Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

@Whitewatermoose They're not out of touch, it's just that they know that the typical western gamer that plays those games isn't their audience and never will be. Nintendo is irrelevant to that AAA market, and has been since the PlayStation deal with Sony fell through. That's why the majority of those games don't come to Nintendo platforms, the same way most Japanese games don't come to Xbox.

Nintendo will never be able to become that top dog primary platform in that AAA market again. Accept it.

@IceClimbers If it's not trying to be the primary platform, then why does it cost WAY TOO MUCH? I mean, the Switch would work great as a secondary console for your average Western gamer, but the system is launching at the same price as a PS4 with lower specs and a meh game library.

@Whitewatermoose That isn't who they're targeting though.

The marketing for Switch as well as the pricing paint a very clear picture of who their target audience is:

Party-going middle class adults in their mid-20s through early 30s. The people who buy Apple products as a lifestyle.

@LegendOfPokemon You fail to realize the Switch is releasing in March and the PS4 and X1 have had price cuts already since they've been out for much longer. Yes the specs aren't close in terms of power but for what this unit does playing the games it showed on the go that isn't coming cheap so yeah it really isn't that expensive

@LegendOfPokemon
Because it's also a handheld. And it's not as expensive as people are making out....

Nintendo consoles adjusted for Inflation from cheapest to most expensive:
GBA: $140US
GB: $175US
DS: $190US
3DS: $270US
GC: $270US
Switch: $300US
Wii: $300US
N64: $310US
SNES: $370US
Wii U: $370US
NES: $450US

@skywake Yeah, but you also have to purchase a $60 game, not to mention a microSD card for extra storage and a portable charger for taking the system on the go (although the latter 2 might not be a big deal for most people).

Does anyone know where one can go to pre-order a Switch right now? Probably a stupid question, but yeah.

@Whitewatermoose Nope. The "blue ocean casuals" of before (Wii/DS) were the grandmas and soccer moms of the world - nongamers who had no prior interest in video games, as well as families.

Go rewatch the reveal trailer and the presentation, and look at who's in the marketing, and then look at the pricing for the Switch and it's accessories. Then take into account their strategy with mobile games, and the fact that Super Mario Run was timed exclusive to iOS.

The people who they're targeting with Switch is exactly who I described in my previous comment. The people who buy Apple products yearly because they see that brand as a fashion statement, a lifestyle.

First Switch commercial posted on the German Switch Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/NintendoSwitchDE/videos/356710011365...

Edit: Ewww, that's some terrible embedding there, Facebook. Great ad though.

@LegendOfPokemon
Most of those systems I listed didn't come with a game. The Wii, SNES, Wii U and NES did but all the others didn't. With the charger well technically it's USB Type C. From what I can tell the dock is also powered by USB Type C. So the charger included should be good for both.

Anyways, you can get a USB Type C cable for around $10 or so. And if its anything like the previous standard USB cables you're going to have more than you know what to do with before long. It doesn't seem that long ago that I only had one micro-USB cable. Now I have literally a box full of them.

See this is the reason I hate the word "casual gamer".

It paints a very specific picture of a soccer mom or grandma, who is the only type of person who plays a so called "casual game".

But the entire purpose of a casual game is to be enjoyed by everyone, including gamers. I love playing Just Dance with my family and friends. 1, 2 Switch is targeting a similar approach, but instead of families, it's aiming at young adults (and honestly, looking at the gameplay, drunk young adults), some of whom don't play games (I had plenty of friends in college who either didn't play games or only played 1 or 2 specific games like LoL or Hearthstone)

I'm hoping to get a Switch when MK8 Deluxe releases on April 28th, I'm excited about the System. I never owned a Wii u, just a 3DS

I'm really excited for the Switch. I like some Nintendo games, and the fact that I'm gonna be able to play the BotW on it when it comes out is really super awesome to me.

Btw, I'm gonna reask my previous question in case someone who can help me missed it. Does anyone know where I can preorder a Switch right now? I've never really done anything like this.

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2017/01/guide_deals_and_pre-...

Well to start with I think they're in a better position than they were for both. People can look at stuff like the price vs the 3DS or the volume of launch games vs the Wii U in isolation. But there are counterpoints to all of those things. It's expensive for a portable like the 3DS was but its multiple orders of magnitude more capable and it's not a single user device. It has a lower volume of launch games than the Wii U but it's getting Zelda at launch with Mario Kart and Splatoon not long after.

But if it does lose momentum regardless? I think they need to go the 3DS route. Push out trailers for all the games coming in the next year or so at E3. Drop the price and give people who got it early something as compensation. Additionally they should be using the nostalgia to their advantage regardless of whether they do well. They should be pushing out Mario, Zelda and Pokemon themed Joycons.

I can't help but wish that Nintendo would quit targeting casuals. They're capable of such great things, and it's gonna suck to see their game library tainted by a bunch of games for casuals.

I'll probably still buy it, since there will be enough there for me to get my money's worth, but I wish they'd take after Sony and Microsoft a little more.

So far there is only one casual game Nintendo has for Switch, and it's still being marketed towards casual young adults.

I'm referencing this part of BiasedSonyFan's post: "2. Multiple video game publishers and developers such as Ubisoft have suggested that the Switch is a console that will be marketed towards casual gamers."

I don't think they'll be targeting casuals as much as they did with the Wii, though.

I don't like the stereotype of the "casual gamer" as if there's a particular style of game they're into. I think of them as more of the type of person who doesn't necessarily have to have a new console.

It's like the difference between a casual fan of movies and a cinephile. A casual fan maybe has a Netflix subscription but maybe they don't. And if they do they're probably sharing it with someone else. They probably have a decent TV from 5+ years ago which is fine because it still works. They probably never bothered with BluRay and just get the occasional DVD for their small collection. And they can't remember the title of that one movie, don't know who the director is and aren't interested in those sort of details. But they enjoy sitting down to watch a movie.

A cinephile on the other hand will probably subscribe to a bunch of different streaming services. But also get copies of movies they like on BluRay because of the higher bitrate. They likely researched the crap out of the TV they have and will buy a new one well before it dies. Their TV is probably colour calibrated and they're the sort of person who will go on long rants about the mess of HDR standards. They can probably list the movies this guy directed before and rank them. They'll definitely talk about which upcoming releases they're excited about seeing and have an opinion on various new releases.

And then the vast majority of consumers are somewhere in the middle.

This video is pretty interesting. Supposedly Gamestop has gotten 500,000 preorders for the Switch so far, so with all the other organizations out there like Bestbuy and Amazon, that's pretty hopeful. Plus there will be all those other units sold through retail as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SEmO33srNk