• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

How powerful is the switch?

Page 5 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.
Rifter said:
If Nintendo is going to replace the 3DS with the switch they would likely not have marketed it as a home console first, they would have marketed it as a mobile console first and saved themselves the headache of having it compared to the XB/PS. To do otherwise would be pretty stupid.
Click to expand...

Nintendo is using the Switch to merge their handheld and home console markets, IMO. When the DS came out, they explicitly stated that it wasn't replacing the Gameboy line, but we know how that went.
 
SteveGrabowski said:
The system sold well because of BOTW.
Click to expand...


Imma cut you off right there. The reason for its successful launch was BOTW, but that still didn't stop the mountain of doubt on the near future of the system that still occured at the same time. Also, I sold a LOT of switches this Christmas, but VERY LITTLE Breath of the wild. Zelda hasn't been the systems seller for a few months now. What I DO find is a lot of users who are appreciating the versatility of the system. When the Switch first came out I was one of those who doubted its portability. I figured the added thickness and battery life would be a huge turn off, as well as the lack of ruggedness the 3ds has. Nintendo still won't label it the successor to the 3ds but one thing stands out, a LOT of people are buying switch versions of games so they can have a portable version. (also of note, alot of the switches popularity is also a nintendo hallmark, split screen gaming. It would make or break a games sale for parents this holiday. )

How ever I digress, the 2ds shows that nintendo is willing to bring out budget versions of a game system and deleting the screen would be a perfect way to do that.
 
JeffMD said:
You guys asking for non portable versions are missing why the system is selling so well.
Click to expand...
I lined up and bought it on launch day. I’m saying I want a non-portable version because I don’t use it that way and I’d prefer not being concerned with battery health and wear. Other people buying it for portability is completely irrelevant to my desire. Heck, I took it on a month-long vacation to Thailand and Japan in May/June and didn’t turn it on once because it was just too risky and awkward... even on a plane. It does not fit me as a portable.

That said, I didn’t turn on my 3DS even once and it got stolen from my luggage. I wish I hadn’t brought either with me because I prefer to play that at home too. What other people do is irrelevant.

I wasn’t ignoring that other people use it that way at all and had literally just finished talking here about how it is Nintendo’s handheld to follow up the 3DS.
 
JeffMD said:
Imma cut you off right there. The reason for its successful launch was BOTW, but that still didn't stop the mountain of doubt on the near future of the system that still occured at the same time. Also, I sold a LOT of switches this Christmas, but VERY LITTLE Breath of the wild. Zelda hasn't been the systems seller for a few months now. What I DO find is a lot of users who are appreciating the versatility of the system. When the Switch first came out I was one of those who doubted its portability. I figured the added thickness and battery life would be a huge turn off, as well as the lack of ruggedness the 3ds has. Nintendo still won't label it the successor to the 3ds but one thing stands out, a LOT of people are buying switch versions of games so they can have a portable version. (also of note, alot of the switches popularity is also a nintendo hallmark, split screen gaming. It would make or break a games sale for parents this holiday. )

How ever I digress, the 2ds shows that nintendo is willing to bring out budget versions of a game system and deleting the screen would be a perfect way to do that.
Click to expand...

I don't buy that people bought a Switch so they could play dinky Steam games on the go. That seems more like trying to justify their purchase later on for a system that still has a very weak game catalog. BOTW was the only thing that gave that system any momentum. If that was only a game getting 9/10 from most reviewers I think people would have looked at the system like another Wii U. I remember there being a ton of skepticism about the system but the public did a 180 once BOTW starting getting 10/10 reviews from virtually everyone. I remember opening week I could find Switches in stock all over the place in my city (San Antonio, Texas). I thought about loading up on them to flip on craigslist/ebay but was scared off by the crazy amount of availability. But once BOTW started getting called the GOAT game they became impossible to land without buying a lot of other crap in a bundle for months.
 
What is selling the switch these days is Mario. If Zelda and Mario were absent they would not have sold that many at all.
 
SteveGrabowski said:
I don't buy that people bought a Switch so they could play dinky Steam games on the go.
Click to expand...

Thankfully what you think is irrelevant. I myself am kinda sorta on the fence if I was tasked with buying an inferior version of the game just for portability. But like there is this major oldschool rpg style game coming up on all the systems very soon that used retro graphics and I would hit up something like that on a switch vs others because the graphics would be the same.
 
JeffMD said:
Thankfully what you think is irrelevant. I myself am kinda sorta on the fence if I was tasked with buying an inferior version of the game just for portability. But like there is this major oldschool rpg style game coming up on all the systems very soon that used retro graphics and I would hit up something like that on a switch vs others because the graphics would be the same.
Click to expand...

Yeah everyone bought a Switch to play Steamworld Dig.
 
SteveGrabowski said:
Yeah everyone bought a Switch to play Steamworld Dig.
Click to expand...

Yea cause that was the only game out on switch.

The game I was referring to above was Lost Sphear, a new game coming out from Square / Tokyo RPG Factory and will be a testament to games that are on equal footing among all the platforms except that on switch, it is portable.
 
JeffMD said:
Yea cause that was the only game out on switch.

The game I was referring to above was Lost Sphear, a new game coming out from Square / Tokyo RPG Factory and will be a testament to games that are on equal footing among all the platforms except that on switch, it is portable.
Click to expand...

I played the demo, it doesn't feel like a full fledged RPG. It's from the same group that did I Am Setsuna and that was largely boring and didn't really feel like a good game to me.
 
cmdrdredd said:
What is selling the switch these days is Mario. If Zelda and Mario were absent they would not have sold that many at all.
Click to expand...
Well...yeah. You could say that about any Nintendo system. About Nintendo as a company in general since 1985. It's not exactly a mark against Nintendo that two of the most popular and influential game franchises of all time are exclusive to their consoles.

They're the foundation of the Switch's appeal. But they still have a good amount of games and the functionality of the system itself as a hybrid home console/portable to add to the appeal of the system. It isn't just about Mario and Zelda.
 
Last edited:
Red Hawk said:
Well...yeah. You could say that about any Nintendo system. About Nintendo as a company in general since 1985. It's not exactly a mark against Nintendo that they have two of the most popular and influential game franchises of all time are exclusive to their consoles.

They're the foundation of the Switch's appeal. But they still have a good amount of games and the functionality of the system itself as a hybrid home console/portable to add to the appeal of the system. It isn't just about Mario and Zelda.
Click to expand...

Well the NES and SNES were the biggest consoles of their time and had the most releases including all the major 3rd party releases. CPU and gpu power didn’t matter as much back then. One could argue the genesis cpu and sound chip Vs the SNES but I don’t think the differences were that significant. today though the shield is in a completely different place than those consoles.
 
The WiiU had a lot of great Nintendo exclusives but the console as a whole was just a mess. The Switch advances on what was a big appeal of the WiiU, off TV console play, with a great year one lineup. My biggest worry is that since year one literally had a good amount of awesome games, year two so far is not looking as good as year one.
 
zerocool84 said:
The WiiU had a lot of great Nintendo exclusives but the console as a whole was just a mess. The Switch advances on what was a big appeal of the WiiU, off TV console play, with a great year one lineup. My biggest worry is that since year one literally had a good amount of awesome games, year two so far is not looking as good as year one.
Click to expand...

Yeah I can see that being the case.
 
zerocool84 said:
The WiiU had a lot of great Nintendo exclusives but the console as a whole was just a mess. The Switch advances on what was a big appeal of the WiiU, off TV console play, with a great year one lineup. My biggest worry is that since year one literally had a good amount of awesome games, year two so far is not looking as good as year one.
Click to expand...

There is no way they can top Zelda BOTW and Mario Odyssey both coming out as 10/10 games from virtually the entire gaming press. If they can get a Pokemon RPG out by this winter I imagine BOTW and Odyssey will be enough to keep the strong sales going though.
 
zerocool84 said:
The WiiU had a lot of great Nintendo exclusives but the console as a whole was just a mess. The Switch advances on what was a big appeal of the WiiU, off TV console play, with a great year one lineup. My biggest worry is that since year one literally had a good amount of awesome games, year two so far is not looking as good as year one.
Click to expand...

All things considered, "I'm worried that they won't have as amazing of a lineup of software in the second year as they did in the first" is not the worst problem to have, coming off the heels of the Wii U...

Also, while Nintendo did make some pretty great games for the Wii U, they never had the one-two knockout punch like BOTW/Mario Odyssey. The Wii U never got a new (non-remake) Zelda game until it was far too late in the console's life, and while Super Mario 3D World was good, it just didn't have that breakout appeal (and stellar marketing and hype) that past bestselling Marios like 64 and Galaxy had, and Odyssey has now. The Switch nailed Nintendo's top tier console franchises in its first year. The only Nintendo franchise that I'd say rivals Mario and Zelda is Pokemon -- and guess what, the Switch is getting that, too!

Mind you, I love the fact that the GCN Zeldas got HD remakes on Wii U (with added second analog stick camera control, so you can't just play the originals on Dolphin and get a unquestionably better experience). And Smash Bros Wii U and Mario Kart 8 are favorites. Games like Tropical Freeze, Bayonetta 2, Pikmin 3, all great. But all that wasn't enough to sell a poorly realized and marketed system, as we saw.
 
Last edited:
We are getting Yoshi and Kirby in 2018. Throw in a potential traditional Pokemon by years end, more news on Metroid, hopefully some news on a new Pikmin and a Donkey Kong and 2018 will be a strong year. Hoping to top 2017 where the 2 top games of the year (and arguably 2 of the best in their own franchises..) were on the Switch is akin to asking if the Switch could be the greatest console of all time...

I REALLY want some new Pikmin.
 
Well I guess I'm going to put off getting the Switch until at least the end of the year after seeing the Nintendo Direct today. I was hoping to see something on Shin Megami Tensei V or the new Fire Emblem but there was nothing about that. I gotta say Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze looks like it'll be incredible on handheld and for someone who doesn't have a gaming PC, Dark Souls is a great enough game to be a system seller (out May 25th). I do always love Mario tennis games, so when I do finally buy a Switch I'll probably get Mario Aces at some point.
 
JeffMD said:
The game I was referring to above was Lost Sphear, a new game coming out from Square / Tokyo RPG Factory and will be a testament to games that are on equal footing among all the platforms except that on switch, it is portable.
Click to expand...

I saw that game on Steam. It's a $40 game that looks more like an indie game that would normally sell for about $20.
 
Aikouka said:
I saw that game on Steam. It's a $40 game that looks more like an indie game that would normally sell for about $20.
Click to expand...

Which is about right for Squaresoft. ::checks play store:: yep... I still see the ff7-9 ports selling for $15 or more.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top