@electrolite77 I am not disagreeing that there will be a market for this, I just wonder how big of one and if it was the right one to invest their resources into at the time. It just seems like this is trying to address problems that nobody has complained about.
Yes I am stating what I would like, but at the same time I am wondering if this is really necessary at all.
Our opinions differ on some matters, such as this being 'smaller and more portable' on a practical level or that someone might wait nearly 3 years to buy a reduced feature model that doesn't retain half the originals functionality for $100 less because they felt the original model was too expensive.
The market share argument is debatable... if families waited for a switch lite to buy more than one switch they probably aren't going to spend a whole lot on software and will be swapping game cards with each other instead. Nintendo really needs to continue increasing their number of third party developers and giving them a reason to stick around.
I personally do not see the point of the switch lite. Was the original switch really expensive enough to discourage a family from buying one for each kid when they are still going to shell out $200 for a lite? Now that most households have a > 50" TV per member of the family, are you really going to buy the inferior model and have the kids fight over who gets the one docked to the TV? The lite really isn't much smaller or much more portable, does the minor size difference really make a difference to anybody - especially considering you're also getting a smaller screen?
Personally I've held off on buying the switch because the original had obvious room for improvement with regard to size and battery life and I don't play games enough to be missing it yet. The concept is cool, but the available models haven't realized it yet. Overall this seems like a failed opportunity for Nintendo to accelerate momentum on attracting third party devs, keeping market share (yeah the switch is doing good, but their traditional handheld line is pretty much dead), and building a lasting advantage against competitors by releasing a model that actually improved on the older one.
The last feature I expected them to drop from the switch was the feature that influenced its name (the TV out)... I can imagine that there will be some disappointed people who buy this but do not realize right away that it does not have that capability.
...I'm in no rush to buy the switch and will buy one when they come out with an upgraded fully featured model (longer battery or smaller profile)... guess I'll just be saving more money picking up the games a year later than expected at discount prices. No interest in carrying around something the size of a tablet for portable play or sitting right in front of my 75 inch TV playing a switch lite (which doesn't even look that much smaller) in handheld-only mode.
The people most happy about this will probably be the people who already own the switch and were whining about the new models because they didn't want theirs to be obsolete right after buying them.
I think it's strange that some people seem very passionate the switch mini is a bad idea, especially when it's obvious there are a lot of people who would like it.
A pocket sized model with a pro controller packed in and no detachable joy-cons may even make sense to sell alongside the current model as they might cover a broader range of consumers.
There are a lot of people who would never host a multi-player game using the switch screen and the joy-cons, but would like to have a more portable model that is actually convenient to play at home and take on the go. Personally, I'd like it if toaster style docks were smaller and cheap enough I could have one connected to multiple TV's so I can just move the system around conveniently.
Longer battery life and ability to fit in pocket. If the system size is smaller, it wouldn't make much sense to scale down the joy-cons and make them detachable because they'd be very uncomfortable to use.
I think Nintendo needs to include a dock and a separate controller to maintain the 'switch' gimmick and a home console presence.
Nintendo will probably consolidate their handheld and home console line exclusively into hybrid consoles like the switch. The switch succeeded in large part because it doubled as a handheld - a market Nintendo has always been successful at.
Even if the Switch didn't connect to a TV it probably would've sold similarly, but the perception that the Switch is both a handheld and home console was very strategic. It allows the profitable DS line to finish its' natural life, justifies the price, and will benefit Nintendo later by attracting consumers from the handheld and home console markets before the differences are nominal.
We are no longer really seeing situations where games released on home consoles are not possible to port to handheld consoles - instead we are more often seeing situations where the framerate / resolution .etc are adjusted. Maybe Nintendo will bridge this gap some day, but in the meantime making the system smaller with a longer battery life and incremental improvements to the hardware will be their focus I think.
I decided to wait for the new revision to buy a switch when the Wall Street Journal article came out indicating there'd be one in 2019. I know a lot of people who are waiting for the revision too.
As someone who feels the library is lacking (and the announced games don't change that), I'd be disappointed if I bought the current model and didn't get much use of it, then a better model came out.
If Nintendo announced an unexpected new game that I really had to play, I might change my mind... I remember the N64 / Gamecube generation when Nintendo's biggest games weren't always routine entries into established series.
Until then I'll keep buying and playing the heavily discounted Wii and Wii U games I never finished that Nintendo keeps porting to the Switch.
Bangai-O at least deserves honorable mention. Daytona USA is a great game, but never really cared for the DC version, they really messed up the physics and handling.
@scully1888 I don't think Hotel Mario on the CDi really deserves the criticism it gets either... the FMV maybe, but not the game. Just thought it was funny that by throwing that game under the bus you are supporting the logic you are opposing.
I've bought the SNES, N64, Gamecube, Wii, and Wii U on launch... but personally I felt the Wii U was a letdown. I'm glad the Switch is doing well, but haven't really felt any urgency to buy one. The portability is nice, but from a games perspective it doesn't really feel all that different from the Wii U yet.
Now that they see it has done well they seem to be putting the resources behind it to ensure its' continued success. I just can't help but feel they were a little apprehensive at first and could've doubled or tripled sales if they went all in. That would have gone a long ways toward picking up a lot of extra third party support and moved the needle toward more higher budget games.
I actually play it on an iPod touch, not a phone. Personally I don't really like the concept of "renting" a game under the pretense that I bought it either, until its discontinued by nintendo. I still play SNES games I bought 20 years ago from time to time.
Comments 12
Re: Soapbox: Nintendo Switch Lite Might Not Be For You, But It Will Be A Smash Hit With My Family
@electrolite77 I am not disagreeing that there will be a market for this, I just wonder how big of one and if it was the right one to invest their resources into at the time. It just seems like this is trying to address problems that nobody has complained about.
Yes I am stating what I would like, but at the same time I am wondering if this is really necessary at all.
Our opinions differ on some matters, such as this being 'smaller and more portable' on a practical level or that someone might wait nearly 3 years to buy a reduced feature model that doesn't retain half the originals functionality for $100 less because they felt the original model was too expensive.
The market share argument is debatable... if families waited for a switch lite to buy more than one switch they probably aren't going to spend a whole lot on software and will be swapping game cards with each other instead. Nintendo really needs to continue increasing their number of third party developers and giving them a reason to stick around.
Re: Soapbox: Nintendo Switch Lite Might Not Be For You, But It Will Be A Smash Hit With My Family
I personally do not see the point of the switch lite. Was the original switch really expensive enough to discourage a family from buying one for each kid when they are still going to shell out $200 for a lite? Now that most households have a > 50" TV per member of the family, are you really going to buy the inferior model and have the kids fight over who gets the one docked to the TV? The lite really isn't much smaller or much more portable, does the minor size difference really make a difference to anybody - especially considering you're also getting a smaller screen?
Personally I've held off on buying the switch because the original had obvious room for improvement with regard to size and battery life and I don't play games enough to be missing it yet. The concept is cool, but the available models haven't realized it yet. Overall this seems like a failed opportunity for Nintendo to accelerate momentum on attracting third party devs, keeping market share (yeah the switch is doing good, but their traditional handheld line is pretty much dead), and building a lasting advantage against competitors by releasing a model that actually improved on the older one.
Re: Nintendo Switch Lite Officially Revealed, Launches This September
The last feature I expected them to drop from the switch was the feature that influenced its name (the TV out)... I can imagine that there will be some disappointed people who buy this but do not realize right away that it does not have that capability.
...I'm in no rush to buy the switch and will buy one when they come out with an upgraded fully featured model (longer battery or smaller profile)... guess I'll just be saving more money picking up the games a year later than expected at discount prices. No interest in carrying around something the size of a tablet for portable play or sitting right in front of my 75 inch TV playing a switch lite (which doesn't even look that much smaller) in handheld-only mode.
The people most happy about this will probably be the people who already own the switch and were whining about the new models because they didn't want theirs to be obsolete right after buying them.
Re: Talking Point: What Do You Want From A Switch Mini?
I think it's strange that some people seem very passionate the switch mini is a bad idea, especially when it's obvious there are a lot of people who would like it.
A pocket sized model with a pro controller packed in and no detachable joy-cons may even make sense to sell alongside the current model as they might cover a broader range of consumers.
There are a lot of people who would never host a multi-player game using the switch screen and the joy-cons, but would like to have a more portable model that is actually convenient to play at home and take on the go. Personally, I'd like it if toaster style docks were smaller and cheap enough I could have one connected to multiple TV's so I can just move the system around conveniently.
Re: Talking Point: What Do You Want From A Switch Mini?
Longer battery life and ability to fit in pocket. If the system size is smaller, it wouldn't make much sense to scale down the joy-cons and make them detachable because they'd be very uncomfortable to use.
I think Nintendo needs to include a dock and a separate controller to maintain the 'switch' gimmick and a home console presence.
Re: Talking Point: What's Next For Nintendo After Switch?
Nintendo will probably consolidate their handheld and home console line exclusively into hybrid consoles like the switch. The switch succeeded in large part because it doubled as a handheld - a market Nintendo has always been successful at.
Even if the Switch didn't connect to a TV it probably would've sold similarly, but the perception that the Switch is both a handheld and home console was very strategic. It allows the profitable DS line to finish its' natural life, justifies the price, and will benefit Nintendo later by attracting consumers from the handheld and home console markets before the differences are nominal.
We are no longer really seeing situations where games released on home consoles are not possible to port to handheld consoles - instead we are more often seeing situations where the framerate / resolution .etc are adjusted. Maybe Nintendo will bridge this gap some day, but in the meantime making the system smaller with a longer battery life and incremental improvements to the hardware will be their focus I think.
Re: Gaming Analysts Predict 'Switch Pro' And 'Switch Lite' Revisions For 2019
I decided to wait for the new revision to buy a switch when the Wall Street Journal article came out indicating there'd be one in 2019. I know a lot of people who are waiting for the revision too.
As someone who feels the library is lacking (and the announced games don't change that), I'd be disappointed if I bought the current model and didn't get much use of it, then a better model came out.
If Nintendo announced an unexpected new game that I really had to play, I might change my mind... I remember the N64 / Gamecube generation when Nintendo's biggest games weren't always routine entries into established series.
Until then I'll keep buying and playing the heavily discounted Wii and Wii U games I never finished that Nintendo keeps porting to the Switch.
Re: Feature: 20 Dreamcast Games We'd Love To See On Nintendo Switch
Bangai-O at least deserves honorable mention. Daytona USA is a great game, but never really cared for the DC version, they really messed up the physics and handling.
Re: Review: Night Trap - 25th Anniversary Edition (Switch eShop)
@scully1888 I don't think Hotel Mario on the CDi really deserves the criticism it gets either... the FMV maybe, but not the game. Just thought it was funny that by throwing that game under the bus you are supporting the logic you are opposing.
Re: Nintendo's Share Price Falls Yet Again With A Lack Of Game Announcements Possibly To Blame
I've bought the SNES, N64, Gamecube, Wii, and Wii U on launch... but personally I felt the Wii U was a letdown. I'm glad the Switch is doing well, but haven't really felt any urgency to buy one. The portability is nice, but from a games perspective it doesn't really feel all that different from the Wii U yet.
Now that they see it has done well they seem to be putting the resources behind it to ensure its' continued success. I just can't help but feel they were a little apprehensive at first and could've doubled or tripled sales if they went all in. That would have gone a long ways toward picking up a lot of extra third party support and moved the needle toward more higher budget games.
Re: Super Mario Run Has Made Just Over $60 Million To Date
I actually play it on an iPod touch, not a phone. Personally I don't really like the concept of "renting" a game under the pretense that I bought it either, until its discontinued by nintendo. I still play SNES games I bought 20 years ago from time to time.
Re: Super Mario Run Has Made Just Over $60 Million To Date
I really like the game, but haven't bought it because it requires an internet connection to play.