Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

Agreed. Looks like physical of RDR and Arkham Trilogy are both on the same day. Unless I'm mistaken.

I know of at least one company that copyrighted their logo color. And you can get in trouble if you are using that exact same color commercially.
Just throwing that in. Don't really want to be in that discussion.

Game companies have a history of patenting mechanics. Is it Namco who patented games during a loading screen during the 90s? And Sega patented that big GPS arrow used in Crazy Taxi and then sued when that Simpsons game used it.

I was curious about how unprcedented the Switch is so I crunched some numbers. Using US dates

10th April 2022: This was when the Nintendo overtook their longest length of time without releasing any major new hardware with the Switch. Previous longest gap was between the SNES and N64

3rd March 2023: This was when the Switch overtook the Wii to became the second longest lived console without getting a significant hardware revision

7th July 2023: This was when the Switch overtook the DS to become the longest lived console Nintendo has made outside of the Gameboy (if we call GBC a revision). i.e. this was when Switch -> ??? became longer than DS -> 3DS

21st Jun 2026: When the Switch becomes the longest lived console without getting a revison. Current record is 9 years and 4 months by GB -> GBC

12th Jan 2029: When the Switch will become the longest lived console Nintendo has ever made without releasing a clear successor. Current record is GB -> GBA

I think Nintendo have patented the TotK mechanics because they have pretty much said they are going to develop their ideas in future games. Anyhoo, I don't think anyone needs to worry about the company that took 5 years to innovate these mechanics are going to be the ones to stiffle their innovation lmao. Seems most 'gamers' simply want the mechanics in their fave game, so they can spend the rest of the franchise saying 'they don't need to do anything different, just give us a new story...' Yeah, that's innovation innit! TotK mechanics are proven and I'm sure loads want to copy their homework. Seems easy money. But what would they add?. It's not meaningful innovation wanting to copy them but maybe making the item selection a bit quicker. Wow. Big deal...

@GrailUK

It's a good thing Taito didn't copyright the jump mechanic.

What would Super Mario Bros. be today if they had?

@Magician Well if you are going to be silly about it (/s). I'm sure copyrighting mechanics (i.e movement - y'know, the actual meaning of mechanics) is much harder than copyrighting mechanisms (how something works.) So whereas I'm sure copyrighting slapping objects together might be difficult, the mechanism for doing it might be easier? Like usual, I don't know hahaha

My original point in response to @Magician seemingly bemoaning Nintendo's 'dick move' patenting software elements, perhaps I should have expressed myself in gif form...

If copyright law allows for the protection of software mechanics/coding etc. then I could completely understand if companies that specialise in creating software would want to protect it. If they don't, they'd likely ultimately lose out to those that do.

So if you don't agree with the principle of patenting for video game mechanics, take it up with the law makers, not those who are just trying to operate a successful business in the context of those laws.

And if patent/copyright law doesn't actually really grant the protection that creators (in this instance, Nintendo) might be trying to portray, then it's not really worth worrying about as it's just a bit of corporate bluff and posturing.

@gcunit

Copyrighting mechanics sets a bad precedent for an industry that's all about aping ideas from somewhere else. I'm just saying, every time I hear the words "legally distinct" I gag a little.

@gcunit
If you're referring to the A1 or A2 rating, it doesn't matter. Though read speed does matter. If it's too slow games can have issues, and read speed affects load times. Though I've only heard one example of an SD slow enough to cause problems.

I always recommend SanDisk because they have consistent quality and fastest load times. But there's a good chance whatever other card you're looking at will work fine, too. Just make sure you check the read speed. If it's 50 or lower, don't buy it. You want it to be around 80 or better.

edit
And preferably, check user review speed tests cause cards don't always live up to their rated speeds. Amazon listing reviews almost always has at least one guy who posts speed test results, fyi

@NintendoByNature It's going to be a tough choice about what to play first. Detective Pikachu Returns or Batman Arkham Trilogy (both are a week apart), SMB Wonder or MGS Collection (both are 4 days apart), etc.

Like I've wanted to get into the MGS franchise for awhile now but people strongly recommend playing the franchise in release order and the options for MGS1 before October 24th 2023 are either PS or a very expensive GCN remake. Stealth games also seem rather rare nowadays outside of Ubisoft releasing annual Assassin's Creed games.

@JaxonH Thanks for getting back to me. Reviews for the card in question seem to hold up so I've gone for it. Will be interesting to see how quickly I fill it - 256gb has served me pretty well cos I don't feel the need to have all my digital purchases downloaded at the same time, but games like Rocket League and Fortnite have bloated over time, and I'm dipping my toes in a few more of the 10gb+ downloads recently to have some cheap stalwarts like FIFA available at all times.

@Grumblevolcano definitely need to make some choices here. Too much in a short period of time. Pending a good review for the switch port of RDR, I'm inclined to buy it digitally which I'd normally go physical. But this will be the only time for me to play it as opposed to the physical releasing at the same time as all those other switch titles.

I'll be going with Wonder first out of all of them. Nintendo wont be discounting it for a while. I can see MGS getting a discount early on, so no need to rush out imo. Same with arkham trilogy. Those will be Christmas sale purchases for me.

Alot of good stuff to be excited for starting this week with RDR, and sea of stars in a couple weeks.

Trying to keep up with Switch releases is like one of those nightmares where you're just constantly running away from a relentless pursuer. Every time you think you're getting caught up with the games you want... BAM! Another door opens and a torrent of unmissables floods your safe room. It's a dream and nightmare all rolled into one.

new content for Splatoon 3 begin in September 1th

Yeah keeping up with Switch releases is pretty much impossible. I'm still busy with TotK, and I'm not sure I'll be done when the October rush hits.

When you're manic collector, the prospect of catching up with the backlog isn't feasible.

Like trying to ice skate uphill.

Too many games, not enough time to play them.

I generally managed to catch up on 1st party stuff until this year. The digital release dates work better (e.g. Metroid Prime Remastered in February, Pikmin 1+2 in June) but I refuse to purchase a Switch game digitally when I know there's a physical version incoming.

While I am going to get Baten Kaitos Collection because I've been hoping for it for years, that's about it for me. Even canceling my normal BF haul. I'm just going to work on what I have this year and then pick up buying again next year.

@NintendoByNature
Seems like the Switch port of Red Dead Redemption is immaculate. Native 1080p docked, 720p handheld (no dynamic drops), flawless 30fps and good frame pacing. Expansion included, reasonable file size, fast load times.