The Nintendo Switch Console Thread

[MRU]

So as far as I can tell, the FP games from Nintendo with actual dates will be:
March 3 -- Zelda BoTW & 1-2 Switch
March -- no date -- Snipperclips
April 28 -- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Beyond that everything else has a squishy "Summer" or "Holiday" 2017 release date. Still no solid word on 3rd party titles, but that will come after Nintendo is through with all their initial announcements.

So, if they do it right (what are the chances of that?) they release in March with great fanfare, build momentum over the Summer and Fall with quality releases (Splatoon 2, ARMS), and then have a great Holiday season with Super Mario Odyssey and 3rd party titles...

...and if they don't...well, we've seen that before!

So we have BOTW on launch and then have to wait nearly 2 months for a Wii u port?

Given it was one of the most successful Wii u games, I'm sure most early switch purchasers will already own a copy ..

Given the Wii U version of MK8 is already 1080p, what upgrade if any will purchasing it on Wii Next (aka Switch) profer ?

Also I doubt ARMS and Splatoon 2 would be system sellers. Heck with Wii U even Mario 3D world wasn't a system seller.

As for ending the year with Mario, I think you are likely being too hopeful. It screams 'delayed' to me even 11 months before it's due.

The rushed launch and clearly it's rushed given that this must be the only console were 6 Weeks prior to its launch, third party developers are invited to talk about their plans for the console and not actually show off actual game content for it ... That screams premature video-game-ejaculation if there ever was a definition of such a thing.

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Mario Kart 8 hands on ... 'it looks a bit worse than Wii U' .....

Splatoon 2

Looks ok, but there clearly is no anti-aliasing and texture work looks much same as Wii U at best.

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Its looking like the Switch is only about as powerful as the Wii U from games shown off ..... Even Mario Odyseyy looked great art direction wise, but was clearly running very sub 1080 and with lots of jaggies (noticeable in the city).

 

[JohnGrey]

Having slept on it, here are my morning-after impressions.

The Good
There isn’t much to say here, expect perhaps beyond saying that it wasn’t any worse than I expect. I will give credit where due and congratulate Nintendo on finally realising a region-free device, though I have to wonder how much of that is answering value proposition communication with gamer feedback and how much of it is trying to fill in a patchy release schedule.

The Bad
A number of things to say here. The software lineup is abysmal. Zelda is an acceptable title but there are a few things to consider. Breath of the Wild will have some difficulty as a hardware mover because it is being released same-day with the Wii U version. It’s also not historically a system seller, no Zelda title has ever exceeded 8 million units lifetime, as opposed to Mario, which routinely exceeds 10 million and, in the case of 2D platforming versions, often trends into the 20s and 30s. Beyond that, it’s hardware fetishism games (Arms) and non-video games (1-2 Switch), niche titles (Bomberman) and JRPGs that have rubbish attachmentment rates (Dragon Quest and SMT). Mario, especially, is problematic in that it won’t come out until at least eight months after the system launch, during what’s already going to be a crowded holiday season with the Scorpio launch, and the title has some very strange (Minish Cap meet Sonic Adventure) elements.

The sale price is too expensive by $50 especially for a strict hardware bundle with no game included. That means that Switch, one game and a pro controller is going to set your back US$430. A PS4 Pro with one game is $20 more and one has immediate access to hundreds of titles already extant, and some huge titles that are already price-reduced, and, if it’s something that interests you, immediate access to VR technology. That’s a major pricing problem.

Not surprisingly, I was validated 100% on the hardware specs that have been released, and I’ve yet to see anything that doesn’t support that the Switch runs off a downclocked X1 SoC. So factor that, an additional outlay of $120 minimum for two 256GB micro-SD cards (to meet the 500GB standard in its home console competitors), and a battery that lasts for 3 hours of dedicated gaming and I don’t see the strong value proposition. More hardware fetishism, more compromises, and nothing compelling.

 

[MRU]

The storage part being Micro-SD is messy alright. Expensive and much slower than a HDD or a SSD even the fastest Micro-SD which are 3-5x more expensive mean you could be spending a lot of €€ to store a few games. Given likes of Skyrim SE on XB1/PS4 are 30+GB, you wouldn't take long filling your expensive storage either

I assume they opted not to support external HDD drives (unlike Wii U) as the limitations the 'mobile' aspect of the device has practicality wise, and this has repercussions for what storage can be used, limiting us to microSD.

 

[gkarris]

Nope. Its a 2017 launch date.

There are so far only *2* games announced with a release date of March 3. This is looking to be yet another amazing **** up by Nintendo..

I think we should stop making the mistake of comparing Nintendo to the other big 2...

I did, comparing The Switch to their pricing.

Nintendo will do what Nintendo will do.

They want to control the hardware for their games.

The Switch is just the next iteration of game console for them. As what was said in the keynote, it has the DNA of all their other consoles.

The Switch does have some cool innovations, not available with the other 2.

Someone looking to play Halo/Killzone type of games will not be in the market for a Switch.

Someone looking for great kid games with not many adult titles for the system will be looking at used Nintendo systems.

Someone who's a hardcore Nintendo fan will be buying the Switch.

I, unfortunately, will have to wait until Starfox and Pikmin games are available...

 

[JohnGrey]

I think we should stop making the mistake of comparing Nintendo to the other big 2...

I did, comparing The Switch to their pricing.

Nintendo will do what Nintendo will do.

They want to control the hardware for their games.

The Switch is just the next iteration of game console for them. As what was said in the keynote, it has the DNA of all their other consoles.

The Switch does have some cool innovations, not available with the other 2.

Someone looking to play Halo/Killzone type of games will not be in the market for a Switch.

Someone looking for great kid games with not many adult titles for the system will be looking at used Nintendo systems.

Someone who's a hardcore Nintendo fan will be buying the Switch.

I, unfortunately, will have to wait until Starfox and Pikmin games are available...

The same tired justifications we saw with the Wii U. Nintendo charts its own course. It charted its own course to the tune of having lost 87% of its audience in one generation. Nintendo makes hardware to suit its gaming 'innovations'. There's nothing innovative about the Switch. it's a Nintendo Vita with gimmicky motion controllers bolted to it, and which took up the first half of the reveal. The games, in terms of time and positioning, were again an afterthought. Nothing new here.

 

[gkarris]

Nintendo, btw, should offer a "Core System" with just the unit and L/R Joy Con's for $200...

They'll sell like hotcakes...
[doublepost=1484326702][/doublepost]

The same tired justifications we saw with the Wii U. Nintendo charts its own course. Nintendo makes hardware to suit its gaming 'innovations'. There's nothing innovative about the Switch. it's a Nintendo Vita with gimmicky motion controllers bolted to it, and which took up the first half of the reveal. The games, in terms of time and positioning, were again an afterthought. Nothing new here.

Then again, I wouldn't call Halo 5, Mass Effect 4, RE whatever, PS4 Pro, XBox One S, PS5, XBox Scorpio, new either...

 

[blesscheese]

I think we should stop making the mistake of comparing Nintendo to the other big 2...

I also think that, in addition to ^, they also seem to play primarily to the Japanese market.

 

[MRU]

As I feared ...

Take-away from their feedback

Compared to Wii U version - it was choppier on the Switch, and more noticeable frame rate drops and more texture pop in ... Nintendo saying its a preiview build, but come on, were 6 weeks from launch, it would have to be pretty much entering manufacturing at this stage in order to logistically be a release day game.

WHY would I buy a switch to play this on if I had a Wii U ????


So BOTW & MK8 seem 'below' Wii U versions visually from hands on impression. I want digital foundry to get their hands on the device. But yes it does seems as I feared and said all along that if the switch was based on Tegra X1 then it would likely be on par at best with Wii U.
[doublepost=1484326941][/doublepost]

I also think that, in addition to ^, they also seem to play primarily to the Japanese market.

That was obvious when in the arms trailer / demo thing they did, they had a grown man battling a teen school girl, which screamed male Japanese fantasy / stereotype.

 

[JohnGrey]

I also think that, in addition to ^, they also seem to play primarily to the Japanese market.

A market that is primarily mobile but of which two-thirds have defected to non-dedicated mobile hardware, and the delta of that defection is increasing. Couple that with a market that skews older that the gaming market (46.5 years median), and whose discretionary income is cratering because the cost of caring for an aging population is exploding, and you have a recipe for a disaster. But by all means, well done Nintendo.

 

[gkarris]

As I feared ...

Take-away from their feedback

Compared to Wii U version - it was choppier on the Switch, and more noticeable frame rate drops and more texture pop in ... Nintendo saying its a preiview build, but come on, were 6 weeks from launch, it would have to be pretty much entering manufacturing at this stage in order to logistically be a release day game.

WHY would I buy a switch to play this on if I had a Wii U ????


So BOTW & MK8 seem 'below' Wii U versions visually from hands on impression. I want digital foundry to get their hands on the device. But yes it does seems as I feared and said all along that if the switch was based on Tegra X1 then it would likely be on par at best with Wii U.
[doublepost=1484326941][/doublepost]

That was obvious when in the arms trailer / demo thing they did, they had a grown man battling a teen school girl, which screamed male Japanese fantasy / stereotype.

You can take the game with you on a Switch...

FYI, the PC game I'm playing that's in Early Access, EVERSPACE, I was getting 73fps in my settings on the previous version. The latest version released my framerates when to 110fps....

Just saying, they have some time to optimize the game.

 

[JohnGrey]

You can take the game with you on a Switch...

FYI, the PC game I'm playing that's in Early Access, EVERSPACE, I was getting 73fps in my settings on the previous version. The latest version released my framerates when to 110fps....

Just saying, they have some time to optimize the game.

Sure, you can take it with you. And play it. For three hours, best case. What happens in a year when the recharge cycle degradation inherent to all Li-on batteries decreases play time to half that?

 

[gkarris]

Sure, you can take it with you. And play it. For three hours, best case. What happens in a year when the recharge cycle degradation inherent to all Li-on batteries decreases play time to half that?

Thought I heard in the keynote about extra batteries so they may be replaceable...

Why not use the many external powerpacks available now - just use a USB-C cable with it?

 

[MRU]

Just saying, they have some time to optimize the game.

Post launch patch maybe, but with only 6 weeks to launch factoring in manufacturing and shipping logistics i imagine the un-patched retail copy will be indicative of what they are showing off now.

I think my Pre-order just pressed the self destruct button tbh. If you only game in home, the mobile aspect was already taken care with OFF-TV play on the Wii U. Honestly I think Nintendo made a bad trade making 'mobile' aspect of the Switch a priority as it has clearly had repercussions on power and battery alround ....

 

[JohnGrey]

Thought I heard in the keynote about extra batteries so they may be replaceable...

Why not use the many external powerpacks available now - just use a USB-C cable with it?

You can use battery packs to charge it but the batteries aren't replaceable, the FCC documents already made it clear that they aren't. And you don't play it whilst plugged up because you would be accelerating the cycle degradation. Once the charging governor registers that the battery has met full charge, it disconnects from the circuit. You use it till it drops below that threshold and the charging kick backs over.

 

[Taustin Powers]

You can use battery packs to charge it but the batteries aren't replaceable, the FCC documents already made it clear that they aren't. And you don't play it whilst plugged up because you would be accelerating the cycle degradation. Once the charging governor registers that the battery has met full charge, it disconnects from the circuit. You use it till it drops below that threshold and the charging kick backs over.

Now I want to find out how I can become a Charging Governor! Sounds like a position that demands respect!

 

[itsOver9000]

meh.. looks like I'll be ordering BotW for my Wii U and skipping the Switch for now.

 

[gkarris]

Actually watching Nintendo Treehouse Live right now and they're playing Switch Zelda - seems just like it's just a vast open world for Link to explore...

Seems like a great game to me (and I don't really play the Zelda games).

I can see why you would want to take this with you and play on the road as well...

 

[JohnGrey]

Actually watching Nintendo Treehouse Live right now and they're playing Switch Zelda - seems just like it's just a vast open world for Link to explore...

Seems like a great game to me (and I don't really play the Zelda games).

I can see why you would want to take this with you and play on the road as well...

Who do you imagine will be playing this? Mum and dad will be upfront driving and having a conversation like adults and trying to keep everyone calm. 10-year-old Suzy and Johnny are not going to spend three-hours playing a sword-and-sorcery hack-and-slash with crafting. They'll play Angry Birds or Rayman for five minutes on their parents' iPad from the year prior and then starting watching a film.

That's the problem with gearing this toward an adult audience and making it portable. Portable adult gamers don't game for hour-long stretches, except perhaps whilst they're at home. But then, that rather defeats of having a portable console, no?

 

[Fozzybadfeet]

Passing on 1-2 Switch and will focus solely on Zelda, Mario Kart, and Super Mario Odyssey.

 

[blesscheese]

That was obvious when in the arms trailer / demo thing they did, they had a grown man battling a teen school girl, which screamed male Japanese fantasy / stereotype.

LOL...and the fact she had as many clothes on as she did was just a slight acknowledgment they had a Western audience, ha ha.

Oh, and thanks for reminding me again of how creeped out I was when I first saw that video!

 

[iLunar]

Finally got my pre-order in through Amazon for the Switch console in gray and Breath of the Wild standard edition ($47.99 with Prime!). Feel pretty good about it all.

I'm interested in the Master Edition of Breath of the Wild, but it's sold out everywhere. I'm not really a collector, though. The carrying case that looks like the Sheikah Slate looks really beautiful, and I would totally buy that on it's own. The price is kind of high but not out of line with other special editions, I guess.

I thought the presentation was okay and pretty typical Nintendo. If you're a Nintendo fan, there's a lot of potential there. If you're not, then there's not much to hold your interest. Third party support will hopefully be better than the Wii U. I'd also love to see the Switch keep up with indie trends, and with the architecture being Tegra, hopefully some decent ports.

Other than BoTW, Super Mario Odyssey really blew me away. It looked like a freaking Pixar movie but with Mario. The entire trailer was magnificent, and I'm hoping they can deliver with the holiday 2017 timeframe. If they can, I think the Switch will do better than the Wii U. I don't think Nintendo will ever match the sales figures of Xbox or Playstation again, but a 3rd unique platform is always welcomed, IMO. There's a lot of room for creativity with the Switch. With the right support and 1st party push, I think it'll do well.

I'm excited for it.

 

[0098386]

Well! Not happy with the lack of details on this. Does it have streetpass? (It better, that was such an incredible feature on 3DS) How will license transfers work? What's the online service like? Will older controller hardware work for it?

But I put a preorder down. I paid about £275 for a Vita at launch so I'm happy paying that again for a system I know I'll be playing more. Also I figure I want to play Zelda in the best way possible.

Arms looks great too. I bet that will have a Splatoon appeal. That Square game looked outstanding too, really gorgeous visuals. Might get Mario Kart 8 again, it's pretty much a perfect game on the Wii U. Can't wait for that new Mario game too, looks loopy, exactly what a Mario game should be! Also looks like a real Mario 64/Sunshine successor.

I hope for a Pokemon port and thats it for me for the year.
[doublepost=1484340234][/doublepost]

Accessory pricing is outrageous.

And a new console launching in 2017 with one of the launch titles being a port of a PS3 game? (Is Skyrim even a launch title?)



http://www.vg247.com/2017/01/13/nin...t-you-70-joycon-and-other-peripherals-priced/

True, but it's the same with the PS4. Controllers are £50 each so to play a 4 player split screen game it's going to cost you just £25 shy of the price of a new console. And then there's the price of PSVR too. Accessories aren't cheap anywhere.
[doublepost=1484340751][/doublepost]

Actually watching Nintendo Treehouse Live right now and they're playing Switch Zelda - seems just like it's just a vast open world for Link to explore...

Seems like a great game to me (and I don't really play the Zelda games).

I can see why you would want to take this with you and play on the road as well...

That's exactly why I want it! I want to take it on the road with me, always loved handhelds and now I get to play full console games anywhere I want. Pretty excited about that.

 

[MRU]

Well! Not happy with the lack of details on this. Does it have streetpass? (It better, that was such an incredible feature on 3DS) How will license transfers work? What's the online service like? Will older controller hardware work for it?

But I put a preorder down. I paid about £275 for a Vita at launch so I'm happy paying that again for a system I know I'll be playing more. Also I figure I want to play Zelda in the best way possible.

Arms looks great too. I bet that will have a Splatoon appeal. That Square game looked outstanding too, really gorgeous visuals. Might get Mario Kart 8 again, it's pretty much a perfect game on the Wii U. Can't wait for that new Mario game too, looks loopy, exactly what a Mario game should be! Also looks like a real Mario 64/Sunshine successor.

I hope for a Pokemon port and thats it for me for the year.
[doublepost=1484340234][/doublepost]
True, but it's the same with the PS4. Controllers are £50 each so to play a 4 player split screen game it's going to cost you just £25 shy of the price of a new console. And then there's the price of PSVR too. Accessories aren't cheap anywhere.
[doublepost=1484340751][/doublepost]
That's exactly why I want it! I want to take it on the road with me, always loved handhelds and now I get to play full console games anywhere I want. Pretty excited about that.

Re: online accounts / subscription service

It will not be ready for launch of the switch in Europe.

How this will impact games like splatoon 2 or Mario kart 8 in Europe ??


Re: best way to play Zelda, the hands on feedback seems to indicate the Wii u version looks better, smoother frame rate and less texture pop in. So the switch may not be the 'best' way to experience BOTW.


NINTENDO haven't learned anything from their mistakes of the past. They spent so much time talking about the controller's but seemed to forget it's games games games that should be the focus. Not the peripherals and accessories, they should be secondary ..

 

[mandoman]

Lack of decent launch titles will keep from buying at launch. Only interesting games for me announced so far are Zelda (which I can play on Wii-U), Mario Kart (which is just a port/expansion of MK8), Skyrim (already have, but playing on the go would be cool), and Splatoon II (not coming out till summer). I'm sorry, but that game ARMS looks gimmicky as all get out.

So maybe I'll pick one up when Splatoon II launches, by which time we'll hopefully have more game announcements.

However, I'm most disappointed that online gaming will become a paid subscription service. Nintendo's existing online services are piss poor, at best. They have ALOT of work to do here to make it even slightly compelling. Like a free monthly NES or SNES game will make it a better value? And how many MP games will there actually be worth playing? SplatoonII, MK8, and a couple of sports titles which are better played on competitors consoles? We'll see how they price it and what MP titles are available. Anything over $5/month $25/year or lack of MP titles is a non-starter for me, and could basically keep me from buying the console altogether.

 

[iosuser]

Lack of decent launch titles will keep from buying at launch. Only interesting games for me announced so far are Zelda (which I can play on Wii-U), Mario Kart (which is just a port/expansion of MK8), Skyrim (already have, but playing on the go would be cool), and Splatoon II (not coming out till summer). I'm sorry, but that game ARMS looks gimmicky as all get out.

So maybe I'll pick one up when Splatoon II launches, by which time we'll hopefully have more game announcements.

However, I'm most disappointed that online gaming will become a paid subscription service. Nintendo's existing online services are piss poor, at best. They have ALOT of work to do here to make it even slightly compelling. Like a free monthly NES or SNES game will make it a better value? And how many MP games will there actually be worth playing? SplatoonII, MK8, and a couple of sports titles which are better played on competitors consoles? We'll see how they price it and what MP titles are available. Anything over $5/month $25/year or lack of MP titles is a non-starter for me, and could basically keep me from buying the console altogether.

Also, you don't get to keep those monthly games. You only get to play with them for 30 days. And I imagine digital purchases are still tied to the console and not your account. I'm a big Nintendo fan but this along with the record setting two launch titles (if that 12switch is even a game) is highly disappointing. Plus preorders sold out by 7am, looks to be a repeat of the NES classic as far as availability.