Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

@Ralizah The more successful the current system is, the more quiet Nintendo can be about the future. The Wii U's commercial failure is what forced Nintendo's hand to talk more about NX early before the system's big reveal.

Given Switch is still a big success, Nintendo doesn't really need to talk about new hardware until around 2 months prior to launch.

@Grumblevolcano Um... no?

The Nintendo 3DS was revealed 11 months prior to launch. I believe the Wii U was announced a year and a half prior to launch. Those followed Nintendo's most successful systems previously.

Giving people only two months notice on a brand new console generation would be insane.

@Ralizah That was back in the era where E3 was everything. The way Nintendo approached things in the Direct era shows the gap has shortened, NX was announced in March 2015 but the actual reveal of the console didn't come until much later (tease in October 2016 and proper reveal in January 2017). Also all the 3DS and Switch revisions were announced a few months before launch.

If there's major differences then sure, more time would be needed but I don't think that'll be the case. Rather something more like GBC -> GBA.

@Grumblevolcano Wouldn’t surprise me if Nintendo have scrapped plans for a pro/revision. The OLED as many suggest, was probably going to be that pro revision but due to Covid and the chip shortages, was ultimately scrapped. They may just be focusing on developing the true successor instead.

@Grumblevolcano We already knew the basic concept of the Switch, what it looked like, etc. It had already been announced and revealed prior to January. That was simply the full unveiling of the device.

And yeah, Nintendo generally announces revisions close to release. If TotK launches alongside a revision, two months would be reasonable. It would NOT be reasonable for new gen hardware.

The GBA was announced about eight months prior to release, I believe.

Basically, everything you've said has reaffirmed my point: TotK will not launch alongside a successor unless an announcement happens soon, as there simply won't be enough time between reveal and launch.

Tempted to agree with @Ralizah on this...it just feels too soon.

Also, is TotK really what Nintendo would use to showcase the system?

Nintendo in the past have been very adamant about software driving new hardware, so it seems out-of-character for them to use a cross-platform game like TotK in their unveiling.

Sure, we had Twilight Princess launching on the Wii, and BotW launching on the Switch. But the former showcased motion controls, and the latter showcased console gaming on the go. What will TotK showcase?

It is possible that there's a huge gimmick or something in TotK / the Switch successor that Nintendo are hiding. But I just don't see them releasing a Switch successor with TotK on the grounds of "the same experience, but better graphics".

Although maybe riding off the Switch's runaway success...maybe that's all they need to do? And maybe they realise that.

@FragRed I think we'll be in blurred territory where it's technically both a revision and a successor. That it's powerful enough that you could consider it a successor and it has games that doesn't run on the Switch but the system itself just looks like a Switch OLED.

@Grumblevolcano To be honest, I'm kinda wondering this also. Do we have another Gameboy Color -type situation?

@Grumblevolcano They’d need to be extra careful marketing such a device. Nintendo are notorious for being utter cack when doing that with revisions.

@skywake I don't doubt they have some sort of new Switch waiting in the wings. Nintendo said they need to be ready for competition and like you said, that NVidia leak was pretty telling. I only wonder how long they can go without needing one.

I'm not sure if Nintendo would have released a 2 year DLC for MK8DX, when they are about to release a new gen console. And why have they released Splatoon 3 now, and didn't release it just a year later. (Which has a 2 years of updates planed)
I know this argument is old, but still..

Dragon Quest Treasures and FFVII Crisis Core in early December.

Is there anything else to be hyped for?

I'm mildly interested in Redout II, but I've barely touched the first game.

I'm reading the points made from both sides and its like, "reasons TotK will likely launch with new hardware"... and I'm thinking yup, yup, good points, totally agree, and then "reasons TotK likely won't launch with new hardware"... and I'm thinking yup, yup, good points, totally agree 😆

Idk. It seems to me one can reason either way and make a compelling argument. My key takeaway from that is, it's a coin toss. Maybe it will, maybe it won't. But if it's a coin toss, it does mean there's a substantial chance

@JaxonH I think both sides are right. Nintendo is always working on hardware and likely are sitting on the next version of it (pro, 2, what have you.) But I also think it may well have launched earlier, or next year or the year after. They can probably release it when they want to because they don't have to release it because they need to yet.

@Magician This is the line up as far as I know.

December 1: Donut Dodo (Switch)
December 1: Inscryption (Switch)
December 1: JellyCar Worlds (Switch)
December 1: LoverPretend (Switch)
December 1: Papetura (Switch)
December 1: Railbound (Switch)
December 1: River City Girls 1 & 2 (PS5, PS4, Switch)
December 1: Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song Remastered (PS5, PS4, Switch, PC)
December 1: Sword of the Vagrant (PS5, PS4, XBO, Switch)
December 1: Tomomi (Switch)
December 1: Warp Drive (XBX/S, XBO, Switch)
December 1: Work from Home (Switch)
December 2: Intrepid Izzy (Switch)
December 2: The Outbound Ghost (PS5, PS4, Switch)
December 2: Resident Evil Village: Winters' Expansion (Switch) – Cloud Version
December 2: Siralim Ultimate (Switch)
December 2: Super Kiwi 64 (Switch, PC)
December 3: Cyborg Invasion Shooter 3: Savior Of The World (Switch)
December 4: Goonya Monster (PS5, Switch, PC)
December 5: Paper Cut Mansion (PS4, Switch)
December 5: Swordship (PS5, PS4, XBX/S, XBO, Switch, PC)
December 6: Kukoos - Lost Pets (PS5, PS4, Switch)
December 6: Terror of Hemasaurus (PS5, PS4, XBX/S, XBO, Switch)
December 7: Bot Gaiden (PS5, PS4, XBX/S, XBO, Switch)
December 7: Togges (PS5, PS4, XBX/S, XBO, Switch, PC)
December 8: Chained Echoes (PS5, PS4, XBX/S, XBO, Switch, PC)
December 8: Coloring Pixels: Collection 2 (Switch)
December 8: Kardboard Kings: Card Shop Simulator (Switch)
December 8: Mech Armada (Switch)
December 8: The Rumble Fish 2 (PS5, PS4, XBX/S, XBO, Switch, PC)
December 8: Samurai Maiden (PS5, PS4, Switch, PC)
December 8: Simona's Requiem (Switch)
December 8: Witch on the Holy Night (PS4, Switch)
December 9: Adventure Academia: The Fractured Continent (PS4, Switch)
December 9: Dragon Quest Treasures (Switch)
December 9: Jitsu Squad (Switch)
December 9: Petite Adventure (Switch)
December 12: Wavetale (PS5, XBX/S, Switch, PC)
December 13: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion (PS5, PS4, XBX/S, XBO, Switch, PC)
December 13: Infinite Guitars (XBO, Switch, PC)
December 13: My Universe: My Baby Dragon (Switch)
December 13: Operation Wolf Returns: First Mission (PS5, PS4, Switch)
December 14: Formula Retro Racing: World Tour (Switch)
December 14: Lil Gator Game (Switch, PC)
December 14: Raptor Boyfriend: A High School Romance (Switch)
December 15: Aery - Path of Corruption (XBO, Switch, PC)
December 15: Aka (Switch, PC)
December 15: Cassiodora (PS5, PS4, XBX/S, XBO, Switch, PC)
December 15: The Crackpet Show (Switch)
December 15: NAIAD (Switch)
December 16: Napoleon in the Third World ~A Maiden Without the Word Impossible~ (Switch
December 16: Resident Evil 7 (Switch) – Cloud Version
December 19: Aero Striker - World Invasion (Switch)
December 22: Drone Race Simulator Pilot Flight School Airplane Games Jet 2023 (Switch)
December 22: Grappling Dash (Switch)
December 22: Windstorm: An Unexpected Arrival (Switch)
December 26: Pixel Cup Soccer - Ultimate Edition (Switch)
December 29: Monster Impossible Truck No Limit Adventure Drive Simulator Sport 3D (Switch)
December 30: Concordia: Digital Edition - Venus (Switch)

@Budda DS, Wii, 3DS, Wii U and pre-September 2018 Switch were all free online. Ever since NSO went live in September 2018, Switch online multiplayer requires that subscription and so online multiplayer games are a balancing act. Do you release them on the system with a gigantic playerbase and so big software sales and big NSO subscriptions or do you release them on the new system with a small playerbase to bring in more hardware sales?

You can see this situation on other platforms with paid online too. For example Microsoft chose to release Halo 4 on Xbox 360 in 2012 instead of making it a Xbox One launch title in 2013, Forza Horizon 5 and Halo Infinite were crossgen games in 2021 instead of PC/Series X|S exclusive (though Infinite doesn't require Gold). Sony chose to release Gran Turismo 7 as a crossgen PS4/PS5 game instead of making it a PS5 exclusive (it also looks like it's coming to PC soon).

@GrailUK
Ya, the question really is, "when is the most strategic time to launch?"

2023 Pros

• keep momentum going, striking while iron is still hot without risking gamers losing interest (much easier to keep someone's interest than lose it and have to re-engage them)
• not repeating mistake of Wii U where they admitted they waited too long and should have released a Wii HD (aka a beefier iteration as a successor)
• launch with big system seller
• minimize future games struggling with performance
• allows for many games to easily release cross gen when ppl are willing to pay for a shiner next gen version to help bulk up the launch window library, while waiting 1-2 yrs the interest in those games will have waned, so next gen ports of 2023 games wouldn't have as much impact.

2023 Cons

• sacrifice Switch sales that will be cannibalized by Switch 2, as Switch still has gas in the tank
• launching when demand for PS5/XSX is peaking could backfire (with Switch they launched around same time as Pro models)
• Necessitates a Switch family price drop if the successor is to be priced at $400 or less (which it likely will be), which will affect profits
• Launching amidst chip shortage could cap sales projections first few years, especially if Switch will continue to be sold alongside it
• Cost of manufacturing is higher vs waiting another year or two, as prices for sourcing components drop with time

@IceClimbers I love how they pointed out no games will be shown

@JaxonH Out of everyone, they were the most successful during the lockdown periods. I'm sure they know what they are doing during the chip shortage period. Anyone have a forecast when this is due to end btw?