Nintendo Switch (Nintendo's next console)

CiDeRmAn · 26-07-2016 08:11PM

Retr0gamer wrote: »

I don't really mind. As long as there is somewhere to play Nintendo games I'm happy. The XB1 and PS4 are absolute garbage consoles with little to offer that a decent PC doesn't already do better. This is the first generation where I'm almost exclusively gaming on PC because of how poor console exclusive output has been and now every XB1 exclusive is coming to PC as well.

But your point is simply subjective as a person who plays most of his games on a PC.
I don't.
Most people, I think, don't.
In fact I'd speculate that the bulk of people don't get their games via Steam or one of the other portals, no pun intended, but still buy their games for their consoles, albeit far more in digital form rather than physical than ever before.
I certainly don't play PC based games at all.
I have enjoyed the games available thus far on PS4, less so on XB1 to be truthful.
And even if I grant you that console games look and play better and cost less on the PC, it'll be a long time before that kind of rendering power is used to play Nintendo games, seeing as their IP is exclusive to their hardware, current toe dipping in the world of mobile games excluded.
I don't want a PS3 equivalent playing Nintendo games on the go, I want the state of the art tech brought to table, thereby increasing the resources available to Nintendo developers.
But, if the NX rumours are true, I won't get it and will have to be satisfied with some 720p efforts instead.

We have always spoken about Nintendo broadly seeing themselves as a person apart from the landscape dominated by the other console manufacturers, so why not build the console we all want, gimmick free and sporting the horses to bring us the best Nintendo IP possible.

One might find the PS4 disappointing due to the lack of exclusive IP that makes the machine a must have, and the multiplat titles are all on the PC otherwise, so it makes a computer a good buy. But Nintendo have been defined by their exclusive IP, and the only place to find their full games is on their hardware, so make it the most capable hardware, please.

MS and Sony are well aware that the console market is going to be superceded by the mobile market eventually and it's already hurting them... well maybe not Sony but only because they took most of the Xbox market share. I think Nintendo will think they will see this as a product that can compete with mobile devices. I doubt it will (although if accepts sim cards that might make things interesting).

Monument Valley aside I personally find little on mobile devices to compete with the home console experience, the idea that the future belongs to handsets is frankly depressing. A good thing then that I own enough retro games and consoles to keep me going until I snuff it!

Pac1Man · 26-07-2016 08:27PM

And so it begins (finally).

riclad · 26-07-2016 08:37PM

The point of the consoles is they are designed to plug into a large tv,
play games on the sofa.The ps4 is pretty powerful .
Most games are released on xbox and ps4 ,
theres a small amount of exclusives .
i like single player games with a story, deus ex, bioshock.
Those games dont really work on a mobile device .
not everyone wants to play games on a pc looking at a monitor .
Pc,s need upgrading if you want to keep up with the latest tech .
pokemon go shows that theres a lot of people out there that would play nintendo games if they were released on smartphones .
There,s millions of people with phones who will never buy a ds.

pasta-solo · 26-07-2016 08:38PM

I'll be very glad if this turns out to be true. I adore the Wii U because it's games are very different to what's available on the PS4 and XB1, so for its successor to go its own way is the ideal path for what I want in a modern Nintendo console.

To try and match or beat the PS4/XB1 in terms of power would be silly, so better to double down on being unique and fun. I also agree with previous posters that PC is currently wiping the floor with PS4 and XB1, but that's a different conversation!

CiDeRmAn · 26-07-2016 08:59PM

riclad wrote: »

The point of the consoles is they are designed to plug into a large tv,
play games on the sofa.The ps4 is pretty powerful .
Most games are released on xbox and ps4 ,
theres a small amount of exclusives .
i like single player games with a story, deus ex, bioshock.
Those games dont really work on a mobile device .
not everyone wants to play games on a pc looking at a monitor .
Pc,s need upgrading if you want to keep up with the latest tech .
pokemon go shows that theres a lot of people out there that would play nintendo games if they were released on smartphones .
There,s millions of people with phones who will never buy a ds.

I think most people playing mainstream games on their PCs are doing so through their TV.
In fact, with a modern setup, it's pretty seamless, with Steam hosting Big Picture mode if memory serves you can have that autostart on powerup and you'd never know you weren't on a console.
In this regard the Xbox One just becomes less and less relevant, particulary when there aren't any exclusives for it anymore, they'll all be on the PC as well, with better resolutions and framerates and a lot cheaper. Only the cost of entry will be higher, with a PC with the right innards costing a lot more than an XBox One costs.

Andrew76 · 26-07-2016 09:24PM

Just read those two Eurogamer articles, makes for some very interesting reading.

Some thoughts (assuming what they've posted is accurate):

Will they charge us separately for the 'base station' that allows connection to a TV?
- If the NX's primary use is as a handheld then I'm guessing yes. This is the same Ninty that don't even supply a power adapter with your 3DS remember.

Will those detachable controllers really be sufficient for two player gaming?
- You need two analogue sticks and a stack of buttons/triggers per controller for them to be usable for two players. No way they will be that featured if their main purpose is to act as handheld controllers.
- Didn't they also say during the Zelda E3 that the Wii-U Pro controller will be compatible with the NX? I would've thought the detachables would form a controller for player 1 only (similar to the Wii-mote + Nunchuck combo just with an extra analogue stick). Player 2 controller sold separately.

Like most folk on here I have a fondness for Nintendo handhelds but maybe unlike most folk that buy handhelds - I never play mine outside the house so the portable aspect of it is no use to me. I'm just hoping my Nintendo home gaming experience doesn't suffer because of it. I hope I don't have to pay extra to plug it into a tv and that whatever chip and OS it's running inside it - the games look and run great at 1080p.

Also, if this is mainly a handheld device that runs cartridge based games - will it still have a decent sized harddisk for storing/running downloaded games? Or maybe it'll allow micro SD cards/external USB drives to handle that.

Myrddin · 26-07-2016 09:30PM

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

But your point is simply subjective as a person who plays most of his games on a PC.

He's not wrong though Cidey. This generation has been dreadful, really. Most everything of note, aside from the few exclusives, can be played on a pc for a lot cheaper, will look better, and not be watered down. I've gone from being decided on buying a PS4K & PSVR, to buying/building a new gaming PC...and doing so will essentially end any more purchasing on this generation of consoles (again, short of some exclusives).

It's true that Nintendo differentiate themselves in this regard, they've a far more unique and versatile offering software wise, locked to Nintendo hardware. That's perfectly fine. All it really means is, a gaming capable pc with an NX alongside makes for a truly encompassing line up.

Also, to state that you don't play pc based games is wrong Cidey...you do, you just don't know you do

Andrew76 · 26-07-2016 09:44PM

Myrddin wrote: »

He's not wrong though Cidey. This generation has been dreadful, really. Most everything of note, aside from the few exclusives, can be played on a pc for a lot cheaper, will look better, and not be watered down. I've gone from being decided on buying a PS4K & PSVR, to buying/building a new gaming PC...and doing so will essentially end any more purchasing on this generation of consoles (again, short of some exclusives).

It's true that Nintendo differentiate themselves in this regard, they've a far more unique and versatile offering software wise, locked to Nintendo hardware. That's perfectly fine. All it really means is, a gaming capable pc with an NX alongside makes for a truly encompassing line up.

Also, to state that you don't play pc based games is wrong Cidey...you do, you just don't know you do

But to say the PS4 is garbage is hyperbole though (I don't own an XB1 so he could be right there :P). He's just pissed off because the PS4 didn't have as many exclusives as he'd like or because Bloodborne had framerate issues (never noticed them myself).

Yes it's cheaper to buy games on PC mainly because most of us use CD key sites or Steam sales but as mentioned - the cost of entry/up-keep is higher on PC and they are not as plug & play friendly as a console (which is an important point for many folk) - even if Steam Link/BPM works very well.

Anyway, don't want to drag this further off topic and into console vs PC and you're still correct to get a PC rather than PS4 Neo/VR yokie.

WeleaseWoderick · 26-07-2016 10:18PM

One thing I don't think I've seen mentioned is if it is a screen with attachable controllers, they could go down the Google Cardboard/Gear VR route very easily with a cheap addon for VR experiences too.

I'm looking forward to hearing more but as someone who owns all previous Nintendo home consoles, I'd be a little disappointed if it is primarily a portable experience.

Retr0gamer · 26-07-2016 10:53PM

Andrew76 wrote: »

But to say the PS4 is garbage is hyperbole though (I don't own an XB1 so he could be right there :P). He's just pissed off because the PS4 didn't have as many exclusives as he'd like or because Bloodborne had framerate issues (never noticed them myself).

Yes it's cheaper to buy games on PC mainly because most of us use CD key sites or Steam sales but as mentioned - the cost of entry/up-keep is higher on PC and they are not as plug & play friendly as a console (which is an important point for many folk) - even if Steam Link/BPM works very well.

Anyway, don't want to drag this further off topic and into console vs PC and you're still correct to get a PC rather than PS4 Neo/VR yokie.

No, I stand by it, the PS4 so far has been one of the worst consoles I've owned. It's all about exclusives to me and the PS4 offers very little. It's closing in on the consoles 3rd year and outside of Bloodborne (horrendous framerate and frame pacing issues aside) there's been very little not available on PC. Also the nature of PC and the very underwhelming power of the current gen means the price of entry of PC is nearly a match and upgrading is not necessary to keep pace.

Witht he improvements in the Windows operating system and drivers setting up a PC I feel is far simpler that the nightmare a console can be to get online or set up. It's become surprisingly user friendly. The constant updates demanded on console are far more intrusive than the automatic updates on PC that don't block you from accessing the system if not installed.

And that's kind of why I want the NX to succeed. With the Xbox and PS4 bringing little to nothing to the gaming landscape the WiiU has been a fantastic companion to the PC and actually offers something different. I want that to continue.

Andrew76 · 27-07-2016 03:42AM

WeleaseWoderick wrote: »

One thing I don't think I've seen mentioned is if it is a screen with attachable controllers, they could go down the Google Cardboard/Gear VR route very easily with a cheap addon for VR experiences too.

I'm looking forward to hearing more but as someone who owns all previous Nintendo home consoles, I'd be a little disappointed if it is primarily a portable experience.

For some reason I'm thinking the NX is going to be comparible in size to a 10" tablet rather than a 3DS or mobile phone - too big and heavy to strap to your head (even without the controllers attached). Reggie also mentioned during E3 that they weren't going near VR just yet.

Yeah at least the wait for details will soon be over, for better or worse!

Retr0gamer wrote: »

No, I stand by it, the PS4 so far has been one of the worst consoles I've owned. It's all about exclusives to me and the PS4 offers very little. It's closing in on the consoles 3rd year and outside of Bloodborne (horrendous framerate and frame pacing issues aside) there's been very little not available on PC.

Well the only proper complaint I've had with the PS4 was a hardware issue that Argos sorted for me no questions asked. On the games front I'm happy with what it provides. I got to play Bloodborne, The Last of Us, Uncharted, Destiny, Resogun, Hohokum and can't wait to play The Last Guardian. I'm loving The Witcher 3 at the minute that my PC wasn't able to run it at the time.

But I hear you, you weren't happy with what you go out of it. Wouldn't call it garbage, unlike that CD-i you own... :P

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Also the nature of PC and the very underwhelming power of the current gen means the price of entry of PC is nearly a match and upgrading is not necessary to keep pace.

That depends on your definition of 'nearly a match'. I'd love someone to show me a PC build - case, mobo, cpu, ram, gfx card, SSD+HDD, Windows OS, keyb, mouse, monitor - that comes in at the price of a PS4. Not a chance. But, I'll give you that over the course of the machine's lifetime you'll recoup that cost difference in savings due to game's being cheaper (or free depending on how honest you are).

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Witht he improvements in the Windows operating system and drivers setting up a PC I feel is far simpler that the nightmare a console can be to get online or set up. It's become surprisingly user friendly. The constant updates demanded on console are far more intrusive than the automatic updates on PC that don't block you from accessing the system if not installed.

Plug in an ethernet cable or key in your wifi password is all it takes to get a console online (apart from the Wii-U and linking NNID rubbish). Consoles are just catching up with PC's in relation to issues brought on by the presence of the Internet. Have you forgotten what it was like to install/play HL2 on launch? Steam wasn't so awesome back then. They both have their issues.

Anyway, PS4, PC, Wii-U - they're all good in my book.

Retr0gamer wrote: »

... the WiiU has been a fantastic companion to the PC and actually offers something different. I want that to continue.

The games on the Wii-U have been fanstatic no doubt. Hopefully it will continue with the NX.

Apologies Star Lord, I promise not to respond to anything else non-NX. :pac:

Banjo · 27-07-2016 10:48AM

First they give me off-TV, then they give me a single portable console that will keep 2 of my kids busy at the same time in the M&S carpark while mammy just pops in for a couple of things and then doesn't come back out for 45 minutes? You have no idea what a QoL improvement this will give me. Every time I think I'm out, they punch their corporate claw through my chest, rip out my gaming soul and give it a gentle hug.

didn't that patent for the supplemental device allow for multiple supplemental devices? Are we going to be able to build some kind of super-beast machine?

megaten · 27-07-2016 10:54AM

Banjo wrote: »

didn't that patent for the supplemental device allow for multiple supplemental devices? Are we going to be able to build some kind of super-beast machine?

If there's extra power in the dock I'd imagine its just to make sure games on the TV can render out to 1080p and not just whatever resolution the handheld screen is.

The_B_Man · 27-07-2016 11:21AM

Remember they said there's gonna be a Just Dance game on the NX so it can't be solely a handheld console.

McLoughlin · 27-07-2016 12:58PM

If Nintendo manage to have a console version COD on a portable device the NX could be successful.

MilesMorales1 · 27-07-2016 01:08PM

Thats not true. Vita tried to do console gaming on the go, and did a call of duty, and vita is a flop.

iamtony · 27-07-2016 03:12PM

Just a thought, they said the nx would be sold alongside the Wii U so maybe it connects to the Wii U rather than a completely new console and gives it extra horsepower, killing two birds with one stone?

Andrew76 · 27-07-2016 03:26PM

iamtony wrote: »

Just a thought, they said the nx would be sold alongside the Wii U so maybe it connects to the Wii U rather than a completely new console and gives it extra horsepower, killing two birds with one stone?

Not sure about that as it would be forcing any new customers to buy a Wii-U just to connect the NX to their TV. They probably just mean the Wii-U will still be supported come March, it is getting Zelda afterall.

CiDeRmAn · 27-07-2016 03:33PM

McLoughlin wrote: »

If Nintendo manage to have a console version COD on a portable device the NX could be successful.

The WiiU had Ghosts and Black Ops 2, didn't appear to make any difference.
Their 3DS/DS COD versions were fun but limited.
The Vita edition might have been out and decent but no one cared.
A NX edition of the COD franchise would, inevitably, suffer in comparison to the XB1 and PS4, both 3/4 year old consoles at this point.
It's a depressing state of affairs when the NX, as new hardware, is benchmarking against old hardware when we should be well ahead of such.
If some daft gimmick gobbles up available development funding and hence the end price, instead of investing in a newer more capable architecture then it'll be tragic.
We are getting a console that will struggle to play GTAV, as it is seen on the PS4 and XB1, so what's the point?

iamtony · 27-07-2016 03:36PM

Andrew76 wrote: »

Not sure about that as it would be forcing any new customers to buy a Wii-U just to connect the NX to their TV. They probably just mean the Wii-U will still be supported come March, it is getting Zelda afterall.

Yeah it was just a thought, considering the Wii U is still fairly new and the 3ds is getting old it might of made sense to get folk to buy the new handheld that already have the Wii U and new handheld customer might then buy the Wii U. My idea would be that the handheld can be used independently so no one has to buy a Wii U and it would keep cost down.
Might not of been a bad Idea.

CiDeRmAn · 27-07-2016 04:29PM

If this was a handheld only, and it had the sort of slightly sub XB1 power, it would be a revelation.
As an on the go handheld that sort of power would be unrivalled, and would represent a real paradigm shift in what a portable device could do.

But...

If a company was to release a new home console, in 2017, to share the market with two other consoles, each debuting in 2013 so four years old by then, and this console was inferior to them, that would be seen as yet another WiiU, another console destined to be just too hamstrung to enable easy porting from the other current consoles and, hence, doomed to yet more either sad ports, like Watchdogs, or no ports at all, EA post 2013.

And, it would seem to developers at least, the available strength of the hardware, to enable them to make the games they want to make, is important.

iamtony · 27-07-2016 04:34PM

Would the difference in the power of an iPad Pro be far off a WiiU? I honestly don't know I'm just wondering.

CiDeRmAn · 27-07-2016 05:49PM

iamtony wrote: »

Would the difference in the power of an iPad Pro be far off a WiiU? I honestly don't know I'm just wondering.

With different architectures and OS' it's hard to make a comparison, plus there's the type of games on each.
Someone might be happy with the sort of drag your thumb about titles on a touch screen device, but I'll take Mario Kart 8 and Split Second thanks.

Pac1Man · 27-07-2016 06:27PM

With the imminent release of the revised PS4 and Xbox, there's a little gap in the traffic for Nintendo to release an equivalent super console and claim some of the market so it's a pity they have decided to go down the quirky route.

The big question for me is would Nintendo's IPs be better on the NX or on a conventional powerful console? Time will tell. The lack of comparable 3rd party support with the other two consoles wouldn't matter much to me since I have a PS4.

That's why enjoyed the WiiU so much since it's much publicised negative points were meaningless to me.

ERG89 · 27-07-2016 06:58PM

They don't need only COD they need genuine third party support to fill up the release schedule and keep players playing the system. Looking at the WiiU that has been a problem. That development has been shared with the 3DS so combining them makes sense. But this system seems to be woefully underpowered. If they can't beat the current gen, 3 and a half years after them its not good enough tbh & those systems weren't powerful enough even then.
Worked for the DS, Wii & to a lesser extent the 3DS but the WiiU got obliterated. They are choosing to cannibalise their handheld market now so are going all in on something that doesn't convince me much

Corholio · 27-07-2016 07:07PM

Pac1Man wrote: »

With the imminent release of the revised PS4 and Xbox, there's a little gap in the traffic for Nintendo to release an equivalent super console and claim some of the market so it's a pity they have decided to go down the quirky route.

The big question for me is would Nintendo's IPs be better on the NX or on a conventional powerful console? Time will tell. The lack of comparable 3rd party support with the other two consoles wouldn't matter much to me since I have a PS4.

That's why enjoyed the WiiU so much since it's much publicised negative points were meaningless to me.

I'm not sure there's much of a gap there at all for another grunt based console. PS4 has pretty much entrenched itself there with the Xbox flagging behind. Even if Nintendo did release a console like this, I don't see them bringing across enough gamers from PS4 to play the 3rd party fodder like COD, FIFA etc. They'd have a powerful console but the consumer base wouldn't be there and could only be accumulated over time, which is something that is getting shorter and shorter console wise until the next upgrade comes out.

CiDeRmAn · 27-07-2016 07:41PM

Well, if the rumours are true it's going to finally be a single practical console format, the PS4, with the XB1 being an adjunct of the PC and Nintendo owning the handheld console market, with iOS and Android delivering a very different experience.

TheIrishGrover · 27-07-2016 08:18PM

I'm not one of those folks obsessed with graphics-pushing power but I find this disappointing: Dedicated mobile gaming is dying. The Vita is a fantastic machine with a beautiful screen and amazing power for the time. Games look amazing on it but it died a death. Never really got traction: The Gameboy/DS range was just too powerful. And now even these are beginning to fade.
Also bear in mind the limitations of processing power V battery life: The machine is going to have to take both into account so a slightly less powerful XB1 is not realistic unless you want 2 hour battery life.
I love Nintendo's machines but I gave the Wii-U a miss for the simple reason that it had such poor 3rd Party support. I want to play Zelda. I want to play Metroid and I want to play Mario Cart. But I'm not going to pay for a dedicated console just for these games when 3rd Party support disappears again and all we are left with is shovelware party games and the odd Splatoon every couple of years.
3rd Parties have already pretty much moved on from the last gen and that has a HUGE install base already in place and the developers know the machines intimately from years of development. Why go with an unknown factor that requires extensive retooling of ports?
I hope it works for them. It seems they are targeting the younger audience, the casual audience again but if this is true it certainly doesn't catch my imagination. I was really hoping for a PS4 level machine with that small screen on controller. I'd be willing to pay a premium for that controller if implemented correctly (Which they would, this time). However I believe this will be a mistake that will be their last hardware. I believe that by 2019 they will have to leave the dedicated hardware market and start licensing out their IPs (Like Sega)

iamtony · 27-07-2016 08:26PM

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

With different architectures and OS' it's hard to make a comparison, plus there's the type of games on each.
Someone might be happy with the sort of drag your thumb about titles on a touch screen device, but I'll take Mario Kart 8 and Split Second thanks.

The point I'm making Is if they could make a handheld device (obviously with buttons) as powerful as an IPhone or IPad it would probably happily run Mario Kart 8 spec games. Then add that power(if that's even possible) to the WiiU and now it runs GTA5 quality games at home.
Anyway I don't think that's what their doing It just popped into my mind and thought It could be a good solution.

sligeach · 27-07-2016 08:49PM

We still don't know if this is true. We need to see the bigger picture. But it sounds disappointing. It could be Nintendo's attempt to shake up the mobile industry and try and attract some console gamers while they're at it. Nintendo might wait until this gen PS4/XB1 is over before launching a dedicated home console. It could be anything.

If you're a mobile only gamer it's a big leap forward in terms of power but as a console gamer to me it sounds like a step backwards. I think if true, this will be the handheld where Nintendo really have had proper power for the first time.

I don't know how much Miyamoto is involved. I don't believe he's taken a step back as he says he has. I remember Miyamoto years ago saying that he believed the Gamecube was the pinnacle of where graphics needed to be. Nintendo have very set views like story not being important. I'd say he's in the thick of it, he can't help himself. They're the most stubborn company that almost need to be dragged kicking and screaming into the modern era.

Nintendo Switch (Nintendo's next console)

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