Adam Tyner

Without glossing over the many mistakes Nintendo has made, I call bullshit on the "won't even be able to preorder it!" thing. It won't be any more difficult to preorder or buy at launch than any other console. (Bearing in mind that brand new consoles are rarely found on store shelves for months, unless they're...errr...the Wii U or 3DS.) Nintendo told investors that they're targeting two million units sold before the end of March, so there'll presumably be around that many to preorder.

I guess we'll find out about preorders on Friday!

Draven

Long version: I went into a Gamestop for the first time in years around the holidays. I had managed the impossible task of finding a 3DS XL for my son but it was the one color he didn't ask me for (red). Gamestop had their display boxes on the shelves for all four of the colors with stickers that said "take this up to the counter to purchase!"

I knew it was too good to be true but if they had the one he wanted, I didn't want to miss out. So I took the Pokemon one up there and said "you don't have this, do you?" They were like "No, we haven't had any for months". All I could think was "then take the fucking boxes off the shelf".

Short version: Fuck Gamestop. Now I remember why I stopped going in there.

I will hopefully get a preorder in at Best Buy or something for the Switch. But it is beyond ridiculous that you still can't find a NES Classic.

Michael Corvin

Still too many unknowns right now to worry about pre-ordering anyway.

Breakfast with Girls

For my money, it's absolutely worth $10. The mechanics are great; I'm still playing it. Getting the pink, purple, and black coins in each level is a lot of fun, and the levels change with the different difficulties.

The only terrible thing is the wifi requirement, instead of syncing data after being offline.

It will most likely come to Android eventually, but that's how all mobile releases work: iOS followed by Android. iOS users spend more and Android piracy is rampant.

fujishig

If the WiiU was impossible to find for the first six months or so that would've probably saved me some money.

But Nintendo isn't stupid. I'm sure they'll play the scarcity game to drum up more interest but this isn't Xmas time and unlike the Nes classic, which was probably just pure profit per unit sold for them, the Switch actually has to drive accessory and software sales.

mattysemo247

I'll take you up on that bet. The Xbox One was available to preorder on Amazon for months and the PS4 for weeks. Even after that, they wouldn't guarantee a launch unit, but still allowed preorders. If Amazon opens up preorders for this thing, it's going to crash the site and sell out in hours, if not minutes.

Exactly. At the end of the day, Nintendo is still a business and have manufactured consoles for decades. Anything they can do to drum up hype and scarcity they are going to keep doing to stay relevant. It will be interesting to see at the end of the year how many games on this console are on GOTY lists.

Draven

Doesn't Amazon have a weird relationship with Nintendo? I'm not counting on pre-orders from Amazon for the Switch.

robin2099

Yes Amazon pissed off Nintendo because of something to do with the 3DS if memory serves me correct.

Decker

Not to be too negative, but hasn't the novelty of mobile gaming worn off yet? I was a huge supporter of the Vita (and still think it's a great system with Cross-Buy, Cross-Play titles) and own three 3DSs now, but the reality is that I almost never play them. Maybe if someone does a lot of business travel or spends a lot of time commuting on public transportation, I suppose it might be more appealing. But I never really use it like I thought I would. It's hard to bring a gaming system to work -- even when you're the boss, it looks bad (and it's not like you could just slip the Switch into your pocket discretely).

The Switch might be the Holy Grail of portable system -- a full console experience on a mobile screen, but I still wonder who it's really for. I know I'd never let a kid younger than 10 play with mine. And it certainly doesn't look rugged enough to survive a drop.

bunkaroo

I've always assumed the Nintendo handhelds are basically for kids. I'm not sure how much a new 3DS or whatever the latest and greatest Nintendo handheld costs, but if it's in the ballpark of what the Switch will cost, I guess it makes sense to try and merge the home system and portable system.

Draven

I think it's more for kids. My 12 year old plays his 3DS constantly and often plays WiiU games on the gamepad. For him to be able to take the portable part up to his room is fantastic.

RichC2

I always saw Mobile Gaming more for the kids as well, I think that was one of the main attributes to Vita's downfall. I see the Nintendo Switch as less of a mobile device and more as having a built-in TV.

The Questyen

That was resolved like 3 years ago.

Sonny Corinthos

You can sign up for pre-order details when they become available at Gamestop's website.

Adam Tyner

With all due respect, I just can't imagine anything close to that happening.

I don't see the NES Classic Mini being an accurate point of comparison. It's a $50 nostalgia box released in time for the holidays. Nintendo sold around 196,000 of them in November. There for all intents and purposes were never any preorders. (Just Target and Toys R Us, right?).

Nintendo is targeting 2 million Switch sales in the first two weeks or so. It's a device that by most accounts will be at least $250. (So, around ten times as many units at five times the price!) That's not an impulse buy price point. Its release date doesn't dovetail with a holiday, unless people are going nuts with pricey Easter gifts. It's not a nostalgia play. Very little is known about it. There's a great deal of curiosity, but that doesn't necessarily translate to pent-up demand.

The Wii was tough to find early on but was manufactured on a colossal scale -- artificial scarcity it wasn't. The Wii U and 3DS were readily available at launch...excessively so, even.

The Wii U didn't crash Amazon and sell out in minutes. The 3DS (limited editions excepted) didn't crash anything but sales projections and was such a flop that Nintendo had to respond with an immediate price drop. Animal Crossing Amiibo didn't crash Amazon; stores would struggle to give those figures away.

I know there's that mindset of "Nintendo gonna Nintendo; of course it'll be tough to find at launch!", but so was the PSVR. So are new iPhone models. I remember shopping for gifts late in 2013 and overhearing folks being told that there weren't any PS4s or Xbox Ones in stock. I do expect Nintendo to take care to not overproduce as they did with the Wii U and 3DS, but I don't think it'll be some sort of immediate worldwide phenomenon making them impossible to find (certainly not preorders early on!). Foxconn has supposedly been churning out 20,000+ of these suckers a day since September. Someone who waits may have trouble locking in a preorder, but if you watch the event and want to leisurely preorder in the first week or whatever, I bet you'll be okay.

Adam Tyner

On my phone now and can't easily post pics, but a ton of Hori accessories for the Switch have leaked. The Zelda skin does suggest that it's a launch or near-launch title. The fight stick obviously indicates at least one fighting game (Tekken 7 being the most rumored title).

https://mobile.twitter.com/DroidXAce...35085026148352

Adam Tyner

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Adam Tyner

March 3rd release date -- so much for the 3/17 rumors!

$299.99. Oof. I think that's too high. Nothing said about standard vs. deluxe. If there are multiple SKUs, they haven't said anything. No region locking (with an "in general" caveat?)!

2.5 - 6.5 hour battery life. That's a range!

Goldberg74

Online service free through to the Fall... then paid after that.

Oh, no region locking. Cool.

Breakfast with Girls

Really like the lack of region locking. I have a several Japanese DS games, and was disappointed they changed that for 3DS.

Supermallet

So, six months or nine months until it's down to $229?

edstein

Battery life seems like a deal breaker. Not even close to 3DS, iPad or Phones.

Goldberg74

1, 2, Sucks!

Sounds lame... but will probably be a blast.

Goldberg74

What did you get when you cross Punch Out with Dhalsim from Street Fighter?

Arms!

Interesting.

Matto1020

This is the weirdest press conference ever. 1, 2 Switch looks awful. And ARMS looks like it would get old real fast.

Just get to Mario for fucks sakes!