Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

@SlashFuture
No worries. It's crazy rare, and since posting last night I also found this:

Seems they were handed out to store managers on a regional basis. I've learned there's about 60 regions, so up to 60 of these exist via Gamestops throughout the nation, plus the 6 handed out at Nintendo World Store, so about 66 exist in total.

Of course, over half are probably lost to time stuck in a dusty closet in some Gamestop, or worse, given to an employee who ended up losing it or throwing it away. Then there's ones the employees likely kept and just stashed at home and either displayed or forgot about. After all, Fire Emblem was a very niche series when this all went down. So there was no real collectible market for the series to speak of then. That didn't come until post-Awakening era in 2013 onwards, nearly half a decade later.

I've accounted for about 7 of them online via self-reports, another 2 reported being sold at local game shops for around $1200, one that sold on eBay in 2010, and the one I'm buying. So 11 I know of.

To be honest here, Nintendo need to be better when it comes to UI usability. The Store UI is a nightmare to use. It’s painful slow.

@EaglyTheKawaiiShika Bayonetta 3 has semi-open areas, originaly the game was planed to be a open world game, but this proved too chalenging for Platinum Games and they decided to use the tradicional format of the franchise but with semi-open areas,

They really nailed Bayonetta 3 level design.

Open world isn't the answer for everything. Linear game design has just as much merit, it just depends on the game.

But Bayo3 strikes the perfect balance of open, explorable areas that are still generally linear by nature, but with a lot of secrets and pockets and hidden paths. Big enough that exploration is fun and exciting, but linear enough that you always know where to go next.

In fact, of all the things they improved upon over Bayonetta 2, from combat to summons to story to side mission variety, I think the one thing that impressed me the most was the level design.

Maybe the day will come they'll decide to go even more open, and... if so I'll have to judge it at that time. But the balance they struck with Bayo3 feels near perfect for the type of game it is. Bayonetta 2 was a masterpiece, but after playing Bayonetta 3 I can see now in hindsight that exploration wasn't nearly as fun or addictive. At the time it felt fine as that was all I'd ever known from the series, but now? The more open levels are definitely the new status quo.

@JaxonH Congrats on the find! I find it a little amusing as my boss offered me his at the time (FE was not popular at my store and I was the only mega fan) I turned it down because I wanted games instead (and a FE Tshirt). In hindsight I am glad I did as I am not a collector but it is surreal that I could have owned one of these.

@JaxonH That's a pretty cool find. If you have the money, why not? More money can always be had.

Nintendo chalenge with the Switch sucessor

I’ve seen this reported by several sites (other than NL) so far. I’m curious what the game is going to be.

@Ryu_Niiyama
Wow! I guess that's one more we can account for existing. Who can predict where the wind blows? It's impossible to know at the time. Especually back in 2009. Nobody even knew what FE was back then. Certainly wasn't a collector market for the franchise yet.

@Ralizah
Ya I was gonna pass at first but, I thought about it and was like nah, I just made metrology engineer with a sizable salary increase, and dang it... I want it. Money comes and goes, but I'll likely never encounter one of those again in my life. Screw it. It runs on batteries and lights up, also, which is kinda cool.

Will be the crowing swansong of the collection. Idk if I mentioned but, I'm done after Switch, hanging up my hat and calling it quits. It's time to start saving money for something a little more useful than just video game related purchases, so whenever Switch 2 releases its gonna be digital only from then on out- no more figures, collector editions, expensive merch, physical copy double dipping, etc. May as well go out with a bang. Pretty sure Switch doesn't have too much time left on the clock.

@FragRed
I really hope some upcoming family games on Switch from Bandai Namco like Go Vacation.

@EaglyTheKawaiiShika Bandai Namco don’t do the Warriors games.

@JaxonH When you said you were hanging up the hat, I wondered if that meant you were stepping away from the hobby altogether, which would've been pretty weird for a dude as passionate about the hobby as you are.

But yeah, that makes sense. Can't just keep growing the collection endlessly, right?

I've pretty much stepped away from special editions and double dipping after SMT V. Aside from giving in to temptation during sales, I pretty much only buy the important games now. It's still far more than enough to keep me continuously entertained.

@EaglyTheKawaiiShika I always forget the company name. I’m just racking my brains around what a 3D game could be between Bandai Namco and Nintendo. It’s obvious it’s an exclusive if Nintendo are helping and that makes me wonder if it’s a Nintendo IP.

I stopped with special editions after Metroid Dread, was going to get XC3 and Bayonetta 3 special editions but the My Nintendo Store exclusive mess with XC3 made me decide to get neither. Now I'll only get special editions if they come with music but there has to be either a CD or a digital format (e.g. download code, usb stick). Vinyl only is a no go as vinyl is such an inconvenient music format.

For figures, I stopped buying amiibo in the early Switch era though I'm considering returning to buying amiibo with a few like Sephiroth.

@EaglyTheKawaiiShika According to the website the Tweet links “ Whatever the project turns out to be it will a 3D action game presumably based on a key Nintendo series” I didn’t see that initially. I kinda skim read.

@Grumblevolcano I didn't buy amiibo for a long time, but just recently, I was able to score the Zelda loftwing and Metroid Dread amiibo for significant discounts, so it seemed like a waste not to grab them.

I also plan on picking up Pyra & Mythra when their set becomes available. I still really like Xenoblade Chronicles 2.

Otherwise, I don't foresee myself buying any more amiibo going forward.

The problem with asking people for what the "hook" of Nintendo's next hardware release will be is that it fundamentally misunderstands what Nintendo does. Nintendo doesn't chase gimmicks. Nintendo experiments with tech as game developers and has the ability to roll those into their hardware. So the question should be, what technology has become cheaper over the last 5 years and/or what are the current trends in the market

With the N64 the "new thing" was the analogue stick which, really, wasn't "new". It just made sense to include it as standard with the inevitable transition to 3D. They also decided to sleep on optical media due to initial cost and longer load times, that was a misstep. The Gamecube didn't have anything, it was going to have 3D but the tech wasn't there yet. With the Wii Bluetooth was suddenly a thing which meant controllers could be fully wireless from day 1. And if the controller is wireless, well, why not allow people to move it?

The DS released in a pre-iPhone post-PDA world. Touch screens were an interesting but already pretty well established thing on portable devices. The second screen was so your hand wasn't in the way of the action. The 3DS? Well they've been wanting to do 3D since the GC and it was suddenly at a point where it was cheap enough to do. The Wii U? Well, the Wii U was a product of its time, in some ways it was right on the money and in others ways it was too early to market

When I look at the Switch? The core hook of the device is actually pretty mundane. Really, the reason it exists is because Nintendo thought it'd be more efficient to have a single platform. I'm sure this has been something they've been wanting to do for ages. It's just we got to the point where portable hardware was good enough that it became viable

And when I look at what's next? When I look at the current technology landscape and what the next thing you might want to include. What I see is DLSS, VRR, HDR. I see OLED screens and HDMI 2.1. I think these things are almost a given. But I also see improved image processing and more precise motion tracking. I see significantly improved wireless video streaming in terms of both bandwidth and compression. I see the cost of storage dropping rapidly while at the same time the cost of high end graphics going through the roof

So if you ask me what I think Nintendo's next "hook" will be? I think it'll be the Switch again but with more horsepower. I don't see them jumping back on the "screen in the controller" bit although they certainly could now. I also don't see them going all Kinect on us although they certainly could. I think the "hook" will be that it'll be a big jump from the Switch but also a relatively modestly priced, low power draw piece of hardware that you don't have to buy an entirely new library of games for

And I think with the global economy probably heading towards a recession if not a depression? That's probably the best play to make. No frills, just an easy sell that doesn't break the bank. Make the "hook" will be that budget conscious parents can dig into the bargain bin, pull out Super Mario Odyssey and have it still be a relatively "modern" experience for someone in 2026. Now that doesn't make for a sexy headline or a clickbaity youtube video, but it's probably a more enticing product than anything suggested in that video you posted

@JaxonH I know right. My old boss was a weird one. He wasn’t a gamer (like at all) but he’d been a manager for a decade plus when I met him so he had tons of exclusive merch just from conferences or givaways. I’m sure if he hasn’t unloaded it all by now that he is sitting on a mint.

Serious respect that you are hanging up the collection hat. But I agree with you myself. I’m digging into grad school and my career is taking off so I vowed this is gonna be my last gen owning every system under the sun. Moving has made me way less inclined to buy more merchandise (after the BOTW statues are done) and I think I too am packing it in. Obviously I will still get whatever Nintendo churns out but I’m focusing on draining the backlog (and closing any holes in my retro catalog /repairing retro systems). The ps5 and series x will carry me until I upgrade my PC but honestly I want to travel and explore the area I live in (not a native) and invest in my hobbies. While I’m still saving, I have given up on a house and will focus on my stock market and 401K gains. My parents are both in their 70’s now so I won’t have too much longer until they need my help. I completely expect my siblings to be useless. And of course I have my own medical history to consider meaning I will need to build a nice nest egg.

@Ryu_Niiyama
Probably worth adding that the expense of the hobby does depend a bit on where you live. If you adjust for median income and cost of living etc, etc things like consoles and games effectively cost about half as much in Australia compared to the US. Which is because in a raw exchange rate sense the median income in Australia is a fair bit higher, the cost of living more than makes up for that gap but we're more or less paying US prices for tech

But yeah, I'm also trying to stop collecting stuff for the sake of collecting stuff. I did have a period where I was super into all of the gaming nick-nacks but I eventually came to the realisation they're just dust collectors. Same with physical copies of games, there's really no need for it and it just creates more clutter. Though... the actual cost of it? Doesn't really bother me. Just the clutter

I can justify to myself having a bookshelf for Vinyl and CDs. I can justify keeping old consoles in a box on a shelf. I can justify having a cupboard full of cables and tech bits and pieces I may use. I can even find space on the wall for framed gaming/movie/music posters. But I can't bring myself to buy figurines, shelf pieces, plushies and whatnot. Complete waste of space

@skywake for me it’s more time expense. Which is why I didn’t mention finances. For my age and demographic (martial status, race, sex) I am doing better than average. I’m not wealthy especially since I am still paying back student loan debt and finishing my education out of pocket, but if I wanted to I could spend much more on games than I already do. And I certainly spend more money annually on other interests (my hobbies are in my profile)...or on Sailor Moon merchandise.

But I have neither the time to game nor the overall interest (as in I don’t wanna spend all my free time gaming anymore). Gaming is nice and I certainly appreciate the strides in representation that it has made, but some mindsets are still stuck in the past (for some games that is fine…main reason I mostly love Dragon Quest) and to be honest some current mindsets annoy me (open world feels so lifeless in many games) but I find that I bounce off more games than I enjoy. I won’t say that I am outgrowing the hobby but it isn’t as engaging anymore even with my very wide genre interests. I have other things I can do with that time. Conferences, certifications, other hobbies, training, travel.

I also have a persistent health condition that will make gaming impossible in the future and like I said elderly parents so I want to be more fiscally responsible. That still has less to do with overall cost so much as knowing I would be better served in the long run putting my time and money elsewhere.