Nintendo: General Discussion

Mr.Saturn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120064766#Comment_120064766

Ordinarily I would agree but I can’t help but wonder if there’s been any cultural shift in the company since the whole Wii U fiasco. Granted the Wii U is a bit of a complex beast in that it was easily dismissed as a gimmick for a gimmick's sake but is obvious in hindsight that Nintendo were really trying to make the Switch 5 years before they actually made the Switch.

Basically, it wouldn't entirely shock me if Nintendo elect to play a more conservative hand with their next console. Hell, maybe even something in the way of the 3DS in that it's a mostly optional gimmick disguising the fact it's just a beefier version of what you already own.

pixelburp

Thing is, as from as Nintendo is concerned, what incentive is there for them to invest time and money in new hardware that keeps better parity with the bleeding edge?

114 million units sold doesn't exactly tell the bean counters that "something's wrong" with regards the tech underneath the surface; OK, Bayonetta & Pokémon both were big titles that have really shown up the Switch's ageing hardware - but enough to make the next console a rival to the PS/Xbox? Seems very unlikely, and not held up by precedent either.

sligeach

Nintendo Switch 2 Production Could ‘Happen in 2023’ – Rumour

https://www.gamerevolution.com/news/931731-nintendo-switch-2-production-2023-nvidia-rumor

🤞🤞

Mr.Saturn

Given the Switch is roughly on par with PS3/360 in terms of heft, then it stands to reason there's a good bit of a ceiling there to beef it up without necessarily trying to run parity with the 8K consoles. Whatever's next, I'm incredibly curious how they even try follow the Switch since I've long since considered the Switch kind of the peak console in terms of functionality.

OwaynOTT

Can we not keep the switch a while longer? I’ve only just gotten one!

Fysh

At least we had 5 days of 2023 without "Switch Pro One Plus Plus announcement next week lads, my brother's mate's dog works at Nintendo and let it slip at the pub" clickbait pish doing the rounds... 🙄

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120069101#Comment_120069101

Yeah, that's my feeling too - the Switch is making huge money and I'm sure folks at Nintendo haven't forgotten going from their best selling home console to their worst selling one in a single step. Even if their next console undersells the Switch, the main goal will be to have relative sales dip gently rather than fall off a cliff - and the easy way to achieve that is to not have too significant a change.

Cue Nintendo announcing Virtual Boy++ as their next console 😜

johnny_ultimate

Like laptops, power limitation is one of the biggest obstacles when it comes to boosting mobile hardware. In a PC or big home console, you have lots of power to play with - but you have a fraction in a small form factor. You can utilise this well when it's an actual handheld, especially when the screen is 720p - look at what the Steam Deck can push out at that resolution. But hook it up to a TV or monitor and you're getting an inferior experience as it simply cannot compete with something that has a full power supply and GPU. Even if the Steam Deck is a generational leap over the Switch (PS4 level performance compared to the Switch's PS3 level performance, roughly speaking) that's primarily in handheld mode. It won't be a problem for most indie games, but as the past year has proven ambitious 3D games are where the challenge lies.

Regardless of the final specs, there's not a chance a (still hypothetical!) next-gen Switch with a similar form factor would handle moderately taxing modern games at 4K or 1440p. There's also an overall flattening of past generational leaps, as we're seeing with price:performance with GPUs currently - silicon is expensive. But Nintendo hardware has always excelled thanks to Nintendo's own developers sucking every bit of potential out of the machines. And the latest upscaling tech is incredible, so there is lots of potential there if the new mobile chips have more robust support.

walkonby

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120072866#Comment_120072866

The danger with minimal change is that the new product won’t have the same impact. Remember the buzz the Switch generated when it was unveiled? That set the stage for its runaway success.

Twice in recent years Nintendo launched new consoles which were wrongly perceived as being mere iterations on the previous one: 3DS and Wii U. They managed to turn the former around with their “this is not DS, this is 3DS” ad campaign, and the release of Mario 3D Land, followed by a slew of other high profile titles in quick succession. The Wii U couldn’t be salvaged. But I think what unites those examples is the usp of the products just didn’t resonate; consumers didn’t care about 3D, and didn’t understand or see the point of a controller with a built in screen. They did however completely get what the Switch was doing with its hybrid approach.

The danger with a Switch 2 that is just the same thing but more powerful is that they repeat the mistakes of 3ds and Wii U. Hybrid consoles are old news. Steam Deck does basically the same thing. So how do Nintendo set a successor apart? More power is one way, thats what the likes of Sony do to sell ps5s to ps4 owners, but it hasn’t been Nintendo’s way in decades.

johnny_ultimate

Similarly though, if they depart too radically from the Switch for its successor they run the risk of confusing or alienating customers like they did with the Wii U.

I'd love to see Nintendo innovate, and maybe - hopefully, even! - they have a great trick up their sleeve like they've done in the past. But they've also finally found a way to unify their development resources rather than running parallel home console and handheld divisions like they have in the past. And power is a big issue for the Switch at the moment, as we're seeing first-party titles running into major limitations. I'm sure Tears of the Kingdom will run better than the Pokemon games, for what it's worth, but the Switch has very much reached some visible limits. And given the Steam Deck - as great as it is - is very much not a mass-market device in the way a new Nintendo console will be, there is plenty of room for the 'Switch, but better'... and that would still be a very different offering to what Sony and Microsoft have out.

Mr.Saturn

Something that goes often unmentioned as well is that Nintendo are all a bit eggs in one basket these days as they’ve merged their home and portable products. You imagine the pressure has to be on a bit considering they can’t rely on one offsetting the other anymore like the 3DS to Wii U and such.

sligeach

Exclusive: Legend Of Zelda Movie In Development From Illumination

Our sources say Illumination, the same studio behind The Super Mario Bros. Movie, is developing an animated movie adaptation of The Legend of Zelda.

https://www.giantfreakinrobot.com/ent/legend-of-zelda-movie-illumination.html

CastorTroy

The last time a Zelda adaptation leak happened, it resulted in its cancellation.

Wouldn't their output be a bit too light hearted for a Zelda game, unless they're carrying on from the cartoon or the cd-i games.

Grassey

I for one look forward to Link bopping some yellow Bokoblinions!

Mr.Saturn

Half-random thought but still baffled that the Yakuza series has made no appearance on Switch at all (not counting Lost Judgement, and you really can't in fairness). Considering Zero and Kiwami 1 were originally PS3 games, you'd think they'd be a handy port and cash-grab given the series' rise in the West in the last few years. The absence is made all the more baffling by the fact Yakuza 1 & 2 HD made an appearance on the Wii U of all things.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120073747#Comment_120073747

Exactly. It’s gotta be their biggest worry not having at least two systems for the first time since Gameboy.

Which leads me to suspect they will not immediately drop the Switch when they release their next system. I think we’ll see at least a year of some form of “cross-gen” from Nintendo to compensate. They usually pretty much all support for the last console when they release a new one. New console risk was mitigated in the past by their strong handheld pillar.

My “arm-chair analyst advice” would be release a new system in 2024, backwards compatible physically and digitally, digital carries over, release (and potentially charge a few bucks for) “next-gen” patches of Switch games to run better on the new system (if possible).

Fysh

In that regard, the most obvious way to provide a Switch Pro experience is to make the highest tier a TV-only hardware unit. Which loses the sales pitch of the Switch itself. And on the one hand the idea of "pair your Switch with the NuBox and use it as a controller" feels Very Nintendo, but on the other hand it needs a fallback for buyers who don't have a Switch - and the Wii U is a good demo of what happens when you ask if people want to spend €200+ on a tablet controller for their home console...

The alternative (which would be an enormous shift for Nintendo) would be for them to do proper first party development of premium paid titles on mobile devices; outside of a hardware vendor like Apple partnering with them (already very unlikely) I don't see Nintendo doing this as they have always been keen on controlling their whole ecosystem.

CiDeRmAn

You could/can do that with the WiiU and the 3DS, when playing Super Smash Bros, a copy in each device and you can play together, using the 3DS as a Smash Bros Wii U controller

sligeach

The Roster Has Finally Surpassed One Thousand Pokémon! Commemorative Video Released!

https://scarletviolet.pokemon.com/en-us/news/pokemon_1000_video/

https://youtube.com/watch?v=pa08Y-fhfTI

RobbingBandit

Just prepaid for Persona 3 portable and Persona 4 Golden for €38.99 on my OLED am super excited to play both again as they are incredible. Really wish Sega had done a cart version.

Mr.Saturn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120108970#Comment_120108970

Can't help but feel it's going to be one of those things where they release some sort of limited printing edition a la Psychonauts 2 on PS4 down the line after everyone's already gone and got it digitally.

Mr E

Fire Emblem Engage getting great reviews (for the most part). Lots of 9/10 scores.

Good long game too....

https://www.metacritic.com/game/switch/fire-emblem-engage/critic-reviews

SuperBowserWorld

The amount and variety of very high quality games on Switch is insane.

Still the best selling console in the US last year. PS5 next, then XBox series S/X.

Also, Nintendo making profits on hardware sales, and more as the years go past and it gets cheaper to produce.

Also, their first party games still sell full price. People even happy to pay for Animal Crossing New Horizons with 1 save PER console. Sneaky way to sell more consoles. Latest pokemon looks like an N64 game. And sells tons.

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2023/01/nintendo-switch-crowned-best-selling-console-in-us-for-fifth-year-in-a-row

Tom Mann Centuria

The two Personas remaster/rerelease/lick of paint or whatever have got good reviews which is nice. JRPG really not my thing but good to see yet more classics appearing on Switch.

coffee to go

Sad to see that Argos is closing all its Irish stores by June - Was generally the best value for Ninty games in recent years.

SuperBowserWorld

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120131433#Comment_120131433

The literally gave away new 3DS games a while back. Meanwhile GameStop selling second hand games for the same price as new. 🥴

Mr.Saturn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120131448#Comment_120131448

Apparently, 25% off 2nd hand games in the soon-to-depart Henry St store. Gauging by Gamestop's usual pricing, that should bring them in line with the upper-end of what Smyths charge.

mrcheez

wonder if Argos will be having closing down sales, or will all stock just get shipped off to Blighty?

xckjoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120132241#Comment_120132241

Had the same thought! 🤣

Feel like a vulture tracking the wounded animal waiting for it to die

Wolverine359

Hi, I bought a second switch a little while, the OLED Splatoon edition. Is it possible to use both systems under the same account, as in will I be able to “switch” from one switch to another without too much hassle? I’ll be the only user, so both switches won’t be switched on at the same time. Thanks in advance!

I’m hoping the days of system transfers etc like changing from a 3DS to a new one and having limitations on the amount of device-switching are over.

(Did I make enough switch references? :P)

CiDeRmAn

There are two Switches in my household.

I solved the problem of one account and two systems by making the one my son uses, a Switch Lite, the primary console so that it doesn't have to do an online check to play any games, while my trad Switch, which I only use at home and connected to the home network, can play the same games.