Switch Discussion Thread

[Sarge]

The Wii U was dying even then. I don't see any other arc that the console was going to take, announcement or not.

[Tanooki]

I just find it odd that they announced the NX's existence really casually back in, what, 2015? Since then, patents have leaked and the media has speculated, but technically Nintendo has given us nothing.

Then they announce the release date (March 17) but not the console and again stay silent for months.

I don't understand why they acknowledged its existence so early if they weren't going to announce anything or build any hype.

Didn't it pretty much kill off the Wii U and remind us all of Sega doing the same thing with the Saturn?

I got 2 theories on this one.
1) They're pulling a Donald Trump: Allow the media to be your free endless source of advertising and hype. Why pay for it, when you can just let the press do it for you and with whatever tiny bits of reality you don't change as needed to keep it going.
2) Saturn, yeah that's about it -- They knew having told third parties to use what they got, we're not making what you want was the ultimate FU to them when almost every studio dropped the WiiU. So they put it out there another better something is in the oven, which ties back to #1.

[Sarge]

I don't see it as a Saturn situation. Its failure was more surprise launch + hard to code for hardware + bad managerial decisions within Sega.

The Wii U, on the other hand, was just continuing Nintendo's oddball, "we're not the same" approach as the Wii. Devs knew it was coming, and many of the "hardcore" devs had already jumped ship even before the Wii U came out. If the system had sold more units, or the Nintendo fanboys actually bothered picking up more games than first-party software, then it would be just fine on that front.

Of course, it didn't help that the third parties only gave token support at best to the Wii U. I mean, seriously, look at that launch lineup. Warmed-over ports from the 360/PS3 for the most part. Much like the Wii, many devs treated the Wii U just like they did the Wii, a fad that wouldn't last. Which, of course, can very much be a self-fulfilling prophecy. It eventually killed the Wii, but it most assuredly killed the Wii U right off the bat. Maybe that means it was a fad, but third parties didn't help at all, and I don't think it was because Nintendo was giving them the stiff-arm.

I don't think Nintendo ever regains a traditional marketshare like they had with the SNES. But the market has changed a ton since then, too, with two corporate goliaths now in the mix for the "hardcore" dollars. Nintendo will always, always come in third if they just do what Microsoft and Sony do.

[Exhuminator]

Nintendo will always, always come in third if they just do what Microsoft and Sony do.

I don't know how the NX will work out, I don't have my hopes up honestly. But if Nintendo eventually became a third party, mobile and PC gaming would be highly lucrative for them. I hate typing it as much as you hate reading it, but it's true.

[noiseredux]

I don't know how the NX will work out, I don't have my hopes up honestly. But if Nintendo eventually became a third party, mobile and PC gaming would be highly lucrative for them.

I agree.

I have no desire to see Nintendo fail, I just don't think that a new portable gaming device is WIDELY desired. Like I've said before, I think that most kids today will opt to play games on their phones or tablets than have a dedicated device. Just seems to be the way things are going.

I've not looked at numbers, and am too lazy to do so - but I'm curious how many copies of the latest Pokemon 3DS game were sold in the US, versus how many times PokeGo was downloaded from Google Play Store. Y'know?

Like I've said in the past - I don't have any interest in buying new Nintendo hardware. But if there were Zelda and Metroid games on Steam or Mario Golf on Android, I'd totally be giving my money to Nintendo.

BTW, I do kind of fear that the NX will end up resembling the Wii tablet quite a bit and that consumers are going to be confused about what it even is. Remember the confusion that happened when the Wii U came out and it seemed like a lot of people didn't even understand that it was a new console?

[Sarge]

Well, probably not an entirely fair comparison, given that GO is free and all.

Apparently they're still selling quite well, though. And GO has boosted that.

[noiseredux]

Well, probably not an entirely fair comparison, given that GO is free and all.

understood. And I wasn't trying to prove any solid point or anything. It was just a curiosity. A bigger test will be how the Mario Run game sells of course.

[Sarge]

I'm actually interested in that, too. Even though I don't particularly like that type of game, I'm guessing Nintendo's take on it will be quite good.

(And sorry if I came across as being a pain, not trying to get in your grill or anything. I definitely know what you're saying, and I know the smart device market is pretty lucrative... and also pretty fickle. )

[noiseredux]

no, no I do agree with points you've made. And I don't feel we're "arguing" or anything. Ultimately I have no real dog in the race. As I stated, I'd buy Nintendo games that interest me if they were for sale on platforms I use (PC and mobile). Otherwise I won't, and I'll still sleep just fine. More than anything else I'm just interested in where this is all going. From a fan of tech and all, y'know? I know that some folks love that Nintendo still makes hardware. That's fine - I get it. But I personally consider the possibility of them "pulling a Sega" and making games for existing hardware really exciting as far as the landscape of gaming tech goes.

[Exhuminator]

I want to know who the market is for a dedicated closed handheld these days.