Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

@JaxonH There's not much else to report on Monster Hunter Rise isn't there? They reported on the initial announcement, the Monster Hunter Direct, the TGS gameplay, the Greatsword gameplay and a few other details.

Though I do imagine Monster Hunter Rise info will become more common in the new year. Maybe if we're lucky there's a new trailer at the Game Awards too (World was a GotY nominee).

@Grumblevolcano
Lol there wasn’t ANYTHING to report on MH World with regard to Switch, but that didn’t stop them 😁

Though to be fair, they have provided Rise a reasonable amount of coverage given how early it still is.

@Anti-Matter
At the end of the day, having access to a game you want to play is what matters. Which is why I have a PC, to ensure I have access to other games (I just sold my Xbox One X and PS4 Pro yesterday, and all 120 of my games for those systems). But it’s to a point I simply do not want to play games without gyro that are based on aiming. So simply having access to the game is not enough. I need access with the bare minimum features required to properly enjoy a game in 2020. Playing without Gyro kind of feels like using a d-pad to aim. May as well be using a SNES controller. The hybrid play isn’t 100% necessary- I will play games on Steam if no hybrid version is available. But no gyro is an absolute deal-breaker. I can manage a single game here and there, but I cannot tolerate an entire platform where gyro is off limits. Meaning games on PS and Xbox may as well not even exist as far as I’m concerned (unless it’s an RPG or something where aiming isn’t a mechanic).

@JaxonH Honestly if you ask me I think the P5 port article milking was considerably worse

Now I wasn't an active NLife reader when World was coming out but I definitely know this is far from the first time they've done this kind of "journalism"

I don't believe these developers treat Steam as second rate though. PC gaming probably has the largest audience of any of the core platforms and a multitude of titles, even ones that are console exclusive have made it on there in the past. I do think Switch is definitely not a priority for a lot of these developers but honestly given how much more demanding games are getting, I can't really blame them for mostly skipping that platform. In fact I'm actually more surprised when I hear games like The Outer Worlds and Divinity Original Sin 2 were even capable of running on it to begin with.

At the same time though I've never gotten the mentality of having a platform of preference or being loyal to a brand in general. I feel it tends to box people in regards to the kinds of games they're really able to enjoy and limits their perspective on others as a result. I remember really wanting a Wii U, but my dad thought it was a portable Wii after looking at one picture and shunned the idea, but now that I have a PS4 instead, I'm actually more happy with that in retrospect because the PS4's library is that incredible compared to how freaking anemic the Wii U lineup is. I've acquired tastes in many different genres as a result of investing in all the platforms at one point or another, and even though Switch is technically my first ever Nintendo home console, it doesn't really mean I'm on the side of people who will neglect any and every multiplatform game if there isn't a Switch version, especially this coming gen, despite seeing the appeal of having it on that platform.

I just think """news"""" of this kind doesn't really count as legit journalism and it's a really tired practice. By comparison the sister sites to this one actually have classier staff that don't seek to milk this kind of stuff while driven by their own personal salt lol

Maybe it's because I've just not used my Switch as much this year compared to every other platform I own (PS4 and PC mainly), but clearly this site doesn't really have its priorities straight if it's dwelling on such petty things like games missing their goddamn video game console

I will say, I'm surprised Nintendo Life hasn't reported on XC2 reaching 2 million. Between Shulk in Smash and the franchise releasing on a successful console (while Wii was extremely successful it plummeted off a cliff in its last few years so XC1 for Wii doesn't really count as releasing on a successful console), the franchise has grown a fair amount over the past 10 years.

@TheFrenchiestFry
I understand Steam is huge, but it’s an undeniable fact that games come to that platform late all the time. Not as much as Switch but... enough. Especially with Epic Game Store. And to this day there are certain games that are on PC yet (Kingdom Hearts).

I agree about preference and loyalty, at least when talking about multiple platforms that offer the same thing. One should always have at least one other platform for scooping games that don’t come. But I do understand not wanting to play without certain features. For me, gyro is that feature. It’s not about platform loyalty so much as it is platform features I can’t live without. The day devs start adding gyro to PS5 games is the day I start buying those games on PS5. Hybrid play is another one, though it only applies for games that don’t look like Outer Worlds. Will always buy on Switch if given the choice. But if not given the choice, or it’s too compromised, then ya, that’s when Steam comes to the rescue. Even so, I ended up keeping my PS5 preorder. Won’t be buying anything but permanent exclusives on it, but... it’s good to have.

Again, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with expecting or wanting more of these games to come to Switch. I just don’t think it’s article newsworthy when one doesn’t.

@JaxonH
Wow, you sold 120 games already ?! 😮
Next time, if you want to sold your games, put them on Ebay and please let me know if i can find suitable titles for me from your collection. 😉
I'm looking for some retro games (PS1, PS2, PSP) recently.

Btw, there are some exclusive games on Sony machines such as Ratchet & Clank.
Do you miss them if you choose PC and Steam as PlayStation replacements ?

@Anti-Matter
I was gonna list on eBay but didnt have the energy to make 100+ listings and package them up, especially big consoles.

Never really liked Ratchet and Clank. Nothing inherently wrong with it, but the gameplay loop was never super fun or addictive. I'm very particular with my 3D platformers. In fact, Mario's the only one I've ever really liked.

And there's a few PS exclusives I'm a fan of, sure, but not that many. And some of them are starting to release on Steam now. Nonetheless, I do have a PS5 on the way, for the inevitable permanent exclusives I do like that dont come to Steam.

game industry analytis Dr.Serkan Toto believe/predict Nintendo will remain "King of Japan" with Nintendo Switch for the next years,(this analytis seen to have forgeted the monster that is PS5), PS5 will destroy Switch everywhere specially when Marvel Spider-man 2 and God of War Ragnarok release, Nintendo enjoy your nearly 3 and a half dominance in the Market, because ounce PS5 is released you gonna be detrohned as market leader(i been realistic here).

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2020/11/nintendo_will_remai...

@Giancarlothomaz
I think Japanese gamers will get hyped again by ACNH new updates on late November and Christmas day.
I can see a lot of Nintendo Switch machines will be sold quickly during Christmas holiday.

@Anti-Matter i see and i hope one the Winter update of Animal Crossing New Horizons that is coming late novembre, Brewster is in the update, if Nintendo add
Brewster in the upcoming Winter update, Switch is gonna reach 80/90 milions consoles sold at the end of they fiscal year, Hyrule Warriors:Age of Calamity will also help Nintendo reach this milestone.

@JaxonH Kingdom Hearts not being on Steam is definitely something I'm really confused about

They released like every Final Fantasy game on Steam thus far but even Xbox got the collections before PC ever did.

I'm personally not too bothered by it since Kingdom Hearts was always an incentive for me to get PlayStations anyway but it's very jarring.

Persona 4 also took like 8 years but that's not really part of the trend because Atlus actually had to persuaded by SEGA in the first place to port it and had a previously sparse history with their games on PC to begin with.

I do understand the incentive behind porting particular stuff to Switch. I personally never really saw it as a platform I'd be encouraged to buy multiplats on. I was actually really hyped when DOOM and Wolf 2 were announced for it and ended up buying both having already beaten DOOM on Steam, but upon playing them I just thought the visual and performance sacrifices did a massive disservice to stuff like the art direction and attention to detail, especially in the case of Wolf 2. I ended up buying that game on PC instead and haven't cared to buy that kind of content since I recognize that's far from the Switch's strong suit, as much of a hook as portability is.

I just feel that articles like these not even supplementing legit news further contributes to the perception I've seen from a lot of people who think that people who prefer Switch are entitled and constantly have to voice their disdain for something so minor. This kind of outlook on the community is why I lowkey started to really hate stuff like that Break Free Persona BS that happened earlier in the year.

@TheFrenchiestFry
Wolfenstein 2 was definitely compromised, though it is better now after the patch. DOOM seems pretty good though, especially post-patch. I dont feel like it's as downgraded, even if technically the resolution is comparable. Both games are strictly handheld on Switch for me, and both games are also in my Steam library.

But you're right, those types of games are far from ideal. But many other games make the transition to Switch better. Sniper Elite series being a great example. Games like DOOM and Wolf2 I keep in my Steam library, but most others like Bioshock and Borderlands and Civ 6 and Sniper Elite and Assassins Creed 3/4/Rogue and Metro Redux and Saint's Row 3/4, etc... those games I have no need of any other version.

As long as a game doesn't see excessive compromise, I have no desire to play anywhere else. If it has compromise but still reasonable, I'll buy on Switch for handheld and Steam for TV. If its Outer Worlds level disaster, it becomes Steam only. Btw, I hear SMT3 has issues on PS4 as well. Sounds like it's just a crap port all around. Not that I wont still be buying it. It's still totally playable and I dont exactly want to emulate the PS2 version.

On the one hand, I agree about the perception of entitled Switch gamers. On the other, I do think Switch gets unfairly shafted on a LOT of games that should be on a system that's hit 70 million sold in 3.5 years. And people are rightfully frustrated about that. Doesnt mean every game should be on Switch and the media should stir up outrage over ever example, but I do think there's validity to the frustration of seeing games that could run on Switch and would likely do very well continue to be ignored in favor of status quo. Developers have become too comfy in their "PS/Xbox is all that matters" world view. That needs to change.

@JaxonH I'm actually really bummed SMTIII ended up being so sloppy. I've only seen the game running on Switch but for a remaster that apparently took two years and basically meant converting all the assets to work with Unity, it's honestly embarassing how seemingly low effort it was. The super cleaned up visuals look fantastic which makes the other factors like retaining the compressed music from the PS2 version stick out like a sore thumb. I was really excited for the game because I've never owned it physically and before now my only methods for playing the game were to boot up my PS3 and play it or to just emulate it on PC, and I was really tempted by finally being able to put it in my growing MegaTen games collection alongside SMTIV/Apocalypse, Soul Hackers and my Persona stuff.

When looking back at things I feel like I'm starting to further understand the whole perception that Nintendo doesn't really matter as much as they used to for developers considering for the games that are coming out now, especially the super mainstream stuff like shooters and looters, they probably see Nintendo's platforms as limiting for the kind of reach they'd have. I know a friend from high school who said she literally has no incentive for buying a Switch because the games she plays which are primarily super Western influenced like Elder Scrolls and stuff of the like just don't feel right on that platform at all. I can kind of see that mentality because to me the Switch occupies a considerably nicher space at present. Ironically by trying to lessen the gap between handheld and home console gaming, I feel that I'm starting to see more people get very vocal about their specific preferences for either or rather than both at the same time. Switch is a console I feel people have to be in a specific mindset to fully enjoy in general because I myself love handheld gaming, but not only am I into the more ambitious titles coming out at present, but I just don't take handheld consoles with me out and about like on trains or commuting or whatever. I can see myself doing that more when I actually get to go onto campus in uni after the pandemic, but I feel like Switch is a console you have to be in a very specific mood to appreciate all its qualities, and developers are kind of just playing it safe with the audiences they just know will buy their stuff as a result since their games are aiming to be less and less niche in that regard. It's a complicated topic to tackle but that's how I see it.

There's also the obvious power argument. Like you can keep saying Witcher 3 and DOOM but the graphical and scale threshold is constantly increasing and being surpassed all the time. After seeing how gorgeous games like NiER Automata and FFXV/VII Remake are, I'm almost glad they aren't on such a meager console by comparison because I can't imagine the technical constraints ultimately being worth it just to have it on the go like so many people vocal about these games do.

@Shadowthrone thanks, later when i return to my House i gonna take a look(in my country house).

@TheFrenchiestFry
You always have the option of playing elsewhere though. Even if you yourself value graphics above hybrid portability, there's still a substantial number of gamers who don't, or only have a Switch. Unless a game is Outer Worlds level of compromised, there's never reason to celebrate that option being omitted. All games look gorgeous on power consoles, but a good majority of the ones ported to Switch still appeal to a lot of people, even if they're not as pretty. Final Fantasy VII and Nier would be great Switch port candidates. It's just a question of how much work they put in to do it right. I look at Sniper Elite 4, releasing next week, and think ya, if they can make this open world game look this good, no way FFVII or Nier couldnt see equivalent results. But if they can't, then that's fine. But "not being as pretty" isnt suitable enough reason to me to not bring a game to Switch. It would have to be Outer Worlds level bad to not be worthwhile.

But ya, Switch isnt for everybody. Plenty of people out there who only care about a high graphics, visually pleasing TV experience. And that's fine. No product is for everyone. At the same time, Switch is on track to hit 125-150 million sold by the end of the generation. That's not much less than PS4 and X1 combined. So while it's not for everyone, I definitely wouldn't say its niche.

And while realistic, multiplatform titles dont perform as well, a lot of that is due to secondary treatment. When games are released day and date, such as Mortal Kombat XI, we see very strong results. And that Switch marketshare is continuing to grow. I could understand ignoring Wii U, but ignoring Switch is absurd. Regardless of whether everyone prefers the benefits of gyro and handheld play, there's an ever growing consumer base who does. And proper support will only increase demand. It will also increase demand for Nintendo to focus on making the next Switch as powerful as possible. If Nintendo's market studies tell them that's what the majority wants, they'll likely do it.

Many fail to realize Nintendo does pursue what works and what people want. Its why they focus on their top selling franchises. They know they'll sell really well. Its why they continued chasing the casual market with Wii U. They believed (wrongfully) it would appeal to the masses. They only ignored power in favor of gimmicks because power wasnt working. If they see now they're finally in a position where power sells for them, they're gonna make Switch 2 a substantial upgrade. But that requires having a gamer ship who cares about power, which only comes if Switch gets games that can benefit from said power.

@JaxonH I feel like Nintendo has actively boxed themselves into a corner at this point in regards to the whole power thing with Switch because assuming they do make their next gen console a hybrid as well, I can't see it being any more powerful than maybe the base Xbox One considering if they do try to inch closer to next gen in terms of disparity, all of that will come at the expense of pretty bad battery life, but if they make it extremely meager in comparison like the Switch already is next to the current platforms, it'll come at the expense of dwindling third party support, because let's face it, the next gen platforms are considerably more enticing to most developers at this point than a current gen platform that not only came extremely late into the lifecycle of the other two, but also is just not as technically ambitious, which means developers actively have to try to work around the technical constraints.

MK11 is actually an excellent example. I haven't played it on anything outside PC, but from the Switch footage I've seen, for every legitimately impressive workaround for graphical intensity there is in that port, like using high res character portrait images on the character select instead of the full renders on other platforms, or lowering resolution to prioritize framerate parity in areas such as making the Fatal Blows pre-rendered videos instead of being real time, there's also more glaring stuff that shows the Switch's true colors like the fact the Crypt looks like an area I'd find in an early PS2 title that was hastily ported to Dreamcast.

I feel like at this point if Nintendo wants the big third party stuff on their systems they almost have no choice but to actually make a traditional no frills console that is on par with the competition like they used to up until the GameCube, otherwise I think this perception that they're super unimportant to big name developers like Capcom, Bethesda, EA and Square Enix will further permeate. Will it alienate the people who legitimately liked the hybrid concept, yeah sure. But at the same time the most successful console worldwide at the moment is a TV-tethered one, and considering PS5 and Series X are both going that route as well, despite Japan's stance on mobile and handheld gaming, there's always going to be a place for that stuff that Nintendo realistically shouldn't shy away from.

@JaxonH @TheFrenchiestFry I think cloud versions will be the Switch's answer to the power gap. 3rd parties end up wanting to support the Switch because it's a gigantic success but don't want to make a massively downgraded version because the Switch is weak so they follow Control and Hitman 3 in making cloud versions. Then future 3rd party support depends on how successful those cloud versions are.

@Grumblevolcano I think the cloud thing has potential, and in Japan the infrastructure is already there, but I don't know how successfully it will pan out because when there are consoles capable of running those games natively with no caveats, a lot of people will just go "I'll just get Hitman 3/Control on my PS5 or Xbox Series X"

The world will eventually be on the same page all around, but for now the only people this will really appeal to are just those who only like or own a Switch. Realistically speaking I can see more people just opting to save up and spend the extra cash on consoles or PCs capable of running the games at their absolute best quality with no caveats in place, which is why I think 3rd party is going to be in a really tough spot going forward. Again, the success of the hybrid thing has really boxed them into a corner with this kind of stuff in my eyes. Like if they proceed with business as usual and just keep making hybrids, it'll come at the expense of being behind the other platforms technologically because you can only go so far with power before it eats up battery, and by extension in terms of external developer and publisher support. If they make it a standard console, they potentially risk losing the people who actually found use out of the hybrid concept. If said third parties go all in on the cloud stuff on Switch, there's already people who'd shun it as evidenced by the reaction to Control and Hitman.

@Shadowthrone If anything I think this gen the Series S might actually fill that niche of people looking for a second system better than the Switch.

It's going to be the same price as the flagship Switch model to my knowledge, except it will actually handle the more technically ambitious stuff albeit with compromise that will be considerably more inconsequential than something as demanding as running Outer Worlds on a 7 year old SoC previously used in Android devices. Especially given how much more portable and easy to store it is compared to Series X or PS5, and the advent of Game Pass coupled with xCloud will probably entice the usually handheld-centric JP market, especially since Bethesda's IPs actually have an incredibly strong following there.

I also think post-GameCube Nintendo had the wrong reasons in mind for why they deemphasized on pushing the technological envelope. The Wii was more of a lightning in a bottle trendy kind of console rather than something that felt like an organic success such as the PS2 the previous generation which was also lacking in power but made up for it with incredible exclusives and practical uses as a media player. The motion control craze was just a fad that was only interesting for around maybe 1 or two years and wore out its welcome by the time Sony and Microsoft answered to it.

At this point if Series S is everything it's cracked up to be, the only real incentive I see to buying a Switch as a second console would be if you just really like Nintendo's exclusives. The Switch Lite will be handheld only and that's great, but it puts the flagship Switch in a much more interesting spot as a result next to something as tempting as what is essentially an alternative cheaper next-gen console that will allow you to play the large majority of current and upcoming games.

@TheFrenchiestFry
There's no demand for a no frills Nintendo console. At that point, they might be able to run the games but nobody is going to buy them, aside from the small faithful following.

The reason Switch is so successful is specifically because its hybrid. Deviating from that wont just alienate some people, it'll alienate the vast majority. Yes, that means it wont ever get full parity support, but that comes with the territory, and everyone understands that. Doesnt mean EVERY game wont be able to run. The support Switch has received has been nuts compared to past Nintendo platforms. And a Switch 2, even at the power of X1, will close the gap even further. Sure, there will still be some games that cant run but the number will be far less than the number now on the current model.

It only gets better from here, as power consoles are fast approaching a very real mathematical limit. Essentially just increasing resolution, raytracing, etc. All Switch needs to do is run a version in full 720p handheld, 1080p docked at solid 30fps. Guaranteed theres not a single next gen game that couldn't do at least that on the VCR Xbox One.

And with the likelihood of DLSS integration next gen thanks to Nvidia technology, provided Nintendo does pursue closing the power gap, running every single next gen game on a hybrid at 1080p docked/720p handheld is a very real possibility. At the very least, the gap is closed even more and we see the % of games unable to run dwindle down even further.

As for battery, technology marches on in that respect also. Just like with the Mariko chip where we saw battery life double. Get better, mini-LED screens that have less power draw, splurge for a 50% larger battery, use a better, more efficient chip that sees a huge power increase, and leverage DLSS, and the next Switch could be on par with X1 with better battery life than the original Switch model. It's not going to get worse, it's going to get better. We're about to see the rise of true hybrid gaming that can actually run the majority of PS5/XSX game without sacrificing HD resolution.

Cloud gaming is just a fill in for games that otherwise couldnt run, and are obviously for Switch only gamers. It's not going to suddenly take over. Especially if the next Switch does what I think it will, and what the evidence is suggesting it will.

I also dont think Series S will have any effect on Switch. PS4 and X1 have been on sale sub-$300 for years, and people still buy Switch. Whatever the reasoning, people still choose Switch. I dont see that changing any time soon, $300 Series S or not. Especially given its low storage and digital only restriction, and the fact Switch will likely see price drops next year too. A $149.99 Switch Lite is gonna mop floors.