Reggie: Switch matchmaking and lobbies handled through phone app

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Joeshabadoo said:
You'll clearly be able to join random Internet matches through the software and system itself, probably even see what your registered friends are playing and hop in. This app seems to be specifically tailored to creating private lobbies with friends Ds per game and chatting in and out of game
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What the hell does that have to do with matchmaking? Is Reggie just speaking out of his ass? Does he know what mm is?
 
Is this being done to keep children offline? As in, they're old enough to have a cell phone they are old enough to use online unattended?
 
CHC said:
Elegant solution:

The Switch
Plus the Joy Con attachments
Plus a dock
Plus a TV
Or a charger
Plus your phone
And its charger
And a headset
Via a paid online service

Elegant solution.
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All that and still no d-pad so if you want it add add pro controller.
 
So in order to play the Switch online, not only do I have to get a console for 300$, and pay however much they're gonna charge for online, I ALSO need to have to purchase a smartphone that is capable of running their app AND have an internet connection for it as well.

Yeah, fuck that Nintendo. I love your games, but you just lost me.
 
msdstc said:
Can somebody explain the "bulky headset" thing to me... So instead of carrying the headset, you hold your phone to your ear to voice chat? Burning up your battery? Or is he saying you put it on speaker? This makes no fucking sense. Couldn't they just build a mic into the handheld?
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He's trying to say that you will use your headphones that most phone users carry, which again makes no sense because can't I just plug those headphones into the Switch itself? It's all bullshit haha
 
Vital Tundra said:
They really needed to go into more detail about their app and what it does. THe info we have is terrible.
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It was something that was supposed to be addressed on Jan 12th presentation. The fact that it wasn't just show how not-ready the Switch launch is. And people still rush to place their pre-order for this thing.

I'm certain that the patience of those who wait will pay off, in a big way.
 
Scrawnton said:
I repeat so people can calm down. The article says the app is planned to launch this summer. There are games releasing this spring confirmed to have online play. Of course switch can do the online functions by itself.
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Yeah I think this is just horrible communication. Are they going to launch Mario Kart and Splatoon without multiplayer?

Wouldn't be surprised if its random matchmaking only through the system and friends list, custom games, and voice chat through the app. Still fucking stupid but makes sense if Nintendo is just that paranoid about kids.
 
painey said:
http%3A%2F%2Fmashable.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F07%2FAdam-Brody1.gif
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Where's this from?
 
_PsiFire_ said:
I think people need to calm down and wait until we SEE this app.

Then we can proceed to shit on it if it's as bad as it sounds.
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Maybe they should show us? I mean, the system is out in less than two months.

I'm all for reserving judgement, but it does seem odd that the official reveal of the system (aside from the trailer last year) is so close to launch and still lacked details like this. What are they waiting for?
 
MysticLeviathan said:
The more I think about this, the more I feel like this has to be due to the portability factor and having all online functionality would absolutely destroy the battery.
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How would it "absolutely destroy the battery"? It's still going to have to connect to the phone to pass information back and forth so it'll still use battery in order to connect to the external device, even if that means needing to send more data over the same WiFi network.

Lobbies, matchmaking, and voice chat are all elements of OS software design and shouldn't cause much extra battery usage if designed properly. Instead, they're just offloading the design to a smartphone and trying to spin it as a new innovation.
 
So some obvious bonuses to Nintendo could be that they can offload the effort to the very large pool of app creation companies.

Reducing the complexities of the OS makes it less vulnerable.
 
Emitan said:
So the app is on a phone because they dont want you using a bulky headset. But won't I be connecting headphones to my phone anyway to voice chat?????? What's the difference between that and just plugging into the Switch???? Reggie, this is the worst spin.
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Probably got lazy not wanting to add a headphone jack to the pro controller and joycon thing.
 
I think having only the app handle all that stuff is stupid, but I find it almost offensive if they charge for the app. A person using the app will have bought the console and will be paying a monthly service fee. Why would they have to purchase the app??
 
DeadlyParasite said:
Probably a major reason why Activision and EA have yet to commit any kind of important multiplayer titles to the Switch because of dumb backwards shit like this that makes it a nightmare for devs to figure out how to make it work in their games.
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Arguably, Fifa is one of the biggest titles EA has, even if it's going to be a low effort affair.

I dunno, I just don't see why developers won't be able to just implement standard matchmaking/friend lobbies. Wii U and Wii had it. If Switch can do basic online play with custom lobbies/friends, what's stopping the Switch? Probably nothing, cause I want to hope Reggie just worded this in a shitty way and meant that you can organize party chats on the phone.
 
I don't give a fuck what the reason is for this but it is beyond stupid and anyone who wants to defend it or try to find some kind of logic for it needs their head examined.
 
None of this makes sense.

The Switch isn't a 4G/LTE device, you can only play online through wifi.

To play online you have to use your smartphone to download an app that connects to your Nintendo account that connects to your Switch through magic apparently to handle all things we consider basic online functionality.

Why? How is that more elegant than something integrated?
 
GifGafIsTheBestGaf said:
i thought picking up Nvidia meant they were trying to modernize themselves up a bit but even as a nintendo pessimist they find a way to prove you wrong and disappoint you. what a god damn joke, what the fuck really.
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Because AMD was holding them back...



I find it amusing that Nintendo believes it's disrupting the market, when in actuality, they've perfected the art of disrupting themselves.

Has anyone worked out a logical reason why this all handled via a phone app anyway? If I'm being forced to use my phone, why not just conference call everyone?
 
Reserving judgement until I know more, but at a glance this seems cripplingly dumb. There has to be more to it than we are assuming via hot take.

Baffled for now.
 
_PsiFire_ said:
I think people need to calm down and wait until we SEE this app.

Then we can proceed to shit on it if it's as bad as it sounds.
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I don't think the "wait and see" approach is really applicable here. Even if the app is a shiniest, best-running, fast-as-lightning, multiplayer-providing game-changer there are lots of reasons that make it impractical.

If it is done over LTE how that may impact people's data usage?, What happens if my phone is too old to support it?, How much space is it going to take up on my phone with limited storage(I have an old iphone 5s with only 16 GB and it has gotten so bad that I can't even update iOS)?, What if my phone has battery problems (mine does)?

I don't have to ask these questions if I'm playing online with my 3DS XL, nor my Wii U, nor my PS4, nor my PC or vita, and now on top of all of that, they want you to pay for something with no proof-of-concept? Hard pass.
 
So has anyone tried defending this also
Seems for any of the many fuckups there's always people defending it for the Switch
 
Kodros said:
How would having all the online functionality destroy the battery? The thing still has to send data constantly through your phone for a multiplayer game to work so some extra packets for voice here and there isn't going to do much.
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Wouldn't chat and possibly some of the other aspects of online multiplayer be outsourced to the phone? Not saying it's necessarily a ton, but even 20-30 minutes of saved battery life by outsourcing to a phone would be a world of difference. Plus, if a lot of this could be done via Bluetooth rather than Wifi and let the phone do the Wifi'ing, then that could explain things a bit better, as my understanding is Bluetooth uses far less battery life than Wifi.
 
Captiosus said:
How would it "absolutely destroy the battery"? It's still going to have to connect to the phone to pass information back and forth so it'll still use battery in order to connect to the external device, even if that means needing to send more data over the same WiFi network.

Lobbies, matchmaking, and voice chat are all elements of OS software design and shouldn't cause much extra battery usage if designed properly. Instead, they're just offloading the design to a smartphone and trying to spin it as a new innovation.
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The battery implications aren't while the device is on and being actively used, its while its in standby / sleep mode and someone is messaging you.

The 3DS burns through battery even in 'sleep mode' because its constantly streetpassing / checking for software updates / downloading news from Nitendo / whatever
 
NeoCTN said:
This shits not going to be ready for launch, is it?

That's why there's no multiplayer games at launch.
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They straight up said the online service would be in a trial stage until this fall, when the full paid service rolls out officially. You can be sure that what's in place at launch will be missing features.
 
etrain911 said:
I don't think the "wait and see" approach is really applicable here. Even if the app is a shiniest, best-running, fast-as-lightning, multiplayer-providing game-changer there are lots of reasons that make it impractical.

If it is done over LTE how that may impact people's data usage?, What happens if my phone is too old to support it?, How much space is it going to take up on my phone with limited storage(I have an old iphone 5s with only 16 GB and it has gotten so bad that I can't even update iOS)?, What if my phone has battery problems (mine does)?

I don't have to ask these questions if I'm playing online with my 3DS XL, nor my Wii U, nor my PS4, nor my PC or vita, and now on top of all of that, they want you to pay for something with no proof-of-concept? Hard pass.
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If you're using data, well, you're already playing online so that's gonna eat up a lot more...
 
Between $299 + no pack in, accessory pricing, paid online, no web browser/vid apps (people can try to downplay all they want but the Wii U HTML5 browser is amazing, use it for all my TV web streaming) & now mandatory phone app Switch is just dumpster fire level PR so far. I still have my preorder but man....it's honestly kind of tempting right now to cancel my preorder, just get BoTW on Wii U and play that and my PS4 until Mario Odyssey is released.

Gwyn said:
this is from QA alpha testing the app in nintendo

don't know the original source :(
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lol Fair enough.
 
_PsiFire_ said:
I think people need to calm down and wait until we SEE this app.

Then we can proceed to shit on it if it's as bad as it sounds.
Click to expand...

Why would seeing it change how stupid of an idea it is? If i'm playing the Switch then i'm already holding it. Why should I have to pull out another device to use functionality of something I'M ALREADY HOLDING.
 
Apath said:
Is this being done to keep children offline? As in, they're old enough to have a cell phone they are old enough to use online unattended?
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This same thought has crossed my mind. And it's really the only possible answer for such an obtuse solution for handling online.
 
Emitan said:
So the app is on a phone because they dont want you using a bulky headset. But won't I be connecting headphones to my phone anyway to voice chat?????? What's the difference between that and just plugging into the Switch???? Reggie, this is the worst spin.
Click to expand...

the switch doesn't have a microphone
 
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