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Nintendo Switch review: pure potential

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Re: Nintendo Switch review: pure potential

#201

Post by r00fus »

n-gauge wrote: post #182
mintplant wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The lack of a web browser is I suspect a reaction to WebKit vulnerabilities having been one of the primary entry points for people hacking the (New) 3DS. Omitting this functionality reduces the OS's attack surface.

..and maybe to stop users playing HTML games (Nintendo ripoffs for example). This is a shame as I felt the Wii U was crippled in this respect (i.e. video tag supported but not audio!)

Why would I buy a switch to play HTML games? Honestly this argument seems a stretch to me.

Re: Nintendo Switch review: pure potential

#202

Post by thenomad »

ronnier wrote: post #10
TazeTSchnitzel wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Alternate input methods for games have failed Is that really so? Motion controls work very well for certain niches. Some types of games are better without them, but so long as developers allow the choice of conventional inputs in cases where they don't work well, it shouldn't be a problem.

Joy stick for fighters. Mouse and keyboard for FPS and similar games. Traditional controller for platformers/side scrollers Touch for a few types of games on mobile, not many though. Almost never do I want to use motion.

...Motion control for VR.

It works incredibly well in VR - whereas I know a fair few people find gamepad controls immersion-breaking, compared to interacting with the virtual world with your hands and your body.

Re: Nintendo Switch review: pure potential

#203

Post by Animats »

Now this form factor is what Google's Project Ara should have been. It's a modest size tablet to which you can attach peripherals. Peripherals big enough that many industrial sensors would fit. If you need an airflow meter with temp/humidity/CO2 sensing (HVAC techs use these), that would fit. Or a digital voltmeter/oscilloscope. (That would be very useful, especially at a Nintendo price point.) Or an RFID tag reader. (Those are way overpriced now.)

What's the interface to the peripherals? (The base unit has USB-C and the peripherals have Bluetooth, at least, but it's not yet clear what the wired connection between peripheral and main unit is.) Can the device take new software, or does Nintendo have a lock on that?

Re: Nintendo Switch review: pure potential

#204

Post by Xixi »

Jweb_Guru wrote: post #153
GuiA wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is mostly credited to Gunpei Yokoi's philosophy: "Yokoi articulated his philosophy of "Lateral Thinking of Withered Technology". [...] "Withered technology" in this context refers to a mature technology which is cheap and well understood. "Lateral thinking" refers to finding radical new ways of using such technology. Yokoi held that toys and games do not necessarily require cutting edge technology; novel and fun g…

The SNES, N64, and the GameCube were not really behind technologically (they were different from their competitors, but not behind ). The Wii was the first Nintendo console that was clearly just flat out technically inferior to all of its competitors.

I think the GameCube was actually ahead of the PlayStation 2 and behind the XBox in terms of raw power. But it might have had other limitations that I'm unaware of.

Re: Nintendo Switch review: pure potential

#205

Post by nilkn »

iamatworknow wrote: post #122
danso wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly...two things that are ubiquitous on modern devices, but aren't on the Switch because of what seems like rushed online infrastructure. Why should we have faith that Nintendo has successfully executed social matchmaking and account services, which are much more bespoke?

Maybe I'm a glass half full kind of guy but I'd like to believe they spent less effort on duplicating features that fulfill needs most buyers can already meet with other devices and more effort on features germane to the console itself, like the matchmaking and account services you mention. I could very well be wrong.

The Switch is basically a high-powered tablet with proper gaming controls. I'd love it if it could actually replace "real" tablets. As it is, we're going to have two separate classes of tablets: those that are actually good at gaming (Switch), and those that are good at everything else (iPad, etc.).

That said, it's easy to see why Nintendo's focusing on gaming: it's their core competency, nobody else in the tablet space does serious non-casual gaming well, and it would be a tremendous undertaking to make the Switch into a real iPad competitor.

Re: Nintendo Switch review: pure potential

#206

Post by SimeVidas »

Spivak wrote: post #159
SimeVidas wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not all of us can delay playing Zelda in 900p@30fps for that long. I mean, if I don’t get it on Friday, I will be pissed. Also, note that there’s the Pro controller, which is better for playing on the TV anyway, so at least in that case, this is a non-issue.

Honest question, why not buy it on the Wii U then?

I wrote 900p@30fps for a reason ;) The Wii U version runs at 720p, and the frame rate is a bigger problem (both versions aim for 30fps, but “dips” happen much more often on Wii U, from what I’ve read). In addition to that, loading times are much faster on Switch due to the switch to cartridges.

And if that’s not enough, there’s also the “fact” that many of us want to play other Switch games this year, so why wait?

Re: Nintendo Switch review: pure potential

#207

Post by nikofeyn »

danso wrote: post #101

As a late Wii U owner, I'm willing to wait until the Switch proves to be a success. The horror stories of the Wii U's launch, combined with lackluster support and signs that Nintendo didn't know how to adapt to the Internet age haven't exactly been mitigated by what we know of the Switch so far: no web browser, no Virtual Console nor movie services like Netflix at launch. Everything smells rushed...in the meantime, I…

i see the lack of a web browser and no movie services as a move to emphasize that this is a gaming machine and not a tablet. it focuses the use of the machine as a gaming device and not as a do it all device. i like this commitment. it's similar to what amazon does with the kindles (that ignores the limitations of the e-ink screen though).

although, i have certainly been disappointed with nintendo's embracement of online services even within games. e.g., matchmaking and co-op features.

Re: Nintendo Switch review: pure potential

#209

Post by JoshTriplett »

r00fus wrote: post #201
n-gauge wrote: post #182

Earlier quoted context omitted.

..and maybe to stop users playing HTML games (Nintendo ripoffs for example). This is a shame as I felt the Wii U was crippled in this respect (i.e. video tag supported but not audio!)

Why would I buy a switch to play HTML games? Honestly this argument seems a stretch to me.

> Why would I buy a switch to play HTML games?

A portable, dockable tablet with a built-in reliable controller? If it had a browser, I'd be surprised if people didn't specifically write some games to target it.

Re: Nintendo Switch review: pure potential

#210

Post by __david__ »

ihuman wrote: post #66
jamespo wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

said nobody ever

People have been saying for a while that Nintendo should pull a Sega and go third-party. Just because they're saying it, that doesn't mean its the right move.

Switching to 3rd party development is a far cry from switching to mobile only development though!
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