Jump to content

Photo

The Nintendo Switch


  • Please log in to reply
667 replies to this topic

#1 NoeL

NoeL

    Legend

  • Members
  • Real Name:Jerram

Posted 07 May 2016 - 06:58 AM

I can't seem to find a dedicated thread about the upcoming device, so why not make one now!
 
And to kick it off, here's some really crumby news: Nintendo: NX Won't be Sold at a Loss, Will Focus Heavily on Mobile.

 

God damn it Nintendo. You had one job!

 

EDIT: Actually, upon further reading it doesn't seem like they'd have to gimp the hardware in order to not sell at a loss (unless they have something like the Gamepad sucking up cash). If it's a standard console it could match PS4 specs for ~$300, so all hope's not lost... yet.

 

Update by mod, adding in the official Nintendo Switch reveal trailer:

 


Edited by The Satellite, 20 October 2016 - 09:13 AM.


#2 Mani Kanina

Mani Kanina

    Rabbits!

  • Members

Posted 07 May 2016 - 07:37 AM

Not selling at a loss simply means that it will cost what it actually costs. This does not really tell you anything about specs or how it expensive it will actually be. And since we know so little it becomes really hard to make a guess.

Personally, I'll probably only follow this system at a distance, even after it comes out. I picked up the wii u fairly late in it's life time and I still ended up a bit disappointed at just how lacklustre the library really ended up. So before I buy a new system I want to make sure it really does have a decent amount of titles that interests me, rather than just the potential for it.
  • Matthew likes this

#3 NoeL

NoeL

    Legend

  • Members
  • Real Name:Jerram

Posted 07 May 2016 - 08:31 AM

Not selling at a loss simply means that it will cost what it actually costs. This does not really tell you anything about specs or how it expensive it will actually be. And since we know so little it becomes really hard to make a guess.

We can assume, given Nintendo's target audience, that it's unlikely the NX will cost more than $400 at launch, and possibly less if they try to directly compete with the PS4 and XB1. If they're not selling at a loss then that gives us an upper limit to the kind of power we can reasonably expect, i.e. what you can get for 400 bucks. That should be plenty to match its current competitors (and really, that's all I hope) but it won't be much, if any, more powerful - especially if they jam an expensive doo-dad in there like the Gamepad too.



#4 TheLegend_njf

TheLegend_njf

    Deified

  • Members
  • Real Name:Grant

Posted 07 May 2016 - 09:38 AM

Now that there's a dedicated topic to this, I'd like to take an opportunity to share this interesting rumor that's being going around lately.

 

Rumor


Edited by NewJourneysFire, 07 May 2016 - 09:40 AM.


#5 Soma C.

Soma C.

    Mr. Coreaix

  • Members
  • Real Name:Josh
  • Location:Akumajou Soma

Posted 07 May 2016 - 05:06 PM

Lol, would this even be a thing anyway?  Almost like dipping back into the Dark Ages of having to blow on your cartridge to make the game work?  Madness...:P  


Edited by Soma Cruz, 07 May 2016 - 05:11 PM.


#6 NoeL

NoeL

    Legend

  • Members
  • Real Name:Jerram

Posted 07 May 2016 - 07:44 PM

Now that there's a dedicated topic to this, I'd like to take an opportunity to share this interesting rumor that's being going around lately.

 

Rumor

Interesting! Well, since it's long been rumoured that the NX will be a dual console/handheld hybrid it would make sense to use cartridges over larger discs.



#7 The Satellite

The Satellite

    May the way of the Hero lead to the Triforce.

  • Members
  • Real Name:Michael
  • Pronouns:He / Him

Posted 07 May 2016 - 08:12 PM

There's a lot of people switching towards digital games downloading anyway, so it could be Nintendo thinking about ditching discs if true to make way for better game storage hardware. That said, hopefully NX launches with some actual storage space, and not the measly 32GB we got with the Wii U... I'm a fan of physical media, so it didn't bother me too much, but for many people, it was definitely an issue.



#8 Nicholas Steel

Nicholas Steel

    Hero of Time

  • Members
  • Location:Australia

Posted 07 May 2016 - 11:56 PM

Lol, would this even be a thing anyway?  Almost like dipping back into the Dark Ages of having to blow on your cartridge to make the game work?  Madness... :P

The NES issue was primarily the contact pins inside the console it self of being low quality and deforming within the console, so you could end up with barely playable brand new game cartridges for example because the cartridge makes poor contact with the contact pins inside the console, the SNES and N64 didn't suffer any issues with their cartridges (Not familiar enough with Sega systems to comment on their cartridge reliability).

 

Anyways, to be on topic: Cartridges don't eliminate load times. I see plenty of load screens in Bravely Default and its sequel, and load screens in Monster Hunter 4U etc. Metal Gear and other games on the NES had load screens too, in Metal Gear's case it was just a blank screen (Like when accessing inventory or changing screen the entire screen would go blank for a long time), the sequel Snake's Revenge drastically reduced the load times (They're like 10x quicker).


Edited by Nicholas Steel, 08 May 2016 - 11:27 AM.


#9 Koh

Koh

    Tamer Koh

  • Members
  • Real Name:Dominic
  • Location:Monsbaiya, Virginia

Posted 08 May 2016 - 10:53 AM

(Their like 10x quicker).

They're, as in They Are!  Pet peeve of mine XD.

 

I'm actually an advocate of digital forms myself, because you don't have to deal with the bullshit of cartridge problems or disc problems.  Just load up the game and play~  Also, storage.  Physical forms have to be all stored somewhere, and in a place like an apartment, that's just really not too feasible when you have a lot of games.

 

So as long as they can accommodate both forms of the medium, it should all be good.  Going all physical is not the answer in today's age.


Edited by Koh, 08 May 2016 - 10:54 AM.


#10 Anthus

Anthus

    Lord of Liquids

  • Members
  • Location:Ohio

Posted 08 May 2016 - 12:08 PM

I suspect the nx will be a 'true hybrid' of console and handheld/ portable. This could be really cool if it is done right. I would love to play the new Zelda on the go, or at least have the option to. Nintendo has been attempting to connect their handhelds and consoles since the GameCube. Now that technology has come to a certain point it might be possible with things like cloud computing, and digital storage becoming the norm.

On the other hand, if it is a slightly beefed up Wii U with some dumb smartphone shit tacked on, I'll be pissed. I hate playing games on mobile devices for several reasons (awkward controls, large hands, etc).

Staying hopeful though.
  • Shane likes this

#11 DashSim

DashSim

    ancient being

  • Members
  • Real Name:Jadine

Posted 08 May 2016 - 12:28 PM

Yeah, the NES's cartridge reading issues were due to that console's hardware design choices, not inherent to carts. And, PSA, please don't blow on your cartridges, it damages them long-term!

 

I'm deeply invested right now in the possibility of a shared game library between NX's console and portable forms. This could be a massive game changer for Nintendo and would be the most exciting development from them since the DS and Wii. Not just because it upends traditional thinking, but it has the potential to solve or alleviate almost every major difficulty they've faced in the last decade or two in a single bold move. I imagine the logistics of actually making it happen are brutal, but the upsides are so large.

 

At this point I'll probably be disappointed if the NX doesn't have at least a semi-unified library. And if we are looking at a true shared library, then yeah, the console making use of some form of carts in place of optical discs isn't off the table.

Exciting stuff.



#12 Anarchy_Balsac

Anarchy_Balsac

    Quest Builder

  • Members

Posted 08 May 2016 - 01:43 PM

Now that there's a dedicated topic to this, I'd like to take an opportunity to share this interesting rumor that's being going around lately.

 

Rumor

It's actually GOOD news if it uses cartridges, they no longer have the memory problems they did back in the N64 days, would be more reliable, and could potentially make use of flash memory for even faster loading times than they would normally have.

Not to mention, much lower risk of damage.  Wii U games CAN NOT be resurfaced if the drive scratches them, I found this out the hard way.



#13 Anthus

Anthus

    Lord of Liquids

  • Members
  • Location:Ohio

Posted 08 May 2016 - 03:23 PM

As far as using carts, or cards, that would be exciting, and they'd be more reliable. I can still play my SNES, but my original Wii won't read Brawl, or any other dual layer disc. :(

And for the loading times, yeah they still exist but I'll take 3-5 seconds over close to a minute for some other games (Tropical Freeze takes 5ever to load, and the GTA series has notorious load times. ) Carts have always been better, imo, but they were very expensive to make efficiently in contrast to their optical replacement.
  • Cukeman likes this

#14 Anarchy_Balsac

Anarchy_Balsac

    Quest Builder

  • Members

Posted 08 May 2016 - 03:30 PM

As far as using carts, or cards, that would be exciting, and they'd be more reliable. I can still play my SNES, but my original Wii won't read Brawl, or any other dual layer disc. :(

And for the loading times, yeah they still exist but I'll take 3-5 seconds over close to a minute for some other games (Tropical Freeze takes 5ever to load, and the GTA series has notorious load times. ) Carts have always been better, imo, but they were very expensive to make efficiently in contrast to their optical replacement.

 

Not anymore, a USB Flash Drive is basically a cartridge with a universal outlet, so they can be made VERY cheaply and without memory problems.



#15 Soma C.

Soma C.

    Mr. Coreaix

  • Members
  • Real Name:Josh
  • Location:Akumajou Soma

Posted 08 May 2016 - 09:11 PM

Also hoping for backwards-compatibility with the WiiU!  Thinking of selling my existing WiiU (which happens to be the limited edition Wind waker-esque design) before I nab the NX with my tax money next year...IF it's backwards-compatibible  :shrug:




0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users