Thoughts on Nintendo Switch?
 

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/games/...D=ansmsnnews11


I think it looks pretty darn cool, and the gimmick is something that could work quite well. I'm definitely getting one at some point. Also, gonna be interesting going back to cartridges, like the handhelds always were.

I want to wait to see more, but I like what I see so far. I guess we already knew what it looked like thanks to all of the leaks, but still.

Also I'm totally going to be the weirdo you see in airplanes playing Skyrim on the game pad thing.

See now THIS is what the Wii U should have been.

I like modular stuff, so this is a really cool idea for me. I wonder if while it runs one way in "portable" mode, but then once in the dock it gets more processing power/memory to use on the big TV. I'm glad they are also going with DS-like cards for it, a lot more durable then easily scratched discs.

Also I'm curious about two of the games briefly shown. The Mario Kart shown looked just like Mario Kart 8, but there was King Boo and a double item hold capacity. Then Splatoon which I guess has new outfits/hairdoos. I wonder if they are "enhanced" versions of existing Wii U games. Also new Mario game looked pretty cool.

Can't wait to see more of it.

There was also the Super Mario 3D World-esque game. I wonder if they plan on porting/enhancing a lot of the Wii U library to give those games a second chance in the limelight with a potentially more successful console, or to at least make their portable versions. Although, 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 were the "portable versions" of the respective (later-released) Wii U games.

Seeing Skyrim among the titles planned for the system, I wonder if we'll get any of the Bethesda-published Fallout games.

It's probably in Nintendo's best interests. Port them, maybe spruce them up, and get extra money for the effort on a console that should be a lot more successful - backed with new software, to boot.

I think that might need to wait until a GOTY edition shows up, and remember that Fallout 4 might want more RAM that you'd expect. Skyrim is more than fine, and it appears it's showing the remastered edition, so it might work out anyway. Though it might depend on overall console and Skyrim sales...

I dont have a wii u but the switch looks really cooool! :cool: i might ask for 1 for my birhtday nxt year.

Oh man, I'm really looking forward to the Switch. I feel as if the Wii U was almost a prototype for this. Nintendo learned from there marketing mistakes and moved forward. All the developers they're partnering with bring some heft to their market too. Having things like Skyrim and Dark Souls, and being able to play them on the go might actually bring some people to the Switch.

On the other hand, I'm a little worried about battery life. If it's gonna be that powerful, then it's gonna be a big battery sucker. Here's hoping we'll have a cable to charge it on the go as well. (I'm sure there will be)

I'd also think it'd be cool to see some compatibility with DS/3DS games when docked at home, seeing as the Wii U had the DS Virtual Console games introduced.

As far as batteries go - the 3DS had an extra battery pack option thing, so if it comes down to it I have to assume the Switch will as well. I don't know what they'd charge for it but as long as it's not a massive brute that's as big as the console itself I wouldn't object to lugging it around for a few extra hours on road trips or something.

I think it's already been confirmed there will be no backwards compatibility, sadly. Although, Virtual Console could be a possibility.

Personally I hope they DON'T have backwards compatibility. If they did add it, it would require more hardware which will make the devices more expensive and bulkier. Take the GameBoy line for example, the GameBoy Advance/SP more or less have ADDITIONAL chipsets in them to run older GameBoy games. That support was dropped in the GameBoy Micro in order to uphold the system's purpose to be a very slim/sleek portable. GameCube support was easy enough on the Wii as it was just a beefier GameCube (which was dropped on later systems to have cheaper Wii units at retail), and then the Wii U was just a beefier Wii.

Aside from having to add more hardware, that means the systems would still need to retain the Wii/DS architectures that have been in use for a decade. If Nintendo wants third party support, give developers a new more powerful and flexible set of tools to work with. That probably will go in hand with the "upgraded" versions of Mario Kart 8 and Splatoon shown in the trailer, the games are being re-released with some upgrades because the originals can't be ran. Also where you planning on putting Wii U disks in that small portable anyway?

Now Virtual Console of course is another option, but there are caveats. DS virtual console works on the Wii U because you have a TV and a touch screen on the gamepad, therefore can emulate a DS. But now we are only going to have one screen which you won't even see if it's sitting in the TV dock. Only way it'd work is project both screens on the TV and lose touch ability, or play on the portable which for space optimization will need the screen to be vertical (AKA can't hold it and be portable) using the Joypad controllers off the system and/or pro controller. Same thing with Wii U, any games that require use of the Gamepad's secondary controller are going to be complicated with only one screen. Now those two can be solved by having the Wii U gamepad compatible with the Switch, and just continue selling it standalone as an add-on for those who don't have it yet.

Oh yes, that's exactly what I considered a few months ago: if there is backwards compatibility, does that mean that we'll be forever stuck dealing with a gamepad? And with the DS line, what if they want to go back to one screen? What of the gyroscope?

I definitely think they wanted to leave the legacy components like the Wii Remotes and the gamepad behind so developers could focus on traditional controls instead of shoehorning point-and-click controls into every game. Plus, of course, architectural changes naturally force legacy solutions to require emulation. The PS3 used a bizarre processor that is very difficult to emulate; therefore, the PS4 cannot run its games. The Xbox and Xbox 360 used less sophisticated architectures, so later consoles could tailor emulation to each game.

As you mentioned, the Wii did not require emulation to play GameCube titles. The Wii U emulates a Wii, and it's actually possible to run GameCube games through illegitimate means without an additional abstraction/emulation layer. Actual GameCube controllers can function in Wii Mode by using Smash Bros. for Wii U as the device drivers for the adapter. Heck, the DS is also a beefed-up GBA...and the 3DS includes DS hardware (which is why those Ambassador GBA titles actually run natively on the 3DS).

Enter the Switch, which is replacing quite a legacy of Nintendo devices (Wii U, Wii, GameCube, 3DS, DS, GBA) and unifying the entire system on a single device that can be used both in the home and on the go. It uses one architecture and forces emulation for all legacy systems. It's efficient for Nintendo, it's efficient for developers, and shareholders love efficiency because it makes them more money. ;)

That's another thing I'm hoping for, just one system to unify handhelds and console gaming. Like on the Wii U and 3DS for example, there were many games that were very similar on both platforms. Super Mario 3D World? Basically just Mario 3D Land with more stuff. Mario Kart 8? Mario Kart 7 HD with more content. Smash Bros? Aside from some stages and game modes, the exact same game. Since Nintendo has learned what DLC is, if they do it properly they can keep games relevant through the system's life. Properly like Mario Kart 8 where it's "Hey the game is a year old, give us a few bucks and we'll add a bunch of new stuff to it" vs Smash Bros of "give us a few bucks for each new character you want"

And let's not forget the important part here, that means the next generation of main Pokemon games after Sun/Moon will be playable on it..... Wii U level (or better) graphics on a large screen playing a 3D Pokemon game. What a time to be alive.

Now in order to reach this point, Nintendo must be confident enough they can survive on one system. For now they are considering it a "third pillar", much like the original DS was when it first came out. It was to compliment the GBA so if the DS flopped, they could always fall back on the GameBoy line. Now here we are near the end of the second generation of DS systems. That seems to be Nintendo's current stance on the Switch right now.

The main problem I have with that though, is the Switch isn't exactly as portable as the DS. Even with my 3DS XL in it's padded case, I can still easily just put it in my pants pocket and take it with me wherever. That won't be the case with the Switch though, that will need to be carried on it's own like a tablet/laptop.

Third pillar or not, the Wii U is effectively dead. This thing is replacing the Wii U, and once the staple games are out there will be little reason to own a Wii U. The real question is how long it will take before it not only supplants but replaces the 3DS. If this thing fails, Nintendo's console gaming will implode.

As for portability, yep, this thing is definitely less portable than the 3DS. I carry my 2DS with me everywhere, and that's pushing it for portability already. The Vita can't comfortably be placed in a pocket except with something like cargo pants.

I think I'll probably just go ahead and ask this question first... Any of you planning to have a Switch in March, or do you want to wait first, perhaps for price cuts, bundles, additional hardware, or more?

Not immediately; I still feel like I've barely used my Wii U, except for Mario Kart 8 and a few other things.

Of course, Nintendo Skyrim is still a pretty big selling point, though it might be kind of pointless considering how much time I've thrown at the PC version :P

Well, if it is as moddable as the Xbox One version, that might help a lot.

Either way, on another topic... I think I'd love to get a Switch... Just because that'd mean buying a Nintendo home console in a weird way.

Looks like we'll be getting more information come January 12th.
Source

That's a long time from now . . . dunno if I can survive that long . . .

I'm just hoping that the Nintendo Switch version of SSE supports Xbox-like nodding and space allowance at the very least, and that it exists... and it hits the equivalent of the PC version's medium preset. I'm hopeful with this regard, as a laptop GPU based on Kepler that's just shy of 1 TFLOP can do 720p High fine.

A rumoured 0.75-1.25 TFLOPS Pascal will be a lot nicer, especially given low-level API access, efficiency improvements, and tile-based rendering. (Surprise! NVIDIA GPUs starting from the Maxwell generation are tilers.)

Looks like production on the Wii U will soon cease in Japan and North America, so they can gear up on production of the Switch:

http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/11/...nding-in-japan

Wow, this Super Mario Odyssey game looks bizarre!

http://www.msn.com/en-gb/entertainme...ler/vi-AAlP7ti

Nintendo Switch is the 3DS successor Nintendo doesn't want to admit because they just want a way out if it tanks for some reason (and I doubt it will, given that it has excellent support outside of "AAA" Western developers, from what I've seen - like the 3DS, basically)

The "third pillar" again.

I think I probably will get it when a Mario Kart 8 Deluxe bundle shows up. Would be a nice and easy way to get a system and game at the same time - that's one of the things I've been looking forward to playing ever since it was rumoured to be ported over. I think I'm in good hands, too, seeing as it's shaping up to be JRPG heaven...

I'll probably wait a bunch of years before getting a Switch, like I do with pretty much every console generation.

So, right off the bat I'm more of a fan of the cartoonish areas in Super Mario Odyssey than the real-life looking ones. We'll see if it grows on me between now and the release date. I dunno, I feel like real-world crossovers would have fit Pokémon or something way better than Super Mario, although the part about being able to platform off of everything in New York City is kind of clever.

To be fair, the Sonic series tried it a few times. Shadow the Hedgehog is notable.

So, who's got one? :P I don't yet. I may get one later in the year, or sometime next year.

I don't have one yet. Will probably do what I did with the Wii U and wait a few years, see if I can get one for cheap, that kind of thing.

I really want to be that weirdo who plays Skyrim on the airplane, though.

NO GAMES

Yet.

I think I probably will wait until I'm not forced to buy a game of the store's choosing first. I kind of want to buy it only for Mario Kart...

Day one adopter and I'm not ashamed. The launch window has some good stuff in it, especially Splatoon 2 in the summer. Honestly, Breath of the Wild has enough in it to keep you busy til anything does come out. I feel like I'm one of the only people that looked at the lineup and went "Bomberman though?!".

Just picked up my Switch earlier this week. Mainly waiting for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe to come out, but don't know how hard these are going to be to get in the next month, so figure get one now while I had an opportunity to get one.

This website is great if you are on the hunt for one, they can send you e-mail alerts when stores get them in stock. I got really lucky, a couple of GameStops re-stocked on them, including one a few minutes away from work exactly at my lunch break.

It's a pretty nifty system, I hope it does well in the future. Don't have any games for it yet, just messed with the demo of SnipperClips. Only thing I'm concerned with is my dock seems to have the common bend issue. I already ordered a screen protector, but wondering if this will still cause issues down the line and if I should get it replaced.

Breath of the Wild moved me emotionally and touched the very core of my soul. The moment Zelda cried into Link's arms in that Direct trailer I got chills, armhairs stood up, etc. I got BoTW day one, but due to shortages I was F5'ing on amazon and didnt get it until aout 4-5 days after release. Worth.

It's a great console, the concept is good, now we just need more games. And, please, the virtual console already!

I have not bought a Switch yet, but my inclination to buy one is growing. Of all games, Octopath Traveler might be the game to tip the balance, I quite liked the Bravely games and this game is (quite clearly) made by the same team.

Also BotW looks like it'll probably be the first Zelda game that I can actually figure out how to play.