Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

@Buizel
Someone else mentioned that the other day. Maybe it was Grumble.

Checked Amazon in the US, and while there are joycon available, they're severely limited versus the selection that's been available in years prior.

Makes sense though, with the generation seemingly winding down. They'd probably wanna start flushing stock for the 12 months leading up to the release of Switch 2, so what we see with official accessory selection globally does seem to align with a potential March 2024 release.

@JaxonH so flush the current Pro Controllers for a new one? Like a Pro Controller Elite or +?

@Colonel_Mustache
Seriously doubt it.

Switch was revealed in October because Wii U was dead and they had nothing to lose.

Switch still sold nearly 19 million consoles this past year. They've got hundreds of millions of dollars to lose by an early reveal.

Which is why I don't expect anything until after the holidays, given they sell 50% of their annual hardware during that quarter. A mid January blowout reveal with a late March release date. 75 day lead-up to build hype, just like they did with Switch. The October tease isn't needed this time, and would cost them too much money.

Anything could happen, but that's where I'd put my money if I were a betting man.

@Owl1
No. Flush out for next gen.

Being a bit of a broken record again, probably also depends on how the new hardware interacts with existing software. If at one extreme BC isn't a thing at all an early reveal could hurt sales. Probably better for PR in the medium term to be open I would argue. But from a raw and brutal economic in POV, an early reveal would definitely hurt sales of both hardware and software if BC is non existent

But if at the other extreme if BC is not only a thing but existing games will be patched for the new hardware? Then an early reveal doesn't hurt them much. The enthusiasts will wait for sure but enthusiasts already have a Switch. And if they make compatibility with the Switch library clear people at the budget end won't be as put off by new hardware in the line. The budget Switch Lite line for example will probably still do pretty well post "Switch 2" if the library overlaps significantly. And a longer lead time could keep Nintendo in people's minds in what might be a lean holiday period software wise

People don't want to buy into an "obsolete" platform. It could well be that "Switch 2" doesn't really make the Switch, and especially the Lite, "obsolete"

@JaxonH Assuming we do get a successor at the start of 2024, it still seems strange to me that supply would intentionally be so limited at this point though. The Switch is still going strong - heck, they even announced a new model just this week. There must be plenty of demand for joy-cons in the mean time.

@skywake That’s a really good point that I never thought about but yeah, the BC of the next Switch is gonna be a big part how Nintendo go about revealing it. At the moment the speculation does seem it won’t be fully BC, which is a bit concerning.

@JaxonH The announcement-to-release period for Switch was shorter than it typically is for new Nintendo consoles. There's usually closer to a year-long gap between when Nintendo announces a console vs when it's first released. If a new console is coming in March, I guarantee we'll hear about it this year.

@Ralizah I wonder if Nintendo’s timing of revealing the system will be in somewhat determined by whether any leaks come out this year. Like pictures at the manufacturer or marketing images etc.

@kaisu It was because Nintendo were trying to appease the shareholders they were still going to remain in the console market after the failure of the Wii U and announcement of going into smartphone games.

@kaisu I mean the official announcement of the actual product, which usually coincides with a brief reveal of the device itself.

@kaisu It was, Switch's cycle ended up being:

• March 2015 - Announced NX codename
• April 2016 - Announced March 2017 release window + BotW being a launch title
• October 2016 - Switch teaser
• January 2017 - Massive Switch Presentation which started off the massive promo cycle for the console
• March 2017 - Switch Launch

The first 2 points were about satisfying shareholders.

If I recall the switch replacement has been coming since 2019 lol.

@FragRed I could see some catastrophic leaks changing Nintendo's internal timeline. It's hard to believe there won't be any, considering how many people are willing to trash their professional reputations in search of online buzz and clout.

@Ralizah I think it’ll be more because everyone will want that 5 minutes of fame so they’ll everyone will be on the look out for anything about the successor to a massively successful system. Of course there’s going to be a lot who also want to try and dump on whatever it is, they want to try and succeed in making it fail after trying to do it with the Switch.

@JaxonH theres a huge debate on famiboard over when they expect Nintendo to anounce and launch the Nintendo Switch sucessor, some argue the console is gonna launch holiday 2023, others spring 2024, specially that Nintendo has not anounced a game for the second half of the year, and i higly doubt, the second half of the year will rely on DLC and expansion pass of already released games, Nintendo must have at least two games ready for holiday. @Fragred @Ralizah, Nintendo Switch had that leaks and the Bloomberg report on the console, and yet it didnt seen to have affect Nintendo, the may investor meeting Nintendo will have with it shareholders, might give us a glimpse about the future of Nintendo Switch e Nintendo next hardware

Decided to finally dip on Mario and Rabbids: Sparks of Hope as it's currently on sale for £25 on the UK eShop.

2 hours in and I'm finding it...okay, I guess? The core gameplay is pretty fun, as it was in the original. However I feel it's lacking a lot of the Mario charm, and certainly feels like a Ubisoft game more than anything (clunky UI, awkward camera, generally lacking in polish compared to even Nintendo's B-tier titles). There also seems to be a lot of unnecessary fluff compared to the original.

I remember having a great time with the original, but maybe my standards were lower in the Switch's first year, and I appreciated the concept a lot more when it was new.

I'll give it some more time to form a full opinion (I was quite harsh on Fire Emblem Engage to start with, after all), but I am left wondering if I should've waited for Advance Wars for my tactical fix instead.

@Colonel_Mustache Yeah that's probably a huge factor in my enjoyment. Again, the core gameplay is the main appeal here, but as a reasonably big Mario fan it's a shame to see the Mario representation stripped back so much. It's almost jarring to see Mario and friends run about in what is otherwise pretty much a Rabbids game.

Graph time. Time in months between significant pre-launch events and Nintendo's previous hardware releases. Time between the first significant and ultimately credible rumours/leaks and Nintendo's first confirmation. Time between Nintendo's first confirmation and when they actually showed the hardware. Time between Nintendo showing the hardware and it actually launching

The Switch was particularly unusual in that it was the longest time between the first confirmation (NX) and the reveal (Oct trailer). But it was also the shortest time between full reveal and release. Maybe this is the new norm, maybe it isn't

What I expect is that there'll be almost no time between announcement and reveal, they'll probably be one and the same. The Nintendo of the 2020s is very "drop a trailer on youtube out of nowhere". Though I think they will want to get ahead of any potential leaks so they can control the narrative from the start. And obviously they want to give retailers time to pump up pre-orders

About 6 months is the middle of the road to what they've done before between reveal and release. I think it still makes sense. So like the Switch, September/October reveal for a March/April release? Feels about right

edit: also that massive gap between rumour/leak and reveal for the GBA. There were published rumours around '96 talking about Nintendo working with ARM on a next generation portable. Which turned out to be correct, and was the GBA eventually. But as it turns out in '96 a little thing called Pokemon happened which is probably part of the reason for the gap there

@Ralizah
Their FY7 forecast will give us insight on that. If they project 18 million through March 2024, for example, it's fair to assume the announcement won't come until after the holidays. But if they project 15 million, that could indicate some kind of tease or confirmation before the holidays.

The one exception I can think of where they could still hit 18, is if they revealed the successor in Oct, announced a price cut for Switch to carry sales through the holidays and up until Switch 2. In fact, that may actually be the more likely scenario as I think about it, since it would ensure anyone who buys a Switch this holiday is at least getting it at a discount, while also forewarning people a new system is coming.

Either way, I'm pretty sure accessories stock is dwindling down as they prepare for Switch 2. I would be shocked... no. I would be amazed if Switch 2 isn't in our hands by spring 2024 at the latest.

@Buizel
From what I played, I liked the sequel more than the first. While I definitely enjoyed the Mushroom Kingdom of the first, it was nice to see some different worlds that weren't all Mario themed, especially since the first game had already been there and done that. The free camera system and free movement was also a lot more enjoyable in gameplay than the 4 diagonal views of the first. I thing the Sparks elemental effects weren't quite as interesting as some of the status effects from Kingdom Battle like Honey, but overall its still really fun.

They're both some of the best strategy games I've played, and compliment each other well.

One of the games I redownloaded on this larger micro SD was Final Fantasy X/X-2. I fired it up, watched the Eternal Calm animation from the menu, then started a new save for FFX-2 which I never played.

I'm actually really enjoying this game! I'm starting to understand how dress spheres work, and the class system. I like how you can freely switch classes from multiple choices assigned on your dress sphere. Tried the Songstress for Yuna, the Gunner, and now the Festivalist one where you shoot fireworks and stuff. I like how just by engaging in combat you learn new skills, and can pick whichever one you want to learn next.

I'm still early game. Raced this woman and her two henchmen up a mountain to try to get to the sphere (we're Sphere Hunters, I guess.

Also downloaded all 3 Crysis games, both Metro 2033 and Last Light, Crash Bandicoot 4, Valkyria Chronicles, Sniper Elite 3, Catherine Full Body and Persona 4 Arena Ultimax.

It feels like that rush you get when shopping, except... I already own the games lol. But it feels like I'm getting new stuff because they couldn't fit on the card before.