Nintendo Switch: Building a New Generation of Hardware from Scratch
 

I'm in on release day. I don't think I've ever bought a console or handheld on release day.


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LTHP2ZK

Developers signed up:



Images:

re: Nintendo Switch: Building a New Generation of Hardware from Scratch
 

A revolutionary concept! If we lived in a world where smartphones and tablets didn't exist.

re: Nintendo Switch: Building a New Generation of Hardware from Scratch
 

You can't transition from a console game to a handheld seamlessly. I predict this is going to be like the Wii. Gonna be called a gimmick and then sell through the roof.

re: Nintendo Switch: Building a New Generation of Hardware from Scratch
 

Is that something people want to do?

re: Nintendo Switch: Building a New Generation of Hardware from Scratch
 

Woohoo! Looks like no motion/2nd screen controls forced down our throats. Normal controllers!

re: Nintendo Switch: Building a New Generation of Hardware from Scratch
 

It's something people want to do but they don't know they want to do it yet :D

re: Nintendo Switch: Building a New Generation of Hardware from Scratch
 

As I mentioned in the other thread, i'm not sure how much I care enough to use this thing on the go. I'll have to wait for more specs, pricing, and hardware details.

re: Nintendo Switch: Building a New Generation of Hardware from Scratch
 

I agree but Zelda...Even if I never take it on the go, I will probably buy one day 1.

re: Nintendo Switch: Building a New Generation of Hardware from Scratch
 

Thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis

re: Nintendo Switch: Building a New Generation of Hardware from Scratch
 

I didn't find myself that excited after watching the trailer. :( I've always gotten their systems release day too. :-\

re: Nintendo Switch: Building a New Generation of Hardware from Scratch
 

I will eventually buy this for the first party stuff (Zelda, Mario, Animal Crossing) but if they offered a cheaper version that was console only without the handheld stuff I'd buy that first.

re: Nintendo Switch: Building a New Generation of Hardware from Scratch
 

rotfl at a bunch of people gathered around a tiny screen playing multiplayer games rotfl

re: Nintendo Switch: Building a New Generation of Hardware from Scratch
 

Are you not aware of all the mods people do to make consoles portable?

This is something gamers have been dreaming about since, well, forever. One system, for all games? This is the pinnacle of gaming design. I haven't bought a console at launch in ages, but this might be an exception.

re: Nintendo Switch: Building a New Generation of Hardware from Scratch
 

I was prepared to be disappointed but this blew away all my expectations. Looks amazing.

re: Nintendo Switch: Building a New Generation of Hardware from Scratch
 

I don't think it's anywhere near as widely demanded a feature as you seem to infer here. For instance, I already have enough trouble deciding whether its worth bringing a 3DS around when I already have a cell phone.

re: Nintendo Switch: Building a New Generation of Hardware from Scratch
 

I wonder if the docking station can be purchased separately so that people can buy more than one and place them in different rooms in the house (without having to buy new system each time).

I may not purchase the system day one, but I will get it eventually… I always seem to.

… Basically it'll be for the Zelda game. ;)

re: Nintendo Switch: Building a New Generation of Hardware from Scratch
 

If i can actually play a good running skyrim while sitting in the car on a road trip, i'm down

re: Nintendo Switch: Building a New Generation of Hardware from Scratch
 

Same here. But then I could care less about portable gaming, so this is not a design for someone like me anyway.

re: Nintendo Switch: Building a New Generation of Hardware from Scratch
 

I just realized that the Zelda game will also be on the Wii U so I can hold out on this for quite a while.

re: Nintendo Switch: Building a New Generation of Hardware from Scratch
 

Anyone that read any post of mine about the WiiU knows I wanted them to merge it with the 3DS line. It should have always been a controller option. Taking a "console" game on the road wasn't an option then due to the hardware differences, but it should have always supported portable VC - buy once, play anywhere. Seamless save states too.

This will accomplish this is a much more elegant way.

I already have a phone I take everywhere with me for a quick fix here and there. But if I'm going on a longer trip where I might want a deeper experience while I live in a hotel room or take a long flight or (as I'm cursed now) to chaperone a high school band on multiple 12-hour bus rides, I'm all in.

There's only so much enjoyment I can get out of F2P games on my phone.

re: Nintendo Switch: Building a New Generation of Hardware from Scratch
 

I think it looks promising. Not sure if I get the complaints about it existing in a world where tablets and smartphones exist. This is doing what's been rumored with giving us a home console and something to take on the go. I'm not sure if I'll get one at launch but I'm interested in buying one eventually.

re: Nintendo Switch: Building a New Generation of Hardware from Scratch
 

And, my god, not being restricted to the 3DS form factor is amazing. That kickstand and detachable controllers will make everything so much more comfortable.

re: Nintendo Switch: Building a New Generation of Hardware from Scratch
 

Pretty much sums it up for me. My only concern in terms of portability is playing with one of those side controllers, they seem awfully small.

re: Nintendo Switch: Building a New Generation of Hardware from Scratch
 

So, things we've seen:

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Skyrim Remastered
NBA2KSomething
Some sort of 3D Mario
Mario Kart 8 (?)
Splatoon

Mario Kart Switch has two item slots a la Double Dash instead of one, and King Boo is playable. If it's a port, it's an enhanced port.

As far as support, basically everybody is onboard (including unexpected folks like From Software):

505 Games
Activision Publishing, Inc.
ARC SYSTEM WORKS Co., Ltd.
ATLUS CO., LTD.
Audiokinetic Inc.
Autodesk, Inc.
BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc.
Bethesda
CAPCOM CO., LTD.
Codemasters®
CRI Middleware Co., Ltd.
DeNA Co., Ltd.
Electronic Arts
Epic Games Inc.
Firelight Technologies
FromSoftware, Inc.
Frozenbyte
GameTrust
GRASSHOPPER MANUFACTURE INC．
Gungho Online Entertainment, Inc.
HAMSTER Corporation
Havok
INTI CREATES CO., LTD.
KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD.
Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd.
LEVEL-5 Inc.
Marvelous Inc.
Maximum Games, LLC
Nippon Ichi Software, Inc.
Parity Bit Inc.
PlatinumGames Inc.
RAD Game Tools, Inc.
RecoChoku Co., Ltd.
SEGA Games Co., Ltd.
Silicon Studio Corporation
Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.
SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD.
Starbreeze Studios
Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.
Telltale Games
THQ Nordic
Tokyo RPG Factory Co., Ltd.
TT Games
UBISOFT
Ubitus Inc.
Unity Technologies, Inc.
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Web Technology Corp

re: Nintendo Switch: Building a New Generation of Hardware from Scratch
 

It seems safe to assume that the "pro controllers" will sync with the portable unit as well. Having those only work with a home dock would be monumentally stupid.

re: Nintendo Switch: Building a New Generation of Hardware from Scratch
 

Yeah, I think I saw that in the video, and Nintendo has confirmed that this is the case:

re: Nintendo Switch: Building a New Generation of Hardware from Scratch
 

Joy-Con? :lol:

re: Nintendo Switch: Building a New Generation of Hardware from Scratch
 

*sigh*
Take my money, Nintendo.

Any guesses on pricing?

re: Nintendo Switch: Building a New Generation of Hardware from Scratch
 

$299 is the going guess.

re: Nintendo Switch: Building a New Generation of Hardware from Scratch
 

You could just use the Wii U to play zelda.

re: Nintendo Switch: Building a New Generation of Hardware from Scratch
 

I have an iPhone 6Plus, so screen size isn't issue for me but most games simply don't work well on phones. I play Smurfs' Village and PokemonGo. Sometimes Hearthstone. But for "real" games, we have a 2DS and a 3DS because that's what they were designed for.

Mobile gaming is big, but games designed for a good piece of hardware (like a Nintendo portable) are simply a notch above.

re: Nintendo Switch: Building a New Generation of Hardware from Scratch
 

I don't see all that tech costing just $300

re: Nintendo Switch: Building a New Generation of Hardware from Scratch
 

I agree. Mobile gaming is huge, but the games played on phones simply aren't the same.

It depends on the specs, as it is now this is a tablet with a docking station (that charges and does HDMI output).

re: Nintendo Switch: Building a New Generation of Hardware from Scratch
 

Nintendo has said that the Wii U launched at too high a price point, so I've gotta think that $299 is the absolute ceiling (at least outside of any premium-type bundles) with $249-$299 being more ideal, although that seems like a really tall order for what you get. I guess it depends on what comes with the base package and what's extra. With the way it's being marketed, I'd be surprised if the dock were sold separately, but that's a possibility.

re: Nintendo Switch: Building a New Generation of Hardware from Scratch
 

Interesting theory, Adam. You're probably right. The "core" tablet & mini controllers could easily be the base system, and people can just add on what they want.

But those controls are TINY
http://i.imgur.com/OirmFmA.jpg

re: Nintendo Switch: Building a New Generation of Hardware from Scratch
 

That's an extreme case, though. You're taking half a controller and making it a full one temporarily. Cost effective, at least.

re: Nintendo Switch: Building a New Generation of Hardware from Scratch
 

I'm in. I'm a mobile gamer these days with a 3ds in my bag

re: Nintendo Switch: Building a New Generation of Hardware from Scratch
 

Yeah, in my opinion its not hard to see it costing $300 at all. For instance, as a comparison the Nvidia Shield Tablet (which I own) using an older Tegra chip was re-released the other year at $200 and that can run Android ports of games from the last generation just fine. You can even buy a full sized controller to pair with it :)

I don't think there's anything that unique about the hardware here at all that isn't already available (albeit in more complicated fashion and minus the game support) that the Switch is trying to offer here.

re: Nintendo Switch: Building a New Generation of Hardware from Scratch
 

Yep. According to Verge, the Switch is indeed powered by a custom nVidia Tegra chip. In many ways, this is essentially the Shield 2.0.

http://www.theverge.com/2016/10/20/1...ts-new-console

$299 starting price seems reasonable.

re: Nintendo Switch: Building a New Generation of Hardware from Scratch
 

Yup, Nvidia has a blog post about it too, which matches what the rumors said a few months back - https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2016/1...ntendo-switch/