Nintendo Switch

[Garrett]

Hey guys/gals, the NX is finally getting revealed tomorrow so check your local listings for times. I'm in the US, and it runs for me at 7am PST.

It's only a 3 minute video, so don't expect to much, but we should finally get to see this damn thing, and what the official name will be at least, and for sure whatever the new gimmick is. Maybe a game or two if we're lucky.

Chris

Ta for the heads up.. here's hoping we'll now be getting a steady stream of info (Games & PRICE!) after this announcement & they actually have stuff to show (new & interesting) other than the inevitable wtf were they thinking ephemera.

 

[jeeks]

after two bad hardware announcements (no headphone jack on the new iphone and google's price range rocket jump) i was interested in, i seriously hope this one will be good i'd love to play Breath of the Wild on a nice console that won't destroy my bank account completely

 

[ible]

revealed?

[edit]
does anyone else think that all of those situations they bring the NX to would be ones that you wouldn't bring a console to? yeah, my dog has to get out, let me grab my nx...

 

[Alperoot]

Yeah, now we have Nintendo Switch. And I have to say, it'll be my first home console if this is the next home for main series Pokémon games.

 

[Jumpman]

Yeah, all those scenario's are just pie in the sky, and "N" making this look more interesting than it is. Don't get me wrong, it's the exact device they needed to bring to the market, as it is still handheld based, and what the Wii U should have been.

I'm guessing just due to all those components, that the base model will be 299.99, and if the tech is old and tired as is often the case, no telling how this will do long term. I still don't think any big name ONE/PS4 games are going to come to this device, but since it is kind of a handheld, "N" should at least get some decent 3rd party support.

Chris

 

[elvissteinjr]

https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2016/10/20/nintendo-switch/

Switch is Tegra based.
I personally don't like the all custom API talk in that article though. Sounds like a porting nightmare.


I am not disappointed, though I never was quite on the hyper train either. This is solid and indeed the right direction to take imo.

 

[jeeks]

oooooooooh! i like the design even though i prefer clamshell handhelds, this one looks very nice and the base thingy is small enough to fit into the crowded area near the tv

@ible dunno, i'd probably check first if the game can be played with one hand (almost dropped my 3DS in the sink recently; ace attorney + brushing teeth -> high potential for accidents)

 

[rygD]

The stuff on the plane seemed stupid to me. Maybe he was playing a game that required independent motion of the two controller portions.

I agree that a lot of what was shown was a bit silly, but overall I feel it has a lot of positives. I need to wait to see the price, performance, and titles (maybe a real Metroid game), but it might be something I would buy for myself eventually. Unlike their recent hardware, I think the games will need to sell this, at least for me. Since I will have a Pyra I probably don't "need" a Switch. Stupid name, btw.

 

[FaeMinx]

Stupid name, btw.

If you don't feel like working...
... you can always...

Lie low and Switch.

:3

 

[rygD]

They should Switch the name.

 

[Garrett]

I'm surprised at the partners they've managed to snag for this, apart from Nvidia and some other interesting little tech companies like Arc Systems etc.. how on earth they have managed to get the likes of Bethesda, Take Two, From Software (another Otogi please!) on board is beyond me.. they've obviously seen stuff that has impressed, lets hope any potential can be realized.

 

[TrashyMG]

I'm surprised at the partners they've managed to snag for this, apart from Nvidia and some other interesting little tech companies like Arc Systems etc.. how on earth they have managed to get the likes of Bethesda, Take Two, From Software (another Otogi please!) on board is beyond me.. they've obviously seen stuff that has impressed, lets hope any potential can be realized.

Well I believe a good part of this is that the Nvidia Tegra is a much more approachable platform to develop on than the prior PPC offerings.

 

[Askarus]

I like it a lot.

Especially the Processor and Cartridge decission.

No fan and Cartridge means no noise while playing and fast loading times
Also it means low power consumption.
That's what I like.
And the recent mobile processors are enough for what an average player needs.
I (and I think many others) don't have a 4k TV to really make the Difference.

Also I like the Portable/Stationary thing.
That's exactly what I want to do with my Pyra as well (except for work stuff).

 

[jeeks]

I'm surprised at the partners they've managed to snag for this, apart from Nvidia and some other interesting little tech companies like Arc Systems etc.. how on earth they have managed to get the likes of Bethesda, Take Two, From Software (another Otogi please!) on board is beyond me.. they've obviously seen stuff that has impressed, lets hope any potential can be realized.

i hope some of these guys were involved to make sure the dev kit is nice and usable heard some horror stories about the wii/wii u dev kit

 

[Exophase]

I'm surprised at the partners they've managed to snag for this, apart from Nvidia and some other interesting little tech companies like Arc Systems etc.. how on earth they have managed to get the likes of Bethesda, Take Two, From Software (another Otogi please!) on board is beyond me.. they've obviously seen stuff that has impressed, lets hope any potential can be realized.

It looks like nVidia is playing a big role as a design partner, not just in providing the SoC but much of the software stack. It's very likely that nVidia is leveraging their own close relationships with these PC-focused game companies to help get them on board.

This checks a lot of the same boxes that their Shield devices have while offering actual exclusive content that will be in high demand. A Nintendo and nVidia console partnership seems like a great way to address the strengths and mitigate the weaknesses of both sides.

I do wonder how powerful it can really be though, there's only so much they can do with a tablet plus dock form factor, unless the dock has its own GPU as well.

 

[Jumpman]

I'm surprised at the partners they've managed to snag for this, apart from Nvidia and some other interesting little tech companies like Arc Systems etc.. how on earth they have managed to get the likes of Bethesda, Take Two, From Software (another Otogi please!) on board is beyond me.. they've obviously seen stuff that has impressed, lets hope any potential can be realized.

The Wii U had a rather robust list as well, but just being on the list doesn't mean much, unless games are actually produced, and games consumers want. Poor ports of PS4/ONE releases will soon turn in to what the Wii U did and support will dry up just as fast. By the time the Switch hits the market, PS4 will have a HUGE user base, and given the option to put a game there, or on the just starting Switch, I just don't see a high level of support.

In the end, I see this doing pretty good, as it is more portable than home console, and it can meet many needs, that a typical home console could not. But price and support will be key, and knowing "N" as I do, I doubt this will be under $300, but $200 and under would be awesome, but not very likely.

All things need to come together for this to really do well, and I'm optimistic, but not placing any bets.

Chris

 

[Klumpen]

 

[TheOldOne]

So we have an Nvidia Shield 3 with a Nintendo sticker on it?

 

[Garrett]

'It's not powerful enough' (whatever that means) is the mantra that seems to be already doing the rounds, even though we haven't heard a word on spec from the big N yet.. can't say I'm particularly worried, at least not for the first party stuff.
One thing that has occurred though.. am I just imagining it, wasn't there reports not too long ago of Nintendo filing patents for cloud based/external methods of boosting power?.. a possibility perhaps? seems perfectly plausible to me, especially in the light of Sony/Microsoft's direction.

 

[Mr_Loon]

Looks good, seems thick enough to have a decent sized battery, hope that's the case.

Will be rather interested to see the specs / connectivity.

Not a must buy for me but a step in the right direction for Nintendo IMHO.

Big question for me is whether Nintendo will also improve their thus far feeble attempts at the online side of things.