Nintendo Has No Plans To Bring Dockless Switch Bundle To The West

Ah well it's not the world's best deal anyway Here's hoping for a Switch Mini someday

Calling it now, Nintendo announces Dockless Switch at E3, lol

It's not the best value at that price either way.

If you want a 2nd Switch. Just buy a full Switch and sell the dock, Joycons, power supply on ebay.. Lol Just keep the switch tablet!

You can't even just walk in a store in japan and purchase a Switch without a dock, instead you have to order it directly from Nintendo.

@Joeynator3000
The same as they announced individual Switch configurations?

A Switch Pro with a 3DS cart slot!!! =)

Nintendo always have "no plans" until they announce something themselves.

No problem, i'll wait for the handheld version.

Immaturely I've been hoping for a news site or even a member to make a typo on "Dockless" ,but I've yet to see one. Easy done as I nearly done it myself when leaving a comment about it in the forum but I noticed before I clicked post.

Best typo I've ever seen involved the O and I.

"Margaret Thatcher dies following a strike" BBC reported. If you're British you'll get it.

If it wasn't enough to have it in type,a BBC news reporter actually says it out loud.

https://youtu.be/zyAgMKS7J1M

Inconsistency across territories bugs me.

@OorWullie ha, beautiful

Dockless Switch confirmed for Smash Brothers Switch

@OorWullie Oh please, how hard is it to type Dickless Switch Bundle?

@patbacknitro18 You done it on purpose though so it's not as amusing.

The Switch Mini doesn't seem all that exciting a prospect to be honest. A smaller screen would just make certain home-console orientated games even squintier, and I doubt losing the joy-cons would save all that much money.

That said, we got the 2DS, which happily nerfed the 3DS's central gimmick of '3Dness', so losing the Switch's central gimmick of being able to 'switch' between home and portable modes isn't beyond possibility.

Still, if the dockless Switch bundle was cheaper and more widely accessible, it'd remove most need for a Switch Mini.

@OorWullie Typing Dickless Switch Bundle is not the first thought that comes to mind when balancing the comment section. But this does put a smile on my face.

For the western market a Switch bundle with multiple docks would make more sense, we have more TV's per household.

@Maxz
Handheld only Switch and you can say good bye to local player Mario Kart, Smash Bros., Mario Tennis and so on. Of course it would work like in the 3DS, where everyone needs to have his/her own Switch and the game too. But do we want this, when there are other possibilities? 🤔

@Joeynator3000 Along with Pokemon Switch only being playable in handheld mode on all Switches

@Maxz i agree. However I thought the general consensus was toward a Nintendo Switch 'pro' system with maybe larger screen and/or beefier processor?

All of this is conjecture anyway.

I'm happy with the current specs of the Switch. They're perfect for me.

Eh, I really don't see the point in a dockless Switch anyway. The gimmick of the console is in the name. However, I could understand people not wanting to pay for a dock if they aren't going to use it. This deal isn't worth losing tv play, though.

@Spudworthy A dockless Switch bundle would be welcomed by those of us with multiple Switch units in our home. Both my sons have a Switch and their docks are connected to my living room & den TV. So I really have no need for another dock. If I could spend, say $199, for a Switch without dock it would save me $ and still have multiple docks to use if I choose to play on the TV.

I'm not surprised, to be honest. Here in America, at least where I live, people love them some big screen gaming. Like, a lot.

Probably too much.

And all they play is whatever's currently popular. So, at the moment, Fortnite.

I figured as much. It will come in a box as a standard dockless/mini Switch when the time comes, customization be damned. I will be waiting on that.

This reminds me. I really just want a more portable 3DS killer version (if they can sell dockless, they are on the right path, there) and then a nice fat more powerful version a la PS4 Pro. Both this Holiday season... nah, I'm dreaming here, so let's make them both immediately available at E3 along with MP4 and Pokémon.

I do think there will be some sort of reconfiguration by the end of this year. A repackaging... maybe dockless, maybe a price reduction, but no new hardware. I actually think a small price reduction would be good right now as the third parties haven't been taking up slack with big games. At least something that feels "good will" as the online comes in to augment profits a bit.

@N64SNESU
Get a 3DS or a PS Vita if you want only a handheld.

There were also "no plans" for DLC for SSBU, and the next thing you no there were $100 worth.

This will NOT come to the US though in this form. People in the UK may buy stuff from Nintendo.com but nobody in the US us buying it that way. We have the Nintendo store but it's the only store on the planet you can't order online from.

So when they say "not in the West" I believe them, b/c the West will NOT get the option to customize our Joycon colors, when a dockless Switch comes to West it will be a bundle on store shelves.

If you read the linked to article it specifically says "this configuration" and this configuration is NOT about a dockless Switch, it costs too much for that, "this configuration" is about having the ability to individually choose what 4 colora of Joycon and straps you get, and I 109% believe this will never come to the US.

Its horrible value for money.

You can sell the dock on ebay for more money than you save buying a dockless switch.

@MrBlacky no thanks the Nintendo switch works perfect as a handheld

@MrBlacky I have a black and a white N3DS and 2 N3DS XL consoles and I don't do Sony......

It’s not worth it, you only save $50 and there is no charger. An extra dock and charger is $90. Therefore you’re losing $40 on the deal.

@N64SNESU What ?!?!

Maybe I’m in the minority, but I never play in handheld mode. I’ve never even used the joycons, it’s been the pro-controller since day 1.

does not matter to me.

It’s a bad deal anyway, eh.

@rjejr I agree, "this configuration" is the key phrase here. A ~dockless Switch~ is still on the table.

@rjejr @bratzdoll

I'm actually gonna shoot all over that post by saying one thing.

You say "This configuration" refers to the custom Joy-Con part right, as its too expensive to be a configuration referring to a sans-dock SKU.

Bad news buddy. They've been doing the customise your own Joy-Con thing for months, long before this, and the price remained the same.

https://www.polygon.com/2017/1/19/14326620/nintendo-switch-different-colors

So yeah, "This configuration" means very much a dockless variant for sale, as what you are referring to as "This configuration" has been done since before launch

This specific configuration is the dockless variant, not a custom colour one.

An AC adapter would be nice.

If you ask a company whether they will release something that they didn't already announce, the answer will always be something like this, since they wouldn't make such a notable announcement in some random statement.
Whether they truly have no plans doesn't even matter.
Not saying that they will release this dockless version in the west, but this right here does not confirm or deconfirm anything.

And an answer like "we can't comment on that yet" is usually taken as a 90% confirmation as well, so even that is rare.

They aren’t bringing it to the West, but perhaps they will bring it to the East... specifically to the US?

@YummyHappyPills "This configuration" can also mean "eshop-only" or "without an AC adapter" etc, everyone can read into it whatever they want to read.

There's no way they wouldn't offer a cheaper, portable-only alternative down the line, what with their current one-system-per-person approach and all. And with 2 Pokemon versions on the way? It's just not realistic!

Well that's because Nintendo rarely considers any markets outside of Japan. They're very local in this regard.

@bratzdoll 2 rumoured Pokemon versions on the way.

And of course they will release a cheaper alternative down the line. Funnily enough every system does that. Its basic economics. Make production cheaper, price to consumers goes down, demand goes up, profit goes up.

As for it being portable only...well thats simply not true. For it to be portable only the console itself would need to have the ability to interface with the dock removed. What you're asking for is a Switch SKU that has the dock as an optional add-on. At no point is that portable only.

@N64SNESU well i have no issues with a power bank, gives an extra 3 hours on top of the 3 hours i can get anyway.

I've never had to game for 3 hours on the go and when i am at home 4 to 6 hour sessions per day is more than enough time on video games.

Maybe if you're a young teen who has nothing better to do than to game all day like i did when i was younger then yeah it might be a bit of a tall order... But anyone in that situation will have plenty of other gaming options available to them.

I personally have no issue with the Nintendo Switch as a portable and neither do any of my adult friends, we get by perfectly fine with it... So opinions are all subjective, in mine and many others its more than enough.

@Mr_Zurkon you need to live in a busier household like mine. When I get up early and don't want to wake the wife with our main TV's sound system, I use the Switch in handheld. When I go to work and use it during lunch or slow days, I'm using it in handheld. When my inlaws come over for dinner with their children that "need" to watch Thomas the Tank Engine 3 times a week, I've got my Switch in handheld. When the wife wants to watch something I have little interest in on Netflix, I'll be playing my Switch in handheld. When my wife becomes bedridden with migraine, flu, period, or what have you, I make sure her needs are taken care of, then I never leave her side while quietly playing Switch. I do regularly play on our main TV for big games my wife or friends have interest in: my wife loves to watch Zelda, Mario, Bayonetta, to play Mario Kart, and currently my friend and I play Hyrule Warriors every other day. The Switch allows me to game anytime, anywhere I want, and I do, often.
Give handheld mode a try. Sometimes I feel it makes the gaming experience more personal and fun, just by having it closer to you.

@N64SNESU
So you want a smaller handheld but better battery life? You know, if they shrink the console, the battery will likely shrink too? 🤨

Weren't there also no original plans to bring the Switch Monster Hunter over to the west when that came out, or was that Capcom's choice?

@Mr_Zurkon
I use mine also mostly on my TV, but with the Joy-Cons one in each hand. I find this very relaxing, if I have one hand on my lap and the other one on the side of my body for example.😌
And aiming with the right Joy-Con while playing a shooter is the best on console.

This dockless Switch configuration is only available via My Nintendo in Japan, so it's not like it is widely available for the general consumers in Japan to begin with. You cant just walk into a retail store and buy one.

@N64SNESU
What?!

@westman98 ok, didn't realise that

@YummyHappyPills Whether the games match the rumours or not, Pokemon is coming and almost certainly in 2 versions as always, plus they'd have listed the game as "TBD" instead of "2018 or later" if its release wasn't near; I don't know what you meant by "rumoured".

So we agree that a cheaper alternative is inevitable but disagree on its implementation, am I understanding correctly? I say it'll be portable-only for the 3DS/Vita crowd, while (I can only assume) you think it'll be another, cheaper hybrid.

Why would the lack of dock be an issue? If anything, I'd assume the dock option would be completely dropped from the "mini" version, it's for the people that only play in handheld mode and don't mind the lack of TV after all. It's the joycons that I imagine could go either way, depending on the retail price. One (dock as an optional add-on) or the other (joy cons) would definitely get dropped, edit: if not both. Apologies if I'm missing something.

@bratzdoll Your choice of phrase for describing what you expected from a cheaper revision wasn't very well thought out.

Portable only would mean the system cant in any way interface with a TV. Whereas a cheaper system from any other line is simply smaller (Usually) and more efficient, bringing costs and thus price down.

But I believe the cheaper Switch will still be able to interface with a dock - I mean why wouldn't it? I wouldn't labour someone with the worst way to play Xenoblade Chronicles 2 on a system all about choice.

That is the key thing. Switch is about choice. Sure they can make a cheaper Switch, sell it without the dock for say, $180 in a few years. But that won't mean it can't use a dock, that's simply foolish. It won't come with a dock, but it can use one should you wish. It'll still be cheaper, but it won't lose anything.

Portable only implies portable exclusively after all

As for Pokemon, the game exists, it's coming eventually, just like how BOTW was listed as 2015 and then 2016 only to not be anywhere near. And I say "Rumoured" because it is not confirmed there are two versions, nor what form the games will take other than a Pokemon main series core RPG exists.

@Supadav03

True, my biggest problem here is that the price is still too high even without the dock

So import one.

I hope they make a smaller switch without joy cons with better battery more powerful and that comes with a pro controller that would be a true hybrid out of the box

Until it does....

@YummyHappyPills Yes, but you don't know if he was referring to the customizable Joycon or the dockless aspect, b/c I doubt whoever asked him was very specific and you know how these corporation types are when they answer questiins, all half truths and omissions. So if and when the US does get a dockless Switch all the guy has to say is - "Well I was referring to the ability to pick your own Joycon colors, not ordering a Switch w/o dock." And voila, he isn't a liar. Or if it's 6 months out all he has to say is - "Well at THAT TIME we had no plans to release a dockers Switch in the US." He wins again.

@rjejr You dont know either, so dont be so assertive that your assumption is true

Now if youll excuse me Im going to go set fire to Amazon

It was a bad deal

I can see why, it only makes sense in Japan.

I just want the ability to by individual joy cons of desired colors.

All you need is a usbc cord screw them and there obsession with docking!SMILES😀

@Nintendofan83 Would the Switch display the top or the bottom screen?

@Crono1973 I have no idea lol. It's not something I've thought out really well but rather something I really want. Maybe Nintendo can figure it out!!

Not enough of an initial install base outside Japan to justify this. Americans at least would still want a basic charging cable which is why the new 3DS was lambasted.

I could see a holiday deal for $125-150 , I’d be in for that next year

@YummyHappyPills
"As for Pokemon, the game exists, it's coming eventually, just like how BOTW was listed as 2015 and then 2016 only to not be anywhere near. And I say "Rumoured" because it is not confirmed there are two versions, nor what form the games will take other than a Pokemon main series core RPG exists."

Gamefreak is no where near as ambitious as Aonuma and his Zelda team, given that Pokemon games are almost annualized (by alternating between new mainline entries. remakes, "3rd versions", etc) and the fact that Pokemon games are't technical showcases. A ~4 year development cycle won't happen with Pokemon.

And of course Pokemon will have two versions. There is no reason to believe Gamefreak will abandon their 20+ year-old tradition.

Pokemon for Switch will be unveiled very, very soon.

@Nintendofan83 Nintendo can only downgrade dual screen games to a single screen. The problem with people asking for everything on the Switch is that they have no self control.

'Nintendo, please figure out how I can play my PORTABLE, dual screen games on my other PORTABLE single screen system.'

You guys can't be serious!

@Crono1973 You are quite the stick in the mud, aren't you?

Not the best deal anyways so not an issue. I do think the fact that its only available via their website suggests its kind if a trial. May not even have its own unique box and just a standard unmarked one (then again they sold empty Special edition console boxes).

I still hold out for an official Nintendo Travel Dock.

@YummyHappyPills But my assumptions are always true, that's why they're called assumptions. Oh wait.

"Now if youll excuse me Im going to go set fire to Amazon"

Might be time for you to go all digital and save yourself a lot of anguish even if it means spending more money.

@patbacknitro18 Lol. Dickless Switch sounds like a dude in some spy novel.

At first, I thought it was a new independant model...

@OorWullie Thanks for the anecdote. I didn't know about it. It makes a pretty good joke !

I don't know if this is joke or not, but if it's not, I'd like to ask a question, a question I don't know if it has been asked or not, so forgive me, but.........

if the games are region free anyway, importing it from Japan via Amazon or Ebay would be as easy as pie, since most of the U.I. is visual, most other people can figure out the more complicated things to change the language settings easy enough

so why whine that "it's not fair" ???

@Neofan99
hey, unless you're referring to the "lack of a private investigator", could you watch the language, out of courtesy, I could care less, but this is supposed to be a nice place to come and people of all ages and personas come here, yes, I see examples (and even say them on occasion, but out of respect, could you use some other adjectives or expletives in place of genitalia please

@jhewitt3476 if you don't mind could you please go smoke a joint because I don't like negativity and kids come here and blah blah blah

oh, wait, what was that ???
I thought I just heard a pathetic attempt at a comeback by a 6 year old, no class, no intellect, knuckle dragging, mouth breather...

Hmmm...no, no way, that couldn't be, anyone who admires Obama enough to use a pic of the former president as his very own profile pic, MUST be a respectful and intelligent person and have some dignity and class....Right ???

or is Obama REALLY a true reflection of that person, geeze, how confusing ?!?!

@jhewitt3476 😘.