Topic: Switchmas Eve Rumors and Speculations Thread

[nickmitch]

Hopefully, Nintendo is working on not having a day 1 software update and having a steady stream of games through the first year.

[MagicCow64]

Yikes, was not expecting this! I thought it was far more likely they'd announce a pre-E3 event in May to unveil the hardware and gimmick. If they're waiting til 2017 to launch and later this year to unveil, I'm guessing it's because they didn't really have a choice, as missing the holiday for launch has got to sting. Still, it's baffling as to why they couldn't at least do an initial reveal at E3 with a few key titles to boot. Sure, focus on Zelda, but it's not like that game on WiiU is going to do huge numbers with the low install base and historic trajectory of 3D Zelda sales. Curious indeed.

Also, this is going to drive the hardcore enthusiast community apeshit. That's probably not going to redound to Nintendo's benefit.

Edit: Wait, Zelda's delayed to 2017 too?! Holy ****.

[nickmitch]

Another optimist viewpoint: If the system is actually ready to go, waiting until March might mean that Nintendo is stockpiling units to avoid shortages.  I like the thought of this, but I'm worried I'll strain my shoulder reaching this hard.

[alegoicoe]

The NX situation is just getting out of hand and its baffling how Nintedo themselves are at fault for a machine that is destined to disappoint people due to the mystification and hopes people have placed on it. Nintendo have been making bad choice after bad choice since they announced the Wii U starting from the name it self, and this trend has continued to the NX which it self is a codename. You wonder why the hell would Nintendo be so secretive about this system, its not like they have a freaking unicorn, its technology and if it is so revolutionary as they claim its going to be copied no matter what. I just think that they are shooting themselves in the foot by not taking advantage of the hype train and pushing the system to early next year, couple with mind blowing decision to punish wii u gamers by pushing zelda once again just to make the launch of the NX and showing a big middle finger to gamers who were told by Nintendo that they were going to be playing the game in 2015, shame on them. I think, and I only speak for my self that i hit rock bottom in terms of disappointment in Nintendo and they awkward and downright stupid decisions that the only purpose it has served is to slowly but surely kill off their already damaged fan base.

[Fatty The Hutt]

I think I'm liking this new Kimishima style Nintendo.
Now they're all like "**** it, we will release NX when we're damn good and ready." And they're telling us why, way in advance: "Cuz we want to have games for it, duh!".
Holiday season? "**** it! It'll be ready in March. **** you!"
E3? "**** it! We have Directs for that ****, yo. Also, we're givin you Zelda and it's gonna blow your fucking mind and you're gonna eat that **** up and love it. Shut yo mouth."
Nintendo is doing it's thing and it's making money and it couldn't give two craps whether the "gaming press" or the "hardcore" like it or not.
Respect!

[Ian Sane]

Now in response, to Ian:

British Columbia is trash and they have bad hockey fans. I can say this with authority as I have been there. I can back this up with support by saying the Ian's community of residence has a website dedicated to it called www.langleysucks.com

Langley sucks?!  Ah man, there's where I was born and raised!

I really was not expecting anything at all about the NX at the investor's meeting.  Too bad I get to be surprised with a "delay".  I gave my opinion of it in the talkback thread.  I don't think it's going to do the NX any favours to wait until 2017 but Nintendo may be behind enough on game development that this is necessary.  Disappointing news anyway.

[Fatty The Hutt]

I just had a fun thought: what if Nintedo is dialing down E3 involvement in favour of another North American genre gathering a little while later: San Diego ComicCon.
Maybe Nintendo is thinking to itself, E3 is too limiting, it's only for gamers, it doesn't get enough mainstream attention. Let's go to ComicCon, which gets way more attention, and do our big NX reveal blowout there and really get the attention of the mainstream media as well as genre enthusiasts. And we will have our mobile offerings there too and Amiibo and the best cosplay and maybe some TV or movie or anime products too. We will be positioning ourselves as just as relevant as the huge entertainment conglomerates that put a lot of effort into ComicCon but not much into E3. We will be showing we are a diversifying (or diversified) entertainment company, not just a dumb vidya game company that peaked in 1985.

[Ian Sane]

Wouldn't the competition for attention be greater at ComicCon?  At E3 they only have to compete with competitors in their own industry and not big entertainment companies like Disney and Warner Bros directly.

They've been scaling down E3 in favour of directs for years so this is probably an extension of that mixed with what I think is fair to assume a slim lineup as the Wii U and 3DS finish their lifespans.

[MysticGohan]

Well Nintendo could do a Space World event for the NX, or host something like a direct to show it off and give details.

The PS4 was shown off well before E3, so we could see something similar. At least we know we'll have a full blow out at some point on the system. wherever it's before or after E3 is another story.

[nickmitch]

I'm not sure in ComiCon is the place.  And Spaceworld almost seems like too costly an event for Nintendo to throw at this stage.  I'm worried it'll just be at the New York store and that's it.

[Ian Sane]

Under normal circumstances I would figure you could do a direct and release a demo.  But you can't release demos for games for a brand new console no one owns yet.  So you need some event to get the games into the hands of the media so their previews and impressions will build hype for your product.

Wasn't Spaceworld open to the public?  Probably don't need to go that far.  A smaller press event will suffice.

[nickmitch]

Right. They can do Directs for the Wii U's death march lineup, but the press needs to get their hands on the NX.  They'll get TGS, but the West needs something too.  So maybe the press event is something that could work.

[MagicCow64]

I just checked out the Neogaf thread to see if there were any rumors or rays of hope, and there was this at least:

  Originally Posted by

FyreWulff
Launching Holiday 2016 just puts them lost in the fray of the VR jerkoff and PS4K.
 
 Holiday 2017 means ports competing with existing console dev time and supply constraints
 
 March 2017 (and Nintendo has launched multiple successful hardware in March) gives them an E3 between launch and holiday, gets them out of the 2016 clusterfuck, lets them account for the 4K if they so desire, developers aren't making the NX version of late 16 / early 17 hardware at the same time as other consoles, they have a GDC, PAX East, E3, PAX Prime that they can openly have hardware and playable demos at.
 
 March 2017 also gets them Destiny 2 in September 2017, instead of Destiny 2 Months After It Already Came Out.
 
 Ubisoft has paused AssCreed for 2016 and won't be releasing one this holiday, so Nintendo isn't missing out on a major Ubi title either for not making this year.
 
 *developer hat on* Strategically, this all makes sense. It makes sense for ports, it makes sense for hardware supply, it makes sense because they can let Sony talk themselves ragged for E3 2016 and then be the main attraction for GDC, PAX East, E3 2017, and PAX Prime going into Holiday 2017.
 
 *developer inside baseball hat on top of developer hat* Also, by releasing at the start of most everyone's fiscal year, they won't suffer from what happened to the Wii U, where a bunch of companies pushed U titles back into fiscal 2013 to make their numbers look better. Developers spin down during December and January, so why put the NX in that position anyway.
 
 Plus they can make retailers happy by exhausting all of their Wii U supply this holiday. Not gonna bet money but wouldn't be surprised to see a farewell Wii U bundle that acts as a soft price cut to empty out the warehouses and retail channel.

[Evan_B]

Hopefully, Nintendo is working on not having a day 1 software update and having a steady stream of games through the first year.

Juuuuuust like the Wii drought before Wii U dropped, right?!

...Right?

[astraith]

I think that Nintendo NS is an operating system. It will launch on a handheld first, then be ported to Wii U, and Holiday 2017 we will get a new home console. Think about it. Iwata said a long time ago that they wanted to make a new platform where they make one game for all their platforms, allowing them to make more hardware (tablets, VR/AR units, mobile phones, handhelds, consoles...). This is to address a problem they had this generation: keeping a steady flow of games. The Wii U MIGHT not be included in this, but logically it doesn't make sense not to -- AND doing so will help with making sure we keep our downloaded games on our Wii U's to the NX. Also explains the "Marcvh 2017" release date.

[Enner]

Hopefully, Nintendo is working on not having a day 1 software update and having a steady stream of games through the first year.

Juuuuuust like the Wii drought before Wii U dropped, right?!

...Right?

In the face of repeated history, all we have is hope.

It is worth noting that Nintendo has since integrated their hardware and software teams. Might mean more legwork done on one thing rather than two.

[MysticGohan]

With no handheld forthcoming and Nintendo hinting at something, the hybrid could be true. A console to be stationary and on the go. Like buying a handheld that takes NX games on the go. Or it could be something else, but seeing that there's been no real mention to the 3DS's successor, other than the possibility that NX is the code name for both.

Which would be odd seeing that history has shown two different code names if that was the case.

Still interested, hopefully we'll here more soon. Shouldn't the embargo be up on devs to discuss projects for NX?

[ThePerm]

The advantage of doing comic con over e3 is it puts the focus on Nintendo, and also filters out biased game journalists and their snarky rich opinions.

[Fatty The Hutt]

Another advantage of doing something like Comic Con over resurrecting Spaceworld is that press and regular people are already going to Comic Con. You don't have to get them there by special invite or by possibly paying for their travel and attendance as has sometimes happened with game reveal events in the past (by other companies like Activision; not by Nintendo, I think). Comic Con has a built in, hype-ready audience. Of course GDC would work that way too. But GDC is February 27 - March 3, 2017 which is getting a bit late for a big hardware reveal. Plus, it is not nearly as mainstream as something like Comic Con. But, it doesn't have to be Comic Con. What other gatherings of press and enthusiasts are there between E3 and March 2017?

[Ian Sane]

I think that Nintendo NS is an operating system. It will launch on a handheld first, then be ported to Wii U, and Holiday 2017 we will get a new home console.

So the Wii U has to hold on for even longer?  I think asking it to limp along until March 2017 is pushing it.  No may it can last another six or seven months after that.

The advantage of doing comic con over e3 is it puts the focus on Nintendo, and also filters out biased game journalists and their snarky rich opinions.

Wouldn't the gaming journalists know that Nintendo is at comic con and thus go there themselves to see it?  And if they were left out you think they're not going to totally rag on Nintendo for cutting them out?  I don't see the gaming media in general as biased against Nintendo anyway.  The odd site is but I feel most criticism Nintendo receives is earned.  And Nintendo games tend to get really good review scores which doesn't fit the idea of a bias against them anyway.  Everyone that ragged on the Wii also made Super Mario Galaxy the best reviewed game of all time.

[Caterkiller]

I don't think delaying the announcement or the assumed 2016 launch of of the NX is a bad idea. I'm disappointed but I do think its a good idea.

As for keeping their cards super close, I can kind of understand Nintendo not wanting competitors to steal their designs but really, from the Gamecube on the only time anyone seemed to copy anything was well after it was proven to be a sales success.

I remember Miyamoto talking about not wanting to reveal Super Mario 64's successor too early because of them worried about ideas getting stolen. Pretty sure those ideas included Flood. I remember Miyamoto or Iwata talking about how they expected their mini discs and the Gamecube control layout to become the standard. For all their talk of ideas getting stolen or adopted the only things that come to mind is the Wii Remote(long after it was a huge success that no one could completely ignore) and one game using Pikmin's structure as its base for game play.

Yeah Sony put that little screen in their DS4 just in case but the market didn't take to the gamepad at all.

I'm not saying Nintendo is wrong for being secretive but sometimes their ideas are so out there almost seemingly just for the sake of being different half the gaming world don't even take them seriously. I'm also not saying that they should show the NX now and it's new feature, I think they should wait until closer to launch but if they think folks are going to steal this idea I hope it's something really significant where it's potential value can be perceived instantly.

[Ian Sane]

Would Sony and MS even have time to steal the ideas for the NX in a timeframe that would hurt Nintendo?  If Sony and MS are planning on incremental console updates they don't have time to just throw that all out and copy Nintendo's idea.  Even strictly gameplay ideas are hard to copy these days with the extended development time modern games have.  If Nintendo demos some unique game at E3 a knock off isn't going to be able to be developed in six months to beat it to market.  Not with HD development times.

[Khushrenada]

Eh. From the rumors and rumblings, most everyone was predicting the NX to probably come out around mid-November like the Wii and Wii U did with Zelda being the major launch game like it was with the Wii. If we go from Star Fox's release date to November 22, that's 7 months. In those 7 months, what are we expecting for releases? There's Mario & Sonic Olympics, Tokyo Mirage, and Paper Mario possibly coming out in this time. Zelda was expected to be the last hurrah in November/December. I know there' some other stuff like e-shop games or Mighty No. 9 or Lost Reavers but as far as major retail releases, is there anything else I'm missing?

The only question was whether Nintendo was going to make a surprise announcement or two about a game that would be released for the Wii U between June and November to help pad the schedule. We already knew it was going to be a slim pickings year like the last year of the GameCube and Wii. The only difference is that there was expected to be a new bounty of games for when the NX launched.

If we go from November 22 - Mar. 17, that's 4 more months. Yeah, the NX getting pushed back sucks when you look at the current schedule leading up to November. Yet, 4 months isn't too long an extra wait time. If there were more Wii U games from Nintendo, like even a total of 8 or so spaced out over that time, it might have made this delay more bearable. As it stands, August 22 will put us back on track from where we before this delay announcement. And if they do announce 2 more Wii U games, we'll be back to where we stated for game releases.

Enjoy 3DS gaming because that's what Nintendo's still supporting.

[Soren]

Eh. From the rumors and rumblings, most everyone was predicting the NX to probably come out around mid-November like the Wii and Wii U did with Zelda being the major launch game like it was with the Wii. If we go from Star Fox's release date to November 22, that's 7 months. In those 7 months, what are we expecting for releases? There's Mario & Sonic Olympics, Tokyo Mirage, and Paper Mario possibly coming out in this time. Zelda was expected to be the last hurrah in November/December. I know there' some other stuff like e-shop games or Mighty No. 9 or Lost Reavers but as far as major retail releases, is there anything else I'm missing?

There's the Lego Star Wars Force Awakens game. That's it. You can also expect Nintendo to give Yooka-Laylee a big bump as well.


Don't expect to play much on Wii U anymore.

[Enner]

For those interested, @ZhugeEX tweeted from the Koei-Tecmo financials that Koei-Tecmo is developing games for the Nintendo NX. So, rest assured we will be able to play the latest Dynasty Warriors port on Nintendo's next console.