Nintendo Switch - Happy Switchmas Everyone!

[Kav]

They throw in these features that more than likely won't be taken advantage of in meaningful ways, but won't put basic online/social features on the system itself!

[Mike]

Just come back from the Switch event, and echo the positive impressions from others who went. The Switch console itself and the JoyCons feel like really nice pieces of kit, and pretty comfortable to hold. The grip controller, which I used for Zelda, felt a little strange, what with its square shape, but it wasn't uncomfortable and is certainly something I'll be able to get used to. Buttons all feel nice, and I was pleasantly surprised how I didn't mind the buttons instead of D pad.

 

Zelda was the first game I tried, after an hour queue. Though I enjoyed it and am keen to try more, I left feeling a bit disappointed because the 20 minutes I was allowed on it barely let me scratch the surface, especially as I had go through the whole 'Open your eyes' beginning scene.

 

ARMS was next - what a fun little game! I'd need a bit more time to get used to th controls, but I could feel myself getting better as the 15 minutes or so I got with the game went on. So much better than Wii Sports Boxing, and the gyros on the JoyCons allowed for some really subtle adjustments to your punches. As long as there are a variety of modes (including a decent single player campaign), this is definitely worth picking up.

 

Of the 1,2,Switch games on display, I was able to try the Strike A Pose, Safe Cracker and Ball Count mini games. The first two really did feel like something you might get on the Wii, but the Ball Count one was seriously impressive, thanks to the HD rumble. What people are saying about the feedback you get from the rumble is true - it honestly felt like the balls were rolling about inside the controller. I just get the feeling that ultimately, it'll largely just be used for gimmicky mini games, and I'm yet to be convinced that it's worth the extra expense it's added to the system.

 

Splatoon 2 felt pretty much like the first one, though that's no bad thing. I tried out the new Dualies weapon and got on well with it, and the Jetpack special that came with it was fun. The level in the demo was very reminiscent of Urchin Underpass - nothing to write home about, but I'm sure there'll be more creative levels in the final game. I was relieved to see that the SuperJump worked just fine without the touchscreen. Choosing which teammate to jump to with the dpad buttons was quick and easy, and you could select where you wanted to go as soon as you got splatted, so you'd jump there immediately after respawning. This was the only game I tried in handheld mode, and like everyone else is saying, the screen quality - the colours and the resolution - was superb.

 

The last big game I tried was battle mode in Mario Kart. I tried this one in split screen tabletop mode, and although it worked well enough, the screen was a bit too small to make this setup something I'd want to use unless I really had to. Battle mode was fine - I played as Inkling Boy in Bomb Blast mode. Fun enough, but if there aren't any new actual racing tracks, I can't see myself double dipping on this title.

 

Sadly, I didn't get to have a go on Snipperclips as the line was too long and the event was ending, but it seemed popular with the people playing it. I did have one race on Fast Racing RMX, though, and it looked and felt as lovely as the Wii U version.

 

And that's it! A fun morning, even if I could have done with another hour or so there. Made me all the more excited about March 3rd!

[Aneres11]

Hype... once again... building...

Must... resist... stupidly priced... accessories...

[Ronnie]

Thanks for the report, all sounds good.

 

Is Fast RMX the same thing as Fast Racing Neo? I never played the latter but from reports it seemed a good game.

[Pestneb]

It's annoyihng, but I literally can't remember the last time I used analogue triggers...

 

Burnout on the gamecube. And I loved it. the precision control is fantastic. I can see the switch having pressure sensitive shoulder pads rather than regular analogue shoulder pads because as a portable it's something that sticks out less so is less vulnerable to damage etc. a bit like 3ds analogue stick vs the Wii U ones. So I am hopeful, although pressure sensitive < analogue shoulders. with analogue shoulders you can feel how far you have pushed them in, it's a more natural control method for me than pressure... you know when you are at 100%, with pressure you could be at 500% of what they will read and be no wiser.

[dazzybee]

Thanks for the report, all sounds good.

 

Is Fast RMX the same thing as Fast Racing Neo? I never played the latter but from reports it seemed a good game.

 

Yep, but with 30 new tracks. 60 in total. I have neo, it's very very good, still tempted by this.

[Dcubed]

Thanks for the report, all sounds good.

 

Is Fast RMX the same thing as Fast Racing Neo? I never played the latter but from reports it seemed a good game.

 

Yeah, it's a port of the Wii U game with the DLC included as standard; now running in 1080p.

[Julius]

In case it hasn't been mentioned, apparently the reason for the pretty crazily priced Pro Controller (currently listed for ~£60 everywhere) is that it has a gyroscope and possibly HD Rumble. If so, the pricing certainly makes more sense.

 

I was planning on getting a Switch anyway, but I've come around on the pricing, simply because I think Nintendo are making the smart move. £60 for a game is expensive, as is £280 for a Nintendo console, but compare that to what I imagine the Scorpio will cost itself and it's games? Not to mention that around that time Ninty will probably have the wit to put their prices down £10 or so across all tiers; suddenly, it'll be by far the cheapest new console for 2017 (Scorpio is likely, very likely, going to be in excess of £400, and new games specialised for it will likely claim £60) and have the reasonably priced games once again.

 

And all around the same time that the price will likely drop (late autumn/early holiday window), so more units will likely be sold anyway. Smart move Big N, smart move.

[EEVILMURRAY]

I'd rather they show off a nice little feature like the IR camera than spend time on a meaningless bit of information like where the games go. For the record, there's a slot on the top of the device for the game cards.

 

Game cards? So no discs anymore?

[Retro_Link]

Yeah the pro controller does have HD rumble as well as a more traditional rumble.

 

It's going to be interesting to see how much HD rumble is used in the pro controller, because when developing a game, surely you'd have to develop the rumble with either the JoyCons OR pro controller in mind, because of how different their shapes are. You couldn't simply map rumble from one to the other.

Edited January 15, 2017 by Retro_Link

[Dcubed]

Game cards? So no discs anymore?

 

Yeah, no discs. Uses 3DS style Game Cards (though even smaller!) that can store up to 32GB-64GB.

 

Loading times are much faster than discs, so no need to install games like on PS4/Xbone. Just plug and play.

[Ronnie]

If the Pro controller does have HD rumble then yes the high price is more understandable. I imagine the technology is just going to be used to enhance the rumble feedback with nifty effects based on what's happening on screen rather than gameplay mechanics designed around it. Things like firing an arrow in BOTW and having the rumble quickly go from the bottom of the joycons to the top as it fires, something like that maybe? (not saying that actually happens in the game, just an example)

[killthenet]

I don't get the argument that HD Rumble won't be utilised, its not like developers will have to think of ways to shoegorn it in like they did with motion controls, it will just be a more sensitive version of rumble and developers already implement rumble in their games anyway. Many developers already employ Rumble Artists so this will just make their jobs more worthwhile.

[Julius]

The Switch will support microSD SDXC cards of up 512 GB capacity at launch, and will support microSD SDXC cards up to, and including, 2 TB capacity (when they are inevitably released), reports GameInformer.

[S.C.G]

The Switch will support microSD SDXC cards of up 512 GB capacity at launch, and will support microSD SDXC cards up to, and including, 2 TB capacity (when they are inevitably released), reports GameInformer.

 

I've been doing some research on micro SDXC cards and it seems that 512GB cards aren't even commonplace in the UK yet and even when you can buy them, it seems that they are around £300 + which is more than the console.

 

So I think the best option if you want to be sure of having at least some space at a semi-reasonable price would be this 200GB card for just over £50 surely?

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/222315739151?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

[Retro_Link]

If the Pro controller does have HD rumble then yes the high price is more understandable. I imagine the technology is just going to be used to enhance the rumble feedback with nifty effects based on what's happening on screen rather than gameplay mechanics designed around it. Things like firing an arrow in BOTW and having the rumble quickly go from the bottom of the joycons to the top as it fires, something like that maybe? (not saying that actually happens in the game, just an example)

I still think it's something Nintendo need to take a hit on. It's an absurd amount of money to ask for a controller no matter the tech inside. Price is what Nintendo should have at the forefront when considering what they put into the thing.

 

I like the idea of the rumble acting as enemy impact. So if your shield/armour takes a heavy impact from the right for example the rumble will thud hard on the right and dissipate left.

Edited January 15, 2017 by Retro_Link

[EEVILMURRAY]

Yeah, no discs. Uses 3DS style Game Cards (though even smaller!) that can store up to 32GB-64GB.

 

Loading times are much faster than discs, so no need to install games like on PS4/Xbone. Just plug and play.

 

That would've been good to have heard during their presentation.

[liger05]

I still think it's something Nintendo need to take a hit on. It's an absurd amount of money to ask for a controller no matter the tech inside. Price is what Nintendo should have at the forefront when considering what they put into the thing.

 

I like the idea of the rumble acting as enemy impact. So if your shield/armour takes a heavy impact from the right for example the rumble will thud hard on the right and dissipate left.

 

Yes it's very expensive.. All controllers are over priced. The game companies make huge margins on peripherals and none of them should be as expensive as they are.. This just looks real bad as controllers are already expensive and now Nintendo have the most expensive of them all.

[Ronnie]

That would've been good to have heard during their presentation.

 

We knew about it in October, when they released this image, among many.

 

[nekunando]

I've been doing some research on micro SDXC cards and it seems that 512GB cards aren't even commonplace in the UK yet and even when you can buy them, it seems that they are around £300 + which is more than the console.

 

So I think the best option if you want to be sure of having at least some space at a semi-reasonable price would be this 200GB card for just over £50 surely?

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/222315739151?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

 

That would've been good to have heard during their presentation.

 

Nintendo seem to have a serious problem in getting important information across, unfortunately. The presentation was a bit of a mess that didn't highlight anywhere near enough of the features that we want, and need, to hear about

 

Having had time to consider things since Friday morning, I think I really like the Switch.. a lot I don't feel deflated any more at this moment.. I feel inflated I'm hopeful of seeing exciting games appear out of the woodwork in the months to come and be ready to jump in with both feet later in the year.

 

My fear of waiting to purchase, though, is that I'll probably be jealous of everyone else enjoying some fun software but also that joining in later means there's a collection of games available that it may be more difficult to give them the time they deserve.

 

I'm really happy that the pro controller is an unnecessary extra I'd much rather have multiple Joy-Cons with grips for all of the versatility and functionality they will provide. I also like the colours and that it would be possible to buy the Joy-Cons in the opposite colours to have complete blue and red sets if desired

[Falcon_BlizZACK]

I also like the colours and that it would be possible to buy the Joy-Cons in the opposite colours to have complete blue and red sets if desired

 

Ooh, smart, never thought of that - and its such an easier way to change the colour of your console, as opposed to being lured into buying a new console for its 'limited edition' colour.

[Ronnie]

I really like the colours they chose, just not mixed together

[Kounan]

On who Switch is for…

 

Just like every system Nintendo creates, we believe in having a very wide footprint, and we are experienced enough in this industry to know that the footprint changes over time. We believe that by [next holiday season], with the launch of Super Mario Odyssey, that the footprint for Nintendo Switch will be very broad. Kids, young adults, parents, gamers will occupy that footprint.

 

But what’s going to happen is that, that space is going to be filled in at each point in time with the subsequent launches. So for example, if you look at the first 45 days, you’ve got Zelda, 1-2 Switch, Mario Kart 8. So the active gamer. And candidly, the more the active gamer sees, the more excited they’re going to be for that game.

 

I was a Zelda fan before I was a Nintendo employee, and I can tell you that as I’ve experienced that game, it just gets me more and more excited to play. 1-2 Switch is a party in a box. And so that is going to be an all family type of experience that will then broaden the footprint. And then Mario Kart 8 is going to expand it even further. And so that’s what I see happening. A game like Arms will have a diverse footprint. A game like Xenoblade Chronicles 2 will be much more narrow.

 

And so, I think it’s the best way I could describe how the consumer base for Switch is going to evolve over time. And certainly by the end of our first full year, it’ll be kids, young adults, parents and gamers occupying that footprint.

 

On how the games at the press event feel core focused…

 

Yeah, and I read some of the same feedback from the video we launched in October. And it’s absolutely true, the actors we had were all young adults. And people suddenly read into it that Nintendo is abandoning the family market with Nintendo Switch.

 

Furthest from the truth, so again, we believe that our systems need to be mass market systems, from 5 to 95. A broad footprint. But each game is going to appeal to a certain part of that demographic. And it’ll fill out the base. That strategy continues. This is a system for everybody. This is a system that will appeal to a wide group. It’s going to get filled in over time as the different games come in.

 

On concerns of Switch getting games regularly and third-party support…

 

I think in all candor, as executives, we can only say so much, and then the consumer believes or doesn’t believe. However, if the question is Nintendo first party development, I can say that our pipeline is quite robust, in what we are working on and that we will deliver next year and early into the year after that. We have that visibility in our pipeline.

 

From a third party perspective, I don’t want to oversimplify things, but third party developers look for a handful of things. First, they look for a straightforward development environment in order to create their games. And that was one of the challenges with Wii U. Now with Nintendo Switch, we have Unity as a platform. We’ve got the Unreal Engine as a platform. These are known development environments for content creators to build content.

 

The second thing they look for is a consumer demographic that’s going to meet their needs for the content they’re creating. And so again, you’ve got Zelda for the core. You’ve got 1-2 Switch for the family audience. You’ve got Arms. You’ve got Splatoon. You’ve got Mario Kart 8. You’ve got Super Mario Odyssey. That looks like a pretty wide and diverse audience to build content for.

 

And third, they look for a large install base. That’s what we’re trying to create.

 

And then lastly, they look for a full range of ways to monetize their investment. And that’s where having a robust online environment comes in. And again we are pushing the envelope, we’re doing things differently, and we’re working hard to make sure that environment exists. So as an executive for the company, I believe we’re doing everything we need to, to create that environment for third parties. So far they’re reacting extremely positively. Bethesda hasn’t been on a Nintendo platform. A fully featured FIFA, that has not been on a Nintendo console in some time.

 

On whether it’ll be a challenge getting devs to think about motion control or haptic design…

 

If you’re EA, and hypothetically, I have to say hypothetically, you want to make sure that FIFA and Madden and Battlefield, you want to make sure that the games you create, better that anyone else, can be executed on this platform. It’s not that EA is suddenly going to try and learn how to make motion control games. If you’re Ubisoft and you’re trying to optimize Just Dance, certainly you want to make sure you’re able to do that for this new platform.

 

And so you know, from my perspective, what I want is the best content that third party does today. And I want the best content that they’re thinking about in the future. I’m not asking them to create games that are like the games that we would create. Because that doesn’t broaden the footprint, and doesn’t bring new consumers in to our proposition.

 

On whether Switch include a meta layer that follows players around and lets them keep those purchases…

 

First, there is much more that we will be sharing about our subscription service—the mechanics, the types of content that you’ll get access to, free, on a monthly basis, the price point for the overall service. All of that information will come.

 

Second point, as you know, we are very aware of what the consumer has articulated to date as to what they want. We are very aware of what our competitors do. The way Nintendo thinks about it, is we want to make the consumer happy, and we want to give them some of the elements that they have been asking for. And we want to give them things that they haven’t even thought of to ask. But, we also believe in differentiated experiences. We believe in doing things differently.

 

And so our overall proposition will not look the same as our competitors. But what we will do, is we will recognize what consumers like about our competitors, we will look to do it in a way that has a Nintendo flair to it. And we will look to make sure that in the end, we’ve got this robust, online environment that not only works well for our games, like Splatoon and Mario Kart and Smash Bros., but that also works great for our third party developers.

 

On whether Wii U was a failure…

 

I don’t recall who said it but, one of our executives said something similar — I think it might have been Mr. Miyamoto, the last time he was here in New York, where he made the comment “I hope consumers look back at Wii U as a necessary step, in order to get to Nintendo Switch.” Which is another way of saying what you did.

 

And it’s interesting, you know, as consumers think back, the fondness and the memories shift. I joined the company as GameCube was ending its life. And as we look at the install base of the platform, certainly it’s not one of our higher install base platforms. And yet it seems the talk now is all about how consumers are hoping that there’s a GameCube virtual console, which I just find interesting.

 

But yes, you can look at Nintendo Switch and certainly see a lineage, not only to Wii U, but as our Switch presentation highlighted, really to so many of our historical platforms. And there is certainly no mistake in that.

 

http://time.com/4635415/nintendo-switch-online-reggie-fils-amie/

 

http://nintendoeverything.com/reggie-on-switchs-demographic-third-party-support-online-plans-more/

 

From Neogaf.

 

So, it looks like it will be full FIFA, or?

[Happenstance]

The answer to the purchases going with you question worries the hell out of me.

[Hero-of-Time]

So, it looks like it will be full FIFA, or?

 

Possibly and hopefully. However, this is Reggie we are talking about.

 

*points to Batman Wii U quote*