Nintendo Switch

[FaeMinx]

I knew it.
The Switch is going to support VR.

http://venturebeat.com/2016/12/18/nintendo-switch-patent-shows-off-a-vr-style-headset/

I think this may be my first console purchase in years.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

[Jumpman]

I used the PS4 VR recently and was very underwhelmed by it, I expect this to be less than that if true, so this really changes nothing for me in regards to the NS. If anything, it will be a "jack of all trades, master of none" which is pretty much what "N" has been doing for ages, so no surprise really.

Chris

 

[Wrath Of Khan]

I figure the hook is a yet to be announced feature, yes. But maybe more A.R than V.R. I think parents would be more accepting of their children interacting with virtual objects whilst still being in the real world, i.e not immersed in a V.R environment.

 

[elvissteinjr]

While the idea itself makes sense, mobile-VR-like content is nothing to get excited over.
Also, wasn't the screen supposed to be 720p? That's not really a resolution you'd want in consumer VR anyways.

 

[thatgui]

I knew it.
The Switch is going to support VR.

Prepare to be underwhelmed, this Google Cardboard - Style "VR" is just a gimmick. But as long as its not heavy, it may be an interesting alternative to staring down at the screen on a long bus/car/train trip.

 

[vcoleiro1]

I used the PS4 VR recently and was very underwhelmed by it, I expect this to be less than that if true, so this really changes nothing for me in regards to the NS. If anything, it will be a "jack of all trades, master of none" which is pretty much what "N" has been doing for ages, so no surprise really.

Chris

I disagree some what. In regards to power, and yes there's more to things than power I know peeps. But anyway, if you were looking at just power , then the Switch should be pretty much the most powerfull portable console (if it has an X1 or X2) . So in regards to power , it will be the master of portables and the meh of of standard consoles. It will sell well if battery life is reasonable and they don't make any silly mistakes.

I think you may be surprised when it's released about the angle in which people see it and adopt it. People to date have been looking at it from a standard console perspective. When it's released, I think you will find more and more , that people will see it for what it primarily really is - ie a very powerfull portable console and the successor to the 3DS - which also can be docked and used as a standard console.

 

[Jumpman]

I disagree some what. In regards to power, and yes there's more to things than power I know peeps. But anyway, if you were looking at just power , then the Switch should be pretty much the most powerfull portable console (if it has an X1 or X2) . So in regards to power , it will be the master of portables and the meh of of standard consoles. It will sell well if battery life is reasonable and they don't make any silly mistakes.

I think you may be surprised when it's released about the angle in which people see it and adopt it. People to date have been looking at it from a standard console perspective. When it's released, I think you will find more and more , that people will see it for what it primarily really is - ie a very powerfull portable console and the successor to the 3DS - which also can be docked and used as a standard console.

But see, that is the problem, it's not "Portable". At least not in the same way the DS line has been. I'm a parent of a 10 year old, and no way in hell is this thing is ever leaving the house. It will function exactly the same way his Wii U does, but now he won't be tied to a handful of feet from the Wii U base.

I'm sure this will be a powerful tablet, but those already exist, and at a much better price point. "N" in my mind is missing the mark, as most consumers buy cheap tablets for kids or smart phones, that have even cheaper games(free to a few dollars). Why is any parent buying this for $250-$350, when the 3DS/2DS lines can be had cheaper, and are truly portable with cheaper bargain bin games? This may sale OK when it's all said and done, but I don't see it happening for the reason mentioned.

Chris

EDIT: BTW, "N" has already said this isn't replacing their true handheld market, as this is the Wii U's replacement and is a "CONSOLE". And where I normally trust them about as far as I could throw them, I do believe it, as they have had HUGE success with the DS, and with the NS, there really is no way to sale past DS games on this device. So it's pretty much a new system from the ground up, and if it's one thing I know about "N", they need to milk it's fans for every dime, so now way they don't offer old DS games on a device in the future.

 

[Night]

Some specs got published, the switch is said to be based on the Tegra X1:

 

[vcoleiro1]

I'm sure this will be a powerful tablet, but those already exist, and at a much better price point.

Show me a Tegra X1 tablet/gaming tablet at a better price point to the rumored $250-$300 the Switch will be. There isn't any. Also, I get the DS pocketable aspect and how the Switch won't be as portable, but consider this.

Re form factor. When the WIN was being developed, a ton of people wanted it to be a gaming tablet. The point I'm making is that there are those that prefer a pocketable - like us, and there are those that like the gaming tablet form factor. Both are considered portable game consoles these days.

As far as the Switch not being a DS replacement in the end, the only thing I have seen N say about it, is to not say really anything about it , but just say not necessarily . A non commit. More or less along the lines of to me, that they will see if the Switch tanks or not. It wont (Assuming they don't screw something up), and it will replace the DS - my opinion anyway

 

[Jumpman]

Actually I have no idea what will be under the hood of the NS, but I was referring to just having powerful tablets on a regular basis in the market(and most are priced in the $300 range). I said powerful, not top of the line. Nvidia offered their own top of the line tablet years back at $300, and within a short period of time, that price point dropped, as do most higher end tablets, as do high end smart phones. It's a revolving door of tech, that once a new chip is out, the previous drop quick.

How long will "N" keep what is top of the line tech at launch at a competitive price? Their own business model of always making a profit on systems pretty much says this will still be high priced once it is passed by. Most tablets just like smart phones have a shelf life of about 2 years, before a new model is needed. And the prices drops on a regular basis.

Yeah, no official statement has been made in regards to the NS not replacing the DS line, but it has been hinted at. Even when "N" makes official statements, they don't mean much, as they make statements all the time that only stand to fill an interview at the time. Nothing being discussed here has been made official, so it's all maybe, what if's and could be's. So why believe one rumor over another? Everything I'm discussing is based on the rumors at hand, and nothing more.

Chris

 

[JonnyH]

Some specs got published, the switch is said to be based on the Tegra X1:

If true, that means the undocked performance will be somewhere between the iPhone 6 and 6s.

I wouldn't really want to use that for VR or anything similar, as they *really* need power to get the high frame rates required to avoid sickness.

 

[levi]

You can't really compare performance under iOS and Nintendo's OSes. And Apple's CPUs are very finely tweaked to make common ops faster (at the expense of other operations, or battery life), so you can't really compare ARM CPUs like that any more.

But yeah, if you need high frame rates for VR, I wouldn't expect this to be a machine to do it on. Personally I couldn't give a toss about VR though after trying out a Rift a few years back though, so that's not really a game changer for me.

 

[WizardStan]

Show me a Tegra X1 tablet/gaming tablet at a better price point to the rumored $250-$300 the Switch will be

A generic gaming tablet running Android can also run a whole slew of games and apps that are essentially free, or at least very cheap. This also includes emulators and ports of existing fun games.
The Switch will most likely not have a similar ecosystem, with games costing between $5 and $60 each.
So the Switch may be a cheaper initial investment, but since you need to pay extra for games where you don't actually need to with other tablets it kinda balances out, may even tip against it in this regard.

 

[Linux-SWAT]

It will have Linux ecosystem.

 

[rygD]

And Nintendo games.

 

[Bernd]

A generic gaming tablet running Android can also run a whole slew of games and apps that are essentially free, or at least very cheap. This also includes emulators and ports of existing fun games.
The Switch will most likely not have a similar ecosystem, with games costing between $5 and $60 each.
So the Switch may be a cheaper initial investment, but since you need to pay extra for games where you don't actually need to with other tablets it kinda balances out, may even tip against it in this regard.

Hey.

The people who make new games want to eat too.
So, new games cost money.
Games are cheaper like never before.

That's why I cant understand people, who are buying every year a new smart phone for 500 to 1000€, but grizzling about companies which want money for their games.

And your mention of "free games" isn't that right.
This games aren't for free, they are technically spoken stolen.
So you compare stolen goods vs. regular bought ones.

 

[_jr_]

Hey.

The people who make new games want to eat too.
So, new games cost money.
Games are cheaper like never before.

That's why I cant understand people, who are buying every year a new smart phone for 500 to 1000€, but grizzling about companies which want money for their games.

And your mention of "free games" isn't that right.
This games aren't for free, they are technically spoken stolen.
So you compare stolen goods vs. regular bought ones.

I don't think anybody was talking about stealing anything. There are legally free (as in free beer) games in large numbers and there are sources like humble bundle that are legal despite being quite cheap.

Besides: while 'some developer wanting to eat' is a very good reason not to break copyright laws it is IMO not a compelling reason for anything else. With the IT business the way it currently is there are more than enough opportunities for developers to make a living. If a particular business model doesn't work out they should just move on like everyone else. It's not as if games were an endangered species.

 

[WizardStan]

And your mention of "free games" isn't that right.
This games aren't for free, they are technically spoken stolen.

No, I literally meant free games. Go to the android play store, there are millions of them. Most are garbage but there's quite a few I've enjoyed. Paid for by advertising.
And the ones that aren't straight up free are often cheap, on the order of a dollar or two; or as _jr_ mentioned, the humble bundle frequently has a dozen or so good android games for dirt cheap.
I'm not certain where the confusion came from though. Exactly what did I say that you thought I was complaining? I literally responded to someone saying that the Switch was better than a generic tablet because it was cheaper. My whole argument was to point out that it wasn't actually cheaper: a cheaper initial investment, but since the Android ecosystem, from the play store to third party developers, is so vast and cheap that if it's going to be compared on the grounds of cost then it's probably actually falling in favour of the Android tablet. Even if you spend $500 on a tablet and then $40 on a couple dozen high caliber games, you compare that to a $300 Switch and only 4 games. If only four of those two dozen turn out to be as good as the four for the switch (which is actually very good odds, there's honestly a lot of really good games on Android for cheap or ad supported now) then you've at least broken even, AND you have a generic tablet to do other app stuff.

It will have Linux ecosystem.

It uses Vulkan, not sure that means it'll have a Linux ecosystem. I get the feeling Nintendo wants to keep it locked down as much as possible; that's their MO. They're not just going to let you apt-get gcc and build your own stuff to compete.

 

[Linux-SWAT]

It's also marked as OpenGL 4.5 and OpenGL ES 3.2 compatible.

 

[Klumpen]

No, I literally meant free games. Go to the android play store, there are millions of them. Most are garbage but there's quite a few I've enjoyed. Paid for by advertising.

And in addition to that, there are also emulators which in combination with a Retrode (from ED's Shop) let you play the backups of your old games on the go legally.
Buying a Retrode is better than buying games multiple times (often with shitty emulators embedded), because this way people who are actually creating something get the money instead of some rights holders in suits.

@Bernd: It isn't nice to accuse others of theft and it is quite out of place here anyway.