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Krogoth
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Nintendo Switch

Fri Jan 13, 2017 1:43 am

Nintendo made its official public debut of the Nintendo Switch. It will be launch on March 3, 2017.

http://www.nintendo.com/switch/

I think they are going have an uphill battle if they intend on selling the unit at $299. It is the same price tag as 500GiB PS4 Slim and Xbox One S. Nintendo IP franchises alone aren't going to convince the masses to jump onto the bandwagon.

Anybody here thinking about getting one? Thoughts and comments?
Last edited by Krogoth on Fri Jan 13, 2017 2:25 am, edited 1 time in total.
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blahsaysblah
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Re: Nintendo Switch

Fri Jan 13, 2017 2:19 am

Controllers look very small, adults need not apply.
 
LostCat
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Re: Nintendo Switch

Fri Jan 13, 2017 3:28 am

Yeah I'm planning on getting it though I'd hoped it'd be 250 or less.  It'll be secondary priority for me though based on my Zen build and potentially Scorpio first.
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NTMBK
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Re: Nintendo Switch

Fri Jan 13, 2017 4:00 am

£280 in the UK. What are they smoking.

It's like the Wii U all over again. Too many gimmicks (detachable controller, dockable console) pushing the price up. 
 
End User
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Re: Nintendo Switch

Fri Jan 13, 2017 4:38 am

Only gamers with Alien facehugger fingers need apply:

http://media.nintendo.com/nintendo/coco ... bletop.jpg
 
LostCat
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Re: Nintendo Switch

Fri Jan 13, 2017 5:53 am

NTMBK wrote:
£280 in the UK. What are they smoking.

It's like the Wii U all over again. Too many gimmicks (detachable controller, dockable console) pushing the price up. 

These gimmicks I'll happily pay for over droid or iOS.  Dock when I'm at my base, but have a fully functional and supported light console when I'm not instead of a tablet with poor support and questionable gaming chops.
I still have no idea what (if anything) they plan to do appwise but I'll happily never buy a tablet again if offered stuff like this.
I haven't had anything Nintendo made since the NES (well, a DS for a short time but still) but this is the first device in a long while that I've seen as a must have.
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Noinoi
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Re: Nintendo Switch

Fri Jan 13, 2017 5:53 am

This appears to be a potential JRPG (and Japanese games, in general) machine now that I've seen what they have on offer. That probably was a really easy task for Nintendo to secure given what goes on the 3DS.
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NTMBK
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Re: Nintendo Switch

Fri Jan 13, 2017 6:05 am

LostCat wrote:
NTMBK wrote:
£280 in the UK. What are they smoking.

It's like the Wii U all over again. Too many gimmicks (detachable controller, dockable console) pushing the price up. 

These gimmicks I'll happily pay for over droid or iOS.  Dock when I'm at my base, but have a fully functional and supported light console when I'm not instead of a tablet with poor support and questionable gaming chops.
I still have no idea what (if anything) they plan to do appwise but I'll happily never buy a tablet again if offered stuff like this.
I haven't had anything Nintendo made since the NES (well, a DS for a short time but still) but this is the first device in a long while that I've seen as a must have.

But those aren't the gimmicks that you want. If Nintendo had sold either 
a) A stationary console with the same specs, with no touchscreen and no battery, no undocking mechanism
b) A portable console with no dock, no docking mechanism at all, no ability to run at higher docked speeds
Would you not still be happy? Especially if it was $100 cheaper?
 
rephlex
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Re: Nintendo Switch

Fri Jan 13, 2017 6:08 am

NTMBK wrote:
£280 in the UK. What are they smoking.

It's like the Wii U all over again. Too many gimmicks (detachable controller, dockable console) pushing the price up. 

I doubt the gimmicks cost very much.  Nintendo's desire to make Apple-like profit margins is what's responsible for the overpricing of the Switch.  Gimmicky, underpowered and overpriced, it's like they haven't learnt anything from the Wii U disaster and are desperately still trying to appeal to the casual gamers that abandoned them post-Wii.  Sorry Nintendo but those people aren't coming back.
 
LostCat
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Re: Nintendo Switch

Fri Jan 13, 2017 6:13 am

NTMBK wrote:
Would you not still be happy? Especially if it was $100 cheaper?

No, I'd just buy new PC gaming kit or wait for Scorpio.
Meow.
 
End User
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Re: Nintendo Switch

Fri Jan 13, 2017 7:06 am

LostCat wrote:
instead of a tablet with poor support and questionable gaming chops.

Is the Switch using a Tegra X1? How does that compare to an A10 or a Snapdragon 821?
 
Noinoi
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Re: Nintendo Switch

Fri Jan 13, 2017 8:25 am

End User wrote:
LostCat wrote:
instead of a tablet with poor support and questionable gaming chops.

Is the Switch using a Tegra X1? How does that compare to an A10 or a Snapdragon 821?

The only thing that's definitely confirmed is that it's using a Tegra of some sort.

Everything else is up in the air. We don't even know exactly what model of Tegra it is.
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superjawes
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Re: Nintendo Switch

Fri Jan 13, 2017 9:10 am

The pricing on this is right because it is portable (other consoles like PS4 and XBOne are not). Even if it is underpowered, that utility means a lot.

And I said it a while back, but you also have to consider the Switch as a *possible* 3DS replacement. Nintendo won't say anything to that effect until/unless the Switch is successful, but a (new) New 3DS XL goes for $200. With such a small price gap between the two, it puts Switch in a solid position to unify Nintendo's platforms, essentially.

Now obviously there are still some big questions, but I do think there is a path to success here. Now we just have to see if Nintendo can execute...
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Demetri
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Re: Nintendo Switch

Fri Jan 13, 2017 10:39 am

The Mario game looks like Sonic '06.
 
LostCat
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Re: Nintendo Switch

Fri Jan 13, 2017 11:56 am

End User wrote:
LostCat wrote:
instead of a tablet with poor support and questionable gaming chops.

Is the Switch using a Tegra X1? How does that compare to an A10 or a Snapdragon 821?

Don't know, as they said.  But either way having a good controller by default, OS support that stays current longer than a week, and having low level APIs now instead of probably never wins vs most/all? 200-300 tablets.  Audio should be above average too, especially when docked but either way.

From what I've heard the device will prefer battery life pretty seriously in tablet mode alongside being 720p, but the speeds can be pushed higher by the game.  Full on 1080p when docked and about 2.5/3x as fast.  That was what I heard a while back though so I don't know if it's entirely accurate.
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drfish
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Re: Nintendo Switch

Fri Jan 13, 2017 12:16 pm

Our household got a lot of millage out of our Wii U (until some idiot destroyed all our save files switching to an SSD for external storage). We're ready for one last fling with it when Zelda comes out.

But we're just not into the Switch. I won't call it gimmicky - but the execution doesn't appeal to me. For $300 I'd rather have more powerful hardware without the portability or stream the video to the portable display like the Wii U (or better yet, over a network like the PS4/Vita). I'd never take it out of the house. I'm also just about done with Nintendo not having store accounts that work more like Microsoft or Valve. I just can't do another console like that. Sorry, Reggie.
 
rephlex
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Re: Nintendo Switch

Fri Jan 13, 2017 1:12 pm

drfish wrote:
Our household got a lot of millage out of our Wii U (until some idiot destroyed all our save files switching to an SSD for external storage). We're ready for one last fling with it when Zelda comes out.

Hopefully Zelda does actually come out for the Wii U.  I wouldn't be surprised if it's released for the Switch only.  Nintendo did confirm it as a launch title and frankly it's the only thing that is worth looking forward to.
 
drfish
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Re: Nintendo Switch

Fri Jan 13, 2017 1:13 pm

It's confirmed as launching for the Wii U on 3/3 as well.
 
derFunkenstein
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Re: Nintendo Switch

Fri Jan 13, 2017 1:16 pm

I didn't see anything that really grabbed me. Avoiding weird novel hardware for novelty's sake is a lesson I've already learned. We do have a Wii U but that's my daughter's domain, a machine that basically only plays Minecraft and Mario. The fact that Zelda will come to the Wii U means I have at least a year before we even begin to think about talking about considering a purchase.
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TheRazorsEdge
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Re: Nintendo Switch

Fri Jan 13, 2017 1:58 pm

superjawes wrote:
And I said it a while back, but you also have to consider the Switch as a *possible* 3DS replacement.  Nintendo won't say anything to that effect until/unless the Switch is successful, but a (new) New 3DS XL goes for $200.  With such a small price gap between the two, it puts Switch in a solid position to unify Nintendo's platforms, essentially.

I hadn't really thought of it as a souped-up 3DS with a docking station, but in that light it does seem a little more appealing.

I'd like to see how the battery life, launch titles, and compatibility/porting of 3DS games plays out. But now I'm curious, whereas before I didn't really care.
 
Vhalidictes
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Re: Nintendo Switch

Fri Jan 13, 2017 2:09 pm

Yet another speed-bump on the way to Nintendo becoming a software company. I guess I don't really care one way or the other about their consoles, but this looks pretty bad from a pricing perspective.
 
rephlex
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Re: Nintendo Switch

Fri Jan 13, 2017 2:54 pm

drfish wrote:
It's confirmed as launching for the Wii U on 3/3 as well.

Yes, I see Nintendo have now clarified this.  That's good news for gamers, maybe not so much for Nintendo since it's just one less reason to buy a Switch.
 
derFunkenstein
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Re: Nintendo Switch

Fri Jan 13, 2017 5:24 pm

The Switch hasn't even launched yet and already the paid multiplayer service is falling on its face.

Switch Online will begin charging a monthly fee in the fall, and active members will get access to online multiplayer, a party system, and a monthly game download. For those downloads, Nintendo is offering up Nintendo Entertainment System and Super Nintendo games with “newly-added online play” at no additional charge. But once the month is over, everyone will lose access to the game unless they purchase it.

At least with PS+ and Xbox Live Gold you get to keep those games as long as you're an active subscriber. Nobody knows what Nintendo's online is going to cost, but man, they're already putting themselves at a disadvantage.
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Noinoi
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Re: Nintendo Switch

Fri Jan 13, 2017 8:40 pm

derFunkenstein wrote:
The Switch hasn't even launched yet and already the paid multiplayer service is falling on its face.

Switch Online will begin charging a monthly fee in the fall, and active members will get access to online multiplayer, a party system, and a monthly game download. For those downloads, Nintendo is offering up Nintendo Entertainment System and Super Nintendo games with “newly-added online play” at no additional charge. But once the month is over, everyone will lose access to the game unless they purchase it.

At least with PS+ and Xbox Live Gold you get to keep those games as long as you're an active subscriber. Nobody knows what Nintendo's online is going to cost, but man, they're already putting themselves at a disadvantage.

It probably is in their best interests to not try to charge the same as the other two. Even a slight relative price reduction would make the subscription a whole lot more tolerable. I do have to say that whatever service they're planning seems to be a rather poor value if it's priced the same. I'd think having the price to be at least 30% lower than the competition would make sense, but Nintendo isn't known for having good online services...

Still, Nintendo seems to be pivoting more towards local multiplayer, and if games take advantage of that, I suppose we might see quite a lot of games permitting two-player local multiplayer action with just the system itself. The Joy-Cons appear to allow that, as when detached and held sideways, they act like miniature SNES controllers (albeit with a stick in place of a D-Pad), complete with shoulder buttons that normally are hidden when slotted in. Wouldn't put it past me to see that something like Mario Kart or Super Smash Bros to let you do exactly that - these games control acceptably on the single-analog, SNES-like control layout outside the D-Pad on the original 3DSes.
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Noinoi
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Re: Nintendo Switch

Fri Jan 13, 2017 10:08 pm

PerfectCr wrote:
Vhalidictes wrote:
Yet another speed-bump on the way to Nintendo becoming a software company. I guess I don't really care one way or the other about their consoles, but this looks pretty bad from a pricing perspective.

Agreed. I think this is their last hurrah on hardware, no matter what.

I wouldn't be so sure on that. Emergency mode Nintendo can do unusual things (see: 3DS launch disaster) if the system is sound (of which the Wii U was not, unfortunately).

The way Nintendo is positioning the Switch also reminds me of the DS and the GBA. If this ends up failing, I wouldn't put it past me to see a "HDS" pop out of nowhere. I wish them good luck in making sure that their system is sustainable in the long term - they seem to know what they're doing seeing as some of the best games on the Wii U are now being released on the Switch, some as sequels, others with additional stuff. They probably knew that the Wii U was a disaster and will probably try their best to prevent a second Wii U situation.

If anything else, I think starting with a new name would help a lot with the brand recognition right out of the box. Still remains to be seen how the market responds, too. Judging the reactions from the "hardcore" gamer base tends to yield mixed results as best - Nintendo doesn't really target them anymore these days.

Also, have to say, the parental controls video is cute. :)
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CuttinHobo
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Re: Nintendo Switch

Sat Jan 14, 2017 6:22 pm

Krogoth wrote:
I think they are going have an uphill battle if they intend on selling the unit at $299. It is the same price tag as 500GiB PS4 Slim and Xbox One S. Nintendo IP franchises alone aren't going to convince the masses to jump onto the bandwagon.

Uphill battle, indeed. Price parity along with limited third-party support? A number of us were trying to get that point across to you when the specs leaked in December. :P
 
Noinoi
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Re: Nintendo Switch

Sun Jan 15, 2017 3:33 am

You know, I've been thinking, after reading the comments on the recently-created news article here about the Switch's additional details. It seems like most folks aren't quite fond of a lot of hardware and platform choices Nintendo was making... but on the other hand, I've also been thinking that they are probably not the audience anyway.

I myself am looking forward to moving onto a Switch once it gets almost nine months, at the end of the year. Launch-day new console purchases don't really make sense.
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Vhalidictes
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Re: Nintendo Switch

Mon Jan 16, 2017 12:26 pm

Noinoi wrote:
You know, I've been thinking, after reading the comments on the recently-created news article here about the Switch's additional details. It seems like most folks aren't quite fond of a lot of hardware and platform choices Nintendo was making... but on the other hand, I've also been thinking that they are probably not the audience anyway.

I myself am looking forward to moving onto a Switch once it gets almost nine months, at the end of the year. Launch-day new console purchases don't really make sense.

Hopefully a lot of people are looking forward to it. The economics of consoles (they're loss leaders meant to sell games) dictates that having a large install base is all that matters, since only people with the console will buy the games.

That said, pretty much all modern consoles (bar possibly the upcoming Xbox) are either slower than (or soon to be slower than) mobile devices, which already have a huge install base (and therefore, developer attention).

There are battles left to fight, but that war is over already. The current fight is between VR headsets and, well, HDMI-out to see how (not if) phones output their games to a larger canvas.
 
derFunkenstein
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Re: Nintendo Switch

Mon Jan 16, 2017 12:30 pm

CuttinHobo wrote:
Krogoth wrote:
I think they are going have an uphill battle if they intend on selling the unit at $299. It is the same price tag as 500GiB PS4 Slim and Xbox One S. Nintendo IP franchises alone aren't going to convince the masses to jump onto the bandwagon.

Uphill battle, indeed. Price parity along with limited third-party support? A number of us were trying to get that point across to you when the specs leaked in December. :P

Not even parity. You can get a 500GB PS4 with Uncharted 4 for $259 on Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, etc. They're actually more expensive because of the stupid display and portability nonsense.
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CuttinHobo
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Re: Nintendo Switch

Mon Jan 16, 2017 5:03 pm

derFunkenstein wrote:
Not even parity. You can get a 500GB PS4 with Uncharted 4 for $259 on Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, etc. They're actually more expensive because of the stupid display and portability nonsense.


That's true. I was being generous and went with what I think is the current MSRP. But these days you really have to go out of your way to spend that much. Which certainly doesn't help Nintendo's case.

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