SmackAttack
Member
Hot DAMN GAF. You guys broke this site for me until just now. Been wanting to log on for hours but I got errors no matter what I used. That Nintendo Magic.
Behold Nintendo Switch (March 2017, Hybrid w/ Dock, Detachable Controllers, Nvidia)
- Thread starter FZZ
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eyeball_kid
Member
GAF has been down for me all day so I'm way LTTP, but my general impression of the system is a bit indifferent...possibly cool, but also seems fiddly with sliding things in and out.
My biggest impression so far is more on the design side. I think it might be the worst product design from Nintendo since the SNES. It looks like a utilitarian appliance, not a game console. Nothing about it says 'sleek' or 'modern', and it certainly doesn't say 'fun'. The grey textured plastic on the dock just adds to the dull feel. It looks quite thick from the OP product shot, so I'm not sure how comfortable the portable experience will be.
The logo also looks quite bad. Very 1990's, with the big SWITCH lettering and chunky logo image that doesn't feel in balance with each other. It's honestly kind of amateurish, which is surprising because Nintendo's logo design is usually on point.
From a gaming perspective it might be cool conceptually, but what I'm seeing of the product design feels like an early design sketch that should have been discarded. In use, complaints about design may fall to the wayside, but it's certainly not a looker.
My biggest impression so far is more on the design side. I think it might be the worst product design from Nintendo since the SNES. It looks like a utilitarian appliance, not a game console. Nothing about it says 'sleek' or 'modern', and it certainly doesn't say 'fun'. The grey textured plastic on the dock just adds to the dull feel. It looks quite thick from the OP product shot, so I'm not sure how comfortable the portable experience will be.
The logo also looks quite bad. Very 1990's, with the big SWITCH lettering and chunky logo image that doesn't feel in balance with each other. It's honestly kind of amateurish, which is surprising because Nintendo's logo design is usually on point.
From a gaming perspective it might be cool conceptually, but what I'm seeing of the product design feels like an early design sketch that should have been discarded. In use, complaints about design may fall to the wayside, but it's certainly not a looker.
Christ dude, it's a joke. Lighten up.
ScientificPizza
Banned
Yeah, the launch lineup is going to be incredibly interesting. Hope it's strong, but having NBA 2K17 and Skyrim in that trailer is reminiscent of having Arkham City and Mass Effect 3 on the Wii U
Mario/Zelda/Mario Kart all at launch will move huge numbers tho imo
I can see this trying to be a jack of all trades but master of none. Home and portable gaming are two distinct and separate markets and Nintendo will probably struggle to come up with a convincing pitch to the public for their new....device (console no longer sounds right). I foresee another WiiU on the horizon.
Let's not kid ourselves, 3rd party will be weak after the initial launch year and we know anything that goes portable will not be as powerful.
GoldenCrow
Member
If the price is more inline with what of the New 3DS then I think this has legs to it. Cheap enough for people to pick up, small enough to store away in an entertainment system (or elsewhere).
It isn't really what I want from gaming at the moment but I can easily see this on my book shelf and pick up and play a bit of Mario/Zelda from time to time. If it supports Wii U games and some 3DS games straight out of the gate then it would be a solid purchase.
It isn't really what I want from gaming at the moment but I can easily see this on my book shelf and pick up and play a bit of Mario/Zelda from time to time. If it supports Wii U games and some 3DS games straight out of the gate then it would be a solid purchase.
Soapbox Killer
Grand Nagus
This will do at least whatever the Nvidia Shield Tv can output. 4K + HDR for streaming should be possible without question. Funny thing is with the amount of bandwidth streaming 4K takes, 128GB carts would be much better for movies and TV (I know this is not happening)
Also is it me or are the Joy-Cons in each hand very VR/AR ready? Not to say this thing could do VR in the sense of Vive/Rift but those would be a ideal for certain games I would think.
Also is it me or are the Joy-Cons in each hand very VR/AR ready? Not to say this thing could do VR in the sense of Vive/Rift but those would be a ideal for certain games I would think.
WordAssassin
Member
It's the NX and it's both. It is a hybrid, home console that you can take with you and play like a handheld. Theoretically if it does well it will be replacing both the Wii U as well as the 3DS.
Shpeshal Nick
aka Collingwood
I think in the case of the WiiU, it's not a big deal.
KratosEnergyDrink
Member
Probably both, but this is what had been codenamed NX.
Franz Brötchen
Banned
This is still the single most important development, yes. Realizing that 3rd party may be to difficult to accommodate as the twins do, Nintendo cannot spread themselves too thin among two consoles.
Maybe 3ds gets support for another 16 months, but also there I wouldn't expect new exclusives.
Cheesecakebobby
Banned
I was just thinking that from a handheld perspective, Switch may be expensive to build up a games library for (and may take a while). It seems very unlikely that games will be any cheaper than they are on Wii U, whereas 3DS games usually come in at a lower price. Also unlike every handheld Nintendo has released since Gameboy Color, there is no native backwards compatibility (physically, at least). We won't be able to play our existing cartridge games on that big screen.
They are a few things Nintendo can do to alleviate this issue:
1. Ensure there is no game drought like they typically have shortly after launch.
2. Have virtual console ready from the beginning with more than a paltry selection, and at least discounts if not cross play for owners of existing titles. Discounts for owners of Wii U games getting ports would also be reasonable.
3. Encourage ports of mobile titles that are cheap or free to play. Being Tegra-based and similar in form to a tablet should make this easier than in the past.
4. Have a decent launch line-up that includes games at multiple pricing tiers.
While these steps could make a difference in the West, I think they are crucial to capturing the Japanese market which seems more interested in handhelds (but is equally being eaten up by smsrtphones).
They are a few things Nintendo can do to alleviate this issue:
1. Ensure there is no game drought like they typically have shortly after launch.
2. Have virtual console ready from the beginning with more than a paltry selection, and at least discounts if not cross play for owners of existing titles. Discounts for owners of Wii U games getting ports would also be reasonable.
3. Encourage ports of mobile titles that are cheap or free to play. Being Tegra-based and similar in form to a tablet should make this easier than in the past.
4. Have a decent launch line-up that includes games at multiple pricing tiers.
While these steps could make a difference in the West, I think they are crucial to capturing the Japanese market which seems more interested in handhelds (but is equally being eaten up by smsrtphones).
Astral Dog
Member
There is something i dont understand.
Im no Tech expert but the Xbox One is a true home system using modern ish architecture, and many of its games run at 900p or below.
Why are many people talking like they expect the Switch, an impressive but mostly portable device, to play alot of 1080 p games when the Xbox cant?
The fact that this system is even comparable to Xbox One is impressive to me
I can see Nintendo optimizing some of their games for 1080p with Wii U like graphics, but the most power hungry ones, those would make sense
to run at 720p like the main device.
Unless im missing something 😕
Im no Tech expert but the Xbox One is a true home system using modern ish architecture, and many of its games run at 900p or below.
Why are many people talking like they expect the Switch, an impressive but mostly portable device, to play alot of 1080 p games when the Xbox cant?
The fact that this system is even comparable to Xbox One is impressive to me
I can see Nintendo optimizing some of their games for 1080p with Wii U like graphics, but the most power hungry ones, those would make sense
to run at 720p like the main device.
Unless im missing something 😕
The reveal was great. Very clear message.
Now I'm pretty sure it will have a touchscreen and motion controllers. The people that were spot on with the rumors also mentioned motion control and touchscreen. Now Nintendo could have gone all out and showed all the possible ways of playing this thing but that would only confuse the message. I think third parties forced Nintendo to market it a specific way in return for support. If they showed stuff like Wii fit or something along those lines it wouldn't look as cool as it did now for a lot of hardcore gamers.
This system is so flexible in the types of games it can support that Nintendos marketing department and game developers must be careful in introducing new concepts. They must have a lot of different ideas for this thing. A dream to work with for a lot of developers I think.
I heard a lot of positive reactions of gamer friends who would never consider buying a Nintendo console. I think Nintendo did a good job with the initial marketing. Games like skyrim actually have a chance to sell on his thing. They'll sell Wii fits later on in the life cycle.
Now I'm pretty sure it will have a touchscreen and motion controllers. The people that were spot on with the rumors also mentioned motion control and touchscreen. Now Nintendo could have gone all out and showed all the possible ways of playing this thing but that would only confuse the message. I think third parties forced Nintendo to market it a specific way in return for support. If they showed stuff like Wii fit or something along those lines it wouldn't look as cool as it did now for a lot of hardcore gamers.
This system is so flexible in the types of games it can support that Nintendos marketing department and game developers must be careful in introducing new concepts. They must have a lot of different ideas for this thing. A dream to work with for a lot of developers I think.
I heard a lot of positive reactions of gamer friends who would never consider buying a Nintendo console. I think Nintendo did a good job with the initial marketing. Games like skyrim actually have a chance to sell on his thing. They'll sell Wii fits later on in the life cycle.
ScientificPizza
Banned
It's still setting a bad precedent. It might not affect THAT many customers, but there are still millions of discs out there that people have bought that you are saying aren't as valuable as their digital counterpart.
Not to mention the amount of work that would go in to getting those games to run on the new architecture. I think it's far more likely that they just try to sell you versions of those games again.
Damn ! Don't know what else to say. You hit the nail on the head.
Dancing Queen
Banned
SHIIIIIIIT. Nintendo really thought about everything. Even the small stand on the back.
However as someone living in Asia, my main concern is with region lock. PLEASE PLEASE get rid of it, Nintendo.
However as someone living in Asia, my main concern is with region lock. PLEASE PLEASE get rid of it, Nintendo.
CharminUltra
Member
Go for the Zelda + Pokemon one-two punch for launch!
He's down!
He's down!
Huh. Finally got around to watching this... Not sure how to feel. I've been hungry for a proper handheld successor to the Vita/Ninty to step their mobile hardware game up as the whole 3DS ecosystem is just cumbersome and shitty right now.
So basically we're getting an underwhelming home console melded with a portable that's too big to be conveniently portable.
I don't think I want this?
So basically we're getting an underwhelming home console melded with a portable that's too big to be conveniently portable.
I don't think I want this?
opticalmace
Member
Region free according to Laura K or whatever (who leaked stuff yesterday).
brochiller
Member
Reports are saying that you should be happy with the region lock situation.
ScientificPizza
Banned
I think people here have kind of undersold how huge Skyrim still is. I imagine a portable version of it would appeal to a lot of people.
casey_contra
Member
Breath of the Eclipse
chaosblade
Unconfirmed Member
So after a while to think about it.
I can't help but be a bit disappointed that it's a portable at heart, I'll practically never take advantage of the portability so sacrifices are being made to performance and functionality for nothing.
Regardless, it's nice to see something more traditional. No second screen, no waggle, just a console, a controller, and a TV. It would be nice if I could use my existing Wii U pro controller, but I'll probably have to shell out for new one since Nintendo will likely want to break ties with the Wii brand and start fresh. Speaking of controllers, asymmetrical sticks are an improvement for non-dual analog games. Which is likely most of what I'll be playing on a console anyway.
Hopefully this thing is able to eventually replace the 3DS too. A single unified Nintendo platform would likely do great things for their output.
Branding is pretty good, honestly. A huge improvement from "Wii U," "3DS," and "New 3DS." Very clear and straightforward what it is, Switch sounds good and reflects the concept well.
It's inevitable that I'll get one, when depends on price and exclusives. I'm sold on Zelda, throw in Mario at launch, the promise of additional appealing games in the near future, and a sub-$300 price point and I might bite at launch.
I can't help but be a bit disappointed that it's a portable at heart, I'll practically never take advantage of the portability so sacrifices are being made to performance and functionality for nothing.
Regardless, it's nice to see something more traditional. No second screen, no waggle, just a console, a controller, and a TV. It would be nice if I could use my existing Wii U pro controller, but I'll probably have to shell out for new one since Nintendo will likely want to break ties with the Wii brand and start fresh. Speaking of controllers, asymmetrical sticks are an improvement for non-dual analog games. Which is likely most of what I'll be playing on a console anyway.
Hopefully this thing is able to eventually replace the 3DS too. A single unified Nintendo platform would likely do great things for their output.
Branding is pretty good, honestly. A huge improvement from "Wii U," "3DS," and "New 3DS." Very clear and straightforward what it is, Switch sounds good and reflects the concept well.
It's inevitable that I'll get one, when depends on price and exclusives. I'm sold on Zelda, throw in Mario at launch, the promise of additional appealing games in the near future, and a sub-$300 price point and I might bite at launch.
Here's what I predict regarding price and stuff:
Only one SKU. $299. Comes with console, Joy-Con L+R, Joy-Con Grip, dock and HDMI cable+power for dock.
Pro Controller ($49.99) and separate non-dock charger ($19.99) sold separately. Joy-Con controllers can be purchased in a pack of two with included Joy-Con Grip ($29.99).
Only one SKU. $299. Comes with console, Joy-Con L+R, Joy-Con Grip, dock and HDMI cable+power for dock.
Pro Controller ($49.99) and separate non-dock charger ($19.99) sold separately. Joy-Con controllers can be purchased in a pack of two with included Joy-Con Grip ($29.99).
As I have been told in other threads, Youtube commenters are a tiny, miniscule, insignificant, almost immeasurable vocal minority. That said, we have the daily numbers from Steam (and e.g. Twitch streams), so it's easy to see that Skyrim is still big.
Two thoughts:
1. It'd be very easy for Nintendo to introduce different controller types. I'm disappointed by the lack of scroll wheel L and R buttons, but they could theoretically still do that later on without having to replace the entire console (at the risk of making the "Pro" controller obsolete).
2. They could also very easily do mobile style VR. Not *good* VR (there'd be significant screen door effect), but all they'd need to do is release a headset with lenses, and I guess accelerometers if the console itself doesn't have them but I feel like that's extremely unlikely. If they wanted to take it seriously they could even include sensors on the VR shell and make it compatible with Valve's established Lighthouse standard to save on development costs.
If the controllers end up including motion controls they should work right out of the box for VR, if not then they'd need to sell some separately.
1. It'd be very easy for Nintendo to introduce different controller types. I'm disappointed by the lack of scroll wheel L and R buttons, but they could theoretically still do that later on without having to replace the entire console (at the risk of making the "Pro" controller obsolete).
2. They could also very easily do mobile style VR. Not *good* VR (there'd be significant screen door effect), but all they'd need to do is release a headset with lenses, and I guess accelerometers if the console itself doesn't have them but I feel like that's extremely unlikely. If they wanted to take it seriously they could even include sensors on the VR shell and make it compatible with Valve's established Lighthouse standard to save on development costs.
If the controllers end up including motion controls they should work right out of the box for VR, if not then they'd need to sell some separately.
Bubba_Sparks
Member
Is anyone else reminded of the Famicom when looking at the Switch docked in its cradle? The design just kind of has these odd angles about it. I don't want to say it lacks refinement, though I feel it almost has this Frankenstein like look to it.
Nintendo.de is also calling the NiS a "heimvideospielsystem", which just means home-videogame-console.
But I can´t see a 3DS successor, if this console is doing both things at once.
EDIT: Also why are Nintendo the only one console manufacturer who doesn´t have colored buttons? Except n3DS/XL since WII they are only black white/ white grey
But I can´t see a 3DS successor, if this console is doing both things at once.
EDIT: Also why are Nintendo the only one console manufacturer who doesn´t have colored buttons? Except n3DS/XL since WII they are only black white/ white grey
This is more or less exactly what I wanted. I haven't owned a Nintendo console in many years. I've been interested in several Wii(U) and (3)DS games, but there hasn't been enough on one device at the same time that was enough to get me to pull the trigger.
Having a single platform and something that'd be fun on a plane, especially something I can play with my girlfriend in the next seat, sounds great to me.
Having a single platform and something that'd be fun on a plane, especially something I can play with my girlfriend in the next seat, sounds great to me.
Neoleo2143
Member
I think Skyrim on a portable is the purest expression that the concept can convey to a person not invested in a Nintendo System. "All Your console games, now on the go". That can be really appealing to people if it offers them something they can't get with other dedicated devices.
AdmiralSnackbar
Member
I just realized....
Does this thing have cameras?
Does this thing have cameras?
Flying Toaster
Member
Great concept. I am completely ok with this new idea for a system. March cannot come fast enough.
Dancing Queen
Banned
Great to know, thanks to both of you!
I'll start saving the cash.
Like everything about the console they have shown so far except for the color. Really wish they would bring back a Funtastic line, or at least Indigo and Orange Spice. Hope before the release they offer some color options.
Can't wait for this to come out, will be getting one as soon as I can.
Can't wait for this to come out, will be getting one as soon as I can.
ScientificPizza
Banned
It doesn't look like it? Unless there's on on the back of the tablet?
e: looking at the images in the OP the little you can see of the back doesn't look like it either. though the cameras on the Wii U controller were kind of a waste to me so i don't really mind. I'd rather it be free of fat to get as much out of that battery as it can
The dude was playing Skyrim on a plane - he didn't have a media server handy.
The message in that scene was clear:
a) Nintendo Switch has a handy stand for the screen
b) JoyCon controllers can be used freeform, like Wii Remote and Nunchuck
c) Skyrim is coming Nintendo Switch
Anything outside of the above points is a massive reach, and is a result of over thinking things
TropicanaTwista
Member
Looks really cool. If the price isnt too bad, think Ill be day 1
also assuming there are some good games to play
brochiller
Member
Any word on how many L and R buttons there are?
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