Pestneb

On the Wii U, realistically I suspect online usage is more or less 99% Splatoon, MK8 and Smash. So if (and we have to make assumptions here) it is £12 a year, 60 over 5 years, that adds £20 to those 3 games. What games does Nintendo have that could actually make the online worth having? Obviously the three above mentioned.... smash football.... Beyond that I am genuinely struggling. I suppose a Starfox zero with multiplayer co-op (or even vs modes) would follow the seeming route of taking the Wii U library, charging for it to be portable. Fire emblem warriors I suppose... a metroid universe game where you play as a squad of space marines yeah I can't really see much scope for Nintendo to make the online worth while with just those games. The VC title free for a month is actually fine, as in it is inoffensive, but it should be a tiny added perk, part of a bigger package. There are plenty of things they can add in without pushing the cost to themselves up significantly. Hopefully they'll see the response and work on improving what they are proposing.

Zelda in March I think is capable of shifting 2 Million. Mario kart in April probably again, able to shift 2 Million. Splatoon is coming probably in July? again, able to shift a couple of million. Mario again, able to move 2 million units. Nintendo are being cautious to avoid inventory sitting in warehouses too long. spacing out a number of big hitters throughout the year seems sensible enough, it means they won't have a HUGE peak initially, they can look at consumer response and anticipate demand etc. It makes the switch a bit less volatile. Wii U in 2012 had mario bros U 2013 had 3d world, pikmin 3 2014 had DK tropical freeze, Smash bros, mario kart 2015 had Splatoon. mario maker. 2016 Paper mario. 2017 Zelda BotW. Already the switch in it's first year out does the Wii U's first two years in terms of the bigger hitters. ok Zelda is also on the Wii U, but I actually think Nintendo are banking on many Wii U owners opting for the Wii U version to avoid switch shortages. is 20% of wii U owners upgrade at launch, Nintendo are out of stock. I would love to know how many upgrades Mario kart and Zelda secure... imagine not too many, I'd guess at a 50:50 split, or 35:65 with mainly non Wii U owners jumping in. Splatoon 2 I think is the first attempt at pulling in upgraders, then Mario marking the hard launch. I do think 10 Million this year is doable, and if they pull that off they are on the right track. They do need to fill out the release schedule though, E3 needs to be good for them. **edit** having said that, for me the GC first month was pretty good. Burnout, Starwars rogue squadron 2, super monkey ball, wave race, luigi's mansion, Super smash bros melee. Next month Pikmin. Super mario sunshine, Eternal darkness and Starfox adventures filling out 2002... put's things in a less positive light for me 2003 super monkey ball 2, metroid prime, zelda: wind waker, F-zero, Starwars rogue squadron 3, Mario kart, 1080 2004 Animal crossing, Pikmin 2, Donkey Konga, Paper Mario, Metroid prime 2 2005 Jungle beat, star fox assault, Konga 2, Super mario strikers, Battalion wars 2006 Twilight Princess That's not an exhaustive list at all... and obviously subjective, but for me no Nintendo console since has come close. There are a bunch of other games I can think of that I could add to that list too. If Nintendo can get another 6 solid big titles exclusive to switch... it would be a very good move. Not that the GC did spectacularly well though

I think this is a soft launch, aimed at allowing them to build up manufacturing and cancel out the scalper situation. In a few months time, I am sure they will offer a bonus too NNID's linked to an early switch... free online, free games whatever. I think the Switch will work it's way down in price as manufacturing picks up pace (best case scenario). They'll hope Zelda will carry the first 2 million in March and early April, Mario Kart in late April to early May, E3 promise in June. July coast it a bit. In August I can see the online being rolled out in a limited version, current owners being told they'll get a perk (something like the premium program on the Wii U? we can only dream I guess :P) and the price will drop, or a game will be bundled in with the console. Then in November a relaunch with which ever of the aforementioned options was not used in August to pick up sales in the US for black friday, and in the EU for Christmas. So for those of us willing to wait, £250 with a bundled game. Those wanting the console from March, £340 with a game.

Looking at splatoon web page, and miiverse... I'm thinking if they incorporate those ideas neatly into an app it could be pretty good. I am disappointed with the price, but I was already looking at getting the switch 2018 anyway, the price is likely to have dropped/game bundles released by that time. I'm considering zelda at the moment, but it's not 100% certain right now, my spare time has dropped drastically and I'm just not finding the time for gaming as it is.

So.... seriously, from what we know, how do people feel about switch Online (with plenty of unknowns) vs Wii U online? Personally I think Wii U online is better from what we know. 1) price - free>paid 2) functionality - on par. Skype + online matchmaking 3) vc - 100% free choice from the entire collection and 100% optional. For me the switch "free" game idea needs to be fixed. I think they need to incorporate a "unlock" option, where for maybe up to a month after the rental period ends (or even during) you at least get a £1 discount from the purchase price of the game you rented (assuming £12 a year cost). from a vc point of view that makes a bit more sense than the drip feeding, people are "forced" to choose a game from the options given, try it, and if they don't like it, only £1 lost, if they do they can take the plunge. I also think that if you choose to purchase a vc game during your subscription period you should have the option to rent one of the other choices as well. Maybe if they provide 10 choices a month (without repeats) it wouldn't feel so bad. How I see it happening though is only getting a choice of 1 nes game or 1 snes game. Like neither? oh well. And discount if you want to buy it permanently? nope. Anyway, we have plenty of time to see. November 2013 I got a wii u with 2 games for £200. In March 2017 ( 3 years and 4 months later) I'm not ready to buy a switch for £280 with no games!!! And effectively, if it's £6 a year online subscription, £310, £340 for a £12/year sub. If the Switch is still out next year and there is a good library (by which I mean 30 full titles either out or definitely coming) I'll bite.

I am pretty disappointed with this. I watched the presentation (woke up for an unrelated reason) and initially started getting a little hyped... it didn't last long I tried being positive, but hearing the cost put me off. Having said that, I do think it is largely a pricing issue. Having said that, looking at Wii U prices, the switch isn't so bad. It's a Wii U with extra power, and full portability. I think it is worth the extra £££. The issue is the Wii U is too expensive Anyway... Tired as I am I think the number one barrier right now for me is pricing.

The Switch is weaker than PS4/X1. It is more straightforward to bring a PS3/360 port to the switch than to water down a PS4/X1 title. It also possibly means longer battery life on the go as well...

Personally this is, for the time being, me out. With the price of the stand alone unit, it needed to have free online for me to be in. With the free nes/snes game... fair enough it only being for one month so long as there is a large enough choice. It actually, for me, is better than their current vc, I can try out games and if I like them presumably I can buy them at the end of my trial period (or just have completed them within the month). with online multiplayer I think that is a good step up for the vc. As for online... this system, so far asks me to pay for a system that I can already get for free with the Wii U... so I am baffled here. I would hope the switch itself can connect direct to a headset and has stuff built into the o/s as I believe has already been said. Anyway... I am actually happy because for a while there I was tempted, and I don't really have the cash I want to be spending on a new console right now I suspect it has to do with where to place the microphone and speakers on the switch console that works for both handheld AND home console situations. Most kids I know have tablets, I suspect they would also be able to run the app on that. But yeah... will they have a program for PC users too?

Yeah, I understand you. I have good internet connection, but some months I just don't play online. I'd be reluctant to pay for a service I won't use... like this month I'm not sure I've played splatoon at all. I'd probably actually be happier if they charged per hour played rather than a monthly sub. but oh well, guess it won't affect me anyway

It may be to discourage scalpers too. Looking at Nintendo launches there seem to be a bunch of nuts who likely would pay £500 for this. I imagine price cuts coming quickly as they get manufacturing going. When Mario comes out I think they'll slash the price (longer online subscription bundled in, maybe mario bundled in as well) so I'd imagine £230 will be the price by 2018. But we'll see. I'm glad of the blunders though, I leave the country on the 2nd so it would have been terrible if I wanted the console the next day

wouldn't you be able to go out and grab wifi from a coffee shop or something like that? As for the VC, This is basically how I will build a VC collection then. The added online play is interesting - the wording is ambiguous, is it only snes games? I would read it as [nes or snes game] both having online play. I wonder if we will have the choice, a limited choice or if we'll be told "this is the game you are going to enjoy" I suspect £10 a month though at that price. There are advantages to using an app for voice chat etc, I presume it would work on tablets as well.. For those upset, consider the practicalities, where would you put a microphone? on the main switch? the joy-cons? the pro controller? all three? sure they could have a headset (possibly they will have compatibility) but most people have phones/tablets so as a low price entry level the app (provided it is free!) seems an ok compromise.

I think they are legally obligated by their FIFA contract to create and release that game. it's basically a no show from EA. I suspect they'll mess it up like the Wii U one as well.

In terms of Online I want to know pricing and what I get for the money. I'm not getting the console without online so I want to know how much it will cost. To get a ball park figure, what are PS4/X1 prices for online subscriptions??

That Mario game is almost me back in

hmm. tbh I think this is probably me out for the switch. the games so far are giving me a wii vibe... the wii being by far the most disappointing Nintendo console for me by far it's not encouraging. Paid online isn't something I'm up for. Very much dependent on the price they set though.

looking at the switch pro controller I would be disappointed if the Wii U pro's didn't work, there's not that big a difference. If shoulder pads are analogue then... sure I understand to an extent, but they could have limited backwards compatibility, reward wii u owners a tiny bit. personally it would push the Switch back to a more affordable purchase, if two of my controllers would already work with it.

Guessing the PS4/X1 bits will lose the Nintendo references? Or will Nintendo let that pass as a kind of advertisement for their games? I'm hoping the game has some added extras that make it worth getting again, I loved the original, and sans ridiculous loading times the game would be awesome!

Good praise... but should we worry about the bold bit? I doubt friend-codes will return but does this suggest a lack of social features..? Never seen Myopically being used as a complement before... is this praise?

I loved the game... but in worms games was there not a time limit within which you had to complete your turn? It resulted in a more hectic feel. But having said that I think you are probably right, which is why I love the game... it's really addictive, awesome game and definitely well worth the price. Dig I don't want to play again... I fell I'm done with that game, though wouldn't say it was a waste. But heist I actually enjoy playing through levels again and again as I get new characters and weapons. The ships layout changes each time so it feels fresh enough, and being able to adjust difficulty gives a bit more meaning to doing so. I think the game is a bit easy (my own fault I should set it to a tougher difficulty) but even within that it is fun. I've only played one level that was unsatisfyingly easy, just pushed the difficulty up a notch and replayed it so it didn't feel cheap. Hoping to complete the whole game on the toughest difficulty soon. Should make my next long distance flight enjoyable in any case!

I remember seeing a few really intriguing things that didn't make it into Legends... levels, amiibo support I think... I think if they add those things in that would be great, maybe even expand a few ideas and refine things. I really liked the online challenge thing, the collectables etc. I can see the game being a good show case actually, how the switch can move games up to the next level with having some sort of handheld multiplayer aspects playing into the home console side of things etc. Actually.. no I can't see that, but it would be nice

isn't Argos ridiculously expensive for gaming? I always remember them selling stuff at a much higher price. £300 in Argos sounds good to me... Also maybe they are fed up with Nintendo Scalpers and decided they may as well make a bunch more money on launch, then when supply begins to match supply, drop the price a bit.

True and false... the "horizontal" development is about as far as it can go, but vertical development hasn't moved so much. I think two sides are reduced power consumption (which we are progressing on) and increased power capacity (which we have just about maxed out with current tech) So that tech needs to progress. I think there are some developments going on, but as consumers seem to increasingly accept reduced battery life as a consequence of improved performance there's not been enough pressure/benefit to develop battery tech beyond just making small improvements to the current systems in place. Regarding the earlier question about resolution and battery.. it is a sliding scale for every individual. There is a point for each person where the graphics will be too dumbed down, and a point where battery life is unusable. Personally I think my "sweet spot" is very wide. I was comfortable using the Wii U gamepad screen, which is only 480p I believe? So I would actually be completely comfortable with as low as 480p in portable mode. As for portable mode... I think I would be wanting 4 hours as a minimum, bearing in mind battery life tends to dip after a certain amount of usage. 8 hours would obviously be nicer.

Just had a quick look at the GC which was mentioned as a pinnacle of post PS Nintendo greatness. Rounding consoles up to nearest 5M games to nearest M (using vgc) GC (~25M) : Top seller ~7 mill Rogue squadron: 2M RE4: 2M SCII:2M RE:1M RE0:1M NFS:underground:1M Spiderman TM:1M NFS:U 2:1M ToS:1M Naruto:1M Wii U(~15M) Top seller ~7M Zombi U 1M Xenoblade chronicles:1M Bayonette 2:1M Monster Hunter Tri: 1M This isn't a perfect list.. but two things 1) unexpectedly, consoles sales don't seem to limit Nintendo's own software sales so much on a per game basis (seeing as both GC and Wii U top sellers are around 7M each - sure how many million sellers etc but still... 2) The number of "mature" (not really sure most games given that label actually are all that mature) games by third parties hitting 1M sales is going down. I might look at Wii later. But it's a chicken/egg situation. I actually think it is beneficial for 3rd parties to have a 1 system scenario. I can see the next gen of consoles pushing microsoft out to the edge a bit. I don't think 3rd parties are inherently anti Nintendo (nor Microsoft) but with the N64 Nintendo gave them a nudge to the PS, had Nintendo capitalised on the Wii (by giving it Wii U like hardware) I think the situation would be very different. As for microsoft... tbh last gen Nintendo stepped out of the "red ocean" that 3rd parties operate in. Microsoft didn't. But this gen I think is the beginning of marginalisation of Microsoft. Not saying it is a lost battle for them, but rumours were that they would pull out next gen or go more towards PC gaming? Anyway.. should be interesting next few months and years.

It's just the GPU. and it is possible that the tools provided by Nvidia can do any associated work natively to downscale 1080p to 720p etc. In terms of the CPU the console stays the same and memory controller dip will quite likely simply reflect reduced usage due to the GPU drop.

I've not been into PC architecture for quite a while now. But then tech jargon isn't necessarily useful. Ok imagine a room with 5 chairs, 5 canvases and a variety of paints, brushes etc. Pop five 3yr old kids in there. the children are told to paint a tree within the hour. Now put 10 yr old children in there, same brief. Now put 20 year old's who have chosen to pursue art as a career in the future, again same brief Not to put down young'uns, you do get very talented individuals, but I would expect the 20 year olds to have been able to refine skill sets and be more able to put what is in their head onto that canvas. so I would imagine the 5 canvases in the room with 20 year olds would, on the whole at the very least, be far more impressive than the 3 yr olds and 10 year olds attempts. 5 seats, 1 room, 1 hour, but the output per room is markedly different. The whole binary processing that goes on inside processors is pretty impressive, but I'll try and simplify it to show how a CPU can be more powerful per cycle. Let's say a particular operations takes an integer, +3, then stores the result in memory. Next cycle that integer is taken, and is multiplied by 5. If that was a common instruction, a chip maker could make their chip so the number goes in, has 3 added AND is multiplied by 5 in a single cycle. That is super dumbed down, but it's the principle. I imagine there will be people on this forum more knowledgable than me who can break it down better. You what? :P I recall back then everyone was crying about how bad the 3rd party situation was, how it was good Nintendo had started courting EA with mario in one of their games, how they had worked with capcom, sega and namco and things might be better for what turned out to be the Wii. I imagine the same conversations goes on each gen, but with increasing amount of justification. On the Wii U we have splinter cell, assassins creed (back in the GC days we'd have died for that game) NFS (burnout), lego city, in fact a lot of lego games... We need to be thankful for that. As for the switch.. I'm not too invested in this conversation because I will see, in a years time, what games are available. When/If it has those I'm in. If not I am happy with my Wii U.