Topic: Switch Discussion Thread (Year 3: But where are the folders??!?!)

[nickmitch]

Not sure how a new hiring listing would jive with the Pokemon Stars rumors.  Aren't the SuMo models already HD?  I think I remember reading/hearing that's why the game kinda chugs at times and you can find HD videos of the game.  So, wouldn't think they'd "need" someone to make a Switch game.  Could just be an opening came up.

[Shaymin]

Or they're getting ready for Gen VIII, a spinoff, or something completely different.

[Adrock]

I didn't really know where to put this.

I don't want to pay $60 for Arms, but it looks like a lot of fun.

[Phil]

I didn't really know where to put this.

I don't want to pay $60 for Arms, but it looks like a lot of fun.

I think the price will be easier to swallow when we learn more about modes and if there are any other characters.

[Adrock]

That won't change anything. I rarely pay fully price for games (not counting the 20% Amazon discount). I paid full price for Breath of the Wild because come on. This isn't so much about Arms than it is my thriftiness and limited gaming time. I just got to Hateno Village like a week ago, and I haven't played since.

[Lemonade]

A friend of mine designed an adjustable angle Switch stand. Its pretty good, I printed with one with a printer at work.


The design is here if anyone wants it
https://www.myminifactory.com/object/nintendo-switch-adjustable-stand-30162

I will keep using the 3DS stand because it is much less bulky, but I will give this one to my sister

[ThePerm]

I found one of these while packing for moving and I thought...hey wait a minute?

https://www.consumercrafts.com/store/details/catalog/decor-display-easels-and-picture-frames/5205-81?gclid=CjwKEAjwwcjGBRDj-P7TwcinyBkSJADymblTRHmqThfiV212gMPaIBvhXlqeyIRP8TGNr4s_loVetBoCaf7w_wcB

87 cents. Commonly available picture frame holder.

[nickmitch]

Cheap, effective, and adds a touch of class? I like it.

[ThePerm]

I've been reading Tiago Sousa's Twitter. Apparently he was really happy Nintendo has Vulkan support. He was also excited about the console. Apparently, he was trying to buy it but it was sold out. Who  is Tiago Sousa? A Lead Programmer at Id Software.

[nickmitch]

Nintendo expects to ship 20 million Switch devices in first year

NINTENDO WORKING ON MULTIPLE NEW IP, ALSO EMBRACING "OUT OF THE BOX IDEAS" FOR SWITCH GAMES

[NWR_insanolord]

20 million in year one would most likely mean Switch eclipsing Wii U's lifetime sales before the end of 2017. That would really be something.

[MagicCow64]

That 20 million number seems a tad optimistic, though I certainly think it's possible that Switch beats WiiU lifetime within a year on the market.

My baseline assumption is that the Switch will come in between the 64 and the 3DS (~30 million and ~60 million). I'm thinking more on the conservative side of that spread with 40 million, though I'm unsure of how the likelihood of ambiguous quasi-generations will muddle the picture.

[nickmitch]

20 Million seems aggressively optimistic.  One thing I like about the news: it (hopefully) means Nintendo is planning to maintain instocks.

[lolmonade]

Ship is different than sell.  I suspect they expect a bullish year, but also imagine they set a target of 20 million units to:


1).  Get the stock levels from impossible to find to readily available anywhere.  I really don't think the scarcity helps their situation, they should want to move units now, especially given the fanfare for Zelda and leading up to a new Mario game by the end of the year.  They want to ramp up their install base quickly so their console is an attractive ecosystem for 3rd party & indies, where viable.


2).  Possibly get price breaks on a higher volume of units being manufactured.  I doubt Nintendo ever got the benefit of doing this with Wii U, especially given the unique nature of the console.  Given the relative off-the-shelf nature of the Switch (joycon notwithstanding), I imagine they can get their manufactured cost down pretty significantly if they place pretty significant purchase orders with their manufacturing partners.


I also imagine we're far enough away from a hardware refresh to where they're not afraid to build up their stock if it doesn't fly off the shelves.

[Soren]

Good to see UE4 playing nice with the Switch. It's a plus when the anti-aliasing works so well that you're not really noticing that you're playing something sub-720p when docked. Also the short turnaround for porting to Switch.

[Evan_B]

Since I powered through Breath of the Wild, I am now pretty bummed at what else is available for the Switch. Not only because none of the games stack up to the quality and amount of content that Breath of the Wild does, but a number of the games feel overpriced and way too gimmicky to justify a purchase. I've been considering Blaster Master Zero, but I could just as easily get that on 3DS. Snake Pass and Binding of Isaac are overpriced, as well.

[Stratos]

I finally got a Pro controller! Amazon had a direct prime listing yesterday with a promise of shipping by April 11th. Gamestop had a similar thing going last week with a promise date of 3/31, but I didn't want to pay the extra shipping costs. The controller is already $70 with taxes too. I'm not paying $80 for a controller including shipping.

[ShyGuy]

Since I powered through Breath of the Wild, I am now pretty bummed at what else is available for the Switch. Not only because none of the games stack up to the quality and amount of content that Breath of the Wild does, but a number of the games feel overpriced and way too gimmicky to justify a purchase. I've been considering Blaster Master Zero, but I could just as easily get that on 3DS. Snake Pass and Binding of Isaac are overpriced, as well.

Have you downloaded the demoes for Dragon Quest Warriors and Puyo Puyo Tetris on the Japanese eshop?

[Evan_B]

I still haven't completed Hyrule Warriors to my personal level of satisfaction just yet, I can't imagine going for DQ Heroes, let alone a bundle of the two games. Puyo Puyo Tetris does sound amusing, though.

Arms is the next game I really want.

[ThePerm]

So Wii came out in November of 2006 and launched with Zelda: Twilight Princess. Mario Galaxy was launched the year after in November of 2007. Switch is likely to be ahead of schedule with Mary Odyssey. I think if Odyssey slips though Switch would be Doomed if it didn't have Pokémon, which guarantees its success. I do expect however a $25 price drop March of next year. The key is maintaining momentum.

Some things I'd like to see at e3

Eternal Darkness (Nintendo re-registered the trademark, either it's just going to the e-shop or they are making a new one) A great idea would be to show off Resident Evil 7 and Fatal Frame off at the same time to roll the ball for survival horror.

Metroid
Shadows of the Eternals(resurfacing still a separate game with a publisher)
Smash Bros (but I want Smash Bros to make a drastic change, the type of change fanboys would be divided about, where some are pissed and some are excited) The ideal situation is the announce a port of the wii u 3ds one, and make another game that is totally new.
Pikmin
Pokémon
Donkey Kong(i'd like to see a new 3d DK)

Obviously I want to see new franchises or even long forgotten franchises.

[Nile Boogie Returns]

MY GOD THE JOY-CON NEEDS A D-PAD.


I bought KOF '98 and that game is almost impossible with a standard horizontal Joy-Con. To the point that I won't buy another arcade fighter on the system until this is fixed. I could buy a Pro Controller but that's far less elegant than an actual D-Pad. I've only played on other game (Zelda) and of course there is no problem there.




ALSO


I'm beginning to be a bit trepidatious on the hardware in terms of hardware specs. As a handheld, I think the system is solid and I am giving them a first year grace period but as a home console, I'm thinking this may not be robust enough. When I do the math, the specs should fall into the "good enough not to suck" but the lack of a Switch version of Destiny 2 seems smells reminiscent of the Wii U. Just something I noticed  and I want to keep an eye on.

[KeyBilly]

Nintendo basically rejected the notion of PS4/XBone ports with the Switch design.  For me, it is not too bad if they let go of the pretense that it isn't a 3DS successor and all those developers (including internal) move to Switch. 

Also, YES, the left Joy-con should have a D-pad.  I would much prefer using the D-pad as buttons in two player games than using the buttons as a D-pad for any game on the go.  Using the Joy-con on their sides is awkward anyway, plus there are shoulder-ish buttons, so there is no need to sacrifice the most fundamental Nintendo input style to make that play style work better.

[Soren]

Honestly, do not expect major third party franchises to have Switch ports. The hardware specs and overall output just don't match up, and the cost of cartridges may just be enough of a turn off to not make it worth it for publishers.


Regardless of what many people may say (including some staff of this very website), the Switch is a handheld consoles first and a home console a very distant second.

[Disco Stu]

Apropos of nothing, Switch needs a Picross game ASAP.  Come to my rescue, Saturn!  Let's get to Picross e764!!!!

[nickmitch]

I wonder what the D-Pad solution looks like.  Is it a left JoyCon with a traditional D-pad instead of the buttons? or instead of the stick?  Do you do the same thing on the right JoyCon? Is a right d-pad JoyCon even needed?