Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

The prospect of Switch 2 being comparable to a PS4/Xbox One in terms of power is unironically making me extremely excited. Nintendo themselves have done an exceptional job at pushing what is (essentially) a portable PS3/Xbox 360 to it's absolute limits and to have something akin to the next systems up with Nintendo's trademark console ingenuity? It may just be my first Day 1 buying of a console in my entire life

I wonder what all this says about how far out the next console is? Because to know these details suggests third party developers must have either final or near final dev kits.

@Fizza
You can do a LOT with PS4/X1 power. And to have that in a hybrid handheld? That's a potent mix (sound like General Quarrich here).

When the Xbox 360 and PS3 hit the scene, there was a massive shift to HD development, and an immense leap forward in console graphics. But this bold new world demanded a lot from the hardware. Many games in the PS3/360 era just barely managed to pull off 720p, oftentimes 540p. Or, they just couldn't quite run with a stable framerate. The hardware was like, 80% of the what it needed to be to fulfill developer's visions. Skyrim, Resident Evil 5, Dark Souls, the list of games whose framerates dipped into the low 20's were numerous.

Switch, in many ways, is a mirror of that generation, except this time on the portable side. It's a bit more powerful than the PS3/360, even in handheld mode, but it's still not quite where it needs to be. If PS3/360 were 80%, then Switch is at 90%

When the PS4/X1 released, performance and visuals improved drastically across the board. The graphics didn't see nearly as big of an improvement, but it had it where it counts- gapping that final 20% for games to run smoothly at an HD resolution. Obviously there's always exceptions, but generally speaking, if you look at games on PS4/X1 vs PS3/360, you'll find the number of titles struggling with low 20 fps drops notably decreased. In addition to better visuals and 1080p resolution.

PS3/360 was the HD teething pains generation. And we're experiencing that on the handheld side now for Switch. It's not quite as rough as PS3/360 had it because again, it is a bit more powerful so it gaps that deficit a bit more, but the next generation Switch will be akin to the PS4/X1 generation on the handheld side. The generation where performance and visuals largely iron out across the board, the generation that can still, to this day, run almost any current title if a version is developed for it in mind.

And that's exciting to think about. Cause if Switch is already this good in the HD handheld teething generation, just imagine what it'll be like once that's behind us.

Just wait for that lower-res and laggy but impressive port of FF16 to arrive on Switch 2 in 3 years.

Also, same about day 1 buy; usually I am kind of slow to get new consoles and sometimes skip them. I might actually join the pre-order hardware gang without waiting for reviews for the first time in my life.

They said it would stop being exclusive and go to pc in 2024 or 2025; no reason we can't snatch an impossible port in 2026. Maybe it will go to Nintendo but not Xbox just to spite Microsoft.

@Professor_Plumber @FishyS Whether FFVII Remake is a launch window title for the Switch's successor will basically fully reveal whether Sony's exclusivity deals for FF are permanent console exclusivity or just Xbox exclusion.

I'm not losing sleep over FFXVI.

It's a bad joke as far as I'm concerned. Sex scenes, wild cursing, realism, ditches any semblance of strategic turn based party gameplay for solo real time combat, yet doesn't even fully commit and ends up being a DMC-lite. There's not even a heavy attack for goodness sakes.

Idk what ppl see in that game. Its a complete leap-frog of genres, abandoning its identity to become yet another story driven linear action game. If it were a spinoff like Crisis Core I could set all that aside and evaluate on its own merits, though even then it seems to have a fair number of issues- lacking depth, worst sidequests ever, just repeat same shallow combat and watch hours of cutscenes, "the game". But as a mainline entry, it's like if Nintendo released the next mainline 3D Mario game and it wasnt even a platformer anymore and you couldnt even jump. I suppose if you're into the whole forced slow walking and "maturity" thing like all of Sony's 1st party titles it's a money shot, which tells me they released it on the right platform, cause I sure as heck wouldn't play it on Switch 2 (in case you couldn't tell, yes I'm a bit salty they ruined one of my favorite JRPG series of all time, and from the sound of things Dragon Quest is the next beloved JRPG staple to be flushed down the toilet in service of "adult content"... fantastic). Sorry to anyone who likes the game- don't let me sour it for you. I'm just genuinely baffled at what they did.

Now. FFVII Remake. That's another story entirely. That's FF done RIGHT (aside from the forced slow walking and constantly stealing control away from the player with in game cut scenes that don't telegraph control is being taken away or given back, so it's just a constant game of "wtf isn't my character responding"). Even that game couldn't escape the Sony effect. They sure know their new audience I guess.

That said, FFXVI could easily run on Switch 2. The FFVII Remake PS5 port runs on Steam Deck and they're really no different. And that's just run of the mill PC downscaling. Design it and optimize it FOR a system and it'll run without breaking a sweat.

No game exists that can't run on SteamDeck (assuming its compatible). No game exists that can't run on PS4 if they gave it equal attention (yes there's examples like Cyberpunk launch but there's always examples of poorly optimized games for the lesser platforms when they're releasing half a dozen versions).

@Grumblevolcano
We know Sony pays for full exclusivity (not allowed to release on Switch, or Xbox, or PC). We also know they pay for platform exclusions, such as no Xbox specifically. They probably never bothered to pay to keep a game off Switch because most of the games they chase depend on graphics to sell, and those games couldn't run on Switch anyways.

But once Switch 2 is out and can run those games, contrary to their "Switch isn't a competitor, Switch is for children, blah blah blah" rhetoric, watch for them to start paying to exclude Switch 2, specifically. They won't care for the games that don't sell as well to the Nintendo audience- for those they'll just want to keep off Xbox. But more and more franchises and series are seeing higher sales on Switch than PS. And you better believe they will perceive that as a threat. Stuff like Persona- who cares if it goes to Xbox? Nobody's gonna play it there anyways. It's not taking any sales from them. But Nintendo? Oh ho ho, that's a different story. This entire generation they've watched Switch siphon off their sales as more people opt for a hybrid handheld format, even despite lower specs/performance. What will people do when Switch 2 is out and the difference is virtually imperceptible? They know. Best believe they know.

@FishyS I usually only pick up a Nintendo console if/when a Pokemon game comes out for it (that's how I ended up grabbing my original Switch funnily enough) though if the launch lineup is strong enough this time round (MP4 perhaps?), I might forgo my usual habits and grab it the day it comes out (though waiting is also not a terrible idea given how launch-day consoles are infamous for having an insane amount of quirks/kinks to iron out in later revisions XD).

check out Pikimin 4 overview trailer and will be the second Nintendo game to use Unreal Engine 4(the first was Yoshi Crafted World)

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/pikmin-4-will-seemin...

@JaxonH I think it'll come down to whether the Activision acquisition goes through. If it does I think Sony will acquire Square Enix and at that point, future Square Enix support on Nintendo consoles will die off. But if it doesn't go through, I think it'll just be business as usual and Sony's focus ends up continuing being making sure PS is the definitive place to play CoD.

@JONOFTHEJONS the download card confirmed Pikimin 4 use Unreal Engine 4

Time is a flat circle.

"We bought Rare, but the creatives left and setup Playtonic, so why don't we buy Playtonic?"

Genius level move that would've been.

@Grumblevolcano
I don't think for a second Sony would acquire SE. For what? Orders of magnitude cheaper to just pay bribes for the games they want. What strategic benefit would owning them grant? Absolutely nothing. And the one key franchise SE does have (Final Fantasy) has been in consistent decline ever since Sony started paying for exclusivity. There's also DQ, but it sounds like that's about to follow Final Fantasy's lead, which if sales are any indication, means franchise decline as well. Ok, they'd stop some smaller JRPGs from hitting Switch. But those aren't moving the needle for most people. I care greatly about those games- those are the SE games I value most. But the fact is, they're not important enough to warrant that kind of cash, and it would do nothing to counter Xbox. You'd think a response to the Xbox acquisition would, ya know, actually be a play for the gamers they're fighting over. Not some random JRPG studio. If they wanted SE, they would have bought the actual AAA studios like Eidos Montreal when they were selling. The ones that can make the big flashy blockbuster games they traffic in. Yet they didn't even try.

If the deal goes through, I don't think that'll change anything for Sony. They're gonna buy whatever studios they can regardless. But even if they decided to strategically retaliate, Square Enix ain't it. Remember, they're fighting for dudebro AAA gamers, not JRPG fans. Bungie is a perfect indication of what they value.

Also keep in mind, PS likely wouldn't even be able to get that kind of money approved in the first place. They'd need full backing of Sony as a whole. And would have to explain to them how spending double digit percentage of their net worth on a JRPG studio with ONE franchise that can top 5 million can provide a 3x ROI. Press F to doubt.

Forced walking even made its way into XC3: Future Redeemed. It's a plague.

But yes, silly plot additions and gap squeezing aside, FFVII Remake is what I want a modern FF game to look and play like. It's an amazing evolution, since the combat is fast and action-feeling, but still allows for party control. Best game in the series since FFXII.

Great ending to a good post. I lol'd, and smashed my F key to bits in my relative ignorance on the topic.

@Ralizah
Ya, it sure did. I noticed that too. Idk what it is about forced slow walks that devs are like, "yes, that's the stuff- more of that". At least they didn't last nearly as long, but they were most certainly there.

To be fair, I wouldnt really mind if it just happened like... once. And not that long of a stretch. A one-off like that wouldn't even be noticed. But when it becomes a core identity of the experience, with huge stretches of sidewalk, it's another thing entirely.

What makes it the 1-2 punch of intolerability is the convolution of both forced slow walks and in-game cut scenes that are designed to randomly take control away from the player, then randomly give it back. Either one on its own is an aggravation, but together they've become the symbol of everything I hate about modern gaming trends.

Let's hope XC doesn't adopt that approach too.

@gcunit
I got nothing but 😃

@Professor_Plumber
Most times I've encountered the forced slow walk, nobody's saying anything. Or if they are, it's just petty dialog that doesn't mean much. When story is present, I can't help but wonder why a cutscene or in game cutscene wouldn't be a better choice.

I feel like, when the player is in control, the gameplay should be fun and open. When you keep the player in control but restrict everything they can do except holding the analog stick up for minutes on end, it just results in tedious frustration.

@JaxonH It's the Naughty Dog-ification of gaming. This need to make games cinematic 'experiences' where gameplay and story are integrated. The upside of this, if you're into that sort of thing, is that a lot of modern games feel very cohesive in terms of how they're designed. But if you just want to play a fun game, it almost always comes at the expense of user control. Since the game relies less on cinematics, it forces you to experience it at a pre-set pace by physically slowing down your character. And as the focus is on presentation and pacing instead of gameplay, you're taken on a very strictly controlled tour of beautifully designed setpieces instead of being given a world to explore and interact with.

It's why I hate the influence of Naughty Dog on the industry, and why I maintain a strong preference for Japanese gaming in general, which tends to prioritize the user-avatar connection. So seeing it crop up in stuff like FF7 and Xenoblade is frustrating, to say the least.