a while they stuck with it. Be it Gameboy to Gameboy Color, or DS to 3DS. The only time they drastically changed their approach was with the Wii due to the GameCube not selling, and the Wii U due to the Wii falling off.

I think people fundamentally misunderstand Nintendo‘s approach. There’s a lot more layers of complexity than meets the eye. Yes they like to innovate but they don’t like to throw away a working concept that’s popular. Now. If Switch falls off at some point and people just lose interest in hybrid gaming, then ya. I could see them upending the table. But as long as the hybrid approach remains crazy popular I don’t see them deviating to the left or to the right. And I think it will remain crazy popular indefinitely.

I think moving forward, any innovation will manifest itself via controllers and software (LABO, Mario Kart Live, etc), and revisions of their hybrid hardware that has a more specific focus (like Switch Lite).