Nintendo Switch: Boom or Bust?

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ESauce
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Re: Nintendo Switch: Boom or Bust?

Postby ESauce » January 16th, 2017, 10:34 am

bluenote wrote:
Having said all that, perhaps they are saving a lot of reveals for E3 and really blow everyone away. Perhaps.


That would be a pretty bad idea since E3 is 3 months after the release of the console. They certainly will give a few more details before release date but to anyone holding out hope that there will be some other big reveal, I just have to say I don't think it's realistic. The reveal event already happened. The mainstream press has reported on the main features of the console and Nintendo isn't likely to be able to get that kind of media coverage again until the console actually releases. I'm sure at E3 hey will reveal more games, but again, this comes after the console has already hit the shelves.

bluenote wrote:Also, why no information on Virtual console? They haven't said a peep about this, other than the monthly thing.


Their lack of transparency regarding this is extremely frustrating, and also indicates to me that they intend to charge users for upgrades. They did the exact same thing with the Wii U, and it's really disappointing to see them do this to their fans again. I could be wrong but usually companies don't sit on good news for this long.

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Rev
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Re: Nintendo Switch: Boom or Bust?

Postby Rev » January 16th, 2017, 12:27 pm

Honestly, I'm wondering if Nintendo is going to try and build hype by having small quantities of consoles available. They have done this with amiibos and the nes classic, it wouldn't surprise me if they pulled this tactic on their console to try and build hype and demand...

bluenote
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Re: Nintendo Switch: Boom or Bust?

Postby bluenote » January 16th, 2017, 3:26 pm

Rev wrote:Honestly, I'm wondering if Nintendo is going to try and build hype by having small quantities of consoles available. They have done this with amiibos and the nes classic, it wouldn't surprise me if they pulled this tactic on their console to try and build hype and demand...


I think that would be a disaster if that happens with the Switch. Nintendo missed such a great opportunity with the NES classic: The hype for it was through the roof, it was releasing a couple of months before Christmas and it was at a good price point. Can you imagine how many people would have bought the NES classic if they saw it at Walmart, Best Buy, Target, etc? It was the perfect impulse buy. How many people would have thought "my husband/wife/brother, friend, etc used to play Nintendo as a kid, they would get a kick out of this thing!".

But, these consoles were no where to be found, you had to know about it, and search on line, and that wasn't feasible either.

They could have sold millions of this thing, it was a huge oversight.

Anyway, if this happens to the Switch, then I believe it's game over. Nintendo cannot afford to take that risk, they need to sell this thing.

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ActRaiser
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Re: Nintendo Switch: Boom or Bust?

Postby ActRaiser » January 16th, 2017, 5:41 pm

Rev wrote:Honestly, I'm wondering if Nintendo is going to try and build hype by having small quantities of consoles available. They have done this with amiibos and the nes classic, it wouldn't surprise me if they pulled this tactic on their console to try and build hype and demand...


That's exactly what they'll do. They are launching in all regions at once. There's no way they can meet demand of a single territory by spreading out a million consoles between multiple regions.

However, and this is the kicker, this thing is going to flounder after it initially sells out.

$300 as a portable is too much. And if you want it as a console, well, you'll want to add a second controller which is either $80 or $70 depending on what you're getting. And even if it's the $80 2 joy-cons, do you have to also buy the $15 joy-pad holder thing? So, does that actually make adding an extra controller $95?

That's freaking nuts.

As for the online side of things, why would anyone pay for online play when there are no games other than Bomberman that will be online? Am I missing something? And the ability to get a SNES game to play for a month is certainly not worth $60 a year. That's nuts.

This thing is dead before it starts.

If one does the math on the docking station ($90) plus ($80) for the controller that's $170, which makes the tablet $130. So...someone is making a huge profit on the docking station or the tablet is really cheap and could be sold by itself without the controllers...

In my humble opinion Nintendo is pricing themselves out of the very market that they really need. They've stayed profitable by offering portables to families for their kids. At $300 that seems a wee bit of a stretch. Although, what do I know. I see tons of kids with iPads at $500 a pop so maybe I'm just an old fuddy duddy and a cheap one at that.

5 games at launch smells like the Sega Saturn launch 20 years ago. The games aren't ready which is crazy considering they've had years to work on it.

It's going to be interesting to see if they'll drop anchor on the 3DS and go full bore on this one or continue to split their teams to focus on 3DS and Switch at the same time.

Looking at the numbers one last time. If they were to offer a Switch/Controller only option at $210 ($130 estimated Switch + $80 controller) they'd do great. But that ain't going to happen as the $130 isn't the real cost/price of the Switch itself.

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Rev
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Re: Nintendo Switch: Boom or Bust?

Postby Rev » January 16th, 2017, 5:51 pm

Yeah it scares me a lot because Nintendo has really seemed to enjoy sending out small runs of their items nowadays... I don't know if it is actually working for them or not but that seems to be their tactic... I'm probably going to stay away from the Switch for a while until I get a better grasp of what Nintendo is going to try and do... Considering I would only want the only with a Pro controller, $370 + tax is insane... $40 would be a much more fair price for a controller... I agree that $300 for the console, with no pack in game, or extra controller is stupid...

Also... a cell p;hone app as the communication device for their online service is a bit lousy... I'm interested in the games but I'm very cautious about this one after the Wii U...

newmodelarmy
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Re: Nintendo Switch: Boom or Bust?

Postby newmodelarmy » January 16th, 2017, 8:18 pm

Bust!
I have been out of gaming for a few years and now I am back. I am sure you have all missed me.
I just cannot see the Switch gaining any traction. I always gauged this type thing by what my nephews think who range from ages 7 to 14. They have no interest in the Switch and Nintendo is just not seen as "cool" among their friends. The biggest draw for them is online play and Nintendo has failed for 10 years straight on this topic. In addition $300 is too steep not to mention when you throw in a game it is another $60. $360 just to get started? I bought an Xbox One over the holidays for $300 and it included 3 games (Battlefield 1, Gears 4 and the new Call of Duty). Not to mention they now have a paid online service? LOL! So you can "rent" an NES or SNES game for...get this...a month! Nintendo is clueless.

I just don't think this is going to stack up well against the competition especially around the holidays.

MrLuck87
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Re: Nintendo Switch: Boom or Bust?

Postby MrLuck87 » January 16th, 2017, 10:12 pm

Bust.

Everything about it is extremely overpriced, you have to use a phone just to chat online, there are about two good games for the entire year of 2017 if you already own a Wii U, and third party support is still lackluster (no Rocket League, Final Fantasy, CoD, or even sports titles of any kind ready for launch?).

I just see this thing being one of Nintendo's biggest blunders. Since they've combined their handheld and consoles into one unit they'd have to sell about 75 million Switch units to have the same success as the Wii U and 3ds. I absolutely do not see that happening. Please go 3rd party already Nintendo.

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AtariToday
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Re: Nintendo Switch: Boom or Bust?

Postby AtariToday » January 17th, 2017, 6:12 am

Boom. (I gotta play devil's advocate here)

Guys. Don't buy into all the negativity. Think back to when the Nintendo Wii was announced and how folks discredited it from the get go. I can remember all the articles announcing it could never compete with the PS3 and Xbox 360. Somehow the system that didn't stand a chance outsold both of those consoles. Sure the Wii didn't get some of the big budget titles but don't forget the experience you received was unique, there were serious exclusive games released for it, and overall..it was fun! The Nintendo Switch is looking to provide a unique experience to the latest Sony, Microsoft, PC options..and let's be a bit honest, we kinda need that at this time. A lot of the current options play relatively the same.

For those focusing on price point, please remember that Nintendo is a video game company. Sony and Microsoft are large conglomerates that bring in a lot of revenue through other means. They can sell you their latest console at a loss. Nintendo does not have that option.

One thing i'm excited about that i'm surprised others haven't latched onto. This thing is region free! Think about all the oddball titles that typically don't leave japan for whatever reason. Think about the possibility of walking into a local mom and pop game store and there is an import section just for the Nintendo Switch. That puts a smile on my face.

Give the Switch a chance dudes!

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SpaceGuitarist
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Re: Nintendo Switch: Boom or Bust?

Postby SpaceGuitarist » January 17th, 2017, 6:56 am

I was really into the new machine when they first unveiled it in October, but with each news I felt it was becoming less and less appealing. I'm not going to pick it up in the near future because I have a WiiU and a few games for that console that I still want to focus on. Besides, I don't think the system itself is doing (at the moment) anything that I haven't seen before, apart from the obvious feature of playing your games on the go (which interests me only partially because I'm not really the kind of guy who sits in a crowded bus and starts playing an immersive game like Zelda...I'd rather listen to music).

I have no problem with the launch price itself, but the system doesn't come with a pack-in game, which I think is going to be a major letdown, especially for people who see the console in action in the shop, want to purchase it for a premium price and then discover that they have to spend another $60 to use it for the first time. I understand the Switch is technologically advanced, but technology alone doesn't sell a console. You can get another system, bundled with one or two games and with a much more solid library right now for a similar price. Yes, videogame connoisseurs may have their reasons to go with this or that console regardless of price, but from a general consumer's perspective, I doubt the Switch sounds like a good deal.

Another major letdown, at least for me, is that the Switch is not backwards compatible with any of the previous Nintendo consoles. Backwards compatibility has always been a strong point of every Nintendo system, and making the Switch backwards compatible with 3DS would have made the system instantly attractive - not to mention, it would have helped the current release schedule, which is surprisingly empty for a console at its launch. Not that anybody expected backwards compatibility, but if Nintendo had a grain of salt in their hollow heads they would have realized that most of the 3DS user base would have bought the system in a heartbeat if they could play 3DS games on TV. The Switch is based on 2 screens anyway, even though you can't use both at the same time because of the dock, but this could have been solved with a simple, stupid cable of some sort instead of placing the screen in a coffin. This also would have made the Switch backwards compatible with WiiU games, at least in digital form.

Instead of making the console consumer-friendly, they decided to spend the money on features nobody really seems to be wanting. The HD Rumble feature of the Joy-Cons is cool, but will it offer an experience that is substantially different from the WiiMote, or the Move, or whatever?! I guess not - it's going to be the same thing, only slightly improved. The launch game that showcases the new controller(s) is 1-2-Switch, a non-videogame that you pay $50 for the priviledge of pretending you are milking a cow, or some other silly thing that you can probably do already without shilling hundreds of dollars for a new "toy", and even without electricity. The prices of other accessories such as the Pro Controller are simply out of this world.

The online aspects are again baffling. You pay for a service, which is fine, although Nintendo doesn't have a strong tradition of online games, so I'm not sure what you'll be paying for except for playing Splatoon 2, Mario Kart and Smash Bros. But they are renting you a .rom of a 20-30 year old game a month, which is ridiculous considering the wealth of material you can get for your subscription on other platforms. And the fact that everything-online is controlled through an app (paid!) on your smartphone adds another piece of equipment to the equation that is simply unnecessary - why do I have to control the online functions of a tablet with another tablet?!

But then again the market and people are highly unpredictable. I though the Wii wasn't interesting and that turned out being a huge success, and I still think the WiiU is brilliant and it ended up being their worst selling home system. I was checking out some comments on Youtube regarding the WiiU unveil and I can't believe how many people think "the Switch is already so much better than this piece of ****". Actual state of affairs, I wouldn't trade my WiiU with a Switch even if my grandma's life depended on it...
To me the Switch is simply unattractive, unnecessarily complicated, riddled with hidden costs and lacking a clear identity.

bluenote
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Re: Nintendo Switch: Boom or Bust?

Postby bluenote » January 17th, 2017, 9:04 am

SpaceGuitarist wrote:Another major letdown, at least for me, is that the Switch is not backwards compatible with any of the previous Nintendo consoles. Backwards compatibility has always been a strong point of every Nintendo system, and making the Switch backwards compatible with 3DS would have made the system instantly attractive - not to mention, it would have helped the current release schedule, which is surprisingly empty for a console at its launch. Not that anybody expected backwards compatibility, but if Nintendo had a grain of salt in their hollow heads they would have realized that most of the 3DS user base would have bought the system in a heartbeat if they could play 3DS games on TV. The Switch is based on 2 screens anyway, even though you can't use both at the same time because of the dock, but this could have been solved with a simple, stupid cable of some sort instead of placing the screen in a coffin. This also would have made the Switch backwards compatible with WiiU games, at least in digital form.


You're basically describing the Wii U. If they allowed you to use the screen as the gamepad so that you can play old Wii U and 3DS games, then they've just made a prettier Wii U. They would have no chance with that.

I have no issues with the backwards compatibility, I have my Wii U and 3DS if I want to play those games. My main concern is really the lack of games, I really thought there would be a least a dozen available on launch day


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