We hope you like peripherals, because it seems like Nintendo has plenty more up its considerable sleeve.
Check out this interesting line from Takashi Mochizuki's Wall Street Journal report on Nintendo's latest good fortunes:
People familiar with the development plans said new peripheral hardware devices for the Switch are planned, without elaborating.
Nintendo has been no stranger in the past for going a bit overboard with peripheral extras for their hottest selling products and the immense possibilities the Joy-Con - paired with the current hot streak of Switch sales - certainly paint a favourable scenario for this to happen.
If Nintendo Labo becomes a hit, will it also become the trigger for a potential downpour of extra plastic (or keeping up with the times: extra cardboard) peripherals coming our way? Time will tell if history repeats.
What is your take on this future possibility, dear NL readers? Do you also keep a storage cupboard at home filled with dozens of Wii plastic accessories? Would you embrace new peripherals for the Switch to extend its usage possibilities, or would you prefer to keep the latest Nintendo console as clutter-free as possible?
Fill that comment section below faster than a landfill of Atari E.T. cartridges.
[source wsj.com]
Comments 137
That's, hardly a surprise!
I mean, come on, they just discovered that they can sell us cardboard and be praised as being marketing geniuses.
I'm interested in quality games, not gimmicks.
I could see thousands of joy con options adjusting shape, size, and look. Specialized for specific types of games like racing etc. Other then that who knows what they got cooking at R&D? After Labo I dare not guess
Cardboard guitar hero for Switch confirmed.
I still want Joy Cons that have a GameCube controller button layout.
How about a Joy-Con with a D-pad?
The more the merrier!
On the face of it, Labo seems to be a stroke of genius. Nintendo re-entering the toy market using the Switch as its base, follow in the footsteps of the likes of Lego, Mecano etc. I'm intrigued what else they might have up their sleeves
For me personally, it depends on what it is. I didn't have that much peripherals for the Wii either: two steering wheels, one wireless nunchuck set, an original Classic Controller adapter (added prongs for more comfortable holding and a Wii remote attachment), and that Zelda target practice gun thingy.
EDIT:
Forgot all about my Wii handgun and assault rifle...
But if it's fun and innovative, then by all means: bring it on. Even if it might not be for me personally, like Labo, I can still see the value in it for others who WILL enjoy it or use it, and if it brings in the money for them to also make the stuff that I and others would want, then more power to them.
Bigger picture, people. Bigger picture. The world doesn't revolve around egotism and personal opinions, and neither does Nintendo.
Would like me some GameCube style JoyCon to go with that hopefully still to be announced GameCube VC/HD makeover titles, though...
I have no interest in Labo myself but its a pretty cool idea and I am not the target market in this instance. I just hope my nephew doesn't catch wind of it......
The least peripherals required to play Switch games, the better. Fair game if they're optional, just don't compromise the design of future games to sell us extra hardware.
The exact quote from Kimishima was “Aside from Labo, we’ve also prepared other ways of expanding ways to play on the Nintendo Switch.” He might expand on that tomorrow during their Annual Corporate Management Policy Briefing. Though it's more likely that will be talked about further down the line. They've to concentrate of Labo first. And from that quote, it doesn't necessarily mean new peripherals.
Labo is launching in less than 3 months and we know very little about it and even less about the software. People say that it's €60 for the software and €10 for the cardboard and yet practically nothing has been shown of what the games contain.
I went way over board with Wii accessories, I remember even buying the awful 'lightsabres' just to play force unleashed, you name it I bought it, with Links cross bow training the only accessories I made use of, (umbrella chronicles was fun with that thing). Ive 'held back' on Switch accessories thus far apart from memory cards, screen protectors, extra joy cons, carry case, spare charger lol
Nintendo built a tablet with slot attachments on the ends, Switch was created to be an ecosystem from the beginning.
Cardboard is just the start of STEM. There will likely be little remote control metal cars and robots as well. Why stop at cardboard? Cardboard is the cheaper option. Go look at Lego, those toys range from $1 to $350.
I still think it's interesting it's called Nintendo Labo, not Switch Labo or Switch Kits, Nintendo Labo. That gives them the option of doing both Nintendo Labo toys that don't require the Switch, and other peripherals for the Switch which aren't Nintendo Labo related. Maybe they will release "Switch Kits" at a later date, objects that attach to the tablet on the end like big steering wheels or larger Joycon for people with larger hands.
It's a tablet and a dock, it's basically a Lego brain, the accessories will never stop.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE
A new idea is always a gimmick until it has proven its worth.
You know as well as everyone here that Nintendo has developed and released additional peripherals and add-ons for every moderately successful system they ever released.
I would love to have Joy Con with different layouts. I loved the Wii U layout with both analog sticks at the top. I still use the Wii U Pro controller on my PC while my Xbox 360 and One controllers are gathering dust.
A left Joy Con with a proper dpad and a right one with the stick at the top would be perfect.
This is part if the reason my Wii got left in the dust - too much junk all over my house, wires and plastic wheels and guns and fishing rods and stuff everywhere! I wish they would just stick to developing their already amazing run of titles and perhaps some new IPs.
@fiben1002
Dance Dance Revolution Cardboard mat confirmed !
@SLIGEACH_EIRE not being funny mate but what is there to know about Labo? its over priced cardboard being sold with a rudimentary flash game. Nintendo's know's if they start releasing more info people will start to realize how bad this stuff actually is.
Can't kill the hype train before it's left the station.
Please be something not specifically for the casuals and kids since I don't think I'll play with Labo for more than maybe 2 weeks to be on the conservative side...
@Razer
I can't be as certain as you, but I fear the worst also.
@HauntingNostrils This thing will flop because what Nintendo have not realized is that kids have not bought the Switch, 90% of parents do not buy consoles on first year of release, you may get the odd 10% that will make sure their kids gets the new toys first but those kids tend to be a bit spoiled and most wouldn't buy cardboard to play with.
You may get a few older gamers who will buy this but that will be far from the majority, it will be a small minority at most, mainly for the novelty and collection.
This product is aimed at a demographic of people who do not own the Nintendo Switch (yet), most parents wait for a price drop before they purchase new consoles for their kids, especially if those kids are young enough to be interested in Labo.
Nintendo have made a huge mistake in identifying their demographic on this one and they will pay in spades for it in 2018.
I want Steel Battalion, deluxe switch edition. Maybe a Labo constructed cockpit.
@HauntingNostrils
Eh, that is my TV ,Wires behind the TV and consoles under the TV (except my PS2 Slim).
Pretty Tangled, eh ?
But i have no problem with those wires.
@Razer I suspect that's what the games will be like as well. With no more depth than the likes of Wii Play.
@ThanosReXXX "The world doesn't revolve around egotism and personal opinions, and neither does Nintendo." Unless you magnify that on a general scale, and then look at Switch, and people's demand for games on it due to handheld. People dismissing awesome games, just because it isn't on Switch, just has me vomit as to where we're going with this.
@Razer
"This thing will flop because what Nintendo have not realized is that kids have not bought the Switch, 90% of parents do not buy consoles on first year of release, you may get the odd 10% that will make sure their kids gets the new toys first but those kids tend to be a bit spoiled and most wouldn't buy cardboard to play with."
You said that...
You can keep expressing your Negativity about LABO.
But i will Prove your claim were WRONG !
And i promise i will show my LABO and my Real photo (again) to you !
We will see...
If they're good, fun, or useful peripherals then I'll trade my hard earned $ for fun any day.
For Wii I was given the wii sports attachments, tossed them while condensing game collection years ago, acquired 3 nunchucks, 5 wiimotion plus wiimotes-1 zelda gold, 1 blue, 1 black, 1 Tron, 1 tiny purple. 2 official wheels, 2 non official wheels, a giant wide scan wireless sensor bar that eats batteries but works for mario party in my wide living room, 2 revolver attachments because it was cheaper than the official zappers, and a score of amiibo. most of those purchased during wiiu and switch though
Please no, Nintendo. You're lucky enough scamming fanboys into buying shovelware with included cardboard
@Razer
I don't think it will pay off for them either I'm afraid. My concern comes from a few more simple things though ('cause I'm a simple guy) -
1.) The piano looks like it's already gone wonkey by the end of the reveal
2.) Lego Dimensions just did near enough the same thing - build it and play it etc - and it just died a death
3.) It just looks like when I first got my Wii and I thought I had to jump around like a butthead while I was playing tennis, when, in relaity, I could just lie on my back and just flick my wiimote like a lazy git.
Which brings me on to the main reason I think it will fail: most of the people I know (and i'm only talking about the people that I know, I'm not talking about everyone here, just a handful) just don't play games to dress like a robot or build a carboard cottage - they do it to escape and relax for a bit after all the important stuff is done. Maybe I just don't know enough cosplayers or something, perhaps this one is based on my own paucity of diversity in my friendship base, but there it is for what it's worth.
@Yasaal
"Please be something not specifically for the casuals and kids since I don't think I'll play with Labo for more than maybe 2 weeks to be on the conservative side..."
Don't be so Egoistic !
Gaming world are not Monopolized by Adult MALE Gamers Only.
What about Women, Kids, Casual Gamers ?
They are Deserved for Great games, even you think are NOT for Adult Male gamers because "Oh, Too Cheesy ! ", "What the heck is that crappy games ! ", " Kiddie ?! I Hate Baby games ! "
Seriously....
@MFD I'm guessing you're kind of agreeing with me (?), but I'm afraid I'm not quite getting you. Except for the "people dismissing awesome games" part, to which I wholeheartedly agree, as a multiple platform owner. But that also goes for Nintendo's games, obviously...
@Anti-Matter Dude, relax. People can have opinions, don't come down on them for it, discuss it with them. You're doing the opposite.
@ThanosReXXX I had an argument a while ago, where someone, a Nintendo Switch owner, was dismayed that he'd have to buy a PS4 + Monster Hunter World because of exclusivity, not knowing the irony and how hypocritical that is considering Nintendo and their many exclusives.
People's demand for convenience are what has given shape to the Switch the way it is, the dock being what it is, is a part of that. That egotism you spoke of resonates in people's demands, them demanding convenience and portability, while there's another part stuck to that. That's why a hybrid is either A. to early, since there are many sacrifices made to have it be the way it is (Cartridges, less powerful, not much room for memory, games bound by battery) or B. should've never come to life to begin with.
I predict that this demand will outstrip the demand for good gaming experiences, since anything will sell on Switch, just make sure it's catered to people's whims. Before long, portability is the only factor devs will bother to cater to.
@Biff_ARMStrong
Shovelware ?!
Even 1-2-Switch can be Soooo..... Hilarious and made me want to buy in Heartbeat.
Watch this 1-2-Switch video gameplay !
The games that i call Shovelwares are the games that Unplayable (Broken games), Uninspiring, Lame in presentation, Poor features, Hard to control, Earbreaking music selection, etc.
1-2 Switch and LABO are NOT Shovelwares just because they have very UNUSUAL Way to play.
Look them from different angle and point of view.
@Anti-Matter That's a nice tidy set up! but, oh man, mine became like a nightmare - I have two young children and they loved the peripherals and the gimmicks, but I ended up feeling like Nintendo should pay me for the storage!
I had a real swamp of cheap white plastic everywhere (not the best colour if you don't eventually like the yellow discoloured messy look either.) all just to control a tiny white box in the corner. Not good for the planet or my tiny house!
@Anti-Matter please don't talk to me. I will block you if you continue. Every time i reply to any of your messages you read about 1/5th of the reply then ypu proceed to ramble about whatever it is you have in your head.
I'd rather not talk to you at all.
Not surprised. Don't know how I feel about so much ultimately waste material being created for basically short-term gimmicks--although it's not like Nintendo is the only company guilty of such waste and gratuitous consumption of our planet's natural resources (almost every company and pretty much everyone using any products created by all the companies are wasting so much resources every single day)--but I expect both some kinda cool and some kind meh products will come out of this.
Switch GameCube compatible controllers with analog shoulders? GameCube VC confirmed.....? ::veins popping out in forehead::
Certainly feels like we're going back to the Wii days.
@MFD It having cartridges isn't a sacrifice (although the apparent prices and restrictions for it ARE), and it is the world's most powerful handheld, so no qualms there either. Can it compare to the other systems? No, but it doesn't have to, since it is in it's own blue ocean.
The exclusivity part for Nintendo titles isn't really a thing either. Obviously, you're never going to see Mario or Zelda on another platform, and the other two have their own exclusives that'll never change platform either, so that's exactly the same on all three platforms.
You're perhaps thinking about Bayonetta 2 and the like, I suppose, but needless to say that without Nintendo, there wouldn't even have been a Bayonetta 2, so they probably deserve and have every right to hold on to that series.
All other titles are debatable, and the whole thing about Monster Hunter is quite understandable if you ask me. The series has more or less been re-invigorated by Nintendo's platforms, and one of their bigger titles in the series not being on the Switch is kind of unexpected and disappointing, even though they did give a decent explanation for it, and it also seems valid enough, but still...
I think that fearing that Labo or anything else is going to take away time/money/effort from core experiences that you, I and any other more hardcore gamers would want, is really WAY too soon to tell.
And besides, the Labo team is more than likely small, since the games are simple, and the designs are too, so I wouldn't be surprised if it isn't even a full team that's working on them, or maybe they're already finished and all it needs is manufacturing and publishing, which already frees up those same people that worked on it to go on and do other stuff.
And Nintendo has five full teams for programming and development, and there's also a few dedicated smaller teams that used to work exclusively on 3DS titles, but they are now also more involved with Switch, so it'll probably not be as bad as you seem to think it will be.
Nintendo now has the ball, and they'd be VERY stupid and oblivious to where they are now if they would drop it again. And with a man like Kimishima at the helm, that's just not going to happen. The man has a completely spotless track record, and has more of a nose for business than any of the previous presidents combined, so I'm not the least bit worried.
Nothing's going to taper off, there's no Nintendoomed, so no one or nothing is going to fall of a cliff any time soon.
In fact, I suspect numbers to rise for the next quarter, and 2018 to be another good year for them. Unless something really weird happens.
@MFD
Don't worry.
I had Ignored him just now.
I had pressed "Ignore" button on him.
Bye bye his Negative comments...
@ThanosReXXX MHW is all about business. Sony paid big to get involved, and they're reaping the benefits, lest we forget that Capcom left Sony to get on Nintendo's platforms, they just go where the cash is, and Nintendo's Switch was still a huge gamble at the time. Do not fret, people surely get their beloved handheld version, and may it be all the worse for it.
Sure, the numbers will rise, and Nintendo will sell well. I, for my part, will just wait for the inevitable spiral of demand for portability to dilute game experiences and cause optimization, bug fixes, and all the other Q and A stuff with Switch to fall. People only care for portability, so all of that is side fluff. Just dump your game on Switch, and watch those sales skyrocket.
R.O.B. for Nintendo Switch (TM)
Power Glove Switch.
Joycons with D-Pads.
Make it happen Nintendo!
@HauntingNostrils wasn’t aware you knew every kind of person from every culture who plays games.
@Anti-Matter I wish you can understand how you can have a opinion others can disagree with. Others can also have an opinion you don't agree with mr dictator
@NEStalgia
What is R.O.B ?
@ThanosReXXX RE Labo, I think concerns about how it affects Switch are justified given Nintendo's history of getting lost in their own tangents. Granted, it was when WiiU was tanking and they needed SOMETHING but look how Amiibo came to dominate all things Nintendo for a while as a recent example. Generally when they have a new "concept" they tend to get lost within it and all their messaging skews to incorporate it.
Labo doesn't REQUIRE derailing Switch momentum. It's just that Nintendo history suggests it's likely they can't control themselves.
@Anti-Matter An NES/Famicom accessory back in the 80s that was really ahead of its time, but failed miserably. He's also a character in Smash:
@MFD Well, that's a decidedly negative outlook, man. Sorry, can't go there with you. Got more than enough dark places of my own to visit...
Oh, and I don't fret about Monster Hunter at all. Got My Wii and 3DS versions to keep me busy, but I'm not that big of a fan anyways, but I do like to think of others than just myself, and other people might like the main games in the series on Switch regardless of what you or I think.
And THAT was actually the egotism I was talking about: only expressing one's own opinion on a certain thing Nintendo does, and condemning them for it, all the while not taking into account that there could be other people that actually WOULD like it.
"Meh, boohoo, I don't want all this cardboard crap. Nintendo needs to make me some real games or I'm going to whine and moan all the way to tomorrow"
So I wasn't talking about exclusives at all.
It's what Nintendo do.
@ThanosReXXX Fair enough, and I can see how portability caters to a ton of people, I'm well aware that my opinion is but a minority, I'm merely looking for some equality here. Look at this link's comments, and tell me what stands out for you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9no_CvzuUS4 What is the Switch being praised for here?
@faint I don't, and don't remember even asserting close to that, but I'm assuming, due to your glib and cocksure response, that you do? If so, then good for you, and good for me too for having met one so enlightened and intellectually advanced in the ways of intercultural communications! I bow to your superiority and wish you all the best as you make the world a better place - unless you're just pulling my leg and trying to make people feel uncomfortable on a public platform. in which case consider your smarty pants ribaldry to have put me truly in my place! What a guy! Wow! - clap.........clap............clap..........
@NEStalgia We'll see. Guess we'll find out in a year or so, but I'm not about to grab my pitchfork and torch that soon, if ever.
Betting on Kimishima...
@MFD Oh man, don't even go there. I completely abhor the average YouTube video comments sections. It's like the scum of the Earth and the Internet's worst have found a permanent home there.
Not at all representative of what I would like to consider as capable or objective human beings...
(there are exceptions of course, but most of it is quite appalling in my opinion, and I always wonder why YouTube isn't banning these kinds of idiots for live)
@HauntingNostrils You used the everyone I know line of anecdotal evidence to back up your claim that the software/Labo will be a failure. We all live in our own bubbles. If you don’t want to be called out don’t use the “everyone I know” argument.
@ThanosReXXX I see this echoed in just about every Nintendo-centric site though. Every comparison video, people come to point out that the Switch version is best for portability. Where does that leave docked? With a nice little side medallion, a pat on the head, and a quick "You did well"?
It can be so much more than that!
@HauntingNostrils btw my partner teaches elementary school kids and they can’t stop talking about it. I’m not foolish enough to think that equals most people wanting it. Just some food for thought.
@faint Everyone "I" know......not "I know everyone". Are you okay? You understand the difference, right.I'm afraid your food for thought is causing an intellectual famine right now.
@MFD I took the time to read it anyway, and what came across is actually quite positive, and yes, it is framed in a "for a portable" quote, but that's mostly what it is perceived as: a VERY powerful handheld, regardless of what Nintendo is marketing it to be.
I still like to think of it as a hybrid, because it does offer a home experience that's better than the Wii U's, so it IS an improvement, no matter which way you look at it, even though it is less powerful than the other two.
And sure: it could be more, but not right now, and not at a decent price point. They could slightly overclock it now, to get a little more juice out of it and make it be on par with the original Shield, but other than putting in another chip, it's not going to be much more powerful than that.
And if Nintendo decides to stay with Nvidia, then there will eventually be a more powerful system, but not until the prices for newer tech can make that an affordable choice for all parties involved, including the target audience. No one, except for a few crazies, would be willing to pay top dollar for a more powerful Switch, that might be more equal to the other two.
And by top dollar I mean double or more than what you'd pay for a Switch right now, because that is what more powerful tech is going to cost you at this point in time.
@subpopz
I think Nintendo has learnt their lesson from Amiibo Festival and Happy Home Designer situation.
Don't EVER set Amiibo as Mandatory gameplay.
@Anti-Matter Definitely!
@HauntingNostrils I do understand the difference. Did you even read my replies? You used everyone I know as anecdotal evidence to beck up your claim you frame as fact which is intellectually dishonest and the entire reason I wrote to you in the first place.
I would love some "XL" or "Pro" Joy-cons since my hands are too big to actually use the Switch comfortably in handheld mode.
@faint Oh wait a mo, you're that chap from yesterday.....oh. Okay, that got very, very, serious. So, i'm sorry, but as much I would love to keep waxing grammatical with you but i'm going to have to Ignore. Bye now.
@HauntingNostrils ah the last stand for a person with a weak argument
@Hordak - Same problem here, oh mighty, large handed, scurge of Etheria!
@ThanosReXXX So what you're saying that, for tech, Nintendo's idea, and everything within and without, this is the best they can do for now? And what about developers being incentivized to patch and optimize for Switch, since this is something that I notice really needs some work.
@MFD No, what I'm saying is that this is the best they can do for now at this price point. People wanting a device like the Switch to have PS4-like power are completely delusional and out of touch with what is both technically and financially possible.
But hey, if we can find a couple of million of customers that are willing to pay around $750 for a Switch Pro, then we might be on to something...
I do agree with you about the whole patching and optimizing thing, though. A lot of people seem to be accepting this as just being normal in today's gaming industry, but for a system relying on cartridges, it is completely and utterly defeating the purpose and advantage of said system.
I'm not going to hold my breath for it to get better, though. Not accepting it, but realistic enough to know that it isn't going to change anytime soon, unless the entire industry stands up to speak out against it...
@MFD That's the nature of being hybrid and not being obscenely expensive though. It can hit the price point, be the most powerful portable ever, AND be a very solid TV player too. It's multi versatile. It does it all and does it all competently. Will it's TV performance rival machines that are dedicated only to the best TV performance? Of course not, it has to compromise. PS4BoxOne by definition are better TV players. But Switch is a far better TV player than PS4BoxOne are portable players. It's still more powerful than a WiiU, and the OG XBox One wasn't all that impressive next to PS4, so even in the "arms race" power hasn't been everything this gen. Microsoft bet on TV features being more important than top graphics. 1X reversed that, but it's not like they stopped selling the former.
Some people dream of a significantly more powerful system, but for mobile architecture that would be a very different beast. Substantially more expensive, much heavier with a bigger battery, bulkier, etc, etc. You have to design around the application, and some people thought Switch was too big already. Some people (including Thanos) have pondered a more powerful DOCK....but what you're really talking about is an eGPU at best (which is VERY expensive and would need a Thunderbolt 3 connector which Switch doesn't have), or effectively a whole OTHER swich and colling solution in the dock that just streams the memory over the attachment... In either case we're talking substantial cost where a "complete" Switch system would range $800-1200. And it still would have to be ARM based. To be PSXBox compatible with an x86 in a mobile device.....well, the only mobile x86 that really fits the form factor is the Surface Book with it's huge heavy battery. With a dedicated GPU it STARTS at over $1500 and goes way up from there. You get three choices in tech. Performance static. Mobile. Or performance mobile. The first two can be expensive or cheap. The last is very expensive. With 2 TV boxes competing on power and no other portable entry....hard to say Switch didn't do it right. It has no competitor that does what it does.
@ThanosReXXX It's also possible Labo will pick up as the "second pillar" 3DS used to occupy and won't interfere. I have faith in Nintendo products. I have less faith in Nintendo messaging.
@MFD @ThanosReXXX As for patching, yeah, I do agree. Then again, look at PSXBox.....optimization isn't great there either and the patching is even worse. I want my whole game on a cartridge, full stop. No excuse not to. But then we have Rockstar with 20GB downloads.....not because Switch can't fit the game but because that's how they deliver all their games on all platforms. The situation on Switch carts needs to get better, but Nintendo can't change the broken business models of these firms. Unfortunately.
I blame Gabe Newell. He started this mess with Steam and the push to digital.
@NEStalgia But then Gabe Newell also gives us awesome Steam sales, so it's hard to stay mad at him
What I want to know, as I've said many a times, is what is the cause of these issues that impair my fun in these games? Why does Zelda/XC2 drop frames? And why isn't it fixed yet?
@NEStalgia $800-1200? Wow, seems I was on the conservative side with my $750 estimate, then...
EDIT:
As for the patching topic: that's indeed what I meant, people AND the industry accepting this as the norm, nowadays. And because of that, I suspect that Nintendo (sadly) can't put their foot down too much, lest they lose all the third party support once more...
@MFD I believe that I had already persuaded @Yorumi to answer the XC2 question in another thread, when you asked me the same thing, and perhaps he might also have an idea about BotW.
My two cents on that title is that it has to do with the porting from Wii U to Switch, Wii U functionalities being taken away/ripped out in favor of the Switch version, and because probably 90% of development has been done on the Wii U, it was always going to be a pretty hefty optimization job to begin with, especially what with them having taken out those functionalities and also because they didn't want to create too big of a disparity between the two versions, which essentially meant throttling/holding the Switch version back from maxing out the hardware.
@ThanosReXXX So I've basically bought 2 of the bad fish in that regard? Am I to see it that way?
@MFD I wouldn't. For all their minor inconveniences/gripes, they're still a couple of really great games, so I'd take all the good along with, and over, the bad.
@ThanosReXXX But to excuse the bad is to breed complacency and allow worse to flourish.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE "I'm interested in quality games, not gimmicks." Agreed, lil tiny infant baby troll. We've been lacking quality games on the Switch. Hopefully this year, us Nintendo fans will get a couple games on those "End of the Year Best of" lists and awards. No more gimmicks - a console that you can hold and use to make your controller walk around? YAWN PASS.
@MFD Those two games specifically, as Thanos said, Zelda was a WiiU port. Tegra is designed to simplify porting from x86 to ARM (read: PS4 to Switch), but it's not designed to simplify porting PPC to ARM (read: WiiU, X360 to Switch.) The opcode is just fundamentally incompatible. It's a port, pure and simple. I fully believe XC2 is as well, it's using the XC2 engine and I strongly suspect when they entered development it was to be a WiiU title like BotW. Atop that, Monolith....simply isn't good at optimization. Never has been. Even before they were Nintendo. Check Xenogears....the frame drops were bad.
@ThanosRexx I do think BotW was maxing hardware....however I also think part of that was a bit of emulation under the hood and some software emulation of hardware shaders the WiiU had hardware accelerated.
@MFD It's not that BotW and XC2 shouldn't be called out for real performance issues, but the way you describe it in a Switch-specific context omits that the vast majority of games across all platforms also experience performance issues. The fact that PS4 Pro has a "boost mode" to allocate some of the reserve power to games that werent' designed to use it to maintain smoother framerates....and that that was a big deal people demanded for months until they added it....provides a window into the industry at large. It was COMMON for games to underperform on a stock PS4 to the point that overclocking them essentially was necessary for smooth framerates. And X1S is LESS powerful.
BotW and XC2 are two very big ambitious games that are PPC ports from WiiU (so more like a multiplat than a 1st party for the console) that push the Switch. What excuse does Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, or Dragon Age: Inquisition, or GTAV have when it drops frames on PS4 which was at the time the most powerful home console when that was the lead console? If the frame drop was unique to Switch you'd have a point. But it's not. That's a reflection of "graphics over gameplay" across the industry at large. That' it's infected Nintendo finally is depressing, but at least those games have very real reasons in their dev history for it to happen.
@MFD In general, yes. But I'm not about to generalize specific cases. That's not an excuse either, but rather an explanation of the probable facts.
And like I said to @NEStalgia in comment #74, Nintendo can't just put their foot down on every second/third party title that's published on their system, since they're not leading the development and/or commercial process with those, so if they want the Switch to keep receiving them, they need to make some compromises.
But as previously said in the other thread, I'm no programmer, so here's hoping that we can once again find @Yorumi, or any other of the developers/programmers on here, to weigh in with their two cents.
@NEStalgia Agreed for the most part, and it could indeed be that the emulation part could account for maxing the hardware out after all, but I still wonder if it did, since the Switch is quite a bit more powerful in comparison. But I'll just refer to me not being a programmer again, so what do I know?
@NEStalgia @NEStalgia I'm trying to find the reason for why these things are happening. I can see performance on third-party multiplats being an issue, but I expect better of Nintendo specific titles, and I count XC2 as part of those. XC2, however, was a rush job on account of Zelda:BotW, so those 2 are invariably linked and could've both been better than they are.
On that account, just about every third-party game I've played had little to no issues, and even when they did (Mario + Rabbids, with your 2 second freezes) they were brilliant enough for me to overlook them.
What miffs me, is when people brush such issues aside with how awesome the game in question is. Sure, the game is great, but it invariably could've been better if the issues weren't issues.
@NEStalgia Very good point about the porting comparisons, though. PPC to Switch is indeed a completely different story.
@MFD I think you're missing that what we're trying to tell you is that they probably couldn't have been better at all, or at most only marginally, because of all the points that both me and @NEStalgia brought up, which are real world issues, that needed to be taken care of, and have been, probably to maximum effect.
And no offense, but you thinking/feeling that this isn't the case, is just your personal sentiment, but by no means a fact.
I'm all for it and excited to see what they can come up. Without Nintendo gaming would be completely different. Their experimenting made the modern gaming scene.
Now only developing for one system and not a handheld and a home console I'm sure they can keep up their regular games and also go all out Nintendo crazy.
Soooo... Gamecube JoyCons?
@ThanosReXXX Well, all blind praise to the Switch I guess. I'll await the inevitable future.
@Anti-Matter You seem like you think I hate kids games? No absolutely not, it's just that 1-2 Switch and Mario Kart have already filled in on that hole for me. I've played all the casual games Switch had to offer (besides these of course). I want some hardcore action. That's all. And if Nintendo wants me to get a game, it better be a hardcore one. (Not asking for Smash here, I'm not an idiotic fanboy who spams "Smash" each time Nintendo tweets even so much as a hello)
@MFD Aw man, no offense, but this is getting old and that's not what I'm saying, at ALL. I would REALLY appreciate it if you would kindly stop twisting and/or misinterpreting every word I say. How can you NOT understand what I say (and not just me, but also @NEStalgia) and simply translate every logical conclusion and/or theory with Nintendo not doing their best or making a mess of things?
I'm trying to be as clear as possible, and my words are supposed to be read AS IS. No ulterior motive, no ambiguous meaning or whatever...
I think you really need to take off the "blame Nintendo"-specific goggles, and look at the industry at large, just like @NEStalgia also tried to tell you, and see things for what they ARE, not for what you THINK they are. That's a BIG, significant (and relevant) difference...
@Razer Dude, that's certainly not the picture in the children's ward where I work. Apparently the ward was full of Switches on Christmas Day - most of the kids got one.
And this is in the U.K. - hardly Nintendo country (very little store space, let alone window display). The fact that the kids knew what it was and wanted one was a big surprise for me this early in its life but great news for Nintendo I'd say.
However, feedback I've had points to them feeling the games are thin on the ground - and that's fair enough if you look at what is available for the younger ones. Labo, Kirby and Yoshi are perfectly positioned to feed this new crop of Nintendo kids.
@MeloMan
That would be cool. Especially with GameCube games. Playing the old games with the old controller would be amazing.
I'd be tempted/ probably buy joycons or just replica controllers of every nintendo system.
@ThanosReXXX I'll just hope that these happen to be specific and unfortunate cases.
Cut me some slack here, Thanos. I see this marvel of engineering as a handheld, and see the home-console part slapped on with that dock. It has me fear for future home-console iterations of Nintendo games.
@ThanosReXXX Emulation comes with a huge performance penalty on a factor of several times over. Nintendo uniquely has a lot of hardware shaders in their custom hardware traditionally which is how they can pull off the things they can pull off even on 3DS. Switching to the Tegra platform they'd certainly lose access to some of those custom shaders and would have to emulate them or remove them (or change them.) It's very likely that's eating a good bit of power if they refused to dump those effects.
BotW in particular is VERY CPU heavy though. The physics engine is pretty sophisticated. And it doesn't bog down on that even on WiiU. Amazing considering the codebase needed to work for both PPC AND ARM.
@MFD
Those two games ARE multiplats. BotW is literally multiplat on WiiU and Switch. Despite being both Nintendo those systems are radically different architectures while XB1 and PS4 are almost identical architectures. XC2 didn't release on WiiU but it very likely was originally mostly written for it (that one involves some speculation plus knowing it's the XCX engine.)
Keep in mind, GameCube, Wii, WiiU, XBox 360 all are IBM PowerPC based. PS3 was a custom architecture called CELL, and that led to it's MANY problems with multiplats. PC, XBox One, PS4 are all Intel x86. Switch and mobile are ARM. Both ARM and PPC are extensions of RISC but both are very different. So porting across the same architecture (X360 game to WiiU, GCN game to X360 is easy. Porting ANYTHING to or from PS3 is a nightmare and a half. Porting from x86 to Tegra (Arm/Switch) is easy as nVidia designed it for that purpose. Porting anything to or from PPC is a nightmare....but minus the extra half PS3 was. I.E. porting MHW to Switch would be an EASIER task than porting BotW to Switch because x86->Tegra/ARM is easier to do well than PPC->Tegra/ARM. It would have to have graphics cuts due to overall geometry limitations, texture bandwidth limitations, etc, but the actual engine would be less awful than porting the Xenoblade and Zelda engines from WiiU to Switch.
"Cut me some slack here, Thanos. I see this marvel of engineering as a handheld, and see the home-console part slapped on with that dock. It has me fear for future home-console iterations of Nintendo games."
The dock isn't "slapped on" but the nature of electronics design dictates the design is based on the handheld because that's the smallest functional unit. The overall trend of the whole tech sector is miniaturization, mobility, energy savings, etc. Even the PS4 Pro and X1 is actually using a mobile CPU/SoC along with a laptop GPU solution. The Jaguar was made for x86 tablets. And that's limiting PS4/X1 severely. Competition between MS and Sony will still continue to focus on power, but its a bit like the companies trying to make the best sounding CD players while the rest of music has gone digital. Nintendo's headed the direction tech is: mobile. I don't think they'll do another static console. But I think this step is the "bottom rung" of the ladder and it will improve as mobile tech overall improves and replaces ever more static devices.
Heck Samsung's selling a dock for Galaxy phones that lets you use it as a desktop PC. Complete with a little windowed OS. It won't compete with an Autocad workstation any time soon but for sending emails, documents, and browsing, that's all a lot of people need. MS and Asus are going all in on convertible notebooks.....laptops that undock into a tablet, then dock as a notebok or dock to a keyboard/mouse/monitor. For the first time in a long time, Nintendo is actually on the bleeding edge of the tech trend with Switch. Which is exactly why it's a success.
@MFD Don't get me wrong: I hear you and understand your personal gripes with the system. All I and NES are telling you, is that it isn't a Nintendo-specific thing, and expecting them to change or improve it, isn't an achievable goal, because the ENTIRE industry would need to change in order for that to happen.
For all we know, this is just as bitter a pill for Nintendo as it is for a lot of us: "want to play with the big boys, Nintendo? Then accept patches and downloads after the fact as the norm, otherwise, no third (and/or second) party support... "
As for Nintendo's own games: seen in their own bubble, and compared to the previous system, the console experience is definitely there, it's better, and is considerably more successful, so what's not to like?
People just need to stop making unfair comparisons to the other systems. The Switch will NEVER be as powerful as those, if it has to remain in the same price range, so we really need to see and judge it for what it is, not for what we would want it to be.
If we keep comparing it 1/1 with the other two, then the Switch will lose every time, that's a no-brainer. But that would not only be a useless waste of time and energy, it would also not do the system the justice that it rightfully deserves...
@ThanosReXXX I'm just looking for that little bit more when playing docked, y'know? But I feel that what I'm looking for isn't there yet and I wonder if it will come or not, since I don't think there's demand for it.
@MFD Did you/do you have a Wii U, and if so, is that also lacking a real console experience in your opinion?
If the answer is yes, then we'd have to look at why, or it could be that it's fair enough (although again: of course not compared to Xbox One/PS4) but if the answer is no, then the Switch cannot be seen as an inferior experience to that, since it is considerably more powerful than the Wii U.
Of course, all the ports don't show that, but there are some games that do already show this, and as developers get more familiar with it, the games will improve as a result, as they always do with every console platform once it starts to mature.
Other than that, I don't know what it is that you're looking for/hoping for and if it's even realistic, in light of what Nintendo can and does currently offer.
@NEStalgia Fair enough on the emulation part, and I kind of already knew that, since the golden rule of emulation on PC always was "your rig needs to be at least 5 times more powerful than the system you're trying to emulate to get a decent experience out of it", but where it concerns the Wii U's CPU heavy operation, I have to cordially disagree:
It is pretty well known that the Wii U was GPU-centered, and had a rather weak CPU, which made the porting of Xbox 360/PS3 titles, which actually were CPU heavy, such a chore.
The Wii U's more powerful GPGPU, when used correctly, would easily have been able to take care of that short-coming, but most developers didn't have the time or didn't want to invest the time and money into that extra bit of optimization, making most titles actually inferior to their Xbox 360/PS3 counterparts and ultimately leaving only a small handful of ports (most notably NFS Most Wanted U) to actually be superior to those other two versions.
I still miss my House of the Dead: Overkill special edition with magnum gun shell for Wii. They were some special times.
@ThanosReXXX I have a Wii-U, and have never complained about it, to be honest. Not with the Wii either, simply because it's clear what they are, and the Switch plays loosely with this to be honest. The dock, and how it is being mostly empty plastic, just has me uncertain as to whether the mode I love about Switch will still exist in the future.
@MFD Well, I'd love to be a fly on the wall of Nintendo HQ, so I would be able to tell you that (and also kind of satisfy my own curiosity), but all I can give you for now is that we're going to find out either way sooner or later.
But I am pretty confident that Nintendo isn't going to let their current success be a one time thing, so they're probably already gearing up behind the scenes to make 2018 just as good, or even better. Kimishima will more than likely see to that.
It would be a decidedly dark stain on his otherwise spotless resumé, and it would seem to me that he's not the kind of person to let that happen to Nintendo, let alone to his own career...
EDIT:
And I'm also pretty sure that they're not going to abandon the home console experience. They might be focusing on the whole "take your game anywhere" selling point right now, but I really don't see them going handheld only. And knowing Nintendo, they're always looking to change the game, time and again, so a Switch 2 might also not even be all that likely, so who knows, you might finally get your true Nintendo home console after the Switch has been sent off to greener pastures...
In other news, although not quite peripherals, still very interesting:
https://www.thenerdmag.com/nintendo-switch-homebrew-retro-consoles-classic-doom-playable/
And this interesting tidbit:
@ThanosReXXX It's not that I hate the Switch as portable, it's just that it feels strange to have it be mostly a portable in form-factor with an accessory for docked mode. Give the dock some real clout, and that's fixed.
Remember, Nintendo calls it a home-console first and foremost
@MFD It's highly unlikely that docked mode is going to go away. Even if Nintendo is all about handheld for whatever reason, it increases the value of the product, enlarges it's market reach to a broader audience, makes better inroads into markets that value the TV experience and costs virtually nothing to add. Now that phones and tablets all have a TV out either direct or by attachment, there's little reason to believe that Nintendo handhelds no matter the format won't. It simplifies their own cost structure as much as anything having unified software. The dock doesn't need to be much more than plastic. A single processor on a tiny circuit board can handle charging, audio video in/out, network over hdmi, and USB control. What more does a dock need to function? The actual handoff is part of the Switch itself. I have a mobile workstation laptop with a dock. Dock costs $300. It's a plastic bar with a proprietary connector, plastic latch, and a port replicator. They've been selling them for decades. The thing is a dock needs to be designed to be easily receptive/releasing of the object in question, but it doesn't really need to DO much at all, the real hardware is on the thing you're docking.
"Switch" being named "Switch" is it's own statement as to what it is. It Switches. They spent a lot of money being very clear with that. It's a console, it's a handheld, it's both whenever you want it to be, and it does the switch in an instant. Would they abandon this concept next time? They've done stand alone handhelds for 30 years. They've done consoles for 35 years. Nintendo tends not to go backward. When they change an idea it's for something radically different entirely. I don't think we'll ever see a stand alone console or stand alone portable from them ever again. For now it's all about hybrid. In the future, who knows....wearable...projectable....an embedded Mario cortex into our hypothalamus.....hard to say with Nintendo
@MFD Well the GPD Win2 is first and foremost a PC, even though it's a 100% portable device
I think you're letting the form factor get to your head. Imagine if it wasn't portable at all. Imagine if it was just a square black box you plugged into your TV, and the joycon+charge grip was in the box (no rails on the console, you'd charge Joycons in the charge grip) And inside the black box was the exact same Tegra hardware. As thanos said, it's significantly more powerful than WiiU. You'd have accepted that as a console with a new controller that builds on the Wiimote. But add rails, an HD display, and a battery and a detachable docking station and you suddenly get bothered by it being portable. It's perception. The same machine not made portable would be a clear upgrade to the WiiU, but add in a myriad of features and underneath it and it becomes "a portable not highlighting the dock."
Which is precisely why they kept saying "it's a home console first", so people wouldn't get confused by the form factor. Handhelds don't play Dark Souls and Skyrim. Switch does. But it can do it portably too. "The home console you can take with you" was quirky marketing but very descriptive specifically addressing people who may look at it with the same angle you do. Like being able to pick up a PS4 and keep playing without disconnecting things and finding a power outlet. And without having to deal with *#$@($ Vita Remote Play.
I hope they don't get sidetracked though ...
That quality of life thing they've hinted at in the past will surface at some point. My guess is that they have too much invested in that to not release it at some point.
@NEStalgia In that case, why is it that Nintendo is saying stuff like this? PR BS again?: http://nintendoeverything.com/nintendo-says-handhelds-still-have-a-future-3ds-game-development-continuing-more/ http://nintendoeverything.com/aonuma-says-switch-doesnt-mean-nintendos-concept-of-a-dedicated-handheld-will-disappear/ http://nintendoeverything.com/kimishima-says-3ds-and-switch-wont-compete-will-run-in-parallel-3ds-will-get-unique-software/
@MFD
You know ?
I play Nintendo Switch mostly 99 % in Handheld Mode.
Thanks to its portability.
Sometimes i'm too lazy to use my TV as Home console Mode.
No all that was true. All 3 articles are discussing the future of the 3DS. That was back in July. 3DS is still on shelves and will remain on shelves for the next year with some new (third party and late port) titles coming to it. None of those articles said they were making a 3DS successor, only that they consider all things. (I.E. If Switch crashes and burns we'd keep going like nothing happened.....) Much like the DS being the "third pillar".....code for "if it fails miserably, we'll go back to making GameBoys like nothing happened.") But the DS took off like wild fire. So did Switch. GameBoy is now retro. And *DS will become retro as well.
It was a true statement, hedging the future in the distance and acknowledging 3DS was going to continue for some time, which it is.
And a purely dedicated low budget Switch model (think of a Switch version of 2DS) is almost inevitable. A Switch device in a mobile-only shell is still a "dedicated portable" even if it's a cheaper Switch without a dock. Expect that around whenever Pokemon drops. They always have a budget model for kids when Pokemon drops.
When the above statements were made they didn't know for sure the long term success of Switch and back at launch TPC was unsure enough not to commit. Once it showed it was a big success, and TPC accepted that Pokemon can safely move to it, the hedging, and the "third pillar" time was over. Switch became the 3DS's replacement in addition to WiiU's. But 3DS still has some life in it. Heck, PS3 is still for sale, why would 3DS suddenly stop? But it's still "the old model."
Of course they certainly must have HOPED it would transpire this way, but it would have been foolish to commit to that without knowing while 3DS was still quite successful on its own. Now that Switch has already surpassed WiiU and is on a good trajectory to eventually surpass 3DS, no harm doubling down on it for real.
@MFD Simple: they want to keep selling 3DS handhelds and games. Telling people that they're not going to support it any more at a certain time, will only work to their disadvantage.
It's about keeping control of the buying behavior of your target audience. People will walk away if something threatens to be discontinued.
And to be fair: all these articles are old, the youngest being well over a half year back, so you have to look at it from that point of view as well.
We now know that there will still be 3DS titles released this year, until well into the 3rd quarter of 2018, if I'm not mistaken, maybe even until the end of this year.
If they would have already stated back then in February/March 2017, in that same interview, that they were going to discontinue the 3DS and/or its games, then they would probably have sold a whole lot less New 3DS's and New 2DS's, and they still needed to get their Returns On Investment from those.
So, it's basically a normal company policy. And that doesn't just count for Nintendo alone.
And if they would have released that info earlier, then no reassuring us that there would still be titles coming well into 2018 would have made most people reconsider abandoning the platform altogether for something else that wasn't about to be discontinued.
Saying certain things/revealing certain plans too early just isn't smart business keeping: it can definitely have a negative effect on your overall sales, so it's a matter of the right timing and knowing when to release certain information or not.
Good news to me. Things I would like to see: Alternative Joy-cons, Official new docks with different features, and official Nintendo Wireless headphones, preferably not earbuds, but headphones and sets for both adults and kids.
People seem to forget that we're still getting Prime 4, Fire Emblem, Bayonetta 3 and other "hardcore" games along with Labo. I'll never understand this mindset that it's one extreme or the other.
They'll keep Labo as something focused for smaller children, versus the big hitters for the hardcore audience, and I honestly don't see the problem. Nintendo has always sought to appeal to everyone. Not eveything needs to appeal to the "gamer" crowd.
Specially, we need changes in the PC crowd, since all the "gamer" things are so damn tacky...
@ThanosReXXX @NEStalgia Well then, here's a little more recent for you: http://nintendoeverything.com/kimishima-on-stable-3ds-sales-will-continue-separately-and-in-parallel-with-switch/
@MFD Well, thanks for the extra effort, but my reply stays the same because it still applies.
@ThanosReXXX Thanos, tell me, are you excited by the games you know are coming so far? So with 100% certainty, aka not Pokemon.
@MFD Are you kidding me? Hell, yeah! I mean: Metroid Prime 4, Bayonetta 1, 2 & 3, Payday 2, Donkey Kong: Jungle Freeze, The Dragon Quest games (Builders and the other one that's been delayed), Dark Souls: Remastered, Mario Tennis Aces, Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus, No More Heroes 3, and then there's a truckload of great Indie titles coming in, and other than that, there's also still a few titles we might expect, like Yoshi, Kirby, a Smash Bros, Pikmin 4, a Paper Mario, and third party efforts like Steep are also still on the list of not cancelled (yet), with Ubisoft themselves saying that it's still in development for the Switch.
@ThanosReXXX Now think about having a strong multiplat system, so the multiplats fall off. Imagine being tired of 2D platformers and platformers in general. What's left then?
@MFD How can you have a strong multiplat system, if the multiplats fall off?
Either way, that still leaves the Bayonetta series, Metroid Prime 4, Mario Tennis Aces, Pikmin 4, and whatever else is coming from Nintendo themselves that I'm sure they will reveal somewhere later this year in any of the upcoming Directs.
P.S.
I'm not quite sure where you're going with this, but it's not going to change my mind, so if that's your goal, then no offense, but you'd better save yourself the trouble, 'cause I can see right through that.
I can't be steered towards anything that I don't want to or don't believe in. I simply don't get steered, I'm the wheel man: I do the driving. One of the many benefits of my trade...
And also: I don't think that there's a whole lot of people that are going to get tired of Nintendo's platformers, so that's a VERY theoretic point. They might get a bit tired of Mario, but what with Yoshi, Kirby and Donkey Kong also more than capable of delivering strong titles, there's more than enough to choose from.
@ThanosReXXX I don't seek to steer you, if that's what you think, then you're misinterpreting me. I'm merely wanting to give you an idea of how I view that list. I've not bought SMO, even though I've said on many occasion that it's a brilliant game, I've just fallen, completely, out of touch with platformers and 2D games in general save for a very select few (Terraria comes to mind).
I bought Tropical Freeze when it was a selects on Wii-U, me and a friend messed around some, but I ended up quickly returning it. Pikmin.. I don't know. Never really caught my interest, same with Metroid, but I'm willing to at least try Metroid, assuming it's good.
Mario Tennis... that's the kind of game that I'd only play when there's people around to play it with, aka never. I guess 2018 is just not my year when it comes to Nintendo.
@MFD Okay, that's my bad, then. But there's no need for despair just yet: it's early days, man. There's a LOT that can happen in a year, and like I already said before: they'd be insane to let this ball drop, now that they're going as good as they are.
Many things can be said about Nintendo: they're weird, stubborn, a bit too traditional (well, at least: for the Western mind), arguably not quite with the times, and what have you, but insane they are definitely not.
And you may not like the current upcoming roster, and there will probably also be people that couldn't care less about games such as Metroid Prime 4, but they can't please everyone, obviously, but it's definitely not for lack of trying. And I'm pretty confident that there's a few more nice surprises in the pipelines.
Just because these currently known titles are all that you see NOW, doesn't mean that it's all we're going to get for the ENTIRE year.
A wise man once said that absence of evidence is not evidence of absence...
@MFD Not a lie. Sales ARE still running parallel. And will continue to do so as they haven't discontinued it yet. Similarly PS3 and X360 sales continue despite PS4 and X1 being 4 years old. And Wii Mini continued along WiiU (ok...that one was a bad idea......but you get the point ) DSi/DSLite continued with 3DS. It's normal to still sell your old console for a while....it establishes a budget line for what I'll call "tier 2" customers....the bargain hunters that don't buy new, but still serve as a good secondary budget market. They didn't do it with WiiU because...well....it was an utter failure they tried to erase the existence of.
@JTMnM Yep, this is absolutely needed and an obvious money maker.
Nintendo only cares about gimmicks now which is sad, I wish they would go back to making quality games rather then gimmicks like during the NES/SNES eras.
I hope they come up with a giant plastic peripheral that lays flat on the ground that I can snugly place my joycon in, because I can't be bothered to actually hold it and press the buttons at the same time.
@Tasuki Yeah, SO true. That Zapper light gun, the Power Glove, R.O.B. the Robot and that Super Scope Bazooka were SO necessary and not gimmicky at ALL...
And it wasn't just Nintendo themselves, there were dozens of gimmicks for the NES and SNES.
Here are the complete lists:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nintendo_Entertainment_System_accessories
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Super_Nintendo_Entertainment_System_accessories
@Yorumi Thanks for chiming in again, much appreciated. As for that much needed Direct, I suspect we may either have one this month or early March, and then of course a real one, not a Mini Direct...
@Yorumi Yeah, Switch is Tegra which is sort of custom ARM with an x86 bridge.
Monolith was helping on BotW, plus XC2 was developed along side XCX. And the engine was not only WiiU from XCX, but it was never especially good to begin with. Monolith engines never are. Though I don't know it needed as large a staff as the past 2. XCX needed to BUILD the engine and define all the mechanics. XC2 only needed to reuse and tune parts of that, keep most of the battle system, etc, so not as many people were really needed, though I do think they rushed it to get that "year 1 holiday" target. OTOH, when Nintendo rushes to hit deadine you get XC2 and WW. When 2k and EA rushes to hit deadline you get WWE2k18 and ME: Andromeda......... Even when rushing Nintendo has better quality than the rest.
I think an April direct is usually their "big" direct time. They've done Feb a few times, so I wouldn't rule it out. But demand or not this feels like an April kind of year. They just put out a block of huge games....they can delay revealing the new wave.
@ThanosReXXX According to your list there was seriously an accessory called "Reggie's Joystick"......
@NEStalgia Well, it's not exactly MY list...
And personally, I'd stay the heck away from anything that's a part of Reggie...
@ThanosReXXX Looks like it was a Famicom only accessory. I wonder how many kids in Japan played with Reggie's Joystick in the 80's? Maybe the kids that didn't got Piste instead.
@Yorumi I 100% agree with all you've said, and I've a question to ask. What of Super Mario Odyssey? It looks absolutely stellar, but how much does that push Switch?
@ThanosReXXX I really hope for that direct, as someone whose played most of the Wii-U ports and has a PC to buy these other games on, I'd need multiplayer and many people buying Switch to convince me otherwise to buy them
just got my switch labo balance board and this thing rocks.
@Yorumi So what do you think the chances are for Game Freak to really go all out and make Pokemon Switch the best it can be, instead of, what I believe most likely, just shinier regular old Pokemon? (I also really hope they emphasize what it'll be like playing it on TV, since that's gonna be interesting)
I'm a put this here
DIY Cardboard Musical Keyboard Kit KAMI-OTO, via @Kickstarter https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2099889341/diy-cardboard-musical-keyboard-kit-kami-oto
@Yorumi @ThanosReXXX @NEStalgia So I found some more on XC2, and I am kind of angry at Nintendo. http://nintendoeverything.com/xenoblade-chronicles-2-director-on-the-character-models-reason-for-outsourcing-more/
They really didn't give those guys a lot to work with!
@MFD Well, that was an interesting read, but the fact that part of the team was tasked with working on BotW was already known, and @NEStalgia already told you so, and as such, that shouldn't really have come as a surprise to you.
@Yorumi I can imagine. XC2 should've had more time and more people, yet it was cut-short for BotW.
@ThanosReXXX Aye, but it's good to have confirmation from the developer.
@Yorumi depends who they outsourced what to. I mean rare games were outsourced but they were great. Wooly world. Many Nintendo games are often outsourced in part it full, they maintain mostly small teams to augment with select mercenary partners, but Nintendo manages the core game. And with their hd woes that'll be the norm. Xc2 he's talking about outsourcing the models but that doesn't affect the actual game, and they kept the main characters in house. Monolith may still be the party you're unhappy with.
Heck sf0 was outsourced but to Platinum... Should have been gold. But instead was what it was. Though i still contend it was better than people say.... It viewed as an arcade cabinet style game in a way only wiiu could offer rather than a cinematic game.
The ui wasnt outsourced but they apparently lost 3 programmers mid way(what kind of ea like sweatshop are they running at monolith and Nintendo??) and had to make do with too few staff.
@Yorumi i suppose that's subjective though. Several people here have raved how it's the best Xenoblade yet and totally amazing. I haven't opened it yet, so well see, but it seems it depends on what you're looking for in a Xenoblade game, perhaps.
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