Voice chat on the Switch will consist of a paid app on "smart" devices (your phone)

As much as I love Nintendo, this is ABSURD.

It's 2017. Voice chat at a global system level should be standard if in any way they want to attract people to their PAID online service.
 
I still can't believe how ridiculous this whole thing is. Between this voice chat mess and the stupid monthly "rewards", it seems like Nintendo doesn't want anybody subscribing to the service.

Audioboxer said:
But remember Nintendo live in the clouds that consist of the fear everyone on the internet is a paedophile out to abuse the children.

All while they fail to realise a ton of kids are now growing up on PlayStations and Xboxes because like it or not kids are playing FIFA, BF, COD and Overwatch. Gaming in general thanks Nintendo for the perfect storm of the Wii introducing a ton of new people to gaming, and then chunks of these new gamers started to ask questions about what it is like on PlayStations and Xboxes, and Sony/MS to their credit nail social gaming/social media interactions.

Nintendo still behave like voice chat = the equivalent of phoning a sex chat up line. Better bar it behind an app cause those sweet innocent kids don't have smartphones, right.... well, maybe they don't. But really they do, cause parents buy kids smartphones. Sorry Nintendo. The paedophiles and predators win. Get with the times and sort your damn OS out and don't embarrass yourselves by the end of 2017 having your voice chat behind a PAYWALL phone APP.
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It's funny that you mention this. One of the few games I know that feature a sex number in-game is an NES title :P
 
What if the smartphone app also provides a user friendly way of tethering your Switch to your phone for online via LTE/cellular?

Maybe a little in-app QoS for voice and game data?
 
doesn't even the older model of the Nvidia Shield TV allow mic use and even allows broadcasting straight to twitch directly? I know it allows broadcasting as I've done it with my emu's, but not sure about mic.
 
Have Nintendo done this to save on the cost of the Switch, having a microphone etc?

Makes no sense to me, this is just like the PS-Pro not having a 4k Blu-ray drive even though Sony own/hold the Blu-ray license.
 
Instead of having some sort of bulky gamer headset, you’ll be able to do it right off your smartphone, put in your earbuds that you use for your standard mobile device. We think that’s a pretty sweet solution.
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xbj74ya.gif
 
Devilgunman said:
Then what are you gonna do when you dock the Switch to the TV? Have a 6-foot earbud run across the room?This could be solved easily if Nintendo just copy DS4 and add headphone jack to the Joy-Con but of course they didn't.
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I'm obviously talking about the handheld part. The dock can have it's own headset system like any other consoles. Or like you already said, do it like the DS4. Nintendo and online. Will it ever be a match?
 
I love how Reggie acts like I couldn't just plug my regular ass earbuds into my Vita five years ago and have instant, seamless voice chat across games.

Like he's doing us a favor by relegating it to a friggin smartphone app.
 
I already pay my phone network provider a monthly fee to talk to people.

And now Nintendo wants me to pay them aswell, to talk to people?

Fuck outta here.
 
Jonneh3003 said:
Where's that quote from?
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Here.
When asked why voice chat for Nintendo Switch will be tied to a mobile app, Reggie said, "we want to reinforce the capability to take your experience with you on the go.... The ability to do matchmaking, voice chat through your phone, it's a hell of a lot more convenient than having a gamer headset stuck into your backpack trying to do that. That's why we're doing it the way we are. We see the convenience, we see the ease of delivery. We think it's going to lead to a better experience."
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Between this and the whole deal about why they did not pack in a game I'm really considering not buying a switch ever. They're knowingly insulting our intelligence every time they open their mouths. All they care is about milking the hardcore Nintendo fan until the last drop. I hope this bites them in the ass and they are forced to reduce prices asap.
 
It's Reggie. He has always used ridiculous analogies constructed to fool the most uninformed mainstream listener. As much as I like the guy's personality, he's a serious bullshit artist as a PR man. (Even by PR standards.)

Btw, I can even see some of the logic behind the smartphone system. It doesn't excuse lack of built-in OS features like voice chat. But "flow" Nintendo intends sounds something like this:

1. Your phone is always on you. Nintendo Network app is always online.

2. You leave the house, grab the switch, and put it in a bag.

3. Friend messages, matchmaking, and text / voice chat continues without having to turn the Switch on, thanks to the phone.

4. When you're ready to play a game, you pull out the Switch, wake it, and you're already in a party or lobby, already in matchmaking, etc.

5. Finish game, sleep the Switch, go on your way, and the social / chat side of things isn't interrupted.

There's some good stuff here, given how common smartphones are today. And how people are used to always being in contact with friends on the phone. It's similar to what other companies have been deploying, such as Smartglass.

The only problem is that when using the Switch in a more traditional way, such as in console mode at home, having the phone by you with headphones plugged in for game chat isn't natural. Here is where the system either needs speaker chat - like the PS4 camera mic - or a headphone jack in the pro controller. This is where Nintendo has done things badly.
 
Reggie's answer is so easily destroyed by someone simply going, "Yeah, but what about when I don't want to play on the go and want to do voice chat in my house without having to mess with my phone to do so?"
 
TetraGenesis said:
What a fucking fallacy that you need a "gamer headset" to chat online with a portable.

Quit insulting our intelligence. Jesus.
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I know, right?! Why can't I just pop in some earbuds in the Switch' 3.5mm jack? That would be convenient.. Not fiddling around with my phone while also holding a Switch.
 
Lol their online subscription is truly going to have a symbolic number of users, especially since it's still possible to play local multiplayer in most new Nintendo games.
 
It's hard to tell sometimes if Nintendo is just completely out of touch or just insanely stubborn to step into the modern era. I'm ok with them being Nintendo and doing their own thing but the way they handle their online services and plan to for Switch is astounding.

Combine this with many other factors of how they are handling the Switch It just feels like they want it to fail.
 
Jonneh3003 said:
I'm still under the belief that the mobile app is an option for voice chat rather than the only way but this is all we have to go on for now I suppose.
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I have no idea how you can read Reggie's response and think that.

He would have to be the worst messenger on the planet.
 
Milestoned said:
I just realized that this makes it kinda impossible to use headphones and have voicechat simultaneously. Wow.
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I was just thinking about this. If I have earbuds from my phone in my ears, how will I listen to the sound from the game through my 7.1 Dolby headphones? Because Reggie says big gamer headphones are inconvenient...
 
Is this solution set in place to protect the kiddies or is it a penny pinching tactic to save on the cost of the Switch? Maybe a bit of both, but it does seem ridiculous. I will roll with it since I've been used to Nintendo's oddball desicions since N64.
 
Guys this might be the dumbest idea I've ever heard. How could they not just have voice chat as part of the console itself?

I understand having this as an option for when you're using it as a mobile gaming device. But as the main chat feature??? Wtf lol. And that explanation of bulky gamer headset had me thinking back to when Sony was saying vibration is last gen tech lmao.
 
EhrgeizVII said:
I was just thinking about this. If I have earbuds from my phone in my ears, how will I listen to the sound from the game through my 7.1 Dolby headphones? Because Reggie says big gamer headphones are inconvenient...
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Ironically headphones were feature prominently in the advertisement for the damn thing

What a shit show
 
What online multiplayer games will they have though?

Splatoon 2 and Mario Kart 8 (which is already available on wii u).

Do we expect third parties to hop on board or treat this like the wii u?


I don't see them having much leverage to charge a premium price without games that use the service.
 
The whole "setting up playtimes" sorta makes sense to me in comparison to the way I coordinate online play now (texting friends to get online) but my god why do I have to pay for that as a feature. I want to play Splatoon online but I have to deal with this shit? I refuse to believe this is the whole story. I hardly use voice chat regardless but it would be nice to have the option when I am playing with friends.

I just don't understand why they can't streamline their online features INTO THE ACTUAL CONSOLE. If my friend logs in, it should alert me on the Switch screen. I should then be able to invite him to a game and voice chat with them ALL THROUGH THE SWITCH.

The system is looking better and better to me in general, but this online stuff is absolutely nuts. How could ANYONE at Nintendo not think "wait... This is kinda fucking dumb lol"

There has to be more to it, but they need to expand on this online business quick
 
packy34 said:
I'm willing to bet multiple paychecks that the current mobile Discord app has more features and better sound quality than whatever Nintendo is going to release.
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I don't disagree, but that will be their response because that's always their answer. Nintendo just doesn't get it, and I don't think they ever will.
 
Hmm why cant the voice chat be handled through the OS?

Like even back when I used to play PSP online, you would play online and have voice chat through the software/game. Vita obviously made it an OS built in feature but why the need to use another device as the way to communicate? Does the Switch not have headphone output?
 
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