Japanese gaming publication Famitsu has reached out to Nintendo to gather some more information about the newly revealed Nintendo Switch. Thankfully NeoGAF member Jim_Cacher has translated and summarised the article and you can read the points below.
- NS is not the successor of Wii U
- NS is not backward compatible with Wii U and 3DS
- NS will be packaged with Joy-Con(L) and Joy-Con(R)
- The packaging of other accessories will be announced separately for different regions before launch
- Cartridge is called “Game Card” internally
- Specifications of cartridge will be announced before launch
- Battery life will be announced later. The development team aims at allowing players to play NS conveniently at places without electricity connection.
- At this moment, no information on compatibility of smartphone apps can be provided
Well if it isn’t the successor to Wii U???
I mean, that is just N being coy right?
Could they possibly just be saying that to try to distance themselves from the WiiU rather than concerning the WiiU’s life?
Does that distance them from it? Or maybe you just mean, distancing the new “Switch” brand from Wii U… I think that makes sense. Looking to
“kill” the Wii brand and move forward. Same with 3Ds… Although i still think a dedicated handheld could still be possible in the next 2-3 years. Maybe similar but smaller… something 3D not sure
Nintendo also said the same thing about the GameBoy>DS line and we all know how that turned out. This is meant to replace the WiiU and eventually the 3DS and everybody knows it. I think Nintendo will keep some support on the 3DS while Switch get’s it’s footing since the 3DS is not quite dead yet and push the WiiU out to pasture. I’m figuring we’ll see some token WiiU games over the next year and some 3DS games for 1-2 years depending on how well the Switch sells.
Sounds about right. And some indie games will go to Wii U. I wonder about the E shop though and wonder if you can download some of those games to the Switch as well… Either way, it is safe to say that this is the “all encompassing” one system for Nintendo, so they aren’t spreading their development and marketing efforts as thin as they have. Two consoles is not the best way to do business nowadays it seems.
@Don Serrot: Any evidence?
Nintendo has been saying X isnt a replacement for Y with each new generation. Its just a stuffy business stratedgy to keep a few people buying wii u’s while they’re still on store shelves. It doesnt work very well to anyone who knows anything about consoles, but if they say out loud that “the wii u is dead we wont be supporting it anymore” then all the product still on store shelves becomes worthless, and no one will buy it. They have to lie to us and tell us its not a replacement, they do it every single generation. They said the advance wasnt a replacement for the gameboy, the SP wasnt a replacement for the advance, the gamecube wasnt a replacement for the n64, the wii wasnt a replacement for the gamecube, etc etc. They do it every time. What more evidence do you need?
They did say the DS wasn’t going to replace the GBA. I don’t remember them saying that GameCube wouldn’t replace the N64 though. I also don’t remember them saying the Wii wasn’t a replacement for Gamecube. I could be misremembering of course. Also the SP didn’t replace the GBA. It was simply a GBA redesign, the same way the DS Lite was a DS.
I don’t believe Nintendo ever even said that the Switch wouldn’t replace the Wii U. Every quote from them I’ve seen said that the Switch isn’t a “successor” to the Wii U. When they say this it makes me think that their trying to say the Switch is their next home console, but isn’t the next Wii product. The Wii line is done.
Tomato tamato. Successor, replacement, its just different language suggesting the same thing. They always suggest the new console or handheld is a new tier, not a replacement, when in reality they are quietly putting the old system out to pasture. They just cant publicly admit it or they’re basically telling you not to buy one of their products.
I don’t agree that those two words can be used interchangeably. This is Nintendo we’re talking about. They’ve never been very good at explaining things clearly. That’s the reason so many people thought the Wii U was a Wii add-on. There was confusion around the nature of DS’s dual screens when it was announced.
The GBA to DS transition was the only time I heard them clearly say that two systems would co-exist when that clearly wasn’t the case.
It may have been the only time you heard it, but it certainly wasnt the only instance where they used that reasoning. They do it every generation with every previous machine. Its normal. What business would tell you to stop buying one of their products? Its self defeating. Instead of saying the wii u is dead or that they will stop supporting it, they say “the switch will be the 3rd pillar of our gaming machines.” Ive literally heard Nintendo reps like Reggie and Iwata use the term 3rd pillar in seperate generations, they do it all the time.
Only if the Wii U gets discontinued in every region after the release of the Nintendo Switch, and that Nintendo announces it somewhere on their international websites, then I shall believe your comment…
Dont expect Nintendo to announce they are stopping support for any console. You just find out from reporting that talks to the distributors and manufactures, like foxconn. And actually Nintendo has already said they have stopped production of the Wii U, in all regions…
@darthNARC: Source link?
I read it on this website, it was like November or something.
ok
Nintendo also said that Nintendo DS wasn’t the GBA’so successor and they would coexist.
I know… I guess I got the ball rolling but I am down with the logic. Makes sense
I think they may introduce a sort of “DS U” system down the line. It well probably be the opposite of how NS works. (NS being a home system you can take as a portable, and a DS U, would be a mobile system that plays ds/sdi/3DS/wii/wii U games and can attach to a tv. It well probably look like a NVidia shield.
That said, I would find it hard to believe that nintendo would leave customers behind after spending 100$ on games and accessories.
Between 3DS and Wii U I personally spent about 4,000$
Is it leaving us behind if we still have those other systems? I mean, they aren’t broken, they just won’t be supporting them or making new games for them (eventually). I am not that upset about it, but I understand what you mean
It well brake one day, its already outdated
You’re right on the money with your comments. Nintendo is being smart. They don’t want to have this thing have ANYTHING to do, or ANY association with the Wii name, or the Wii U. It’s sad, I like the Wii U, but it’s necessary.
Also, the whole 3DS thing you mention is also correct. They did it with the DS, cautiously saying that the Game Boy line would continue, but when the DS became a phenomenon, and beat out the PSP? No need for the Game Boy anymore, and they moved on. The 3DS is still selling quite well, maybe not DS levels yet, but it’s hard to top that, so if the Switch flops, they will have to rely on the 3DS for a bit longer.. if the Switch takes off and sells very well? The 3DS will be phased out as well, just not as fast as the Wii U will be.
There is one catch 22.. if Nintendo stated the Switch WAS replacing the 3DS, and announced future 3DS titles starting at such and such date? It would actually help sell more Switch consoles. They just don’t want to risk killing the 3DS like that and have the Switch somehow fail… I guess they didn’t get the memo that if they announce Pokemon Sun and Moon 2 or Pokemon “whatever comes after Sun and Moon” for Switch, that it will print money and instantly have 30 million units guaranteed to sell.
They may be thinking that, while the HD handheld/mobile device is the future, there is an accessibility to the 3ds and is a “safe” option for children and that line may continue in some form. If consoles are to be hybrids moving forward, one garnered for kids more would make some sense, IF the market dictates such an action. The 3ds is just more kid friendly in design than the switch and I can see it lasting. I think it is both a fail safe, and a nice entry level gaming device for kids with more “mature” titles and stylings slated for the Switch, while still having games accessible to the whole family.
WiiU had some potential, just was a couple years late in my opinion. Could have capitalized on the Wii with a WiiHD and it would have made more sense. It may ultimately be seen as a complete flop, but it treaded gray waters and was certainly a beta for what we are getting with the Switch. My only “issue” with the switch is that you can’t have a second screen at home, which I like for COD local multiplayer, one person on the screen the other on the gamepad.
Show me gamepad connectivity with the Switch and that would be awesome. I doubt it or at least won’t get my hopes up for any sort of backwards compatibility with hardware since there isn’t any with the games
I’m pretty sure Nintendo will make it to where the Switch can interact with the WiiU gamepad, so that you can continue with the dual screen play.
That’d be great, but we’ll see. That kind of wireless connectivity, would be awesome, and while other controllers can clearly do it, streaming the video to the second screen is another story. 6 months
They pretty much say that every generation.
Yeah, they’re just trying to distance themselves from the Wii U, it’s very obviously the Wii U’s successor.
Well, guess we’re keeping our Wii U systems then…
i better buy the games im missing before its too late thenhttps://mynintendonews.com/2016/10/21/famitsu-questions-nintendo-about-nintendo-switch/#respond
Keep the Wii U? For what? Splatoon? Mario Kart? Zelda?
Switch is receiving Wii U ports clearly because it is Wi U’s early replacement. Period.
For anything- Switch isn’t backwards compatible. It’s not like the last two where you could sell off your old Gamecube or Wii since the consoles after them could play last-gen games.
P3.
“At this moment, no information on compatibility of smartphone apps can be provided”
This is what I’m looking for information on. By “compatibility with smartphone apps” they probably just mean Nintendo apps, but if the Switch is compatible with all smartphone and tablet apps, it shouldn’t be too difficult for Nintendo to convince mobile gamers to make the transition. By this of course I mean that the Switch will be an attractive “tablet” to mobile users if it can run the same apps that their smartphones can.
Obviously this is a stretch. It probably won’t happen.
What does “not the successor to wii u” mean?
The same thing it meant when the DS wasn’t the successor to the GBA. Not really anything.
I’ve said this before. I think Nintendo is just really bad at getting their point across. I think what they mean to say is that the Switch is their next home console, but it’s not the next Wii product.
It means it’s not technically a Wii U 2.
Damn it. I was hoping to play 3DS games on the NS.
Not that it would help us physical copy gamers, but maybe there’s a chance of digital backwards compatibility. Since I’m not tech savvy, I don’t really know. Then again, the general public knows close to nothing about this console as a whole anyway.
Hmm… You make a decent poin, maybe they could allow downloading digital versions of 3DS games?… Ugh, but it would probably just be 1st party titles.
Well, it’s too early to speculate, however not being backwards compatible, if true, harbors little hope.
True. With no spec information, it’s too early to say anything for sure.
Aww come one, I was hoping to be able to play my Pokemon Moon on the big screen like I use to do with the GB games
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No backwards compatibility? No way Im buying day one.
>NS is not the successor of Wii U
lol
You’re not fooling anyone Nintendo.
It means you can’t stick Wii u discs in and play them. I bet however, that you can download via the VC and play them that way. I also bet that all of the Wii Us online VC library will be carried over, at launch with a day 1 update.
After the hype dies down I think the switch will not maintain much fanfare. It’s not mobile enough to replace a handheld and it’s nothing new in terms of power (which is what is important to most home console owners is seems). It’s another gimmick which isn’t polished enough to maintain it’s charm or strong enough in one area to get that consumer base to buy it. It will do better than the Wii U IF the 3rd party devs hang around longer than they did with the Wii U, but in the end after trying to look through the hype, I don’t see a winner.
Here’s to hoping it does well enough to keep Nintendo around long enough to release a solid new mobile option, although in a few more years Nintendo may not be anything special as the post Iwata regimes strengh continues to increase and to prioritize profits over it’s loyal fans.
I’ve owned all Nintendo systems from the beginning, but I’m going to skip the switch and stick with my n3ds and wiiU.
It really depends on the support from Nintendo, and the thing’s battery life. There WILL be Pokemon games on the Switch too, and that alone is enough for me to see this thing taking off. Pokemon fans will buy whatever hardware the new games come out on. Also, Pokemon fans have been raving for a non-spinoff Pokemon game playable on the TV for over ten years. When Pokemon is released on the Switch, it will fly off the shelves. I can almost guarantee that.
Then there are all the other Nintendo first party titles that are generally system sellers. As long as this thing behaves comfortably as advertised, I wholeheartedly believe it will sell.
But then again, we just have to wait and see. As with anything, it is impossible to no every single variable that is in play and will come into play.
It makes sense that it wouldn’t be backwards compatible with 3ds or WiiU. It only has one screen. The tablet doesn’t stream to or from the docking station (based on what we’ve seen so far), so it only plays off tv or on tv, not both at the same time, which is a requirement for all 3ds games and a decent number of WiiU games. Specific titles will receive ports to bolster the NS’s initial library of games, but I don’t think too many.
Though I know it’s probably just a business strategy or something, when Nintendo says “The Switch is NOT the successor to the Wii U”, it worries me. I mean, it’s bad enough that they made the Switch look like more of a handheld device than an actual major console that connects to a TV. But saying things like “it’s not the Wii U successor” makes me wonder if there’s not another, “TRUE” successor in the works? I hope the Switch is just as powerful and impressive when connected to a TV as a regular home console is.
Like I said above, I think that when they say it’s not a “successor” to the Wii U, they mean that this is the next home console, but it’s not the next Wii product. The Wii line is done.
I hope the Switch is plenty powerful. It looks like it should operate just as a home console should when it’s on the dock.
Switch isn’t a 3DS successor.
Nintendl is not bullshiting us. Their next handheld will have 3d and will be able to tv stream through the NS allowing dual screen emulation gameplay.
Their next handheld will be the 3ds and wiiu succesor.
Or at least that is what I hope. There is no way nintendo will not allow 3ds games to not be playable in the next 10 years. The 3dsU is the perfect fit for it, I mean, their nedxt handgeld will probably jave enogh powe to play wii u games anyway.
Damn it. Still no info on a universal account system with no console locked bullshit.
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