gaming Opinions On The Nintendo Switch?

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 41,440]

Okay, I am gonna be a negative nancy here, sadly. I am not impressed by this thing, at all. The announcement trailer has left a bad taste in my mouth and here is why:

 

First, the games. While we of course seen the staples for Mario and Zelda, we saw nothing of any other franchises that could make a return. Wario, Animal Crossing, Metroid, there are many other Nintendo IP's that were left behind, again. We did see Skyrim on there, but that leads to my next concern...

 

This system looks to be insanely underpowered again. Yes, Skyrim being on this thing is cool, however, there were clear framerate drops for the game. This might not even be the Special Edition either! Not only that, but the rest of the games looked literally no better than anything that was on the Wii U. Sure, could just be launch titles and all, but it seems that once again, the competition will once again already outdate Nintendo out of the gate. Then when the Scorpio comes out, there won't even be a comparison.

 

Then there is the big gimmick that they focused on, the switch aspect. I will say that this idea is cool on paper, but I think that this gimmick will once again limit what this thing can do. The power is clearly being restricted to support it being a console/handheld hybrid, but the thing is, I already have my 3DS for my handheld fix! Sure, it won't have the new Zelda or SKyrim, but it is also smaller and still more convenient that what this thing will. Leaving it with a console focus for me, which as I have said, I don't see the point when the Xbox One and PS4 are around.

 

So, I am honestly very worried. This thing doesn't look like it will have legs to stand on just like the Wii U and I fear for what the price will be. A central gimmick that limits hardware, games that look no better than the Wii U and a console/handheld focus that doesn't have a clear image to me. Sure, they have a bunch of third parties on board which is nice, but if the power isn't there, then it will be limited on what they can do.

 

This honestly makes me sad.

[OmegaBeamOfficial 622]

Not sure what to think at this point. It is nice that its 'gimmick' seems to actually be something practical, and not something that actually impedes upon gameplay like the Wii Remote/motion control. It's nice that it has a standard controller. That's nice.

 

However, I'm really not liking this meshing of handheld and console. They are two separate markets, and they should have remained that way. Handheld iterations of the series are generally held back, even though the handhelds now have the power to run full games. What I'm saying is I hope they don't start releasing 2.5D Zeldas on this system. Console Zeldas are the only Zelda's I really even care about at this point.

 

Also, not immediately sold on the games... I couldn't care less about Splatoon. Those character designs are an abomination. lol. Mario Kart's are fun, but I'm not buying another console for only Mario Kart to be my favorite game. I'll keep an eye on the 3D Super Mario, even if it does appear to look like linear world designs again. I'll hold my judgement off a while until we have more information, to be fair.

 

I'm not at all seeing where everyone here is getting this vibe that the Switch is super amazing. We know close to nothing about it.

 

 

And how is this any different from the Wii U? When they first showed off the Wii U, they bragged about all of the third party titles coming to the console. However, they all turned out to be ports, and the support did not carry beyond that. This has not been proven to be any different for the Switch.

I just want to point out that even though this blurs the line between home and portable gaming, I don't think exclusively portable gaming is going anywhere anytime soon. Remember, we still have the 3DS and even now there's still plenty of opportunity to use the double screen for games, something the Switch doesn't have. So the Switch hasn't made portable systems like the 3DS obsolete I feel. Besides, I think some people will just find the 3DS more practical for portable than the Switch anyway.

 

I actually really like Splatoon, but to each their own I guess. And as much as I love exploration in games, I want them to keep it linear to at least some degree, sometimes It's really confusing in Mario games trying to figure out where to go.

 

I think the whole hype surrounding the Switch is the fact that we're getting full home console grade releases that are portable, something that seemed impossible before. That's not to say portable games aren't good, but to be able to play something like a Wii U game, with home console graphics and with the tons of content on console games is amazing.

 

Since when were ports a bad thing? After all, with the system using cartridges it won't be backwards compatible, so we really need all the ports we can get.

Any guesses on how much the Nintendo Switch will cost? My guess is $300-$400 range.

I'm not sure really. We'll have to wait and see.

$400 is suicide for Nintendo. I'd say $300 max....and even that feels too much

Considering how much game consoles cost nowadays, it wouldn't be surprising. Have you seen the Xbox One S or PS4 Pro price tags?

Edited October 20, 2016 by OmegaBeamOfficial

[Shift 4,272]

@,
tbh i'd guess middle 200s. Maybe 250?
 
I'm super excited for it, honestly! I know i'm gonna get Zelda for the U, so hopefully it has backwards compatibility, and that Splatoon looks gorgeous! Also, since when could you customize hairstyles? Patch or Splatoon 2? I'll wait until next Christmas the earliest to see if it's worth it. But so far? It looks great, and I love the portability aspect of it!

 

First, the games. While we of course seen the staples for Mario and Zelda, we saw nothing of any other franchises that could make a return. Wario, Animal Crossing, Metroid, there are many other Nintendo IP's that were left behind, again. We did see Skyrim on there, but that leads to my next concern...

 
Well, to be fair, it is just the release of the system. I would like more release IPs as well, but we can't expect a working demo/teaser of all new Nintendo IPs for the next system on the system release. Maybe they'll release them as time passes and gets closer to the release, or after it. I'm staying hopeful!

[OmegaBeamOfficial 622]

Even Nintendo themselves admitted that the Wii U was a failure--the late Satoru Iwata (may he rest in peace) specifically admitted it although Shigeru Miyamoto had his own reasoning--and the company has suffered financial losses as a result of it. I see this new system as their chance to turn things around and turn a negative into a positive. Third parties must stick with their support as they are needed more than ever. Nintendo can only go so far with their own games alone.

 

 

 

For now but we don't know if it will last. I'm hoping that it does but you know how fickle third party developers can be.

To be honest, I don't think Nintendo's to blame there. If we're gonna talk third party support, why aren't we angry at the actual third parties who kept walking out on the Wii U?

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 41,440]

@,

tbh i'd guess middle 200s. Maybe 250?

 

I'm super excited for it, honestly! I know i'm gonna get Zelda for the U, so hopefully it has backwards compatibility, and that Splatoon looks gorgeous! Also, since when could you customize hairstyles? Patch or Splatoon 2? I'll wait until next Christmas the earliest to see if it's worth it. But so far? It looks great, and I love the portability aspect of it!

 

 

Well, to be fair, it is just the release of the system. I would like more release IPs as well, but we can't expect a working demo/teaser of all new Nintendo IPs for the next system on the system release. Maybe they'll release them as time passes and gets closer to the release, or after it. I'm staying hopeful!

I can't give them a free pass. When the Xbox One launched, after it had reversed all the bad decisions, people were still destroying that thing with harsh criticism, so I am not giving this thing a free pass, especially after two terrible home consoles in a row.

 

Also, even though they clearly showed SKyrim, the system may not actually get Skyrim:

https://twitter.com/Nibellion/status/789194020241022976

[OmegaBeamOfficial 622]

Okay, I am gonna be a negative nancy here, sadly. I am not impressed by this thing, at all. The announcement trailer has left a bad taste in my mouth and here is why:

 

First, the games. While we of course seen the staples for Mario and Zelda, we saw nothing of any other franchises that could make a return. Wario, Animal Crossing, Metroid, there are many other Nintendo IP's that were left behind, again. We did see Skyrim on there, but that leads to my next concern...

 

This system looks to be insanely underpowered again. Yes, Skyrim being on this thing is cool, however, there were clear framerate drops for the game. This might not even be the Special Edition either! Not only that, but the rest of the games looked literally no better than anything that was on the Wii U. Sure, could just be launch titles and all, but it seems that once again, the competition will once again already outdate Nintendo out of the gate. Then when the Scorpio comes out, there won't even be a comparison.

 

Then there is the big gimmick that they focused on, the switch aspect. I will say that this idea is cool on paper, but I think that this gimmick will once again limit what this thing can do. The power is clearly being restricted to support it being a console/handheld hybrid, but the thing is, I already have my 3DS for my handheld fix! Sure, it won't have the new Zelda or SKyrim, but it is also smaller and still more convenient that what this thing will. Leaving it with a console focus for me, which as I have said, I don't see the point when the Xbox One and PS4 are around.

 

So, I am honestly very worried. This thing doesn't look like it will have legs to stand on just like the Wii U and I fear for what the price will be. A central gimmick that limits hardware, games that look no better than the Wii U and a console/handheld focus that doesn't have a clear image to me. Sure, they have a bunch of third parties on board which is nice, but if the power isn't there, then it will be limited on what they can do.

 

This honestly makes me sad.

The system was only just announced, give it time to simmer and I'm sure we'll see some game announcements soon. It's not like Nintendo's forgotten about those franchises you listed. We had Metroid Prime Federation Force, and the still popular Animal Crossing New Leaf.

 

Are we really going to slam on the graphics power again? Look, Skyrim is available in a lot of places, It's Nintendo's own games that will sell the system mainly I believe, and we know that they focus on gameplay over graphics. I understand wanting something more, but Nintendo is all about simplicity. There have been a lot of good Wii U games, I think the problem here is everyone is expecting tons of amazing games on launch, but if we look at the Wii U, people just needed to stick with it as the new games come slowly but surely. I still like the Scorpio though, It'll be neat to have some power.

 

As I've said to others, I think the big deal here is that we're getting fully fledged console games in a portable form. That's never happened before as far as I know. There's room for both consoles to exist in the market, the 3DS still has the advantage of the double screen, even if it doesn't have those games, so I don't think It'll become obsolete. And as for the Xbox One and PS4, well, again I think we should make judgement based on the games themselves, not how powerful the system is.

[Radiance64 7,053]

Looks awesome, the wait for information was surely long and hard... but I'll still be playing it day one.

SWITCH

[OmegaBeamOfficial 622]

@,

tbh i'd guess middle 200s. Maybe 250?

 

I'm super excited for it, honestly! I know i'm gonna get Zelda for the U, so hopefully it has backwards compatibility, and that Splatoon looks gorgeous! Also, since when could you customize hairstyles? Patch or Splatoon 2? I'll wait until next Christmas the earliest to see if it's worth it. But so far? It looks great, and I love the portability aspect of it!

 

 

Well, to be fair, it is just the release of the system. I would like more release IPs as well, but we can't expect a working demo/teaser of all new Nintendo IPs for the next system on the system release. Maybe they'll release them as time passes and gets closer to the release, or after it. I'm staying hopeful!

I don't think It'll be back compat. You know, cartridge based and all, the best we can hope for is ports.

 

I can't give them a free pass. When the Xbox One launched, after it had reversed all the bad decisions, people were still destroying that thing with harsh criticism, so I am not giving this thing a free pass, especially after two terrible home consoles in a row.

 

Also, even though they clearly showed SKyrim, the system may not actually get Skyrim:

https://twitter.com/Nibellion/status/789194020241022976

What terrible home consoles are you referring to?

Looks awesome, the wait for information was surely long and hard... but I'll still be playing it day one.

SWITCH

It should totally say SWITCH every time you plug it in and out.

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 41,440]

I don't think It'll be back compat. You know, cartridge based and all, the best we can hope for is ports.

 

What terrible home consoles are you referring to?

It should totally say SWITCH every time you plug it in and out.

The Wii and the Wii U. did the systems have good games? Yes, but we expect that from Nintendo these days. Those systems did not have, however, good third party support because they were insanely outdated gimmicky machines. Somehow the Wii U did not last barely  4 year, less time than the Wii which was just a Gamecube with waggle. The Wii had no real longevity, the Wii U was a total failure, and this thing is already not impressing me in the slightest. So...my confidence isn't there for this.

[Shift 4,272]

@@OmegaBeamOfficial,

 

Great post, I agree with pretty much everything you said! Although the Switch may not be as powerful as Scorpio (although I will admit, more power is good), we should wait until we see the quality of games it produces before passing judgement on if it's worth or not. The Skyrim FPS downgrade was also barely noticeable to me at a glance, but that just may be because I don't put much thought on FPS if it isn't a pure multiplayer game like Overwatch.

 

Also, as a response to your question on the other post (i didn't want to mention you twice lol), I believe Kyoshi was referring to Wii (U). However, 'terrible home console' all rests on opinion; I thoroughly enjoyed my Wii (U) so I don't think either was a terrible home console. However, at first I thought Kyoshi was referring to the sales of the system, which the Wii U bombed on, but the Wii had far from a 'terrible' sale. 

 

@@Kyoshi,

As someone said in the twitter comments, that could really indicate anything imo. Bethesda all said that they're bringing games to the Switch, or at least heavily implied it, so we def know we're getting some Bethesda games in there. They never really say anywhere that Skyrim isn't coming either; they're just not confirming any specific titles.

 

I get that you're wary of this next system, but i'm not suggesting you give Nintendo a free pass; if anything, I suggest waiting it out and see how the gameplay/games/graphics/whatevs of the Switch fare to others and see if it truly is a 'terrible' system or not. We don't have enough information at this time to determine if the Switch is shit or not, so i'm going to wait to see if it really is or isn't.

Edited October 20, 2016 by Shift

[CastletonSnob 3,074]

The Wii and the Wii U. did the systems have good games? Yes, but we expect that from Nintendo these days. Those systems did not have, however, good third party support because they were insanely outdated gimmicky machines. Somehow the Wii U did not last barely  4 year, less time than the Wii which was just a Gamecube with waggle. The Wii had no real longevity, the Wii U was a total failure, and this thing is already not impressing me in the slightest. So...my confidence isn't there for this.

Honestly, all home consoles are outdated compared to even a mid-range PC. 

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 41,440]

Honestly, all home consoles are outdated compared to even a mid-range PC. 

That is not what I am comparing it to. PCs and consoles are two different markets. What I am comparing it to is the Xbox One and PS4, and compared to those two, this thing just doesn't look impressive in the slightest.

[Ganondorf8 11,298]

To be honest, I don't think Nintendo's to blame there. If we're gonna talk third party support, why aren't we angry at the actual third parties who kept walking out on the Wii U?

 

Because they want all three consoles to be the same so that they can port them over without too much trouble. The Wii U was so vastly different compared to the Xbox One and PS4, third party developers had to tone down on the graphical power, alter their control schemes to incorporate the Game Pad, and provide less content in some cases. To third parties, making money is all that matters as well as easy transition between consoles.

[CastletonSnob 3,074]

That is not what I am comparing it to. PCs and consoles are two different markets. What I am comparing it to is the Xbox One and PS4, and compared to those two, this thing just doesn't look impressive in the slightest.

 

My point was that the PS4 and Xbox One are inferior power-wise to a gaming PC. 

[Shift 4,272]

@@Kyoshi,

IMO, I think it fares extremely well to the Xbone and the PS4. The graphics look very similar, imo the Switch has better ones, and the Switch is portable to boot. Although I haven't seen the graphics in person so I have no clue if that's what they're actually like. 

 

Though, I will admit, the X1 and PS Quadruple (tfw no chad) are past gen systems compared to the Switch, so we'll see how it fares up against the Scorpio later!

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 41,440]

My point was that the PS4 and Xbox One are inferior power-wise to a gaming PC. 

And my point is that I am not talking about PC's. I am talking about home video game consoles, which is (sorta) what the Switch is. It's main competitors are the Xbox One and PS4, which are also home video game consoles. Those are what this thing has to go up against and I am saying compared to THOSE, it looks woefully underpowered already.

[OmegaBeamOfficial 622]

The Wii and the Wii U. did the systems have good games? Yes, but we expect that from Nintendo these days. Those systems did not have, however, good third party support because they were insanely outdated gimmicky machines. Somehow the Wii U did not last barely  4 year, less time than the Wii which was just a Gamecube with waggle. The Wii had no real longevity, the Wii U was a total failure, and this thing is already not impressing me in the slightest. So...my confidence isn't there for this.

Gonna have to disagree there. It's not Nintendo's fault that third party companies were too lazy to spend enough time working with the hardware to see what they can do. Why? Because they're too busy sticking to the norm and creating more of the same old thing, which, while admittedly there are a lot of fun games on Xbox and Playstation, there's still an abundance of regular shooters. I like Nintendo because they try to innovate, and It's the 3rd party's own fault because they don't understand that sticking to the same old thing will only get you so far.

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 41,440]

@@Kyoshi,

IMO, I think it fares extremely well to the Xbone and the PS4. The graphics look very similar, imo the Switch has better ones, and the Switch is portable to boot. Although I haven't seen the graphics in person so I have no clue if that's what they're actually like. 

 

Though, I will admit, the X1 and PS Quadruple (tfw no chad) are past gen systems compared to the Switch, so we'll see how it fares up against the Scorpio later!

To each their own, but I saw absolutely nothing in the announcement that looked even remotely better than PS4 and Xbox One. I saw mostly Wii U titles.

[Jonny Music 3,407]

(clears throat)

Let me remind all of you who is supplying the graphics for the Switch. And I knew it all along:

https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2016/10/20/nintendo-switch/

It definitely looks like it will run off of a custom NVidia Pascal-powered Tegra X2 chip. And that home dock, might supply some more graphical power for all we know.

Edited October 20, 2016 by Jonny Music

[OmegaBeamOfficial 622]

@@OmegaBeamOfficial,

 

Great post, I agree with pretty much everything you said! Although the Switch may not be as powerful as Scorpio (although I will admit, more power is good), we should wait until we see the quality of games it produces before passing judgement on if it's worth or not. The Skyrim FPS downgrade was also barely noticeable to me at a glance, but that just may be because I don't put much thought on FPS if it isn't a pure multiplayer game like Overwatch.

 

Also, as a response to your question on the other post (i didn't want to mention you twice lol), I believe Kyoshi was referring to Wii (U). However, 'terrible home console' all rests on opinion; I thoroughly enjoyed my Wii (U) so I don't think either was a terrible home console. However, at first I thought Kyoshi was referring to the sales of the system, which the Wii U bombed on, but the Wii had far from a 'terrible' sale. 

 

@@Kyoshi,

As someone said in the twitter comments, that could really indicate anything imo. Bethesda all said that they're bringing games to the Switch, or at least heavily implied it, so we def know we're getting some Bethesda games in there. They never really say anywhere that Skyrim isn't coming either; they're just not confirming any specific titles.

 

I get that you're wary of this next system, but i'm not suggesting you give Nintendo a free pass; if anything, I suggest waiting it out and see how the gameplay/games/graphics/whatevs of the Switch fare to others and see if it truly is a 'terrible' system or not. We don't have enough information at this time to determine if the Switch is shit or not, so i'm going to wait to see if it really is or isn't.

Fine, I guess that's pretty solid. I don't have much to add there, sorry, my opinion's actually pretty similar to yours.

[Mesme Rize 15,683]

I applaud Nintendo for going this route, because i like that Nintendo is thinking outside the box, even if they land on their face with it like with the Wii U (eventhough it's not as bad as people think.)

 

The SD Cartridge is a great idea, because in this day and age, it's not as expansive to store games on a cartridge like it used to be in the N64 days and it's more easier to store them, then a blu-ray disk.

 

Taking these games on the go is always a great option and Nintendo, more then any gaming company out there knows that, because they have big success with the 3DS.

 

Using the two sides of it to play multiplayer is nice, but it kinda looks uncomfortable, because these pieces look very small. Have to see how that works.

 

I hope the 3rd party thing is true, because they kinda drop the ball with the Wii U on that.

 

1st party titles will be great as always, so i am not worried.

 

 

All in all, i am very impressed and kinda hyped for this console.

 

EDIT: Also, i can give less of a damn, about good graphics. If the game is fun, it's all that matters. It can have N64 graphics for all i care.

[Jonny Music 3,407]

And let me remind you guys that 3rd Party support may stay strong, after so many good things I have been hearing from developers, even an indie game developer I know in person (who is 17 years old as of now, mind you).

They said it was very easy for them to develop games for the Switch, which sounds to me that they are sold on it and they love it a whole lot because of how easy it is to program games for it.

Hey, I like to look at the positive side of things.

Edited October 20, 2016 by Jonny Music

[OmegaBeamOfficial 622]

@Jonny Music @Kyoshi @Shift @VGAddict

 

OK, there's some things I wanna get off my chest here, but the reply's are getting a little hectic so I'll just summarise it in one post.

 

First, why are we comparing consoles to PC's so much? I admit PC's are much more powerful than any console, but like others have said, It's a different market, they might have similar or the same games as consoles do, and some exclusives of course, but the PC gaming world is very different to the console side of things, I know from experience. I personally prefer consoles because It's a lot less hassle, though I don't appreciate them trying to copy PC's with stuff like forced installations, but that's a topic for another day (Oh, by the way, Nintendo's the only company who didn't do that, props to them). I understand they will be compared at some point, but PC's aren't part of the equation here, and like I say power doesn't always equal better.

 

Just to clarify, I'm a multiplatform gamer, so I don't like to think I'm biased towards certain companies. But I feel some are being too harsh on the Switch as a whole and we've gone really off topic. It's the Wii U all over again with the people here it seems.

[Jonny Music 3,407]

@Jonny Music @Kyoshi @Shift @VGAddict

 

OK, there's some things I wanna get off my chest here, but the reply's are getting a little hectic so I'll just summarise it in one post.

 

First, why are we comparing consoles to PC's so much? I admit PC's are much more powerful than any console, but like others have said, It's a different market, they might have similar or the same games as consoles do, and some exclusives of course, but the PC gaming world is very different to the console side of things, I know from experience. I personally prefer consoles because It's a lot less hassle, though I don't appreciate them trying to copy PC's with stuff like forced installations, but that's a topic for another day (Oh, by the way, Nintendo's the only company who didn't do that, props to them). I understand they will be compared at some point, but PC's aren't part of the equation here, and like I say power doesn't always equal better.

 

Just to clarify, I'm a multiplatform gamer, so I don't like to think I'm biased towards certain companies. But I feel some are being too harsh on the Switch as a whole and we've gone really off topic. It's the Wii U all over again with the people here it seems.

I too am a multiplatform gamer (though I always will have a Nintendo bias as I grew up with them), and I do like playing games on PC too (as well as my Xbox 360), though I also feel that the early cynicism and criticism for the Switch is a little too premature as there is still a whole lot more info that is still to be confirmed by Nintendo themselves.

 

So, as my first impressions of the Switch, I think it's design, function and concept are spot-on. They nailed it perfectly for the demographic they showed on the trailer (which is very similar to my case since I am already in the realms of the responsibilities of adulthood), and it should do well for the rest of whoever it's supposed to grab attention to (even the casual market for that matter).

 

To conclude my first impressions, Nintendo really have outdone themselves with presenting the reveal for the system. And looking at the current gaming market (since mobile is a huge part of it nowadays), I'd say Nintendo is making a smart business decision trying to cater to the mobile market like this. All powered with the latest in NVidia Pascal graphics running on a Tegra chip.

 

There is a chance the docking station shown on the trailer may have supplemental graphics computing to be able to output better graphic fidelity on a TV screen (which with tech today, is definitely possible), but alas, Nintendo has to confirm that themselves.

[Ziggy + Angel + Rain 11,302]

I own both a PS4 and an Xbox One.  There are good games on each, and there are disappointing games on each.  Nothing about either of those consoles is particularly standout; they're just like the past generation in their respective console lines with relatively better hardware and performance capabilities.  That's honestly all they are; which is fine.  But when you see very disappointing next gen gaming experiences like Destiny and The Division, it makes them seem all the more...  Conventional.  Boring.

 

Much like tired old discussions about hardware specs and third party support.  (The Switch was revealed all of five minutes ago, people.)  So far as portable gaming systems go (no, I'm not talking about your phone), it IS the market.  Sony's portable is kaput, and Microsoft hasn't shown any interest whatsoever in that particular market.  With this one reveal, Nintendo has people who love its first party titles, a chunk of the home console market, and the portable gaming market all to itself; its only direct competition is other Nintendo portables.

 

The Wii U was different, but it was awkward-stage different.  It was that unfortunate young man in high school trying to grow their hair out, but their bangs exploded and the rest stopped just short of their shoulders.  And some people were supportive, "I see what you were going for, and you've got guts for trying.  But...  You just never quite got there."  The Switch looks to be what the Wii U should have been, and it's going to be my next home console purchase.  Oh: And next portable purchase.  I have precisely ZERO reason to consider the PS4 Pro and Xbox One Scorpio.