Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima has been speaking to TIME about a wide range of topics, with the Nintendo Switch being the primary focus. Given Nintendo's track record when it comes to apps and services on its devices at launch - and how they have been updated and evolved as time as gone by - Kimishima was understandably quizzed about what kind of functions and features Switch owners can hope to see when they boot up their console for the first time on March 3rd.
In reply, Kimishima explains that Wii U owners shouldn't expect core apps to have made the jump to the Switch. We already known that Miiverse will be left behind on the Wii U and 3DS, while Mii Maker will become an optional feature.
However, what's perhaps more surprising is that the Switch will lack a web browser, at least at launch.
The eShop will be operational, but Kimishima wouldn't go into fine details, presumably because Nintendo is yet to fully reveal its plans for a paid online service.
In terms of the applications available on Wii U, all of those are not necessarily transferred or installed. In principle, we think about which application needs to be improved or discontinued by looking at consumers' reactions. Mii characters can be used to represent a user profile, for instance, but are not required. Users also have the option to choose a profile picture from an included library of Nintendo character images. Mii characters can still be used in games if developers choose to include them.
As for Miiverse, while Miiverse will continue to be supported on the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS systems, our approach with the Switch is to make greater use of other established, broadly used social platforms. For example, capturing gameplay screenshots to share on popular social networks, and social features such as voice chat are possible with smart devices through our app.
Concerning Mii Maker, on the Switch the software to create Mii characters is now located in System Settings, and no longer resides on the Home menu as a standalone application. You can also create a Mii character from the Profile screen. Making Mii characters is similar to the method used on past systems.
Next, whether Nintendo eShop is fully supported and functioning for Switch at launch, we can confirm that it will be possible to purchase and play downloaded software at launch, but we are not sharing further details at this time. And in terms of the Internet browser, since all of our efforts have gone toward making Switch an amazing dedicated video game platform, it will not support it, at least at launch.
How do you feel about the news that the Switch lacks a web browser? Let us know with a comment.
[source time.com]
Comments 366
Honestly I rarely use the Wii U or 3DS internet capabilities. I fail to see in this day and age any use for it. So I won't miss it at all.
Especially when I can pull out a phone or my laptop and search for it at a faster rate
wow that's a bummer. the browser on 3DS was not great but it was good enough to search for a walkthrough when you are stuck in a game.
Who uses their console to browse the internet anyway?
Who uses a video game console for internet browsing anyway?
Good. Web browsers on consoles are both a complete waste of time and a waste of system resource..
I'd rather they spent their time trying to make the console as snappy as possible. Wii U was ridiculously slow..
In all my gaming years I have used a console browser once, I for one would be glade to see it go
I only used the browser on Wii/Wii U for YouTube. Never really cared about the one on 3DS. But I do remember an Iwata Asks interview about those browsers and how they really gave a lot of time and effort in optimizing them w/c was fun to look back on.
I'm fine with this. Like most of the world I have a smart phone. Anything they can do to avoid taking up space on the 32gbs works for me
Looks like Nintendo are just scrapping the Wii U and 3DS' vulnerabilities at this point. The Wii U browser was actually fairly functional but obviously it didn't get a lot of use.
@MrYuzhai Amen to that! Strip useless apps and speed up the operating system is more important to me. Though Netflix and Spotify would be awesome later this year
This is.... I know it doesn't matter, but why the heck not?
People might joke about the usefulness of a game console web browser, but, the WiiU browser was the best I ever used.
I have a smart phone. No concerns here.
I tend to use the Wii U's web browser for YouTube more than anything, as I dislike the proper YouTube app.
Aside from that, I do use it now and again, but have found myself starting to use my phone for that instead, so as to avoid interrupting play.
Basically, although I would like it if they kept the web browser, I doubt I'd miss it.
@Enigk
Me.
Sometimes I use my Wii U gamepad to browse Google or playing Youtube.
Eh. I've got like 4 different devices that can browse anyway.
Google on Wii U was a bit useless because I can't save the images internally. Switch doesn't need Google or Internet browser internally but.... Smartphone can control Switch.
No need for a web browser, Netflix, youtube or any other apps.
It should just play games and nothing else.
Did use the PS3's web browser a bit in the PST but not for the last few years. As long as dedicated streaming apps do make there way eventually then I'll be happy.
I did have some hope of using my Switch as a sort of tablet-lite to avoid having to take my iPad with me when travelling, but it's not a deal breaker. Including more features could have increased costs further.
Wow, the Switch gets worse the more we find out about it. No wonder they're still hiding details about it, despite being less than a month way from launch.
@AlphaJaguar
Me.
I use my Wii U for browsing internet or Youtube sometimes.
I'm surprise, for me it's a very sad news. I often travel for works and for me, the Switch is really interesting. I was totally looking to get one so that I would not have to bring anything else to browse the web and look at my emails. Seriously, that browser on the WiiU will miss me !
Well console apps suck in general. Streaming or browsing.
That's too bad... I use Wii U's internet web browser all the time.
@Grandpa_Pixel I think now, at least for the WiiU, the browser is used to get into the homebrew channel. I can see why a browser on Switch is not top priority.
Also, how many people use their WiiU to internet surf? Not many I would think. Same on ps4 and xbone I would think.
Most important thing is to be able to access the eShop, I have no need for other streaming apps or a web browser. My laptop and tv do these things already at home, and my phone when i'm outside.
I know that the browsers in nintendo consoles are never a serious rival to smartphones or PCs, but on occasions I quite liked being able to search for help online midgame. The Earthbound guide implementation was quite fun particulary. On a mobile device it seems a bit strage to omit it.
Streaming apps on Wii U were very useful - our kids use them all the time and the gamepad interface was much easier for them to navigate than our set top boxes. I hope they make it across.
As a portable device though - don't some public wi-fi 'hotspots' require you to enter a password into a web browser to get online, even if your intention is then gaming rather than browsing. I know I had to do that sometimes with the Vita even after just connecting to wi-fi at a system level.
The Wii U Web browser was class though, I guess there's no real need for it on Switch but.
So, how do you log in to hotel or public wifi? Kinda relevant to me currently as I just lived in a Hotel for a bit. (okay there's the "create a hotspot with your laptop" workaround, but that's definitely not the best).
Also I routinely used the wii U browser to stream stuff from my PC (although i've had other solutions lately), used it to quickly look up guides or anything else I needed without having to go grab some other device, and to order food when I've got lots of people together.
Most important though really is the public WiFi login
Who would use the Switch instead of a smartphone to browse the internet?
The last time I used the Web browser on my Wii U, it was to go to Nintendo.com. From there, I was forced to a page that suggest I check the eShop for the latest in video games. I was unable to get to the main Nintendo domain at all.
It's a non issue to be honest. Only masochists use console web browsers. I much rather have Nintendo focused on what is essential for a great gaming system than getting distracted by unnecessary additional functionality. I mean c'mon everybody has at least a couple of ways to browse the web, including mobile.
Can't say I've ever actually used the browser on any console... I wouldn't have even noticed it was missing.
Regarding a Web browser I honestly couldn't care less.... I mean seriously who these days doesn't have a mobile phone glued to them that's a more than capable web browser.
I'm getting a switch to play games not surf the web.
The last comment about the e shop is interesting though........ I'm still harbouring hope as a last minute surprise that we'll be able to download gamecube games via the virtual console
A nice replay through super Mario sunshine will keep me going nicely till super Mario Oddesey releases
This would be a big error, not to have you tube, Netflix, iPlayer etc and a web browser.
Also does this mean that the capture button is useless from day one!
If you want to push the 'it's a console' option you need to release more games!
@LegendOfPokemon I would !
Not bothered at all
I always used the Wii U browser when I had a break from my computer in some years, but I turned on my computer in 2016, so I don't use the Wii U for that anymore. But I don't have a smartphone, so I'm a little bit disappointed by this decision.
Isn't it weird how Nintendo was adamant about packing the 3DS, a dedicated video game platform, with stuff like media players, apps and a browser? Now they're putting out a literal tablet which doesn't have any of that.
I guess multi-media devices aren't as impressive as they used to be, in the times of the PSP.
I used the eshop but never have I ever browsed the internet on the Wii u or 3ds. It so slow like seriously. It's nice vr to know some people made use of it.
@8-Bit_Link
I meant in terms of game console web browsers.
Sorry if didn't make that clear.
@MarcelRguez psp for its time was great. I loved it and still do to this day
@MarcelRguez Except the 3DS didn't launch with any of those, just like the Switch won't.
This is the one downgrade from a Wii U I find with the Switch. Every Wednesday I go home and after tea I sit with my gamepad, one window open on the telly with youtube on, the other window on the gamepad checking facebook or Nintendolife. You can't do this with any other single device, and having the gamepade to type replies is so much better than a control pad, but still be able to control what's showing on the TV. And it's easy to switch back and forth between games.
It isn't a deal breaker, and I get why their not making it a priority, but I'll definitely will keep the Wii U linked up while the service is still going.
Kinda lame but far from a deal breaker. Carry on.
What happened to the mindset of suspending a game to check for a hint online?
The Wii U have the best browser imo and I'm very disappointed that the Switch won't be receiving one till later.
Nintendo I want a Switch but why are you doing you up most to put me of buying one?
The more we hear every day, the worse Switch sounds! The Wii U browser is great. I use it all the time.
You can stream a video on your TV while browsing on the gamepad. Can the Switch do that? No!
Phone loving casuals now have another reason not to buy switch. Phone casuals love there browser on the go my wife is one of them. I told her about this and she said she wouldn't buy one yet she loves handheld. She is a casual gamer
I rarely use console browsers, but it's a nice feature to have.
@UnseatingKDawg That's such a handy feature on Wii U.
The lack of a web browser doesn't bother me none. I'm looking forward to playing games on the Switch, not browsing the internet. I have more than enough ways to web browse, my phone and iPad.
Soft launch is SOFT
Everyone who says that console browsers are garbage must not've tried the WiiU's browser, because it's fantastic.
Nintendo -have- to be planning a browser at some point, otherwise how do they expect to replace Miiverse (RIP I will miss you )with social media??
@SaKo I'm pretty sure my launch day 3DS included the camera app and the music player at the very least, buddy.
@UK-Nintendo Yeah, same here. It's weird to think of it now, but it really felt ahead of its time. So did the DS, with all its hardware particularities. The Switch is the first console to feel like that in quite some time. To me, at least.
a lot of apps are just self contained browsers. even if a browser doesn't come with the switch, it has the capability to run one, and there ought to be one in the eshop just in case you want it.
@Enigk "Who uses their console to browse the internet anyway?"
@AlphaJaguar "Who uses a video game console for internet browsing anyway?"
I do, as do many others.
I use the Wii U browser all the time, amongst other things to find help for some games I got stuck on and to check out Nintendolife. It's the best browser on any console I've tried.
There is only one word that springs to my mind: Moronic.
We have nothing to announce at this time. We have nothing to announce at this time. We have nothing to announce at this time. Please understand.
Very surprised to hear how everybody is fine with this!
This isn't good at all. Why should we pay for online when we do matchmaking and talking through our phones... Why should we pay for online when the system doesn't even have an internet browser.
I doubt this will go down well with the general public...
By this point, an internet browser should just be standard. Very disappointed.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE and @Anti-Matter Fair enough. Just assumed most people have a smartphone or tablet for browsing the internet these days. Probably the same assumption Nintendo has made I guess but I assume they have some app usage data to base decision on. Then again Nintendo just do what they want and likely made the decision on a whim but no matter what we will all get the console at some point like the loyal Nintendo fans we are.
I'd much rather have YouTube/Netflix/Hulu. I look up guides while I'm gaming sometimes, but it's always on my phone or computer. Never really thought of a console as a web browser.
I hadn't thought about this until seeing people here point it out, but not being able to access Wi-Fi that has a login screen (even if it just consists of a "Connect" button) is a real issue. You won't be able to connect to most public Wi-Fi hotspots.
Browsers on gaming consoles are handy to have, but not imperative.
Not gonna lie, that's a bit lame. I use my Wii U and PS4 browsers all the time to watch YouTube on the big screen. It's very convenient.
I don't use the browser on my 3ds or PS4, they just aren't great to use
It was great for watching porn on the Wii U I must admit but other than that I wont miss it
Innovative company lmao 1 foot forward 1step back. Can't even connect it to free hotshots. Very innovative lol
I use the Wii U for internet all the time. Originally the browser was really impressive, but a later update really messed it up. It still works, but not as well as it used to. No web browser on the Switch just means the Wii U stays hooked up to the TV for web browsing and streaming video services.
Funny thing. The switch might be in competition with PS4 and Xbox One but its biggest direct competitor is the Wii U. Both will have similar games for the first year but the wii u will have a bigger library. The switch wins on portability. The Wii U then wins on free online, more apps and cheaper games.
Honestly, I like this approach better. How many times in the past couple generations has
an OEM touted a bunch of features and they weren't ready at launch? And you had to wait who knows how long to get them?
At least this time they're telling us we're not getting yet from the jump. Hopefully though Nintendo has a workaround for hotel log ins, even if it's just a web window that pops up just for that purpose. I travel a lot, and that's pretty essential for me. But still not a deal breaker as I mote them likely have other means of connecting if I wanted to.
@NintySnesMan where did you see it can't connect to hotspots or anything? It does have online functionality after all, just not the browsing kind?
I'll echo most of the comments here. I couldn't care less about web browsing on a console. That's why my phone and ipad are for. I fully expect for the Switch to eventually have most of the media apps that have become staples of media devices though (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Youtube, Vudu, just to name a few). Honestly though, I don't care because I have them on 10+ devices already.
In this day and age a web browser and Netflix are kind of expected. Its a gaming tablet but lacks tablet features. I'll buy it anyways!
He says "at lease not at launch" so it could still be coming at some point. They're probably looking for a way to have one without it allowing hacks. Youtube, bbc iplayer, netflix and twitch are the ones i really want.
A waste of space imo, I hardly ever use the web browser on any of my consoles.
I already have a dozen other devices that are better at web browsing than a video game console. I don't see the point. I have a PS4 and a Xbox One, both have browsers I have never used outside of opening them to see how they work (which is poorly compared to my iPad/iPhone/MacBook pro etc.). Considering Nintendo's dedication to keeping children out of negative situations it makes sense not to have a browser.
@Equinox
In fairness I prefer to watch it in glorious high definition on the television
The Wii U gamepad was purely for navigational purposes
What do you mean, Nintendo, when you say you aren't ready to announce anything about the eShop at this time? The system comes out in less than a month!
And the lack of a web browser is beyond pathetic. I mean, the web browsers on Nintendo systems have always been trash, but the Switch is basically a tablet. If I'm using it in handheld mode I don't want to have to get out another device just to look up say, a game walkthrough.
And please, people, stop trying to defend this. There is NO reason why Switch can't have a web browser for launch, as their previous ones have not even been developed in-house. Please have higher standards of what you expect for your hard-earned cash.
This isn't a deal breaker for me. I have a phone and an iPad to do internet browsing. I have them on me all the time too so there really is no need for this kind of thing anymore.
The way I look at it is these are features that Nintendo are deliberately avoiding having at launch to keep the Nintendo Switch as far away from being compared to a tablet as possible. They can now message it as a pure gaming device, nothing more.
So when you're travelling you'll have to take your iPad with you as well. Great.
Direct incoming by the end of the month, come on.
@erv If the hotspot needs you to log in via browser, you can't connect to that hotspot. The 3DS already gives me some trouble with some public networks like my old campus, Starbucks-like coffee shops and the like.
Wow, that's a dealbreaker for me. I may actually cancel my preorder. Nintendo talks about all the things the Switch can do and then, they slowly start letting you down. : ( Is it possible for Nintendo to make a consul with out letting people down? We just found out about the weak graphics capabilities, and now no web browser? Nintendo, go big or move on! I'm from the original NES era and I don't even recognize Nintendo anymore. Booooo!
@erv
That's what I mean. It won't connect to hotshots through the browser it don't have
@Hikingguy
Well said! It is often secondary features which really convince consumers to purchase. PS4, for example, is a great blu-ray/media centre which also plays great games. It doesn't have to be one or the other.
So the wiiu wasn't a dedicated video game platform?
@FragRed But it IS a tablet. No matter how much they try and distance themselves, the Switch is literally a tablet which you can plug into the TV. That is how joe public is going to view it so have so many basic features missing is really going to hurt it's mass-market appeal.
@6ch6ris6 Same with the Wii U. When I get stuck I just check the web app and have the game automatically listed in the search engine. It's very convenient and the feature will be missed.
@Mogster Actually the reason the PS4 did so well, especially early on, was because it was marketed as a gaming machine. It may have had additional features like web browsing etc but Sony only spoke about it as a system for gamers and that is all people wanted. Whereas Microsoft tried to sell the Xbox as a system for everyone and it back fired.
@MarcelRguez @NintySnesMan ah I understand. That is something to think about indeed.
If the eshop is there, it would seem that there's a web browser available, technically. I wonder how it'll work. I plan on downloading zelda day 1.
Nintendo is clearly operating under the assumption that everyone owns a smartphone. Which is pretty much true, hence why they also started making games for the platform. Who would ever use a Switch Internet Browser when they have a smartphone with whatever browser they prefer? Also, the lack of a browser will make it more difficult for hackers to find exploits which has been a problem for Nintendo, so I wonder if that may be a small part of the decision as well. I do enjoy the browser in the Wii U only because of how I can navigate the internet on the TV with the convenience of the touch screen on the Gamepad, if the Switch did have an Internet browser, it would actually be a step down from the Wii U's in that regard.
Browser, never used, but Netflix and You tube, I use all the time as don't have a smart TV.
@erv I'm sure Nintendo will include one down the line. Even the DSi had a browser. It's just a bit surprising to hear it won't be available at launch, it's standard procedure nowadays.
It's a Wii U, except:
No dual screen.
No D-pad.
No browser.
No free online.
No backward compatibility.
No Miiverse.
You have to rebuy the Wiimotes, now called "Joy-cons", which are much smaller, with screwy ergonomics, no D-pad and no speaker, and sold at a much higher price.
Oh, and you can use it as a portable. Except you won't, because nobody does and nobody will.
I used the browser on the Wii U a lot, like most people here especially for Youtube. The Gameplay log tells me I used it for a couple hundred hours. But without the second screen it's pretty much pointless for me, so it is no big deal.
I'm actually disappointed. I've used the Wii u browser a lot for watching YouTube on my tv and it worked a lot better than the dedicated YouTube app. Hopefully they add one later
@Mogster I am sure the public will look at the Switch as a tablet, I'm not saying they won't What I am saying is Nintendo are trying to distance the Switch as far away as possible from being compared with the tablets on the market. And they do that by focusing entirely on games, especially games that can't run on tablets - or at least not very well.
The whole marketing of the Switch has been careful to show all the things it can do that your tablet won't, or at least not easily and not as well.
Nintendo can't win by comparing the Switch to a tablet or by letting people compare it to a tablet. They can win by selling it as a full on gaming machine.
I think it would probably make sense to maybe include the option to download a web browser as an App from the eShop for those people who actually want it, particularly on a console with a multi-touch screen. This way people can make the system as simple and pure or as bloated and complex as they personally choose.
Although, I kinda do just like the idea of a pure gaming system.
But, at the same time, the Switch is already burdened with a lot of the issues of modern convoluted consoles (like online and accounts and stuff), which is something it almost can't really avoid in this day and age, so maybe it's a bit contrary to not just included the other stuff modern consumers expect too, like web browsing, media viewing, social media and sharing, etc (and I know it does in fact already include some of those things).
I'm slightly conflicted about what I want because the machine is in some ways half-way between my two ideals, which would come in the form of either a PURE gaming-only system (kinda like the NES Mini is, to the point it can't even go online at all) or a FULL entertainment system (like most modern home consoles are).
.....whatever you say, Tatsumi.
@Simbabbad Oh, and you can use it as a portable. Except you won't, because nobody does and nobody will.
raises his hand slowly
the real reason it doesn't have a web browser: they want to avoid switch being hacked for as long as possible. the web browsers of Nintendo consoles have been a consistent entry point for hacks.
Inb4 "Switch is so weak, it can't even run browsers!" XD
I tried using 3DS and Vita ones, it didn't feel worthwhile to me. Unlike video games, this is where smartphones REALLY shine.
@Asaki Thank you for being the only one who gets it out of over 100 comments.
Switch will sell fine w/o a web browser, it's not really a "no sale" kind of deal, but the hypocrisy is killing me big time.
Kimishima - "As for Miiverse, ...our approach with the Switch is to make greater use of other established, broadly used social platforms."
So you kill Miiverse b/c people will use FB and Twitter instead, but there won't be a web browser or any apps to access them on the Switch. So we can post screenshots from the Switch but not be able to look at them.
Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.
It only makes sense it you don't have a phone or a tablet which most people I'm sure have in 2017
@FragRed The PS4 was marketed well, and they took advantage of all the missteps that Microsoft was making. Yes it was marketed as a games machines first, but as far as I'm aware there weren't any interviews where the CEO openly admitted that the PS4 lacked basic features. It had all the standard entertainment applications at launch - as consumers rightfully expect - hence they were able to focus advertising on games.
Lacking features is never a good thing, and missing this features is only going to hurt Switch. People are going to compare it too a tablet, that is unavoidable, and there is no reason at all why it can't have basic features alongside the games. None.
Hmm. I have also never used a console browser, but reading comments a lot of people have. And apparently, Wii U seems to have had an awesome browser. Therein lies the problem.
See, apparently the Wii U is a failure. Even on here, I here people say it failed, that Nintendo is doomed because they lost the plot. Seems they made a great browser for the Wii U and it failed, so looks like Nintendo decided gamers must not particularly NEED a browser.
I'm not saying it's right or wrong. For me personally I don't need it, but having a browser included wouldn't have upset me. Just saying maybe the Wii U has more to do for the lack of a browser.
Browsers have become such complex beasts to support, that it really makes practically no sense for any console to have one, when everyone probably has a better browser on their phone. Good on Nintendo for trimming the fat.
Not a deal breaker for me but honestly...when the reveal trailer released I read A LOT of comments about how great it would be to have a pc with this form factor. The Switch is a gaming console but it will inevitably be judged by some as a smart device. The Wii U made my tv a smart TV. The Switch really needs Netflix, YouTube, apps like that or this will be an ongoing criticism.
Most carry a smartphone now, so I get the logic. Still disappointing. Probably a good opportunity for a company to develop a browser to distribute on eshop, just saying.
@Simbabbad "Oh, and you can use it as a portable. Except you won't, because nobody does and nobody will."
Japan alone would laugh at these words (there are photos of people who even hooked up and played their Wii Us on bullet train journeys). Not every gamer past 23 can boast a job with enviably flexible hours, and yet many people would still like to enjoy games, including typically home console titles, more often than a couple times a month.
I don't understand the people that are okay with removing features, more options is always a better deal than no options.
Since launch is right around the corner I'd like to know more about the eShop.all other apps I could care less about
@Slim1999 exactly my sentiments. I want to see the eshop work.
It's not a dealbreaker, but it is a missed opportunity. The Wii-U's internet browser was slick, and I was looking forward to taking it on the go with me. Do I have a smartphone? Yes. But my eyes are also not the greatest and I prefer to read longer things on a larger screen. Switch won't be able to compete with tablets, but it really needs a browser to reach a minimum level of consumer expectation. Hopefully this will be a feature added later. This isn't truly a soft launch, but it sure feels like one.
I never use any console for anything other than playing games so am not bothered about this at all personally.
Only really used Wii U's browser to watch anime every now and then. I used 3DS' browser 3 times at most, just because I happened to be a room away from my phone & laptop.
Honestly, I couldn't care less if Switch doesn't have a browser. It's not like my laptop, phone and Wii U are going anywhere.
@kotag That's usually true, except when said options require significant support to be of use. For me, the browsers in the consoles are so outdated and slow that I never use them, and to keep them updated enough to be of use IMO is a task not worth the effort.
1) The only reason it should have an browser is because of portability. Hotels, cafes, libraries, and restaurants require you to confirm entry by using the browser. If this was just an home console it would be an non issue, but seeing as it's portable too, this will be an issue in the future for online games.
2) As stated in the interview the app will be unavailable at LAUNCH. Meaning that we will see it later, hopefully before ARMS and Splatoon come out.
What about twitch??? FREE ADVERTISING NINTENDO!
Wii U's internet browser was actually a pretty nice substitute for a few weeks when my computer stopped working and I hadn't gotten a new one yet. Sad to see it go but it isn't a huge deal.
As long as there is a YouTube app and other streaming services, I don't see this as an issue at all. It's still a bit surprising, but nothing detrimental.
I'm surprised that nobody comment on Mii since sound like you only make one which is for your profile picture in the settings option. That's can't be right since Mario Kart 8 deluxe use Mii.
At least I can use Nintendo characters as my profile picture.
I use the Wii U browser often,but I'm not going to really miss it.
Same goes for mandatory miis.
Whenever I'll buy a Switch,I'll set either Ashley or Link as my profile picture.
I don't understand why Nintendo is trimming features with every console since the 3DS. It had all these features, like a music player (which had a lot of neat features to play with), a photo viewer that you could add pictures from your computer, download through the 3DS browser, and of course take 3D pictures. And it had the browser too, as previously mentioned.
The Wii U got rid of the music player and photo viewer, which was understandable, but still a little sad. It did make up for this with the best console browser to date.
Now it doesn't seem like the Switch will have any of these. It has a screenshot gallery, and since it takes SD cards you could probably put images on the Switch if you wanted, but no music player and no internet browser.
I get that it's a game console first and foremost, and that is a good thing. But I see no reason to trim away these features. I used my 3DS as my music player for a long time, from 2012-2015. Before that, I used my PSP.
...And by the way, someone mentioned this above, but the PSP really was an incredible console AND media device. The browser wasn't very good, but you could download images AND music from the web. The PSP photo viewer is, imo, the best photo viewer for any console, portable or not, and you could even set any image as your wallpaper. And you can't forget about custom themes for PSP that you could download with ease and even make yourself! Oh wait, you could download videos too! I forgot about that. The video player on the PSP was also surprisingly good!
It's important that the Switch be a game console first and foremost, but these extra features can actually make a big difference for some people. Sure, there might have been better music players than PSPs back then, but remember that you could play quality games on it too, with GOOD controls. The fact that the Switch is, or at least can be a fully portable system, means that not having these nifty features is actually really sad.
Long live the PSP, the ultimate console and media device hybrid.
Never used the browser on the Wii, the Wii U or the 3DS so no great shakes. Would use the phone/laptop.
Browser? BOWSER more like!
OMG! The Switch is perfect for web browsing and Nintendo needs to have this available on the console. The Switch is a tablet and if Nintendo wants people to put down their tablets then they need web browsing, Netflix, Hulu and all other streaming apps plus Kindle App for ppl that likes to read. Is news like this that give ppl more weight to say they are so behind of times and is true.
@Grandpa_Pixel well i did use it a lot so they better put the web browsing in this thing.
I don't think it's unreasonable that stuff like browser and streaming apps won't be available at launch. What I do think is unreasonable is that 3 weeks before release they still can't seem to tell us, in detail, exactly what will be available at launch.
Most people in this thread are so fanboys. This is bad news, this another reason not to get a Switch instead of being another reason to get one.
@Jessica286 I am sure they will eventually. But having priorities right now is a good idea for Nintendo. Solid experience first, new (or in this case old) features later
@chardir yes this shady practice is making me cancelling my pre-order.
So what's the point of parental controls and how do you play games like Splatoon 2 with other people while having an approved list of friends who are "over there" without internet?
I guess that makes sense. Do one thing and do it well. The up cost and maintenance of keeping up a social platform can be a job in itself. That is why there are dedicated companies for that. Plus from a legality issue it's easier to place the blame on someone else because that is not our social app. Same thing for the browser but from what it hear it can be used for questionable content.
@Enigk
Well when your computer is busted and your stuck in a big confusing dungeon or puzzle or something, it is nice to use the gamepad to pull up the map/walkthrough and then go back to playing.
The WiiU pad has been getting me through Mt. Itoi.
I don't mind if it has a browser or not, there's a ton of other devices which has a browser, and probably are better at it. What is a deal breaker for me, is that today there's finally a price, an "official" price here in Mexico, at least in Amazon, $500 freaking dollars, that's a deal breaker.
On the other hand, lack of browser and online features may hopefully knock down the price. Or it may not.
I'm not personally too bummed out about this right now, but I would be quite disappointed if the Switch didn't have an online browser by the time the paid online service became mandatory.
The Switch can function as a tablet, and has a nice big screen with modern touch capabilities like other tablets in the market.
It would be great if Nintendo really took advantage of these features, and made a great browser for the Switch.
With core media apps like Netflix, Youtube etc. and a modern browser, Nintendo could actually take on the tablet market, and make it's own little niche there.
Why bring your iPad with you, if you already had all your needed functionality in the Switch. It could also be a real iPad alternative for many families with children.
People that prefer to use the browser on their phone or tablet instead of using it on 3DS or Wii U, do so because of the better experience, functionality and touch capabilities of the smart devices.
But the Switch have similar capabilities as smart devices, and could offer the same experience. So it would make much more sense to offer a browser and media apps on the Switch, and it could actually be a great success for Nintendo.
It could open up a whole new market for Nintendo.
Have to say I'm somewhat disappointed, the Wii U browser wasn't perfect but it was super convenient for quickly googling a solution or hint when puzzled or stuck in a game.
Nah... I don't need a web browser ...I think... but what more are you hiding Nintendo?!
It would be a bummer if I can't watch Netflix on it. The screen has an excellent size for watching series & movies
Nintendo is likely going to release them as an app at a certain point... But I personally don't see the lack of a pre-installed browser as a good thing
I'm not really fussed about it to tell you the truth, but Nintendo had better not be expecting to charge people for such limited use. If it were fully online-functional yeah, I get it, that's fine, but like this? Nuh uh.
This doesn't bother me one bit.
I feel like Netflix/YouTube/Twitch type apps are very important... a lot of families can justify the expense if the console plays games and offers a "second screen" for a kid or someone else to watch (or play) something different from what's on the TV.
This is disappointing. I used the Wii U version quite a bit to pull up stuff on the TV to show people. Of course, without having a screen to be able to type on, it would be a lot less useful, but this is still disappointing to hear regardless.
not much was loss to me, i have many ways to use an internet browser.
@Jessica286 The Switch is a dedicated gaming device, not a smart device. Smart devices have gaming as a secondary feature. The Switch is not for anyone looking for a smart device, and Nintendo has made a wise decision not to pretend that it is. I'm sure that media apps like YouTube, and Netflix will come eventually, and a browser may come with a future update.
And Nintendo has always been ahead of the curve, they've just never went with the flow. There's a difference. I'm happy to see that they're finally adopting modern (gaming) traditions, nonetheless. 🙂
It's a shame, because I use my game console as a multimedia devices in my living room, mostly for playing games and see movies and videos from the web browser. But it's good to hear that Nintendo haven't excluded the idea of a web browser app, it seems a temporarily decision so they can focus their time and efforts in developing the game functions of the console, and then the other goodies.
@Enigk nobody. Ever. It's clunky, slow and hard to use
@MrYuzhai exactly.. my only hope is they eventually have Netflix, YouTube, and media center apps. External HDD support and Bluetooth headphone support would be nice as well.
@rjejr I think it's clear that the main point Nintendo is trying to focus on here is "SWITCH IS NOT A TABLET" They don't want to be confused with a tablet, they don't want to be called a tablet, they don't want people to remember the gamepad tablet (which was intended to be a tablet before iPad stole the crown). This is them backing off and saying "use your mobile devices for internet stuff, this is a game player, period."
The irony is funny since like you said you can't browse pictures just view them. But I can also understand why they're making it a point to not make a general purpose device. Too much goes into that, and launching a proprietary tablet OS is just about the worst possible business choice any company can make. It's a game player, and that's all it is going to be. (But it can be patched in the future if that plan fails, as they keep telling us )
Always loved switching to the quick internet browser on the 3DS and the wiiU mid game so I didn't have to rely on any other devices. The same applied to the game notes on the 3DS. I play a lot of RPG's and its great to get info as you need it without having to resort to having a secondary device. The lack of browser and having to use a smart device for voice chat both seem like a step in the wrong direction.
(Written using browser on wiiU)
I only use the browser on my 3DS to connect to public wi-fi hotspots so I hope they have some way of doing this without a browser.
I could understand the Switch not having streaming services. But no webbrowser?! That kinda dissappoints me. I think the Switch is going to be a great succes but not having a web browser is going to make me wait atleast till fall this year. There is literally nothing to do on the Switch if you just buy the console for 329 euros. I cant support that no matter how much i love Nintendo. Yes its a dedicated gaming device but not having anything on the Switch itself is just ripping people off. Nintendo are forgetting that they have a lot of 3ds only gamers who didnt miss console gaming at all and if it werent for the Switch, wouldnt even think about buying a console in the 1st place. I just bought Zelda MM and pokemon Sun is also still on my list... Just saying Nintendo. If the Switch fails then the 3ds is the last game console ive bought. I like playstation also but after the ps2, psp and ps3 sony kinda lost it. They care so much about specs that all of those ps4 games kinda look like games you found on PC(eastheticaly) back in ps2 era.
@Ristar42 This is the major concern. Switch needs to have some rudimentary web functionality or else those ads where the college kids are playing together over public wi-fi can't be a reality.
@Jessica286 A reason to wait, certainly. It may not matter that much, not having a browser, but it can't really be spun as an advantage.
@CircutWrangler3 Literally every other dedicated gaming device has a browser, among other features. Nintendo isn't ahead of the curve, they're tripping on it as they try to catch up.
DON'T DEFEND LESS FEATURES. EVER.
@SanderEvers The 3DS didn't get the eShop until it got the browser either. It received them both on the same update and the 3DS had always planned to have a browser, it wasn't something they planned to put in later like you would like to imagine with the switch. If they say they are not planning to put a browser on the device that his because they don't plan to not add one later.
WTF, the wii u browser is basicly the only one I use anymore unless I am uploading photos.
I wasn't disconnecting it anyway but my wii u will definitely have more use than my switch or ther systems for years.
I should get a refurbished gamepad to have as a spare.
Anyone who owns a switch will need to have their mobile phone with them at all times for online chat and features anyway so no real harm done!!
@Tarvaax
That's the worst thing about this the PS4 browser is trash like ps3 and Wii U the Wii U browser is much better. I don't see how anyone could not see this as a major negative.
I use the internet browser on WiiU more than any WiiU games.
@Grawlog Yeah the Edge is quite a good BUILT IN browser. Just like you said. I'm starting to think SanderEvers is believing his own Alt Facts
I find the browser quite useful for quickly looking up game related stuff so not having it would be quite an inconvenience. Hoping that the internet browser still comes anyway at some later point.
I actually remember how much use my 3DS browser got in those early days. I could connect to free WiFi and log onto my Facebook account and use the messenger function without spending a penny. Now the browser on the 3DS is very dated, but six years ago it was fantastic, fast, lite and functional.
Another day, another massive bonfire of a comment section.
While I used the Wii U browser quite a bit early on, when I didn't have any smart devices, nowadays I only use it to run a Hyrule Warriors trainer. I won't miss the browser much, but others probably will. Good thing I'm buying Switch for the games!
@NEStalgia There you are. I looked thru all the comments before looking for your you so I didn't have to try and spell your name correctly. The comment I had for you was - "Ok, you win, it's not a tablet."
Your word irony is probably better than my word hypocrisy, but it still kills me that he can say both of those things in nearly the same paragraph - "We got rid of Miiverse from the Wii U, which incidentally had a great web browser, b/c we want people to use Facebook and Twitter and Instagram on Switch. Switch isn't going to have any of those things, not even a web browser."
If it isn't going to have a web browser he should have kept Miiverse at least. PS4 doesn't have the best web browser, and I'm not even sure about the social media stuff b/c/I'm not a big user on there - only on my 7" tablet where I use Instagram, FB, Twitter and my web browser ALL THE TIME - but PS4 has some great built in social media aspects. Every game has video and pics and live streams all right there for every game we own. I have no idea how to find any of that for games we don't own, but for games we own it's all right there.
So if Ninteod wanted to do something like that w/o a web browser, something like an improved Miiverse, that's fine, but to say "We got rid of Miiversere, we want you to use social media." and then not put any social media on the Switch is kind of daft.
Over the past few years I have repeatedly said on here - I wish the Wii U Gamepad had built in Wi-Fi, b/c if it did I wouldn't have had to buy four 7" tablets over the past the few years for web browsing. So now they make a potable Switch w/o a web browser. That defies logic. It makes you right, it isn't a tablet, but why give your critics such easy ammunition? Just put it on here, who cares if nobody uses it? There are probably 100 different web browsers on Android, surely they could have gotten 1 of them to work in time for launch. It would have to be better than the 3DS browser, that thing is garbage. And connecting to WiFi is worse than that.
Nintendo better have found an easy way to connect to WiFi hotspots w/o a web browser for all of the online games on Switch - MK8D, Spla2oon, etc. - you have to pay for online play, but you can't get online b/c there is no web browser to sign in. That's going to go over well.
So sure, they successfully made it "not a tablet", but they probably also made it a little harder sell. Not a lack of web browser on it's own, but these things do start to add up - no web browser, no Netflix, short battery life, $300. Why build your console around a touchscreen tablet if you aren't going to let people use it that way?
So now that it's officially a "dedicated gaming platform" I can't wait to hear their excuse for SMR and FEH not being on it. Miitomo isn't much of a game, but the other 2 are games. Nintendo games.
I'm always amazed at how many people in Nintendo circles actually use the browser on the WiiU, or the atrocious browser on 3DS. It was good for looking up walkthrough related info. I used to use it for that purpose frequently. But over time, websites have become so bloated, it's just a lot more efficient to keep my laptop or phone around and check on there. Firefox, bloated as it is, is still far speedier and better at handling dynamic content and multiple tabs far better than the WiiU/3DS/PS4 browsers.
I know some people will say "not everyone has smart devices", but considering far, far, far, far more people have smart devices than WiiU's, much to Nintendo's chagrin, I think they're comfortable with the odds that most people they're selling to will be using their mobile device anyway.
WiiU was trying to be what a tablet is, and some people bought it for that, but they designed it before iPad came out and instantly created the tablet market. By the time WiiU came out to market it was already the obsolete, unwanted tablet. Better to stick to the business you know than compete in the one you know you can't compete with.
@slatanek Many hotels and public Wi-Fi hotspots (like the library system where I work) absolutely require you to accept a license agreement through a Web browser before your device can acquire an IP address. Nintendo is locking the Switch out from Wi-Fi capability at a ton locations.
Good. I have a smartphone, a laptop, smart TV and other devices. Guess what I don't have? A console I can play at home on my TV AND on the go. Switch is just that.
Of course, naysayers will use this as an excuse to bash the thing. They probably have little else to do, after all.
@MarcelRguez Woah man calm down a bit. I accidentally hit reply to the wrong person, no reason to become so ragey.
This is also a discussion section, so it's natural to have opinion-based debates.
@Tarvaax I see you removed the "fanboys" part. Nice edit.
I mean, the browsers kind of sucked anyways.
That said, I will admit to watching anime in 720p using the Wii U.
I feel like people lower their standards more and more as Nintendo keeps telling us what's -not- in the Switch.
"Oh it doesn't have a web browser, or any other features that are standard in pretty much every piece of tech today? Well I wouldn't have really used them anyway, so... I'm glad they didn't include them"
This whole "dedicated video game platform" approach always smells of being an excuse because they couldn't be bothered to design something or add certain capabilities. Yes, many people will see no need for it but with the console essentially looking like a tablet, that would be something else people could use it for when not gaming. Imagine they had social media apps too. I know Nintendo aren't trying to replace anyone's iPad with this thing, but it wouldn't hurt to offer it even if less than 10% of people ever use it.
It's the same with the lack of DVD player all these years. Obviously Switch won't play discs for a reason. Yes, people have their own dedicated DVD/Blu-ray players but many people also use their consoles instead. If you buy a games console with a Blu-ray player, you may be tempted to declare your dedicated player redundant and sell it/throw it away. Someone may have a look online at current video game consoles looking to buy, but compare features because they don't know which is for them. One has Blu-ray, the other doesn't. It looks inferior on paper to start with. They may not care, but they may also like the convenience and ability to create more space under their TV by getting rid of that old player they've had for years, for an all-in-one system. Everyone who buys a video game console buys it to play games. That's a given. But Nintendo need to start realising that the potential to reduce the amount of equipment under your TV or in your home for something that does it all (like who buys dedicated music players now when we have smartphones...) is a selling point that will convince more than a few people.
Instead of saying the Wii and Wii U didn't play DVDs because it's a dedicated games console when the truth is extra cost or we just couldn't be bothered to spend time working that into the design.
They don't want us to have anything we can do with the system besides playing games except to access the eShop to buy games, lol. No backwards compatibility, no browser, no Netflix: it's all a plot to make more money selling games.
@slatanek
"Only masochists use console web browsers."
What a dumb statement.
It's a console — AND A PORTABLE.
Ever think maybe some players might want to seamlessly jump online to read Switch-related articles or to read a faq to help with beating a game? The Switch screen is also larger and easier to view. Who would prefer to mess with a phone for this if it is built into the Switch?
LOLOL @ the people in here defending this. I used the Wii Us browser every day. Using it right now. It casts videos to my TV.
The Switch, a tablet at heart, does not have a browser. L.O.L.
@gatorboi352
Exactly. Agreed.
I am so glad I canceled my preorder as every single new bit of information about the switch makes it sound very anti-consumer to my ears.
The wiiU browser still works very well and performs better than most browsers when it comes to day to day use. The thing I like most is that I can browse other webpages while I'm streaming video to the TV because I buy a lot of digital content that I like to share between devices, Google movies stream through YouTube and I can IMDB the film on my wiiU pad at the same time.
This is dumb.
I actually loved the Wii U web browser. The video codecs were remarkably up to date, it was pretty spyware proof. It was great.
@gatorboi352 Kinda shows that a lot of Nintendo fans have the same lack of logic that Nintendo itself does. I don't think this is a huge deal, but it is very much a negative.
@rjejr LOL, I've had a worse time trying to remember yours to tag you. I always transpose a letter somewhere. Maybe it's another symptom of Nitneod!
You're right about the whole web browser/facebook thing. I can see why they don't want to get into supporting facebook and browsers, but removing the miiverse browser, etc kills lookup. Then again, Sony invented the "Share Button(TM)", who in their right mind uses the PS4 browser to look up ANY of those websites? Nobody seems to like viewing content others post to socials, they just like posting their own, just KNOWING everyone else is waiting to see theirs! "Ohh, look at my awesome stats, I should post this to twitter so everyone in the world can be amazed! Ewww, Dick keeps posting screenshots of him beating game bosses. Like anyone CARES?!"
There's something of a fun irony with: "I'm not a big user on there - only on my 7" tablet where I use Instagram, FB, Twitter and my web browser ALL THE TIME "
I think that's Nintendo's point. That's what MOST of their potential market thinks. In 2017 that's the normal reaction across most people. Which is exactly why they can comfortably say "use your phone/tablet/laptop like everybody else. That's what those machines are meant for." I do feel for the folks that were using the WiiU as their tablet though. It's not a big group at all, but I could easily see myself having been one of them at various points. I'd be really bummed too. It's a great way to justify buying the Nintendo instead of the Tab 7.
To be fair, we don't know much about the eShop and the fact that they're explicitly not telling us more about it, it could have some sort of "social" experience to it. Not saying it will, but something different than WiiU's shop is certainly possible.
FWIW, evidence suggests the OS is a custom Linux distro, not Android. (granted Android is a custom Linux distro more or less as well...) But if we're talking a relatively normal Linux running an X11 port, and if we're talking a modern browser that could load the bloated socials pages, we're mostly looking at Firefox and its offshoots exclusively. Which is endlessly undergoing updates, and that includes security updates that are essential (meaning more system updates for Switch) and is pretty much a power and cycle hog (not as bad as Chromium based browsers, but still...) There's Opera, but that's commercial, a no-go for a browser on a gaming console. Hardware-wise it would be a cool thing to have, but only for mobile mode, not docked. Using the on-TV browser on Switch would be painful, ruining the walk-through reading convenience the Gamepad had. Software wise, what would the penalty be in available memory and power for the game? Would we have to reserve more RAM for the OS and have to withold it from devs? My average Firefox session on PC is over 1GB footprint. And that's on a light day.
"Not a lack of web browser on it's own, but these things do start to add up - no web browser, no Netflix, short battery life, $300. Why build your console around a touchscreen tablet if you aren't going to let people use it that way?"
You're right to a point, the more features the better in some way, but feature creep is what kills a LOT of consumer electronics. Sticking to your core can be an asset. At least Nintendo is putting it out there prior to launch rather than removing features over time like a certain Blue console maker likes to do. They're starting with the online model: It requires a phone or tablet. From there, why supply a web browser and proprietary video service apps, when you're already telling your customers they need a phone or tablet for online stuff? Maybe it'll backfire. Maybe the "you need a phone" is like Don Matrick's infamous "everything needs an always-on connection, deal with it!" that almost sank the XBox One before it got off the ground. But if most potential customers weren't already using phones and tablets, SMR & FEH wouldn't even exist
$300 is a fine launch price for the tech, though. The short battery life, however might be an issue, that's probably my biggest concern with it. And it's hard to say it's "built around a touch screen tablet" that you can't use as a tablet. It's really built around the Joycons more than being built around the tablet. The "tablet" is just a tiny console with a 6" screen. Yes it happens to have touch, but they went out of their way at first to ignore that it had touch at all. I still think it "has touch" not by design, but because every 6.2" screen in a parts catalog has a digitizer. Just cheaper to mfr them all the same rather than run two production lines.
One point I find funny is all the discussion about web browsers on a console. Maybe it's different these days but I remember on PC years ago when I was last a PC gamer, where alt+tabbing out of your game to get to the web browser led to a 30/30/30% chance of it working, the game crashing or having to be end-tasked, or the whole system freezing with a garbled screen and high pitched squeal from the speakers. If only we had phones and tablets around at the time so I didn't need to use my PC as a PC!
"So now that it's officially a "dedicated gaming platform" I can't wait to hear their excuse for SMR and FEH not being on it. Miitomo isn't much of a game, but the other 2 are games. Nintendo games."
Silly rjejr, don't you know those are games meant for phones and tablets? And since Switch isn't a tablet....
Still, it's a good day. IwonIwonIwon!
@Baker1000 You explained my thoughts much more eloquently than I could have. Thank you.
The "It's a video game platform first guys!" really does just sound like more of an excuse than an actual reason. People are free to be okay with that, but I just find it really fishy and weird how people are so eager to celebrate the -exclusion- of features compared to past Nintendo consoles and other current consoles.
While it's a fair point to make that no one uses the browser on a console, this has been Nintendo's argument against producing a set top box-like unit since at least the Gamecube.
And back then "It doesn't need a DVD player!" really worked out for them against the competition, didn't it?
Probably no one was going to use it, but bragging that it's not there just makes them look arrogant.
It's kinda baffling that this question even comes up. Plenty of folks who are not 'core' will pick this up, thinking it's a "Nintendo Tablet /w attachable controllers" ... only to then find out it's not actually, because if it comes to browsing, chatting, shopping, streaming, media-playback and a 10000 other small tasks, you'll still be forced to buy a second device and have that handy as well.
On the other hand, it's great that parents who can't be bothered to deal with parental locks or so, can feel safe in giving this to their kids, knowing they won't browse the web doing who-knows-what. In that regard, it's definitely in sync with the Switch's high-end toy vibe.
@Moon I completely agree with you this is concerning and very very disappointing, when I read this it made me question my pre-order I'm surprised that some people are ok with this the Wii U has a good browser and I use it alot so not having one on a portable system I'm very very disappointed Nintendo and confused if I'm gonna use my phone for everything why do I even need the Switch. I'm seriously thinking of dropping my pre-order and waiting for awhile to see whats up with this new system.
That's one of the most stupid things I've heard in recent Nintendo explanations.
By that logic, why DSi, 3DS, Wii U, PS3, PS4, XBox 360, XBox One, PSP and Vita had browsers? Weren't they also dedicated video game platforms?
"whether Nintendo eShop is fully supported and functioning for Switch at launch"
Sounds like its there from the start, but bare-bones to begin with.
As for the lack of a browser: I am not bothered with it, but its yet another thing the Switch doesn't have!
@Operative2-0 I think the bigger question is: Did a web browser ever belong on a Nintendo console to begin with? Imagine WiiU never had one. Would anyone be complaining about this on Switch? They tried something with WiiU, tried making it a utilitarian daily device. It failed, miserably. So when they went back to the drawing board, backing away from the philosophies of the WiiU was going to be a starting point. Commodity mobile devices weren't a reality when they were designing WiiU & 3DS so they thought they were creating that market.
I don't like feature removal, but it was a feature that existed for one generation on a failed platform and an exclusively mobile platform. The former worked well but sold badly, the latter didn't work very well (the browser on 3DS) and sold great. DSi had a browser too...but that was a different world entirely, smart devices came in the form of a Blackberry only and cost mega-money. DSi was a Blackberry for the rest of us.
I know some will say "but Playstation has it!" The PS4 browser is horrendously terrible, and the Vita browser is passable at best, albeit slow, and formats everything badly. I don't think that's something to emulate, and I think we need a poll on PushSquare asking "who uses the Playstation browser?" It can have as a vote option "Who can hold their rage within while using the Playstation browser?" Does Nintendo really need to focus on weekly improvements, W3C compliance, and daily security fixes for a feature that 90% of their customers have a superior device with them for doing that task? Or could they put that money into making games?
XBox got that one right. But, then, XBox was a Trojan horse to put Windows in the living room, and XBox One was so obsessed with being a Windows Media Center machine in the living room it forgot at it's E3 debut that it was supposed to be a game console and practically got booed off stage until they backpedaled. The best thing Matrick could have said that day at E3 is "We're deleting the web browser AND the video playback! In fact it does nothing but play Halo!"
Not bothered in the slightest about a web-browser, but I would like NetFlix/Prime/NowTV apps.
@Enigk People who play with an item FAQ/Guide, games that have an extensive item crafting mechanic and demand constant check at a FAQ/Guide, people who want to 100% games, people who need to set up a specific console function and need online support while doing so, people who want to quickly check their emails or social media and don't have a smartphone or another device close to them.
It's very useful for several things. I used a companion FAQ on my Wii U browser while I was replaying Castlevania Aria of Sorrow and Circle of the Moon, so I could check the map to make sure I didn't miss a hidden room.
Good excuse Nintendo... Don't let them fool you. The real reason is that they do not want switch to get hacked, or at least not during its early days.
Browsers nowadays have to support a huge amount of languages (html, css, javascript), file formats, etc... And browsers suppose a big attack surface. Usually modern browsers are based on webkit or gecko, which are open source engines. For file format parser such as for png, jpeg, h264, etc... console makers also tend to use open source libraries. This means that any bug found on the pc version of such software, should be portable to the consoles.
If you take a look to modern consoles, you will find out that most of them have had at least one browser exploit, 3ds, wiiu, ps4 (at least two different bugs). The only exception is xbox one, which I guess uses a heavy modified version of edge which is closed source.
@rushiosan Yeah the FAQ/guide, crafting guide, etc is the one thing I used my 3DS/WiiU browsers a lot for. BUT that was one of the signature benefits of dual screen gaming. With single screen dockable gaming, the browsing would be like on PS4. Which isn't a good thing.
Funny how the little things that two screen gaming allowed start to get missed after they take them away, after everyone moaned about 2 screen gimmicks for years.
@Layn Can't belive they Just forgot that.
Honestly, all lame escuses.
@turulo VERY VERY good point. I wasn't even thinking about that, but your'e right. Now I'm suddenly thrilled beyond measure they stripped the browser.
I forgot the endless browser hacks in Splatoon, hacking in whatever gear slots people wanted, infinite snails, etc. Ugh. And they could never keep up with it.
Ding, dong the browser's dead!
I'm sorry but a web browser is standard. They better put one and soon. That is just stupid! It is not a deal breaker, but that is the stupidest answer I ever heard. Does Vita have one? Yes. Does 3DS have one? Yes Does WiiU have one? Yes I could go on. There better be an update and I'm not talking stability here.
Seems I am in the minority. I actually used and liked the Web browser for my Wii U. I can use something else... but I would like one in the Switch.
To me, this shouldn't be another android tablet. I don't mind using a smartphone app for chat. But there are people who would believe a $300 touchscreen gadget can bring up a web page. There are people who might want to check for a game walkthrough without dual-wielding smart devices...I can't believe I just said that lol but it's true. I hope somebody acts on this.
I hope they release one later, the WiiU and 3DS browser has come in handy, esp since you could pause a game and go into it, and then go back to your game quickly...
Oh, look, the app that I used to send screenshots to my email account since I have no intention to use social media for sending screenshots to me...
I guess a lot of people didn't know this feature existed, and that this is yet another feature that the Switch will be missing...
I'm sure the Switch will eventually get Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube. I gotta smartphone for on-the-go internet browsing so I couldn't care less about the Switch's lack of internet browsing capability.
No doubt the web browser will magically appear when they start to charge for online services.......... oh dear Nintendo that's a bit tight!!!
I only use my Wii U's web browser to check emails that I think are questionable and may be viruses. XD
@rjejr @NEStalgia That whole social media thing where they ditch miiverse for twitfacegram, don't you think the app could somehow connect to the share button so you use your smartphone for posting stuff online? I'd still like to see a browser from start though...
That sucks quite a bit, I love to use the browser on wiiu, like right now, to check out nlife, watch youtube, and also the online streaming of German TV channels. the wiiu gamepad is ideal for these purposes imo. With the switch docked the handling would probably be awful, so it is understandable to some extent---or nintendo would have had to come up with some clever way to utilize the joycon and maybe its camera.
For playing mobile not having a browser is a bug disadvantage imo, Imean how many devices do you want to take with you?
I think it's a mistake to not include a browser
Notice how he says, at launch. Thus, this leaves the door open for the Switch to have a web browser in the future. People seem to forget that neither the Wii or 3DS had a web browser at launch. The 3DS also lacked an eShop and video apps at launch too. These things can come later, presumably around the holidays.
Fantastic! No wasted space on the built in memory taken up by an unused function.
I do hope we get a Crunchyroll app though
@NEStalgia "One point I find funny is all the discussion about web browsers on a console."
If Switch were a home console only, Nintendo always calls it a home console but they never say only, then I'd agree w/ you, controlling a Web browser on the TV w/ normal controller isn't fun. But it's also a portable. A portable touchscreen device should have a Web browser. I could live w/o Netflix, but a Web browser seems like both a natural and a must.
How far back does Nintendo go with Web browsers? DSi, 3DS, Wii and Wii U. Weren't all 4 of those dedicated gaming devices? Didn't all 4 have Web browsers? This is also where Nintendo gets itself into trouble, they spout out so much nonsense that not only doesn't make any sense but goes against everything they've been doing the past decade. "Switch won't have a Web browser b/c it's a dedicated gaming device." Well what the heck were your last 4 devices, toaster ovens and dishwashers?!?! Meathead.
@Mintendo Good point, I hadn't thought of that aspect. That definitely makes sense.
Though it doesn't change the fact that "social sharing" generally means "me sharing because I'm awesome, and you praising me, without me having to look at junk other people are sharing."
"Share buttons" for posting on socials just seems so odd. I get it that for websites and youtubers/walkthrough producers it's very very convenient, I would have killed to have that back when I was messing with external video capture just to grab screenshots, but it's such an odd feature to have its own button for mass market. I wonder if anyone actually wants a way to view other's posts or just wants to spam others with their own?
@NEStalgia Absolutely, personally I don't see the point of sharing/spamming that kind of stuff. But I'm old, so there's that 😄
I didn't think about this until after seeing others mentioning it, but a lack of an internet browser will make it unable to connect to a lot of public wi-fi hotspots, since most places have a sign in page. For a portable device, this is a big omission.
@Zyph if you used youtube through the browser on the 3DS you can watch 3d videos.
SWITCH NEEDS WEB BROWSER. WII U WEB BROWSER WAS FANTASTIC. SWITCH MUST HAVE WEB BROWSER. SWITCH BROWSER OR NO BUY. MUST BROWSE SWITCH WEB.
-
Rest In Peace
-Wii U-
@idrawrobots
That feature is exclusive to the New 3DS. It don't work on old 3DS.
I used to use the wii u browser for plex 😢
@SanderEvers But the Switch clearly is a tablet. I'm a bit baffled by Nintendo's insistence on it being first and foremost a home console. I myself, and I'm sure many others, view it as a portable device that can also connect to the tv.
I was very much looking forward to using it as an all in one portable device for gaming, internet browsing and video streaming. I hate using my phone for internet browsing. Seriously, how can people stare at those tiny screens?
As you say, Nintendo will most likely add a web browser at some point, but it seems odd to me to not have one at launch. Just another reason for me not to get the Switch at launch.
In other words, they ran out of time. Again.
If you ask me, good riddance.
I never used the Internet service on my Wii U and if I did, I'd just do it on my PC at a much superior speed.
At least now we know why it's called a "Dedicated Video Game System".
@MarcelRguez Where? In the subway? Will you use this thing anywhere where there isn't a power outlet?
@nhSnork I don't live in Japan, nor do I care. As a Wii U owner, the Switch is a pure downgrade. It's the Wii U except with much less features, no generation gap from the previous console, and having to buy everything again with no added feature I'll ever use.
The move to Switch made me move 100% to Steam. Last generation I had a Wii U, before that I had a GameCube and Wii, but I'm out.
@NCChris Why "good riddance"? Where is the gain, exactly?
I love how people will freak out about this Honestly though, internet browsing with Wii U is the sweetest thing, the way you can have a song playing in the background and open another tab... only otherwise possible through PC's and not through the crappy tablets/phones... still , I trust Nintendo with what they're concocting here.
Currently looking at my Internet Browser usage and working out some statistics which slightly horrify me, but here is what I found out:
Total Wii U Internet Browser Usage: 193 Days, 22 Hours, 24 Minutes.
Average Wii U Internet Browser Session Length: 1 Hour, 22 Minutes, 35 seconds.
...
I might miss the Internet Browser on the Switch...
Also, I have a problem.
@Ralek85 excellent point I haven't even considered. Parents can decide whether their kids can be trusted with phones or tablets. If a parent decides his/her kid can just play games for now, he can control this. Especially with the game time limit app too. Safest product in the market. Brilliant that they thought of this.
EDIT: this could indeed be just a case of the 3DS situation where the internet browser wasn't available at launch, and that's it, making this almost a non story.
How asinine. Removing once standard and beloved features of their previous consoles isn't going to win them any sales. And seriously, how can they devote an entire button on their controller to online interaction but simultaneously disable any online interaction from the same source?! As with online play, I'm sure they'll still offer a browser, eventually, but now at a cost.
If they would just make the interface compatible with mobile OS's or just with their apps, this issue would be resolved at no extra cost to them. At this rate, Nintendo has no chance against their competition, whom at least have not severed all ties to casual gamers' interests. Saving on development costs is one thing, but doing so by throwing away a feature that can't cost much of anything to develop (especially since porting the browser from the Wii U to the Switch is likely not a difficult task) is utterly masochistic.
If the hybrid functionality of the Switch is the only positive feature for it, it won't (and shouldn't) be flying off the shelves any time soon. I've bought the "dedicated game console" argument for years, but it holds no credibility, anymore, after they proved it to be a false justification to making making great games with the Wii's and the (especially excellent) Wii U's browser.
@dumedum That could be the case. I almost forgot that the 3DS didn't have a working browser at launch, it's just something I take for granted now...
I actually put the Wii U browser through it's paces a lot as it's hooked up to the biggest monitor in my house (read: TV). My laptop can hook to the TV but it's such a dinosaur that it's far more worth it to use it on my Wii U. I'm fine with Switch not have the browser. At least Kamishima did say "at launch" it won't have it, so there's hope it will come. Kinda brings the whole mobile integration etc etc full circle.
Used the browser once when I got my wii u for about 5 minutes tops. I have a laptop, it's a much better online experience.
Bit of a shame since the Wii U browser was actually pretty good, but I only ever used it as a back up so yeah, probably best.
Maybe they'll charge for one like they did for the Wii one for a brief while? XD
I wish it would play dvds.
It lacks a internet browser because they dont know how to make a good one like sony and microsoft...
Very disappointing.
I love how suddenly everyone's complaining that the console that nobody bought was the best console ever because it had a functional web browser and few games and condemning the Switch because it has no web browser and will focus on games. It's one thing to like the idea of the web browser, but the greatest perk of it was the dual screen use of it.
@ruinez Edge on XBox I'll give you, but have you ever actually tried to use that monstrosity Sony calls a browser? People miss the WiiU one because it was actually decent, not because that unusable mess on Playstation is a better alternative. Vita's is at least ok. But PS4's is really, really bad.
@rjejr Well I think the central, absolutely central thing they're (thankfully, IMO) trying to do is unify the docked & portable modes. I realize that means that some of what it COULD be used to do is underutilized, but I get their point. They're defining the user experience the same way Apple does (I may not like Apple, but I understand their model and why it resonates with the tech uninclined.) They're defining the experience of the Switch as a machine that does the same thing whether you play it on the TV or on the go. Sure they could feature creep and let it become all things to all people, but that becomes a dreadful chore to support long term, it happens all the time. IT's not an unwise message to say: This is what Switch is, it's a game player, and it plays the same on TV or on the subway" Rather than "these features can be used in those mode, those features in that mode, but this one can't be used with that if you're doing it this way." That might change in the future with patches, but the initial message is: It's a console, not an internet content consumption device."
I can certainly see the appeal of a browser on it. This is where business and consumerism clash a bit. It would be more utilitarian as a mobile all in one. But if Nintendo is making strides to position the product differently so that it does NOT appear to conflict with what Apple and Samsung are doing, and doesn't get compared in those circles. Imagine it had a browser and netflix and is a mobile tablet like device. Imagine the reviews popping up on CrunchGear, Gizmodo, iLife, LifeHacker, Tom's, etc. "The new tablet marks Nintendo's first foray into the mobile device space, yet with a 6.2" non-IPS display at only 720p, it falls considerably short of it's nearest competitor, the iPad Air. In our browser performance tests, we found the Nintendo Switch at the bottom of the pack, rendering pages in our HTML5 test suite at a sluggish 14.7seconds, while the second slowest was the Galaxy Tab 7 at a comparably swift 10.3 seconds. Leading the pack was the Surface Pro, rendering the entire test suite at a blinding 8.3 seconds, thanks in part to it's integration of Microsoft's new Edge browser in Windows 10. Moving on to video playback in the Netflix application, the Nintendo hardware again trails the group average, playing Avatar at 720p for only 3 hours 27 minutes before depleting the battery, while the screen's maximum brightness was measured at only 720nits. This result is paltry compared to even the next to last place model weighing in at 5 hours 14 minutes with a less modest 840nits brightness. Leading the pack, the vernerable iPad Pro with it's prolific runtime of 14 hours 16 minutes and a dazzling brightness of 1200nits on it's gorgeous Retina display. All in all we find it difficult to recommend the Nintendo hardware, which has failed to rise above last place in all tests."
Is THAT truly the fate that you wish to subject the Switch to? Because that's the fate it would have if it were to even have a glimmer of appearing as a tablet, at least until it can get on stable legs and cement its identity into the public mindshare.
Edit: And after those reviews go up you would see the echobox across Facebook and Twitter, then splashed on NeoGaf, then IGN, and then here at Nintendo Life. You know the posts "See the link, nintendo made weak hardware AGAIN, they could have at least made it on the level of the iPad Air, that was a weak machine anyway, how could they possibly get it wrong. Did they not even know other tablets existed? " I could even attach user names likely to have made that post word for word
I'm personally okay with the Switch not having a web browser. I've never used it on my 3DS or Wii U simply because there's usually a computer or smart phone around that I can use instead (with more optimal page loads in many cases, I might add).
@Simbabbad Yes, I obviously will. It's built for that. I take +30' bus/train rides daily, and it's much more comfortable to use in public than, say, the 3DS. I can just put the tablet on my desk and play with a joycon on each hand, or even invite other people to play during coffee breaks. Especially when taking ergonomics into account, it's going to be much more pleasant to use than the 3DS due to the number of configurations alone.
So, in short, yeah, I see myself actually using it a lot more than the DS-line portables.
@ruinez They can't make a secure browser to save their lives
Both the 3DS and the Wii U browsers are total entrypoints due to Webkit bugs and general laziness on Nintendo's part to never update such things (the 3DS and Wii U browsers still run old Webkit, with specific Nintendo added patches- webkit, however, has not been updated in the browser itself).
Also, for all of the people who actually wanted a web browser on the Switch, NEITHER the Wii U and the 3DS (the old one, obviously) launched with a web browser. The Wii U Internet Browser was added the 2.0.0 update (which was a day 1 update), while the 3DS Internet Browser was added in the 2.0.0-2 update, which released over 2 months after launch.
The Wii and DSi also had internet browsers (although they were both downloadable apps, not actually part of the OS), but they weren't usable. I also have a hard time saying the old3DS browser is really all that useful, due to a lack of HTML5, but the New3DS browser makes up for that.
Maybe if Nintendo makes bank on the online service fee, the Switch will get an outsourced developed browser like Chrome or something where Nintendo wouldn't have to worry about bad security due to their own bad browser code management
Okay. Just got here. So, no browser on launch day but coming later. How did this produce so many comments?! Lol. Just wait a couple months like we did for sometimes much more fundamental features on other consoles. If you are going to delay something delay the browser.
Not having a browser in general doesn't mean it won't be able to render a basic login page for wifi but that is one real issue.
The switch is a console and a portable.
The sega nomad was a portable and can be used as a home console which can also add another controller
free pic
I rarely use my 3DS browser if ever, but this looks like a tablet they are going to confuse the public. I use my vita for Youtube a lot as well as the browser. I did it for WiiU as well but not as often. iPad/Mac/IPhone are my choice but come on. What happens if I'm running low I have to whip out the lame kindle Fire.
The point is there really isn't a reason there shouldn't be a web browser.
Saying the reason is it's a "dedicated gaming device" is nonsense when Microsoft and Sony's gaming devices have it. It's just there for convenience.
The people who think a browser is useless have never seriously used the Wii U Browser, it's great! Yes I have a phone but the Wii U gives much more screen space and is very snappy and capable. Much nicer for YouTube than the app. Just another reason why I'm not getting a Switch at launch (at least I don't plan to, but I didn't for the 3DS either and ended up with one on launch day... Wii U a week within launch...)
But I'm quite sure of it this time because the Switch basically has nothing for me right now. Well done Nintendo...
Not a big deal at all - I buy consoles for gaming and nothing else
@ruinez Have you used the Wii U browser? Much better with a touchscreen than a regular controller.
@MarcelRguez using the Switch on the bus? Really? Lol.
Back to the topic... imagine Super Mario Maker without the dual screen, without the Wiimotes to use NES style, without the bookmark site, and without Miiverse...
Yeah, totally useless.
Liked the GameCube a lot, loved the Wii, liked the Wii U despite its lack of software... no interest at all in the Switch. It's an expensive downgrade.
Let me get this: the Gamecube, teh Wii and the Wii U didn't come with a DVD player nor a Blue Ray player. It's OK as long as you are going all digital and have Netflix, download movies from Amazon or iTunes, watch Hulu, etc. Now, the Swicth doesn't come with any pre-installed streaming apps and no internet browser?
Wouldn't it be better to have apps that you could even charge for, like Netflix and Crunchy Roll, which is the only reason I took the DVD player from my daughter's room?
One step forward, 2 steps back Nintendo.
That's a BS excuse, they're not putting a web browser in at launch because they want to make sure it won't have exploits like the Wii U/3DS to allow homebrew inroads. The Wii didn't launch with a web browser either, but that was circa 2006, before it was standardized. The Wii still received it through the Shop Channel about a month later, though.
@Enigk @AlphaJuguar Raises hand slowly
Actually, I feel a certain sympathy for Nintendo here. They keep trying to give us devices focused on gaming, but their customer base has been spoiled into thinking if a console doesn't also play discs, stream video, browse the web, and wash their car then they're being ripped off somehow.
Yes, I use the Wii U for Youtube and Netflix, and I'll continue to as long as it can support it, but I can also see their point in that it's meant to be a game console and not an electronic Swiss Army knife. I hope those apps will stay functional on Wii U for the time being, as I much prefer watching the videos on the TV than a player window on a computer. I don't think I ever used the browser, though. That's still better suited to a computer or iPad.
I'm fine with no internet browser. No need of it because I can acces it through 5 other devices in my household alone, less "stability" updates needed and less chance of "homebrew" exploits.
@Firelork Yeah, I actually like using the Wii U's web browser more than the PC's... In fact, it actually has more hours put into it than any game...
@NEStalgia PS: You have a problem remembering my name? It's only 5 letters, a palidrome, all lower case and no special characters.
I think I was subconsciously affected by '70s glam band Angel.
It has to be one of the easiest ones on NL besides damo.
What am I going to watch porn on now?
@MarcelRguez play nice.
@maceng Yeah, it's a really bizarre decision. A lot of early adopters are going to be wondering how the hell to use the internet browser to look up things without needing a phone or PC... Only to find out it has none! Especially since the NS core looks like a tablet, and pretty much every new tablet device can connect to the internet, this is going to confuse many. Not helpful to send the message that this isn't a modern piece of tech, by leaving things like that out at launch. (Then again, the online features like voice chat aren't all going to be there at launch, either...)
Fine by me. I have like, 3 other devices that can browse the internet and watch Netflix.
@Mintendo "the app could somehow connect to the share button so you use your smartphone"
Well it could, but telling people they have to pay to play online but also have their own smart device for social media seems like an unnecessary negative for the system. Just put on a browser and be down with it. It won't be a selling point, but it won't be a negative either.
@SaKo The 3DS launched with a web browser, music player, and 3D camera app. Heck, even the PSP launched with a web browser. So the NS isn't going to have a feature at launch that a 12 year old portable console had.
@6ch6ris6 The new3DS had a pretty decent browser, though. Pretty much every website worked better on it, and it could even load up YouTube and play 3D videos (a feature the YouTube app lacks). It was improved from the original 3DS quite a bit IMO.
@PlywoodStick There had to be an update for the browser, remember? At launch the browser was there, but clicking it said a system update was required to use it. That eventual system update also gave us the eShop.
@Mellor2000 Don't worry, it'll either get added or modded in later. That way, we can finally realize the true purpose of HD Rumble...
Dedicated gaming service not dedicated p*rn service right?
@NEStalgia "the best console ever because it had a functional web browser"
I don't think anybody is saying Wii U was the best console ever, ok I suppose there are some since this is a Nitnedo site, but what most people do agree on is Wii U had the best web browser of any console - better than Vita, 3DS, PS3, PS4 (and once again I have no idea what's on Xboxen). There's a difference between - ok console w/ the best web browser - and - best console.
Nice write up comparing the Switch to all those other devices, but those comparisons are still going to happen, only now instead of comparing the actual web browser and Netflix experience those websites are just going to say "Nintneod missed the boat, they made a touchscreen tablet-like device that doesn't have a web browser or Netlfix, what a bunch of out of touch bozos." (get it, touchscreen, out of touch). So I don' think not having those apps saves them anything, it only makes them look worse for not having them.
I do think you are correct about the experience, Nintneod couldn't figure out how to make a web browser work the same way on the TV and the tablet, so rather than try they just ditched it. I still never be convinced it was the correct call though, no matter their reasons. Their "not-a-soft-launch" gets softer by the day.
@OdnetninAges I don't remember that, I was able to use it right out of the box with a March 2011 launch model... I was even able to access the web browser on the old modding method for the O3DS, which puts the system version at 2.something.
@MarcelRguez What's your problem man? I already told you that you weren't who I meant to debate with. No reason to hold a grudge.
Also, yes. Blindly defending the removal of standard optional features just because you don't use them is fanboyism. I meant it, and I still mean it. Luckily for you, you weren't being one, so there shouldn't be any reason to take offense.
I have about 800 other devices with a web browser. One more will not be missed
@aaronsullivan "So, no browser on launch day but coming later. How did this produce so many comments?"
B/c a lot of people are still waiting for Gamecube VC on Wii U which they said was coming and dual Gamepad support which they said was coming later.
http://www.gamezone.com/news/wii-u-dual-gamepad-functionality-coming-next-year-says-nintendo
Know what Nintneod said wasn't coming? Free-to-start games on mobile. Now we have SMR and FEH.
Moral of the story - if Nintendo says it's coming then it isn't, if they say it isn't coming then it is. (see also SSB DLC)
Maybe it will get a web browser when they sell it w/o the dock or Joycon as a tablet?
You know, I bet it would be a lot easier to talk the misses into 2 at launch if you could tell her they also double as a web browser.
@Jimsbo Every other game console has internet browser so your point is mute.
Why have do I have to browse from my smartphone, with a 5" screen and not from the TV or a big monitor? DO I have to leave my smartphone to my kids to go look for info for a homework because their main console does not have browsing?
It is silly and does more harm than good.
I am a little confused... without Miiverse, surely giving you a standard browser with social media access should be a given, right? Like, I'm not upset there's no browser, but I don't understand why it isn't there anymore.
Like others have said, I'll be quite bothered if a lack of a browser inhibits logging into WiFi. I already had to do backflips to get my 3DS to work most of the time. At my last job (a university), I had to ping the wireless with my device and email them my MAC address so they could do it manually. I hope it's simpler this time.
alright, almost or more of 300 comments about why the Switch won't have web browser, "at least, in the lauch"; that said Kimishima:
""And in terms of the Internet browser, since all of our efforts have gone toward making Switch an amazing dedicated video game platform, it will not support it, at least at launch.""
another day more in the internet.
"Who uses the Wii U Internet Browser anyway?"
@rjejr Nice try on talking her into 2, but we have way too many more convenient devices to surf on right now. I get that it would be a nice extra for many people but I think it will come as long as the Switch is successful. That Wii U stuff was wishful thinking on Nintendo's part unfortunately. There was that period where they had hope or some (false) indication that Wii U sales would pick up. Never happened and things started dropping fast. Nothing like quarterly losses at Nintendo to cause a massive rethink (that is not something they are used to over there).
BTW, No fair counting Super Mario Run for f2p(or start), a game that is criticized for being premium. FE, though, yep.
Well the 3DS and Wii U are both systems that are dedicated to games, at least in comparison to the Xbox One and Ps4 and yet they still have the apps most gamers, myself included expect for a new system in 2017. Whether you use it or not it is kind of silly to think that a console in 2017 won't have basic features like that, at least at launch. It will almost certainly change in the future though.
The more I think about this smart phone for voice chat feature, the worse it sounds.
They're going to have to reverse this policy of "gaming only hardware" at some point if they're going to keep selling hardware. The market's shifting more and more towards having generalized hardware that can do anything the user wants, once mobile starts copying what Nintendo does with the Switch (and if it's successful, you can bet they will copy the Switch), what place does Nintendo have in the market?
Never used the internet browser- it's so much faster on your phone right next to you during a game. Now that I'm thinking about it, maybe Nintendo is on to something when it considers a smart device as a great way to access some online features. I already use it all the time when playing games for reference, walkthrough, etc.
My only concern is accessing Wi-Fi from public places. It might be necessary just for that.
Dammit! My Nintendo system is always by last resort for porn! (And I mean last!...)
Dead ass!!
No cookies for the Switch. Oh well, more for me.
@rjejr Haha, well, I remember it now, after spending a little time HAVING to type it out. But for years I see it and think "oh I wonder what rejer posted?" I just pronounce it "rejer" in my head. Still do.
I wonder if this means the Nintendo Web Framework hasn't been brought to the Switch?
@rjejr Yeah the "best console" thing was a (hopefully obvious) exaggeration. Yeah it has the best browser, but the question is why did it have the best browser? Because when they designed the WiiU they thought they were being ingenious introducing a battery powered mini computer you can do day to day tasks on. It would change the world! It was a good plan, they probably would have done great, they never saw iPad and the tablet revolution coming, and by the time iPad arrived, it was too late, WiiU was ready to go out and had to be released. But their idea of WiiU wasn't just a gaming console, it was what, to them, was the invention of the tablet. They just got beat to the punch in terms of mass marketing it by a higher tech device (that was more expensive.) So yeah they put a lot of effort into it, but now that that ship sailed, there's not much reason to emphasize "apps and browsers" anymore. At a consumer level we tend to see "we liked this feature why are they removing it" but at a business level there's more involved in why it was there at all and why it was so well made. It was the whole 2-screen idea they never sold right.
No, by not appearing at all as though it's in the tablet space it spares them the comparison. The comparison shouldn't be made anyway, but the tech press is like that. Those sites will not cover the Switch in any way because it falls outside their scope, and thus it won't compare unfavorably against devices it shouldn't be compared against anyway. Those sites don't do consoles, they do general purpose computing and phones. Making Switch a tablet puts it in their sphere of influence. Making it a console keeps it away from them. It's a good call, honestly. About time Nintendo learned how the press works and why they are to be treated like obnoxious 2 year olds (sorry NL!)
Overall the press acts like a gaggle of hive minded middle school kids. When they pick a target they dislike they all gang up like a pack of hyenas and rip into it forever, giggling to themselves about how clever they are. The real press is bad enough with that. The entertainment & electronics press cranks it up to 13. Nintendo's the permanent target. They will never stop finding ways to look good by making Nintendo look bad. Heck, Samsung's a beating post for that crowd. It doesn't have a half eaten fruit on the back case.
Browser specifically as an issue or not, doing absolutely everything in their power to keep this thing from being perceived in any corner as a tablet is a very, very wise decision. As a console it's judged as a console. As a tablet it's judged against iPad and Surface Pro. That will never be a favorable comparison despite the different nature of devices!
@OdnetninAges I must have remembered it wrong... I looked it up, and the web browser firmware update was released in July 2011. The CFW process goes back to 2.1.0, which is after the web browser release.
@RainbowGazelle
Of gosh, the switch won't have a Web browser? Whatever will I do? I guess I'll have to user my phone, or tablet, or other tablet, or my wife's phone, or my computer, or my laptop. What a bummer. Pre order canceled.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE
Are you using the wii u Web browser right now to visit nintendo life?
Looks like my wiiU is here to stay. I love it's browser. Its my main media streamer. Two channel tube audio. I got surround as well but its boring as hell.
@NEStalgia Any sites in particular you're referring to? The ones I frequent do cover Nintendo devices when they're relevant on an industrial level.
I think that point about tech sites making a comparison between various devices' browser performance is a no-win situation for the NS. If there's no browser, then it's a dedicated device, but it lacks a modern feature, which is an easy weak point to latch onto. If there is a browser, then it gets rated versus others based on HTML5Test and other things, and probably ends up in the middle of the pack until it becomes obsolete.
Overall, the only good thing I can think of about not launching with a web browser is that it's that much less time spent on a unique and easily tracked footprint. (Try Panopticlick to see what I mean.)
@SLIGEACH_EIRE I'm with you too. I like to use mi Wii U browser for see internet videos and these kind of stuff on my big TV just in front of my sofa. I don't like the small screem of my iPad, phone or even PC for that. Specially when I want to look it with others people too.
And the more I know about switch...
At least they said "not at launch day" but about the third party's AAA games some people also said " wait to the E3 " And now we know switch will haven't RE7, FF15, SF5, FF7R, and all these DQ games only with japanese versions . . . Everything about switch is getting worse and worse day by day. This is just another stone more in the lake of dissapoint.
The only hopening here, I think, is if switch start to sell very well and to break records in numbers terms. Then everything will change the current "getting worse" direction, Third party's AAA games includeds.
But I think nintendo are not spending time, money and any real effort to satisfy their clients. They are just taking the easy way in all the decisions.
I can see them patching it through at a later date; people I know were quite fond of the browser. Nintendo's focus on the launch and predominantly games is understandable as it stands, as long as there's some VC news before the Switch hits the shelves.
@6ch6ris6 Really? 80% or more of the things I tried to bring up on the 3DS browser would max the available memory out and fail to load the page. Kiranico and most GameFAQs were completely useless.
I'm glad the Switch OS isn't bloated with system resource easting pointless nonsense.
IMHO,
This is a HUGE miss. They could've marketed the portability here as a tablet AND gamign device with minimal extra work.
It's just really weird how Nintendo is making a dedicated device that relies on a ton of other devices to be functional in this connected age. Gamers use online for walkthroughs, chat, matches, etc. Oh, except we're so dedicated to gaming you can't do any of that without owning some other companies smartphone or tablet. Oops.
@Ichi-Tan
I'm satisfied. Also there's the fact that almost all pre orders are sold out too causing nintendo to ramp up production. So there's that. Also I'm going to go out on a limb here and speculate that English isn't your native language.
@Vix It's insane - this thing is being launched in less than a month and we're still waiting for crucial details!
@speedracer216
"It's just really weird how Nintendo is making a dedicated device that relies on a ton of other devices to be functional in this connected age." So 1 smartphone you most likely already own is "a ton of other devices" now? On another point, gamers use walkthroughs? I thought those were for casuals.
@Tarvaax
"Blindly defending the removal of standard optional features just because you don't use them is fanboyism." And you're blindly ridiculing the removal of standard optional features just because you did use them. So what does that make you? And I'm assuming you did use it because if you didn't and then came on here after seeing the topic then that makes you something far worse than a fanboy.
@BigWhoady
No smartphone here. Hate paying for data.
I do have an ipad someone gave me (wifi only) but it feels silly to bring my ipad when i'm holding a switch that , well, feels just like an ipad but can't go online? years ago i thought systems were dumb for thinking they should play cd's or dvd's. I was like "dumb! just give me a gaming system that's what it's for!" now I think, how sweet if I could skip those other devices because of my gaming system! oh well. missed opportunity imho as i said.
@BigWhoady Not everyone can afford smartphone data plans, and some areas (especially rural) just have outrageous pricing on data plans. Not relevant at home, but it's relevant when one may prefer using a public WiFi hotspot. Without a browser, some hotspots are inaccessible.
@PlywoodStick @speedracer216
So I guess nintendo should cater to the smaller percentage of people who don't have smartphones and can't afford data plans? That makes sense.
@BigWhoady Not catering, it's just an expected convenience at this point. It's pretty silly that one would have to use a separate device like a smartphone just to connect through WiFi in some instances. What would people say if we had to do that just to get the 3DS to connect online, or use certain online features? (Like voice chat on NS.) What if the DS had required one to connect online through a cell phone, like the GBC did in Japan to use Pokémon Crystal's online features? And hopefully you live in a nice area, so one of your devices won't get snatched while you're fiddling with the other one.
I use my WiiU browser all the time. Phone screens are too small and the computer in my house is usually being used by other members of the family.
Besides, what the heck are DeNA doing, I thought they were supposed to be helping with all of the internet side of things.
Hopefully Nintendo will have a web browser as a seperate app in the Switch eShop for people who want one rather than forcing it on to the OS.
This is baffling.
Internet browsers are cheap, low system power usage, and incredibly versatile.
One of the advantages of the Wii U is that when I visit relatives I can stay in a room with no TV as long as I hook up th Wii U. I can just set the gamepad on the nightstand and I have instant multimedia center.
I was hoping the Switch might be even more functional in that regard as you could do the whole thing without the base unit and seperate outlet for the screen, but...I guess not really?
@PlywoodStick
I'm pretty sure everyone would adapt. It's a video game console not a space shuttle. All the bells and whistles aren't necessary all the time. If it plays games then it's doing it's job just fine. Everything else is a luxury. And as far as the whole someone stealing your devices argument, all consumers assume the risk of that happening if they choose to take their belongings outdoors.
@MrGawain You sir are a man of consistency
A number of people have made this point, but, a tablet without all the tablet things does seem a little lacking. Sure, a dedicated gaming machine is what will sell to Nintendo fans, but the broader audience will most likely look at this as a disadvantage.
My guess is that Nintendo is putting their resources in releasing the device early for the dedicated fans. This is probably in part due to seeing how well the device sells to forecast production for the holiday season and to develop those standard tablet apps based on the Switch's success. Is it possible that those streaming services would work with, or even pay Nintendo to offer their service on the Switch?
Well, I'm posting this from my Wii U so... (although that's only because my laptop is broken right now.)
However, I am disappointed Netflix isn't an option as I prefer to use my laptop to surf while I watch on the TV. I'm not really planning on ever upgrading my PS3 so soon this will be the only console I'm actively using.
@PlywoodStick The ones I mentioned in the prior post: Gizmodo, Tom's, Lifehacker, etc. Not sure which ones do or don't specifically, I tend to only frequent said sites when new hardware I'm interested in is out (laptop shopping, tablet shopping, new Nintendo/Sony hardware etc.) The ones I'm thinking of just don't touch consoles, it's not part of their coverage. (I may erroneously have put in one in the list that does and left out ones I'm thinking of that don't, but you get the idea of the sites I'm talking about (and their heavy Apple bias, or recently Apple+Samsung bias.)
I think in 2010, launching any device without a browser was seen as backward and not embracing the cloud. In 2017, we're saturated with devices that have browsers, the majority of people carry a device on them that's effectively a dedicated browser device in their pocket/bag all day every day. Even 5 years ago that just wasn't so. I'm not sure it's seen as a negative for a purpose specific device to not try to be all other devices anymore. Franky, purpose specific devices are a refreshing category from a time period where every device was supposed to be every device even if it did it badly. When beige boxes were computers, sure, trying to cram pseudo-computer functionality into everything was vogue. Now that we have multiple full product categories, all mobile (laptops, ultrabooks, tablets, phones, convertibles, even TVs, though not mobile) that have web browsers built in, do we really need consoles, GPS's, refrigerators, and yes, those same TVs to implement poor browser features?
Truthfully I think there's a more than fair chance the Switch eventually does implement a browser in a later patch (though in many ways I think that would be inefficient use of resources for them and will be disappointed if they cave in their commitment to making it a pure gaming device.) I think mostly they don't want that identity crisis for the device in the first year or so until it's core functionality is public perception.
But there's good argument for NOT implementing a browser. The amount of resources it must have consumed at Nintendo aren't trivial. A browser is its own animal in terms of hack prevention (remember the Splatoon browser hack for hacking in any gear and snails?), general net security features, browser improvements etc. The compliance is a never ending process for standards, and keeping up with security flaws is almost certainly a legal expense (we may not think it's Nintendo's obligation to make sure to test and maintain security on their open source browser, but the lawyers that would be all but certain to jump on them the moment a hack happens through their console browsers no doubt keep arguing that.) We, as consumers, tend not to think of all those little details in things....but when you've dealt with them all enough you start to sympathize with companies avoiding things.
Mostly, I try to play some degree of devils advocate since on a consumer centric site, far too many people loose sight of business realities and concerns, so I'm not always representing what I think would be most awesome for me as a consumer, but taking into consideration issues and positions and products that, if I were told tomorrow "guess what, you're the new Nintendo president!" What decisions would I make and why? It's not always about "how can I make the most money" sometimes it's about "how can I risk the least, or avoid the most unnecessary obvious problems?"
Personally, as a consumer, while the browser might be a cool feature on rare occasion, without the second screen it's not as useful as the WiiU one was, and it's honestly not as speedy and complete as firefox on my phone which I've taken to using instead of the WiiU's. I just don't put faith in browsers on a console to be up to date (because they're not.) And as a general consumer, I actually do like the idea of a return to purpose made machines that do what they're supposed to do well rather than the Sony model of throwing every single feature at it, with half of them broken. Ironically it sounds like I'd be aligned with the Apple model, but I'm not. With Apple you pay a premium for a device that generally prevents you from using it's primary function, productivity, the way that is actually most productive. It's fine for the non tech savvy (and artists ) but for general production it's too restricting.
However I do know people that do rely on the WiiU as their only browser due to lack of another device, so I certainly understand how disappointing that difference will be. From a business perspective though, I'd guess that number is under 15% of the already too-low 12M install base.
@BigWhoady So... being able to play games online without needing a separate mobile device, in an era where it is assumed that a portable device will be able to wirelessly connect to an internet connection on it's own, is a luxury? I guess compared to basic necessities such as good food, clean water, crisp air, and comfortable shelter, sure. But compared to other tech products?
Imagine if any of your other portable devices required you to use a separate mobile device, like a phone, to complete a connection or use voice chat under any circumstance. It's just silly. Even the DSi and 3DS both had internet connection functionality and voice chat support built in. (Although almost no games took advantage of voice chat functionality...)
Announcements like these only confirm that the Switch is launching with less "out-of-the-box" features than it's competitor's. First it was no streaming apps and now there's no web browser either. This is starting to worry me. Decisions like these do nothing but take away from the machine's value.
For the $300 Nintendo is expecting us to spend, the Switch should absolutely include those features. They are standard items in the industry. It makes no sense to not support them at that price.
I'm not going to lie, this is kinda killing my happy-buzz for the system...
@NEStalgia I prefer Anandtech, ArsTechnica, Wccftech, and 3DGuru for sites that mix gaming and tech concerns. Tom's Hardware is more useful as a forum site than a really good tech/news site, while Gizmodo and Lifehacker are honestly pretty much just "tech tabloid" sites.
I agree that "the internet of things" is a bad idea for many reasons. However, I don't think that gaming devices fit into that category of negatives, like a TV or fridge would.
The Dreamcast was the first gaming console which was internet ready at launch. One can come up with any litany of reasons for why NS isn't, but it doesn't change the fact that in 2017, it's pretty sad that a nearly 18 year old console shows that Sega did what Nintendont.
And now, something terrible stupid from Nintendo. Please enjoy.
Not a good sign...I use the 3ds and Wii U browser when I need to look up some guides while playing a game. Thats pretty basic. Its like a smart phone not having built in calculator.
@Ishmokin Better yet, it's more like a smartphone not having access to a built in contact list... You'd have to also carry around a good ol' pad of pen and paper to record everyone's phone numbers, addresses, etc.
What's that? You don't want to lug around something extra just to do something like that? Well that's just too damn bad! Uncle Ninty says you have to!
Wasn't the Wii U a "Dedicated Video Game Platform" as well?
@Hikingguy @maceng @World The funny thing is that the standard Wii's disc drive actually does support DVD playback. The feature was software disabled at the factory, due to Nintendo deciding not to pay licensing royalties at the last minute. If the Wii is softmodded, DVD playback can be re-enabled through homebrew software. There's no way to make it work for the Wii Mini, though. (The Wii U disc drive, on the other hand, does not support DVD playback at all, since it was never planned.)
As much as I've never been fond of the many attempts to put a web browser on a console (regular controllers are slow in that regard), the Wii U has probably and arguably the best web browser (with use of the gamepad) I've seen. It's surprisingly fast.
That said, I'm not surprised. Hopefully, the system will have good games and not sacrifice that like the Wii U did.
It's not there at launch, but I am sure it could be added easily if there is enough demand for it.
I actually found the browser on the New3DS to be really nice and haven't actually had issues with many pages.
I guess I'm just weird though.
If Nintendo make the Switch SDK available like they did for Wii U and 3DS, I'd happily learn C and make a browser, hehe.
I remember getting excited about the idea of surfing the web on a game console and buying the useless DS browser with a memory card for the GBA slot. Kind of disappointing, although I don't think I would use it.
What a baffling oversight for a portable device. I hope this and the absence of media apps is remedied for the big end of year selling season as it will help with the value proposition for some potential customers. Getting a browser and other apps working on what is essentially an Nvidia tablet shouldn't be difficult.
Recently I feel like everything about Switch is fine. Leak of essential mobile functionality, questionable battery life, price. If its about Switch - its good, its awesome.
I used to design sites for gaming system browsers, all the way back to the days of the Dreamcast. Making Nintendo DSi-specific sites was much fun and a lot of creativity can be accomplished by living in the limitations of game system web browsers.
Even though I am a huge fan of these alternate browsers, never have I had a browsing experience on a gaming device that came close to surfing on my mobile phone or PC. Gaming system browsers are ALWAYS lacking. The WiiU browser is great, for a gaming system browser, but compared to anything else, it is super-terrible.
I would much rather companies like Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft focus their resources on gaming, and not trying to half-ass what my other devices already do.
One could complain that the Switch lacks a camera, a component in every other gaming handheld since 2008! Almost 10 years!
But I already have other devices that take better photos than my gaming system. I already have other devices that offer a better web browsing experience. I already have other devices that offer better streaming video experiences. I already have devices that offer fantastic voice and video chat.
What I don't have is a device that plays console-quality games in a handheld format. I don't have a device that lets me split the controller and let friends play with me on the tabletop.
Nintendo, please stay focused on making great game experiences. Leave the social media platforms and web browsers to those that already do it well.
Oh, and to those who say the WiiU browser is the only way to read on your tablet while video plays on your TV, check out a Chromecast. With it, your tablet, or mobile, or PC, can stream things to your TV while you continue to use the device. It is much better than the WiiU browsing experience.
@NEStalgia "I just don't put faith in browsers on a console to be up to date (because they're not.) And as a general consumer, I actually do like the idea of a return to purpose made machines that do what they're supposed to do well rather than the Sony model of throwing every single feature at it, with half of them broken. "
Well put.
I would rather Nintendo expend their energy on making creative and fun forms of entertainment instead of chasing HTML standards and browser bugs.
Leave the browsers to companies already invested in maintaining browsers. They do it better than you do Nintendo. And likewise, Nintendo makes better games that browser teams.
@BigWhoady Yes, sorry for that. It's looks like I'm not a good English writer too !! Ha ha ha !!
In easy words, I know about the pre-orders and I know about the success switch will be in Japan for the portable option, and that's because I said that sentence about "numbers". I think third partys and even the nintendo company itself are waiting for know how the numbers of sellings will going before to spend all of their "true power" on it. In fact, I confess you I'm doing the same. I'll not buy it at least untill 2018 or 2019 when I'll feel sure for what I'm really paying on.
Words goes with the wind. I'll just look for the done facts. And at the moment, everything remember me the same that happened with Wii U again, excepting all these pre-ordered reporteds and the japanese market great expectation. But they still didn't materialized into done facts and real numbers.
About the bowser for use in the TV. Those who have Wii U can keeping using the Wii U for that even if they buy switch... While nintendo don't close that service if the Wii U's bowser depends of that ( I don't know about this point ).
PS: I hope this time my poor English was a little more understandable. Thanks you for warn me about it !!
The browser lets you watch videos and YouTube on the go why would you not want this. This just shows more worrying signs that this was not finished before launch it needs a web browser. hopefully some one wont take to long to release one, on people hack android onto the switch which probably wont take long.
@Tarvaax Do you take me for a fool? You are replying to a post and a user that don't exist (@CircutWrangler3). You did want to reply to me, you just backpedaled after the fact. The proof of that is that you edited the content of your post first instead of the handle you were replying to, and you presumably did that before hitting report. That's a pretty nasty thing to do just to save face.
Now go back to your OP and change the @ again. I'm waiting.
That's fine with me, I never use the internet browser on consoles...they're slow and sites are usually not optimized for them.
New systems are always a work-in-progress, they'll get app/web support as the system becomes more easily available to developers. People are freaking out because NS won't launch with everything including a kitchen sink, it's ridiculous.
@DragonbornRito yeah some sites did not work well. but if you find the right page then you can use that feature really good. i bookmarked a page for link's awakening walkthrough for example.
Never used a web browser on any other console except the Wii U, purely because the GamePad was ideal to do so with.
It doesn't take 5 minutes to type out a website address or whatever it is you are looking for like it does with a controller, and it was just nice to have if my wife was using her iPad, and there was something I wanted to look at on a bigger screen than a phone.
I'll be honest though, I mainly used it for Miiverse and for walkthroughs on games if/when I got stuck.
I won't lie, I absolutely hate looking for a walkthrough for a PS4 or Xbox One game on another device or that consoles web browser after experiencing the ease that it could be done with the GamePad. Maybe I'm just crap at games and should stop needing walkthroughs lol.
Either way, it's not a deal breaker for me, although it would have been nice to have at launch. I'm not concerned though as I feel confident that it will get a web browser along with many other Apps throughout the year....................just PLEASE get the WWE Network App
@MS7000 No kidding. I have logged over 2200 hours on the Wii-U browser myself.
While I do have Switch on preorder, my Wii-U will not be disconnected anytime soon.
Also what's with the "share" button? I do not use any popular social media services but I do use old timey forums to discuss related content with people with similar interests. I do hope the Switch has the capability to save screenshots to SD card at least, so I can store screenshots to my PC and upload them from there.
Lord knows how many times I have paused games and upped a Wii-U screenshot to a gaming forum or my own email. But sharing to a social media service where 90% of your followers don't give a flip about gaming is IMO a bad idea. Good for marketing though.
And yes, all excellent points from people sentiments that certain public and private wifi networks need the user to agree to TOS or enter their credentials in order to access a network. Then it stores the device ID in the system for a period so you can game or do whatever non-browsing activites you want.
Lastly not everyone, myself included, have smart devices, and those who do may not want to juggle multple devices in their lap or have them in use while gaming. I have a PC, multiple game consoles, and an old flip phone. So here's hoping it is possible to play online and simply plug an analog headset into the Switch without using an android tablet.
Lack of web browser is a blow but not the final straw. If Nintendo announces that you cannot play online without an external smart device, I am cancelling my preorder. I can't imagine they'll be that stupid though, and I can do without voice chat if need be.
@Obito_Sigma Thought I was the only one. This screenshot is several months old but you get the idea!
@PlywoodStick The 3DS didn't come with a web browser at launch, it came in an update months later.
@PlywoodStick Of course they're tabloids, that's why they'd put together troll articles about "Nintendo's new tablet" and compare it against iPads and Surfaces. Never overestimate the public. The tabloid presentation is the one they trust most. The one with meaningful comparisons confuses them and appeals only to those tech inclined enough to make their own decisions anyway.
Ars, Anand, 3D (that one, the hint is right in the name), is a whole different thing. More of a PC gamer's & net admin's bible, for hard PC & rack equipment component reviews. Yeah, sites like that cover video cards and consoles, but they also do so with a focus on what the machine actually is. That's a pretty different thing. Where Nintendo would hurt is the consumer electronics sites, not hard tech sites that run incomprehensible (to most people) benches between die shrink revisions of silicon That's a crowd that won't be confusing it with a tablet anyway.
Try using that 18 year old browser to load up NL and post a comment Browsers were simpler things in the days of Netscape Navigator. I miss Netscape. I think that's kind of the point, if you're going to introduce something like a browser, today, it has two options: A mostly broken also-ran feature that will be forgotten in 6 months and ridiculed in 12, or something you have to throw your weight behind and support.
So far Nintendo was the only console manufacturer doing the latter, and one must ask how much time and attention it was taking. Or worse, when was the last time we had a WiiU system update? I don't even want to THINK about the security in that browser right now. Hopefully nobody's entering credit card numbers into that thing. Sony, along with many other things, abandoned the feature prior to launch day leaving the broken mess forever on the system. Microsoft doesn't count, it's a Windows PC in a plastic VCR shell, and they're one of the only 4 organizations that makes a browser as a primary product. IE/Edge is more valuable to them than XBox will ever be.
If you think of the costs of maintaining the product (a browser) properly, including pushing system updates, I commend Nintendo for coming out of the gate, pre-launch and saying "Here's what the machine is, here's what it's not, heres the handful of features it has, and here's all the features it doesn't"
What other company just puts it out there at launch like that, take it or leave it, without trying to play both sides? Do we remember all the features on PS3 that the system launched with, then over time between system updates and hardware revisions were removed? If Nintendo chooses to add a browser later, they're giving a freebie they never promised. If they don't and the machine sells well, it was resources well saved. Much better than promising the moon on Launch day and 2 years later taking it all back and looking foolish (like WiiU.)
Remember when Sony promised Standby mode on PS4 in the February launch event? And then told us at E3 that it wouldn't be there on launch day in November? And then 8 months went by and Yoshida told us they were still working on it? Then another year and a half went by and we finally got it (and it sorta kinda worked right?)
Nintendo: "No browser, no netfilix, but we won't rule it out in the future."
A company is telling us exactly what they are and are not putting in the box, BEFORE we give them our money, letting us choose. That's a good thing. Even if you don't like the product as they're selling it, missing features etc. They're at least letting you make your own decision on that armed with the facts.
They're betting it sells just fine without a web browser eating resources. If it doesn't and consumer research tells them that missing "apps" is holding it back, they can always patch it in (but I suspect that would come at the cost of reserved OS memory increasing, meaning less for games. That might be a Faustian bargain.)
@MarcelRguez
https://www.nintendolife.com/users/CircuitWrangler3
His comment:
"The Switch is a dedicated gaming device, not a smart device. Smart devices have gaming as a secondary feature. The Switch is not for anyone looking for a smart device, and Nintendo has made a wise decision not to pretend that it is. I'm sure that media apps like YouTube, and Netflix will come eventually, and a browser may come with a future update.
And Nintendo has always been ahead of the curve, they've just never went with the flow. There's a difference. I'm happy to see that they're finally adopting modern (gaming) traditions, nonetheless."
My comment:
"Literally every other dedicated gaming device has a browser, among other features. Nintendo isn't ahead of the curve, they're tripping on it as they try to catch up.
DON'T DEFEND LESS FEATURES. EVER. Fanboys, fanboys everywhere."
None of this is about you.
@Tarvaax So, you didn't only misclick in your original reply, you also mistyped the handle the second time you edited your OP. And you "accidentally" clicked on my post, the one that's 48 comments above that one? That's what you're claiming, if I'm understanding this correctly. How did you manage to do that? Seriously, it's quite a feat.
@MarcelRguez I was originally going to reply to two people, but typing on my phone is like fighting a bull, so I decided to only reply to one. Too bad I deleted the wrong user name, wish I would have caught it sooner.
@aaronsullivan "No fair counting Super Mario Run for f2p(or start),"
SMR is "free-to-start" though, b/c Nintendo was too stupid and too cheap to have a "lite" version or a "demo" version, and instead made a "Free-to-start" version w/ a $10 in app purchase that doesn't carry across all devices, which almost defeats the purpose of the iOS infrastructure of buy once, play anywhere.
It does technical say "$9.99" on this webpage, but it's down in the fine print. A lot of those 40 million people who downloaded it may have known it was $9.99 from websites like this one, but likely literally millions of people who downloaded it had no idea until they got that in-app purchase pop-up for $9.99. Nintneod just should have made it $9.99 from the start. They probably still would have sold just as many w/ out the bad publciity. Then they could always put out a "lite" or "demo" verison later.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/super-mario-run/id1145275343?mt=8
But as it stands now, SMR is "free-to-start" based on how Nintneod set it up. If it was listed for $9.99 in iTunes then it wouldn't be f2s, but it isn't sold that way. "In app purchase" kind of says it all.
Oh, and I did see the winky face when I got here, but they don't show up in my email, and I already had this post written in my head by the time I got here.
Seems like I'm in the minority on this, but I for one think this is a huge hit to the Switch. I'm not a wealthy man. I don't own a smart phone or even a laptop; but I do have a 15yr old desktop. The only thing I splurge on is my Nintendo hobbie. I loved the Wii U browser and use it daily. I love not having to get off the couch or reach for another device when I want connected to the world. I start the day with checking the weather, news, facebook, and this site and it's off to video games using what I already have in my hand. I often pause a game to look up and bookmark codes or reviews or just facts. Miiverse was great because everyone there was a Nintendo fan, unlike bugging my social media friends with things they don't care about. The Image Share app in the browser was great when you did want to brag on Facebook or Twitter. I personally put an average of 60+ a month on the browser.
And when I'm not playing games or surfing, I watch a great deal of Netflix, Youtube, and Hulu.
I'm who they made the Nintendo Wii U for. Someone who bases their whole household around it. Heck, I'm probably one of the only people who use Wii Fit U/ and meter on a regular basis.
I don't want a game system/computer like Nintendo's competitors, and I'm always proud that Nintendo is all about the games, but if they want to be the light of the living room, then internet options are a must.
But I guess Nintendo isn't really going for that anymore and it's a shame. I'm not interested in taking my home console outside to show my friends. I'm just not into portable gaming. When I'm outside my house, I'm usually doing something; not standing around bored wishing I had video games to play.
I have always been a hardcore Nintendo fan and don't play any other systems. I understand different strokes for different folks, but I think Nintendo might be off-putting fans like me who just want unique, fun video games and not have to buy something else or get off the couch to surf the web or watch TV.
@NEStalgia "pronounce it "rejer" "
I think that's how I pronounce it too, though I'm not good at the whole phonetically pronunciation thing. (Spellcheck put those words in there, I have no idea what I'm typing.)
Anyway, in my head it's always been rE-jur It's a long "E' sound but short like rematch or reject, not remarkable. jur isn't quite like jury, which I pronounce more joree, I can't think of a similar word, but ti's not a "U" sound, probably more hard E jer. RE'jer.
So, yeah, you've been spelling it right for how I pronounce it, so I can see your problem.
There's a guy on here goes by sinalefa who I called sinafela for months. He was not amused. He's more on the Sony site night, I think Nitneod lost him a bit w/ Wii U, but he's back more for Switch.
@NEStalgia I agree it's a good choice to avoid comparisons w/ Apple devices and Surface in the press, but the problem is those are the hipsters they are marketing too. They arne' tmarketing to gamers, Nintneod and it's whole "blue ocean" lets sell Switch on 1 2 ARMS and the casuals.
So they don't want to promote Switch as a tablet b/c they don't want the negative press, but they do want to promote it to the people who buy tablets, b/c the hardcore console gamers aren't coming back unless it gets COD and Destiny. And maybe not even then.
So bad comparisons or no, they almost NEED Switch to be o those general device websites like Polygon b/c thats' the market they are trying to sell it to, just being on IGN wont' help, all of those people have a PS4 or X1 already. So I'm still sticking w/ better to have a web browser and pale next to iPad but the public sees it then not have a browser and focus only on gamers, b/c there aren tenough potential purchasers in that market alone.
@rjejr Haha, yeah, I'm familiar with sinalefa's posts...and, I ALSO read it as "sinafela". Another symptom of advanced Nitneod, I fear. It's perhaps contagious.
You know I almost never head over to Pushsquare outside E3 week. I follow the Sony conference hype, and then just kind of fade out. I tend to have a set games on Sony I'm interested in, some of which aren't even Sony's games, so there just doesn't seem much to get fired up about as a fan, and a black plastic box with cables plugged into it is hard to get excited about on the hardware side. I like the machine, but it's just kind of "there". One thing I will miss from the WiiU is the disc drive. Never, EVER have I operated a disc drive that performed that smooth, quiet, and solid. I'm guessing they pulled from automotive parts for that. Probably cost a pretty penny too. The PS4 drive always feels like it's about to break, and sounds it too.
Of course cartridges is better than either.
@NEStalgia I only like certain games - mostly JRPG, 3D paltformers and open world adventure games - so between Sony and Nintendo I have just about the right amount of games. Haven't really noticed the PS4 disc drive but everything seems to be installed on the HDD anyway. I use my PS3 for DVDs - yes we still watch those - and blu ray and streaming, I'm saving the life of my PS4, I already own a 2nd PS3 in case I kill the drive on the first one.
I'm torn on the cartridges. I think they are better for playing - faster, no installation, no scratches. Bu tI do worry about the wear and tear on the cartridge, the flap and the connectors - any given day we can play 3 or 4 games on the PS4 bc/ there are 3 of us who game every day, I sometimes play 3 games a day myself. So constantly switching carts will probably annoy me b/c I never owned a 3DS or DS, have dealt w/ carts since my GBA. And then of course w/ 3 people gaming on the TV I'm a little worried about the kids, or myself, taking out a cart, putting it on the table or TV stand, then it falling onto the floor and not being able to find it. I've never lost a disc but I can imagine a cart between the sofa cushions. Guess we'll figure it out, at least my kids are older now, I would have hated that on Wii U. The good is better than the bad, but I'll miss my discs. On the bright side, cart is better than download, less HDD space and cheaper, download prices are a rip-off if they are the same as expensive carts.
@rjejr I think it's because of the hipster demo they don't want to be compared to tablets though. Hipsters for all their self righteousness, are just plain old clueless consumers.
If those people see the Switch as a "bad iPad" the Switch is dead to them. They'll praise how much better Apple is. If they see it as a dedicated gaming device that does nothing an iPad does...well then it's its own thing....it's not either-or at all! It's not the same thing as their iPad, so it's cool.
Remember, it's the group waiting to be told what to want, like and think about everything. Apple doesn't make a games console. They make a tablet/iPad. Nintendo doesn't want to make a tablet/iPad, they make a games console.
Not to mention it's a futuristic mobile games console, that only does what the NES does. Ironically. How much more hipster do you need?
I think COD has a fairer shot of coming to Switch than most other 3rd parties (biggest budget, biggest name, existing Nintendo relationship, that's a fair chance.) BUT I'm hoping that Nintendo learned its lesson now. It's neither about "gamers" (who, ironically a lot of the core gamers are pretty casual gamers with COD and such) who have left and tend to want different games than the Nintendo camp, NOR about Blue Ocean entirely. That was Iwata's strategy heading into Wii/DS, and that's in the past. The net result wasn't the result they hoped (to create new permanent customers.)
I think they're at least slowly realizing their market is "The Nintendo Market." It's not about pretending to be XBox, or about fitness boards, but about selling their IPs and brands to a wider audience, which includes a "core gamer" market that tends to be more dedicated gaming than even Sony's market (RPG addicts spend far more time and money on games than FIFA & COD players overall), about Japans games (that get some representation on Sony and zero on XBox), and about portability (nobody BUT them has succeeded in that market.)
They DO seem to be identifying that and properly trying to grow that market rather than try to fit into one market or another that exists. Iwata's Blue Ocean strategy was avante-garde, but in post-analysis very flawed in its approach. Rather than expanding the foundations of their market and pushing it in a new direction, they planted a flag in a completely unrelated market, made a big splash, but when the market receded, they had no foundation there to rest on. Ultimately they vacated their prior market, damaging the brand, and didn't resonate long-term with their new market. WiiU is the result of an era when they were between two markets and at home in neither.
3DS being their cement following that, it's a safe bet their banking on that model going forward, which is a much more logical market. A Nintendo shouldn't have to be a Playstation, or an iPad, it should be a Nintendo, which should tell consumers precisely what they're buying. This is, in fact, what they used to do before getting derailed in the GCN era by trying to become Playstation, but in a Nintendo-like way.
@NEStalgia "it should be a Nintendo, which should tell consumers precisely what they're buying."
Ilike that idea, behtemselves, but when being yrouselves youdo ned to market more to get the word out yourselves bc/ journalists don' tknwo hwo to cover what they don't understand.
So far it does look good in that regard, SB commercial, longer US version, 5 minute UK version, Spla2oon in Japan. Eventhe Wii U miht have sold better if they did a better job of marketing. "The Nintnedo way of gaming" is marketable, if they make the effort.
Effort would have been a lot easier w/ a web browser though.
@rjejr PS4's drive is just janky sounding. Sony's never made particularly good eject systems. I've heard of many drive failures on it, but the motor always sounds like it's being overdriven, and too many parts are clicking. I'm sure it's fine, but it doesn't give an impression of quality. The WiiU drive was butter-smooth, dead-silent, and always grabbed the disc comfortably. PS4 I sometimes feel like I'm force feeding the thing before it picks up the disc. Launch day unit, so maybe they improved it since then? It does install everything, but it still reads copy protection segments off the disc every startup.
Durability wise, there's no contest between cart and disc. Discs get scratched (but BD has an anti-scratch coating so it's better), Discs end up smudged and printed, no matter how carefully you handle them though. And ever drop is a possible destruction. Carts you can drop, throw around, whatever. I don't treat my stuff roughly or anything, I'm super careful, but "stuff happens" when you use things a lot in your daily life. I ran out of slots for all my 3DS carts in my deluxe case, so I just started throwing them all in the mesh bag part meant for cables. Never has a cart failed. One of my 3DS's does have a slightly unpredictable cartridge slot that sometimes I have to reseat the cart a few times to get it to recognize it. But it's always been like that so I could have RMA'd it but it wasn't worth the hassle. Wear & tear wise it's a thousand times more durable than the disc loaders. There are LOT of fragile, tiny moving parts in a disc drive, waiting to break (including belts), the cart slot has only the click-lock. It's possible Switch won't even have a click lock, with the rubber cover it could just slip in like a microSD, too (I'm curious about that.)
LOSING them...well that's another story. Yeah they're easier to lose. They're small. Not as small as those darned Vita cards though. Though I manage to misplace discs all the time. They end up in the wrong case constantly. I blame gremlins.
If you swap games a LOT and are worried about wear & tear, I'd recommend giving the contacts a shot of DeOxit Gold. Not cheap stuff, but its a contact cleaner/conditioner/lubricant for gold contacts (meant for A/V mostly.) A shot of that every 3 years and the cart would work fine in a commercial environment I coat all my charging contacts on electronics with it. (Gold for gold contacts, or plated contacts, plain deoxit for bare base metals. For harsh handling (moist environments, salt air etc) DeOxit Shield is invincible. I really don't want to see a Switch running in an environment that needs that though I usually hit AC cords left outdoors with that stuff. I've never hit my carts with it, though that one 3DS might benefit. And my NES carts all wish I'd known about that 35 years ago instead of blowing on them
Don't worry, guys. It'll get a browser eventually.
@rjejr Yep, the marketing is a lot more...well...present...now. WiiU really had no marketing.
I'm still not unconvinced the WiiU wasn't intended to fail after the iPad came out prior to launch and they realized they missed the boat. So much of the WiiU launch feels like "welp, this things not going to go anywhere, let's just minimize expenses, halt the advertising budget, and bunker down for NX as fast as we can."
But yeah what Nintendo has going for it is, that they have little in common with the other consoles. Their entire ecosystem is very much unique to them with only a handful of crossover like Skyrim. A lot of unique games like Monster Hunter and Yokai from Japanese 3rd parties that stick with them on exclusives. They easily have a different game concept to sell with a different feel. Even NES/SNES, Western games were a rare thing. The 3rd parties we remember were still mostly Japanese games. GCN era they were so focused on targeting Sony taking their mantle the prior gen, they forgot who they were and it hurt them. Wii era they just ran away from who they were AND who Sony is entirely. It worked, temporarily. WiiU era they tried to bridge the two eras, but instead came across as though they didn't know where they belonged.
Despite the Joycon emphasis trying to bring back the Wii, to me the Switch feels like we've rolled back to 1995, where they were with the Virtual Boy, off the heights of SNES and GB. This is Nintendo being Nintendo for the first time since then. The return of the red logo before NX was revealed as Switch was, to me, a statement of that.
Even N64, cool as it was, felt "odd" as an NES/SNES/GB/VB gamer. Something changed at Nintendo at that point (maybe losing Yokoi) Switch feels like a continuation of the early machines in its design language and approach. New 3DS did as well.
@NEStalgia "And my NES carts all wish I'd known about that 35 years ago instead of blowing on them"
I know carts are better but I'm old and set in my ways.
It sounds more like "we don't want to deliver our new console with some "hacking entry gate" day one".
As for the "nobody uses that nowadays", I have access to a laptop PC but using the n3DS browser for fast internet checks (emails, infos, orders, etc) is better than waiting for Windows to open and the PC to heat up.
Also watching animations on the browser videoplayer (better render than flat screens for pre-digital videos)
@NEStalgia "The return of the red logo before NX was revealed as Switch was, to me, a statement of that."
I like the red logo and the 2DS slogan "There's no play like it". Not a fan of "Anytime, anywhere with anyone." Makes sense, promotes the portability and the 2-player Joycon out of the box, but it's too generic. It could be an ad for E-vape cigarettes or condoms. "Switch and play" isn't much better but I'm nto sure that's a real thing.
But my personal likes aside, they are marketing, and thats good. Scalpers smile more every time they see a Switch ad. Wii U had 3 mil at launch and no marketing, Switch has only 2 mil at launch and plenty of marketing. I know Ninteod is a big fan of the low stock scenario to boost exposure, but people are getting fed up after amiibo and NES Mini, at some point they may just walk away. It's chicken little or the boy who cried wolf. Hopefully they have stock on the shelves when MK8D and Spla2oon release. I'll get 1 for Christmas but I'm nto getting up early and waiting on any lines. Amazon or a Target shelf.
@Rotgut thing is it isn't built in (as of launch). I'm sure they'll add it later I just don't think a web browser on a gaming machine is essential. I get your argument but I also think people should stop whining about Switch not being an iPad. I see this news all over the internet as if it really mattered that much. What should matter most in case of Nintendo is games and that the system runs without unnecessary slow downs and that it generally feels more like a gaming machine than a nibelsnarfing tablet (I do hope it is that way). That's what I love about my New 3DS XL - you can ignore all the rubbish, only games matter, no distractions. When I pick it up I know what I'll be doing with it.
So, I see what you're saying I just don't care for it's multimedia capabilities. Have plenty of this stuff lying around.
Feel free to disagree of course. CHeers
@burninmylight public hot spots not the best for online gaming
@improviser
My 12 year-old has a smart phone, man.
No offense but if you are a grown man and have an interest in the weather, news, etc... the things you listed... you should prob own a smart phone before you buy more video games. I'm sure you're a nice guy and all, just seems strange to me.
Oh and I agree — there should be a browser on the Switch.
I'm not asking for a bunch of apps like Netflix but come on.
Put it this way, guys: The Switch has a "Share" button to send pics to social media etc - - - - - so why not have a browser so you can access those social media places if you want to??? Makes ZERO sense to me.
@rjejr You kids today don't know how good you've had it. You think optical discs are the old way? I remember when cartridges were the only way! I remember when floppy discs were actually floppy! And you needed 20 of them to install a game, and it took 3 hours, and took almost half of our 5MB hard drives, and we were HAPPIER then. Not in spite of it, but BECAUSE of it!
The slogans: Yeah, "there's no play like it" is a great slogan. I suspect they're going to carry that through with Switch as well. "Any time, anywhere, with anyone" I think has two goals. One state the point of the system (well done), 2, I think it's an attempt to make it go viral with the hipsters given it's overt double entendre. I can see under the right conditions that picking up on collage campuses and high schools as a common punchline to every unfunny joke. Doesn't mean it will happen , but it's probably engineered to try to push it viral. If that doesn't happen they'll move onto another one. Switch and Play, they used in the SB commercial so I'm sure it's a thing, I can see that extending to the end of commercials later on "Switch and Play GTA6 on Nintendo Switch" etc. I think they're really focused on viral marketing at this point, and are floating various meme-ready quotes to see what sticks. Marketing in the internet is an even uglier thing than it was before.
I think Nintendo was exploiting the low stock thing a few times in the past, but I don't think they're actually doing it as a strategy now. I just think they're really bad at estimating their market, and are terrified of overestimating, so are sticking with as low an estimate as they can muster. I honestly believe they stupidly didn't understand how popular NES Mini would be, and I can forgive them for Amiibos....who actually DID think they would be a big success? T2L was half-dead already when they finally arrived. Most of us assumed they'd be DOA. Nintendo probably did too. Wii. GCN was a disaster, N64 was so-so, who would have thought Nintendo would be mass selling far faster than their fastest production? Certainly not Sony and MS who admitted they were really caught off guard....I'm betting not Nintendo either.
Now, if they'd opened preorders after the OCTOBER reveal to get an estimate on how much interest there really was, I don't think we'd be dealing with stock shortages. Opening pre-orders AFTER they already limited production to a conservative estimate is the only real error they've made. I'm not sure why they waited so long for the reveal and announce. Originally they didn't want to tip off competitors...probably wise. But after October that wasn't an issue.
@NEStalgia "Now, if they'd opened preorders after the OCTOBER reveal to get an estimate on how much interest there really was, I don't think we'd be dealing with stock shortages. Opening pre-orders AFTER they already limited production to a conservative estimate is the only real error they've made. I'm not sure why they waited so long for the reveal and announce. Originally they didn't want to tip off competitors...probably wise. But after October that wasn't an issue."
All of this. And I don't even believe them that they are making more. Well "more" as in enough that matters. If they were planning 2 million at launch and 500,000 per month after and now they've gone up to 600,000 per month after that probably won't make the system seem any more available, just give the scalpers more to sell.
Of course we still don't know, maybe they still don't know, what's going on w/ the 3DS Family. If this holiday 2DS is $49, New 3DS is $99 and New 3DS XL is $149 they may sell less Switch then if they simply stop promoting those and leave the prices where they are. Despite TW's best effort to educate us about what "soft launch" means, this still "FEELS" like a soft launch, and E3 begins the real launch. But if E3 shows off a bunch of new must have 3DS games, well then the soft launch continues.
But they still won't make enough Switch. Enough to me is 1 or 2 on every store shelf at all times starting say mid April, they'll be sold out for almost all of March but they need to be available when MK8D launches.
@rjejr I believe they're making more, but I don't believe they're making a sufficient amount to satisfy demand in a reasonable time. I think they went very conservative after WiiU, and are remaining conservative in the uptick without realizing the actual strong demand. OTOH, keep in mind that sales apparently are stagnant going into launch in the UK, I'm not sure how it is in the rest of NoE or the expensive NoAus. It seems to be just Japan and the US that are selling out like crazy. So in addition to manufacturing more keep in mind re balancing supply away from NoE to those two locations will ease the shortages as well. It's a tricky thing. On launch day they're going to sell out of what is 1/6 the entire WiiU install base. That's not trivial. They do have to keep that momentum going. Especially with MK8 as you mentioned. My feeling is it will be tricky to get a unit in the US between March and E3, and units will start becoming more available June into August, normalize in September or October, and then become scarce beginning of December, not recovering until Jan or Feb. It depends on how aggressive retailers are on placing orders, I think as to how they'll ramp production for the holidays.
I Don't see a repeat of the Wii where it took over a year to get them stable. That was an unpredictable fad they were unprepared for (and hard to blame them.) I don't see Switch going faddish, just being a popular product.
We also don't know how many of the 2Mil number were allocated for preorders. Possibly only half. Maybe more, maybe less, but some of that 2 million includes the shelf stock yet to be put on the floor. So how many are actually pre-ordered? 500k? 1.8Mil? That includes Japan of course. Might not be as scarce as we early adopters are led to believe...that's always possible. I think March, for sure, will be pretty difficult to find one for the folks not lining up at midnight or preordered. (fingers crossed my preorder actually sticks.)
3DS, 2DS, I think they're a little torn right now, because right now, in Japan, Capcom has their big franchise yet to come. They HAVE to have a corporate policy that 3DS is current, both for sales, and to meet their obligations to Capcom. I think in the US, probably EU, at the Holidays, we'll see lots of ads and banners around shelves showing happy little kids playing their 3DS. It will be a subtle reminder that "cool kids get Switches, adults get Switches, but little Timmy can go to 4th grade with his Pikachu backpack and a 3DS." I don't see them hesitating to promote 3DS down-market now. Price aside that'll keep it from cannibalizing Switch if its' not presented as competing products. There's the real system, and the cheap old one for kids. (Granted, I love my 3DSs so it makes me slightly sad.)
Heh, like I said in that article's response (TW's soft launch) I haven't seen so much reaching since the Wii Fit Board. Trying to frame it as a non-soft launch based on using literal interpretations of the definition and ignoring context is borderline apologist. And by the literal definition, WiiU never actually had a launch, it never left soft launch stage
It's a soft launch through and through, maybe not by MBA textbooks, but it is all the same.
I don't think E3 is real launch either. WE will be watching it as a hard launch. I think the real hard launch begins November. This is a holiday 2017 console release, with an 8 month cushion to get the early adopters through and figure out where they want everything positioned. I'm guessing they evaluated the 3DS launch and the old hardware cycle and decided to stick with the Feb/Mar release model since they know Nov/Dec is their real sales period, and that gives them two timeframes to sell, avoid a big launch shortage bungling at Holiday (when they WILL lose permanent sales if it's not available) and adapt the messaging. Imagine if Wii launched in March and they ramped production up by Nov?
Heck, Imagine if X360 did!
@slatanek Not the best is still better than not at all. There are plenty of other reasons to need to go online at a public hotspot besides an online play session too.
@NEStalgia It still feels like Wii U hasn't launched yet. Arguably one of it's biggest games is Zelda BotW, shown at E3 2014, and now that's it's finally coming out you'd never know Wii U was getting it.
Sony has a big promotional push for PS4 right now, likely Switch inspired, but it's all about the Slim, Pro is as invisible as the Wii U, so Nintendo aren't the only ones.
@rjejr Hah! It's honestly kind of true. Despite being out years, it never came in with a bang, never had visibility, kind of slunk into the corner of BB and Gamestop, sat there, and migrated around, and even if directly watching Nintendo info, the drip feed of games always kind of felt like a console in beta. The fact it shipped without its OS didn't help I still often wonder if Nintendo failed to launch it by misjudging or if it was all intentional (save money on marketing on a product they knew was sunk at launch.) Just how many years WAS the Switch on the drawing boards, I wonder?
Yeah, BotW....I suppose it makes sense they don't promote it for a console few bought, and they for all intents and purposes no longer actually sell. WiiU will forever bear the blight of being the only Nintendo console not to get its own Zelda. Well, and Virtual Boy. NES got two exclusive ones, so I guess we can move Link's Adventure to the WiiU and call it exclusive. It would be fitting, wouldn't it?
Sony....well PS4 Pro is an odd product that nobody asked for, nobody wants, and really serves no purpose. Unsurprising they treat it like Vita's ugly step cousin. I mean really why does it exist? It's just a more powerful (slightly) PS4 that can't have games depend on it because they need to run on PS4 too (so, just shinier graphics, more specular lighting, better water ripple effects.... (I'm referencing the old days of PC when 3D cards were just getting started if you missed the joke). The official purpose is 4K which is laughable considering PS4 can rarely muster 1080/60. If their "4k" box manages 1080/60 it'll be groundbreaking. The unofficial purpose is support for PSVR, meaning you need the ridiculously priced goggles to make any real use of your overpriced version of a 3 year old console with a better GPU. And worse, the thing sells for worse margin than the Slim considering the legacy parts in the slim.
Who WOULD promote that thing?
The idea of upgrading the graphics for the same platform is a good thing for long-term viability of a platform. But "upgrade the GPU every 2 years" was one of the annoyances that got me out of PC. At least the whole console is cheaper than the video card in PC!
@Rotgut
Hello.
I heard too about Capture button function.
If the button can capture screenshots and share it to social media but without internet browser or Miiverse or any kind of social media, where is the screenshot stored or uploaded ?
@CircuitWrangler3 stop making excuses for Nintendo.
i have but only one use for the browser on my 3DS, and thats to be used for using puplic wifi spots in hotels or other places like convention centers. while this console is made to be portable its gonna need a browser sometime soon for people to truly take this console out of the house, which i know some people think a lot of people dont do but i personally know a ton of people who attend video game and comic conventions and bring there 3DS along and rely on the browser to connect wifi. I dont know if those same people will do same for the nintendo switch its still something to consider how to use this console in puplic wifi spots especially hotels, i honestly think in my opinion and experience there is quite a number of people who would want the browser just to connect to hotel services when traveling. I would at least like another solution to help connect to those web login wifi spots at least, but other then that the console seems fun and looks fine to me, i just know its something thats gonna bother some people down the road. I think its great it at least has lan connectivity though im not fully sure how it works they did mention you can use it to play games like splatoon 2 together using multiple consoles.
@NEStalgia The PS4 PRO has a place in the market and is a quite abit more powerful than the standard PS4. PSVR not so much as 3D is still too inaccessible.
Switch will have a place, but Nintendo need to get their court in order for it to succeed.
@liveswired Certainly true. The problem, though, with the Pro and even the Scorpio is with the built in requirement to support the base model, it can't be a new platform. The games have to still limit themselves to geometries and scopes that fit on the older machines. As a result, the only thing it can really offer is more lighting and shaders, at a higher resolution. It exists primarily to facilitate 4K video and support for PSVR. But for people not looking for those two features, it just plays the same games with somewhat prettier effects settings. It will sell OK, but I do wonder how much of the console market wants to "upgrade their video card every 3 years." The real shame with PS4/XBO was that the original model really didn't move nearly as far beyond PS3/X360 as everyone expected, necessitating the silly mid-gen bump to begin with.
Not that I don't see the Switch being able to follow a very similar model. The bolt-on controllers and dock fit that model nicely.
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