The Video Game Critic

I have been a skeptic of the Switch since the presentation. When I saw the reveal, I was optimistic, but couldnt help but feel the big N was pushing more gimmicks.

Upon its release, the reviews are mixed. I am still skeptical and dont feel it will have the longevity needed to be a successful console/mobile device. But we have talked about that to no end.

So what could have been done different? Well, if I were Nintendo here is what I would have done. . .

So Switch would be the new all-encompassing brand. No more Wii, no more 3DS. That stuff would be done and gone, off the shelf, no longer available. Just cut ties with it so people dont get confused as to what they are buying like what happened with the Wii & Wii U. Clearance it out, out with the old and in with the new.

Now, here is where it would get interesting. You have two camps, people who want mobile gaming and people who want powerful console gaming. So lets do both. If I were them, I would have released to Switch devises simultaneously. A Switch home unit, and the Switch portable unit. Not just one that hopes to do both on aged hardware and more gimmicks.

For the home unit, it would be on par with the base PS4/Xbone model, because why not? That tech has been out for a while now, and there is no reason it shouldnt be. The graphics capabilities are strong enough with that hardware that you could get a solid 6 years out of it with no problems.

The mobile unit would essentially just be the Switch we have today, less the TV dock (more on that later).

So here is where it gets fun. Now you have a comparable console that is easy for devs to work with, and arguably the most powerful handheld gaming device on the market. The big N is back!

Both the home and the mobile would run the same games. Yes, thats right. Those little chip things, you can buy 1 and it will run on both systems. But what about the more powerful console you ask? Well, games would have an optional graphics patch you could download. This would essentially just add graphical detail, much like you can do on the PC for the last 2 decades pretty much. Hell, they are planning to do this on the Xbone & Scorpio, so the tech is already there for consoles. As for storage, you can get a 1tb drive for $48.99 on Amazon. Youre telling me Nintendo couldnt cut a deal to get those for $5 a piece or something? Sheesh. No reason you should have any less than 1tb these days.

So why would I buy both if they run the same stuff? Well, you dont have to. Both run the same games, the console gets a graphics boost, but you could essentially have the same experience either way. However, if you buy both they interact with each-other. The Switch mobile would connect to the Switch home much like the Wii U gamepad. You can control your console with the mobile device, do the remote startup thing like the Playstation does with the PSP/Vita, etc. Heck, if the devs wanted, they could add special features if you were to connect the two like using the mobile device as a map screen or inventory menu. You could even connect multiple mobile units to the console for some interesting local multi-player.

So what about price? That would have to be expensive right?! Nope. Remember, the base model PS4 and Xbone were $249.99 last year? Thats what the console would cost. $249.99 and you get a solid console with a nice pro-controller. And what about the $300 mobile Switch? Get rid of the motion control junk that is bringing that price up and get that thing to $199.99. So there you have it. You can buy two systems for $450, while the Scorpio and PS4 Pro are sitting at $400 by themselves. Of course you can also sell are your motion gimmick junk accessories on the side, but that wouldnt be a forced thing that automatically raises the price of the console/mobile.

Now, just start pumping out games. Ports from older consoles, ports from other consoles, new IP's, new 3rd party exclusives, 1st party tittles. Just have a massive 2 year launch line-up. I mean massive. Give people options and incentives. Should someone upgrade their PS3 and get a PS4 to play Red Dead 2, or should they buy a Switch home to play Red Dead 2, a new Metroid, a new MegaMan, FFXV, RE7, Mother 3 & be able to play those same games on the go for not much more than they would be paying for that same PS4?

There is a myriad of other things that could also be changed, but this seems like it would have been a solid option for Nintendo. Its the best of both worlds and its affordable and feels like youre getting a lot for the price youre paying.

Interesting topic, and I agree that there are things that could have been improved. I think the main problem is that Nintendo rushed the launch rather than waiting until it was ready so they could iron out the kinks.

Saying that, apparently the Switch is very easy to develop for, which is why indie devs are embracing the system, as well as portability. If nothing else, the Switch will be a fantastic system for people who like indie games and most likely Japanese games (so the perfect console for me) due to handheld and mobile gaming being far more popular than console/PC gaming in Japan.

However, considering most of those fantastic indie games will be download only, the 32 GB memory without an SD card is flat out embarrassing. And people who want western AAAs will most likely be very disappointed.

Rookie1 wrote:I have been a skeptic of the Switch since the presentation. When I saw the reveal, I was optimistic, but couldnt help but feel the big N was pushing more gimmicks.

Upon its release, the reviews are mixed. I am still skeptical and dont feel it will have the longevity needed to be a successful console/mobile device. But we have talked about that to no end.

So what could have been done different? Well, if I were Nintendo here is what I would have done. . .

So Switch would be the new all-encompassing brand. No more Wii, no more 3DS. That stuff would be done and gone, off the shelf, no longer available. Just cut ties with it so people dont get confused as to what they are buying like what happened with the Wii & Wii U. Clearance it out, out with the old and in with the new.

Now, here is where it would get interesting. You have two camps, people who want mobile gaming and people who want powerful console gaming. So lets do both. If I were them, I would have released to Switch devises simultaneously. A Switch home unit, and the Switch portable unit. Not just one that hopes to do both on aged hardware and more gimmicks.

For the home unit, it would be on par with the base PS4/Xbone model, because why not? That tech has been out for a while now, and there is no reason it shouldnt be. The graphics capabilities are strong enough with that hardware that you could get a solid 6 years out of it with no problems.

The mobile unit would essentially just be the Switch we have today, less the TV dock (more on that later).

So here is where it gets fun. Now you have a comparable console that is easy for devs to work with, and arguably the most powerful handheld gaming device on the market. The big N is back!

Both the home and the mobile would run the same games. Yes, thats right. Those little chip things, you can buy 1 and it will run on both systems. But what about the more powerful console you ask? Well, games would have an optional graphics patch you could download. This would essentially just add graphical detail, much like you can do on the PC for the last 2 decades pretty much. Hell, they are planning to do this on the Xbone & Scorpio, so the tech is already there for consoles. As for storage, you can get a 1tb drive for $48.99 on Amazon. Youre telling me Nintendo couldnt cut a deal to get those for $5 a piece or something? Sheesh. No reason you should have any less than 1tb these days.

So why would I buy both if they run the same stuff? Well, you dont have to. Both run the same games, the console gets a graphics boost, but you could essentially have the same experience either way. However, if you buy both they interact with each-other. The Switch mobile would connect to the Switch home much like the Wii U gamepad. You can control your console with the mobile device, do the remote startup thing like the Playstation does with the PSP/Vita, etc. Heck, if the devs wanted, they could add special features if you were to connect the two like using the mobile device as a map screen or inventory menu. You could even connect multiple mobile units to the console for some interesting local multi-player.

So what about price? That would have to be expensive right?! Nope. Remember, the base model PS4 and Xbone were $249.99 last year? Thats what the console would cost. $249.99 and you get a solid console with a nice pro-controller. And what about the $300 mobile Switch? Get rid of the motion control junk that is bringing that price up and get that thing to $199.99. So there you have it. You can buy two systems for $450, while the Scorpio and PS4 Pro are sitting at $400 by themselves. Of course you can also sell are your motion gimmick junk accessories on the side, but that wouldnt be a forced thing that automatically raises the price of the console/mobile.

Now, just start pumping out games. Ports from older consoles, ports from other consoles, new IP's, new 3rd party exclusives, 1st party tittles. Just have a massive 2 year launch line-up. I mean massive. Give people options and incentives. Should someone upgrade their PS3 and get a PS4 to play Red Dead 2, or should they buy a Switch home to play Red Dead 2, a new Metroid, a new MegaMan, FFXV, RE7, Mother 3 & be able to play those same games on the go for not much more than they would be paying for that same PS4?

There is a myriad of other things that could also be changed, but this seems like it would have been a solid option for Nintendo. Its the best of both worlds and its affordable and feels like youre getting a lot for the price youre paying.

I agree with much of what you've said, but I'm going to say something that is going to upset a lot of people. Part of the blame rests solely on the shoulders of Nintendo devotees themselves. I've had so many conversations with people who say "I only buy Nintendo systems for Nintendo games." That's great, that you love the games that they make, but it puts them in a very bad place since the Wii U demonstrated that one company alone can't carry a console. I always bring up the point that if fans/owners of the NES had that mindset, the Sega Master System would have thrived, games like Mega Man, Castlevania, Contra, TMNT 2 & 3, Ninja Gaiden, Final Fantasy, and Dragon Warrior would have been Sega properties. Yes, Super Mario Bros., Legend of Zelda, Punch Out, and Metroid were great games, but they were only one piece of the puzzle. Somewhere, between the N64's lifespan and the release of the Gamecube, it seems that Nintendo fans took on the mindset that said games should be the entire puzzle. I've been puzzled, for so many years, why those gamers would prefer a console that only plays games by one company. The last hardware developer to operate that way was Atari, and---well, we see how well that turned out.

You need not only a flexible platform, but also a flexible fanbase that covers more ground than it does. Fans of RPG's, platforms, sandlot, shooters, strategy, fighting, puzzle games, Indies, etc. I've talked to a few Nintendo fans who ignorantly claim that all PS4/XBONE gamers care about is Call of Duty, and that is so obnoxious! If you look at sales statistics, especially during the PS2 era, the greatest variety of million sellers, genre-wise, belonged to the PS2.....but yet all they cared about was GTA, apparently. SMH.

I agree that they're pushing too many gimmicks. Just make an awesome console to play awesome games. No need to make add in the nose hair trimmer and toothpick dispenser, all we want is to play games. Innovation is all well and good, but lately Nintendo's been so focused on that that I feel like they're actually pushing gamers (and game makers) away. The PS4 and XB1 are simple: controller + console + TV + game = fun times, and that's why they're doing so well.

BanjoPickles wrote:I always bring up the point that if fans/owners of the NES had that mindset, the Sega Master System would have thrived, games like Mega Man, Castlevania, Contra, TMNT 2 & 3, Ninja Gaiden, Final Fantasy, and Dragon Warrior would have been Sega properties.

How could that mindset have changed Nintendo's monopolistic licensing contracts, and how could it have existed in an era before Nintendo's first-party series had established themselves as institutions?

Though I'm a fan of the Switch for the most part so far, there's a number of issues that are completely baffling:

-The stand is not only fragile but also the cover for the SD card. There is absolutely no reason the SD card slot should be placed here as the stand can easily snap off if you're not careful.
-This has already been mentioned ad nauseum, but that the console itself can hold hardly any data, and it's also worth noting that there's already at least one game (Dragon Quest Heroes) that is too big to download without an SD card.
-Your data is locked to your console and your console only. There's still no cloud system or any way to back up your data in case your Switch gets lost, stolen, broken, or otherwise unusable.

All of these problems could easily be fixed if Nintendo ACTUALLY LISTENS TO FEEDBACK, but knowing them, there's really no way to tell. I really do want the Switch to succeed, and kudos to it for having possibly the greatest launch title of any video game console ever, but Nintendo seriously needs to understand the importance of listening to their fans.