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Nintendo Switch review: pure potential

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Re: Nintendo Switch review: pure potential

#281

Post by glhaynes »

saltvedt wrote: post #142
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 forgot the quirkiest thing of all, the Nintendo Power Glove [0] released in 1989. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_Glove

Power Glove was Mattel, not Nintendo. (Though it was featured heavily in The Wizard, which Nintendo was involved with; and its name evokes Nintendo trademarks from the era like "Nintendo Power" and "Now You're Playing With Power", so lots of people thought it was Nintendo's.)

Re: Nintendo Switch review: pure potential

#282

Post by matthewmacleod »

SilkRoadie wrote: post #263
iamatworknow wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

I'm not really clear why it's a problem to have more than one device plugged into a TV, especially when they're going to have such a different selection of games.

Re: Nintendo Switch review: pure potential

#283

Post by hug »

seanmcdirmid wrote: post #251
throwaway91111 wrote: post #224

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I already have a tablet. I certainly don't want to browse anything with shitty Nintendo software. They should focus on games. Hell, this is the best sign yet that the switch will have SOME value beyond "you can play the latest Mario here"

Do you really want to carry both an iPad and a switch in your bag, though?

I would much rather carry a Switch and an iPad rather than something that amounts to an iPad with awful tacked on gaming controls, with the kind of games the iPad is known for.

Multipurpose portable utility computing platforms are all well and good, but in a general sense are a jack of all trades and master of none.

I prefer to read on a kindle. I prefer to type on a laptop. I prefer to watch movies on an iPad. I carry my DS in case I want to game. I also carry a DSLR in case I feel like taking photos.

I can guarantee I get more work done on my laptop on the train than the guy with his iPad, and I take better photos than the guy with his phone out. I like to think I enjoy the gaming I do on the train more than the people playing bejewelled to pass time.

Re: Nintendo Switch review: pure potential

#284

Post by glhaynes »

M_Grey wrote: post #247
pidg wrote: post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Nintendo have $10.5 billion in the bank – enough for it to take a $257 million loss every year until 2052." http://nintendotoday.com/nintendo-not-doomed/

Them and Apple... two companies so swaddled in money that they can't even hear their consumers anymore.

Shareholders aren't impressed by "our quarterly losses only burned through a tiny portion of our stockpile", though. The pressure on Nintendo to deliver with the Switch is quite high.

Re: Nintendo Switch review: pure potential

#285

Post by freeflight »

intopieces wrote: post #262
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.

That's what parental controls should be there for, an actual feature. Nothing would have stopped Nintendo from just adding a "disable web browser" to the parental control feature the Switch already possess. As such the lack of a web browser is not a "feature", it's merely omitting functionality.

Re: Nintendo Switch review: pure potential

#286

Post by nvarsj »

The switch has been the first Nintendo console I haven't been excited for. It's hardware is boring (it's just a tablet with a dock, yawn), battery life is bad as a portable gaming device, and controllers seem to compromise too much function for form. The Wii-U, while being terribly marketed, was unique in its two-screened console idea (which originally came from the GBA link + gamecube experiment), and there are a lot of really unique experiences that can only be had on it.

Despite my own misgivings, it feels like a smart move by N to try and appeal to the mainstream tablet/phone gamers. I really hope the switch is successful enough to let N start doing some crazy things again.

Re: Nintendo Switch review: pure potential

#287

Post by kibwen »

nvarsj wrote: post #286

The switch has been the first Nintendo console I haven't been excited for. It's hardware is boring (it's just a tablet with a dock, yawn), battery life is bad as a portable gaming device, and controllers seem to compromise too much function for form. The Wii-U, while being terribly marketed, was unique in its two-screened console idea (which originally came from the GBA link + gamecube experiment), and there are a lo…

> battery life is bad as a portable gaming device

Though it still has better battery life than the Sega Game Gear! And doesn't require six AA batteries to recharge. :P

Re: Nintendo Switch review: pure potential

#289

Post by laumars »

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…

> 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.

The Wii (not Wii U but the original Wii) had all of that though. A web browser, multiple on demand services including BBC iPlayer and Netflix, an online store that allowed you to downloadable games direct to the console, etc. So it's not the case that Nintento "can't adapt for the internet age", they clearly did already. This is more a sign that Nintendo don't want the Switch to compete with living room entertainment systems nor general purpose computing tablets.

This actually makes some sense when you consider both of those markets are already saturated. eg most living rooms already have several streamable devices such as:

    * other consoles (eg Xbox 360 / P3 and newer),
    * XBMC/Kodi devices,
    * Amazon Fire Stick and similar,
    * or even just a smart TV with that stuff in built.
And who doesn't already have a smart phone and/or tablet?

So instead of chasing after saturated markets that exist on the fringe of their business, Nintendo are focusing on their core market.

Re: Nintendo Switch review: pure potential

#290

Post by kibwen »

VeejayRampay wrote: post #70

If someone can answer that question for me: Why has Nintendo shifted towards producing underpowered consoles? I used to play the Super Nes when I was a kid, and it was the most powerful console of its generation. The N64, the GameCube, the Wii and subsequent offerings were all underpowered in terms of graphical abilities and raw power after that. I hear people say "But the gameplay is what matters", which I agree wit…

It's not just a costs thing. I have never, ever, ever, ever noticed a loading screen in any Nintendo game in my entire life, which is astounding. Lower-fidelity assets must be partly attributable to this, along with clever design to effectively hide whatever loading screens they do need. I have plenty of time to ponder this curiosity while waiting for Bloodborne and FFXV to load...
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