Real talk, here.
I watched a video that pretty much summed up my feelings about the Switch, even with two weeks remaining before the thing drops. I have been extremely fortunate in that I am able to buy a Switch the day it comes out with absolutely no financial commitment on my part- that's very awesome, and it has given me a great deal of anticipation for the hardware. However, the real reason I am excited about my Switch purchase is Zelda, and I could have played that game on my Wii U. Sure, I would have to deal with the argument of its performance being slightly hindered on the older console, but keep in mind, I was fully intending on Zelda being the last video game I would play for the next several years, and while my unbridled excitement of ARMS might contrast with that somewhat, the main reason I even anticipate future Switch games is because, as previously mentioned, I have one without making any personal financial investment. Prior to that, I had no intention of buying another console, let alone another Nintendo console.
With the strained relationship that Nintendo has with third parties both in and outside of Japan, there is no guarantee that there will be a substantial console. The launch year looks decent so far, but it isn't anything the Wii U couldn't do. And then, there's the "announced" third party games, which are... bland? Non-existent? I made a post about six months ago wondering where the market for the Switch existed. As it turns out, it's just cramming in a bunch of "technology" for the sake of appealing to literally every audience. Kind of like, well, I dunno, the Wii U? Except now you can play it on the go and potentially with your friends. I understand the public marketing aspect of the Switch, but unless it receives substantial titles, it is doomed to fail in both markets.
What the Switch needed were confirmations of its third party titles now. I get that they need to roll out the console, but it would have been nice to have a solid date for SMT HD and Octopath Traveler, and even the next No More Heroes entry, around this time in order to give customers a sense that there are things coming. Nintendo's first year lineup looks passable, but where could they possibly go afterwards? I'm not entirely sure, which is why I strongly believe Xenoblade Chronicles 2 will be pushed to 2018 in fear of this, and in the case that, should the console end up under-performing, Nintendo will have something to fall back upon as their third party support dries up, as well. If the Switch doesn't sell in Japan like third parties are hoping it will, it's very possible they will abandon it. Hell, only western indies are going to support it, too. Let's not kid ourselves.
This is disheartening, but ultimately, a reality we may be facing in the opening months of the Switch launch. We'll have to keep our ears open on this, but the signs of failure were already showing themselves even at this point. Call me a hater, I'm still getting it day one.
Topic: Switch Discussion Thread (Year 3: But where are the folders??!?!) (Read 277041 times)
