Such good game design. Such questionable hardware decisions.

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/10/nintendos-next-console-switch-is-a-consoletablet-hybrid/

10/20/2016 10:10:34 AM

Curious about the specs, but it's basically an ugly iPad with detachable controllers. Not sure if want.

10/20/2016 10:16:58 AM

I'd be fine with it conceptually if I didn't know it will be grossly underpowered and therefore lack any 3rd party support. Nintendo is one of the best game makers in the world but they can only output so much

10/20/2016 10:34:53 AM

Supposedly it's 3 or 4 times more powerful than the Wii U, so probably not going to match PS4 or X1. I'm excited if this combines their portable and home console businesses, I'm tired of playing Mario & Luigi games on the 3DS' crappy screen.

10/20/2016 10:46:21 AM

Curious about storage too. Presumably the carts they plan to use for games will have room for patches or DLC but what happens when you download a game or something? Will they be selling blanks you can load? Seems like inviting piracy but it can't have that much local storage.

10/20/2016 10:53:47 AM

10/20/2016 10:59:08 AM

The portable detachable multi-player thing is a cool idea.

10/20/2016 11:21:45 AM

Love this! super excited for a new Mario game.

10/20/2016 11:42:38 AM

I wonder if this will be backwards compatible with the original Wii.

10/20/2016 11:44:57 AM

Trailer showed Skyrim, so that at least had me somewhat interested on top of the new Zelda game.

I'm curious, but not a "must purchase" by any means.

10/20/2016 11:48:43 AM

It looks like a Kickstarter prototype.

10/20/2016 11:52:54 AM

My 2 biggest questions are
1) battery life
2) does the performance change when it is not docked. the zelda game looked like it had bad fps when it was being played on the go.

10/20/2016 12:17:59 PM

Dock probably has the graphics card in it while the detachable system has the cpu with integrated graphics. Would help with bulk and battery life at the expense of graphics while not docked.

10/20/2016 12:24:51 PM

^^ All those images are simulated, if there is a fps drop on the video it's because it's harder to map the game image onto the video in motion than a still spot like a tv in post production.

10/20/2016 12:39:54 PM

^ that makes sense. I do still wonder about the performance when it's not docked.

10/20/2016 1:04:12 PM

^Valid concern depending on if or what the dock has to do with processing or power supply. Just don't know what we can say from the video.

And I suppose it's possible those are real images but standard operating procedure is not to shoot screens on video because it looks like shit but to just superimpose it in post production.

10/20/2016 1:36:27 PM

I don't think the dock is anything other than a dock. The whole point of this thing is to consolidate software development to a single platform, wouldn't make much sense to muck it up with a separate GPU or something in the dock. Spec wise, I'd look to something in the ballpark of the Nvidia Shield Android TV.

With that sad, I wouldn't be surprised if it downclocks everything to save power and render games at lower resolutions when it's in "tablet mode" or whatever.



This thing is quite a bit thicker than your average tablet, and has a pretty prominent fan vent. All the actual processing hardware is in there.

[Edited on October 20, 2016 at 2:01 PM. Reason : .]

10/20/2016 1:53:38 PM

interesting, I just assumed the dock was pretty basic but now it could have its own graphics card...hmm

I'm a nintendo fan who isn't scared to bash nintendo when they deserve it but I'm getting psyched for this, the mobile/hybrid thing seems like a gimmick that actually has some legs to it, a smart trend they can continue at least (although I actually kind of liked motion control and 3d),

plus at least they are making a smart decision in some regard covering their ass if 3rd party goes to shit like it usually does in pooling all their development resources in to one console, one reason I'm optimistic is the 3ds was actually the first nintendo mobile console that had good enough games for me to consider buying it


the timing of this actually seems pretty smart by nintendo, they release their console about 2-3 years after the generation begins giving the mobile technology time to at least get competitive...still though I'd like to see how it compares to ps4/x1 in graphics for third party but maybe they'll just rely on 1st party and exclusive deals

10/20/2016 1:55:14 PM

Initial numbers I've seen posted online for the battery life on mobile is 4-hours actively playing and 24-hours on standby. Not sure how accurate but 4 would be impressive.

10/20/2016 2:02:17 PM

So, it's a WiiU with better graphics and no touch screen that can now be taken more than 30 ft from the TV...got it.

Also, has there ever been an uglier console? It's pure function with no form. Thing looks jankety as hell.



[Edited on October 20, 2016 at 5:25 PM. Reason : smh nintendo]

10/20/2016 5:22:18 PM

Maybe the Wii U will finally be cheap enough for me to be willing to buy it.

10/20/2016 5:43:35 PM

Has it been confirmed there's no touchscreen? That would be ridiculous.

10/20/2016 6:02:24 PM

I never really cared about the look of a console. Gamecube was a stupid design but it did it's job. I like Wii for how little space it takes up.

As a teacher, I won't be excited when these things start showing up in schools.

10/21/2016 1:18:36 AM

The video seems to indicate that the handheld's screen is only viewable when disconnected from a television; anytime its shown connected to a television, there is a placeholder between the two controllers and not the handheld screen. I don't recall seeing any dual screen gameplay from the video, but I may be mistaken.

If this is the case, I would think that the handheld screen would not be designed to have touch screen capabilities, since gameplay would be diminished when the device is connected to a televison. Hopefully I'm wrong, and the device can connect to a television even when being used as a handheld device.

10/21/2016 7:54:01 AM

Fuck you the Gamecube hardward design WAS THE SHIZNIT.

It had a handle. It was so cute, i love it.

10/21/2016 8:53:34 AM

Touch input is overrated I'd prefer people don't have the option of shoehorning it in just because.

It's great on a phone because you are just pushing buttons mostly but for anything needing fine control it's garbage.

10/21/2016 10:02:33 AM

^^ I, too, loved the Gamecube design

10/21/2016 12:42:03 PM

The best part of the Gamecube design was that there was a monitor attachment which made the whole thing portable. Played Gamecube at Grandma's while little kids watched their movie on the main TV. Played Gamecube in the car while traveling (I think?).

It . . . actually, it was essentially this console, just bulkier and without the instant switch.

10/21/2016 3:18:06 PM

Per my earlier point, screen images added in post confirmed by Nintendo. This alone isn't a red flag but I would hope they created the footage using a dev kit but sounds like some of the games shown aren't even confirmed as existing for the device so who knows.

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/10/nintendo-switch-trailer-may-not-show-actual-game-footage/

Quote :

"Nintendo's statement comes after Bethesda and 2K Games already said that neither Skyrim nor NBA2K were necessarily confirmed to come to the Nintendo Switch, despite those franchises appearing in the trailer. It also comes after an interview with Twitch streamer Dickhiskhan—who starred in the trailer as one of the "pro" Splatoon players—revealed that the actors held dummy units with blank screens during filming. "

10/24/2016 4:36:12 PM

Looks like the reason it's so ugly is to convince folks to purchase changeable skins.

The gamecube always seemed too big for playing mini disks, it took up a lot of space on the shelf compared to how slim the Wii design is. I never moved it around, so the handle was unnecessary. And I have no memory of a portable monitor.

10/25/2016 6:08:07 AM

The portable monitor was something made by third parties. You could get one for the PS2 too.

10/25/2016 10:14:10 AM

I really like this thingy. But who the fuck could play Mario Kart on that tiny split screen?

10/25/2016 11:12:59 AM

Mario Kart is fun. I'd probably play that on a watch face. Well maybe only Double Dash on the watchface.

10/26/2016 2:46:39 PM

^God I love mario kart too SGB. Lets Switch streams when this bad boy comes out.

Lets be switch bros!

10/26/2016 6:44:43 PM

This cute ass console makes me want to get a group of like 4 switch owners, and we just all go on a road trip somewhere, playing our switches in the back seat, tournament style mario kart, squeeegeeeeee

10/26/2016 6:47:46 PM

local multiplayer?

10/27/2016 9:39:08 AM

I guess we'll learn more in 2 1/2 months unless the details leak early.

10/27/2016 9:58:27 AM

HOOPS I'm down to switch with you. We can Double Dash in the captain seats of my mom's mini van

10/27/2016 10:59:13 AM

The Nintendo Switch presentation will be tonight at 11 PM EST/8 PM Pacific.

Here are links to where you can watch it:

http://www.nintendo.com/switch/

https://www.twitch.tv/nintendo

https://www.youtube.com/nintendo

1/12/2017 10:42:52 AM

Playing Baby Park on 440 has always been a dream of mine

1/12/2017 11:36:15 AM

I think the reception of this will depend on if you treat it as a replacement for the 3DS or if you treat it as a WIIU replacement.

If it's $250 like some sources say I'll be happy to get it just to play nintendo game and not care about it being underpowered but if they wanna charge more it will be a little harder to stomach.

Also worried about limited onboard storage but if it's really being treated mostly as a portable with cartridges then I'll be less concerned.

1/12/2017 12:07:56 PM

I'm really interested to see how they tackle battery life, cost, storage issues, and if their online infrastructure ever quits being utter shit. Also what launch titles and surprises are on the way.

1/12/2017 3:32:22 PM

So Far

Like-
Capacitive Touch Screen
Local Multiplayer capability. (Doubt I would use it at this point in my life but a nice feature)
Region unlocked (same as above.)
USB-C charger.


No Like-
Pay online services. Not in principle but I don't want to pay for Nintendo's crappy implementation.
$300 - Not much more than 250 but a hard sell when factoring in accessories games and the fact the other consoles are more powerful for same or less.

1/12/2017 11:33:14 PM

I think the interpreter is getting a blowjob right now.

[Edited on January 12, 2017 at 11:48 PM. Reason : suddenly sucks at interpreting]

1/12/2017 11:48:18 PM

Ok so overall I'd rate it 7/10. Presenters were awkward as fvck, the switch jokes fell flat, and there were like 10 3rd party games shown, some of which had barely started development. Still we're getting a new Zelda (also on Wii U though), a new Splatoon, AND a new Mario this year. Battery power is about what I expected, but not great. The use of USB-C is awesome, since that basically means you can charge it anywhere.

Not sure what's happening with the rumored Pokemon or Smash. Still I hope more is revealed about it during the Treehouse session tomorrow. We didn't hear about virtual console (although an old Street Fighter was shown) and the online details are still coming.

My biggest concern is the post-launch game drought, which we all know is coming. Assuming Mario and Splatoon hold to their launch dates, they'll fill in the gaps nicely, but what about other 3rd parties? (haha jk, we know that's a lost cause) Still I hope they have more up their sleeves.

1/13/2017 12:35:43 AM

That Zelda trailer though. The hotness.

Now if only they can make a version of skyward sword that doesn't require motion controls and I'll finally be able to go back and play through it without wanting to kill myself every time it did the opposite of what I wanted.

1/13/2017 12:46:01 AM

Quote :

"My biggest concern is the post-launch game drought,"

Hopefully the consolidation of mobile/console will mean we get some quality games that would otherwise have been DS games. Lot better support in that sector and might help matters.

1/13/2017 12:48:42 AM

Yeah, that's the number one reason I'm happy about the Switch. A lot of good stuff came out on the 3DS but I don't like staring at its tiny screen.

1/13/2017 12:56:38 AM

The Mario trailer just sold me on the Switch

1/13/2017 10:12:16 AM

i gots one

1/13/2017 10:15:54 AM