Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

@JaxonH Wow, this list is fascinating. In particular:

• GB, a decade old system, being top-seller in 1999 and 2000. I guess Pokemon and (to a lesser extent) the Gameboy Color are to thank for that.
• GBA outselling the PS2 at some point. Especially in 2004, the release year of the DS.
• DS and 3DS being top-sellers in 2009-10 and 2013, respectively. These were times when most of the talk in the gaming sphere was about PS and Xbox as far as I remember (especially in 2013).
• 360 being on top in 2011-12. I thought by this point PS3 had taken over - but Europe and Japan may have been more responsible for this than the US.

@Ralizah I've noted this bias for a while tbh - but it's especially enlightening to see that, for the majority of years since 1995, Nintendo has had the best-selling system (whereas Xbox, one of the "big" two, has had that privilege for <10% of the time). I wouldn't be surprised, if you pooled all systems by company, to see that Nintendo makes it out on top for pretty much every year. Yet you're right - Nintendo historically haven't been given the same consideration as their competitors for the best part of two decades.

I guess there are several contributors to this: in part Nintendo's own culture of differentiating themselves from the crowd (incl. chasing the casual market with the Wii and DS), the relative success of their handheld consoles (despite these often being top-sellers, the industry as a whole seems more interested in "cutting-edge" home console experiences), and their flagship consoles having fallen back in favour relative to the competition (usually Playstation) on several occasions (N64, Gamecube, Wii U). I think the handheld factor is the one that's still somewhat relevant to this day, but is also a big factor in the Switch's runaway success. It's why we simultaneously have one of Nintendo's most successful consoles ever with a very vocal minority of people begging for a more powerful hardware update.

That's so sweet the way you guys gave Xbox a look-in for a couple of years.

@JaxonH I think Switch would continue the streak if Switch 2 doesn’t get announced this year (as in no 2023 announcement + release or 2023 announcement + 2024 release) given Switch is the only current system where no FIFA or CoD means nothing for system sales potential.

I feel like I'm in the minority but have absolutely no need for a Switch 2 in the near future. The Switch era has been an absolute blast and I still have so many games I want to play or need to finish, and i'm already itching for a replay of some of my favourites. Mind, I have never particularly cared about graphics in terms of specs, I just want polish and style and Nintendo still provides that more than its competitors, perhaps because of the restricition in specs. A game like BOTW is already aging more gracefully IMO than its more realistic counterparts. (Kant already said it is the resistance that makes a dove soar).

I know it is antithetical to the consumption standard of our time, but I mostly welcome the longer lifespan of the consoles.

@Buizel I agree that the ghetto they're in is one of their own making. And, to some extent, they'll always keep the elements that help distinguish them from the competition. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. Switch is rapidly becoming the one console platform that's worth owning if you also maintain a decent gaming PC, for example.

I do think the handheld factor is a huge element to it, since so many people in the industry have a sort of ingrained bias toward home console experiences. Aside from the Wii, handheld consoles are primarily how people experienced Nintendo's games for decades. And they're super popular. But there's this cultural association of portable consoles with children and casual play. It's likely a big reason why the explosion in mobile gaming poached a huge chunk of the casual audience between the NDS and the 3DS.

Ironically, as you mentioned, the hybrid factor of the Switch is also now what's helping them become more relevant to the wider industry, and what, alongside their own popular games, will help protect their space in the market going forward.

@gcunit Admittedly, the 360 was a great console. The one great Xbox home console, in my opinion. The XSS/XSX are less embarrassing than the Bone, but they still haven't come close to regaining their old mojo. Thankfully for Xbox fans, Microsoft is a gigantic company that is at no risk of going down if they wind up in third place again.

@Suicune I think this is probably a historical first instance where someone has name-dropped Immanuel Kant in a discussion about Nintendo consoles. Congratulations!

Anyway, having just recently purchased a SWOLED, I'd be OK with them putting off a new generation for a few more years, but, from a business perspective, they won't want their momentum to bottom out before transitioning people over. Transitioning too early risk destroying their current momentum, though, which they're likely also wary of. I have to imagine they have analysts watching the market like a hawk as they figure out the best time to launch new hardware.

@Ralizah just trying to take this conversation to a transcendental level. No, I'm kidding, name dropping is mostly a bit annoying, but it's the final year of my philosophy degree and it has been so intense my conversation skills have basically regressed to just that

@SlashFuture Yes, me too. Especially since the SWOLED I bought still feels like magic as a predominantly handheld player.

Despite so much criticism and kerfuffle being made of Switch "not being powerful enough for games to look/run well", I see the exact opposite. Now, more than ever, I feel Switch is capable and producing some of the finest games of its generation.

Consider the following games of the past year:

• Triangle Strategy
• Kirby Forgotten Land
• Nintendo Switch Sports
• Zombie Army 4
• Portal 1/2
• Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes
• Xenoblade Chronicles 3
• Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1/2
• Neon White
• Olli Olli World
• Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak
• Splatoon 3
• Persona 5 Royal
• Nier Automata
• Bayonetta 3
• Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
• Dragon Quest Treasures
• Mario Rabbids Sparks of Hope
• Fire Emblem Engage
• Octopath Traveler II

This is just a highlight reel, but it amply demonstrates how excellent Switch games tend to look and run nowadays. All of these games are stunning on Switch- no crushed resolutions, no severe framerate issues, and all of them look even better on the OLED. These games tell a story- "Switch is in its prime and games have never looked better". The exact opposite of the narrative gaming media tries so hard to portray.

Granted. There are examples of Switch games with disappointing visual fidelity and performance. By no means am I implying otherwise. We've all seen Pokemon Scarlet/Violet framerate issues. We've all heard the endless criticism of Arceus graphics (though personally I find the game looks pretty decent), and every other month or so there's a 3rd party game that bites off more than it can chew, or the devs don't even try to optimize, and they just throw a half baked version onto the eShop. The recent Dark Souls clone comes to mind. But, these games are the exception rather than the rule. Spending 95% of one's attention and focus on the extreme minority, ignoring the masses of high quality, victorious Switch titles, will never make sense to me. And that's true not just in a macro sense but micro as well. Media will nitpick a single minute shortcoming or flaw, and spend the vast majority of their time complaining about it while ignoring the 99% of the game thats amazing.

I am definitely hyped for Switch 2. It's gonna be so good! But until that day comes, Switch is consistently producing banger after banger after banger. The overwhelming majority of which offer satisfactory visuals and performance. It almost reminds me of how a kid constantly obsesses about growing up to the point they let their own childhood pass them by. So focused on the future, blinded to what's right in front of them. We're in the pinnacle of Switch's lifespan. Just enjoy it.

Now that I have a proper controller, I find myself playing my Switch alot more. It's amazing how just by getting a controller increases my want to play the Switch.

@Tasuki I'll admit, I wouldn't play my Switch nearly as often if I didn't own a controller. I'd just stare at it and weep silently.

I just finished the Blue Lions path of FE Warriors Three Hopes, was even better than my 1st playthrough (Golden Deer) as I felt the story was stronger in the Blue Lions path.

On another Fire Emblem note, Nintendo’s doing NSO icons for Engage to celebrate today’s launch.

https://www.resetera.com/threads/bloomberg-nintendo-plans-to-...

Nintendo is planning on increasing Switch production during the next fiscal year apparently.

Pretty much confirms no Switch 2 in 2023. Probably a Holiday 2024/Spring 2025 release then.

@IceClimbers HAH

We're riding this train all the way past the PS2!

@IceClimbers An increase at this point is really bizarre unless there’s a new Switch revision but at the end of last year Digital Foundry suggested Switch Pro was real but got cancelled.

Though this info does pretty much deconfirm Switch 2 for 2023 and 2024 as Switch 2 would decrease Switch production significantly.

@SlashFuture I've been telling people not to expect new hardware this year for a while. You could look at sales numbers and see why Nintendo wouldn't want to move on from Switch yet. I am REALLY curious to see how 2023 sales end up, though, because if sales projections start trending up again... well, I'm not expecting it to happen, but it's always possible we could see an especially lengthy console gen at this point.

All of this without a price drop!

So what do you think the Mario Odyssey email is about then? It's very odd that they want to rekindle interest in Odyssey right now. Add to that they're mentioning "there may be more to discover", and this seems like a strong hint to more Odyssey content, whether it's a sequel or late DLC like the Booster Course Pack.

I do think next gen they want a big open world Mario that builds on Bowser's Fury. But it sounds like that's several years off and probably won't be the next 3D Mario project. I could see more Odyssey content to hold people off until then.

@Ralizah I can totally understand. I don't know if it's me but the Joycons just feel cheap to me definitely not up to Nintendo's standards when it comes to controllers, makes me under if the QA department was on vacation or something. But yeah every time I used tbe Joycons I felt like they would just break in my hands. With the controller I got I don't have that feeling and can enjoy the game I am playing.

I started up Bioshock on tbe Switch and I am enjoying it. I can appreciate how good it runs on the Switch.

@Bolt_Strike well if you are just after any old theory about that email which supports it being promoted with no Odyssey 2/DLC on the way, Nintendo believes in the ever green model of game sales rather than chasing big day one numbers so with the Mario movie on the way they are going to use it to support and push their existing Mario games they have with Odyssey the focal point since even though it did sell very well it's sales are only half that of Mario Kart.

@jump The only thing is, I think the email was only sent to people who've already played Mario Odyssey - it's mostly made up of questions like 'when did you last play it', 'how many moons did you find', etc. I can definitely see why people would interpret it as hinting at DLC, but as you say it's equally possible that it means nothing and is just to tie in with the Mario movie.

@Dogorilla Yeah maybe but I'm just spit balling theories/explanations rather than having a take. Ninty are strange company that do strange things so trying to interpret their meaning is often fruitless which is why I always find it strange people try to use patters to explain their actions.

@Bolt_Strike I don't see it as odd. Nintendo is probably hoping for a resurgence of interest in Mario following the release of the movie.

I guess it's possible they could release a sequel like SMG2 (which I wouldn't mind one bit), although a DLC expansion seems like it'd be more likely.

Either way, I think the next major entry is going to be a Switch 2 game.