Nintendo has finally announced their new console the Nintendo NX Switch.
Reveal Video
I'm curious what other gamers think about the new console.
My takeaways:
- While the ability to seamlessly switch between home console and handheld is cool, it still feels a little gimmicky to me
- The games that were shown in the reveal video showed a pretty wide range of genre, it looks like Nintendo is really trying to get back into the mainstream market rather then staying in the casual niche they've occupied since the Wii days
- I have some concern about the move back to mini cartridges for games, to me this implies that games may be limited in size and/or have a much high cost then games on other consoles
- Was hoping for price details to be released along with the reveal video but so far nothing, this could play a big part in the success of the console
In the end this is definitely the last stand for Nintendo if they want to keep producing hardware, but from what I can gather in a 3 minute video they seem to be headed in the right direction to get back in the game.
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Comments
Looks interesting and might be good. I don't know about any other games confirmed on the console on release date, besides Legend of Zelda, but it from the video it's nice that they are trying to get more 3rd party or even 2nd party games for the console.
Also I wonder if they will still continue with the DS and have it interact with the Switch, like the GBA and GC.
I agree that its seems a little gimmicky. This is definitely a wait and see sort purchase IMO.
But, I don't think size/capacity of games would be much of a concern. Small form factor solid state storage is able to hold more than even quad layer Blu Ray discs. Though cost could be a concern once you get into larger capacities. I think mini cartridges is really the way to go for portable gaming, otherwise you are really limited to just the internal storage available on the console, which might impact the sizes of games even more so.
I just can't shake that fear of accidentally spitting when I blow out the cartridge...
So that's why people wanted the gold versions...
If the Switch has you putting the cartridges in vertically like the Famicon than you don't have to worry about blowing out the cartridge.
I hope the tablet has considerably better battery life than the Wii U gamepad.
I like the idea of seamless integration of console and handheld gaming, I just don't know that there's significant market demand for that.
they need to have this thing come equipped with
Tesla'sa functional collision avoidance system so people who never look up from their screens can function you know, in the real world.I thought it was funny how much they tried to tie a system that goes with you everywhere with engaging social interaction. We all know how that ends:
This just in, the Nintendo Switch is actually a cleverly designed Social Darwinism device designed to act as a control on the size and intellegence of the population /s
When can I play Mario on my iPhone?
I think this is a smart move by them. They are pretty much a handheld console company now and this setup looks really cool. I don't think they will ever be able to really compete with Xbone or PS so these "gimick" ideas are kinda the only way to stand out. I still see them as a add on company like, you will own either xbox or PS WITH a nintendo.
#PCMasterRace
Yeah I have one of those too haha. Anyone have a cool rig? Mine is pretty standard.
Depends on what you define as a cool rig. I have an rx 480 which I think is cool but it is stuffed into an old hp case that I am perpetually upgrading that I dont think anyone else would define as cool.
I wants it.
This still doesn't solve the biggest complaint people have with the Wii and Wii U, namely that they never got 3rd party support because their systems were woefully underpowered compared to the competition. And there's no way they can pack anywhere near that level of computing power, plus the screen AND a large enough battery to run it for a while, in a package small enough to carry. I can see it being useful as a replacement to the 3DS, that can conveniently be plugged into your TV for big-screen gaming, but that's about it. I just don't understand the hype.
It's not that far off from the Xbone in performance from what I've seen, which is assuming a tegra x2 chip. The fact that Skyrim is confirmed is pretty big showing for 3rd party support too as I'm pretty sure this is Bethesda's first Nintendo game. Battery life is a concern for me, but the fact that it is only a 720p screen should help that. Really hoping for a usb type c charging port, although I'm not expecting it.
I think the hype is based on people being excited to have a fairly modern console be portable. A lot of things make it feel like a modern Sega gamegear. Hopefully the switch is more successful though.
Oh and speaking of 3rd party support
I really hope that 3rd party support for the Switch also makes more companies use Vulkan api on computer ports. Also, a really cool potential feature would be giving it Nvidia shadowplay. It'll have the hardware for it, but I have a feeling nintendo won't be down to clown.
Ultimately I think the success of this system will be dependent on it's price. $300 or below and the switch will be a huge success, anything above $350 will show struggling sales. Releasing a console during tax return season is a really smart move by nintendo too.
As for the 3rd party support, Nintendo did this before with the Wii U.
Source
So even though they've announced these partners it's possible that the developers won't support it long term or support it at all. And now that the other consoles are going to be releasing 4k gaming systems, it's even less likely that they'll devote the manpower to developing for the underpowered Nintendo console.
I'm not trying to say that the NS is for sure going to be successful nor that all the 3rd parties are going to come through. However, Nintendo has made major improvements to the NS over the Wiiu, and I have to fundamentally disagree with your argument.
It's important to note that the Wiiu wasn't just plagued by poor performance, but also hardware that used an ancient architecture know as powerpc. This meant that games would have to practically be entirely remade to run on the Wiiu, which also didn't have the largest player base. The NS appears to be using a tegra x2 soc which uses an arm based cpu, and a pascal based gpu (basically a cut down 10xx series gpu). This is a modern architecture that supports modern APIs like vulkan. In addition it will have performance only slightly worse than the base Xbone, which gets me to my main problem with your argument.
First of all, no. Not at all. Neither Microsoft or Sony are making 4k gaming consoles. They are making gaming consoles that can play 4k media, ie netflix, youtube, and blu rays for Scorpio. They are unable to render games at 4k. They will upscale games to 4k, but it is not the same and won't look nearly as good as playing games in 4k. Furthermore, all games will still be made to play on the base Xbone, which as I said isn't that far off from the NS. This effectively kills the argument that the NS won't be powerful enough for 3rd party devs to support.
Of course this doesn't mean it well for sure be supported either, business politics are crazy.
My wording was poor but I meant that they are pushing to try to be in the 4K market not so much that they're going to achieve that. Hell, most PC's can't achieve that on a single GPU at this point. My point was more that when those consoles release, the switch will be on par/slightly below par with the last generation of consoles (ie Xbox one/Ps4) again (like the WiiU/360/PS3). I get that Microsoft/Sony are trying to keep games playable on all systems but there will be a divide. At that point gamers aren't choosing to keep their Xbox/PS4 and also buy a Switch but they're going to be choosing between upgrading their Xbox/PS4 or buying a Switch. When that happens, Nintendo has to be priced to compete ($250-300) or they'll get passed over. I just don't see how they can make a portable console with specs good enough to deliver a good product at that price. I'd be happy to be wrong though but I have to imagine if it was possible, Microsoft/Sony would already be in that market.
I agree that pricing is very important for the NS to be successful. What's interesting it's that I've heard they'll make two versions with one at $300 and the other at $400. As I've said previously I think $300 will be the sweet spot as long as they come through with the promise of over 1 Tflop of performance. Still a lot of information to come out between now and March though.
I'm with you. Watching the video I was pleasantly surprised (hard to expect anything decent from Nintendo in the hardware division anymore) at the portability of it. However, once I started thinking about it there's absolutely no way that this device will be able to perform as a portable equivalent to an Xbox/PS. The battery life will be terrible, and if it's not, it's because they skimped out on some other vital hardware. It's a cool idea but to me it seems like if you want Xbox/PS graphics on a handheld you'd have to do that the same way Sony did with the Vita (ie streaming). The tech just doesn't exist now to make a portable gaming system for $250-300 (where Nintendo will likely have to price this to be competitive).
As a side note, I think Nintendo 1) vastly overestimates the amount of friends people have and 2) hilariously believes that anyone wants to play co-op/multiplayer on a 7 inch screen.
Yeah, this is true haha. Apparently the commercial alludes to rooftop parties where people wanna play co-op on a tiny screen and picking up chicks at the airport.
On another note, I do think NS will do well if the price is low enough to get ppl with Xbox and PS to buy one. Like how the Wii did when it first came out. Everyone had a Wii as like a party/ get together system and played PS or Xbox for their hardcore multiplayer online stuff
Seeing it in action, that's... actually pretty cool. Almost like Nintendo meets Chromecast.
I'll take. Wait and see approach on this one. The controller by itself or on the system in portable mode has to be more comfortable than the Wii U tablet was. Sony and Microsoft set the bar high in that category.
The pro-controllers for the Wii U were pretty good and it looks like there is going to be something similar for the Switch.
Yeah that is true. My big thing is that if the selling point for the console is portability the portable control setup can't be butts, so I'll probably wait to see what people with one say.
Thought I'd bump this thread since nintendo has/is releasing a bunch of new information about the Switch.
Most importantly it's priced at $300 and it's going to be released (March 3rd) as people are getting their tax returns so that bodes well for the console. That being said, even if I finally do have money at the point, my personal hype train has derailed for a few reasons.
1. Price.
Look, I know you can cite me above in this exact thread saying that I think $300 is the sweet spot. Well, it's gone sour. Partially because a rumor was released saying the Switch would be $250, and honestly the price seemed much more reasonable to me once it became a possibility. In addition, $300 isn't the typical value you'd think it would be, especially for Nintendo. They're going to charge for online services, like microsoft and sony does, after the first six-ish months the switch has been out. Also, accessories seem extraordinary overpriced from what I've seen:
Pro Controller is $69.99 Pairs of Joy-Con Controllers: $79.99 Individual Joy-Cons: $49.99 Joy-Con Charging Grip: $29.99 Dock Set: $89.99 Joy-Con Wheel (set of 2): $14.99
2. Battery life.
Nintendo said that battery is between 3 and 6.5 hours. Which I read as 3 hours, maybe 4 hours in a best case scenario. The good news is usb type c charging so you can bring a battery bank along with you, but overall a bit disappointing for a console being advertised as a mobile console. It also suggests the hardware isn't as good as I'd hoped it'd be, but there's not been any real news on that so far.
3. Launch titles.
It seems that the 2 big launch titles will be Zelda BotW and 1-2 switch. Both titles are disappointing for their own reasons, and also there's no new mario game until the fall. The Zelda game is disappointing because they tried to use it as a selling point for the wii u. Now it's been delayed even more so it's a launch title for the Switch. That's a but messed up, even if it will also get a wii u release. 1-2 switch is disappointing because it's sort of the console feature demo like wii sports and nintendoland was. The difference is that from what I've seen it won't be bundled with the $300 console and will be $60.
I definitely won't personally be buying the switch at launch, but I am interested in hearing other people's opinions. In addition there is an announcement mega thread on the r/nintendoswitch subreddit if you're looking for more information.
As I said a few months ago in this thread, I never really bought into the hype. I still don't see any way they can pack XBone performance into such a small enclosure for such a (relatively) small price without serious overheating issues, and that's even before factoring in the space taken up by the battery and display. In my mind it's still going to be criminally underpowered compared to the competition
By the way, being "criminally underpowered" is what killed 3rd party support for the Wii and Wii U, making all this hype for third party "support" on the Switch hugely overblown. Dragon Quest? A port of a 6-year old Elder Scrolls game? FIFA? There isn't much else out there yet, and I don't see devs regularly including the Switch in the vast majority of AAA releases due to the vastly different architecture the system is rumored to be running. For reference, the XBone and PS4 are running almost identical AMD chipsets for both computations and graphics, and it's very similar to the general architecture used in modern PCs, making it almost trivial for developers to port from one system to the other.
By the way, the Wii U had a similar amount of (if not more) third party support at this point in its development cycle, and many of those titles never released and those that did generally weren't followed up with other titles from those studios.
pretty much sums up my feelings.
wii u really soured me on nintendo
It will be very hard to sell 720p resolution and cartridges to younger generations of gamers.
Got a little excited about it early this morning (couldn't sleep). Reality has set back in and I'm not sure I will ever purchase this. Last Nintendo system I purchased was the Wii. I reluctantly bought it, loved the NES and SNES games from the online channel, and then sold it in less than a year.
I still think they could've pulled off everything that was promised/expected with a chip based off the tegra P1. It's still even potentially possible that's what they'll use in the final consumer switch (or the NEW Nintendo Switch in a year or two). Unfortunately, it seems Nintendo is going for a money grab which will inevitably fail. Oh well, I'll always have my old collection along with some cool emulators to play the nintendo games/systems I like.
The architecture/setup is set. Switch launches on March 3. It is finalized. Will Nintendo survive as a console maker for the next round?
I just went and looked it up, and turns out I was slightly mistaken. They are actually switching from PowerPC (which they used in the GameCube, Wii, and Wii U) to the Tegra P1, which is better but only slightly.
The Tegra P1 is an ARMv8-based chip, meaning it is more modern than the PowerPC but still uses a completely different core architecture and (probably more importantly) instruction set than the x86-64 chips supplied by AMD for the XBone and PS4, and will still almost certainly be somewhat underpowered. All of this combines for a system that, absent significant sales for the first round of third-party AAA titles, will probably lose its third-party support even faster than the Wii U did.
There is still a chance Nintendo could surprise us all and somehow turn it into a more-enduring success than the Wii, and if that happens I will gladly eat crow, but right now I don't see that happening.
I'm trying to preorder it, my hype is real. For me graphics and such aren't important in a console. If I want that, I'm playing on PC anyways. For me consoles have always been about party games. This looks ready made for that and I'm excited to be able to play locally with friends again. The Xbox one lacks split screen and party games really hard.
idarb is really fun, but it's the only example of "party game" I can think of on the XBone.
The Wii U, as much vitriol as it gets, is essentially a Wii with more selection when it comes to party games. Mario Kart 8 is the best in the series in a long time, Smash is always an option, and it is backwards compatible with essentially the entire Wii library of games. The way I see it, the Switch is essentially a Wii U crossed with a 3DS, in that you can carry it around and play with your friends anywhere (albeit only for a few hours before the battery dies) but won't really compete with the home consoles.
Very off-topic, but have you ever looked into any of the modern board games being released? In my opinion, board gaming really seems to be having a renaissance and many of the games have completely replaced that old school split-screen party game experience for me. Much cheaper alternative than picking up a new console. :)
I can give plenty of recommendations if you are interested, but if I had to go with just one cheap option than I would have to recommend Codenames
Yep, I'm actually starting to get into board games for this very reason. The party gaming of old is morphing into cool and sometimes obscure board games. Codenames is awesome, played it last weekend for the first time.
My sister bought that game for us to play at Christmas, it's a good one. It was really interesting that I felt like my wife could read my mind on a lot of those. We never lost a game together, but when we were split up we were just average. We must have played that game 30 times over Christmas.
oh man, I could go on for hours about the quality and entertainment value of board games these days. We have a closet dedicated to storage at home. Unfortunately, my kids are too young to play most games, but old enough to be an impediment to playing with others. Taught the five year old Dastardly Dirigibles the other night, but that's about as complex as he can do at that age.
Did they finally get rid of ridiculous friend codes?
$300 seems fine to me. Nintendo accessories being overpriced = let me show you my shocked face.
Battery life seems poor, but wouldn't that suggest the opposite about the hardware?
When it comes to games, Nintendo will always have their niche. If enough of those crop up early on I may be tempted to get a Switch. As of now, I have a hard enough time keeping up with the games on my PS4. No time for a Switch. Doesn't help that it comes out right around the remastered Kingdom Hearts 1.5 and 2.5 Remix. THAT'S where my hype lies.
tl;dr:
My issue with the hardware is twofold:
1 ) Small size = small heatsinks and/or fans = lack of cooling capacity = lack of computing power
2 ) All the rumors so far have said it is a PowerPC-based system, which essentially means that it is functionally extremely different from the XBone, PS4, and PC. For more details, read on:
/tl;dr
The PowerPC architecture is what Apple used to use in Macs before switching entirely over to Intel about 8(?) years ago. Also what was in the Xbox 360. Biggest problem with this is that the XBone and the PS4 have almost identical x86-64 chips from AMD, which in turn are similar to what is used in modern PCs. This means that a developer should be able to port a game between the XBone, PS4, and to a lesser extent PC with relatively little trouble, but the Switch will require extensive rework just to get games working. This in turn means that, even if raw computing power were equivalent, many (most?) major developers that release their games on PS4, XBone, and PC probably wouldn't find it worth the time to release another version on the Switch, unless it catches on like wildfire pretty quickly. Combine this with the fact that it'll almost certainly be severely underpowered, and you essentially have a successor to the 3DS and nothing more.
Not that there is anything wrong with a successor to the 3DS.
But your point is spot on. The system just does not seem like it will have the power necessary for AAA gaming from any developer other than Nintendo.
Devs want processing that can bring their dreams to life and make the game they want to with the resources available to them. The PS4, One, and PCs (except for the very high end custom gaming rigs), can all do close to the same thing with similar results and very little effort required to build/port from one to the other.
The Switch will run into the same issue as pretty much every Nintendo console since the N64....long downtime between hi quality 1st party titles
The last paragraph is Nintendo in a nutshell. I was diehard Nintendo until the N64. I had a blast with it (Goldeneye and Perfect Dark multiplayer in the dorm). Since GameCube...I play less and less Nintendo franchises.
I'll be dead before KH3 comes out
Now that FFXV is out of the way I honestly think they'll finally make it. I think all these re-released games and 2.8 coming out is a way for them to re-energize the fan base.
Damn it all I want is the NES Classic and it is NOWHERE TO BE FOUND.
Nintendo playing the supply and demand game. Just wait it out, I'm sure more will be on hand soon and more easily accessible since the holiday season is over.
Set up an alert for it at slickdeals.net, and pay close attention to the emails they send you. If you're quick you could get lucky. Or just wait another 6 months and they will probably be caught up on demand.
I bought into the hype - I figured Nintendo might pull an Apple on us and have it available for pre-order immediately after the presentation... it ended up not being immediately afterwards, but not too long after, it went up for pre-order on both Wal-Mart and Best Buy's websites. I went ahead and snagged the neon colored joycons version online at Best Buy. It said my local store would be doing a launch date midnight release, so I just opted for the in-store pickup. We'll see if that actually comes to fruition, though.
I'm excited for the Switch's release...because then I can pick up a Wii U for dirt cheap to play New Super Mario Bros U and Mario Kart 8 with my family.
If by "dirt cheap" you mean $300... because they stopped making them a while ago, and are getting rid of what stock they have left, still at the same $300 price point the system was released at over 4 years ago, and most places have run out of them. The other option is getting one used, but on Amazon looks like the cheapest one is $225 and it's the old 8GB model which fills up way too fast. It may drop a bit down the road, but since the Switch isn't backwards compatible and likely won't ever be it's not going to happen any time soon.
Within one year of the Switch release, you'll be able to find Wii U systems in pawn shops or on Craigslist bundled with a bunch of games for less than a hundred bucks.
I ended up not getting on the WiiU train, but I saw that they're releasing a remastered/enhanced version of Mario Kart 8, I think they're calling it 'Mario Kart 8 Deluxe'. Definitely gonna pick that up when it's released.
They really messed up not making that a launch title. I guess they want something to come out in the "slow" months following the launch, but just an enhanced remake should have been ready to go at launch.
With that being said, MK8 was my favorite version of Mario Kart ever, and adding in a real battle mode (and multiple items) is really awesome.
I'm pretty much done with Nintendo, which is a shame growing up as a kid that definitely had a super freak out Christmas morning home video when I opened an SNES that my grandparents got me (and owned an NES forever before that.)
I have owned the Xbox, 360, and now the One and am pretty much Microsoft for life at this point. I love what the One brings in terms of whole home entertainment and games.
I have a Wii, and frankly I still enjoy bowling with the wife from time to time, but my kids are young, too young to play games, and I can't see a scenario where they fall in love with Nintendo like I once did. I feel like they just "don't get it" (they being Nintendo) in terms of what people are looking for in consoles now. I understand the multiplayer advantage to a number of titles, but that in and of itself isn't enough when the system is underpowered and the lineup of games is meh
I don't really understand this level of brand loyalty when it comes to gaming. Last gen, I started with a 360, got a PS3 when the price was cut to $150 or so, and got a Wii 4-5 years ago at $100. In the gen before that, the family got a GameCube shortly after it came out, I got an Xbox a couple years later for around $150, and a PS2 some years later for around $80.
I've always looked at it as a value proposition. Get the new console with the best exclusives shortly after launch, wait a few years and pick another up for cheaper to get access to its exclusives, and get the third near the end of the cycle for dirt cheap to fill in the gaps. I thoroughly enjoy Halo, Uncharted, and Mario, and pretty much all the systems provide something for everyone. I bought an XBone a year or so after it launched because of a pretty good Black Friday deal, and I'll probably grab a Wii U or PS4 sometime in the next couple years.
Now, PC gaming... that's another story.
Backwards Compatability and developed Xbox live Friends lists are 2 big reasons. Fleixbility of streaming app is another.
Its not a brand loyalty thing as much a practicality thing. I honestly purchase maybe a handful of games a year, and have little to no interest in buying a handful of systems that I have neither the time (or physical space in the home theatre cabinet) to develop a library of games and the like. My Netflix, HBO Go, ESPN, etc all run seamlessly through it as well.
On Xbox live I more or less purchase every game I buy through a Gold membership deal digitally. Every friend I play multiplayer with has an Xbox at this point. If all of them switched to another platform I would probably look at switching.
As I said however, for someone that primarily plays deeper RPGs and strategy/open world games (Skyrim, Witcher 3, GTA V, RDR, etc), or more PC-esque titles (Diablo 3 on Xbox is great local multiplayer fun, Telltale adventure game series) Nintendo's platform offers me almost nothing in that respect as well. The 1000th Mario title barely moves the needle for me, which is why I said its a shame considering my love affair with nintendo as a kid. So again, not really brand loyalty, more that Nintendo just doesn't offer me what I want. No need to come at me over it :)
Is there any way to charge the Switch when it's outside of its dock? I could definitely see investing in one if there is a way to keep it powered on long car trips.
One good decision they did make was the universal USB C for charging.
I would imagine there will be a plethora of mobile charging options available for it right at release
An interesting theory on the direction Nintendo could be headed with the Switch:
http://www.polygon.com/2017/1/13/14268678/nintendo-tablet
TL:DR, the Switch could potentially be seen as more of a competitor for mobile gaming, not as much the PS4/Xbox One. When considered from that angle, I could definitely see the market for it to succeed, provided some of the concerns stated late in that article are addressed. I have nieces that couldn't care less about video games unless it's on their Kindle Fire.