Author Topic: Switch is so popular people don't even post  (Read 10367 times)

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Offline ThePerm

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Switch is so popular people don't even post
« on: December 23, 2023, 06:32:46 PM »
132.2 million?

Back in the Gamecube days the consoles was doing so abysmally poor and everyone was up on here talking all the time.

That's 6 times Gamecube sales!

At least Gamecube had Eternal Darkness.
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Offline Luigi Dude

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Re: Switch is so popular people don't even post
« Reply #1 on: December 26, 2023, 11:03:53 AM »
That's because the Switch actually has games people want to play so there's less time to post.  The original tag line was "where Nintendo fans go to bitch", so since there's not much to bitch about anymore, no more post.
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Offline grubbywhat

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Re: Switch is so popular people don't even post
« Reply #2 on: December 26, 2023, 11:40:40 PM »
132.2 million?

Back in the Gamecube days the consoles was doing so abysmally poor and everyone was up on here talking all the time.

That's 6 times Gamecube sales!

At least Gamecube had Eternal Darkness.
There's less time to post because the Switch genuinely offers games that people want to play. I believe that the Gamecube's development direction may be to blame for this.

Offline ejamer

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Re: Switch is so popular people don't even post
« Reply #3 on: January 01, 2024, 11:59:21 AM »
Eh, I'm still working through my Wii backlog so no time to post about Switch.

Seriously, the Switch is pretty ok... but it's also absolutely flooded with ports and re-releases. I feel pretty bad about missing Kirby and the Forgotten Land and Xenoblade 3, but after getting past those games the selection of new titles we really want to play is actually pretty slim. (Note that we already played Tears of the Kingdom on a loaned console.)

We've also moved from Nintendo consoles to Steam Deck because family library sharing is MUCH more friendly and it still provides a great mix of docked/portable gameplay. When we want to enjoy some polished Nintendo software, we rely on our Wii and Wii U backlog which has about 80% of the Switch library available anyway.

*bitching challenge accepted - how did I do?*
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Offline Ian Sane

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Re: Switch is so popular people don't even post
« Reply #4 on: January 02, 2024, 01:53:39 PM »
The Switch does have tons of ports and re-releases.  But I don't find it to be a problem because the Switch has strong enough third party support that there are enough new games on the system available that you could avoid the re-releases and still have a healthy backlog of stuff to play.  Prior to the Switch Nintendo would remake an old game and that was it, for like a three month window.  Play this port or play nothing.

I also wouldn't discount PS4 ports even if they come a few years late.  Again, back in the Gamecube days a port of a well regarded PS2 game was a valuable entry in the library.  That sort of thing isn't great if you own all the current systems but if you only own the Nintendo one then that's essentially a new game.  It's the sort of thing that between the SNES and Switch was rare for Nintendo consoles.  Over the last year I'm starting to see the types of games I'm interested in get announced for the PS5 and not the Switch but prior to that I could kind of assume that the Switch would get the games I'm interested in.  And if that's happening for like 80% of the games on your radar then you don't get hung up on the missing 20%.

With digital downloads now being the norm I would expect a significant amount of old games available on the eShop.  When music switched from records to CDs or videos from VHS to DVD it wasn't like only new content was available.  Classic content made the conversion as well.  If you went to a book store historically it wasn't like the shelves only had books written in the last five years, there were classics that would remain in print for decades.  Videogames should have the same thing.  The fact that Nintendo made that Mario 3D collection a limited time release is nuts.  Those games should just be "in print" forever in whatever digital store Nintendo has.  So in the modern world a console should have tons of old stuff, it just needs to also have a steady stream of new games.

Something I've thought of is if you loaded up the max SD card the Switch can support (which I think is 2 TB) you would have a fantastic time capsule of video game history since it has so many key games from Atari to the present.  If you were to send something out to space like the Voyager Golden Record a fully loaded Switch would be perfect.

Offline Khushrenada

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Re: Switch is so popular people don't even post
« Reply #5 on: January 03, 2024, 12:17:14 AM »
*bitching challenge accepted - how did I do?*

I'm just glad to know you're ok. You stopped posting during Covid and I began to wonder if something happened to you pertaining to that.
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Offline lolmonade

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Re: Switch is so popular people don't even post
« Reply #6 on: January 03, 2024, 09:11:41 AM »
The Switch has been by far my most used console since launching.  Even with how dry it was to start, Breath of the Wild provided plenty to do on it.  Graphical fidelity is nice, but performance is much more important to me now, so as long as the system can keep outputting good games that run decently I'm fine. 

132.2 million?

Back in the Gamecube days the consoles was doing so abysmally poor and everyone was up on here talking all the time.

Didn't find myself here until the later Wii years, and had been active during the Wii U era.  I do miss the more active community here, but suspect the discord has pulled some people away.

Offline Luigi Dude

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Re: Switch is so popular people don't even post
« Reply #7 on: January 03, 2024, 11:03:07 AM »
The Switch does have tons of ports and re-releases.  But I don't find it to be a problem because the Switch has strong enough third party support that there are enough new games on the system available that you could avoid the re-releases and still have a healthy backlog of stuff to play.  Prior to the Switch Nintendo would remake an old game and that was it, for like a three month window.  Play this port or play nothing.

I also wouldn't discount PS4 ports even if they come a few years late.  Again, back in the Gamecube days a port of a well regarded PS2 game was a valuable entry in the library.  That sort of thing isn't great if you own all the current systems but if you only own the Nintendo one then that's essentially a new game.  It's the sort of thing that between the SNES and Switch was rare for Nintendo consoles.  Over the last year I'm starting to see the types of games I'm interested in get announced for the PS5 and not the Switch but prior to that I could kind of assume that the Switch would get the games I'm interested in.  And if that's happening for like 80% of the games on your radar then you don't get hung up on the missing 20%.

It's also funny how some people discount ports that are on the Switch when the hybrid nature of the Switch makes those ports handheld games as well.  I mean half of the GBA's success 20 years ago was getting handheld ports and remakes of SNES games.  So when the Switch gets a late port, it's no real different than the ports and remakes the GBA was getting.

So to 99% of the general public (since less than 1% even know the Steam Deck exist), the Switch is the only way to play many of these games on a handheld.  So the Switch getting ports that are considered late, it's not a big deal compared to previous home console only systems when the handheld benefit is a pretty big deal to make some people want to buy it, even if they might already own it on a different system.
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Offline ejamer

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Re: Switch is so popular people don't even post
« Reply #8 on: January 03, 2024, 03:10:56 PM »
The problem specifically for me (which doesn't affect the majority of people) with copious Switch ports is that I've been around a long time, and have most of the original games available and playable already. Sure, being portable can be a plus... but I mostly game at home anyway. Sure, enhanced graphics and/or bonus content is nice... but that rarely justifies a repurchase. Third-party games that weren't accessible to Nintendo gamers are amazing additions for people who haven't played them elsewhere, but between PlayStations and SteamDecks at home, we've largely got those covered too (at least the games that interest us most).

Objectively, I recognize that Switch is a fantastic system and that my complaints are super-specific to my situation. But how am I supposed to bitch if that's the whole story?
*bitching challenge accepted - how did I do?*

I'm just glad to know you're ok. You stopped posting during Covid and I began to wonder if something happened to you pertaining to that.
Nah, I just didn't have anything to talk about. Still pop in occasionally to read though.

...  I mean half of the GBA's success 20 years ago was getting handheld ports and remakes of SNES games. ...

Oh man... Final Fantasy VI GBA was my childhood dream come true.
I have to admit that the Switch getting the whole Xenoblade trilogy created a similar feeling... (RIP: X)
« Last Edit: January 03, 2024, 03:22:32 PM by ejamer »
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Offline Caterkiller

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Re: Switch is so popular people don't even post
« Reply #9 on: January 13, 2024, 10:37:19 PM »
The Switch's library just runs circles around the Gamecube. We aren't slogging through drought land or swimming across red oceans any longer. It really is amazing considering how generation after generation since the N64, Nintendo's pipeline of games always ended up that way. It's no wonder we don't talk about anything anymore. Well that and we are all 20 years older...

As Ian Sane said the Switch is a great time capsule for game history. So many old school collections and remasters that give someone like me who is nearly pure Nintendo a chance to see what all the hubbub was about. Also beyond that, its just easier for me to have it all on one convenient device instead of 7 ancient consoles hooked up into my modern tv.

Circling back to Nintendo's output this generation, that first year really did them wonders. There were a ton of Wii U ports/enhancements and ultimately it paid off big time. With the Switch2 however all of those games have dried up. Star Fox Zero? I loved it but nah that won't cut it. There aren't many Wii U upgrades they can turn to this time but I don't think they need to. Especially if these rumors about more generations old games getting remasters or remakes as well. Bring on more Mario RPG's I say.

With the way that Nintendo holds back releases and sends them out when it's time makes me feel like they've got their development schedules on lock. Well as down pat as something like video game development could be. I'm betting the next Nintendo is going to have a very satisfying first year as well with something major to majorish coming out every month with 3rd parties filling in the gaps as well.

Seems like Mario, Metroid, Mario Kart and a few others are just waiting...
« Last Edit: January 13, 2024, 10:39:29 PM by Caterkiller »
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Offline ThePerm

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Re: Switch is so popular people don't even post
« Reply #10 on: January 14, 2024, 09:03:55 PM »
The problem specifically for me (which doesn't affect the majority of people) with copious Switch ports is that I've been around a long time, and have most of the original games available and playable already.

The only problem I see with this is that a lot of old hardware/software is breaking down. As in decomposing. It's unpredictable what is going to last past 40 years. I was watching this video on some old Mac Hardware from 20 years ago that is no longer working or badly corroded. Even if it was kept in immaculate condition .
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Offline ejamer

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Re: Switch is so popular people don't even post
« Reply #11 on: January 15, 2024, 10:21:55 AM »
The problem specifically for me (which doesn't affect the majority of people) with copious Switch ports is that I've been around a long time, and have most of the original games available and playable already.

The only problem I see with this is that a lot of old hardware/software is breaking down. As in decomposing. It's unpredictable what is going to last past 40 years. I was watching this video on some old Mac Hardware from 20 years ago that is no longer working or badly corroded. Even if it was kept in immaculate condition .

Which is why Steam killed Nintendo for me...

Nintendo still doesn't manage digital rights very well - so all of this "it's great to have all my games on Switch" talk sounds wonderful for roughly the next year, before the system gets replaced with something newer and support dies out.
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Offline BeautifulShy

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Re: Switch is so popular people don't even post
« Reply #12 on: June 20, 2024, 07:55:04 AM »
I am just going to say that I have had less time to post on here than I did in the Gamecube and even Wii Era.  I didn't have a WiiU and had a 2DS and I had gotten a Switch Lite with Pandemic money.  I have also been trying to balance jobs, gaming and my other interests. 

So on top of me trying to find time to game there is not enough time to chat on here even though I want to.

 
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Re: Switch is so popular people don't even post
« Reply #13 on: July 01, 2024, 08:05:18 AM »
My take is that a lot of us who used to spend a lot of time on internet forums have gotten older or our responsibilities and behaviors have changed. I guess social media and instant video content has also shifted how we interact online these days. I haven't been here in over 10 years, but I've decided to become more active again. For the past year, I've been revisiting old behaviors and websites I used to enjoy. :)
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Offline lolmonade

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Re: Switch is so popular people don't even post
« Reply #14 on: July 01, 2024, 10:26:01 AM »
I'm guilty of overlooking this space because the discord seems to have syphoned most of the folks on here.  It's understandable, but I don't enjoy the fire hose stream of communication there.  I think i'm getting generally tired of the internet because of how it's a fire hose of communication and full of quippy hot takes meant to stifle conversations rather than making meaningful relationships.  It's a chicken and egg thing - users abandoned this space, therefore there's less activity.  There's less activity, so this space might not garner many new users.

I love the slower paced nature of the forums, I should do better to make time here rather than the toxic waste of the broader internet. 

Offline Khushrenada

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Re: Switch is so popular people don't even post
« Reply #15 on: July 04, 2024, 02:50:46 PM »
My take is that a lot of us who used to spend a lot of time on internet forums have gotten older or our responsibilities and behaviors have changed. I guess social media and instant video content has also shifted how we interact online these days. I haven't been here in over 10 years, but I've decided to become more active again. For the past year, I've been revisiting old behaviors and websites I used to enjoy. :)

Pretty much. Although there are still some traditional forums out there that have huge userbases. It can seem a bit sad sometimes when one considers how active a community there was posting here 15 years ago compared to now. That's part of the appeal for things like Discord communities or other forums. With large active communities there or chat message type media like Discord, you can post something and often have someone reply right away and start a conversation or a topic or chime in on something be discussed and get involved. Here, it may take a few days to get a reply and even then it can be big news if you even get two or three responses. That slowness, or in other cases getting no response at all, can further add to a turnoff for users to look somewhere else if there isn't much reaction when they do take the time to comment here.

So, well it's appreciated that you want to re-engage with the NWR forums, just know that it's a much slower pace here these days and don't let that dampen your enthusiasm or think people are shunning you if there aren't quick responses. Like lolmonade commented on, I also still prefer the forum method of posting and its more organized approach to topics and discussions rather than the endless stream of comments. (Or the two different groups of people posting on two different topics with all their replies getting in the way of each other's discussion like I've seen happen on Discord.)

That said, game media has also changed a lot. Two decades ago, with things like Gaming Magazines or some TV Shows like X-Play or Electric Playground, it felt like there was always some gaming news or reviews to talk about or share. Nowadays, it just feels like here's a trailer. Here's a release date. Game gets released and maybe some people care about the review. Otherwise, it's just on to the next trailer and cycle. I guess there was more speculation back then. You might see a few screenshots of a game or maybe there was just a title announced and so gamer's imaginations could run a bit more wild.

Nowadays, particularly with Nintendo, it just seems to be to wait for one of their usual three Directs of the year to air, see a whole bunch of trailers that explain the games and give a pretty good idea of what to expect, see that it will be coming out pretty soon in a few months and that's that. You usually know if you want to play it or not from that info and, for the most part, you don't really get much more info on the game until it releases. Sometimes there might be a Treehouse thing where more details are shown or another trailer or two but lots of times there isn't that much more given. Compared to the perhaps more steady hype train, its more like sudden quick geyser bursts of water then back to peaceful silence. I guess I kind of miss the 2000s era Nintendo Power which would do things like developer interviews with teams working on hyped games like Twilight Princess or Super Mario Galaxy and getting insights into what they learned from past games and how they were applying that stuff to the new game being worked on. That kind of stuff made gaming discussion more interesting and, while there was Iwata Asks, it feels like since Iwata died, gaming talk has just gotten a lot more focused on the consumption or transactional aspects. Did you see the trailer? Did you like or not like the trailer? Are you going to buy or not buy the game? Now that the game is out, did you play the game? Have you beat the game? Was it good or bad? and then repeat those questions from the start.

I'm not going to say it can't be fun to be hyped up and excited with other people about a trailer or a new glimpse at an upcoming title or that there's nothing to discuss or speculate on it but I'd also say the types of games to create any big discussion like that are few. I mean, how much do you want to speculate on, say, the story of Mario & Luigi: Brothership or what its gameplay will be like. Same goes for Super Mario Party Jamboree. Wanna talk about what characters might be playable? It's not exactly Smash Bros. here. What new sort of minigames might be included? Which boards looked neat in the trailer? I've got nothing against either of these games. I'll likely own them both because I'm a die-hard Mario Party fan and Brothership is the most excited I've been for an M&L game since maybe when Partners In Time came out. It looks like it may finally do something different with the Bros. moves you learn and the art style looks great. But these games are pretty known quantities at this point so discussion on them just feels redundant. That's why I look back now and appreciate how stuff like Nintendo Power was able to find engrossing ways to promote games whether you cared about them or not.

Fans like us just don't have that same information anymore and I feel it has also hurt and slowed down game discussion. The best question in the "cycle" I posted earlier was the last one on whether the game was good or bad because it often feels like that is the only point in which we can finally get into a meaty discussion about a game. Unfortunately, people aren't always playing a game when it immediately releases and so, again, discussion could be slow as others catch up or may want to avoid spoilers until they get around to it.

That's what made Breath of the Wild so special. As we got closer to the release date and Nintendo began leaking forth more information, it lead to a lot of fun speculation talk. Then when the game came out so many people were talking about their journeys in the game and so there was so much to talk about for helpful hints and suggestions of things to see or find and it wasn't just a quick three or four paragraphs of whether it was a good or bad game to the player and that's all there is to say about a game. Nothing has really recaptured that on the forums since and I think it will be hard for a game to do that again with how gaming news seems to be handled these day.

Anyways, that's my extra spin on why posting is decreasing in the popular Switch era.
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Re: Switch is so popular people don't even post
« Reply #16 on: July 05, 2024, 05:00:03 PM »
I don't mind the slowness of the forums at the moment. At the end of each day, I find myself looking at the forums. As I've grown older, I seem to appreciate the slowness more than the fast-paced streams preferred by younger generations. It's these long and deep posts, like yours, that I miss on platforms like Discord.

Reading your post made me reflect. It's interesting how my experience differs from the typical American Nintendo fan experience (assuming you are from the Americas, considering you read Nintendo Power).

As a European gamer, I remember when Europe often felt like an afterthought for Nintendo. The many languages meant that games either released much later or only in English. I had to buy magazines to help me through games because I didn't understand everything. Some translations, however, were special. For example, the German version of Secret of Evermore takes place in Grossostheim, Germany, the original HQ of Nintendo of Europe. The theater in the opening scene even featured a movie about the "Ultra 64," a nod to the upcoming Nintendo 64, which released here in March 1997 (it launched with Star Wars Shadow of the Empire, Turok, Mario 64, Pilotwings, and Fifa 64 on the same day!)

Reading about games was a significant part of the experience here. We didn't live on teasers because our magazines covered full game releases from the US (sometimes also from JPN). Many games never released here, so reading about them to the point of spoiling myself made finally getting them feel like finding treasures. It was always a gamble whether they would arrive or not. Without much video content, I had to imagine a lot of what I read in magazines. Seeing it in the actual games always made me say, 'I READ ABOUT THIS, DIDN'T THINK IT WAS LIKE THIS.' Even with the delays and the challenges, being a Nintendo fan in Europe had its own unique charm.
« Last Edit: July 05, 2024, 05:27:59 PM by DigitalGreenTea »
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Offline BeautifulShy

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Re: Switch is so popular people don't even post
« Reply #17 on: July 06, 2024, 01:07:21 AM »
One thing I still like about forums over chat messaging is that there is a record of things where you can take note of what is being written.

Yes I know Discord and other chat options has an option of finding specific chats but with how fast paced Discord and other chat apps you have to do a lot of scrolling or have a very good memory to look for something 6 months ago where as with forums you can typically find it without much effort.  By that I mean the systems of Forums and discord are different so the mechanics change how things are done.


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Offline NWR_insanolord

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Re: Switch is so popular people don't even post
« Reply #18 on: July 06, 2024, 01:33:36 AM »
Yeah, we'd never be able to keep bringing up that thread where the guy swore up and down Switch was going to be a failure and repeatedly mocking it if it were on Discord.
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Offline Khushrenada

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Re: Switch is so popular people don't even post
« Reply #19 on: July 06, 2024, 02:53:03 AM »
Yeah, we'd never be able to keep bringing up that thread where the guy swore up and down Switch was going to be a failure and repeatedly mocking it if it were on Discord.

You're so mean, Insanolord! Mop it up and I have been saying for years you should let it go. You'd never see me being so petty as to keep bringing up that thread every year to further mock his predictions. It's no laughing matter just because they continue to age like fine milk every passing day. But it is a laughing matter because he turned into an insufferable smug jackass about it. I've made a lot of posts on this forum, and most readers are probably suffering PTSD thinking about them now, but there are certain times I feel I did manage to create some solid content for this site and I feel my work in that thread is one of those times. A lot of gold to be mined there.
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Offline sobhsepid

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Re: Switch is so popular people don't even post
« Reply #20 on: July 31, 2024, 03:41:03 AM »
The switch has been out for 7 years now, people know about it definietly, but I think by now the switch users have created their own small communities to stay connected and the other part of the world has kind of forgot about it, it's like GTA V, you don't see content about it often, only if you're a part of a GTA V community and stay connected.