PixlBit

There's No Play Like It

Hiya everyone, how are you? Last year Nintendo finally unveiled their new system, what was formerly known as the NX, now known as the Nintendo Switch.

                                                        Disclaimer: Hands not included

There were alot of rumors surrounding the then mysterious console. Rumors said it would be a handheld-console hybrid of sorts and that it would have detachable controller bits, and those rumors turned out to be true. While we finally know what it is and how it looks like, we still don't know much about it and left us with more questions than before. Though at least now we have a better idea of what Nintendo is trying to do and what they are aiming to do.

Last time I gave my thoughts on the NX before it was shown. This time I want to share my thoughts on the Switch now that we know about it. And what better timing since they'll have an hour long presentaion on January 12.

Well as we all know, this thing can let you play games on your tv, or on the go. It also promises different control options as well.

                         2 out of 4 of these are way gimmicky. Care to guess which 2?

It's great that they are offering different ways to play on the Switch. Simply dock it on the dock to play on your tv, or remove it and you can play anywhere you want in your house or outside. You also only need one Switch screen to play 2 player games apparently, or 2 if you want 4 player games. Or if you wanna have your own screen, then you can do that too. Let's just hope those Joycons are durable.

That seems like a neat way to play some local co-op as Nintendo is the only company that still does it. Question is, not alot of third-party games do and are they willing to go the extra mile to add it for a Switch port? So that's one thing they need to rework for the Switch, and as we all know, they don't like doing extra work when it comes to Nintendo hardware unless it was made exclusively for the system before seeing it doesn't sell well and they port it elsewhere.

Which brings us to how many developers will actually support the system...

   The wall of broken promises. How many of these devs do you think will drop support? 90%.

This is always at Nintendo hardware reveals, developers who give you empty promises about third-party support. In that image we can see how many of them are on-board with the thing. But how many will back out later? Nintendo hasn't had a strong line-up of third-party support since who knows when. We get an exclusive here or there but then we get people complaining why isn't the game available on other platforms?

This wasn't a problem on the 3DS. I mean sure we had the usual third-party supporters there, but at least the 3DS had better support and made money off said support, therefore they continued to support the 3DS. Really though, this is a question about money here. If there isn't money to be made, then there wont be support. Third-party developers need to make that investment back in order for them to invest more in newer hardware to put out more games. This is why third-party support is always a given on other hardware because the audience is there. Nintendo wants that audience on the Switch.

Plus with the Switch being a handheld as well, maybe developers see potential in being able to play those games anywhere. I can see the potential in that too. I'd love to play something like Fallout 4 or Batman anywhere along with something like Mario, Pokemon, and Zelda all in one device. Maybe they'll test the waters with ports and see what happens.

                     Not liking that 4 out of 6 1st party games I (may) have to buy again

As for Nintendo's own line-up, well we really don't know? Link vs. Wild is rumored to be a launch title, or at least a launch window game. Mario is rumored to be a launch game, and we don't know about Mario Kart or Splatoon. Splatoon is rumored to be a pack-in game or something. Zelda is way long overdue, so not sure if people can wait any longer than that. It's like Nintendo can't seem to get a clear release date.

But one thing that really has me worried are ports. Ports of Wii U games coming to the Switch. Ports of games I already own. Ports that have exclusive content. That feels like a backstab to Wii U owners who have all these games. Like I might have to buy Mario Kart 8 again. Why? It's going to have exclusive tracks, characters, and new modes. And this is most likely going to include the dlc from the Wii U version. Then we have Smash for the Switch. Chances are you have bought the game twice, once on the 3DS and once on the Wii U. It's going to have all the modes from both versions and there's talks of extra characters that aren't in those 2. Is any of that coming to the Wii U? No. So much for those versions having the same characters huh? And at this point, it wont be dlc if they are dropping Wii U support.

That'll really suck for anyone who has these games on the Wii U. Yes I know Nintendo would want to bring the Wii U's best selling games on the Switch and more people can play them. But what about people who already own these games? Those people will definitely feel left out of that extra content. They'll have to buy them again. Maybe a sort of discount would be nice if you already own it. But I'm definitely gonna wait and see what happens. But knowing me, I'm gonna buy them at some point anyway.

                  Honestly the most exciting part of the video was a new Mario game

What I think will make or break it will be the price. The price on this thing is everything. You can most likely get a new vanilla PS4 or vanilla Xbox One for less than 300 bucks or so. And often with a pack-in game or 2. Or more like an extra controller, a headset, and a cat if there's a sale going on but that last bit is mostly on the retailer doing the promotion. This thing will definitely fly off shelves if they can keep it a price people will like. It's rumored to be at 200 bucks, or 250 as a bundle with a game. If so, that's crazy, that'll be about as much the Wii was back then with Wii Sports. Also, the 200 dollar unit is the same price as a New 3DS XL. That is the sweet spot if true. 

They would also need to advertise the hell out of the thing. I remember years ago, you would always see an ad or commercial for the Wii. They really did a good job of showcasing that anyone can pick up and play on the Wii with the simple to use Wiimote, regardless of age and skill level. I saw a bunch for the DS too that showcased it for everyone. I did see maybe one ad or 2 for the Wii U, but that was about it. Nintendo needs to step it up on their advertising and PR with the Switch.

I am really excited about the Switch though. I think the thing I'm most excited for is that Nintendo is finally bridging the gap between a home console and handheld into one device. One ecosystem. No longer will we need to buy 2 devices to play different games. We will only have one version of each game and they can only focus on that one device. That is big and the fact that you can play said game however you want and anywhere you want, be it on your tv or in your bed, or outside. That alone seems to be worth the price of admission. And maybe Game Freak can finally give me that console Pokemon game I always wanted. And maybe Nintendo can give me Super Mario Galaxy 3. Can't forget Galaxy 3. I'll cry tears of joy if they do end up doing that.

                                             I really love that snap noise it does

There's still plenty we don't know about. Like the online functions, how many accounts can you have on the thing, the battery life when it's a handheld, will there finally be unified account purchases, an achievement system for those who love them, and who knows what else I'm forgetting. But you gotta hand it to Nintendo for always pushing the envelope or whatever that saying is. My only advice for them: Don't screw it up.

So those are my thoughts on the Nintendo Switch. What do you think about it so far? Is there anything you're hoping to see from the presentation on January 12? Are you excited or gonna take a wait and see approach? I'll be there at launch though, here's hoping. Thanks for reading and later.

Catch the Nintendo Switch Presentation here

*Disclaimer: I don't own any of the images used in this post.*