The Nintendo Switch Console Thread

[JohnGrey]

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 ..

If that is a sentiment that gets any broad press on YouTube or what little games press is still considered reputable, prepare for the Switch to get dogpiled into oblivion and for third-party devs to back off fairly quickly. I've said all along that Nintendo's task with the Switch was more than just deliver on a stellar hardware platform (which they didn't do), they had to overcome the negative brand positioning that they've suffered for two full generations. They've are, for most core gamers, dismissed as, at best, a supplementary console to play Nintendo's first party content. We saw with the Wii U where that path terminates. This first year is so vital to hardware, as much as half of a console's lifetime unit sales fall within that first 12-month window and a majority of the profit as, after the first year, price cuts and hardware revisions tend to destroy margins. Choosing a Zelda title as a launch title is ill-advised enough but if performance isn't at least on parity with the Wii U version, the result would be catastrophic.

 

[akuma13]

I loved my PsP and PS Vita because i could play my games with proper controls anywhere. Sony pretty much abandoned the PS Vita and have no desire to revise it. I dabbled with a 3DS but couldn't stand the screen compared to a Vita. I find portable systems the best way to play JRPG's and Nintendo finally released something where i can play titles on the go (and at home) in HD. I might be part of a niche but i've been wating for a system like this for ages. Pre order is in and i can't wait to play Breath Of The Wild in March. Has Been Heroes looks awesome too.

 

[Fozzybadfeet]

Walked into Gamestop and immediately changed my mind on pre-ordering the game lol.

I guess I'll just wait to see how things turn out.

 

[JohnGrey]

Walked into Gamestop and immediately changed my mind on pre-ordering the game lol.

I guess I'll just wait to see how things turn out.

Oh? What changed your mind?

 

[blesscheese]

Trying to do my pre-order online with Gamestop. The web page keeps giving me some weird UndefinedOrderSubmission error. I give up! Looks like I'll be getting it at Target or BestBuy...what a pain in the ass...

 

[0098386]

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.

Has that 30 day thing been confirmed?
We don't know about games being tied to accounts, in fact if the Wii U, 3DS, and even their iOS stuff are anything to go by there's now a unified account system that tracks your purchases.
[doublepost=1484388279][/doublepost]

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 ..

Yeah, I'm prepared to wait on Zelda. The console preorder is in and my plan is to either buy it on the Switch eshop on launch day or run into town and get a physical Wii U copy. Currently I'm leaning towards Switch because I love the thought of being able to play this vast game anywhere, just the thought of it takes me back to playing Links Awakening for the first time and being blown away by its scale.

But! I built my new house around a central/wifi column thing so I can do remote play, Wii U gamepad stuff in a wide as possible range. If the Switch gets additional content based on the advanced controls then it may sway me back. As I say, playing it by ear!

I never worry about spending so much money on consoles early on like this. Chances are I'm going to end up getting any new system I want within its first year (Nintendo, Sony, TV-controller systems), or towards its end when it's much cheaper (Xbox) and I figure it's okay to have it doing nothing for a while. I expect that. It's what literally every system I've had has done except 100% backwards compatible consoles like the DS and 3DS. Of course a predecessor with its huge library of killer titles will have more appeal than a new console with like 1 good game for a year. (Cuz let's face it, how many truly good games are there)

 

[twietee]

Wait a minute...Zelda looks worse on the switch?!

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

Has that 30 day thing been confirmed?

Absolutely. It was official Nintendo information.

Wait a minute...Zelda looks worse on the switch?!

Yeah, the Switch likely runs on nVidias Maxwell architecture, so in essence the Switch is only running 2 years younger technology compared to the Wii U - And you are comparing a home console to a portable device..

One can hope that the docked Switch version runs the game significantly better. Rumors say that it runs at 900p instead of 720p when docked, meaning the console has to be quite a bit faster when docked. Also, I would expect the build shown of yesterday was a relatively old build, meaning it could run faster for the final build. At the same time they've had quite some time to optimize it for the Wii U, since its hardware has been developed for for years now.

 

[0098386]

Absolutely. It was official Nintendo information

Ah right! Last I heard there was some confusion over the wording, I didn't know it had been confirmed.

Oh! Another reason I'm not worried about preordering- both the 3DS and Wii U started bad, and because of that Nintendo gave out 20 free 3DS games and, IIRC 2 Wii U games as an apology. So it's either going to do well or we get free stuff! If it's anything like before.

EDIT: just found out Steep is coming to the Switch! I love that game, so relaxing and fun. Between that, Skyrim, Mario, Zelda I'm sorted this year.

 

[akuma13]

Absolutely. It was official Nintendo information.


Yeah, the Switch likely runs on nVidias Maxwell architecture, so in essence the Switch is only running 2 years younger technology compared to the Wii U - And you are comparing a home console to a portable device..

One can hope that the docked Switch version runs the game significantly better. Rumors say that it runs at 900p instead of 720p when docked, meaning the console has to be quite a bit faster when docked. Also, I would expect the build shown of yesterday was a relatively old build, meaning it could run faster for the final build. At the same time they've had quite some time to optimize it for the Wii U, since its hardware has been developed for for years now.

Not that it matters but I don't think Zelda runs any worse on the Switch than it will on the Wii U. There is a newly posted video comparing an older Wii U build to the current Switch build shown. The Switch build looks more saturated and detailed. The Wii U version might look better at the end but i'm glad the Switch version will look just as good.

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

Not that it matters but I don't think Zelda runs any worse on the Switch than it will on the Wii U. There is a newly posted video comparing an older Wii U build to the current Switch build shown. The Switch build looks more saturated and detailed. The Wii U version might look better at the end but i'm glad the Switch version will look just as good.

I agree with you, there doesn't appear to be much difference in the visual quality. The question now is just if there will be FPS drops on one or the other console.. A pity it only appear to run at around 30 FPS.

EDIT: just found out Steep is coming to the Switch! I love that game, so relaxing and fun. Between that, Skyrim, Mario, Zelda I'm sorted this year.

Is it good? It looks like my kind of relaxing game too, but I've been burned by shallow snowboarding games before.
[doublepost=1484397858][/doublepost]Miiverse and Streetpass will not come to the console either I just read.

 

[0098386]

I agree with you, there doesn't appear to be much difference in the visual quality. The question now is just if there will be FPS drops on one or the other console.. A pity it only appear to run at around 30 FPS.


Is it good? It looks like my kind of relaxing game too, but I've been burned by shallow snowboarding games before.
[doublepost=1484397858][/doublepost]Miiverse and Streetpass will not come to the console either I just read.

Yeah it's a lovely game. I just enjoy mingling about and finding new challenges, so it's got a great mix of calming exploration and *really* difficult challenges. There's nothing else quite like it. My only problem with it is how difficult it is to challenge friends.

 

[akuma13]

Miiverse and Streetpass will not come to the console either I just read.

Interesting. There is Mii's in certain games though. I noticed it in Mario Kart 8.

Is there any chance that there will be some sort of achievements in Switch games?

 

[MRU]

Streetpass wont feature on the switch for those who use it on their DS's

Same with MiiVerse sadly.


Re: graphics. I am resigned to the switch being at best a modicum better than my Wii U, and a distance behind the other two.

My main concern is games and moreover the massive gaps in the schedule between them. I am resigned to the Nintendo console really being mostly about first party titles. I suspect third party ones will be mostly misses, ports or casual nonsense.

On subject of which, the 1/2 game should be bundled with the switch. The demo of it being played screams of a freebie mobile game quality and Ninendo should be ashamed charging €50-60 for it.

Anyway as I say resigned to this being my Nintendo games console going forward, but it has the issue that plagued Wii and Wii U, in that Nintendo simply don't seem to be able to output first party AAA games regularly. They need to be outputting at least 6 AAA Nintendo IP's per year but currently we are lucky if it's one every 6-8 months.

Excluding BOTW and Mario Kart 8 both of which are on Wii U, the only two other first party titles are Splatoon 2 (fun but not AAA) and Mario Odyssey (which I still don't believe will be a 2017 release at all and like Xenoblade will be a late 2018 release) so of anything the lineup of Nintendo IP's this year is possibly weaker than the last 12 months of the stagnating Wii U.

That's my biggest issue. I'll swallow the price of the console without qualm if I knew for certain every couple of Months I get a Nintendo IP fix supplemented by the fleeting 3rd party games if there any decent ones.

It's just hard to justify a console for two AAA games a year when the plethora of first party and third party AAA games on the other systems is so vast and guaranteed.

 

[iosuser]

Has that 30 day thing been confirmed?
We don't know about games being tied to accounts, in fact if the Wii U, 3DS, and even their iOS stuff are anything to go by there's now a unified account system that tracks your purchases.
[doublepost=1484388279][/doublepost]

Yeah came from Nintendo themselves. I would gladly pay for their service to support them if they weren't being so stingy. Digital downloads on Wii U and 3DS are tied to the console and not your ID, meaning if you have multiple consoles, you'd have to buy the same game on each console.

Not that it matters but I don't think Zelda runs any worse on the Switch than it will on the Wii U. There is a newly posted video comparing an older Wii U build to the current Switch build shown. The Switch build looks more saturated and detailed. The Wii U version might look better at the end but i'm glad the Switch version will look just as good.

I don't know how they captured these videos since the game is not released yet, but the Wii U version looks hazy and washed out compared to the Switch. I'm a 60fps junky myself lol, but in this Zelda game it actually gives it a cinematic look. I'm unsure about it being open world.. Open world type games seem like much aimless wandering about for my taste. I'm actually old school and prefer top-down view Zelda game, favorite still being the Zelda Link to the Past on the SNES, followed by Link Between Worlds on the 3DS.

I will no doubt pick on the Switch, and I certainly hope it will be a success for Nintendo.

 

[MRU]

I don't know how they captured these videos since the game is not released yet, but the Wii U version looks hazy and washed out compared to the Switch..

Wii U is Footage captured off screen at e3 last year. So there are a whole range of reasons why it's not really a valid comparison. We will have to wait till release for Digital Foundry to compare and analyse fully.

Problem for us eager beavers is that that proper Analysis won't hit YouTube until likely after launch day meaning you could make a big investment only to find you could have saved €330 and bought the Wii U version instead ... it's going to be a gamble for us.

 

[akuma13]

Streetpass wont feature on the switch for those who use it on their DS's

Same with MiiVerse sadly.


Re: graphics. I am resigned to the switch being at best a modicum better than my Wii U, and a distance behind the other two.

My main concern is games and moreover the massive gaps in the schedule between them. I am resigned to the Nintendo console really being mostly about first party titles. I suspect third party ones will be mostly misses, ports or casual nonsense.

On subject of which, the 1/2 game should be bundled with the switch. The demo of it being played screams of a freebie mobile game quality and Ninendo should be ashamed charging €50-60 for it.

Anyway as I say resigned to this being my Nintendo games console going forward, but it has the issue that plagued Wii and Wii U, in that Nintendo simply don't seem to be able to output first party AAA games regularly. They need to be outputting at least 6 AAA Nintendo IP's per year but currently we are lucky if it's one every 6-8 months.

Excluding BOTW and Mario Kart 8 both of which are on Wii U, the only two other first party titles are Splatoon 2 (fun but not AAA) and Mario Odyssey (which I still don't believe will be a 2017 release at all and like Xenoblade will be a late 2018 release) so of anything the lineup of Nintendo IP's this year is possibly weaker than the last 12 months of the stagnating Wii U.

That's my biggest issue. I'll swallow the price of the console without qualm if I knew for certain every couple of Months I get a Nintendo IP fix supplemented by the fleeting 3rd party games if there any decent ones.

It's just hard to justify a console for two AAA games a year when the plethora of first party and third party AAA games on the other systems is so vast and guaranteed.

MRU i know you are really empassioned about Nintendo and want the best for the company but geez. I'm not sure why you are so negative about things. Give the system some room to breath a little and find its footing.

 

[MRU]

MRU i know you are really empassioned about Nintendo and want the best for the company but geez. I'm not sure why you are so negative about things. Give the system some room to breath a little and find its footing.

In fairness I was equally as hard on the XBOX One and PS3 & 4. So whilst I may seem negative it's not because I want Nintendo to fail or have any hate for them. It's the reverse.

I would LOVE Nintendo to release a console that leads the pack and is full of games that were utterly spoiled for choice. But last couple of generations Nintendo haven't done that, and the promises of revolution they declared at launch for the Wii and Wii U amounted to nothing but hollow words and with the likes of second screen on Wii U much of the fault lays at Nintendo's own feet. Most of their own IP's failed to utilise second screen in any meaningful way. And less said about wiggle controls on Wii the better.

So then the switch is announced and the promises of a great future are all ushered unto gamers again, but even the most for hardcore fan has to admit that the launch lineup outside of BOTW is not great or fulfilling on the promises that Nintendo usher unto themselves. Unless you consider holding a tiny controller and pretend to be milking a cow for €50 is an example otherwise.

There is only so much HOPE that you can muster when you have been burned before. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me three console generations in a row, shame on me.

So yes I am critical of the launch lineup. We ALL should be, it's pretty piss poor. Even if we love Nintendo, we should call them out on what are glaring ommisions.

So yes I am critical that a console launching in 6 Weeks that won't even have proper online feature or accounts supported at launch here and there is no date or roadmap for users. Given the hardwares price point it is launching at and the competition, we should have this as standard now.

Yes I am critical that the 2017 schedule is pretty empty. I want games on my €330 console. Shock horror.

Yes I am critical that during their event they only had developers talking about future plans for the console and not show actual current games in development, meaning their fruits are a long long away ... That's something that should have been a case at E3 2016, not 6 weeks to launch !!!


And for each of these - they are all very justifiable criticisms.

Calling out Nintendo on these is not an act of vitriol or hate, it's merely just calling a spade a spade and not seeing a spade through rose tinted glasses and calling it the garden of eden.

These areas of criticism I highlight are not mine or any potential owner or users fault, they are squarely Nintendo's.

There is a reason the why NES classic mini has done as well, it's cheap and it's all about the games and the games are the stars. And it has enough of them to keep most (unless they hack) satisfied for the price of the hardware. It's not about wiggly motion controls or second screens. It harkens back to the time Nintendo was hitting it's stride and becoming beloved.

The Switch could have been the NES/SNES for this generation. But alas it doesn't look like it will be based on what Nintendo have shown so far.

I have made my concerns known now, I won't raise these same ones again .....

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

Yeah it's a lovely game. I just enjoy mingling about and finding new challenges, so it's got a great mix of calming exploration and *really* difficult challenges. There's nothing else quite like it. My only problem with it is how difficult it is to challenge friends.

Excellent. It will likely go on my wish list!

Interesting. There is Mii's in certain games though. I noticed it in Mario Kart 8.

Yeah, I saw them too. Maybe they just forgot remove them, or maybe you can import your old Mii's somehow, since the functionality is already there.

Is there any chance that there will be some sort of achievements in Switch games?

I haven't seen anything with regards to that. It would also likely require some form of social network, which Nintendo still hasn't gotten around to realize that it is something that is quite liked.


At least all hands on reviews I've read said that the games run at a smooth 60 FPS, so that's really nice... Zelda just seem to be the one case where it doesn't? (At least all footage seems to be 30FPS, and I haven't read anyone write otherwise)

 

[Jovian9]

I'm pretty excited about this system. I never bought myself a WiiU as my wife bought us one (for me and the kids) like 6 months after it came out and I was never hyped about it.

Are the games lacking on the WiiU, yes. But I have hundreds of digital games and am not even close to playing 1/4 of them on my Xbox One. And I love my Xbox One. I bought a PS4 Slim on Amazon around Christmas for $200 new (some random quick deal) and have spent all of about an hour using it. The Wii U, while having a lot less games, I've spent tons of time on and manage to put lots of hours into each and every game I get. I also have 3x as many games on the WiiU that my kids and I enjoy together.

At this point I've owned every Nintendo system (including the virtual boy) and have enjoyed them. Hell, my virtual boy just died a few years ago. So I've pre-ordered two (grey joy-con package and colored joy-con package). The launch line-up of the Switch doesn't have me concerned. Over the course of it's life there will be plenty of games to justify the $300 price to me. Zelda at launch in and of itself is going to make me feel like it's worth it. And if the Mario game is good I'll never complain. Though I'd pay $500 for this system if I knew Metroid was coming


I'm nearly 40 years old. I've lived my life with Nintendo. I don't even look at them the same as I do Xbox and Playstation. Nintendo is almost like a necessity for me, regardless of specs and what they do. Most homes have TVs, computers, etc. I look at Nintendo in that light. I have one b/c that's just the way it is. And I've never been disappointed and now I get to see my kids (who are around the same age as I was) have that same fun and magic that I experienced when I unwrapped that 8-bit NES with Gyromite and ROB all those years ago. Can't wait!

 

[MRU]

At this point I've owned every Nintendo system (including the virtual boy) and have enjoyed them.

Including the Panasonic Q ?

 

[Jovian9]

Ha no. Not every variation of every system by any means. I almost bought one on eBay back in the day but just couldn't justify it for only a dvd player add-on. Though it always looked cool as hell, which is the only reason I wanted it.

 

[MRU]

Ha no. Not every variation of every system by any means. I almost bought one on eBay back in the day but just couldn't justify it for only a dvd player add-on. Though it always looked cool as hell, which is the only reason I wanted it.

Lol. Yeah I love mine never got chance to try virtual boy, other than that like yourself I've had every Nintendo console

 

[Jovian9]

Lol. Yeah I love mine never got chance to try virtual boy, other than that like yourself I've had every Nintendo console

The virtual boy was not great. Not even close. But the few games that it had were fun. For some reason I always liked tennis. I've busted it out every year at some point and played it until a couple years ago when there was no video showing up on the screen. Still came on and could hear the game. I found someone on craigslist who said they would give me a little bit of money for it b/c they wanted one and thought they could fix it, so I parted ways with it after not quite two decades.

Your mentioning of the Q though had me go back and look at it online. Damn that thing looks cool!!!!! Even went on eBay to just see and the cheapest working one I found was $400.

I also have not owned the Classic NES. Not for a lack of trying though. /raisesfistintheair at Nintendo for their shortage of stock.

 

[MRU]

The virtual boy was not great. Not even close. But the few games that it had were fun. For some reason I always liked tennis. I've busted it out every year at some point and played it until a couple years ago when there was no video showing up on the screen. Still came on and could hear the game. I found someone on craigslist who said they would give me a little bit of money for it b/c they wanted one and thought they could fix it, so I parted ways with it after not quite two decades.

Your mentioning of the Q though had me go back and look at it online. Damn that thing looks cool!!!!! Even went on eBay to just see and the cheapest working one I found was $400.

I also have not owned the Classic NES. Not for a lack of trying though. /raisesfistintheair at Nintendo for their shortage of stock.

I was tempted to sell mine because I still have everything (box & accessories) and it's fully working, but just couldn't do it ....






Re: Switch

Digital Foundry analysis. Compared to Wii U version at E3 last year it runs better. But we will have to see what the final version for Wii U is like.

Listening to the commentary later in the video ..

Mario Odyssey is 720p based on their pixel count of the footage (which explains the aliasing I noticed)

Splatoon 2 is 720p docked or undocked ... Without any anti-aliasing ... (Currently). Hopefully that improves for the docked version to at least 900p with some form of temporal anti-aliasing as the video feed of it running did look very jaggy.