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Nintendo Switch review: pure potential

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Re: Nintendo Switch review: pure potential

#261

Post by martinald »

evan_ wrote: post #106
diimdeep wrote: post #51

Off topic: How much time people spend in public laundry? In post Soviet countries and Russia almost all families, even poorest have washing machines, while public laundry used only for complex cleaning.

A functional, used washer can be had for $100 in most places, which shouldn't be a huge barrier to most people (especially people who can afford a videogame console). Small apartments don't have washers because they simply don't have the room.

I haven't seen a single London or Edinburgh flat (which on average will be much smaller than the US ones - even Manhattan) that hasn't had a washing machine in. One of my friends flat was incredibly small but still managed one.

Definitely some weird cultural thing that people rent flats without them. You wouldn't be able to do that in the UK.

Re: Nintendo Switch review: pure potential

#262

Post by intopieces »

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…

Lack of a web browser is a feature if you are a parent. The easier it is to control access to content, the better.

Re: Nintendo Switch review: pure potential

#263

Post by SilkRoadie »

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 thing is I don't want to carry multiple devices or have tonnes of things plugged into my tv. I want to turn on a device and watch Netflix or YouTube.

I also got the WiiU late on a whim and it wasn't a good purchase. The switch looks like what the WiiU should have been but still seems underpowered compared to other things I can plug into my TV.

I already have a PS4. I cannot see the switch replacing it without the basics of a decent online system and access to streaming services.

Re: Nintendo Switch review: pure potential

#264

Post by nlawalker »

_ph_ wrote: post #152
slim wrote: post #141

It seems that you can't use touchscreen while docked. So it will stay unused because games won't rely on it. Apart from games that have different gamplays for indoor/outdoor (pokemon switch?)

It looks to me that the dock is partially designed to especially block the access to the touch screen :). This makes sense, as Nintendo, at least for the launch, wants all games to work identically docked and undocked. I could imagine though, that later on, there will be touch based games, once the system has been established enough.

They've already announced a game that requires the touchscreen (and thus cannot be played while docked): http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-02-27-nintendo-switch...

I think these will be uncommon, but they will exist, because they can.

Re: Nintendo Switch review: pure potential

#265

Post by taurath »

nikofeyn wrote: post #207
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 on…

As a longtime Nintendo fan I'd say it's not so much a commitment as a total lack of resources put into basic online functionality. It just seems brave of them because it's such a glaring error.

Re: Nintendo Switch review: pure potential

#266

Post by freeone3000 »

mercer wrote: post #174
debt wrote: post #63

Multiple displays is an theme throughout all at-home consumer electronics. We need a technology that can be streamed to as an external display instantly anywhere that can be any size.

Is that technically possible, especially keeping in mind the need for very low latency?

There are several competing standards. "Wireless HDMI" is a gaggle of unlicensed spectrum, but they manage to get 1ms delay with propriatary techs. We've had WiDi (with varying lag) and miracast (with awful lag) for a while, but nobody's been able to manage to standardize the standard, so to speak.

Re: Nintendo Switch review: pure potential

#267

Post by taurath »

vegabook wrote: post #192
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…

No browser?? No netflix? If you want these there are umpteen devices in your life giving you instant access already. This is about pureplay gaming . Nobody buys a console to browse anymore. I can literally do browsing and netflix with 3 devices right now within my immediate reach in the living room, and I'd be really unlikely to want to replace my smartphone with the switch when I am travelling even if it had a brows…

Browse no. Netflix, well yeah sorry, if a big powerful device is hooked up to my TV and it's not speakers I expect it to have Netflix. It doesn't matter much to someone with 5-10 consoles and blu ray players and smart TVs, but for a lot of the country $300 is still a decent chunk of change and it's likely to be replacing a much older console. Still, those folks are less likely to be getting a newly launched console, so it may be fine.

Netflix on devices certainly makes me use them and think of them more. I'd say half my PS4 time is spent on Netflix, which gives plenty of opportunity to pique my interest for some newly released game or service whenever it boots up.

Re: Nintendo Switch review: pure potential

#268

Post by 1wd »

M_Grey wrote: post #245
MAGZine wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nintendo has a history of doing quirky things, in an effort to differentiate themselves. They've always been innovative. - Directional Pad (NES) - Shoulder buttons on controller (SNES) - third handle on a controller and controllers with expansion slots (N64) - portable gaming systems (starting with gameboy, which didn't even have a backlit screen) - subsequent iterations that included: folding designs (SP), Touch scr…

You can really divide that list into two distinct eras: Era 1: Nintendo is the head of the pack in software and hardware, and not afraid to try new things. -NES -Gameboy -SNES -Partly N64 -DS Transitional period: Gamecube. At this point it's pretty clear that Sony is bringing things to the table that Nintendo is struggling to match. It's not a bad console, the GC, and it ends up being almost laughably affordable, but…

Gamecube was the slowpoke of that generation? That sounds wrong. Official specs suggest Dreamcast < PS2 < GC < XBox. But it seems to be generally accepted that XBox specs were a bit overblown and in practice GC and XBox were almost equal in overall real world results. (And the weak PS2 clearly won that round anyway.)

Re: Nintendo Switch review: pure potential

#269

Post by WillPostForFood »

M_Grey wrote: post #245
MAGZine wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nintendo has a history of doing quirky things, in an effort to differentiate themselves. They've always been innovative. - Directional Pad (NES) - Shoulder buttons on controller (SNES) - third handle on a controller and controllers with expansion slots (N64) - portable gaming systems (starting with gameboy, which didn't even have a backlit screen) - subsequent iterations that included: folding designs (SP), Touch scr…

You can really divide that list into two distinct eras: Era 1: Nintendo is the head of the pack in software and hardware, and not afraid to try new things. -NES -Gameboy -SNES -Partly N64 -DS Transitional period: Gamecube. At this point it's pretty clear that Sony is bringing things to the table that Nintendo is struggling to match. It's not a bad console, the GC, and it ends up being almost laughably affordable, but…

I think that's a good assessment, but Gamecube wasn't a slowpoke. More powerful than PS2 which won the generation. Games looked really good on that system compared to PS2. It really suffered from arriving late, after PS2 had huge momentum. It also had the smaller 1.5GB optical disc that might have held it back.

Re: Nintendo Switch review: pure potential

#270

Post by OD_ »

slantyyz wrote: post #230
jhugg wrote: post #36

The more I learn, the more I want this as a 3DS replacement. The TV aspect doesn’t interest me as much. It looks like it might deliver on that promise as they work the kinks out.

> The more I learn, the more I want this as a 3DS replacement. I don't know if that's even possible. The 3DS has pretty good third party developer support and a huge back library. The true worth of any system is how many high quality games are on the system and whether they're the games you want play. Outside of the obvious "must have" first party titles, I can't see a whole lot of system-selling "must have" third pa…

Some of the niches that the 3DS owned up until now might be disrupted by the Switch though. I'm one of these old school (as in, thoughtful turn based combat, whether tactical ala FE or FFT, or more about party building and dungeon exploration like SMT and Etrian) RPG gamers who bought the 3ds solely games like the Fire Emblem, Etrian Odyssey, Shin Megami Tensei, Devil Survivor series, and of these, Atlus has already announced that the next major sequel to SMT will be on Switch instead of 3ds. The DS and 3ds up until now had all the major games of the series (Strange Journey, IV, IVA). It's nice to see the series go back to a more powerful console, we have missed seeing those demons animated in 3d the way they were in Nocturne on Playstation 2. Can't say I will miss the 3ds if the other game series follow suit.

Fire Emblem also traditionally had home console releases alongside portable gamesystems, but the Wii U flopped too hard for niche games to have much room. Concentrating developer efforts on a single console that does both portable and home, large screen play is a smart move for Nintendo.

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