Laura Dale Serves Up Some More Nintendo Switch Rumours

“Ok, so your friends knew what the Wii U was, but the fact remains most people were confused about it at launch and the following years. And yes, it was a flawed idea. Dual screen console gaming is a flawed idea. And the lackluster sales of the Wii U proves BOTH of my above points.”

How can you say that the second screen was the reason the Wii U failed when the 3DS and especially the DS sold insanely well and both were dual screen devices. How is that proven point? Then you said most people were confused by its advertising, but then why didn’t my friends want one? Well my friends didn’t want one because it was a $300-350 investment to play only a handful of Nintendo games and next to no third party games. They aren’t exclusively Nintendo fans. They like Assassins Creed, Final Fantasy, DragonQuest and other franchises as well.

“Also the appeal of Nintendo games goes deeper than you think. It’s not some fluke that Pokémon Go was downloaded over 100 million times. Or Mario Run 60 million times on Apple products alone. By the way, all 160 million downloads were on MOBILE devices. You may not believe it, but Nintendo actually knows their fanbase pretty well. Not to mention your witnessing one of the greatest marketing campaigns in console gaming history.”

Those were all on mobile devices THAT THEY ALREADY OWNED, Pokemon Go was FREE, and you can download Mario Run for FREE but everybody complained that you had to spend $10 for only a few more additional levels. And calm your tits with the “greatest marketing campaigns in console gaming history” crap. You’re talking about the Switch with that right? Well even Nintendo’s elite fans on this site are claiming we don’t know anything about the system and even we have complaints about it, so you might be jumping the gun with that statement.

“They don’t have to pick the Switch over the alternatives. Just like they didn’t have to choose any other Nintendo device over the competitors. The console market is perfectly big enough to support three consoles. The Switch could easily sell 50-70 million units, next to 100 million PS4’s and 60 million Xbox’s.”

That’s the most priveleged perspective I’ve ever heard. A lot of people don’t buy multiple consoles. Most buy into one because they don’t have the money to buy over $700 worth of hardware that have their own games that sell for $60 a piece. Some buy two but rarely three. If they do buy multiple systems, they’re still picking one console as their main to get multi-platform games on and it’s the game sales for that platform that is where console makers make most of their money from. Beleive it or not, Nintendo would make money if a Call of Duty, Assassin’s Creed, GTA, or Final Fantasy sells on their system.

“The general excitement is a lot higher for the Switch compared to the Wii U. Not to mention that 3rd party devs are claiming the Switch will be the easiest of the 3 consoles to develop for. It was the complete opposite with the Wii U.”

Go back to articles from before the Wii U came out and you’ll find Ubisoft talking about how easy it is to code for. They even said they thought it was gonna be a huge success. Devs always do this before a new system comes out because they want to be there in case it’s a huge success.

“I really don’t see how you could hold the Wii U in such high regard yet hate the Switch. The Switch is what the Wii U should have been.”

I’m not saying the Wii U was perfect but the Gamepad was like the swiss army knife of controllers, which is awesome. I think they should have made the gamepad slimmer, I think they should have dropped the PowerPC architecture and used a new ARM chip and handled backwards compatibility via emulation. Hell even if they used emulation with the chip they have now so they could better integrate the Wii mode and emulate Wii Speak and the Classic controller with the gamepad and offer better performance and visuals to those games. I also think the Wii U’s specs should have been much better than they were.

As for the Switch, I think it’s smart that it’s using ARM, cartridges, and GPU hardware from company that makes somewhat-mobile chips. What’s dumb about the Switch is its concept. All the stuff about being easy to code for has nothing to do with it’s concept and no consumer gives a shit if its easy to code for. I don’t even know why you care considering you probably aren’t making games. The consumer might care more that the only option they have to expand storage is SD cards that cost a lot of money, they might care that the controller isn’t comfortable, they might care that the price is comparable to other systems yet a lot of games look better on those other systems, they might care that the battery life isn’t great, they might care that they can’t pocket it, and they might care that it can’t play games from their previous Nintendo systems meaning they HAVE to buy game with it immediately.

As I said before, Nintendo could offer the same exact home console experience at an even cheaper price or offer a better one at the same price as the Switch. Like I said before, it could even use a hard drive to hold downloaded games or atleast hold DLC and recorded 1080p gameplay videos.

They could then offer a proper mobile version of the system that is ACTUAL portable that can play the same games and that would be cheaper. Look at it this way. Even if the screen was the same size but the joycons were build into he system(+1 durability +1 affordability), it would only need one battery instead of the three (+1 affordability), the width of the unit(again that’s 9.5″) would be reduced by about an inch because they can be built into the side bezel of system(+1 portability), a proper d-pad could be used, and there wouldn’t be hidden shoulder buttons(+1 affordability). That would also extend the size of the inside of the device to give it a larger battery(+1 battery life). It would still be left with just SD card storage but since downloaded games and DLC would only have to store a subset of the games assets(the mobile assets) and wouldn’t have to store local multiplayer modes and gameplay recordings would only be 720p, it’s less of a problem(+1 storage). Those gameplay videos would be up to 44% smaller and, with the way the math works out, not having to store the top-most mipmap of a texture would reduce the amount of space textures take up by 75%. They also wouldn’t need to store the highest LOD of geometry so that saves space, too. At that point, you can almost make the argument that 128GB of storage in the portable is equivalent to 512GB for a home console.

Instead we have a system that needs to use SD cards because it’s a portable, but needs to store console assets and videos because it’s also a console. To be fair, the Switch uses ASTC so textures will already take up less space and RAM than on the PS4 and XBO, but what I mentioned about mipmaps before still applies. This might sound like silly tech babble to you but this all as very real consumer-facing effects. They will complain about storage, they will complain about portability, they will complain about battery life.

Of course, all this still wouldn’t make a handheld a replacement for the 3DS. It would be a succesor but not a replacement. When the 3DS came out, some people sold their DS and put that money towards a 3DS because the 3DS could play DS games. Some people did the same with the Wii. Since they dropped dual screen support, the Switch can’t even claim it’ll be able to do that later on.

“And I honestly don’t see how you could not find the Switch interesting.”

Because it’s not replacing my 3DS as a system I’ll take on the go and it’s “portable” aspect won’t do anything an improved gamepad couldn’t do for me but DOES remove features from the system.

“It can play as a classic console and is launching with a new Zelda and new 3D Mario with the promise of 3rd party support.”

Yea, I already said I’m buying it because of those Nintendo games, but I’m a huge Nintendo fan so that was a given. I’m also a life-long Final Fantasy fan, so I’ll probably get a PS4 slim and play it on that unless you can convince me that a Final Fantasy XV port on the Switch is going to be the better experience. It’ll control the same and play the same but look worse so what the advantage there?

“You know what I’m most excited for when it comes to the portability? Not taking it on the bus, or to the airport. But taking it to the bedroom. Laying in bed and playing BotW is a dream come true.”

That’s nothing an improved gamepad couldn’t do. Why is it a better idea to build the whole system into the controller at that point if you don’t intend to take it out of the house?

“Laying in bed and playing console Nintendo games in 720p is a dream come true. I’ll probably never take the Switch outside of my house.”

I actually already have the Wii U in my room and it plays games at 720p so I can already do that.

“I never even take my 3ds out of the house.”

But you “love” portable gaming? Have you ever used Streetpass? You’re missing out on one of it’s best features. Why did you buy it? Was it the games? I assume so because you went on about how software sells hardware before. Let me ask you this: If there were a console and handheld that could play the same games, but the console worked like the a better version of the Wii U with a 720p gamepad that would allow you to play games in your bedroom, would you ever buy the handheld? I have a feeling you wouldn’t. I have a feeling you can’t really represent portable gamers at all. That’s probably why you decided to ignore the success of the DS and 3DS when claiming that people just don’t like dual-screen gaming. There are people who are only portable gamers. Being able to play stuff on the bus is the biggest reason they CAN play games. That’s why the GameBoy was marketed towards business men in America.

“You call yourself a Nintendo fan, but every Nintendo fan I know is shitting their pants with glee. Your the only one I know who is sour over it.”

We don’t know each other. I can tell you that I know about 10 people who aren’t impressed with it. And yes, I am a Nintendo fan. I own 5 NESs, an SNES, N64, Gamecube, Wii, Wii U, Gameboy, Gameboy Advance, DS, and 3DS and I’m looking to get a Super Famicom and Virtual Boy. I have a plush lakitu in a cloud with a spiney hanging off it hanging form the ceiling. I have a few amiibo (wasn’t so crazy about them) and I’m working on getting the themed Wii Remote Pluses though I only have the Mario one right now. I am Nintendo fan. I have been all of my life but that does not mean they are above my criticism. I want them to do well which is why I’m critical of them.

There are people shitting themselves over the Switch because it sounds like a good idea but that doesn’t mean they thought of or are aware of the compromises that it HAS to make. They’re so amazed that it CAN be done that they didn’t think about whether or not it can be done WELL.

“Also, we don’t have all the info on the Switch yet. We really only know rumors when it comes to specs and pricing.”

Unless they’re going to announce that they shrunk it since the reveal trailer, it has a hidden second screen (but it won’t even support the gamepad), has backwards compatabiltiy (they already confirmed it doesn’t), and has performance akin to the Xbox One and PS4 (it can’t. Familiarize yourself with Tegra chips) then what’s going to make it a better idea? As for the pricing, I already assumed $250 into all my criticism already which already puts it at the same price as the XBO and PS4. If it’s $200, that’s definitely better, but if its $300 then they’ve lost their minds.

“So most of your arguments are based off rumors.”

Rumors that are likely true. I have a bunch of other posts in this comment section where I talk about that. Those leaked clockspeeds make sense if you’re familiar with the Tegra X1. 32GB of built-in storage makes sense if you know flash memory prices. Expanding storage up to 128GB sounds a little strange but makes sense given SD card prices. Also the 3DS is only supposed to support 32GB of storage yet people use 64GB cards in them so you have to consider that too.

“Have you ever listened to NVC from IGN? There are rumors that the Switch game pad will also slide into a VR headset.”

No I don’t listen Nintendo Voice Chat but that’s something anybody could have put together considering the hardware. It would work similarly to gear VR and use the joycons as controllers. I don’t personally care about VR but I do get that VR on the cheap is attractive to people. Too bad the Switch is both too big and too low-resolution to provide a good VR experience. You need high PPI screens for decent VR. In this case the resolution for each eye would drop to 640x720p with lenses that focus on only the middle of each side of the screen. By comparison, a gear VR uses phones with 2560×1440 displays making it 1280x1440p per eye. The Switch would be trying to be three things at once and compromising on all three.

“Don’t know how MNN hasn’t picked up on that rumor yet, but that is very promising.”

I think they mentioned it months ago. It was part of rumor that said that Nintendo tried it but the experience wasn’t good enough.

“The possibilities are endless if you think about it.”

Just because something can do something doesn’t mean it can do it well. A smart phone with detachable controllers and an HDMI out can also be handheld, a console, and VR head set but that doesn’t mean it does them all WELL. My phone can hook up to a dock via USB Type-C(sound familiar) and be used as a desktop but it still not as good as my actual desktop. I can also hook up a controller and play games on it but that doesn’t mean it replaces my Wii U or even my Raspberry Pi.

“The Switch has another trick up its sleeve that has yet to be revealed. I’m happy with it now.”

Probably a software related trick… which is cool because I like cool software features, but unless you think these rumors are completely off and Nvidia made a chip completely unrelated to all its other, than don’t expect to be too surprise with hardware. I’m glad that your happy with it, but I’m sure you would have been happy with any Nintendo released.

I hope that you’re aware that just because you’re fine with it, that doesn’t mean it’ll definitely have mass market appeal. I expect it might have a successful launch but I’m not sure it will keep its momentum after people have time with it.

Can’t respond to your last post directly because it’s nested too far in. That should really be fixed. Anyway…

“The Wii U was not a portable device. It’s one thing to look at dual screens when they are side by side. It’s completely different when you have to turn your entire head from your 60″ T.V. to look at a small screen for some gimmick reason. I love dual screens on the 3ds, and I don’t think it’s the last we’ll see of it. Nintendo is not just going to abandon the clamshell design. It has proven too successful over the years. The Switch is NOT a 3ds successor.”

What’s a “gimmick” reason? A gimmick is a like a selling point. True that dual screen gaming has to work differently on the Wii U than the 3DS, but to make the assumption that it was the two screens of the Wii U that lead to it’s bad sales is dumb. It was a variety of factors, including it’s marketing and perceived value: it’s specs for the price. Somehow, despite having Mario Kart 8, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Bayonetta 2, a Super Smash Bros for Wii U(which included Megaman, Pacman, Cloud, Ryu, and Bayonetta), Splatoon, Super Mario 3D World, Super Mario Maker, and the promise of Breath of the Wild, it still didn’t sell well. It’s almost like you ignored that for the sake of your point. Weird.

Anyway, back to dual screen console gaming. I like to consider it Heads-down Display. While the 3DS can move HUD info onto the second screen and combine it with menu info since its all in line-of-sight(useful because of the resolution and size of the display), the Wii U Gamepad can’t display info that’s needed at a glance but it can show a map, inventory, a chat, or drawing/notes. See, the thing that people forget is that it’s not just used for display, it’s used for dynamic input and is something an IR pointer can’t always replace. It’s the gamepad that is the reason that games like Art Academy and Scribbenauts are possible on the Wii U and its also the reason there’s Miiverse drawings. Considering the amount of open world games tha are coming out, just having a map on that screen already is very useful like it was in Wind Waker. The fact that it can be used without controls would also make it great for MMO RPGs. If you’ve ever played WOW or FFXIV, you’d know that once you click into the chat, your keyboard fully becomes a keyboard and is no longer a controller so sometimes you’ll forget that when something attacks you and you wind up typing “wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww” into the chat while you’re getting your ass kicked. With the gamepad, tapping to enter text will bring up a touch keyboard allowing you to very quickly type your message, and if you get attacked you switch to controlling your character more quickly than you might be able to on the PC version. Likewise, inventory, equipment and character management in those games is also best done with a mouse, which a touch screen can work as. Since it would be able to do all of this without ever blocking your view of your character, it could actual rival or surpass the PC experience for some people. Stuff like this was also the main reason why people wanted Minecraft on the Wii U. They wanted to be able to use the gamepad for crafting and they were disappointed when the version they have that feature.

It’s privacy also provides additional possibilities for local multiplayer. You can have a Dungeons and Dragons type of game where someone can act as the dungeon master and do things in private without the others knowing. The other players would then see things play out on screen. They could theoretically use a Wii Remote to play but if they each had a Gamepad then they could be create there characters at the same time at the start of the campaign and have access to their stats sheet whenever they need it.

The Switch is supposed to have GameCube games on the Virtual Console but can’t have Pac-man VS. or Four Swords Adventures because they both use secondary screens.

“They might have already owned the devices, but my point still stands. You claimed earlier that not everybody likes portable gaming, I was just assuring you that most people do. And the biggest impact Nintendo got from those FREE games (yes I knew they were free, you didn’t have to keep reminding me) was the marketing.”

A cell phone is a communication tool. People carry them around so they can get in touch with people and so that people can get in touch with them. Some also use them for work(some jobs even give employees phones), some run their whole business on their phone, and a lot of people feel safer with one on them. That’s also why some people spend as much as $600 on one. It’s a neccessity to them. Gaming is just something they CAN do on it and most try it out because it’s right there. That doesn’t mean that they’ll be willing to buy and carry around another device for $200+ dollars that’s soul purpose is to play video games.

“I assure you my tits are calm, whatever that means, but 160 million people not only being aware of Nintendos IP but actually playing their IP is massive marketing.”

Yea, 160 million people downloaded it and I’m sure none of them knew about Pokemon before hand. Yea right. It’s clear that Pokemon GO introduced Nintendo IPs to new people but it’s also clear that those 160 million people didn’t buy a 3DS for Pokemon Sun and Moon afterwards. You’re looking at false equivalents. It’s easy to convince your friend to play a free game on a device they already own, it’s another to convince them to shell out $250+ to try something out.

“Free or not I don’t think you fully appreciate what Nintendo has done here. It’s truly amazing marketing. Nintendo doesn’t have to directly advertise the Switch to advertise the Switch. Advertising their IP and their name brand is just as powerful, if not more so. Breaking news: There were more people searching for and googling Nintendo this year than PS4 and Xbox combined. This is an actual fact.”

Yes and that’s fantastic. A brand new game that was a huge trend this year and a brand new system managed to garner more talk than game systems that came out 3 years ago. Yes, it was successful in getting people talking about Nintendo and it’s great that they’re getting their brand out there, but don’t look at that like it’s a sign that the Switch is gonna sell like hotcakes. Some of those results are people looking for a $60 mini-console that allows them to play games they played 30 years ago. That’s why I said “calm your tits”, you’re looking at good marketing and calling it brilliant.

“There was nothing privileged about that comment. It was a fact. If that was a privileged comment then there must of been a hell of a lot of privileged people during last console generation. You know, when the Wii sold 100 million, PS4 sold 80 million and Xbox sold 80 million. I have a friend who between himself and his wife only make 35k a year. But they have every console and just about every piece of new technology there is. It’s all about how disciplined you are about saving money. It has NOTHING to do with being privileged. They are not privileged and neither am I, yet I own them all.”

So it’s a fault of the people Nintendo’s marketing to for not being responsible with money or for not dedicating enough of their income to video games? That’s a good way to look at things /sarcasm. You know already that the Wii didn’t sell to the exact same market as the Xbox and PS3, right? There were senior centers and schools that bought it, some people got one for Wii Fit. They’re what many call “casuals”. There was clearly overlap between those console bases though (myself included. I own a PS3, too) but only after awhile and many only bought two systems, not all three. On top of that, the Wii became known for shovelware and it often got the worst version of third-party games so those with a Wii and another system, often had larger collections on the other system.

“Yea, no consumer cares if it’s easy to code for. No shit, but the developers care! If a console is easy to develop for then odds are it will attract more 3rd parties to the system. That’s why I care, and that’s the point I was making. The Wii U was the hardest to develop for out of the big three. That alone kept most 3rd parties at bay.”

I’m not saying it isn’t a plus that it’s easy to develop for, it clearly is, but that doesn’t mean the version they’ll develop for the Switch will be superior to the XBO and PS4 versions. Developers go where there is money. Developers took years figuring out how to develop for the PS3 but they supported it the whole time because they saw money in it. If they realize that there games aren’t selling as well on the Switch as they are on the XBO and PS4, they don’t have to continue releasing games on it. How do you try to get them to buy the Switch version of the game? Give them as superior experience on the Switch.

“Look, you have no idea what Nintendo has planned. How do you know they are not working on a true 3ds successor? I personally don’t think they are just going to abandon their clamshell design.”

You’re right. I don’t know what they have planned. I do know that it would rough getting to play the same games as the Switch but since Switch games aren’t being made for dual-screen gaming the bottom screen would be used for fuck-all in a proper 3DS successor unless they release patches. That then brings us back to square one. Both systems would have seperate libraries of games but this time it would be extra annoying because they’d both use ARM processors and cartridges. Surely if they were planning to release a dual-screen handheld like the 3DS that shares things in common with the Switch, we would see signs of that in the Switch’s design. No? Nintendo’s using an Nvidia-made API and no Tegra would be well suited for a handheld the size of the 3DS so they may have to use another manufacture for the SoC and hope they can still use that API or they’ll have to emulate it.

“Your idea for Nintendo to just make a vanilla PS4 clone is a bad idea.”

For guy who just claimed your points are going over my head, a lot of mine are going over yours. I’m not saying they should release a PS4 clone. I think the should release two system that play the same games:a dedicated home console that improves on the Wii U and dedicated portable that improves on what the 3DS did.

“If Nintendo goes head to head against the powerhouse that is the PS4 they will lose.”

Where did people get this idea that Nintendo is incometent when it come to making capable hardware? Do you thing Sony made the PS4’s chip? No, AMD made the SoCs for both companies. Nintendo could have easily made a console that reaches or exceded the PS4s performance for lower price. All they had to do was not use AMD. They could used scaled up mobile parts.

“Why would someone buy a vanilla Switch that didn’t have the portability factor? Not a good idea.”

Something else that went flying over your head. If someone isn’t interested in it’s portability, then to them, IT IS JUST A PS4 WITH LOWER SPECS. You just said you think that Nintendo would lose if they went head to head with PS4, well imagine them trying to do that but with lower specs, no unique features, and possibly even selling at the same price. Nintendo, you, and myself want people to buy the Switch but you and Nintendo want people to be interested in it’s limited portability, but if they aren’t then it’s offering them no advantage whatsoever over the other systems.

The two points I was making with my examples was that 1. you might be able to convince those people to buy a stripped down version of current Switch that’s even cheaper and 2. consoles and handhelds are designed very differently and their seperation allows them to deal with certain issues (controls, storage, size, portability, connectivity, ergonomics, durability, and pricing) very differently and it really isn’t possible to design one system that does both with huge compromising almost every aspect of the system.

“Most people are excited about the Switch tablet.”

Maybe most Nintendo fans.

“Oh please, I own a Wii U, I know what it can do. I’m not talking about looking at a tv, I’m talking about the portable screen only. lol Its very limited on a very underwhelming screen. And my Wii U loses connection when I walk ten feet away from the console.”

Your Wii U is broken then. I just test mine out now and it doesn’t even start to drop packets until about 30 away and in another room. It would probably extend further if my room wasn’t filled with filming equipment and if my steel computer case wasn’t in the way.

“And many games require the use of two screens.”

And if those games don’t support a single screen mode like so many do then it sounds like they can’t even be ported to the Switch.

“And console games did not look very good on that screen… The 3ds is a far superior experience if your simply talking about laying in bed playing video games.”

I agree. That’s why it would be cool if we could just pop a game out of a dual-screen console and pop it into a dual screen handheld. If you’re still talking about the screen quality though, the Wii U Gamepads screen is better than the 3DS even if the compression isn’t do well. Just ask my brother’s girlfriend who has extremely bad vision and was able to sort of hold her own when playing Smash Bros on the Gamepad. The Gamepad’s screen is 4.2 times the resolution of the 3DS’s main screen and obviously much bigger.

That brings up a minor point about the gamepad. It allows her to play video games with us. Obviously she would have an easier time seeing the Switch screen but then we couldn’t play with her because it wouldn’t be connected to the TV. My brother also works at library and hosts the libraries game night. He’s set up with 90″ projected screen and whenever they play Smash Bros, a few ask if they can use the gamepad because they can’t see well. Sure they can get glasses, but they’re kids and for whatever reason, perhaps financial, their parents couldn’t get them glasses.

Back to your point about the gamepad reach and quality though, the Wii U came out just before the H.265 standard was completed and nothing had a built in decoder with it. Using h.265 would have increased compression quality while decreasing bandwidth which may have extended its reach all by itself. The Wii U also came out just before the 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard was a thing. Like the Gamepad’s Wi-Fi, 802.11ac is 5Ghz but has a wider range and can switch to 2.4Ghz which further improves range(higher frequencies don’t penetrate walls as well). This would have not only reduced the need to have seperate 2.4GHz Wi-Fi(for internet) and 5Ghz Wi-Fi(for the gamepad) controllers and antennae but it’s possible the gamepad could have been made to Switch to 2.4GHz when it starts to lose it’s connection. They also could have increased the amount of antennae(up to 8 I believe) to increase range. Last but not least, the Wii U came out literally months before the manufacture for all of Nintendo’s screens, Sharp, starting making IGZO displays. IGZO displays use transparent transistor called IGZO that can keep the TFT layer of the screen displaying an image momentarily after the power loss meaning that it can turn itself on off with the display flickering. This generally reduces power usage but particular reduced power usage when on displays that often show static images like the Gamepad. It also improves touch screen responsiveness. The gamepads current battery life is about 4 hours on the battery that came with it, but with an IGZO display it could very well have lasted last 8 hours.

Essentially, there’s lot of ways the gamepad could be improved to offer you a similar or better experience to what you want from the Switch without having to compromise on the console.

“Well no, I wouldn’t buy the handheld if the console played the same games.”

Then you aren’t really a mobile gamer. That why you don’t see the Switch’s size to be such a problem. You don’t have to worry about carrying it around, losing the controls, or the analog sticks get snagged on things. I think you will probably mind the portable ergonomics of the 3DS in conjunction with the comparitively large size and weight of the gamepad though when you’re playing your Switch in bed.

“But again your assuming that Nintendo is not making a 3ds successor. Two years from now Nintendo could easily release a 3DS-2 or whatever they call it that isn’t compatible with the Switch hardware.”

See earlier in my response. Why would releasing a portable that isn’t compatible with Switch hardware be a good thing? If devs want to release the game on both systems they’ll have to design for three configurations on two systems, release them on two different cartridges in two different boxes that sell to two different groups of people. Further more, if they misjudge which system it would be more popular they may have undermanufactured “3DS2” version making it hard to find and having Switch copies staying on shelves. For someone who wants to play that game at home and on the go, they would have to buy both versions.

You see how this all falls apart? Do you see the how the Switch is terrible solution to meet your specific needs?

“And if I can’t represent handheld gamers then Santa Clause can’t represent Christmas. I bought the original Gameboy when it launched. I also bought the Game Gear, GB Color, Advance, DS and 3DS all on launch day. I will be buying the Switch at launch, as well as Nintendos next true handheld device. Because if you honestly believe Nintendo will never make another dedicated handheld device your crazy.”

But would have bought any of those systems if could play all there games on a console? You already answered that. No, you would not. You said you never brought your 3DS out of the house. You’re as much a portable gamer as someone with just a Wii U. You play games handheld but you don’t need a portable system.

“But it does do what it’s meant to do well. It plays console games and instantly turns into a mobile device. Not only does it do it well, it does it flawlessly.”

Really? So when I pull it out of the dock it shrinks in size? Do the analog sticks flatten so they won’t break if they get snagged trying to place it your pocket? Do the higher quality console assets disappear from storage? When it’s docked to the controls reconfigure themselves to be more comfortable to reach or do I need to by a seperate controller for that?

I’m pretty sure it actually gets bigger than when you take it out of the dock because your have to slide the controls into it, the analog sticks still protrude, its max battery life is the same as 3DSs minimum battery life, and it’ll be priced like an expensive handheld and cheap(but not as cheap as it could be) console.

“The compromise, or what you think is a compromise I assume is power.”

Yea, I guess I didn’t explain in previous posts, in detail, how its price, size, storage, backwards compability, and performance are compromised by combining trying to be two things. I guess I didn’t also explain how it doesn’t also compromise any possible VR features, too. I must just be an idiot that angry about gigaflop counts.

“Well that’s not a compromise. Nintendo was never going to make a real powerful console, so there really was no compromise.”

Just because it isn’t a really powerful console doesn’t mean it’s performance couldn’t have been compromised. I already explained how the combining the dock and the actual system would have given it better cooling and allowed it to clock higher. For proof of that, look no further than the Nvidia Shield TV and the Google Pixel C.

“You talk like the Switch is kind of a jack of all trades, but doesn’t specialize in any one thing. That’s the general idea I’m getting from you. But again your wrong.”

It is a jack of all trades and master of none. If it was a master of providing a console experience then it wouldn’t it need to hands down offer a better experience than the current king of consoles, the PS4? If it was a master of providing a portable experience, than it would hands down be more portable than the 3DS? If it was a master of a cheap VR experience, than it would hands down be better than a Google cardboard? It reached none of that criteria. It only does an alright job of all of those. Thus, by definition, it is a jack of all trades and master of none.

“The Switch specializes in playing amazing software.”

>_> You’re really corny.

“You can play it on your tv or pull the tablet out and take it with you. It’s quite simple, elegant, and very user friendly. It does what it’s meant to do very well.”

Thanks for commercial. Again, I can say similar things about my phone but that doesn’t mean it does all those things as well as specialized devices. What you described is something getting the job done. It doesn’t mean you can do each of those jobs particularly well.

“No, not true. I’m very critical of Nintendo. Honestly I wasn’t very happy with what they did with the Wii U. It was fine the first two years, but then it was an awful experience. The gaps between games was dreadfully long, and the games they did finally released in the last two years we’re very mediocre. The last two years have been the worse experience I have ever had with Nintendo.”

That can all happen with the Switch, too.

“Yea, I’m perfectly aware of that. I’m also aware of the general feeling most people are getting from the Switch. It’s mixed, but it’s mostly positive. I remember when the Wii U was announced it was negative from the start. And only got worse. The overall feeling for the Switch compared to the Wii U is night and day.”

The response to the Wii was overwhelmly positive then eventually got negative. People expected 1:1 controls of Link’s sword in Twilight Princess then were disappointed when it used “waggle” controls instead. Then when Skyward Sword gave them exactly what they wanted, they complained that it either felt like shit or that they didn’t want to move around a lot.

You know what else was recieved very positively then very negatively? The OUYA. It marketed its self as a cheap, Android-based console and people loved it and backed it on Kickstarter. Then they it came out and they complained that it was just a cheap, Android-based console. People don’t think things through.

One more example that’s more similar to the Switch, the Microsoft Surface. It marketed itself as having the form-factor of a tablet but the power and keyboard of a laptop. People were hyped. It was the best of both worlds. Then it came out and they complained that it’s battery life was much shorter than a tablet and the couldn’t use it on their lap.

“So you think it will have a good launch but that it? It all depends on the quality and quantity of software. Your putting too much emphasis on the hardware and not nearly enough on the software.”

Unfortunately for your argument, the Switch is hardware and the main benefit you can mention for the system is a hardware feature. You just said it depends on the quality of the software. Well, when if it has excellent third-party support than it’ll have most of the same games the other systems and it’ll play the same but look worse. Thus, that software will be lower-quality than on the XBO or PS4. It’s good that you care about software, but the only time the hardware doesn’t matter at all is for exclusives. If people only ever buy exclusives for it than the quantity of software will go down and for the multi-platform games it gets, they’ll be lower quality. How do you not see these problems?

“Just like the Wii U, the life of the Switch depends on the software. Will it get 3rd party support? Will it get regular 1st party releases? Will there be long gaps between releases? These are the questions you should be asking. Stop worrying about specs so much.”

Oh my… you are dense. Lets pretend someone has a PS4 and a Switch. They have no interest in its portablity. They want to buy Dark Souls 3. They have the choice of getting it for either system. They control the exact same way. The ONLY difference is how it looks. Why should they buy it for the Switch? That’s a software question.

You should worry about specs more. I DO think it should be more powerful, but that’s not my point. My point is that portable and home consoles are way more different than you think. When it comes to design decisions regarding ergonomics, size, pricing, controls, features, durability, connectively, and power usage, they’re entirely different. You can have a console and a handheld with the same performance and they would still be designed different, priced differently, and have their own strengths and features.

I look forward to a response that’s truly perspective altering

“We could go back and forth forever. My opinion is not going to change, and neither will yours.”

My opinion can be changed if someone provides me with good, well thought out points.

“I seriously doubt there will be any graphical disparities between the two systems. And even if there is a slight difference I don’t think it would be a game breaker for the Switch.”

This is the source of my problems with your statements. You just said you doubt there will be any graphical disparities between the two and if there are, then they’ll be minor. Where are you getting that from though? What makes your think that? I told you how I formed my opinion using benchmarks and facts about the architecture and even used them as examples and by discribing the architecture and what it takes to get that architecture to the level of performance you’re positive it has.

I can understand if you hope that the Switch is going to be on par with the PS4 or XBO and I certainly wish it was, too, but it’s just not. If you can’t beleive me than look at what Emily Rogers has said. She said it won’t perform as well as the PS4 and even performing as well as the XBO is a stretch.

“The systems life depends on software. If the Switch gets regular 3rd party support along with regular 1st party support then everything will be fine.”

That’s one thing you refuse to answer. Why would someone get the Switch version of games over the XBO or PS4 versions? The Wii also got the WWE games and Sports games and the Call of Duty games and the Wii U got Call of Duty: Black Ops II and Call of Duty: Ghosts, but who played those versions? Software is absolutely important and I have no argument against the quality of first party titles that will come out on the Switch but even the Wii U had an awesome Super Mario game, the best Donkey Kong game, the best Mario Kart game, and the best Smash Bros game but the Wii U was still Nintendo’s least successful system. When it comes to third party games, hardware still matter because people need to a reason to buy it for the Switch.

“Word of mouth is the most powerful marketing tool in the business, and great REGULAR software creates great word of mouth.”

I agree about the word of mouth thing but why did you capitalize “regular”? Are you talking about it being released regularly or are you talk about how vanilla of an experience playing games out it will be compared to the Wii, Wii U, DS, and 3DS? And also, what do you think bad word of mouth does?

“And like I said before, we don’t know what else the Switch has going for it. I think there is still a big reveal nobody knows about that could completely change the way we look at the Switch. What if you could access and download content from ITunes or the Apple App Store?”

Why would that happen? How would iOS games work on the Switch? They use a completely different operating systems (iOS is propriatary to Apple and they don’t license it out), different APIs (Apple uses Metal which is propriatary to them and they don’t license it out), and their phones and tablets use PowerVR GPUs so, up until recently, the most popular texture compression for iOS games was PVRTC which is propriatary to PowerVR and they don’t license it out.

“Or run Netflix and Twitch on the Tablet?”

I know you have a Wii U and 3DS. They both have Netflix on it. You know why? Because EVERYTHING has Netflix on it. Why would that be a selling point of the device? And Twitch? Unless you think they’re gonna include a cellular modem and SIM card slot, Twitch streaming is someone that would only be doable when it’s docked which doesn’t give it any Twitch features the PS4 and XBO don’t have. If you just mean watching Twitch then everything with a good enough browser, including the Wii U, can do that already.

“You never know. If I was you I would at least wait until we know everything there is to know before dismissing the console.”

You can’t say stuff like this and then also say that you’re sure it’s going to be on par with the PS4. Every single thing that I think about the Switch is something I think with good reason. I want to hear your REASONS for why you beleive what you beleive, becuase so far it’s just been me presenting my case and you running back to “You should wait and see. We don’t know anything about it yet (but it’s totally on par with the PS4. So many things point to it but I really can’t point to any.)” Then you also had that little “hipser jeans” incident which came out of no where.

Hey, its whatever you say bud, I’m just trying to save you from being a jackass because we still know nothing of the system yet.

I can respect that. Sorry if I sound like an asshole at all. I just want Nintendo to make good decisions.

And you’re right. Deepsouth is to the point that he’s pretty much romanticizing the Switch.