Nintendo Switch: Thoughts?

[Hybrid Divide]

It's been a few days since the Nintendo Switch presentation. What do you all think about it?

I've pre-ordered one with Zelda. And I plan on getting Fast RMX and Redout when they go on sale.

Personally, I'm psyched for it!

I know there's a lot of Sony fans in here, but I've always been a fan of Nintendo's consoles. It's WipEout games that move me to buy Sony consoles, after all. :D

[AdHoc]

It’s good Nintendo continues to innovate, that’s at least one of the different actors trying new things. It’s important for the industry and for the end-user experience.

For me it’s mostly a gimmick, like the Wii was, but it’s refreshing and can lead to new ideas.

[miljoneir]

I follow AdHoc's opninion here, but I must add that I fail to understand how the creation of the switch fits with Nintendo's release of smartphone/tablet games.
Also, some Nintendo fans just wanted a good console to replace the wiiu, which the switch isn't (same graphics when connected to a tv, but more expensive and hardly any games yet.)

[JABBERJAW]

Same as both, a new Fzero with entire track skipping bugs, riding walls for speed, or wiggling the joystick to go faster would change my mind though

[mannjon]

I was lucky enough to get a preorder of the neon joycon version AND was able to preorder the pro controller. I'm a Nintendo fan, but not quite a die hard fanboy *admittedly I AM a Sony fanboy.*

I mainly got it for Zelda and even considered getting the Wii U version, but there is no point now having preordered, but there are some noteworthy race titles that hit shortly after launch. As already mentioned, we get Redout and Fast. Fast is really an Indie Title, but PC players already know that Redout is legit. The biggest problem is the lack of launch titles. That will hurt them in the long run despite whatever the excuses presented were. I am fairly confident that Switch will outsell WiiU and maybe even creep up on original Wii sales from back in the day. But time and 3rd party support will tell. Fire Emblem has a confirmed release so that is good. But I think Nintendo has lost Square Enix for the most part, so JRPGs may be limited.

Further down the road we get... Splatoon 2 *snooze,* Skyrim *already have on PS4, but on the go play seems cool,* and... drumroll... my favorite all time JRPG finally gets a noteworthy sequel: Xenoblade Chronicles 2. I say that about Splatoon, but I may yet give it a go. There is a "new" Mariokart, which is just the Wii U version with all the DLC and better graphics. I'll get it, but will likely only play it rarely. I'm stoked about Redout though. That looks awesome (never played the PC version so this is new to me).

Additionally, we'll see some Monster Hunter on a console again, and likely get a Pokemon "Star" release which will be the first Pokemon title on a console ever. That is perhaps where the biggest 3rd party support will be: Capcom and Neantic. There is no Netflix Support, but they will implement that soon. Which means... true 4K netflix! Only downside being the 1440 resolution. Still, I call that a win.

Lots to be excited about, but I think that the 3rd party games will likely be the downfall. Still, I preordered mine, and I'm proud to say so. It will be a gem in my collection. That is... until July when Omega hits.

I wouldn't hold out for another F-Zero. Nintendo is already generating hype for games that will release holiday of 2017. Had they planned to do another F-Zero, I'm quite positive that would have been a launch title type of endeavor. It would seem that they have no intention to make a new F-Zero game as of yet. But, I'm a Wipeout guy first and foremost, so it doesn't bother me much.

I think the main draw from the Switch is mobility. For those of us with wives that watch Netflix all the time, this is a god send. I'm stoked about a handheld that can display 720 p personally. When she goes to bed, I can unleash the full HD resolution. So there are some reasons for the hype. But we will see what happens later. Currently, all the big 3rd party titles are just HD versions of older games (Skyrim for example). That same type of thing happened on the Wii U. We got lots of 3rd party remakes or ports, but not a lot of true 3rd party support. It is a cool concept that the gamepad will have wifi, so you can play online anywhere with a hotspot. I'm excited personally. But I'm more excited about Horizon Zero Dawn, Omega Collection, and I'm still playing Titanfall 2 as a bad ass Northstar pilot.

So there is an obvious shift in Nintendo strategy... they now realize they cannot compete with Sony or Microsoft. The reason for the hybrid is to try to appeal to the tablet market and carve out a new niche, which is smart given the lackluster 3rd party support. This seems strange though too, because most people I know that play games on a tablet are either kids, or uber casual gamers. All their marketing has been directed at less casual gamers which seems an odd move. I do like how they are at least trying to appeal to an older more sentimental generation given their marketing campaign. We will have to see. But I have high hopes for it as of now. I think I will enjoy the 1st party titles, and having Redout and its Indie cousin Fast will definitely appeal to me. It seems like Nintendo will capitalize on the failures of the Vita in the sense that the integrated "play where-ever and online" paradigm is at the forefront of their marketing. Most games I played that were streamed to my Vita were awful. Problems with button matching, poor connection despite having the router in my lap. If Nintendo gets this right, they will utterly own the handheld market. 1440P isn't exactly next gen hardware, but it will definitely level the playing field, and provide great visuals for 1st party titles.

There has been some backlash about 3rd party support already though which worries me. Not that I would want to see Titanfall2 on the Switch, but the devs basically said "Hell no" in an IGN interview. Other developers have followed suit. But they fail to realize that Nintendo has always had a different fan base. I don't think a Call of Duty Release would carry the system at all. Same goes for Farcry, and even Fallout. As boring as yet another Mario game might seem, I've enjoyed the Hell out of Paper Mario Splash on the Wii U. Some potentials I am hoping for... Bayonetta 3 in gorgeous 1440p resolution. Um yes please! (Though there is not any reason to believe this will actually be a thing). Maybe a FO4 release just for giggles. I'd really like to see them revamp some of the older titles. A new Metroid is likely. We may even see a continuation of the Kirby and Yoshi games. I would think they could even do another set of obscure import titles. Which... by the way... for all you weeaboos out there, Switch is a true non regional console. Japanese games will work, so long as you speak it. I expect a Resident Evil release or two at some point, and would not be surprised if a Pod Racer type game appeared.

They did at least revamp their dismal online play. I've seen on various sources that Nintendo is finally entering the Internet age, lol! I'm hopeful. But time will tell.

BTW... GREAT SEEING EVERYONE AGAIN!!! I miss you all so much! Hope to race soon!

[TheConzio]

I think the switch will definitely be more successful than the Wii U. I know a lot of people that are getting a Switch that would never touch Wii U. People want something different to their usual Xbox, PlayStation or PC. The console provides a lot of flexibility, and the joy-cons mean it comes standard with 2 controllers for couch multiplayer.

There are some interesting exclusives coming to the console, such as Mario Odyssey, Zelda, Fast RMX and Splatoon 2. I'm sure that there will be heaps more as time goes on as well; it's not unusual for there to be not many games for a brand new console.

Specs aren't amazing, but that's not what Nintendo is about. Their goal is to provide fun.

[mannjon]

Conzio's wisdom strikes again lol! But you are absolutely right on when you say that Nintendo isn't about the specs. In fact, that was part of their problem. They kept trying to compete with the likes of Sony and Microsoft. There are a lot of people that would prefer to have the latest and greatest graphics, while not realizing the game they are playing is absolute garbage as an actual game. Nintendo knows that, but it wasn't until recently they realized that there was a distinction to be made. Casual gamers like graphics and will turn their nose up at anything that isn't visually striking. Hardcore gamers will over look bad or lesser graphics if the gameplay is good. I certainly do. Otherwise I would have abandoned my PS2 years ago.

I can think of a ton of gorgeous games that otherwise sucked. On the other hand, there aren't many Nintendo games that were flops. Now that they have realized who their audience should be, I think the Switch will prove to be successful. 3rd party involvement will ultimately determine the success of the console. I mean, don't get me wrong, I like 1st party games from Nintendo. But I can only play so much Mario/DK/Splatoon/Zelda without being completely burnt out. But with Skyrim coming to the Switch, it is a good indication that there may yet be hope for a good 3rd party line up. I mean, who wouldn't love to have a mobile version of say, Fallout?

Additionally, as Conzio has pointed out, the Switch is the clear winner in terms of flexibility. Where else can you get two controllers, a console, AND a portable console for $300? Nintendo was a little late to the internet party, but it would appear that they have learned from that mistake. I must admit, the ability to play console games on a handheld, that will cross-save automatically is incredibly attractive to any gamer that is on the move. The Vita tried to do that with the cross play, but I could never get any games to play without sufficient lag. That and you had to have the PS4 running while you streamed, AND you needed a fast internet connection wherever the Vita was. All you need for Nintendo is the gamepad.

One other point that no one is really talking about is that the games are going to be cartridges. While some might view this as odd, or even cheap, I think it is brilliant. I've scratched blu ray games. I've broken them. I've never ever broke a 3DS cartridge. In terms of storage, cartridges have the potential to far exceed modern blu ray discs.