What the Game Industry Thinks of Nintendo’s Switch

Megalith

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Polygon has gathered up a bunch of developers and executives to get their thoughts on aspects of the Nintendo Switch, such as third-party support and motion-controller technology. I am going to be completely honest with the fact that I couldn’t care less about what they have to say and am merely here for the illustrations, but if you want some industry-figure insight, this may be worth reading. A newer article is arguing that Nintendo’s latest console isn’t even “finished.” Who got their pre-orders in?

To some, though, the system seems incomplete. From early reports of controllers that don't properly sync to a limited launch lineup, a lack of non-game apps like Netflix, a missing Virtual Console library and lingering questions about the online service, there's a simplicity to Switch's launch that recalls the '90s—Zelda is Mario 64, and if you don't want that or a few other games, you might not need the system right away. In time, Nintendo will address those issues. Yet more than most consoles, Switch remains a bit of a mystery at launch. Are motion controls going to be a big part of it? What type of player will Switch developers cater to? And will third-party studios embrace the hardware once the initial hype dies down?
 
Why would I care about anyone else's opinion on something. Also telling everyone else about your own opinion expecting them to care is pretty obnoxious.

(realizes he reads forum posts and posts his own opinion here and walks away mumbling)
 
If it was about $100 cheaper, I would've picked one up just for Zelda (which is supposed to be an incredible game). As it stands now, I'll wait until the product finds its footing or eventual discount/bundle promo.
 
Nintendo can shit in a box and advertise Mario and Zelda stickers as an accessory to be released 10 months later and still cause global sellouts. I don't think they care one bit about third parties; as long as one of their IPs is tied to the product it will make bank.
 
No matter what, my generation is full of people that are convinced Nintendo can do no wrong. Those people will at least push the Switch to whatever level of success the Wii U had. Then there are dumbasses like me that hate Nintendo but love Mario Kart, Smash, Mario, Zelda, etc. and are stuck with their shitty hardware one more time.

I don't see casual gamers biting early, though. There's nothing really compelling about it and the price tag is outrageous for something that includes and does so little at launch. Nintendo's going to have to pull out the stops between now and Christmas or they're going to be in big trouble. I still hope all of this eventually pushes Nintendo to license their games to Sony and MS, but that's still years away even if this thing does tank.
 
No matter what, my generation is full of people that are convinced Nintendo can do no wrong. Those people will at least push the Switch to whatever level of success the Wii U had. Then there are dumbasses like me that hate Nintendo but love Mario Kart, Smash, Mario, Zelda, etc. and are stuck with their shitty hardware one more time.

I don't see casual gamers biting early, though. There's nothing really compelling about it and the price tag is outrageous for something that includes and does so little at launch. Nintendo's going to have to pull out the stops between now and Christmas or they're going to be in big trouble. I still hope all of this eventually pushes Nintendo to license their games to Sony and MS, but that's still years away even if this thing does tank.

Zelda, Smash Brothers and Mario Kart.

*sigh*

They'll take my money again. Only because of Smash Brothers.
 
When will Capcom realize that other markets want to play Monster Hunter and release on anything other than shitastical Nintendo consoles...

That was the ONLY reason I got a Wii U (also it was free).
 
I love Nintendo games, am indifferent to their hardware, and hate how they treat their fans and customers. I'll pick up a Switch whenever Xenoblade 2 gets a solid release date. Actually, the last 3 consoles I bought were "Tetsuya Takahashi/Monolithsoft game-playing devices", with bonus other games.
 
That article is depressingly bad. Filled with assumptions and this says it all
We can’t even form an opinion about how Nintendo is handling the situation because they’re not handling the situation.
 
Was a huge nintendo kid growing up, but after the N64... I just kind of said "meh". I was in middle school at the time, after that's it's basically been PC master race gaming all the way.

Doesn't help that all the social/friends aspect of the Switch they are pushing, just help drive home the fact I have no real friends, so those features are lost on me.
 
After reading the article, it still feels like Nintendo is catering solely to the Japanese market, with the rest of the world being an afterthought.
 
When will Capcom realize that other markets want to play Monster Hunter and release on anything other than shitastical Nintendo consoles...

That was the ONLY reason I got a Wii U (also it was free).

Monster Hunter is primarily a Japanese game. So it's being released on the system it will sell the best on. There is absolutely no reason for them to spend stupid amounts of money on a PS4 version when it provide little to no benefit to a series already selling gang-busters.
 
Damnit Megalith you made me read two Polgyon articles.

The second article does bring up some good points however they're not all as insightful as they believe:

Nintendo has already stated they're looking into the sync issue, basically admitting that something is going wrong and needs fixing. Obviously they're not going to say more than that until they're ready with a solution, it wouldn't serve much purpose to speculate or say anything until they're sure.

The VC stuff is a mess that Nintendo clearly is not ready with yet. The reason they're not talking about it is probably because they don't even know yet. That isn't comforting but it does mean there is a chance they'll pull their heads out of their asses and do it at least semi-right (not holding my breath though).

As much as it sucks we're in the era of consoles launching "unfinished". Sony and MS are both still adding features to their systems that arguably should have been present at launch. Doesn't excuse Nintendo, but it's something we're going to have to deal with from now on.

While I feel like VC titles are a bit overpriced as is, I'd hate to see what would happen with publishers were given free control over how much to charge. SE, especially. Having a standardized price per system let's people know what to expect from any VC release for that system price-wise.

The warning for not buying the Switch applies to all consoles and most technology. Don't be an early adopter unless you're willing to deal with things not working right from the get go and possibly missing out on features until they're added later. Firmware downloads will probably be slow, Nintendo's online will probably crash, etc.

The first article is interesting but I really have nothing to comment on with it. Some interesting statements, but nothing profound or really worth spending time on.
 
While I feel like VC titles are a bit overpriced as is, I'd hate to see what would happen with publishers were given free control over how much to charge. SE, especially. Having a standardized price per system let's people know what to expect from any VC release for that system price-wise.

I don't know, I'd be okay with open pricing. I'd totally be up to pay $19.99 for a GBA/SNES port of FF VI for instance.

If SE (or other publisher) is dumb enough to overprice their software, it won't sell.
 
I think for me it comes down to this. I'll buy it eventually. I'm not excited about it, but I'm not nearly as opposed to it as i was the WiiU. I'll buy it for the simple fact that no matter how fucking terrible it looks, the gameplay of the new zelda looks compelling enough to deal with it even if I have to take it in small doses. Secondly i'll have it for mario kart which is something both my kids and I can enjoy together. Beyond that I expect the majority of purchases for it will be for them. That said I'm not even sure how much attention it will get from them. They play their DS's quite a bit, but the rest of the time they play the PS3/4 because they enjoy all the free games they get from PSN+. Meanwhile the Wii with a ton of titles even for them largely collects dust. They actually got bored with the motion controls faster than I did. They use one of the controllers to start things up, then use the Wavebirds for everything else. I don't think the second wiimote has been touched in 6 months.
 
If it was about $100 cheaper, I would've picked one up just for Zelda (which is supposed to be an incredible game). As it stands now, I'll wait until the product finds its footing or eventual discount/bundle promo.

100% this. If the only game that came out for it was Zelda that would be sufficient as it's 100% wife-approved! ;) If they had the VC & Contra on there it'd be pre-ordred already!:D
 
Week one purchases for me Zelda, Snipper Clips, Fast RMX, I am Setsuna, Shovel Knight Treasure Trove, Blaster Master Zero and maybe 1-2 Switch. This will keep me busy until Mario Kart (did not own the Wii U version) and Street Fighter (May) and Splatoon 2 (didn't play the Wii U version). Funny thing is, *if* i wanted to, all launch titles can fit on the onboard 32GB.
 
Any good RPGs for the Switch? Or at least upcoming in the next few months?
 
Dragon Quest Heros I & II are getting good reviews... of course they are action rpg, not turn-based like the original series...
 
Dragon Quest Heros I & II are getting good reviews... of course they are action rpg, not turn-based like the original series...

DQH1 is very good, assuming you like Dynasty Warriors type games. It's very Dynasty Warriors but with a DQ spin and feel.
 
I read the Kotaku review. They generally like it but pointed out a whole bunch of little issues that could add up to big issues.

http://kotaku.com/nintendo-switch-the-kotaku-review-1792776350

And no bundled game? I mean, I know Zelda is a $60 sacred cash cow, but they could throw in 1-2 Switch which is basically all mini games.

What I found interesting was that it's better as a handheld... as soon as you dock the thing the framerate starts shitting itself (at least on Zelda, but they only had 2 games to play).

So... nah.
 
Any good RPGs for the Switch? Or at least upcoming in the next few months?

Xenoblade Chronicles 2, the first was a huge hit. Release says 2017 so hard to say when.

I am Setsuna comes out release day.
 
Oh yea, don't forget about Xenoblade Chronicles X (originally on WiiU only)... a Switch port of that might come out this year...
 
Nintendo can shit in a box and advertise Mario and Zelda stickers as an accessory to be released 10 months later and still cause global sellouts. I don't think they care one bit about third parties; as long as one of their IPs is tied to the product it will make bank.
I actively laughed aloud reading this..
 
I read the Kotaku review. They generally like it but pointed out a whole bunch of little issues that could add up to big issues.

http://kotaku.com/nintendo-switch-the-kotaku-review-1792776350

And no bundled game? I mean, I know Zelda is a $60 sacred cash cow, but they could throw in 1-2 Switch which is basically all mini games.

What I found interesting was that it's better as a handheld... as soon as you dock the thing the framerate starts shitting itself (at least on Zelda, but they only had 2 games to play).

So... nah.

That is actually rather interesting that it is having performance problems while docked. The dock was "Supposed" to unlock additional performance. Overall the early reviews are pretty much confirming what I was expecting. Definitely not a day 1 purchase. I'll start considering it once they have had some time to patch it up. Perhaps This holiday season, but probably next summer sometime. I definitely need the docked issues resolved as I will never use it as a handheld.
 
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