General Switch Discussion

[Kaepora_Gaebora]

Given how quiet Retro Studios have been over the last 4 years or so, what do you think the chances are of a final day announcement of their next game..?

 

I wouldn't be surprised if they go the way of NST and just quietly disappear into development obscurity; they've lost a lot of staff, of they haven't put anything out for four years they are either working on the miracle game or, more likely, they aren't making anything up to snuff and are being shut out slowly but surely.

[Ronnie]

Three years and four months since Donkey Kong which is less than what Mario Odyssey took to make.

 

I'm sure we'll hear about Retro in one of the Directs in the next six months. They often troll reply to tweets asking what they're working on.

[Julius]

Great quote from an excellent BBC article on the Switch's performance so far and Nintendo's E3 presence:

And so it serves as a timely reminder that to judge games consoles on processing power, or true-to-life graphics capability, would be like reviewing a film based solely on the quality of its CGI. What Nintendo continually delivers is creativity other publishers can’t match.

Edited June 14, 2017 by Julius Caesar

[Glen-i]

Great quote from an excellent BBC article on the Switch's performance so far and Nintendo's E3 presence:

 

So BBC are declaring that Ninty won E3?

 

Awful decision. Devolver Digital got robbed!

[Ronnie]

Great quote!

 

Another good read from Eurogamer

 

Nintendo consolidates an already special year

[dazzybee]

Don't know if I'm reading too much into things, but Nintendo E3 sale has games that has versions at, or announced at, E3 - Hryule - Mario, Zelda, metroid, Yoshi, Hyrule Warriors...

 

And one more - Smash bros!!! Will Smash get announced?!?!

 

In even more exciting news than that though - yellow joy cons dispatched!!!!

[Josh64]

That sale isn't bad, Galaxy 2 at £8.99 would be very tempting if I wasn't constantly making myself unemployed.

 

As for Retro, I've heard a lot about them losing staff from different places on the forum over the last few days. Is this a recent thing? Or did it already happen before DK? And how many staff are we talking? Was there a reason (like when MS made a stir with Rare at the initial buyout) or just natural turnover?

[Julius]

Interesting IGN interview with Reggie on VC, My Nintendo, and physical vs. digital game sales.

 

On Virtual Console coming to the Switch

"We know that our fans, our players, want access to all of our digital content, we know that," Nintendo of America president and chief operating officer Reggie Fils-Aime told IGN when asked if the company is interested in bringing Virtual Console to Switch.

 

According to the Nintendo exec, the company is currently working on finding the best way to deliver its classic content to Switch owners. "What we're working through is, 'okay, what's going to be the best way to make that happen, to make that available?'" Fils-Aime said. "Certainly, we recognize there's an appetite for all of our great legacy content."

 

Nintendo previously confirmed that its upcoming subscription service Classic Game Selection isn't designed to be a replacement for Virtual Console.

 

On My Nintendo

Fils-Aime also discussed My Nintendo and what the future holds for the company's rewards program.*"From the Nintendo of America standpoint, we have it as a priority to make My Nintendo much more meaningful moving forward," he said. When asked if physical rewards might ever come to the program, Fils-Aime said "it could" before discussing a few of the challenges that come with doing something like that in the Americas.

 

"The challenge I would just share is, unlike Japan, which is a very concentrated market, I've got to create solutions that are going to work for Canada, that are going to work for Latin America," he explained, noting that because it's a "much more diverse marketplace... physical goods gets a little more challenging." That isn't to say Nintendo is ruling it out, though. "Could I envision unique physical goods as part of the program? Sure. But it really needs to work for all of our consumers, not just the consumers in the United States," he added.

 

On physical vs. digital game sales

We also asked Fils-Aime about Switch game sales and how digital sales compare to physical. "For Nintendo, truly every game is different, and franchise drives some of this, as well as how the consumer wants to experience that game," he explained. Fils-Aime used The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild as an example, noting it had a "strong digital percent, but not as strong as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on a pure percentage basis."

 

With regard to why a larger percentage of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe sales*are*digital purchases, Fils-Aime said he thinks it's "because the nature of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is something that you always want to have on the device. You're out on the go, and so someone is eyeing your Nintendo Switch, eyeing those Joy-Con controllers to pop it out and immediately have a multiplayer experience, I think is part of what makes Mario Kart 8 Deluxe special."

 

In the case of Breath of the Wild, it's a very different type of experience that isn't as conducive to the aforementioned scenario. "Zelda is a one-on-one experience. It is my game, it's my 100 shrines, it's what I'm doing, and so it's just not as conducive to pop it down and to share a remote, which is why I think the digital percent is maybe a little bit different," Fils-Aime*explained.*He also spoke to the success of Snipperclips, noting "the sell-through of that game has been phenomenal here in the Americas."

 

Some Online app details have also emerged.

 

Edited June 15, 2017 by Julius Caesar

[V. Amoleo]

I'd assumed this but only today I've seen it: preowned games can not be used to claim MyNintendo coins.

 

Which must mean each cartridge has a unique identifier. I wonder if they'll do more with that in the future.

[Julius]

Reggie to IGN: Nintendo to continue supporting 3DS beyond 2018.

 

"The way we continue to make Nintendo 3DS vibrant as a platform is first we continue to innovate from form factor standpoint," Fils-Aime said. "So the New 2DS XL is just the latest for us in having form factor innovation. We know colors are a key differentiator, consumers love the variety of different colors. And also the larger screen and the different form factor in the 2DS family, we think is a going to drive and continue to drive the 3DS platform."

 

The other major pillar of Nintendo's support is, of course, supporting its handheld with games; "we’re going to continue to bring new content, and that’s what’s going to keep this device vibrant and keep it going well into 2018 and beyond."

 

Fils-Aime made it clear that though the Nintendo Switch is a portable console, it is a home console and not a replacement for what Nintendo wants to accomplish with the 3DS and 2DS.

 

"We say that it’s a home console that you take with you and play with anyone, anywhere, anytime. It really is meant to deliver that great home console performance, you just happen to be able to undock it and take it with you, which is a key innovation," Fils-Aime said. "But look, in the end, what we want is we want the consumer to call it their device, right? Their preferred gaming device that they can play fantastic Zelda, Mario, third-party content, all of their favorite franchises brought to life on the platform. That’s what we want. And we’re greedy and we want Nintendo 3DS right alongside it."

[Ashley]

The Wii is still getting games so why not?

[Ike]

Good. Increases the chance of the 3DS version of Dragon Quest XI being localised.

[Ronnie]

Nintendo's Share Value Reaches New Heights in Positive Reaction to E3

There's still a full day of E3 to come and Nintendo could yet produce a surprise or two, but early assessments of the event and its levels of success are already emerging. Nintendo seems to have come out of the event rather well so far.

 

One metric is the company's share price (we'll cover other areas like social media later), which reflects the confidence investors have in the direction Nintendo is taking. In late May a landmark was hit as the share value in the Tokyo market went to its highest point in over five years, and that level has been generally holding since. Now, with the buzz around E3, Nintendo's share value has continued to gain; there's been an uptick since E3 began and today's trading closed on an increase of 4.29% at 36,250 Yen.

 

 

 

http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2017/06/nintendos_share_value_reaches_new_heights_in_positive_reaction_to_e3

[Julius]

http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2017/06/nintendos_share_value_reaches_new_heights_in_positive_reaction_to_e3

 

That's genuinely pretty amazing. For anyone wondering, it's the highest share valuation of Nintendo stock since October/November 2008.

[Hero-of-Time]

I made a comment in another thread about how Sony and Microsoft were having a bit of a PR nightmare at E3 and that Reggie had been good this year. Well...

 

On why in the world Nintendo is going to require use of a mobile phone when using voice-chat for the Switch, given that everyone else, and even Nintendo, has previously done console voice-chat directly through the console:

 

Fils-Aime: We actually think that the phone is going to deliver a better, more robust execution. In terms of the APIs that we can build into an app, the fact that phones are ubiquitous, the fact that it allows us to do much more rapid improvements and updates to the service, that’s why we think a phone execution—and specifically a mobile app execution—is going to be better for the consumer.

 

Totilo: It just seems cumbersome that I’m going to have to plug my headset into a phone into a system, those wires…

 

Fils-Aime: So let’s be clear. What you’ve seen is the execution by one particular supplier. That is not going to be the only solution.

 

Totilo: But it’s going to require a phone no matter what?

 

Fils-Aime: It’s going to require a phone. It’s going to require a mobile device and be delivered by an app.

 

So let me get this straight, he thinks that making updates to an app on phones, of which there are many different models and a couple of different operating systems is easier than pushing an update on Nintendo's own console, which they know the ins and outs of? Okay.....

 

On the risk Switch owners take that if they lose their system, they will lose their save files, which currently can’t be backed up.

 

Totilo: We at Kotaku have heard the feedback—and I’ve even worried about it myself–that the lack of cloud save and even the back-up option I can do with my 3DS [can cost people their save files if they lose their Switch]… do you guys hear that message?

 

Fils-Aime: We do.

 

Totilo: Can you say that there’s a solution coming?

Fils-Aime: I can’t say there’s a solution coming, but we do hear the message.

 

So basically they know that people want it but they don't have a solution for it. Once Nintendo showing that they haven't a clue when it comes to online setup/features.

 

On the possibility of the Virtual Console for Switch, separate from whatever Nintendo is planning to do with its $20 online service which was recently delayed to 2018 and is set to include a subscription-based library of legacy games:

 

Totilo: Have you guys said if there’s going to be, aside from all that, a Virtual Console experience?

 

Fils-Aime: We’ve not used the term Virtual Console.

 

[Editor’s Note: In a press release in February, Nintendo did use the term—“Virtual Console games will not be available on Nintendo Switch at launch. We will share more information in the future.”–though not in a way that necessarily describes a specific planned service.]

 

Totilo: Do you plan to sell your older games to people? People got used to that with Wii and Wii U as downloads.

 

Fils-Aime: What we’ve said is that as we communicate the specifics of the Nintendo Switch online service then at that point we’ll communicate what it is we’re doing with our legacy content.

 

Totilo: It’d be great to be able to download and play some GameCube games on my Switch, Reggie. I’m just telling you.

 

Fils-Aime: I see a lot of consumers hoping and wishing for that online.

 

You were so close to making it through E3 without saying anything dumb, Reggie. So close.

[drahkon]

Just read that interview.

 

Shook my head more than once.

[Aneres11]

Ha what an idiot.

And I love the guy throwing those questions at him. Asking what we all want to know. He needs to keep popping up at all these events where Reggie is going to be and just keep asking the same thing again and again.

[Hero-of-Time]

He needs to keep popping up at all these events where Reggie is going to be and just keep asking the same thing again and again.

 

I think he's already getting sick of people asking him about Mother 3.

 

When asked about a few specific titles that are highly anticipated by their fan bases (“I thought I was going to make it a day at E3 without being asked about Mother 3,” Fils-Aime joked), Fils-Aime explained that Nintendo wants to make sure it’s doing a game justice before it decides to release it.

[liger05]

1 step forward 2 steps back with Nintendo. Always the way.

 

The phone app stuff is ridiculous but for me the worst is no way to back up save data. Reggie talks as if it doesn't really matter and it's not important.

 

It's completely absurd that they have not begun working on a save backup/transfer solution. Not just absurd but a real shitty way of treating the customer.

 

People just want to back up data which isn't too much to ask but Nintendo clearly think this going far and beyond for what we should expect from them.

 

Reggie is a grade A prick!!! Don't tell me you have heard the concerns but there is no solution. What good is that?

 

Virtual Console isn't coming to the switch anytime soon or even at all. They don't care.

 

How many platforms do they need to release before they can get a VC running in launch period?

 

Those who seem to think Megaman collection and Disney collection from Capcom were not announced for Switch because they would be VC releases think again.

Edited June 16, 2017 by liger05

[Julius]

It's gets worse. Some conflicting stuff on VC published within hours of the article cited by @Here-of-Time . Note that no direct quote is given regarding this, but it is stated as being said;

 

There are features that Nintendo is specifically prioritizing, Fils-Aime said, that he knows consumers expect. Those include voice chat, but also entertainment services like Netflix and Amazon Prime, which he said Nintendo “recognizes are important for a device you can take with you.”

 

“As we were proceeding along development, there were things we wanted to do with Nintendo Switch online that extended the development time,” Fils-Aime said. “When you look at the products [from Nintendo] that have been delayed, typically it's worth the wait. Breath of the Wild is a great example.”

 

That also includes Virtual Console, Fils-Aime said, something that has been completely absent from the Switch despite its success on the Wii and Wii U. While Nintendo has mentioned the Classic Game Selection, a feature bundled with the online service that will give fans a free, classic Nintendo title with new online multiplayer, the ability to buy and purchase old games has been absent from the discussion.

 

Other than that, this Polygon article was a much better interview with him than that mild train wreck with Kotaku.

 

In the upside, at least he didn't do this on the livestream :P

[liger05]

I think it's quite clear they are so worried about hacks and homebrewing they are prepared to gimp the switch of basic features such as back up save files instead of themselves working on security.

 

We suffer because they don't want to do whatever it takes to ensure security forum the platform.

[nekunando]

Is anyone else extremely concerned about the Virtual Console situation?

 

I previously stated that the Switch has the potential to be my favourite ever console, but obviously that is dependent on the games that will arrive over the next few years, including a vast library of Virtual Console classics. Without the latter, it's going to be such a disappointment

 

I'm sure we will get plenty of old titles on the Switch in the future but if it's locked behind some sort of subscription, like how 'free' PS+ games require an active subscription, then that would be a bitter pill to swallow.

 

I, like I'm sure many others, am ready to invest lots of money in building a huge collection of quality, portable SNES and N64 titles to accompany Switch software and it'll be heartbreaking if it can't be done!

[Serebii]

Is anyone else extremely concerned about the Virtual Console situation?

 

I previously stated that the Switch has the potential to be my favourite ever console, but obviously that is dependent on the games that will arrive over the next few years, including a vast library of Virtual Console classics. Without the latter, it's going to be such a disappointment

 

I'm sure we will get plenty of old titles on the Switch in the future but if it's locked behind some sort of subscription, like how 'free' PS+ games require an active subscription, then that would be a bitter pill to swallow.

 

I, like I'm sure many others, am ready to invest lots of money in building a huge collection of quality, portable SNES and N64 titles to accompany Switch software and it'll be heartbreaking if it can't be done!

 

I have no doubt it's coming.

 

However, Virtual Console is a bit akin to Metroid in that it's a thing that people continually clamour for but don't actually sell that well.

[liger05]

I have no doubt it's coming.

 

However, Virtual Console is a bit akin to Metroid in that it's a thing that people continually clamour for but don't actually sell that well.

 

Well when you repeatedly charge people for the same game over and over again it tends to piss people off. Not forgetting the overpricing of games and he ridiculous slow roll out of titles.

[Aneres11]

Yeah it's always the same game. Kirby's Dream land 3 has been banded about so much it makes me hate the little guy.

 

I personally couldn't really care less about VC, as they haven't got it right for me yet. If it was how it should be, so a plethora of amazing games from N64 and GC then brilliant. But I don't want to play GBA or SNES or NES games (personally) so I'm not excited by it.

 

It just baffles me that the Wii U offered N64 games and this doesn't.