Nintendo Switch - Happy Switchmas Everyone!

[Mr-Paul]

I think Nintendo are in a very difficult position. Yes, they do need a unique selling point. But yes, they do need third parties and general parity with the Sony/Microsoft consoles. Unless they've come up with something totally mind-blowing that gains loads of hype with the general public, launching an NX home console this year or next will be a failure, I can't see it being anything more than a stop-gap until the next generation comes along. I'd love it to be brilliant, and be a success, but I sadly can't see that happening. The Wii U has put Nintendo in a very difficult position. They're playing catch up.

 

If it was me, I'd just ride out the Wii U for a couple of years, focus on an NX handheld for the next couple of years and then move back into the home console market when they can bring out something that is a clear leap over the current generation. I'm not sure that's even a good idea,and as much as I love Nintendo and their games, it's hard to see how an NX home console is going to be successful

 

On the issue of press conferences/directs, while I like the directs, and they're great for fans, I think a press conference is the way forward for product launches. Sure, Nintendo do have events/conferences for the press at E3 etc. but it's all about the hype when launching a console, and video games are in the field of consumer journalism - like it or not, it's more a world of PR. Impressing journalists at big launch events is the way to go. A direct might get the same info out, and the press will still report on it, but there will be a lot more hype generated by them if they feel involved, are live-tweeting from an event, feel like they're the ones getting out the info rather than it being distributed by a prerecorded video.

[Kav]

You don't say!!

 

 

Do Nintendo need them? I'm not totally convinced. I also don't see the point of releasing a console identical to the PS4 or XBO in the middle of a generation. Who would buy such a thing, apart from hardcore Ninty fans.

 

You know me Ronnie, I took the BT adverts a little too much to heart when I was young... "It's good to talk." :p

 

Without 3rd Parties I just think that Nintendo's fanbase will continue to shrink, I don't think there's a chance of it growing. If Nintendo had all the 3rd Party games that the other consoles had I'd not have bought my PS4... would you still have bought yours? Maybe so, but I've the feeling many people that have bought another console felt their hand has been forced, like I have.

 

That I game almost exclusively on my PS4 now thanks to these 3rd Parties is one of the biggest things turning me away from the NX. If it ends up not getting 3rd Party games I don't think Nintendo have enough titles to justify me buying one of their consoles again... definitely not if their stance on online gaming doesn't change!

Edited January 6, 2016 by Kav

[Agent Gibbs]

I hope to god the name it something non Wii as well

 

If it gets revealed and its "here's the WiiNX, look at this tiny box console hide it away under the TV, but heres the formed touch screen controller you can use as touch input and second screen blah blah blah" because we'll get another WiiU confusion situation

[Hero-of-Time]

Bitblock talk NX.

 

 

Not a bad bit of chatter. The part where they say what games could launch with it got me a little excited. Having a new 3D Mario, Zelda, Pikmin 4 and a substantial amiibo game would be outstanding.

[Daft]

I can't really see anything Nintendo can do to push back the momentum of VR. It's VR's year to shine. And the companies backing VR are pretty...proactive.

 

But I guess we'll have to wait and see. Who knows, maybe it'll have a screen that you can slot into a headset or something.

[Happenstance]

But I guess we'll have to wait and see. Who knows, maybe it'll have a screen that you can slot into a headset or something.

 

I've got the Samsung Gear VR and that really impressed me so I think something like that could work. I just think it would maybe need Nintendo to be a bit more forward thinking than they are at the moment. We'll see though, it would be nice to be surprised.

[Hero-of-Time]

I can't really see anything Nintendo can do to push back the momentum of VR. It's VR's year to shine. And the companies backing VR are pretty...proactive.

 

But I guess we'll have to wait and see. Who knows, maybe it'll have a screen that you can slot into a headset or something.

 

 

Believe!

[Dcubed]

There's no reason to drop support for any existing controller. It's all Bluetooth, so they might as well carry on supporting everything (plus it saves you a fortune in buying new controllers).

 

There's much that has yet to be done with these older controllers. The Wii Remote and Nunchuck still offer tons of untapped potential.

Edited January 6, 2016 by Dcubed

[Hero-of-Time]

There's no reason to drop support for any existing controller. It's all Bluetooth, so they might as well carry on supporting everything (plus it saves you a fortune in buying new controllers).

 

There's much that has yet to be done with these older controllers. The Wii Remote and Nunchuck still offer tons of untapped potential.

 

It depends how much they want to distance themselves from the Wii branding. Even if they were to rebrand a wiimote to a NXmote ( or whatever they are gonna call it ) it would still be seen as an extension of the Wii. Having it compatible with all the previous controllers would probably just confuse people even more.

[dazzybee]

Probably one of those occasions where, it's actually an amazing thing, but for clarity and cohesion best to just start again.

 

Though what's tstopping them not announcing or putting on the packaging or mentioning in the games itself, but the gamepad and pro controller does work on the new console.

[Blade]

 

Believe!

 

I'd be buzzing if Nintendo release a VR machine. I think it could be possible that the success of the Wii would be repeated.

[Kav]

I'd be buzzing if Nintendo release a VR machine. I think it could be possible that the success of the Wii would be repeated.

 

It depends how expensive it would be... Oculus Rift has just been announced at £500.

 

I can't see Nintendo doing VR for a good while yet, if at all.

[Hero-of-Time]

I'd be buzzing if Nintendo release a VR machine. I think it could be possible that the success of the Wii would be repeated.

 

Like Kav mentioned, it would need to be at a decent price. A big part of the success of the Wii was how affordable it was for the mass market.

[S.C.G]

I would be completely OK with Nintendo packaging an ultimate controller out of the box which has everything you could possibly want with games being supported with it first and foremost to keep things simple for the average consumer.

 

But then also having alternate control schemes which support all the older controllers - which we as more seasoned gamers would be aware about - plus have ways to either support a Gamepad or portable device with a screen for backwards compatibility with Wii U/Wii.

 

Oh plus it should be able to support Gamecube controllers as an option - for the Gamecube VC games obviously which will surely happen when the console comes out of beforehand in the Wii U's last year - but the average player can opt to use the standard out of the box controller, that's even if they even bother with VC games... unthinkable I know but a lot of people who have been 'gamers' for a long time don't even know that there is a Virtual Console on the Wii U/3DS or that there even was one on the Wii!

 

Then again I suppose Nintendo really should have been pushing the Virtual Console as a selling point waaaaay before now... I swear I'm the only person who even buys Nintendo Points cards at my place of work, they're almost on the verge of being phased out in our store!

 

So yes... whatever happens, I definitely want to see some decent Virtual Console support with more available platforms - bring back TG-16 games! - including more obscure platforms as well, Sega Saturn would be perfect for instance; oh and obviously we need proper accounts which merge with all of your existing Nintendo network purchases etc so that if the worst happens you don't need to go to huge lengths to regain access to the digital games which you have already paid REAL money for. Otherwise...

 

Anyway, let's just wait and see... I don't want to say that my above hopes and wishes are going to be completely crushed at this early point but... well, we'll see; I still have faith but I don't like these times of uncertainty.

[Blade]

I just can see that by supporting every controller made post N64 would just confuse the market.

[Fierce_LiNk]

I'm concerned that Nintendo places so much emphasis on the controller, or incorporating controllers. Or the whole adding gamecube ports to the Wii, then taking them out for the WiiU and then being like LOOOOL, you can still use Gamecube controllers for Smash Bros WiiU, but now you need this adapter.

 

Sometimes all you want or need is just one controller.

 

The Wii unfortunately has set a precedent in this regard. By including attachments and add-ons and then making Wiimotes part of the multiplayer option for WiiU games, it's become a bit convoluted. I'm a bit concerned that they'll try to shoehorn in the GamePad with the next console and that'll affect the design of it.

[Emasher]

The Wii Remote and Pro Controller both just use standard Bluetooth for connectivity, so it would be fairly easy to support them. The only issue is sensor bar support, but it would be fairly easy to just release a battery operated one to avoid having to put a power port on the console itself. The Gamepad wouldn't be that difficult to support either, since the protocol it uses to communicate with the console is very similar to 802.11n. While I don't think we'll see Gamecube controller support out of the box, I'm pretty sure the console will have USB ports, so making use of the existing adapter will be fairly easy when it's time to put out a new Smash Bros.

 

As far as the new controller goes, the pro controller is missing one key thing, which is analog triggers. Although I'd prefer they changed the layout to be more like a dualshock, with the analog sticks on the bottom, I think the main thing is to just add analog triggers. If they're planning on adding GameCube games to the Virtual Console, that could be a pretty important addition as well.

[Ronnie]

I can't really see anything Nintendo can do to push back the momentum of VR. It's VR's year to shine. And the companies backing VR are pretty...proactive.

 

As if I wasn't convinced VR was going to be a shorter lived gimmick than Playstation Move, the Oculus standalone price in the UK has been announced as £500 ! LMAO.

[Hero-of-Time]

As if I wasn't convinced VR was going to be a shorter lived gimmick than Playstation Move, the Oculus standalone price in the UK has been announced as £500 ! LMAO.

 

Move is still being used as part of PSVR. It's alive and well.

[nekunando]

As much as I love the Wii Remote & Nunchuk, as well as some aspects of their alternative controller options, now is the time for a fresh start!

 

Backwards compatibility is not essential. If you have a Wii U Gamepad, you have a Wii U and there's no real need to focus on having these games available to play on NX straight out of the box. If need be, Nintendo could re-release some of their best Wii U games to work with the new controller as, by all accounts, the Wii U Gamepad's screen had been far from essential for the majority of releases..

 

It's time to take the NX step

[drahkon]

As if I wasn't convinced VR was going to be a shorter lived gimmick than Playstation Move, the Oculus standalone price in the UK has been announced as £500 ! LMAO.

 

 

VR is not and will most likely never be a gimmick. It is cutting edge, new technology made available to the common man. Yes, it's expensive right now, but that's because it's cutting edge tech.

 

VR will improve and become cheaper over time, just like everything else (except Apple products. OHHHHHHHH...anyway).

 

I wouldn't write off VR this quickly.

[Ronnie]

Move is still being used as part of PSVR. It's alive and well.

 

A small minority of people using it doesn't make it alive and well surely? You might as well say the same about Wii remotes. I've always had the impression Kinnect and especially PS Move were considered a bit of a joke.

[Hero-of-Time]

A small minority of people using it doesn't make it alive and well surely? You might as well say the same about Wii remotes. I've always had the impression Kinnect and especially PS Move were considered a bit of a joke.

 

Well it's alive. I guess I'll leave it at that.

 

Kinect certainly wasn't a joke at the time. It sold stupidly well and gave the 360 a new lease of life.

[Serebii]

I can't really see anything Nintendo can do to push back the momentum of VR. It's VR's year to shine. And the companies backing VR are pretty...proactive.

 

But I guess we'll have to wait and see. Who knows, maybe it'll have a screen that you can slot into a headset or something.

 

I don't think that VR will be the golden goose you and others seem to think, especially considering the ridiculously high cost of entry.

 

I'm concerned that Nintendo places so much emphasis on the controller, or incorporating controllers. Or the whole adding gamecube ports to the Wii, then taking them out for the WiiU and then being like LOOOOL, you can still use Gamecube controllers for Smash Bros WiiU, but now you need this adapter.

 

Sometimes all you want or need is just one controller.

 

The Wii unfortunately has set a precedent in this regard. By including attachments and add-ons and then making Wiimotes part of the multiplayer option for WiiU games, it's become a bit convoluted. I'm a bit concerned that they'll try to shoehorn in the GamePad with the next console and that'll affect the design of it.

 

To be fair, The GCN controller ports on Wii were for backwards compatibility. The Wii U adapter was only added to the Wii U for Smash Bros. Wii U to appease the vocal hardcore fanbase.

 

For controllers, Nintendo has their standard already. GamePad and Pro Controller are pretty much the same controller. Just because it's compatible with older controllers doesn't mean "Nintendo has too many", it means you can use whatever you have around and still have the whole experience, not necessarily having to shell out £200 every few years to get a full set again.

 

VR is not and will most likely never be a gimmick. It is cutting edge, new technology made available to the common man. Yes, it's expensive right now, but that's because it's cutting edge tech.

 

VR will improve and become cheaper over time, just like everything else (except Apple products. OHHHHHHHH...anyway).

 

I wouldn't write off VR this quickly.

 

I remember a lot of people saying that about stereoscopic 3D.

 

As far as the new controller goes, the pro controller is missing one key thing, which is analog triggers. Although I'd prefer they changed the layout to be more like a dualshock, with the analog sticks on the bottom, I think the main thing is to just add analog triggers. If they're planning on adding GameCube games to the Virtual Console, that could be a pretty important addition as well.

 

Yergh, you sadist :p The PS4 controller has the most uncomfortable analogue stick placements in my opinion. They're so far from the edges of the controller it hurts my thumbs to use. Pro Controller has it perfect.

Edited January 6, 2016 by Serebii
Automerged Doublepost

[Ashley]

The Rift is less than £200 more than all of this generation's consoles at launch. It's not small change, obviously, but given what it's doing and what it contains within it (the technology, the screens, the physical products and hell the free games) it's not bad for a new bit of tech. It's hardly a ridiculous cost of entry. It's not cheap, but it's not unjustifiable.