Nintendo's Official Camera "Attach Rate" With Switch 2 Revealed For US

Yeah, I thought so. I guess nobody wanted Nintendo to watch them sleep.

The number of gamers who play online — and who play online with people they want to see as they play — was never likely to be a really high percentage in my estimation.

I'm kind of surprised it's as high as mid-single digit, kind of just seems like a product designed for almost nobody. Especially since the thing supports third party cameras anyway, if it's a feature that actually interests you you probably already own a compatible one.

@ParrakerriRush Which is really an odd thing to worry about, considering it has a shutter to effectively blind the camera, and it can be unplugged. If anything, I would be more concerned about the Wii U GamePad watching me in my sleep. That thing doesn't have a shutter, and it's battery operated!

What does mid single digit mean, 4–7%?

I didn’t buy one but then again I’m not into multiplayer games. 99% of the time I play single player offline (campaign) games

I bought a 1080p $25 Logitech webcam off of eBay. It works perfectly.

@ParrakerriRush your phones can do and I'm absolutely sure you slept just fine. Not trying to defend Nintendo but there's a switch that covers the camera ....

It's just that no one asked for a camera they will under utilize or start overcompensating it's use in shovelware games ..or Mario party . Jamtv is a one and done experience ....ppl don't really care about games with a gimmick like that .... Not to mention one that locks modes behind a purchase like this..and still charging full price for the game

@KayFiOS Lemme just hide my Wii U back into the basement where it belongs. I didn't know about the shutter bit on the Switch 2 Camera, thanks for the tip!

@Lady_rosalina Yeah, I just learned about the shutter. I didn't buy the camera and I know nobody who bought the camera. Just to defend the Jamboree, I thought the add on with the Mouse Controls was neat, but could've been priced lower and not include the camera.

I bought one.
Turns out you can't use it with randoms, so it's pointless to own

Assuming a 5% attach rate....selling 80k 55$ camera accessories in a month is pretty good honestly.

@Spider-Kev Just checked, there's no reality in the entire multiverse where Nintendo lets random users video chat with each other like Omegle.

@MamaSymphonia
You missed the DS and 3DS eras...

@Spider-Kev How does that make it pointless? If it worked with randos, that would be fantastic reason to not buy one! Imagine you're just playing Mario Kart world, and then BAM! Some 42-year-old dude in his mom's basement busts out his packaged goods! No thank you!

I bought the camera, mainly for local multiplayer. Its fun to play Mario Kart World with a full room and getting eachother’s reactions on the tv. Getting those reactions through the camera is actually the highlight towards the Jamboree TV expansion for me.

I’ve also used Game Chat with my friend and while he’s not fond of shrinking the gameplay window to see my face at all times, its still viewable through Mario Kart’s online mode. Its been neat. I hope more games continue to have camera functionality.

@Spider-Kev I had a DSi and a 3DS and don't remember any games where you could use the camera features in public lobbies? That seems like a huge security risk when you're dealing with children lol.

Unlike many Nintendo fanboys I will not buy everything that has Nintendo’s name slapped on it.

I was just looking at cameras on Amazon. There are lists on reddit that get copied to places like the Verge and Cnet. A lot of them work and a lot don't. There was one on sale for $10. I have 1 laying around the house that I need to look for. No way would I pay $50. $20 is my ceiling for a 1080p webcam.

I bought one. I haven't tried it yet. I may not get to use it much.

I keep saying, when the next StarFox gets released, this would be an amazing peripheral to have. It could have your actual face showing up with the radio chatter as you dogfight with your friends over NSO.

I used game chat for the first time the other night and was actually surprisingly impressed even did Game Share through it and everything just worked. I use Discord for PC gaming and it is not that great and a paywall despite being the standard.
My guess with how good it worked with the audio, screen sharing, and game sharing, I'm assuming the video is just as good. Actually made me consider hooking a webcam.

The camera is certainly an interesting idea, if I get a Switch 2 I might purchase one.

Never understood why I would want this.

Once a game comes out that matches your character's facial movements to your own when you speak during multiplayer I'll probably pick one up. Plus an AO rated poker game should definitely be considered by someone at some point.

Doesnt mean they kept it. My local Cex is creaking under them. Must be at least 20.

I have zero interest in online chat, nor do I intend to subscribe to NSO, outside of bonus trial codes thrown in with some games.

But I love how it's been implemented into Mario Kart World's local multiplayer mode, so I think it can be a lot of fun in couch co-op, and I'd love to see more games that implement the camera in such a way.

That, and I'm itching for new Nintendogs and a camera-focused WarioWare.

Popped into my local CEX on Monday. There was already a Switch 2 camera for resale and three copies of Mario Kart World.

@LazyDaisy I would have thought 1 to 9. Anything over that becomes double digit.

Mid-single digit could also mean 0.5%, which I think is more likely, since if it were 5% or more, why wouldn't they just state that?

Not surprised considering this is just a webcam you can buy elsewhere (and use) for £10.

Crazy price but I really feel like Nintendo thought everyone would be on board with this. When they announced it it was like they’d thought of some amazing new idea even though we’ve been doing it for decades already at this point.

Maybe I’m being a bit harsh but you won’t catch me paying £50 for a basic webcam.

@datamonkey wiiu did the built in camera thing better tbh ... And voice chat....and online being free.....

@Skippermonkey Mid single digit is around 5%. That's the middle of the single digit range.
@WhiteUmbrella That makes no sense whatsoever.

Would probably have had a better attach rate if it was a decent camera

I had considered buying one, but decided against it. The reason being is that, with my bedroom set up the way it currently is, there'd be nowhere to put it. Plus, if it sat on my TV stand, it would basically be seeing mattress, as my bed frame is rather tall (due to it having drawers for storage), and the mattress is pretty tall/thick as well; plus, the foot of my bed is only about a foot and a half (a little less than half a meter for the people who use the metric system; sorry that the United States never adopted it) away from my TV stand.

if the webcam was of high quality and resolution it may have sold better or if we could use it to take snap shots for creating Mii's or it was used in a game like mixed reality it may be a better option.

if i ever have a desire to use a camera for actual online face chat I will use my PC webcam.
But I highly doubt that will ever happen. as i don't do much of the online stuff .

Having the microphone on is plenty really, I want to focus on the game!

Wii Sensor Bar v2 with a camera+mic on it, with the option to stick it to the top of your telly, or alternatively, clip it to the dock if the dock's facing you.

And keep the sensor in the bottom of the right joycon so it can work with the Sensor Bar.

We get the camera, but also get the mouse precision without the awkwardness of holding a joycon at a weird angle.

Honestly, it's almost like Nintendo didn't have 5 years since their delayed 2020 SwitchPro to think about this stuff.

Also, if the GameShare's using WiiU's streaming tech (which it seems to be doing) .. Why the heck isn't the Switch streaming to the dock!?

Yeah no. I'd love to know how many people use Game Chat.

No surprise there, really. Can't imagine getting one. I think my Logitech webcam is also compatible, but I have zero interest in using any camera while gaming.

Immediately remapped my C button to the minus button. Never looked back

Yeah this feature sure was a waste of internal memory use and time huh. Especially "the kids" I assumed it was aimed for are just going to use I dunno Whatsapp/Facetime instead lol.

Something something desire to not be perceived something something Orwellian hellscape

Wonder what percentage actually attached it to the console, mine’s still in the box haha

I mean I am not surprise. The kinect did almost the same thing and more, and yet it failed. Why would this one be any different? Just because is "Nintendo"?

Nintendo should've just built a camera into the Switch 2 in my opinion.

So, nobody is playing the "TV" part in Mario Party Jamboree TV.

I’ve been loving using the camera with my friends and brother. They were all skeptics at first then quickly changed their tune once we used it in MKW

@JayJ It's great if you play Kart or Party with friends/family.

@datamonkey it is mostly basic but after playing welcome tour (I know, 2 hits against me now haha) you learn about some of the tech that went into it to keep players in focus, reducing blur, and analyzing human abilities, etc.)

Cameras would have sold better during the pandemic.

If a new Just Dance is bundled with a camera, I would think they'll sell more. After seeing just dance on xbox one with the connect camera, just dance + camera seems like the ideal/superior way to play.

There needs to be an app to turn your phone into a game chat camera

I just bought a refurbished Logitech Brio from Amazon. Works fine.

If they make the camera usable when playing with friends in games like animal crossing, I could see there being a bit more uptake. New Horizons with a video chat feature would have been absolutely fantastic during the pandemic (or in any other situation where you live far away from people and are using animal crossing as a surrogate for socialising irl).

Plus, just think how much money Nintendo could make from selling gyroid cameras

5% army rise up!

@Spider-Kev Why would you ever want to do that!?? Especially in the age of Deepfake audio and video!

Well as it's not for AR or VR or anything else for tracking or other coordination in a game, it's not an Everybody 1-2 Switch or Playlink to use smartphones for kind of thing for a Switch 2 game use of minigames at all in Mario Party or another game as a requirement it is just a peripheral, just webcam and any can be used 1st or 3rd party, why would people buy one.

I have no need for a PS5 HD camera at all, but the PS4 one I keep for VR or Playroom original app use as well as for the Vita/smartphone use DLCs that were free with the free app for the PS4.

Vita/3DS used the camera for things, DSi or PSP camera/GPS did as well for games/apps. Eye Toy could be used as a webcam, not a great one but again like Kinect or Move had tracking use cases.

Those that like to have webcams will, those that don't and use text/premade responses or just play online to play a game, will do so then use a webcam to capture their reaction.

These kind of peripherals don’t sell well at all with those poor attach rates versus production costs. I don’t get why they keep doing this. It didn’t work for MS and Sony when they did this gimmick either.

LOL I bought it, none of my friends did xD what a shame

@Lady_rosalina There are other better things about the Wii U (They have the tech to allow using a switch lite as a controller that they use for Gameshare). But at least Rayman Legends/Captain Toad are much more fun with the gamepad controls. Be also nice for off to play in another room without having to move the docked switch. (And the specs are higher docked). I can see why this would not be added specifically but when everything needed exists for other reasons I think they should. (No 2nd screen map for Zelda Games is also a major downgrade if you ask me.

Anyone who needs a facecam is just going to play it off their monitor and running customized software for it at better quality instead.

There is no reason to use a camera unless you're a streamer lmao.

I bought three official Nintendo Switch 2 cameras, so it's not my fault that they didn't sell well.

As much as people poke fun, any sensing device with connectivity and a power source has surveillance potential. I know the EU is at least trying to curtail this, but in most terms of service basically allow free reign for collection in AI training and... "other uses." In the past the processing technology wasn't really suitable to make this useful at scale and now... there are lot of data centers going up everywhere.

Not saying you can't participate or even that people are fools if they do, but those privacy concerns have been pretty emphatically validated and should be considered in your personal risk assessment.

@KayFiOS Are you implying that a 25-year-old guy doing it would be more acceptable? Ageism much?

During the Switch 1 era, people were constantly begging for a chat feature directly in the console. To most, it was a dealbreaker. And now comes the Switch 2 and GameChat, with a camera to complement the feature. The first thing you know, people are mostly disregarding the chat feature, cam included.

Steve Jobs was right in a sense: You need to tell people what they want to really be innovative. On the other hand, by the time it takes to give people what they want, they already want something else.

Should have been packed in, and should have been used to enhance motion controls as well. Had one ordered hoping for the later, cancelled when I realized a) it wouldn't, and b) I'm ugly.

I never really considered this camera or an alternative as I am mostly into single player stuff.

Not surprising. I haven't even set up gamechat, where I am at it'll be a couple years before people I know start buying Switch 2s

I bought 2 cameras, a nintendo cam and the hori pirahna cam.

Not surprised by the total attach rate. Games are ok though, jamboree is good fun.

@Jayenkai Doesn't work. Mic from that far away won't capture audio as adequately in handheld play. Console has mic already. Sensor bar is useless expense when similar technology is built into controller. Mouse precision doesn't work that way. That leaves us with the camera... which is what they did

NS2 doesn't stream to dock because 1. It won't charge the system, but deplete battery 2. Streaming is not as reliable and would result in 480p 3. Streaming does not boost power 4. Would require more technology in the dock for a worse solution

@dDankGM

That is not remotely what Attach Rate is.

If I sell 100 switches and 5 Gooblethingys then Gooblethingys have a 5% Attach rate. That is it. Attach rate in this context has nothing to do with actual usage.

Given that there are third party cameras and non Switch 2 branded cameras that work the amount of people using a camera may well be much higher then 5%. But this article is talking about a specific camera accessory not usage or total cameras used with a Switch 2 of all kinds.

@Pikachupwnage oh you're right my bad