Will the Switch fail?

[Johnny Novgorod]

I'm definitely not the only one who doesn't care for its portability at all (and portability should really be in quotes considering you'll need to carry it in a bag since it's not pocket sized, and it's thicker than a tablet).

considering the fact that the 3DS has around 61.37 million hardware sales, there's also a hell of a lot of people who DO care for that portability.

http://www.vgchartz.com/analysis/platform_totals/


oh and just FYI, the 3DS isn't exactly pocket sized either. at least not comfortably anyway what with everyone already carrying their Keys, phones and wallets in their pockets.

The 3DS is pretty pocket sized. I can fit one in my back pocket no problem.

Not only that but the 3DS folds in half meaning that the screens are protected. The Switch won't have a protected screen when in portable mode, so you can't exactly throw it into any bag and go. You'll either need a special carrying case for it or a backpack that has a padded section where you can put it because if you have anything else near it the screen WILL scratch.

That's another layer of obfuscation between you and playing your game.

In order to play with your 3DS you pull it out of your pocket and play it. In order to play with the switch you'll have to carry it in your backpack, take it out of the backpack, take it out of its carrying case, dig around for the controller attachments, attach the controller attachments, and THEN you get to play your game. And putting it away is the same process.

Maybe not a huge deal if you're riding in the backseat of a car on an hour long drive. Not going to be particularly great for portability if your commute is a 10 minute subway ride.

this is seriously some major 1st world problems you're having right here.

A portable gaming device readily available for entertainment is arguably servicing a "1st world problem" to begin with - the problem of having to leave your house at some point, that is.

oh problems with gaming devices definitely are first world problems to begin with for sure.


but i find problems like my system not having enough memory space on it or not having much games coming out for it, 1st or 3rd Party, or even something like not having a proper account system where you can't just transfer over you're digital games and instead have to pay for the same games twice.

problems like those, at least to me, are MUCH bigger and more concerning problems than things like "i have to carry my tablet around in a bag because it doesn't fit in my pocket", "i have to look through my bag to find my controller attachments and of course "i have to buy a carry case to protect the screen".

I think questioning the durability/handiness of a handheld device is as valid as any other consumer concern, especially when other handheld devices employ measures - such as screen protection - that the device in question does not.

 

[Yoshi178]

Really, people don't have a problem with unprotected screens?

Spoiler: Literally the screen of every woman I know who keeps her iPhone in her purse

And you'll need to detach the controller part from the screen part during transport because the controller part is thicker and fatter than the screen. If you want to have the screen in a protected case (like you would when carrying around an iPad) you'll have to detach the controller.

And yes, these would be first world problems, as would any problems dealing with electronics, even more-so video games. I guess you really showed me.

guess how much all those women you know spent on those screen protecters? that's right. probably around $5-$10


OH THE HORROR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

I'm definitely not the only one who doesn't care for its portability at all (and portability should really be in quotes considering you'll need to carry it in a bag since it's not pocket sized, and it's thicker than a tablet).

considering the fact that the 3DS has around 61.37 million hardware sales, there's also a hell of a lot of people who DO care for that portability.

http://www.vgchartz.com/analysis/platform_totals/


oh and just FYI, the 3DS isn't exactly pocket sized either. at least not comfortably anyway what with everyone already carrying their Keys, phones and wallets in their pockets.

The 3DS is pretty pocket sized. I can fit one in my back pocket no problem.

Not only that but the 3DS folds in half meaning that the screens are protected. The Switch won't have a protected screen when in portable mode, so you can't exactly throw it into any bag and go. You'll either need a special carrying case for it or a backpack that has a padded section where you can put it because if you have anything else near it the screen WILL scratch.

That's another layer of obfuscation between you and playing your game.

In order to play with your 3DS you pull it out of your pocket and play it. In order to play with the switch you'll have to carry it in your backpack, take it out of the backpack, take it out of its carrying case, dig around for the controller attachments, attach the controller attachments, and THEN you get to play your game. And putting it away is the same process.

Maybe not a huge deal if you're riding in the backseat of a car on an hour long drive. Not going to be particularly great for portability if your commute is a 10 minute subway ride.

this is seriously some major 1st world problems you're having right here.

A portable gaming device readily available for entertainment is arguably servicing a "1st world problem" to begin with - the problem of having to leave your house at some point, that is.

oh problems with gaming devices definitely are first world problems to begin with for sure.


but i find problems like my system not having enough memory space on it or not having much games coming out for it, 1st or 3rd Party, or even something like not having a proper account system where you can't just transfer over your old digital games to your new device and instead have to pay for the same games twice.

problems like those, at least to me, are MUCH bigger and more concerning problems than things like "i have to carry my tablet around in a bag because it doesn't fit in my pocket", "i have to look through my bag to find my controller attachments and of course "i have to buy a carry case to protect the screen".

may god help you when you have to look for the tv remote to swap to your consoles channel when you play your games.

If the point of your device is its portability, then the portability should be GOOD.

There's a reason that the 3DS is a good portable device. It's not cumbersome, it has good battery life, and it's easy to just pull it out, play for 10 minutes, and then close it and put it back in your pocket.

These are all things that the Switch can't do.

As far as memory space, games (first and third party), and transferring over digital games, since the system isn't out yet we don't know anything about those things so we can't critique them. I'm critiquing the things we DO know about.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

Really, people don't have a problem with unprotected screens?

Spoiler: Literally the screen of every woman I know who keeps her iPhone in her purse

And you'll need to detach the controller part from the screen part during transport because the controller part is thicker and fatter than the screen. If you want to have the screen in a protected case (like you would when carrying around an iPad) you'll have to detach the controller.

And yes, these would be first world problems, as would any problems dealing with electronics, even more-so video games. I guess you really showed me.

guess how much all those women you know spent on those screen protecters. that's right probably around $5-$10


OH THE HORROR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have you ever tried putting a screen protector on a screen that's larger than 5"? It's a fucking pain in the ass and you'll likely still end up with bubbles. Those clear plastic screen protectors also don't protect against cracking, only mild scratches.

Take a look at the case of your 3DS. See all those little scratches in the plastic? That's going to be on your screen if you carry around your switch without a protective case.

 

[Yoshi178]

I'm definitely not the only one who doesn't care for its portability at all (and portability should really be in quotes considering you'll need to carry it in a bag since it's not pocket sized, and it's thicker than a tablet).

considering the fact that the 3DS has around 61.37 million hardware sales, there's also a hell of a lot of people who DO care for that portability.

http://www.vgchartz.com/analysis/platform_totals/


oh and just FYI, the 3DS isn't exactly pocket sized either. at least not comfortably anyway what with everyone already carrying their Keys, phones and wallets in their pockets.

The 3DS is pretty pocket sized. I can fit one in my back pocket no problem.

Not only that but the 3DS folds in half meaning that the screens are protected. The Switch won't have a protected screen when in portable mode, so you can't exactly throw it into any bag and go. You'll either need a special carrying case for it or a backpack that has a padded section where you can put it because if you have anything else near it the screen WILL scratch.

That's another layer of obfuscation between you and playing your game.

In order to play with your 3DS you pull it out of your pocket and play it. In order to play with the switch you'll have to carry it in your backpack, take it out of the backpack, take it out of its carrying case, dig around for the controller attachments, attach the controller attachments, and THEN you get to play your game. And putting it away is the same process.

Maybe not a huge deal if you're riding in the backseat of a car on an hour long drive. Not going to be particularly great for portability if your commute is a 10 minute subway ride.

this is seriously some major 1st world problems you're having right here.

A portable gaming device readily available for entertainment is arguably servicing a "1st world problem" to begin with - the problem of having to leave your house at some point, that is.

oh problems with gaming devices definitely are first world problems to begin with for sure.


but i find problems like my system not having enough memory space on it or not having much games coming out for it, 1st or 3rd Party, or even something like not having a proper account system where you can't just transfer over your old digital games to your new device and instead have to pay for the same games twice.

problems like those, at least to me, are MUCH bigger and more concerning problems than things like "i have to carry my tablet around in a bag because it doesn't fit in my pocket", "i have to look through my bag to find my controller attachments and of course "i have to buy a carry case to protect the screen".

may god help you when you have to look for the tv remote to swap to your consoles channel when you play your games.

If the point of your device is its portability, then the portability should be GOOD.

There's a reason that the 3DS is a good portable device. It's not cumbersome, it has good battery life, and it's easy to just pull it out, play for 10 minutes, and then close it and put it back in your pocket.

These are all things that the Switch can't do.

As far as memory space, games (first and third party), and transferring over digital games, since the system isn't out yet we don't know anything about those things so we can't critique them. I'm critiquing the things we DO know about.

actually we DON'T KNOW about battery life. your argument in that department is solely based off rumours, which means currently your entire argument that's based on fact at the moment is:

"i have to open my bag. take the device out. play my device. then put it back in my bag."

truly some heartbreaking stuff right there.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

I'm definitely not the only one who doesn't care for its portability at all (and portability should really be in quotes considering you'll need to carry it in a bag since it's not pocket sized, and it's thicker than a tablet).

considering the fact that the 3DS has around 61.37 million hardware sales, there's also a hell of a lot of people who DO care for that portability.

http://www.vgchartz.com/analysis/platform_totals/


oh and just FYI, the 3DS isn't exactly pocket sized either. at least not comfortably anyway what with everyone already carrying their Keys, phones and wallets in their pockets.

The 3DS is pretty pocket sized. I can fit one in my back pocket no problem.

Not only that but the 3DS folds in half meaning that the screens are protected. The Switch won't have a protected screen when in portable mode, so you can't exactly throw it into any bag and go. You'll either need a special carrying case for it or a backpack that has a padded section where you can put it because if you have anything else near it the screen WILL scratch.

That's another layer of obfuscation between you and playing your game.

In order to play with your 3DS you pull it out of your pocket and play it. In order to play with the switch you'll have to carry it in your backpack, take it out of the backpack, take it out of its carrying case, dig around for the controller attachments, attach the controller attachments, and THEN you get to play your game. And putting it away is the same process.

Maybe not a huge deal if you're riding in the backseat of a car on an hour long drive. Not going to be particularly great for portability if your commute is a 10 minute subway ride.

this is seriously some major 1st world problems you're having right here.

A portable gaming device readily available for entertainment is arguably servicing a "1st world problem" to begin with - the problem of having to leave your house at some point, that is.

oh problems with gaming devices definitely are first world problems to begin with for sure.


but i find problems like my system not having enough memory space on it or not having much games coming out for it, 1st or 3rd Party, or even something like not having a proper account system where you can't just transfer over your old digital games to your new device and instead have to pay for the same games twice.

problems like those, at least to me, are MUCH bigger and more concerning problems than things like "i have to carry my tablet around in a bag because it doesn't fit in my pocket", "i have to look through my bag to find my controller attachments and of course "i have to buy a carry case to protect the screen".

may god help you when you have to look for the tv remote to swap to your consoles channel when you play your games.

If the point of your device is its portability, then the portability should be GOOD.

There's a reason that the 3DS is a good portable device. It's not cumbersome, it has good battery life, and it's easy to just pull it out, play for 10 minutes, and then close it and put it back in your pocket.

These are all things that the Switch can't do.

As far as memory space, games (first and third party), and transferring over digital games, since the system isn't out yet we don't know anything about those things so we can't critique them. I'm critiquing the things we DO know about.

actually we DON'T KNOW about battery life. your argument in that department is solely based off rumours, which means currently your entire argument that's based on fact at the moment is:

"i have to open my bag. take the device out. play my device. then put it back in my bag."

truly some heartbreaking stuff right there.

My argument is that the portability is worse than the 3DS, which makes it worse at being a portable system than the 3DS. And considering that the portability is the whole gimmick of this console, that's a bad thing.

And are you seriously going to say that we don't know anything about the battery life? We know enough about its size and relative power to know that it's not going to have a huge battery, and it's supposed to be able to play skyrim. On a laptop of the same size you'd be getting maybe 2-3 hours of playtime, you'll likely get something similar with the Switch unless you think Nintendo invented some kind of new battery just for it.

And honestly, 2-3 hours isn't even that bad, it'll be enough for most commutes, but it still won't hit anywhere near what the 3DS's battery gets.

The entire point of this console is its portability, but the portability doesn't seem very good. It's gimmicky in a way that doesn't seem totally thought through. And your entire defense has been to imply that I'm dumb for thinking that's a problem.

Well it's not dumb to think about how you're actually going to use the device rather than just what the device can do. If your device is supposed to be portable than you need to actually consider HOW you'll be traveling with it, and what kind of wear and tear that travel is going to put on the device, because any device that you carry around with you will get wear and tear. You need to think about how traveling with the Switch will affect the screen. How it's going to get scratched because it's unprotected. How you'll need to carry an extra bag if I want to bring it around with you (unless you already carry around a backpack all the time).

Maybe this isn't a problem for you, and that's cool, but I do know a lot of people who definitely won't care to carry a bag with them everywhere they go just to be able to bring the Switch with them, and I also know a lot of people who just aren't capable of being careful with anything, and who WILL break the screen on the Switch because they dropped their backpack on the ground just a little too hard. These are not problems that the 3DS has.

 

[Yoshi178]

it's called options. the "gimmick" isn't so much on portability. but the fact that you can use the Switch for portability if you want to OR you can use it on your tv and play it as a regular console if you want to as well.


having options like that is never a bad thing.


in the meantime go and enjoy your 4K gimmick and be completely tethered to your tv without the OPTION to bring your game anywhere else with you easily.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

it's called options. the "gimmick" isn't so much on portability. but the fact that you can use the Switch for portability if you want to OR you can use it on your tv and play it as a regular console if you want to as well.


having options like that is never a bad thing.


in the meantime go and enjoy your 4K gimmick and be completely tethered to your tv without the OPTION to bring your game anywhere else with you easily.

But you yourself are saying that this is meant to replace the 3DS. So it's meant to replace a great portable system with something that's less portable, and where portability is only an "option" rather than its natural use.

And no, having the option to have a portable system IS a bad option if the portability isn't very good, while also reducing the power of the unit while being used as a home console.

I mean lets face it, the reason it's less powerful than a PS4 or Xbox One is because its portable mode has to be viable, and it's not like the PS4 and Xbox One are powerhouses. They needed less powerful parts that create less heat and have a smaller power draw so that its portable mode would work. Now I'm not saying that the Switch has to be a super powerful system to be good, but it does mean that it's going to turn off developers who don't want to optimize for it meaning that it's going to get worse third party support, just like the Wii, just like the WiiU, and that means that it'll probably never be anyone's primary console.

You don't want a device that does everything, because it will do everything poorly. You want devices that are good in their specific niche. There's no reason that Nintendo can't release a new handheld AND a new console, and just let each one be its own thing. This amalgamation means it's just going to be a mediocre system at everything it's doing.

It's less powerful than the current generation of consoles, while also being less portable than this generation of handhelds.

 

[Yoshi178]

no i'm saying 3DS is clearly on it's way out and that Switch is going to replace BOTH the Wii U AND the 3DS.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

no i'm saying 3DS is clearly on it's way out and that Switch is going to replace BOTH the Wii U AND the 3DS.

And I'm saying that's bad.

 

[Las7]

It's going to outsell the Wii U World Wide sales in Japan alone.
Not too sure how successful it will be outside of Japan, mainly depends on price - Nintendo needs a sub $250 launch price.
Anyhow first year it will outsell Wii U's total sales for the entire prior generation. Switch will be front loaded device due to biggest games coming out first year - Splatoon, MH, DQ, Pokemon Stars, Mario Kart, new Mario etc

 

[Yoshi178]

no i'm saying 3DS is clearly on it's way out and that Switch is going to replace BOTH the Wii U AND the 3DS.

And I'm saying that's bad.

only because carrying a bag is too much effort for you.

 

[Specter Von Baren]

Here is the thing: there is a necessity for consoles, while PC does everything, but what it doesn't is be easy to setup and not having to wait (much) to play a physical game you buy.

Steam has proven this to be an antiquated idea. And this issue is becoming less and less of one as time goes on. Further, this is ignoring the fact that home consoles already have downloadable games on them, some of those games are ONLY downloadable, either due to being from a small company or being games on defunct systems. I like having a physical game myself but I can't fight what direction the world is obviously taking. This also isn't like the old days where you needed X and Y programs just to make your game work, a lot of games just need the right amount of power to play and some of them will even let you tone down the graphics to be able to play on lower power computers.

PlayStation 4 and Xbox 1 are downgraded PCs, now highlighted with the Pro and Scorpio, but there still are games for it that you insert the disc and play, we are used to things such as Steam and online stores, but for a casual gamer (usually the target of sales) such things are too much.

Computer games can also have games for sale in store, it's just that it's much MUCH smarter, economically, to make the games downloadable instead. Many games that have been made in the last couple years, literally, would not exist, without them being downloadable because marketing in the real world and getting someone to produce hard copies of games for you costs a lot more money. Online you don't even need to advertise, if your game gets approved then just put some screenshots and write up a summary and have them put it in the store. The people that want that kind of game will be looking for it and they'll be looking for it in that store, no need to advertise or anything like that.

Meanwhile on the other side of the spectrum, handheld gaming has taken a hit in the recent years, the casual audience whom the Wii aimed at moved on to devices that do many things, gaming being a fairly limited one, so Nintendo has to fight this in order to keep gaming on that side afloat, or else handhelds run the risk of turning outright obsolete, unlike the need for console that will always exist.

You say handheld consoles have taken a hit but you only mention the Wii. If you're referring to the Vita then I kindly ask you to not bring it up again because the Vita's issues didn't come from it being a portable console. If you mean the 3DS then I ask that you explain further because I don't see how its taken a significant hit.

 

[Igor-Rowan]

snip

About Steam: I am mostly talking about the AAA games the casual audience is likely going to know about, I've heard everywhere about how people can set-up a powerful PC for relatively cheap prices, but what about those who aren't into technology, that buy any PC, maybe it's just a personal experience, but I'm willing to wager those people exist.

About portables: It has to be brought up the fact the Vita failed, since it didn't give the 3DS a run for its money, the 3DS kept resting its laurels since it had no real competitor as a dedicated portable gaming device and it sold less than the DS because of it. And while that fight was going on, mobile devices (user-friendly, flexible, fuctions other than gaming) have been increasing in numbers at astounding rates, making people question the need for a portable if a phone does that (in a limited way)

 

[CritialGaming]

You guys have brought this up a lot in the last couple of pages, so I wanted to address some issues.

1. Nintendo has said that they are not using the Switch to replace the 3DS, and it is likely that DS development continues because it holds a huge market and producing games on that system are fairly cheap by comparison.

2. While the Zelda game for the Switch will certainly help with initial sales, first party nintendo support is not going to keep this system above water. The Switch is ABSOLUTELY going to sink or swim based on 3rd party support. Nintendo has come out and given us a huge list of developers on board, but not a single developer has confirmed shit for the Switch. Which is a huge fucking problem. When Microsoft and Sony announce a new system, they always show off a ton of games for that system, and almost none of those games are first party developed. Nintendo comes out and shows us 99% 1st party game on this thing, and the 1% that isn't 1st party is fucking faked. If that isn't firing warning bells off in your heads, ya'll must be blind.

3. The mobility of the console is more to attract the Japanese market, as the mobile gaming market there is huge. In the west we don't use mobile devices beyond our phones that much, because we frankly don't have the time while out and about to play something the way Japan does. Japan is a culture that thrives on public transport, which means they play on their commutes to and from work and school, whereas western folks mostly commute themselves and you shouldn't play while driving. Now people in the west certainly do use mobile devices for gaming, it is nothing compared to the Japanese market.

4. Finally, the Vita. Look guys, the Vita is the Wii U of handhelds. No 3rd party support, means it sold like shit. Which is a shame because as a system itself, it is pretty fucking good. Great graphics, excellent features. I use mine a lot as a companion piece to my PS4. The fact the the Switch is both the console and the handheld might help it in that regard.

Ultimately it comes down to 3rd party support. We've seen absolutely nothing in regards to 3rd party games on this thing. Zelda might be great, but what you are looking at is yet another Nintendo console with only Nintendo games on it. Underpowered hardware, I can almost guarantee, will cause any 3rd party game to simply be an inferior experience on the Switch compared to the same game on any other system.

Ask yourself this....If you could play your favorite game on the go with the ease that the Switch advertises, will you sacrifice frame rate, fidelity, playability, on a handheld with around 2 hours of battery life? Will it really be worth it?

 

[Yoshi178]

Nintendo has said that they are not using the Switch to replace the 3DS, and it is likely that DS development continues because it holds a huge market and producing games on that system are fairly cheap by comparison.

Nintendo always says that about their previous consoles.


If Switch fails then sure. it won't be replacing the 3DS.

If it's a massive success though, you can sure as hell bet they'll ditch the 3DS a year or two after the Switch launch.

 

[CritialGaming]

Nintendo has said that they are not using the Switch to replace the 3DS, and it is likely that DS development continues because it holds a huge market and producing games on that system are fairly cheap by comparison.

Nintendo always says that about their previous consoles.


If Switch fails then sure. it won't be replacing the 3DS.

If it's a massive success though, you can sure as hell bet they'll ditch the 3DS a year or two after the Switch launch.

Again i really doubt that. It is far too cheap to produce a DS game than a full HD AAA release. The DS will remain an alternative gaming device, especially if Nintendo doesn't make a successor to the handheld. Stopping DS production or game releases, would be a drastic mistake for them.

 

[go-10]

I'll hold my real answer until Friday but looking at it based on the confirmed information we have, yes the Switch will be yet another failure much like the Wii U hardcore Nintendo fans will buy it and love it for it's first party titles while third party publishers will re-release "definitive" editions of old games that nobody will buy and they'll claim that nobody wants their game on Switch and after the 3 year mark the Switch will be much like the Wii U dead and forgotten to the general gaming audience.