Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

@skywake i have to respectully disagree with you, the Switch sucessor is not gonna be simply a Switch 2(Nintendo dont work like that, the Switch sucessor is gonna feature a completely new concept/inovation no one expected like the hybrid concept of Switch, not more power on it sucessor, in 2024/2025 we shall see who is right about the Switch sucessor you or me)

@Giancarlothomaz I do not think it will be like that. Let me picture you a line of Nintendo handhelds and their innovations:

Gameboy (monochrome) > Gameboy Color (color) > GBA (color but more powerful) > DS (same but 2 screens one of them Touch) > 3DS (same but added "3D" effect)

So what will be be on the Switch? A Switch that is a hybrid between gaming console, oven and air conditioner?

As you can see Nintendo's biggest "innovations" are either NOT used like the 3DS 3D effect (many games were just not using it) or flawed like forcing the touch screen of the DS is some games and ALL other were using it for inventory/map screen. The other consoles innovation was ... the portability.

Also Nintendo's innovation = gimmicks.

I prefer to have the same form factor but more powerful + keeping the physical media!

@FragRed the next Super Smash Bros game on Switch sucessor?

@Giancarlothomaz
As I said, people misunderstand what Nintendo does. They look at Nintendo's hardware at a superficial level and think "Nintendo always has some hook" but ignore the why and the when.

The Gameboy was the way it was because Nintendo put battery life above everything else for what was a portable device. The N64 was going to be a 3D console so adding an analogue stick, which already existed, made sense. The DS came about when PDAs were bubbling under the surface. The Wii released with Bluetooth being a thing which meant wireless controllers from day 1 unlike the GC. And the Wii U released when LCDs were getting cheaper, WiFi was getting faster and video compression was getting better

Then there's the Switch which was blindingly obvious. Nintendo literally came out in 2015 and said they were merging their portable and home console divisions. This being after they struggled to get a library of HD content out for Wii U while simultaneously supporting increasingly complex portable games on 3DS. NX was always going to be one platform, the only surprise to me was that it was also one piece of hardware. And even that you could've seen coming

So yeah, when people talk about what the next hook will be? I ignore that BS, it's meaningless. The question should be where are we at now, what tech is cheap and impactful and where can Nintendo expand their audience. And what I see is a PS5 getting price hikes, Nvidia's 4090 being like 500W/$3500AU and a looming economic downturn. I see OLED screens getting cheaper and new TVs all having VRR at upto 4K 120Hz. I see VR existing and already carving out its own niche and I see Valve carving out some space in the "value high end portable" space the Switch used to own

And I think...... the Switch is more or less the product Nintendo needs already. Its only weakness is that it has lost a bit of its value. Really, what Nintendo needs is a Switch that has HDMI 2.1 with all those shiny things that can hold its own against the Steam Deck. But with strong backwards and ideally forwards compatibility to leverage the existing library of content. That's where we are at now, simple as that

@skywake so what could be the next hook for Switch sucessor? it cant simply be a Switch 2, Wii was know for it motion controls, the only evolution i could imagine Nintendo could tackle is AR/VR

One of the more interesting ideas I've heard kicked around is Nintendo introducing a dock with a built-in projector. Who needs a television as long you have a 4x4 empty space on your wall?

@Magician Not sure what the point of that would be, since you'd still need a power outlet for the dock, which would limit the projector to... spaces where you already likely to have a TV or monitor in the first place. And that would drive up costs for not much benefit to the consumer, meaning people pay more than the system is worth, and Nintendo's profit margins are reduced.

@Ralizah Sure.

Not that the projector dock would be packaged with the Switch, rather just as a premium alternative.

Is there a way I can transfer funds from one switch profile to the other?

@Magician I mean, you could just plug the dock into a normal projector at that point, right?

The thing with Nintendo's hardware design is that it's very cohesive. Whatever they opt for next, it'll have an impact on the entire experience with the console.

I know this is PS5 but it could just as easily be Switch

There's a couple of games that lean in that direction, but I feel the absolute opposite. Stuff like this makes me double down on my opinion that Nintendo can take all the time in the world to release a new system. Like people have issues with Mario sports and Pokemon games now, imagine them even making PS4 level games? I'd be terrified of that. If you want those series to get worse, feel free to push for a new Switch everyone!

I saw multiple people jokingly suggesting that game devs should just make PS2 and Gamecube games forever, but at this point that honestly feels like a better alternative to what we have now.

@kkslider5552000 Switch games dont take forever to develop, unless is a Legend of Zelda/3D Metroid game, the isseu with Mario sports games is that they lack content.

Is this a Goldeneye tease perhaps (Goldeneye is "coming soon")? In normal circumstances, the first January Game Pass list would've been revealed today but all that happened was a shadow drop of Stranded Deep and this tease.

Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom could be the final high profile game releasing on Nintendo Switch and speculation when the Switch sucessor can be released and games that could release on Switch this year.

@Grumblevolcano Don’t give me hope 🥺

Thanks guys for proving my point. As I said, Nintendo doesn't do "gimmicks" and anyone who thinks they do has completely misunderstood Nintendo. What Nintendo does is take well established technologies and apply them in interesting ways to solve some problem

I'd also add that if you strip back the flash there have only really been two really game changing ideas from Nintendo. The Wii Remote and the two screens of the DS. Everything else since has been some variation on those two things. The 3DS is, functionally, just a more powerful DS. The Wii U was, functionally, a cross between the Wii and DS. The Switch is basically just a portable Wii U

The way I see it the Switch form is the equivalent of the XBox 360 controller. The 360 controller was where we landed after years of controller experiments, it is the problem solved. The Switch form is similarly the functional solution to everything Nintendo has been trying to do. Could they tweak the form? Sure. I think everyone would like to see analogue triggers and more robust sticks. Could they add some additional sensors like a magnetometer, mm Wave, GPS or maybe even temp/humidity? Sure. Bring back the camera/mic? Why not....

.....but at the core of what it'll be? The jump from HDMI 1.4 to HDMI 2.1 takes us from 1080p/60 to 4K/120. It brings HDR, it brings VRR and it brings low latency mode. All matter for gaming. OLED, which the Switch already has, brings infinite contrast and super low input lag. Which matters. Lastly AI upscaling allows you to render at a lower resolution with less of a reduction in perceived resolution and DLSS is one of the hardware accelerated implementations of it. That also matters, especially for a less capable device

The "Switch 2" doesn't need a "hook". Between HDMI 2.1, OLED and DLSS it already has three

with 118.99 milions consoles sold, Nintendo Switch outsell Game Boy(118.68 milions consoles sold)
https://www.vgchartz.com/article/455879/nintendo-switch-outse...

@SlashFuture
Indeed, but my counter point to that would be that the Switch form is modular. There's nothing stopping Nintendo from releasing alternate style joycons or go all Wii U GamePad and create a device that streams video. And even the Joycon themselves are relatively versatile in their own right in terms of how they can be used. If Nintendo wanted to release a novel controller they could do it already

So the question is are Nintendo going to abandon the Switch form entirely and if not what functionality can they add to what's basically an iPad with rails. And the way things are? I think we can fairly safely say that HDMI 2.1, OLED and DLSS are a given already. Those things combined are more than enough to sell people on the idea of a "Switch 4K". And I don't see Nintendo abandoning the form given they've spent the last 20 years working upto this

I mean sure, throw these people a bone. Throw a rear facing camera on it and call it "AR". Why not. But even if they do something like that appease the people who want one without any thought about as to why, it's not going to be what the new hardware is. I think I can say with a fair degree of confidence their new hardware will be Switch but now with OLED, HDMI 2.1 and DLSS

@Ralizah
Amiibo are actually a really great item to collect imo, as they are extremely cheap relatively speaking (1/7 scale figures sell for $150 - $300, so $12 - $20 is a drop in the bucket), they're small and don't take up much space, and there's such a wide variety you can buy all your favorite characters.

It's hard to find a good Bayonetta figure. The one or two statues they made sell for like $1000 on eBay. Whereas with amiibo? It was $12 a pop, and there it is, a Bayonetta figure.

As someone who went through 10 yrs of substance abuse and owning nothing, I think when I finally got it together I got excited at the prospect of a "video game collection". What started off as just 4 single physical games for the 3DS in early 2012, has spiraled to what I have now. Every year another 50-100 games were added to the collection, along with figures, steelbooks, collector editions, posters... and before ya know it, the entire gaming room is full. Doesn't happen overnight, but 10 straight years of indulgence adds up. And ya, it's just not feasible to continue forever, unless opening a full house museum one day.

Will probably still buy physical for Fire Emblem, Monster Hunter, Xenoblade, Metroid and Zelda next gen onwards, just because I have dedicated displays for those series. But adding a game or two a year for display is peanuts.

@Ryu_Niiyama
Despite being 38 my dad died last year at age 79, and my mom is now 71 (they were 40 and 31 when I was born). So I know what you mean. It happens so gradually, but then you realize wow, they're in their 70's. Death could come at any moment. I think once they hit 70, start spending time with them. They could see 100, who knows, but that's the thing, you never know.

@Wolfleaf
Oh, steelbooks are great. Put them on display and you'll really appreciate them a lot more. I have a whole row of Switch steelbooks on the bottom hidden behind the 4 shown, but there just wasn't enough room to display them all. Still, putting them on a dedicated shelf like this looks really nice, I think.