Who is the Nintendo Switch for really?

Z

zamardii12

2[H]4U
Joined
Jun 6, 2014
Messages
3,413
So, I posted this on Reddit on the Nintendo subreddit and I got a lot of shit for it (predictably) but I always think of these Forums as a little more mature and capable of rational and objective thought. With that being said I wanted to strike up a conversation about the Switch while thinking about who this title is aimed at and why Nintendo went the route that they did. With that being said, here you go:

So, I will say first of all that I fucking LOVE Nintendo. I just bought a Wii U 7 days ago and have been playing the shit out of it especially Twilight Princess HD which i'm about 26 hours in now and will be playing Windwaker HD after that, followed by BOTW. I also just bought a New 3DS XL yesterday with a bunch of games. Basically i am getting caught up on all the Nintendo games i've neglected throughout the years while i've been playing PC games and other consoles. I have always been a substance over form sortof person when it comes to videogames; meaning that I care more about gameplay and fun than graphics and frames per second.

So with that being said I have been very closely following the Switch and it's development and after reading a bunch about it, watching countless videos, opinion pieces, and even tear-aparts I am more confused by the Switch than ever before.

I have to first admit that the idea behind the Switch is great. The ability for it to be a portable console, but also a sit-down-at-home-and-pick-up-a-controller-type console is great, however the main problems I see with this (which I happen to agree with IGN's thoughts about it) is that it doesn't do either very well. When I look at the Switch I look at Nintendo trying to answer the problems of the Wii U (the gamepad) with what today's kids and a lot of people use which is tablets. One of the reasons I say the Switch doesn't appear to be either a good "portable console" or a good home console is because as a portable console the Switch simply doesn't last a long time. I have read that it's around 3 hours when playing Zelda which when compared to for-instance the new 3DS XL which is slightly better at around 4 hours. So, the battery life is about the same which I suppose is okay but then you are carrying around an unwieldy device that doesn't fit in your pocket (comfortably). So the idea of this being portable in terms of battery life is some-what passable but nowhere near a iPad which can get 10 hours and nowhere near as portable in size as a 3DS. A positive of this is the super smart move by Nintendo to make the power cable USB C, but an enormous issue is the cable protruding from the bottom so if you have this thing set on the table playing with friends, playing on a long flight, playing on the bus, or train, or whatever you can't play and charge unless you lay it down flat and/or come up with some weird rig to hold it up and charge it at the same time. If the Switch had a option like the iPad where if you physically turn the Switch upside down so the charging port will come out on top and then the screen rotates by itself so you can set it down, charge it, and play. Why didn't they do this?

As a home console, I hope it really delivers but as of right now it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I remember everybody hating on the Wii U for it being under-powered, about it being PowerPC based not x86 based like XB1 and PS4 are, being hard to program for, and it being so under-powered that certain games just wouldn't make it on the console, or it would perform so bad developers didn't want to invest in it. Now, the Switch uses the same architecture as the Nvidia Shield TV which is okay but as reported the Shield TV is "2.5x more powerful than a Xbox 360" so undeniably we will get some decent graphics going forward but let's be honest here; as someone who doesn't care about frame-rates and stuff as long as the gameplay is good this is just not acceptable when you compare BOTW on Switch and Wii U. I mean, they almost look exactly the same graphically and suffer from the same frame-rate drops. Now like I said, I know BOTW is an amazing title and nobody would doubt it but how can a console released in March of 2017 perform in a game the same as the Wii U which came out 5 years ago. Now you could say BOTW was originally made for Wii U and thus isn't optimized enough to take advantage of the Switch, but I don't buy that for a second. There should be no reason why it shouldn't perform better given the fact that the Switch is supposed to be around for 5 years. Now, trust me when I say I know comparing Nintendo to other consoles is a mistake because the driving force has always been the software and I agree, and I will get a Switch in the future once a decent library is worth the purchase. I bring up the performance issues of the Switch and BOTW because I REALLY want to see more third party support for the Switch and with Sony and Microsoft coming out with console refreshes more frequently with the PS4 Pro and Scorpio so games will becoming more demanding at a faster pace. I mean, could they put Mass Effect Andromeda on the Switch? I think not.

I want the Switch to succeed and I want the games to keep coming. I personally don't see a reason yet to buy the Switch when I could just get BOTW for my Wii U, and I don't have a commute that I could use it's portable features for (i'd bring my 3DS anyway), and I don't travel at all on a regular basis anywhere. I come home and play games. The Switch will be great for that when the console has more titles, but is not worth it to me right now.

It seems as though Nintendo made an in-between device with the Switch. Not powerful enough to be a home console, but not portable enough to side-line the 3DS. I hope as the community around the Switch matures my outlook changes, and obviously as more games come out I will get on-board but as of right now the Switch is very unappealing especially as a Wii U user who predominantly plays at home.
 
Last edited:
Completely agree with everything you said, and the cons are the reasons I'm staying away until later (possibly a holiday sale later this year). The only reason is Zelda, and I don't really want to deal with slowdown bullshit. The portability factor is completely useless to me as well. I may not be their target customer.
 
Verge said:
Zelda is awesome.


You're way over thinking this.
Click to expand...

I agree with you, but I already have a Wii U which I can get it for and it looks and performs exactly the same. Maybe marginal things are better on the Switch, but in no noticeable way to the average person. Not to mention the fact that BOTW is the only must-have game on the Switch until Super Mario Odyssey comes out at the end of the year.
 
I'm holding off for a bit, still plan on picking one up but waiting for Super Mario Odyssey and if that's not compelling the first hardware revision (I'm expecting a DS to DS Lite jump in quality).

The Switch would've been a day one purchase if not for the price. The lack of AAA games isn't that concerning to me, I would've treated it like my Vita - focus on Indies and classic games (which aren't there yet for the Switch). I wish they would've separated the dock and Tablet, perhaps have the dock as an upgraded Wii U (allowing full B/C and improved 'docked' performance for Tablet).
 
zamardii12 said:
I agree with you, but I already have a Wii U which I can get it for and it looks and performs exactly the same. Maybe marginal things are better on the Switch, but in no noticeable way to the average person. Not to mention the fact that BOTW is the only must-have game on the Switch until Super Mario Odyssey comes out at the end of the year.
Click to expand...

Ok so you bought a Wii U to play Zelda and you find that idea OK. Other people bought a Switch to play Zelda AND other negw Nintendo games but WTFOMGBBQ are those people thinking!?!?!?!?

Did you ponder that maybe the people buying a Switch don't want to buy absolute dead end hardware to play new games on?
 
I see a lot of contradictory thoughts in your arguments. I feel like you just want a traditional living room box.

You complain about lack of games but are okay with the company focusing on indie titles right now (like the Vita). The switch is out for 2 weeks. There's roadmaps and release dates for through the year. You know what's coming. It shouldn't be a surprise or a pro/con. Developers follow adoption (see: the WiiU and windows RT vs Xbox and iOS). No adoption of system, no games.

The battery life is short, but it's longer than the 3dsxl, but not as long as the iPad. Well it's also only (eyeball estimation) 20% bigger than the 3dsxl yet smaller than the iPad which puts it right in line as far as battery life is concerned. And way more powerful than both those comparison platforms. Not sure what you want...breaking of thermodynamics? A switch with 10in screen? (Also, does the iPad game for 10 hours straight?)

Switch has been out for two weeks. There's plenty of time for developers to optimize on the platform. Neither Xbox or PlayStation games were all that stellar during their platform launch releases.

Charge port on bottom. There's really nowhere else to put the charge port without making the device thicker, heavier, or bulkier. It's not that big of a problem in real world use. And if it bothers you that much, there are accessories that will fix it. That also implies you do alot of couch co-op on the go. So if this is your primary game mode, then yes I can see how that sucks... But can be solved with an accessory purchase or two.

Graphics isn't the be-all and end-all for games, contrary to vocal outcry. Nintendo never really did things on graphics alone.

Usually it's a choice of two among Power, portability, size. I feel Switch is a platform where the gamer chooses two to fit the gamer's style. It doesn't do everything at 10/10, but it can accommodate your primary play style and a few others at 8/10. Rather impressive.
 
The switch is not using a custom soc and that's going to hurt the platform long term. They should have had nvidia build them a Volta based custom soc that uses the very latest ARM CPU. Instead we got something based on older technology released in 2017 that's meant to last a few years. It's already stuttering in Zelda like you mentioned so if Nintendo themselves can't get fully functional games out the door, how will third party devs fare? Probably pretty poorly and they will drop switch support.

I have been an advocate of Nintendo exiting the hardware business for a long long time. Their strength is in the few games they produce, not their underpowered gimmick hardware. If they created games for iOS/Android/Windows/Other consoles they would probably make more money than they do now and everyone would be happy. But it seems they are stubborn and will stick to delivering underwhelming hardware for years to come.
 
The Switch is for Japan, Nintendo is for Japan, screw everyone else, it's that simple.

Nintendo has always been a very traditional company where it's Japan first. If you look at their culture, it's easy to see why the Switch is what it is, why the Wii and Wii U were what they were, etc, Microsoft is a non-player in Japan. The Wii U currently outsells the Xbox One, and I'm talking current sales figures, not lifetime (which are dreadful in Japan). The PlayStation 4? It's doing great worldwide, with over 54 million units sold, and only 4 million coming from Japan (forget even trying to find a Pro). Handhelds though? The 3DS is killing it over there with 20+ million sold, and even the Vita has sold over 5 million, and is still doing very well over there.

Their culture the adults go (and stay) at work, and home consoles are for children. But as with the West, it's not that we as adults grew out of video games. There's still a market, it's just evolved. For us here, we went with more powerful, adult oriented, media oriented devices. They went with more portable oriented devices which suit their needs more. The Switch doesn't need to be as powerful as a PS4, because that's not their competition. It's the phones and tablets. They're trying to hold onto a growing user base which still loves video games, but is moving on from Nintendo. And if it just happens to sell outside of Japan, all the better.
 
Nytegard the Japanese market alone isn't enough to sustain Nintendo, so I call bs on that assertion. I do agree they are trying to target the working adult and I don't think this strategy will pay off. Nobody likes carrying around multiple electronic devices. People want convenience and the switch doesn't offer that.
 
5150Joker said:
Nytegard the Japanese market alone isn't enough to sustain Nintendo, so I call bs on that assertion. I do agree they are trying to target the working adult and I don't think this strategy will pay off. Nobody likes carrying around multiple electronic devices. People want convenience and the switch doesn't offer that.
Click to expand...
I don't see how the working adult is a good target. How many people out their have time to play the switch at work really. Most people have 10-15 mins with 30 min lunch breaks. I don't see many companies being keen on people playing on company time. Hard to play while you driving. When at home people would probably prefer to play it on their big screen TVs and not a dinky screen. I guess good for college kids between classes?
 
Ocellaris said:
Ok so you bought a Wii U to play Zelda and you find that idea OK. Other people bought a Switch to play Zelda AND other negw Nintendo games but WTFOMGBBQ are those people thinking!?!?!?!?

Did you ponder that maybe the people buying a Switch don't want to buy absolute dead end hardware to play new games on?
Click to expand...

The difference is staggering. My point right now is that there is no strong reason to spend $300 on a Switch to play one game AT THIS TIME. Like I said, I will end up getting a Switch too when there is a decent library of games. If somebody wants to buy a Switch that that's perfectly fine; I am just saying that right now it doesn't make sense and a lot of the design decisions of the console don't make sense to me. The Wii U may be dead-end hardware at this point, but I bought the deluxe Wii U plus all these games for $300:

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
Mario Kart 8
New Super Mario Bros U + New Super Luigi U
Nintendoland
Pikmin 3
Super Mario 3D World
Zelda Twilight Princess HD
Zelda Windwaker HD
Zombi U

If somebody wants to get their Nintendo fix, the Wii U I think is still a really capable and good console. I personally could not be more happy with my purchase. I am hoping by the end of next year there will be a great library for the Switch and i'll be happy to purchase it.
 
zamardii12 said:
I agree with you, but I already have a Wii U which I can get it for and it looks and performs exactly the same. Maybe marginal things are better on the Switch, but in no noticeable way to the average person. Not to mention the fact that BOTW is the only must-have game on the Switch until Super Mario Odyssey comes out at the end of the year.
Click to expand...

Then don't buy one, after my Zelda playing is done, my switch will probably sit in it's dock for a few months until games come out. It's spring/summer/fall so i have plenty to do.
 
Not sure of the purpose of this thread TBH. If you don't want one or need one, why try to convince others they shouldn't either? I bought it because I'm pretty sure in terms of hours played/used, every one of my Nintendo devices have delivered on the fun experience per $ front. Last fri I brought the switch over to a gathering and after dinner we all crowded the couch and played 4 player bomberman. That easily ate up 2 hours of time. I've invested 40 hours into Zelda so far and my wife has hit 25 hours. We each own 2 DS's (reg and XL), a wii, wii U, a super Nintendo, a gamecube. In future, I think all these systems and games are something we can share with the kids when we have them.
 
Rambling thread is rambling.

The Switch is for folk looking to jump on board the new console. You want a new console? Cool - it's for you. You don't need a new console right now? Cool it's not for your right now. Nintendo recycles their IP every system so branching out isn't really needed. You pretty much know what you are getting into. If that's for you super. If not, swell. No reason to make some sort of oddly drawn, over thought, line in the sand.
 
Slade said:
Not sure of the purpose of this thread TBH. If you don't want one or need one, why try to convince others they shouldn't either? I bought it because I'm pretty sure in terms of hours played/used, every one of my Nintendo devices have delivered on the fun experience per $ front. Last fri I brought the switch over to a gathering and after dinner we all crowded the couch and played 4 player bomberman. That easily ate up 2 hours of time. I've invested 40 hours into Zelda so far and my wife has hit 25 hours. We each own 2 DS's (reg and XL), a wii, wii U, a super Nintendo, a gamecube. In future, I think all these systems and games are something we can share with the kids when we have them.
Click to expand...

I am not trying to convince anyone of anything. I just wanted to open a discussion about what I saw were flaws with the console. Everyone can spend their money however they want.
 
Nytegard said:
The Switch is for Japan, Nintendo is for Japan, screw everyone else, it's that simple.

Nintendo has always been a very traditional company where it's Japan first. If you look at their culture, it's easy to see why the Switch is what it is, why the Wii and Wii U were what they were, etc, Microsoft is a non-player in Japan. The Wii U currently outsells the Xbox One, and I'm talking current sales figures, not lifetime (which are dreadful in Japan). The PlayStation 4? It's doing great worldwide, with over 54 million units sold, and only 4 million coming from Japan (forget even trying to find a Pro). Handhelds though? The 3DS is killing it over there with 20+ million sold, and even the Vita has sold over 5 million, and is still doing very well over there.

Their culture the adults go (and stay) at work, and home consoles are for children. But as with the West, it's not that we as adults grew out of video games. There's still a market, it's just evolved. For us here, we went with more powerful, adult oriented, media oriented devices. They went with more portable oriented devices which suit their needs more. The Switch doesn't need to be as powerful as a PS4, because that's not their competition. It's the phones and tablets. They're trying to hold onto a growing user base which still loves video games, but is moving on from Nintendo. And if it just happens to sell outside of Japan, all the better.
Click to expand...

Absolutely agree, and at this point, it may even be a valid working reality. Handhelds are still killing it in Japan (walk into any tech store in Akihabara and it's littered with DS and Vita games, some we'll never hear of). You can literally see them EVERYWHERE. Buses, Trains, Coffee Shops, walking around town, in the public restrooms, restaurants. It's all over the place. I don't know too many people with a home console either in Japan (and most of the people I know do play video games fairly religiously). I can only really think of 4 people off the top of my head that I know for sure have a PS4, and would buy the 5, 6, etc. going forward.

You've got a solid grasp of the Japanese market, video games wise. Assuming you spent/spend time there? 日本語を話せますか。
 
zamardii12 said:
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
Mario Kart 8
New Super Mario Bros U + New Super Luigi U
Nintendoland
Pikmin 3
Super Mario 3D World
Zelda Twilight Princess HD
Zelda Windwaker HD
Zombi U

If somebody wants to get their Nintendo fix, the Wii U I think is still a really capable and good console. I personally could not be more happy with my purchase. I am hoping by the end of next year there will be a great library for the Switch and i'll be happy to purchase it.
Click to expand...

Don't forget one of the best hack'n'slash games Bayonetta 2 and one of the best JRPGs Xenoblade Chronicles X.

Yes I know Nintendo didn't make these but they are exclusive to the Wii U and must play games IMO.
 
modi123 said:
Rambling thread is rambling.

The Switch is for folk looking to jump on board the new console. You want a new console? Cool - it's for you. You don't need a new console right now? Cool it's not for your right now. Nintendo recycles their IP every system so branching out isn't really needed. You pretty much know what you are getting into. If that's for you super. If not, swell. No reason to make some sort of oddly drawn, over thought, line in the sand.
Click to expand...
I was waiting to see what the Switch was like and it made me decide to buy a Wii U. No wonder Nintendo recalled all Wii U inventory at the end of last year.
 
TBH I ignored all the switch media, hype etc. No pre orders or anything. I just passed by a Best Buy on launch night to kill some time and settle gut after dinner and was approached by a blue shirt asking if I was interested in a Switch. BB is DEAD in my area so they are just desperate I guess. The wife and I looked at the promo videos, saw the Zelda clips and I pictured myself playing that. So far no regrets. Right now, I'm pre-occupied in my new 7700k [H] build and the wife is playing a bit more Zelda than me, but I'll get back to exploring once the PC is all stress tested and burnt in. So far, I've played the switch at work on breaks, in bed, lounging in my Sumo chair, killing time waiting on steam downloads and a sick day. It's semi-portable-ness has grown on me.
 
Slade said:
TBH I ignored all the switch media, hype etc. No pre orders or anything. I just passed by a Best Buy on launch night to kill some time and settle gut after dinner and was approached by a blue shirt asking if I was interested in a Switch. BB is DEAD in my area so they are just desperate I guess. The wife and I looked at the promo videos, saw the Zelda clips and I pictured myself playing that. So far no regrets. Right now, I'm pre-occupied in my new 7700k [H] build and the wife is playing a bit more Zelda than me, but I'll get back to exploring once the PC is all stress tested and burnt in. So far, I've played the switch at work on breaks, in bed, lounging in my Sumo chair, killing time waiting on steam downloads and a sick day. It's semi-portable-ness has grown on me.
Click to expand...

I just had to look up what the hell a Sumo chair was. Looks neat. Which one do you have?

Aside: I saw one in the google ads for $999,999, nice.
 
We picked up 2 Sumo Omni bean bag chairs. Each of us have one in our own little office areas. I tried the Gigantor at a friend's house and found it to be neat but just monstrous in size. The Omni alone is already double in size what I have found in local stores for bean bag chairs.
 
Yeah I really don't know.....I think the public is zapped out switch your brain off with the switch.

I think the Wii was the last real ditch effort to bring back the Nintendo lots of good games on the Wii like
Punch Out, Twilight Princess, and Metroid titles lots of indies that no longer develop games.
 
Comixbooks said:
Yeah I really don't know.....I think the public is zapped out switch your brain off with the switch.

I think the Wii was the last real ditch effort to bring back the Nintendo lots of good games on the Wii like
Punch Out, Twilight Princess, and Metroid titles lots of indies that no longer develop games.
Click to expand...


If you look at the release window for 2017 for the Switch you will see the overwhelming amount of Indies coming to Switch which make up the majority of the titles.
 
I guess it's for me.

I don't care for Nintendo overmuch; out of all of their releases I've owned 4 pieces of their hardware (GameBoy, Super Nintendo in college, Wii which I resold w/in 2 weeks, and the DS which I still enjoy). I read most of the articles leading up to the release with another series of mehs regarding what they proposed with the Switch. Then the launch reviews came out and I was hooked despite most reviewer's ambivalence. A high pixel-pitch display on a portable in a cinematic, landscape layout with a 3.5mm headphone jack! I do travel a fair amount so the portability is frankly, everything. Being able to carry the thing around, playing in bed if I can't sleep - it's perfect. I will never, ever plug it into my TV, either.

The Switch delivers the kind of immersion I dreamed about in handheld when I picked up that first GameBoy. Zelda is so great on that little screen, it is still taking my breath away. I mean, I can put a fully realized, beautiful 3D rendered world in my coat. That is new. Performs quite nicely as well, and that's coming from a habitual 144hz GSynch nerd. Shovel Knight, which I would never have played on PC, is superb. I'm probably not their target demographic, either, but every time I look at it, I smile. I hope it sticks around for a good while.
 
Opie said:
I guess it's for me.

I don't care for Nintendo overmuch; out of all of their releases I've owned 4 pieces of their hardware (GameBoy, Super Nintendo in college, Wii which I resold w/in 2 weeks, and the DS which I still enjoy). I read most of the articles leading up to the release with another series of mehs regarding what they proposed with the Switch. Then the launch reviews came out and I was hooked despite most reviewer's ambivalence. A high pixel-pitch display on a portable in a cinematic, landscape layout with a 3.5mm headphone jack! I do travel a fair amount so the portability is frankly, everything. Being able to carry the thing around, playing in bed if I can't sleep - it's perfect. I will never, ever plug it into my TV, either.

The Switch delivers the kind of immersion I dreamed about in handheld when I picked up that first GameBoy. Zelda is so great on that little screen, it is still taking my breath away. I mean, I can put a fully realized, beautiful 3D rendered world in my coat. That is new. Performs quite nicely as well, and that's coming from a habitual 144hz GSynch nerd. Shovel Knight, which I would never have played on PC, is superb. I'm probably not their target demographic, either, but every time I look at it, I smile. I hope it sticks around for a good while.
Click to expand...

I hope so. I do hope that the games bring me around to the Switch. I still maintain that the Switch is too big and low on battery life to be a true portable, and too under-powered to give a quality home experience. Not that BOTW isn't great when docked, or that there won't be great games for the Switch but my main concern is that there are NO announcements from third party developers to bring their games over. Just today Obsidian announced that the new South Park: The Fractured But Whole game won't be coming to Switch. No Red Dead Redemption 2, No Mass Effect Andromeda... and I am afraid that the Switch will be relegated to rely on 1st party support to survive. The sale numbers don't lie, and obviously the Switch is turning out to be great but I have a suspicion that like with every Nintendo console launch there will be a drought of games for a while. Both the Wii and Wii U I bought on launch and sold within 6 months because of the lack of games. Even the Wii U and Wii I didn't purchase again until 2 weeks ago and I am finally getting to get caught up on all the games that I missed in the past and I am having an absolute ball.

The fact that the Switch is made to be portable has no appeal to me because I game at home. It just feels like to me that too many trade-offs were made with the Switch to make it portable. For me the New 3DS i just bought a couple days ago is the perfect mobile gaming platform b/c I get quality Nintendo titles, and it fits in my pocket with ease and has great battery. The Wii U is great for when I want to play more involved games and game on a TV in the comfort of my couch.

I will be buying a Switch for sure when there is a decent library there for it, but until then i'll play the waiting game. Hopefully Super Mario Odyssey doesn't push me over the edge. lol
 
Battery life doesn't concern me as I am not going to use it as a portable device. So, it's an underpowered console. But, it is a Nintendo console. When the price drops considerably, or there are those "must-have" games, then I'll probably pick up a used one.

I'm ready to buy a Wii U now. A great game library, well powered console. Just expensive in comparison to the more powerful competitors. Now, it's about the games. I am going to find a cheap Wii U, find some cheap used games (which is difficult as a lot of Nintendo first party games are still high prices for used).

I'm just not in the target market for a Switch. I'm just a living room gamer. I have a 3DS that works great and I have no need for another portable (larger) machine.

It's selling well, along with Zelda. I just am unsure as to who the target audience is really. Casual gamers, hardcore gamers, portable system for gamers on the go? It's trying to appeal to everyone, but IMO it's compromising one thing for the sake of another, so it's just an average overall console. With a price tag above the competitors.

No-buy for me with the current game lineup. SNES had limited games, but it was a kick ass console. And Super Mario World was great. Now, console releases are powerful enough to where you're going on framerate rather than a huge difference in visuals. So, it's down to the games. I can wait.

Also - third party. PS4/XBO - guaranteed to have good third party support. Nintendo has been lacking in that (but still excelling in first party games) since the Gamecube era. A few good ones, but overall just not huge support.
 
Once the Zelda hype wares off, and it is a good game, the console is going to get the scrutiny it deserves, and the compromises they made on the raw horsepower and going to hurt its credibility with hard core gamers. They really did not make a significant step up in performance from Wii U. If they did, you wouldn't have a slideslow in the woods in Zelda. An absolute slideshow during the most important part of the game. All they needed to do was get a better NVIDIA chipset in there, or wait, and they would have had a console with some legs. Now I don't know what they have. An underpowered frankenconsole. I love Zelda but I don't like this hardware at all.

And the pricing for everything associated with Switch OUTRAGEOUS. They are actually relaunching Street Fighter II at like $40. It should be like $10 at the most.

They make great GAMES, but that is all they a great at these days.
 
Blaster Master Zero and Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment are must play games in my book.

Yes I know Specter of Torment is a timed exclusive.
 
Another aspect to consider why portability is so popular in Japan is actually because their dwelling space is actually very small by western standards. Not as bad as Hong Kong (you know the capsule rooms you saw in DX:HR during one of the missions where you had to rescue the hacker? That, except actually real, and probably a bit more cramped, the walkways are not that large), but it's bad enough that you really want to be efficient with your space.

TVs (and by extension, consoles) are not as practical in that environment as portables.

I am currently not in the market for a switch, because I am not interested in its portability, but if Nintendo EVER releases emulation packages for their NES/SNES/N64/GC games, I will seriously consider it, if for nothing but for the legal access to those games.
 
It will be for me once it's readily available locally. It's for the 1.5 million people that already bought one. It's for the next few batches of similar numbers, then who knows after that. Not a bad start though.
 
Ur_Mom said:
Battery life doesn't concern me as I am not going to use it as a portable device. So, it's an underpowered console. But, it is a Nintendo console. When the price drops considerably, or there are those "must-have" games, then I'll probably pick up a used one.

I'm ready to buy a Wii U now. A great game library, well powered console. Just expensive in comparison to the more powerful competitors. Now, it's about the games. I am going to find a cheap Wii U, find some cheap used games (which is difficult as a lot of Nintendo first party games are still high prices for used).

I'm just not in the target market for a Switch. I'm just a living room gamer. I have a 3DS that works great and I have no need for another portable (larger) machine.

It's selling well, along with Zelda. I just am unsure as to who the target audience is really. Casual gamers, hardcore gamers, portable system for gamers on the go? It's trying to appeal to everyone, but IMO it's compromising one thing for the sake of another, so it's just an average overall console. With a price tag above the competitors.

No-buy for me with the current game lineup. SNES had limited games, but it was a kick ass console. And Super Mario World was great. Now, console releases are powerful enough to where you're going on framerate rather than a huge difference in visuals. So, it's down to the games. I can wait.

Also - third party. PS4/XBO - guaranteed to have good third party support. Nintendo has been lacking in that (but still excelling in first party games) since the Gamecube era. A few good ones, but overall just not huge support.
Click to expand...

I am in the same boat as you as far as just buying a Wii U as well as being a home gamer. I just bought a Wii U myself so I can play the entire library i've missed out on. On Nintendo's website and their eBay page they are selling the Black Deluxe console refurbished for $200 which comes with Nintendoland free. So that's what I did and have been slowly picking up games over the last couple weeks. Just finished The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess HD and absolutely loved it and will start Windwaker HD after I am done with Mass Effect Andromeda.
 
zamardii12 said:
I am in the same boat as you as far as just buying a Wii U as well as being a home gamer. I just bought a Wii U myself so I can play the entire library i've missed out on. On Nintendo's website and their eBay page they are selling the Black Deluxe console refurbished for $200 which comes with Nintendoland free. So that's what I did and have been slowly picking up games over the last couple weeks. Just finished The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess HD and absolutely loved it and will start Windwaker HD after I am done with Mass Effect Andromeda.
Click to expand...

The Wii U is a great system. I'm playing BotW on it right now. It doesn't make me want a Switch any less, and I'll be getting BotW for that as well, but it has made me very patient where getting a Switch is concerned. I just don't feel rushed to go get one like I have with other systems or hardware in the past. I'm sure I'll pick one up in the next couple of months, but in the meantime I'm still enjoying the Wii U for my N fixes.
 
zamardii12 said:
Why not get a 3DS then?
Click to expand...
I'd actually prefer switch's form factor for this.

EDIT: also, 3DS's region lock means a complete no go for me. I'd have to import the 3DS and the games to play them in English. I generally assume that region lock usually locks me OUT, not lock me IN.
 
Last edited:
I think one accidental target demographic of the Switch is the PC gamer who can't justify an Xbox One or PS4, but wants a different experience than what the PC offers from time to time. I thought the Switch looked very silly at first until it had a great reception. I've tried it though and not sure if I'll keep it.

The single greatest flaw in my opinion is the lack of ability to transfer saves. It's just asinine. There are just too many different scenarios necessitating a reason to transfer saves to warrant the omission of such as simple ability. Obviously it's not that I need the ability to do this right now. It's just...do I want to support a company that make such painstakingly obvious omissions? Do I really want to put 100 hours into something and risk losing it because I broke the device? Why the fuck is their no cloud backup? I say it's the largest flaw because it emphasizes the small little details that Nintendo seem to lose their sight on in order to deliver a sub-par experience. The little details add up.

Other omissions/issues:
  • Netflix/similar (this is a touchscreen portable TABLET, why Nintendo WHY?)
  • Bluetooth headphone support (again WHY?)
  • Rushed launch in general. No games other than Zelda (which is all Nintendo needed apparently)
  • Cheap ass dock. There should be no chance of it scratching the screen. Also, the console just sort of floats on top, it doesn't really click in securely.
  • The inconsistent experience between docked and handheld.. The right Joy-con was clearly not well designed to be used in handheld mode since it's a bit awkward to move between the analog stick and the buttons.
Another issue that it doesn't seem people are being hard enough on Nintendo for is just how bad Zelda runs in docked mode. It's such a noticeable difference for me. Going from a nearly constant 30 FPS in handheld to a very noticeable 20-25 is a huge bummer on such a great game.

As much as people keep repeating that Nintendo just needs to focus on software, I couldn't disagree more. The entire reason that they're keeping their decades old IPs alive at this point is because of compelling hardware. I just don't think if Nintendo were to sell Mario on their own client on PC or elsewhere that it would sell nearly as well. Apparently Super Mario Run was a bust (although admittedly it wasn't an ambitious title from them anyway). I think Mario and Zelda (and the rest of the lineup) are sought after because of the exclusivity of them. Switch + Zelda is proof that great software sells hardware and vice-versa.

So I really want Nintendo to be successful. They learned an immense amount from the Wii U but still didn't hit an absolute home run with the Switch, although very close. The pros definitely outweigh the cons since we don't live in a world without compromise, but it could definitely be soooo much better with just a few simple tweaks.
 
Honestly, in my head once it was confirmed the switch was the Tegra X1 I thought damn someone is going to build an emulator for the Switch super quick. Then I can play Zelda on my PC without all the performance issues. Would I personally buy a switch? Probably not until the New* Nintendo Switch with an upgraded Tegra SOC comes out.
 
chenw said:
I'd actually prefer switch's form factor for this.

EDIT: also, 3DS's region lock means a complete no go for me. I'd have to import the 3DS and the games to play them in English. I generally assume that region lock usually locks me OUT, not lock me IN.
Click to expand...

I actually don't understand why people think the 3DS is even a valid alternative to the switch. They are nothing alike other than they are made by Nintendo, and are portable systems. Sure the 3DS has a lot of really good games for it. I think I have around six different variations of 3DS in my house, having a New 3DS myself. I love it. Still, this is in no way a reason that I wouldn't want to get a switch. The Switch is a decently powerful portable console. It plays games comparable to other modern consoles on a TV, or away. The 3DS is fairly close graphically to an N64 give or take this or that graphical feature. If one is happy with a 3DS then great, but it isn't a Switch alternative.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top