Topic: Switchmas Eve Rumors and Speculations Thread

[BlackNMild2k1]

I think Nintendo has 2 issues.

1) Repeatedly trying to re-invent the wheel just so that they can call it their own.

2) Designing their hardware w/ a specific gaming target in mind. and then adding features afterwards, that only take away from performance and pre-set resources.

they can fix (1) by teaming up w/ or buying out other companies that specialize in the things they are trying to accomplish, instead of trying to recreate it from the ground up and going through the trial and error that these other companies have already gone through many years prior, and now being a generation+ behind in features because they wanted to do it their way.

and they address (2) in a very similar fashion to (1), and teaming up w/ Nvidia for a fresh version of a modern chip is a good start. And i have no idea what the final specs will be, but I'm hoping they aren't just set to optimize whatever flagship game they have in mind, and then struggle to add competent background features, or more complex games w/ in-game and those same background features (i.e. 8 player online/voicechat/videochat/streaming/etc etc) - in other words, leave some room to grow.

[Spak-Spang]

So if that EB leak is true...my question on Mario Kart 8 Switch is are those 24 additional tracks not the DLC tracks and characters?  Or does it include the DLC? 

My guess is that it includes the DLC content which is 16 tracks meaning that Mario Kart Switch could only have 8 new tracks, which seems fair.  Then the characters with the DLC means it might be only 4 new characters...which would also be fair.  Perhaps one of the characters would be a new outsider?  Perhaps Sonic? 

[ThePerm]

It would be awesome if they had a bunch of diddy kong racing maps remastered.

[Evan_B]

Well, it's clear that Nintendo has shot themselves in the foot with that pricing. One thousand dollars per system? Do they think I'm MADE of money?!

[Shaymin]

That EB stuff is mockups made by the webmaster at Vooks (Aussie site) so it's not confirming anything.

[Soren]

Laura Kate Dale backtracks on her reports of Breathless in the Wild not being a launch title. Apparently it will now come out at launch and I have to assume it will get a massive Day 1 patch.

[Evan_B]

Should have included an emoticon, because I was joking.

[Agent-X-]

Should have included an emoticon, because I was joking.

I caught it.

[Agent-X-]

But you know, I really blame Nintendo. It's Nintendo's fault. If they wanted a certain game, they'd get it. It's really only their fault when these games skip their console just like it's their fault when their console gets late ports.

The reason EA gave the Wii U Mass Effect 3 instead of Trilogy and inteniontally sabotaged all their Wii U games is because they wanted Nintendo to use EA's shitty Origin for the Wii U's online and Nintendo rightfully told them to **** off. 

Seriously, what exactly was Nintendo suppose to do in that situation, just allow EA to have full control over Nintendo's entire online infrastructure?  Yeah Nintendo has done a lot of stupid things with third parties but these third parties are far from innocent in the **** they pull as well.

In comparison with that mess of an online gaming service the Wii U ended up with? I honestly don't know. At least if it was Origin, the Wii U probably gets a crap load more games.


That situation only comes about because Nintendo obviously had poor/no plans for their online gaming infrastructure. It had to look like a great deal in EA's eyes. Furthermore, Nintendo has dug this hole that they are in, so naturally they are last on the priority list and don't even seem to care.


Would you agree that Nintendo appeared to not care? I think they do care a little with regard to the Switch, but it was all lip service with the Wii U.

How exactly was the Wii U's online service a mess? It's not really missing much from its competitors. The games weren't there to take advantage of it, but I really can't find a ton of fault with the service itself.

There are a few thing that are just really lacking. Others have mentioned Party chat and the need to make their own wheel rather than going and buying a finely made one. Another consideration: All their work on the Wii store, virtual console, etc. got reset on the Wii U. Not only that, but they evidently couldn't be bothered to work out all the licenses for the Wii U virtual console or something because that feature went by the wayside.


I also think the UI is just really inefficient. I never really feel "connected" even with Nintendo pumping tons of weird "community" content to it. I'd rather just see what my friends are up to, see what they're saying, etc., and have voice chat. Instead, every time I turn on the Wii U it feels like I'm looking at the exact same thing even if the artworks are different. Their idea of a community maybe just doesn't feel very fresh or lively?


I kinda feel like I'm just saying what others already said, and my gripes are more with the UI and overall technical flow of the OS and then some major glaring shortcomings of their online service.

[Lemonade]

That EB stuff is mockups made by the webmaster at Vooks (Aussie site) so it's not confirming anything.

Ah, yes Im familiar with Vooks. I think is pretty bad of him to spread misinformation like that. He was claiming "social experiment" on twitter, which is just BS in my opinion.

[Soren]

In news that should surprise no one (once again) Mass Effect Andromeda is not coming to Switch.


http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2017/01/mass_effect_producer_says_theres_no_plan_to_bring_mass_effect_andromeda_to_switch

[Luigi Dude]

Laura Kate Dale backtracks on her reports of Breathless in the Wild not being a launch title. Apparently it will now come out at launch and I have to assume it will get a massive Day 1 patch.

Either that or I assume the debug teams haven't gotten a lot of sleep lately.  I imagine Nintendo has always wanted Zelda as their flagship launch title and the game was being harder to debug because of it's massive size but would only delay it if absolutely necessary.  It was probably in danger a few months ago but the developers have done a massive crunch and managed to get it up to a quality Nintendo is happy with.  Yeah they'll still be patches but even day one unpatched will probably still run a lot better then the usual open world experiences.

I suspect 3D Mario was a backup plan in case Zelda had to be delayed but if Zelda will indeed make the launch then 3D Mario will probably be their summer game now.

[NWR_insanolord]

In news that should surprise no one (once again) Mass Effect Andromeda is not coming to Switch.


http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2017/01/mass_effect_producer_says_theres_no_plan_to_bring_mass_effect_andromeda_to_switch

It's not new information, but that really isn't a great sign for Switch's third party support when a big, premier title from a company that's supposed to be onboard with Switch that's launching on the other consoles at essentially the same time as the Switch launch isn't coming to it.

Laura Kate Dale backtracks on her reports of Breathless in the Wild not being a launch title. Apparently it will now come out at launch and I have to assume it will get a massive Day 1 patch.

Either that or I assume the debug teams haven't gotten a lot of sleep lately.  I imagine Nintendo has always wanted Zelda as their flagship launch title and the game was being harder to debug because of it's massive size but would only delay it if absolutely necessary.  It was probably in danger a few months ago but the developers have done a massive crunch and managed to get it up to a quality Nintendo is happy with.  Yeah they'll still be patches but even day one unpatched will probably still run a lot better then the usual open world experiences.

I suspect 3D Mario was a backup plan in case Zelda had to be delayed but if Zelda will indeed make the launch then 3D Mario will probably be their summer game now.

The people in the know seem to think that Mario is basically done, so sitting on it until the summer while rushing Zelda doesn't make much sense. I'm taking this to mean they intend to have both Mario and Zelda at launch.

[Evan_B]

I mean, Andromeda might be a premier title, but it's one that has to fight an uphill battle after Mass Effect 3 really screwed the series, both on Wii U and in general.

In other news, apparently Switch might be getting a port of Rayman Legends, and Beyond Good and Evil 2 will have year-long exclusivity? Those are good signs. But if 3DS developers are going to get on board with Switch, I'm hoping we see some localized Japanese titles before the end of the year.

[nickmitch]

That EB stuff is mockups made by the webmaster at Vooks (Aussie site) so it's not confirming anything.

Ah, yes Im familiar with Vooks. I think is pretty bad of him to spread misinformation like that. He was claiming "social experiment" on twitter, which is just BS in my opinion.

That's a classic comment for regretful trolling.

[Soren]

...Switch might be getting a port of...

Every time a port of a Wii U game is rumored I die a little bit more inside. I might not make it to January 12.


EDIT: No Persona or Yakuza for Switch.

[Evan_B]

As long as Switch gets the superior Atlus RPG, SMTV, I don't give two shits about Persona. Anyway, the Wii U ports are unsurprising, but Rayman Legends is a bit baffling. Didn't that game underperform?

[TheSevenYearSwitch]

I think Nintendo has 2 issues.

1) Repeatedly trying to re-invent the wheel just so that they can call it their own.

I think the Wii was the first time they tried this, and it was so successful, that it only made sense to try and upend the table again with the WiiU. It probably would have been better (imo) to make a Wii2 instead, with better or the same motion controls (the same only so the controllers would be compatible), but with better graphics. Instead, they tried something new, which failed, and now the Switch is what the WiiU should have been. Instead of having a screen on the controller, the system has a screen for when you want to take it outside. This makes it more of a traditional machine which is good for gamers and designers.

[Luigi Dude]

The people in the know seem to think that Mario is basically done, so sitting on it until the summer while rushing Zelda doesn't make much sense. I'm taking this to mean they intend to have both Mario and Zelda at launch.

Mario Galaxy 2 was basically done by the end of 2009 and Nintendo even admitted they didn't release it because they didn't want it taking attention away from NSMB Wii.  Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze was basically done by the end of 2013 but Nintendo intentionally held it a few months because the Wii U had nothing in early 2014 until Mario Kart.

Realistically Zelda is the game Nintendo would want as the flagship title for the Switch.  This is their first major open world title that's being aimed at the mass gaming audience.  This is the kind of game that will have a lot more impact on todays gaming market since the open world genre has exploded in popularity during the last decade.  Yes they could release both games at the same time but I imagine Nintendo wants to spend most of their Switch advertising for launch on Zelda alone since it has way more crossover appeal to the modern gaming audience and doesn't want to run the risk of Mario taking away any hype.

Even if 3D Mario is done now, Zelda is the series they want selling better and getting all the attention at launch because it's way more important for Nintendo's future for it to happen.  The platformer genre outside of Nintendo's own games are pretty much dead outside of indies which Nintendo already gets.  Mario selling over 10 million copies won't do anything since the platformer audience already lives off Nintendo, while Zelda selling over 10 million would bring in a whole new crowd for Nintendo which is one of the things they hope the Switch does.

[Shaymin]

In news that should surprise no one (once again) Mass Effect Andromeda is not coming to Switch.


http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2017/01/mass_effect_producer_says_theres_no_plan_to_bring_mass_effect_andromeda_to_switch

It's not new information, but that really isn't a great sign for Switch's third party support when a big, premier title from a company that's supposed to be onboard with Switch that's launching on the other consoles at essentially the same time as the Switch launch isn't coming to it.

Either Switch or Andromeda is getting kicked to November, and it's not the hardware.

[Oedo]

I can't see Nintendo releasing both Zelda and Mario at launch, but who knows. I'm excited to play both so I'm happy either way, but I do agree that Breath of the Wild seems like it has more broad appeal (especially after the coverage it got at E3 2016).

[Agent-X-]

I think Nintendo has 2 issues.

1) Repeatedly trying to re-invent the wheel just so that they can call it their own.

I think the Wii was the first time they tried this, and it was so successful, that it only made sense to try and upend the table again with the WiiU. It probably would have been better (imo) to make a Wii2 instead, with better or the same motion controls (the same only so the controllers would be compatible), but with better graphics. Instead, they tried something new, which failed, and now the Switch is what the WiiU should have been. Instead of having a screen on the controller, the system has a screen for when you want to take it outside. This makes it more of a traditional machine which is good for gamers and designers.

That's not re-inventing that we're complaining about, though. The Wii motion controls were major selling point for all of us. [That] was exciting. Let's talk about what's not exciting:


1. Gamecube: Opting for proprietary mini-discs while the rest of the market uses standard DVDs. Consequently, Gamecube discs have far less storage and are more expensive for third parties. Why not just go with the standard everyone else is happy with?


2. Gamecube: Going with 59 Mb memory cards as the standard (and ONLY available Nintendo branded) memory card while [everyone else] has game save storage space into the megabytes. Why not just go with what has been proven to work with that generation for the past year?


3. Wii: Going with "friend codes" that are unique to each and every game that supports online play. Want to play with your friends? Prepare to enter a GUID using a pointer for every friend code EVERY TIME you get a new game. This is majorly off-putting to everyone who has played online on PC, Xbox, or Playstation. NO ONE has EVER chosen to do online play like this before. NO ONE. Nintendo came up with this all on their own. Why not just go with the standard that has already been in place for more than a decade???


4. Wii: Games are FINALLY on DVDs. No DVD movie playback. Why not include a hugely popular feature all other competitors offer??? I mean, F--K, I know people who don't even f--king game who bought 3 or more Wii's just to hook them to TVs and run Netflix. Seriously. Japan of all nations dictates you to make a smaller console, AND YOU GO OUT OF YOUR WAY TO DENY US DVD PLAYBACK!!!!11!1


5. Wii: Everyone else is offering 100+ GB storage solutions. Nintendo believes 8 GB is enough. Doh.


6. Wii U: Everyone else is offering 100+ GB storage solutions. Nintendo believes 32 GB is enough. Doh.


7. Switch: Everyone else is offering 100+ GB storage solutions. Nintendo believes 32 GB is enough. Doh.


8. Wii U: Code friends. No friend list. No party chat. No subscription service. No monthly free games for subscribers. Why not go with the hugely popular standard demonstrated by their competition a generation ago? Oh, that's right. There's only 32 GB to work with. Doh.


When Nintendo does something, they make sure and do it themselves and make sure to only do what their narrow vision requires. One the minimum is satisfied, they trim anything that might be of use to anyone outside Nintendo and make sure they aren't paying an extra penny anywhere along the way while still asking a premium price for the damn thing. I give you: Nintendo re-inventing the wheel.

[Shaymin]

Uh, the Wii U used network IDs and had a friends list.

[Agent-X-]

Uh, the Wii U used network IDs and had a friends list.

How am I supposed to know that when I am the only person I know (in person) who plays Wii U?


Kidding aside, I was in a hurry to end my post, but seriously: the rest of #8 is still perfectly valid. Wii U literally offers nothing to make the online service exciting. I'd never know there was a friends list because there is nothing on the landing screen to tell me I should make some friends. Where would one even see this?


Moot point, though. What little I did with Mario Kart 8 online was enough for me.

[Soren]

I refuse to believe all Nintendo needs is to add voice/party chat to fix its online. At the very least it needs wired connection options that don't involve wasting a USB slot on a shitty adaptor.