OrbitalBeard
Member
It'll be in great shape at $199.
Wii undercut its competition at $250. A $300 Switch doesn't do that. A $250 base model barely does that.
I'm feeling $199. I think $249 miiiiight be ok....but I'm still feeling sub-200, baby.
Digital Foundry: Nintendo Switch CPU and GPU clock speeds revealed
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It'll be in great shape at $199.
Wii undercut its competition at $250. A $300 Switch doesn't do that. A $250 base model barely does that.
I'm feeling $199. I think $249 miiiiight be ok....but I'm still feeling sub-200, baby.
Nothing so informative or well-reasoned. Mostly stuff defined by knee-jerk reactions and/or doom ultimatums.
brochiller
Member
Just because Nintendo regretted the $250 price point for 3DS doesn't mean it doesn't make sense here. They are offering much more in the Switch package than the 3DS ever was. $250 seems to be a very fair price for what it is and what it can do.
It should be in great shape at $250 as well.
Shikamaru Ninja
任天å ã® å¿è
But expensive things sell. Sell very well. From Apple to Sony to Microsoft. The GameCube didn't sell phenomenally at $199 and then $99. Nintendo fumbled the 3DS launch but recovered, and fumbled the Wii U launch but couldn't recover. Cheaper price helps everyone, but Nintendo's fundamental hardware design has hit some serious roadblocks that $199 doesn't fix.
Good luck with that
lwilliams3
Member
They have a case on why it's unlikely, but they haven't discount it. Silly or not, I was just clarifying their current stance.
OrbitalBeard
Member
I thin $250 is a good price, yes. But $199 is a great one! That's impulse buy territory. If Nintendo can profit on the hardware at that price, they should go for it.
Skittzo0413
Member
They said that developers have told them the leaked specs from the devkit thread are mostly accurate, though that's a weird thing to say given the clock speeds from those leaked specs. But yeah it would be nice if they got more details, though I'm not sure anyone outside of Nintendo would know those as of yet.
I've been on team $199 since July but Laura has nailed too many things so far for me to ignore that $249 rumor. Still hoping though!
Mr. Pointy
Member
Maxwell can do HDR, right?
Why? *Checks last couple of pages*
Oh yeah, technical discussion begins and ends with big numbers and not how things work.
OrbitalBeard
Member
The LKD rumor is the only thing keeping me from being 100% confident in $199. Because of her, I'm at, like, 90%-95%.
This is assuming no pack-in. With a game bundled, $249 is good.
brochiller
Member
With what?
Products don't have a set expiration date and are set up for logical price drops in its future life-span. Nintendo is also in the business of making money and there are good reasons for the Switch to be priced at $249 instead of $199 starting with the fact that the 3DSXL basically costs as much at this point of time.
The article is too verbose. I can easily see why one would seem like this is the final specs of the Nintendo Switch.
OrbitalBeard
Member
You bring up a good point with the XL, as it still hasn't received a price drop.
Still, I'm going full crazy with this prediction and sticking with it . Unless there's a pack-in. Then $249 all day long.
Astral Dog
Member
The games will talk.
Everyone else should keep their expectations in check for a handheld device
Everyone else should keep their expectations in check for a handheld device
With thinking people will reasonably value the Switch in term of what functionality it has etc..
I'm goign to ask my mainstream gamer friends and they'll tell me. "Are you kidding me, i can get a PS4 with a game for less than 300$, this is a joke"
This is a rude world we live in...
FloweryMarston
Member
According to Laura, converting the prices she heard in UK, it should be $249 and 299$ with a pack in game and more memory space. The price isn't the only factor to make a system successful. The games at release, the messaging, the price are all factors that will help a system sell, but one thing alone won't do it. So far they've made the nintendo switch an appealing product, and i think that the games shown will sell people over.
JoshuaJSlone
Member
Games designed as multiplatform from the start can be a very different thing than assuming PS4 is The Platform and that a Switch version thus must be a downgraded port. DQXI is a game we know they've been planning a Switch version of for a long time, so they shouldn't be caught flatfooted having designed some super PS4 game that will be hard to make work on it. My contention is that DQXI is probably a situation like Virtue's Last Reward 3DS/Vita, we're just only seeing the prettier half so far.
But the cost of a 3DS has little to no bearing on the costs of new products. Products with more readily available tech, and products that are not as needlessly complex as a 3DS to MFG.
Throw that notion out the door. Nintendo, will look at the cost of the BOM and the needed GMROI, if it comes back and says, hey you can make you're needed ROI @$199 they'll do it, if it says $249 they'll do it.
They don't look at the 3DS at all. It has zero bearing since it share no parts, that we know of. It is possible the 3DS is still so expensive due to the older parts, 3d tech and other things that are being used industry wide.
The custom fabbed stuff will drive BOM more than anything else.
OrbitalBeard
Member
That's true. If the system is flooded with quality first party titles throughout 2017 and into 2018, a $249 price should be fine.
...but $199 would be oh so sweet
lwilliams3
Member
I'm quite sure it is not from the lack of trying.
If anyone else noticed, they also did not comment on the GLOPS of the GPU. There are probably too many assumptions that have to be made for them to feel comfortable to lock that down.
GabeTheGrouch76
Member
Assuming this report is true. With specs like these, I can't help but wonder why Nintendo's PR is promoting as a portable console, instead of a powerful handheld with TV output it's clearly closer to in definition. If it's priced above $200 I think it's going to struggle.
On another note, I have a hunch these specs won't likely allow for long-term third-party support, my guess is that Nintendo may be mostly on their own after the first and maybe second year for this device. And while a fair amount of people are confident that Nintendo having all of their developers on board will make up for it, the quality of recent games and design decisions in recent years, alongside their historical lack of consistent schedule releases, has me personally doubtful.
That said, we'll eventually see what does happens in the end though.
They're an indie team, but they're developing a game for a major publisher. If Sega was able to get Switch dev kits for Sonic Team's Project Sonic 2017, they can also get them for Taxman/Stealth/PWG if they wanted.
On another note, I have a hunch these specs won't likely allow for long-term third-party support, my guess is that Nintendo may be mostly on their own after the first and maybe second year for this device. And while a fair amount of people are confident that Nintendo having all of their developers on board will make up for it, the quality of recent games and design decisions in recent years, alongside their historical lack of consistent schedule releases, has me personally doubtful.
That said, we'll eventually see what does happens in the end though.
They're an indie team, but they're developing a game for a major publisher. If Sega was able to get Switch dev kits for Sonic Team's Project Sonic 2017, they can also get them for Taxman/Stealth/PWG if they wanted.
Equanimity
Member
I'll be surprised if the Switch sells for anything lower than £230 come release.
I will happily pay £250.
I will happily pay £250.
OrbitalBeard
Member
Not necessarily. Nintendo has been incredibly strict with dev kits and NDAs up to this point. As Taxman and his team aren't internal Sega developers, it could have been seen as a risk by NCL.
The only thing factual in the article is the clock speeds. The rest of the article is speculation...
Skittzo0413
Member
It would just be odd for them to clock this so low yet splurge on additional SMs and CPU cores. I'd definitely accept that the configuration in the leaked specs is right if not for the presence of the fan(s). That's the only thing which truly does not add up and one of the only things 100% confirmed.
Unknown One
Member
Years later, it's still being sold for $170. This company will overprice this weak hardware and Nintendo fans will eat it up.
She didn't remove the UK Value Added Tax (VAT) from her conversion from Pounds to US dollars.
Astral Dog
Member
This is a very good point, its about Nintendo delivering an appealing product to the market in form of a portable/home device hybrid capable of playing their entire lineup of software.
It actually doesnt matter if the clockspeeds are low or high, SWITCH was always going to be limited by design, the absolute best we were hoping was still significantly weaker than an Xbox ONE.
OrbitalBeard
Member
Probably because the majority of consumers don't buy a video game console based on its specs. If you want to play lots of Nintendo IP, you need a Nintendo device.
MHWilliams
Member
Not when the home console competition is at the same price with a larger library. And smartphones are eating away at the "portable entertainment" bottom line.
There is a notable difference between "People will buy this" - I'm all in for Vita and 3DS follow-up - and "This will sell good enough to remain Nintendo's flagship product." Part of that is messaging, software, and price. The first two are solid, but price is thought of in the context of similar products.
I think it'll be $249, but I also think Nintendo is hamstringing itself at that price for consumers beyond Nintendo fans and avid enthusiast gamers.
GabeTheGrouch76
Member
In fairness, I should clarify I wasn't necessarily thinking about Taxman and co. having a dev kit prior to the reveal. In those days, yeah, I can see that being unlikely. I imagine they would be able to get one now though, surely?
mario_O
Member
You can buy a PS4 Slim with 500Gb storage for 250 euros right now in Europe.
The cost of old products has bearing on the costs of new products every single time and Nintendo will look at the 3DS just as they did when pricing every single hardware they released before.
And again, Nintendo is the business of making money.
OrbitalBeard
Member
Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if they have one by now.
Well yes, my $199 prediction would hinge on the system being sold at a profit. If that's not possible at that price, it's out of the question.
brochiller
Member
I guess I see much more value in a console than just the processing power.
Nintendo also seems very confident I the switch. The way they're trying to get it in as many hands as possible before launch is a good sign.
Specs? As in the plural? No, it's a spec.
Ambition
Member
I gotchu homie. So..
Wii U: Krillin
Nintendo Switch: Piccolo
Xbox One: Vegeta
PS4: Goku
__
PS4 PRO: SSJG Goku
Project Scorpio: Hit
From Weakest to Strongest
Camp1nCarl
Member
I really think Nintendo has an uphill battle with this.
Going into Holiday 2017 should be interesting. Competing against PS4 slim and Xbox One S likely at $199 with better hardware and larger libraries is going to be tough. Especially if it is priced higher at $250 like some rumors are alluding to. That would be a tougher sale to the causal crowd, and these specs would likely turn off most "hardcore gamers" barring the initial Nintendo fans that will be buying this Day 1 no matter what.
Only time will tell, but I'm infinitely curious to see how this does with both the hardcore and casual consumers.
Going into Holiday 2017 should be interesting. Competing against PS4 slim and Xbox One S likely at $199 with better hardware and larger libraries is going to be tough. Especially if it is priced higher at $250 like some rumors are alluding to. That would be a tougher sale to the causal crowd, and these specs would likely turn off most "hardcore gamers" barring the initial Nintendo fans that will be buying this Day 1 no matter what.
Only time will tell, but I'm infinitely curious to see how this does with both the hardcore and casual consumers.
Astral Dog
Member
It was always going to be difficult regardless of power.
Part of that is messaging, software, the price and the product itself. And the Switch isn't a similar product to its console competition.
Smartphones eating away at the portable gaming hardware has been a reality for years now and products like the Kindle can happily live as well and that is what Nintendo is exactly trying to achieve.
Have you ever priced a product? Like Seriously. I didn't make that up.
I am not saying they aren't in the business of making money. In fact I clearly stated the basic manner in which they determine the amount of money they want to make on a product.
From an accounting side they use the BOM & COGS(cost of goods sold) to determine a price range based on GMROI( Gross Margin Return on Investment ). Sometimes marketing costs and other R&D costs are rolled in this pricing, sometimes not.
That range is then handed off to marketing people who in turn do market research to best understand what price they feel the market can bear.
So yeah, I guess in a little way, Nintendo can see people still buying 3ds/2ds at a range of $79 to $199 and say yeah we can probably be at $249, but ultimately that priced is derived by many other factors with a lot more weight than just, 3ds is X so we should price new thing @ Y because it is new.
3ds and New 3ds are priced to recoup the costs associated at a specific margin while still selling as many as possible. Switch has a completely unrelated BOM and costs and will have to recoup those costs and the pricing will be more determined by this than anything else. If Nintendo cocked up somehow and spent too much, you can damn well believe they'd charge $300 or more, regardless of whether they think the market could truly bear it.
Skittzo0413
Member
To be fair it's a spec for three different components, so technically specs, yes.
But your broader point- that this says nothing beyond clock speeds- is valid and a good one, yes!
Edit: since I got to the top of the page with a shitty semantics post I may as well link Thraktor's excellent post again: http://m.neogaf.com/showthread.php?p=226861686#post226861686
It will be 249.99 for sure. It was the sweet spot with the Wii. The console isn't just a handheld, it includes two controllers and a TV-dock and dock-controller. It's also likely to include some sort of pack-in.
I'm disappointed in the WiiU+ specs, but the price point is good and it'll be durable with good battery life I'm sure. I think it'll still sell really well.
I'm disappointed in the WiiU+ specs, but the price point is good and it'll be durable with good battery life I'm sure. I think it'll still sell really well.
calc84maniac
Member
Well, it's not exactly nothing, in that it gives us ballpark estimates. But on the bright side, the smaller the ballpark, the easier it is to hit a home run!
I'm sorry.
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