Renault on 21/10/2016 at 23:53
One other thought - I guess Nintendo gave up on the 2nd screen implementation, since in this case the tablet is the console itself. I personally liked that part of the Wii U, where you could use the Gamepad to view maps/inventory/subscreens or options screens or use the touchscreen to affect the game in some way, while still playing the main game on your TV. I thought that functionality was drastically underused.
I'm going to guess the Switch still uses a touchscreen, but that hasn't been confirmed yet, and there's no evidence of it in the trailer.
Pyrian on 22/10/2016 at 00:51
Quote Posted by Abysmal
Game engines scale pretty well these days, all the way down to mobile platforms.
Oh, sure, the engine's fine. The assets and lighting are another matter.
ZylonBane on 22/10/2016 at 01:46
Huh, I figured Nintendo as more of a bottom.
Jason Moyer on 22/10/2016 at 03:20
Every time I see the title of this thread all I can imagine is the form of corporal punishment.
EvaUnit02 on 22/10/2016 at 13:13
The appeal of a portable console might be difficult to gage from a Western perspective but it makes perfect sense for the Japanese market. Home gaming are increasingly a niche market over there now, portable experiences are the king.
The "transformer" aspect covers almost all audiences. Probably the only one left out in the cold are people who want high fidelity graphical experiences, but they're already well catered to by PC and PS4/XB1 (even more so once the upgraded hardware console models are out).
Quote Posted by Abysmal
In fact it makes me wonder what Sony's cooking up to succeed the PSVita, if anything.
(
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-09-26-sony-climate-not-healthy-for-playstation-vita-successor) They aren't. Vita bombed hard, it makes sense for Sony to double-down on the already successful PS4, which is what they're doing with the Pro model (i.e. upgraded hardware that leverages the current TV market which is all about 4K and HDR).
Quote Posted by Renzatic
Think of how 3rd parties dealt with the DS. They didn't treat it like another console to port games to, rather they released an entirely different set of exclusive games for it. I have a feeling they'll do the same thing for the Switch.
Quote Posted by Pyrian
I think that just underscores what Brethren said. If I can make one game and release it on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation, but I have to make another game entirely to release on the Switch, well... I could just make a second game for the PC, Xbox, and PlayStation.
If Switch replaces 3DS (and Vita) like I think it will, most of the developers who were doing well on those platforms in the past will make the natural transition to the new console. The 3rd party developer support which a console absolutely needs to succeed would be there by default. Big portable core gaming franchises like Monster Hunter, Yokai Watch, Professor Layton, Phoenix Wright would be guaranteed to move consoles.
Fafhrd on 22/10/2016 at 17:02
Just noticed that the bottom two rows of this graphic are all middleware companies (except DeNA). And WiiU had a good line-up of third-party publishers and devs and core games when it was announced, and we all know how that turned out. Unless the system actually sells, and unless the third party games actually sell on the system, support is going to dry up after 18 months, same as it did with WiiU.
The only likely good news about this system is that with Nintendo's mobile and console teams all developing for the same platform we might not have the slow deathly trickle of first party games that plagued both the Wii and WiiU.
Manwe on 22/10/2016 at 17:16
I'm guessing (hoping) this will be the final nail in the coffin for Nintendo as a home console manufacturer. Clearly the next big thing in the casual/non-gamer market will be VR (well, affordable VR). That they should choose to ignore that completely is puzzling considering that's their main audience. Or rather that should be their main audience if they wanted to be succesful. They're not gonna be able to stay afloat by targeting their core of retarded fanboys only. At this point either they are totally incompetent or they are deliberately sabotaging themselves.
Here's hoping this fails harder than the Wii U (crossing my fingers for an outrageous price tag). With a little luck we might have a Zelda game on PC a few years down the line.
Renault on 22/10/2016 at 18:59
I don't know why you're assuming that that VR will be the next big thing for the casual gamer - the jury is still out on whether VR will be more than a niche market for hardcore gamers. A console plus VR equipment is still going to cost minimum 7-800 bucks, more than a lot of casual gamers will want to invest. I think Nintendo is far more likely to be successful with a well done mobile system like the Switch. If the games are there, and the pricetag is manageable (300 or less), they'll do well. Going the VR route and just throwing their hat in the ring with the Vive, Oculus, Playstation VR, etc. isn't the answer for them, and it's not playing to their strengths.
The Wii U failed because they were never really clear on what it was and how it should be used. I don't see that problem with the Switch.
EvaUnit02 on 22/10/2016 at 19:38
Quote Posted by Manwe
I'm guessing (hoping) this will be the final nail in the coffin for Nintendo as a home console manufacturer. Clearly the next big thing in the casual/non-gamer market will be VR (well, affordable VR).
Shit ain't more convenient than what we already have. Comfort > immersion would be the preference for the majority of people I bet. As long as you have to strap shit to your face it's not going to take off with the mainstream. VR's brought back motion controls too, that shit ain't isn't as effortless as a thumb waggle + button press on a gamepad, let along a wrist flick + click on a mouse. Having to crane your whole head around ain't any easier experience than staring straight ahead at a screen, nor is having move your whole arm about than the aforementioned control input devices that require so much less body movement to achieve the same thing.
VR in it's current incarnation will likely die in the eyes of the mainstream when it comes to consumer gaming. Will it be a total failure? I doubt it. It will probably be a stable seller with simulation game fans, probably taking over TrackIR's place in the market.
Quote Posted by Fafhrd
Unless the system actually sells, and unless the third party games actually sell on the system, support is going to dry up after 18 months, same as it did with WiiU.
The only likely good news about this system is that with Nintendo's mobile and console teams all developing for the same platform we might not have the slow deathly trickle of first party games that plagued both the Wii and WiiU.
Exactly, they NEED third party support to succeed and probably best way to attract them is by leveraging the portable functionality.
The Japanese middle-market developers who make primarily 3DS/Vita games (eg Nihon Falcom, Spike Chunsoft, Atlus, Nippon Ichi, Idea Factory) will probably strongly support the Switch. The console may become the de-facto home for very traditional Japanese market games like Bravely Default, Phoenix Wright, Danganronpa, Fire Emblem, Shin Megami Tensei, etc.
Big AAA publishers working on multi-platform titles will quickly tire of dumbing down their games for another significantly weaker system like they did with WiiU. XB1 will return to being the lowest common denominator hardware and games will be scaled up to take advantage of the more powerful systems.
