Behold Nintendo Switch (March 2017, Hybrid w/ Dock, Detachable Controllers, Nvidia)

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Yup. When they said they were holding back the unveiling because they didn't want their competitors to copy them, they were thinking more about inexpensive tablet makers like JXD, GPD, Amazon, etc. than they were Sony and Microsoft.

If they'd unveiled any earlier the web would be drowning in cheap Chinese 7" tablets with slide-on game controls and pre-installed emulators this Christmas.
That makes a lot of sense. They can still beat Nintendo to the market, but it would be January-ish and dead in the water. No way they'd have something by the holidays. Revealing it this late was probably a good idea then.
 
I'm curious how Japanese 3DS owners will response to this. I can't imagine anyone playing that huge tablet on the train like they did with the 3DS.
I'll definitively do it (and with 500+h of train each year, it'll see some use).

Also, there's plently of people with 10"+ tablets in train, how is it different?
 
Have you tried to play with a handheld laying back on a couch or in bed? That's my small annoyance. Unless your arms never get tired enough to hold it up the whole time, you usually have it resting on you. That means the headphone jack on the bottom is pressing against you. I've had some cords ruined this way. Also the kickstand thing for the Switch wouldn't work if the headphone jack was on the bottom.
All the time yeah.
My headphone jack is L shaped so that's never been a problem for me, but I get why it it is for you.
Can't argue the second point.
 
I dont see the appeal of the gimmick at all. I had a dream last night about an "Ultra Nintendo Entertainment System" more powerful than the Pro and Xbox S. That woulda been cool. If I'm playing triple AAA games outside the house, I'm on my laptop

So where Nintendo have gone wrong is power? Hypothetically if Nintendo had released their version of Scorpio that would have been the answer?

This thing will live and die from it's games. Why I'm optimistic about games is that by unifying their handheld and console divisions we should not be in a situation like we were with the Wii U.

The Wii U was my favorite console but as a primary system there weren't enough releases for me personally.
 
There's nothing that would make someone choose a PS4/XB over Nintendo anymore. Enough of the same third party games on Switch.. the ability to undock and play on the go is much more compelling than 4K content 95% of the population can't even properly enjoy.

This thing has serious fad potential. Imagine Switch meet ups similar to the Pokémon GO phenomenon. Very doable now. Multiplayer has been all but forgotten by Sony and MS, Nintendo is bringing multiplayer out of the home. It will be a huge conversation starter, and if prices right I believe it will really take off. Zelda and Splatoon as possible launch titles will be huge.

Especially once Smash and Pokémon are released.

Dear God I know the trailer spells it out, but I did not even think about Smash and Splatoon meet ups on the go with buds. Local multiplayer anywhere.

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
 
Not the most ergonomic console, certainly not the best named console, but Nintendo has gotten me interested in their product again. Haven't had a Nintendo console since the N64 era, and the line up of games has me excited.
 
I hope that this is successful & shakes up the industry a bit. It's already getting redundant & dull with too much focus on power, graphics, shooters, cinematics within games, etc. from Microsoft, Sony & most Western 3rd party publishers & with Microsoft & Sony trying to be more like PC gaming.

At least be successful within Japanese 3rd party publishers.

I suppose it could shake up the industry. But what about this reveal trailer-the Wii U and Skyrim ports, the hybridization-makes you think it would do so any more than Nintendo's last console did?

I guess I fail to see who this will appeal to outside of people who want to play Nintendo games. And what it's doing for games that will "shake things up."
 
Hmm, at first I was like: awesome, no gimmick regarding the game controls itself: it's likely that all games will be playable with the Pro controller at least, except for maybe some touch required games?

On the other hand, it feels like I'll never use the split controller setup and the default tablet controller controls seem very uncomfortable with the buttons and sticks directly above eachother...

The video felt like it was something different from Wii U, but for me (not a portable player), it might actually exactly be a Wii U like situation with the negative being that it'll have the power of a portable, most likely not much faster than the Wii U, while you do pay for the portable stuff and the split controllers...

Enthousiasm: medium.

Much will depend on price, but I don't see it being $199, I'd expect $249 at least and that most likely won't include a Pro controller, so make that at least $299 for what I want out of it. It also most likely won't include more than 64 GB memory, so additional storage will also come in extra (I like to go all digital)... Nope, I think I'm out at that price. Too bad.
 
Has there been any discussion on how closely the final product will look to the prototype(?) in the video?

Looks cheap and plastic-y, really the only aspect I'm not thrilled about.
I'm completely fine with it. It means that it won't be a glossy fingerprint/dust magnet like all of my other newer game consoles.
 
The mini wiimotes are too damn small. The analog stick and buttons are too close together for holding sideways play and it just doesn't look as comfortable to play like that as the wiimote was. I'm sorry but they either need to be bigger or it's a worthless feature that will be too uncomfortable to use.

Have you... Have you tried it? Because if you use language like, "It absolutely is...", before the thing has even been in a journalist's hands, you're setting yourself up to be disappointed regardless.

The Joy-Con halves are about as wide as a phone when held sideways, as someone has already pointed out. It may me more comfortable that you know.

And, of course, this isn't the primary method of playing and won't be the primary method of multiplayer control in larger, more home console like experiences.
 
I'm really curious about the tablet functionality. I'm not sure what kind of restrictions Nintendo would put in place, but I could easily see a lot of mobile developers porting their games over to the Switch.

I also think it's interesting that the promo is clearly aimed at young adults. This system seems like it was deliberately aimed at young kids, primarily those whose gaming experience is entirely mobile games. I can easily see a parent shelling out the money so they no longer have to share their own device. You can even make jokes about the sizes of the Joy-Con controllers!

It's also kind of amusing we have talk about the system being underpowered while we're currently entering completely untested waters with a mid-gen "upgrade" in the PS4 Pro and whatever the hell Scorpio turns out to be. It's looking to be that developers will soon be dealing with all sorts of different "power levels" for consoles. So who knows?

Finally, whoever decided to use Skyrim to promote the portability aspect of the system is a fucking genius. I'm not a huge Skyrim fan and haven't touched the game since 2011, but man that is tempting to double-dip. Even if the battery life is only a couple hours, the ability to play console-tier games on a mobile device is blowing my mind. And then, of course, the elephant in the room is Dark Souls. Imagining a Dark Souls triple pack all able to be played on the go? Fuck me.
 
I've been thinking a lot about backwards compatibility for Wii U and how the lack of dual screens seems to prohibit it. Then I came up with a probable solution:

First I wouldn't expect BC for Wii U to work in portable mode due to the extra processing power that emulation would require.

Assuming Switch is capable of BC, why wouldn't Nintendo simply let users pair their existing Wii U tablets with the Switch? Nintendo has a long history of supporting old controller methods on new consoles so this wouldn't surprise me at all. Some of the wireless technology used to stream video to the Wii U tablet might be useful in ad multiplayer as well.

How likely do y'all think a solution like this is?
 
If it's a "home console first and foremost". Why is the primary gimmick a handheld?

That's indeed just to not discredit 3DS right now, since they want it to sell well this holiday season with huge releases like Pokemon Sun and Moon and Mario Maker, though it's clear that after 2017 all the development will switch to Switch.
Otherwise the whole hybrid nature of this console wouldn't make sense and they should have just made a standard powerful home console
 
The removable controllers seems unnecessary to me. How many people are really going to play on an airplane tray table or with friends with half a controller that justifies the extra cost and complexity? If you do that a lot you can just buy a separate controller

The first part showing Zelda was basically the primary reason for the removable controller. What you use as a home console controller is the same as the one you use for handheld gaming without the need for a second controller.
 
A tablet has way more functionality than just games.
Well, we don't know what the Switch will offer, but I don't see how it relates to the original question.

Why would it be too large to play in a train when plently of people are already playing in trains with larger devices?
 
I've been thinking a lot about backwards compatibility for Wii U and how the lack of dual screens seems to prohibit it. Then I came up with a probable solution:

First I wouldn't expect BC for Wii U to work in portable mode due to the extra processing power that emulation would require.

Assuming Switch is capable of BC, why wouldn't Nintendo simply let users pair their existing Wii U tablets with the Switch? Nintendo has a long history of supporting old controller methods on new consoles so this wouldn't surprise me at all. Some of the wireless technology used to stream video to the Wii U tablet might be useful in ad multiplayer as well.

How likely do y'all think a solution like this is?

I really wouldn't anticipate backwards compatibility do to the differences in architecture.
 
Doesn't the unit have to be docked for home use? How would you use touch controls?
Pretty much what I'm saying.

If you could have enabled touch controls at home with a cable, rather than a dock, then I question the design philosophy....
 
The removable controllers seems unnecessary to me. How many people are really going to play on an airplane tray table or with friends with half a controller that justifies the extra cost and complexity? If you do that a lot you can just buy a separate controller
It's possible that they do something else when disconnected that they haven't shown yet. I remember 3rd parties not being aware of the motion aspect of the Wii Remotes until Nintendo revealed it just before E3.
 
Will we still see portable-like games though? Wouldnt that require a two tier pricing system? One for home entertainment, another focused on portables?

What if we're wrong and 3DS is getting an actual, separate sequel..
 
Will wait for launch lineup, but if there's just Kart, Super Mario, and some ports I can't see myself buying it at launch unless it's at $199. The idea is nice though.
 
I dont see the appeal of the gimmick at all. I had a dream last night about an "Ultra Nintendo Entertainment System" more powerful than the Pro and Xbox S. That woulda been cool. If I'm playing triple AAA games outside the house, I'm on my laptop

Watching too much SMD64/HappyNintendoFan/PE can be damaging for the reality sensor.
 
Pretty much what I'm saying.

If you could have enabled touch controls at home with a cable, rather than a dock, then I question the design philosophy....

Or a reverse wiiU situation streaming to the dock. I agree, it seems odd. Maybe they're figuring the touch will be limited to mobile apps/games which you'll only play with it in your hand?
 
Game Over man, that's a freaking amazing system that's finally going to make me get a Nintendo home console.

Wow, I had dreams of this sort of "console" when I was a kid and I'm giddy seeing something so versatile and fun.

Day 1.

Also, do y'all think they're going to streamline the gaming hardware business or do y'all think there will be some iteration of a DS or GB family down the line?
 
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