Poll: Nintendo Switch and No Blu-Ray Drive... Make or Break?

[Elvis Starburst]

Now that the Nintendo Switch has made its appearance, we can see it lacks any form of disc based media. I for one applaud at the idea (Because I hate installation times, loading times, etc), and the cartridge based system will improve this greatly. But after thinking about it, one must ask if this was a good move to make. Because Blu-Ray movies and games are still a thing, this cuts off Nintendo's ability to market their system as a media center in this format.

Streaming and digital downloads are becoming the wave of the future, and it seems Nintendo is making the first bold move to drop the disc drive entirely and make waves with the idea. Without being able to tap into that market in any way, with physical media still being quite prominent in the world... Was it too quick to jump onto this idea? Did Nintendo shoot themselves in the foot by not including a disc drive?

 

[Casual Shinji]

Lack of blu-ray means nothing. Lack of backwards compatability... That's bound to mean something to all those people who bought a Wii-U and were promptly left in the cold. But seeing as most of those are hardcore Nintendo fans they'll likely get over it.

I don't know how this whole cartridge deal is going to turn out, we'll have to wait and see. It does make me wonder if Nintendo is going to adjust the packaging size to suit the cartridge, or if they're going to stay with the regular DVD case; A bigger box draws more attention on shelves than a smaller one after all. And home console gaming and the DVD case kinda go hand-in-hand at this point.

 

[Bellvedere]

The Switch isn't like anything we've come to expect in a home console and we know almost nothing about it. Nearly anything could make or break it at this point, however the lack of home media functionality is the last thing I'd pick as significant.

I've got a number devices in my living room that play blu-rays and I've never even considered buying a blu-ray or a dvd (or even a cd in at least 5 years). I'm not disappointed the Switch isn't trying to be another "all your home entertainment needs in one" type of device. Nearly everything for the living room is trying to be that (even some tvs themselves) to the point that it's not hard to acquire that functionality without trying.

 

[Saelune]

I was mocked for it, but I stand by my view that a gaming console should be a gaming console. Though as Shinji points out, it does say that there wont be Wii U compatibility which isnt a good thing. Im running out of TVs to keep things hooked up to. Either way though, I really am unswayed either way on this system currently.

Until I know how much those cartridges can store and how much they cost, I won't say if it's a good idea or not. Not being able to play disc movies isn't a big deal at all, though. Most people have other devices and, sadly, most think online streaming is good enough (even though the selections of movies and shows are minuscule).

But it's for a lame reason. I don't care about handheld gaming. Nintendo is again gonna have a weak console. What can devs possibly achieve with such a little thing? All they do is sell dumb toys now.

Do you even want to like Nintendo? Im genuinely asking, as I shit on things I dont like often too, but sometimes I realize that being critical of something is irrelevant if I wasnt going to like it to begin with anyways. Mostly I feel that if Nintendo did what you wanted it to, it would be at the detriment of established Nintendo fans.

Basically, are you a vegan reviewing a steakhouse, or do you deep down want to like Nintendo and just dont?

 

[TheMysteriousGX]

Back in the days of the PS3, Blu-ray players were expensive enough that a gaming console having that capability was a selling point.

These days, not so much. Especially considering that a company like Nintendo or Sony still has to pay the licensing fee to the appropriate companies for the privilege of being able to play the damn things. Which makes consoles that can play Blu-ray that much more expensive.

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

I think the cartridge idea is going to be necessary for consoles to avoid all this installation/extended download times that hinder current gen consoles. You can store so much more on them presently, with little to no loading required. It is why I preferred the N64 over the playStation. To allow consoles to still have some sort of advantage over PCs. Blue ray is hardly a requested feature in any console.

 

[ultrabiome]

Since micro-SD cards are now upwards of 100GB in storage, having a DS-like cartridge won't hold the console back in terms of storage.

 

[Eclipse Dragon]

I think the cartridge idea is going to be necessary for consoles to avoid all this installation/extended download times that hinder current gen consoles. You can store so much more on them presently, with little to no loading required. It is why I preferred the N64 over the playStation. To allow consoles to still have some sort of advantage over PCs. Blue ray is hardly a requested feature in any console.

Since micro-SD cards are now upwards of 100GB in storage, having a DS-like cartridge won't hold the console back in terms of storage.

These quotes just feel odd. Not in a bad way but... we started with cartridges and then switched to discs because they can hold more and were cheaper... and now we seem to be going back to cartridges (or all digital).

 

[Drathnoxis]

I'd be more likely to buy the Switch some day if it had backwards compatibility with the Wii-U.

These quotes just feel odd. Not in a bad way but... we started with cartridges and then switched to discs because they can hold more and were cheaper... and now we seem to be going back to cartridges (or all digital).

Just watch, these will be the next big innovation in storage technology.

 

[Saelune]

I was mocked for it, but I stand by my view that a gaming console should be a gaming console. Though as Shinji points out, it does say that there wont be Wii U compatibility which isnt a good thing. Im running out of TVs to keep things hooked up to. Either way though, I really am unswayed either way on this system currently.

Until I know how much those cartridges can store and how much they cost, I won't say if it's a good idea or not. Not being able to play disc movies isn't a big deal at all, though. Most people have other devices and, sadly, most think online streaming is good enough (even though the selections of movies and shows are minuscule).

But it's for a lame reason. I don't care about handheld gaming. Nintendo is again gonna have a weak console. What can devs possibly achieve with such a little thing? All they do is sell dumb toys now.

Do you even want to like Nintendo? Im genuinely asking, as I shit on things I dont like often too, but sometimes I realize that being critical of something is irrelevant if I wasnt going to like it to begin with anyways. Mostly I feel that if Nintendo did what you wanted it to, it would be at the detriment of established Nintendo fans.

Basically, are you a vegan reviewing a steakhouse, or do you deep down want to like Nintendo and just dont?

I used to like Nintendo. Back when their main franchises were still new to me and especially when they introduced me to 3D gaming. Ocarina of Time and Mario 64 were so unique to me as a kid. It would be nice to discover those big strange games again. Nintendo doesn't try hard enough with new IPs and art styles. They treat new IPs as little projects, while Mario and Zelda have much higher production values. When other devs make new IPs, they don't exactly cheap out. Look at Bloodborne. Experimenting in the NES era brought about the successes they have now, so why don't they do that again? There's Xenoblade and Splatoon, but they do nothing for me. I know what you're going to say, but I don't have to take what I can get. I'd rather they keep experimenting. I also dislike what they're doing with their old IPs, especially Zelda. I could rant about the open world again, but I'll simply repeat that Epona was a mistake, ever since her inception. I'm also really hoping that some day we can abandon the PS1 controller for something better. The Xbox, PS4, Wii U and Switch controllers are all fundamentally still the PS1 controller, and it became outdated as soon as games adopted fully controllable 3D cameras and more complex control schemes.

Well, I still dont agree with alot of what you say about Nintendo, but atleast I can bear it now.

Though I am curious about what you mean for controllers. I can agree with Nintendo being not the best with controllers, but how are current controllers still like PS1? I presumed you meant having a single analog stick, but apparently that isnt what you mean?

Have you tried the Elite contoller or even the Steam controller? Namely the bumper/paddles on the under side. I want those to be standard, and games to use them for things like hold to run buttons and jumping, cause "The claw" is something to be avoided.

 

[Ravinoff]

I think the cartridge idea is going to be necessary for consoles to avoid all this installation/extended download times that hinder current gen consoles. You can store so much more on them presently, with little to no loading required. It is why I preferred the N64 over the playStation. To allow consoles to still have some sort of advantage over PCs. Blue ray is hardly a requested feature in any console.

Since micro-SD cards are now upwards of 100GB in storage, having a DS-like cartridge won't hold the console back in terms of storage.

These quotes just feel odd. Not in a bad way but... we started with cartridges and then switched to discs because they can hold more and were cheaper... and now we seem to be going back to cartridges (or all digital).

There's been an explosion in the capacity of flash memory in recent years thanks to the popularity of things that need to be light and small (phones, digital cameras, etc). You can make a flash drive much smaller than anything disk-based, and they're more stable and less susceptible to damage than disk drives. And the side bonus is solid-state memory has far faster access times, which translates to shorter load screens for games.

Disk is still cheaper per gigabyte than solid-state though, which won't be very important in a gaming console context, but is still pretty important to consider for PC applications.

 

[CrimsonBlaze]

In all honesty, Blu-Ray players are not really a deal breaker when it comes to game consoles these days.

Sure it was revolutionary for the PS2 to have a DVD player because back then buying the system was cheaper than getting a stand-alone DVD player, but now, you could get a decent Blu-Ray player with online connectivity and built-in entertainment apps (Netflix, Hulu Plus, etc.) for under $100.

The Nintendo Switch (or NS, or the Switch...F it, I'm just going to keep calling it the NX; sounds cooler...) is obviously going for a portable console-handheld hybrid deal and not cramming a bunch of current tech and features that simply wouldn't really make sense is smart. If the lack of a Blu-Ray player is really a deal breaker for you, then you've probably already have a current gen system that could fill that niche easily.

 

[WeepingAngels]

Nintendo has never allowed you to play CD's or disc based movies on their consoles so nothing was lost there. I prefer cartridges/cards to optical discs and now that we see how it plays out on PS4 and Xbox One (required installs), I don't want more of that.

I would prefer Blu Ray over all digital though, I buy physical when I can. I say the lack of a Blu Ray drive MAKES it. BTW, this is a single screen system, there would be no backward compatibility even if it had a Blu Ray drive.

 

[CaitSeith]

snip

There is something that rubs me the wrong way in other no so great new IPs from other devs: they call themselves new, but they follow the same rules and have the same mechanics as countless other games (specially in FPS genre), changing visuals, characters and setting only. For example The Order 1886. Cool setting wasted in overused cover-based shooting mechanics and QTEs (I just realized, in both The Order 1886 and Bloodborne you can shoot a werewolf with a firearm; nothing to do with my point though, I just found it funny). Gameplay wise, it does nothing new. Even Bloodborne, as great as it is, isn't as much of a new IP concept, as it's From Software's third game to re-use their Demon's Souls formula (it's just a much more polished version in a different setting).

 

[Saelune]

Though I am curious about what you mean for controllers. I can agree with Nintendo being not the best with controllers, but how are current controllers still like PS1? I presumed you meant having a single analog stick, but apparently that isnt what you mean?

Have you tried the Elite contoller or even the Steam controller? Namely the bumper/paddles on the under side. I want those to be standard, and games to use them for things like hold to run buttons and jumping, cause "The claw" is something to be avoided.

The same buttons. Four on the top, a diamond of four face buttons, a D-pad and two clickable control sticks. The basics never change, to the detriment of games. I haven't used the Steam and Elite controllers, but yes, I like the idea of bumpers on the bottom, utilizing more than two digits on each hand.

Aside from the bumpers which I had thought of long before they were a thing, I dont see how much they can really improve on the design, button wise. I mean, I think the PS4 controller, with the touch-pad thats actually usable is pretty neat, but the basic design that has persisted I think has done so by being so great, not due to a lack of innovation. There is such a thing as too many buttons too, which is one of many issues I have with keyboards.

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

Blu-Ray proved in the long run to be a stopgap at best. Optical media has unfortunately hit a wall that going to take years to get over. Meanwhile flash memory has grown by leaps and bounds and doesn't show any signs of slowing down with how much capacity keeps increasing on a yearly basis while costs also keep decreasing.

And that's before we get into the other elephant in the room: the film market never really embraced Blu-ray fully. The sudden rise of streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Crunchyroll etc destroyed any chance it had at a market position. It's really a medium only for cinephiles. If anything Nintendo might be getting ahead of the curve with this.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

Lack of blu-ray means nothing. Lack of backwards compatability... That's bound to mean something to all those people who bought a Wii-U and were promptly left in the cold. But seeing as most of those are hardcore Nintendo fans they'll likely get over it

This right here. I imagine the people who downloaded games won't be as bad off if Nintendo has managed to link up their two other online stores into some kind of unified beast on the Switch but people like me who buy physical games almost exclusively are either going to have to keep their Wii U's plugged in to keep playing those games or find some space in the closet...or...I mean, I'll take unwanted Wii U games. Just sayin'.

---

My understanding of how those game cards work is that, at this point, they can hold a significant amount of data. I don't want to wind up in a retail environment where I'm paying $70 or $80 for these games but I don't think storage space is going to be much of an issue. As for the lack of a Blu Ray player, the Wii U didn't have one and the Wii couldn't play DVDs...and the Gamecube couldn't play CDs...and the N64 didn't play discs at all. Not being a multimedia platform has always been Nintendo's console strategy and it's generally used to keep costs down so it's something I'm used to.