orangecrush

Based on objective facts alright.

Schloob1

To your points.

Yes, you are correct it cannot ruin anything. Unfortunately.

Just because history tells us no does not mean it cannot happen.

And to your last point if this is what it turns out to be the case though, how well will this actually do then? Sure it might be great for you, what about gamers in general?

Decker

In theory, yes. In reality it doesn't work. You'd have to have a super strong WiFi. I tried it once from my office and could not get it to work beyond browsing menus. Forget bringing it on vacation and using Hotel WiFi or at your local Starbucks.

Sonny Corinthos

I agree with the poster who said this is what the Wii U should have been when it was first released. Having a seven year old at home, i'm glad that you can play games on the tablet and it frees up the tv to watch sports and other things. I might not get one on launch day, but this will be something I purchase down the road.

fumanstan

In some cases it's a step backwards, since the architecture change means no backwards compatible with their previous library of games. I made a similar comment previously, but I think that if you have zero interest in the portability aspect of this, it's no different from their previous consoles - and given how the Wii U turned out, that's not a good thing. Hopefully their gamble on portable works out for them.

One thing I really hope Nintendo is handling is how they handle their infrastructure though - using essentially the same CPUs as cell phones and tablets means if their development support and online infrastructure is up to part, they could potentially get a ton of great indie support.

stingermck

Because that would require online, and Nintendo thinks that is dark and scary.

Adam Tyner

Nintendo's had online play for years and years. Their biggest new IP is online-centric, and online connectivity is central to many of their key titles (Mario Kart 8, Super Smash Bros., etc.). They have proper accounts now. They have an online rewards system. They have Miiverse and Miitomo, both of which are online social networks. They've made it a point to partner with DeNA to make sure their network/account features will be where they need to be.

By any measure, they took too long to embrace online, and they're miles away from where Sony/Microsoft are and what they offer, but it's ridiculous to pretend that Nintendo is cowering in a corner somewhere at the horrors of all things online.

foxdvd

One thing I will say..if this system really brings their online structure up to xbox/ps4 levels...AND they don't charge for online play/chat this would go a long way in my home. With 3 kids all wanting to play online, it gets expensive buying memberships every year between the xbox/ps4 systems.

fujishig

As far as the negativity goes, I think most of these new system threads start negatively, with a few cheerleaders here and there. Heck I remember when the DS was announced I said it was really dumb, and I thought the 3ds was even dumber. In my defense the dual screen and 3D gimmicks aren't really that great or even necessary, but the support and the library helped both.

And like I said before, despite my negativity I still bought them at launch. Especially now that I have young kids, Nintendo is where we're at.

slop101

Regardless of if it's a good console or not, it's gonna live or die by it's software, and there's been little to no announcement on that front. And I'm willing to bet that if they had killer software lined up, they'd be announcing the shit out of it - the fact that they're not, speaks volumes as to Nintendo's continued dearth of killer apps.

Schloob1

Realistically they did not have to announce anything right now. They are riding the fence here. They want to at least announce the system ahead of the holidays for those maybe thinking whether to just go ahead and finally say buy the XB1 or PS4 or wait for this most likely. But at the same time do you want to announce all the games coming and possibly cannibalize your own software sales this holiday for your own systems currently already out? Personally not reading anything into the lack of software announced. And in terms of killer software not announced. They showed their 2 biggest franchises in the video in Zelda and Mario. I get maybe you want to see Metroid and something else, but I'm cool with what they showed the 2 biggest games that I'm concerned about.

Adam Tyner

I think it makes a lot of sense to orient the first look at the Switch around what the console is and how it works.

pinata242

If it only had Nintendo IP, I'd be satisfied. I'm sure anyone that already has an XB1 or PS4 will be too.

I don't need Skyrim or Call of Duty on this.

If you're someone that has no current console, then you don't really care about 3rd party software anyway, at least not to the extent that you need the greatest experience.

Michael Corvin

Individual games have online play, correct? They still don't have an overarching online structure to their system, last I checked. So it's more like a PS2 in that regard than a PS4.

Really? A single unified account that tracks everything you buy on all consoles/handhelds? So you don't need to call Nintendo to refund all your purchases if your console dies or if you buy a different console down the line?

Maybe I'm behind on my Big N news, but neither of those things seem right to me. Seems like fixing those would have made a bigger news splash if they were truly solved.

Aren't those for children?

Such as?

Adam Tyner

When did you last check? 2011?

The Wii U has had a friends list since day one, showing what they're playing, if they're online, etc. You're not entering arcane friend codes on a game-by-game basis like you were in the olden days. There are actual cross-game/cross-platform accounts. I only played the PS2 offline, so I can't speak to those online features. (I was on Xbox Live from day one, though!) Nintendo certainly isn't where Sony and Microsoft are these days -- and it's anyone's guess right now how the Switch will stack up -- but to pretend they're in the dark ages doesn't reflect the current state of things either.

Purchases are tied to your account, not to a device. At least for the Wii U and 3DS, you do still have to contact Nintendo to move your account to another device, which is obviously not the way things should be. Since Nintendo's said very little about the Switch, it's unclear if this will remain the case.

Audible sigh. No.

I guess we'll find out more when Nintendo decides to say more about the Switch. Barring a massive overhaul of the Wii U and/or 3DS OSes, Miitomo is the only major Nintendo release that could possibly take advantage so far.

Michael Corvin

They were honest questions, nothing nefarious behind them. Thanks for answering.

Adam Tyner

Nintendo confirmed that this'll include launch date and pricing.

pinata242

So they announce the presentation further in advance than the presentation will be to launch? Classy.

Adam Tyner

First post-Switch reveal software announcement?

fujishig

I'm pretty sure we can expect some iteration of Musou from them too, they basically release for every system.

Decker

From IGN :

Nintendo Switch Price May Have Been Accidentally Revealed
Share.
Pointing to a price point.

By Joe Skrebels

The Canadian arm of Toys R Us may have inadvertently outed the base price of the upcoming Nintendo Switch, briefly listing the hybrid console at $329.99 CAD - roughly £200 UK / $250 USD / $330 AUD. The listing has since been removed.

As spotted by WCCFTech, the potential price is competitive, placing it around the same level as the most basic Xbox One and PS4 units, not to mention on par with the hugely successful Wii's $249.99 USD initial price point - something we suggested in our rundown of the unanswered Nintendo Switch questions.

pinata242

$250 tastes good.

fumanstan

$250 sounds good to me. Low enough that keeps me interested even though i'm not too keen on the functionality shown.

DVDTalker76

Yeah, $250 would be pretty great. I think most were hopeful for $299 at best. We'll see!

Adam Tyner

Happy about $250 if that pans out.

Unhappy about the rumors swirling around Zelda not being a launch title. (The word is that a 3D Mario will be the heavy hitter on day one.)