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FIRST IMPRESSION: NINTENDO SWITCH

20/10/2016

84 Comments

 
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You watched the reveal trailer didn't you? So... by now you probably know that the Nintendo NX is actually called Nintendo Switch, and it's more or less what we all thought it'd be: a hybrid console, which works under your telly, but with a detachable screen.

In short: you'll be able to take it with you when you leave the house to use public conveniences, and carry on playing your games while braying like a mule in lavatory cubicles.

What we hadn't guessed on was the way the controller - which Nintendo calls its "Joy-Con" - would work. In short: the two extremes of the controller are detachable and modular.

You can either click them together onto some sort of base unit to make a bulky, more traditional controller, detach them and hold each section in a separate hand - a bit like the Wii nunchucks, so that you're able (as the reveal trailer showed us) to play games while slouching in your economy aeroplane seat like an insufferable pig - or slot them either side of the detachable screen, and hold it like a handheld.

You can also give one to a friend, turn them sideways, and use them separately for multiplayer games. Which is a nice touch. Nintendo also revealed a more traditional controller - which looked very DualShock/Xbox pad-y. 

Is this the first time a Nintendo console hasn't featured the iconic Nintendo D-pad? I think so. Progress, brah.
OFFICIAL BLURB
Here's how Nintendo describes Switch: "In addition to providing single-player and multiplayer thrills at home, the Nintendo Switch system also enables gamers to play the same title wherever, whenever and with whomever they choose. The mobility of a handheld is now added to the power of a home gaming system to enable unprecedented new video game play styles.

"Nintendo Switch rests in the Nintendo Switch dock that connects the console to the TV and lets you play with family and friends in the comfort of your living room. By simply lifting the Nintendo Switch console from the dock, it will instantly transition to handheld mode, and the same great gaming experience that was being enjoyed at home now travels with you.

"The portability of Nintendo Switch is enhanced by its bright high-definition display. It brings the full home gaming system experience with you to the park, on a train, in a car, or to a friend’s apartment."
IMPRESSIONIST
My first impression is mixed. On the one hand I'm relieved that Nintendo have done such a good job of selling the basic concept behind the Switch. Certainly, it's easier to wrap your head around than the Wii U. I like the detachable mini-pads, but I don't see much on offer that gets me particularly giddy.

This isn't another Wii. It's not the bold new concept in video gaming that we'd perhaps been promised. It's just a mash-up of under-telly console and handheld. I can't see it breaking through in the way that either the Game Boy or the Wii managed. Portability is nothing new - and Nintendo had handheld games playing on your TV back in the early-90s, when it released the Super Game Boy adaptor.

More worryingly, the reveal trailer seemed at odds with the Nintendo we know. On screen we saw Mario, Zelda, Splatoon - brands that are synonymous with Nintendo's family-friendly approach to gaming.

Yet exclusively the people playing the games were horrible twentysomethings, trying a bit too hard to prove to us how much fun they were having. You could've lifted the Switch controllers out of the picture and replaced them with tumblers full of booze and ice, and it would've looked like an advert for Southern Comfort.

Particularly that one they used to play in cinemas where people kept going "Soco... oooh... I'll have a Soco... Soco, please". You know: the one that made me want to go up to the movie screen and rip it open with my bare hands.

The reveal trailer ends, inexplicably, with some sort of e-sports showdown in a massive arena, as if to underline that they don't want the likes of me coming within 100 metres of the Switch. They could've saved some money, and just flashed the words "PISS OFF" on the screen.

I suppose that's my initial concern: who exactly is Switch aimed at? What exactly is it offering that we don't already get? The Xbox One and PlayStation 4 have the market pretty much sewn up. There's a depressing sense behind this first glimpse into the marketing of Switch that Nintendo wants to have its cake and scoff it, that it's trying to speak to the same people who are already playing on the Xbox One and PS4. Or maybe I've got it wrong. 
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SLAB RAT
As clever as the design of the Switch may be, I'm also concerned that it just looks like a black slab. The combined joypad(s) are horribly bulky. Nintendo would've been wise to think harder about the aesthetics of the thing, instead of trying to once again camouflage their games hardware amid the jungle of consumer electronics we already have under our tellies. 

Look at the NES Mini: it's a shamelessly retro design, and you can only play old games on the thing, but everyone wants one because it looks cool and cute. The Switch just looks as cold as every other dull box you already own.

What pulled Apple out of the fire when Steve Jobs returned to the company he founded? It wasn't the iPod: it was the iMac G3... and people didn't want it because of what it could do, but because of what it looked like. Remember the GameCube? Remember Game & Watch? Switch seems to be Nintendo following, not pioneering, like it used to.

Looks aren't everything, but everything about the Switch needs to be bang on. It needs to stand out from the PS4 and the Xbox One and smartphones... not merely consolidate things that already exist.

CLIFFHANGER
Nintendo is in a precarious position. It's a long way from being the market leader it once was. The Wii U was a disaster for the company, its handheld sales are down, and though few of us would argue against its expertise at making games, its brand has been hobbled and allowed to drift.

The Switch needed to go all out, it needed to clutch everyone by the throat - people who've never owned a console, lapsed Nintendo fans, the young, the old... basically the kind of audience that played on the Game Boy, the Super NES, the Wii... It needed a return to its roots, as the games company for everyone.

“With this first look at Nintendo Switch, I hope fans are already imagining the possibilities of having the freedom to play when, where, and how they want to,” chirrups Satoru Shibata, president of Nintendo of Europe, while bouncing up and down on a sofa, Tom Cruise-style.

Thing is... we're already doing that. We play console games in our living room, and games on our phones or iPads when we're out. I can't see Switch being the machine to change any of that, or drag too many of us away from it. 

Maybe there's something they're not telling us. Maybe the tech-specs will blow us away. Unfortunately, given its dimensions - and the apparent size of the cartridges it will seemingly be using - it's difficult to imagine that Switch is going to be able to compete with the PS4 and Xbox One in terms of raw power.

Admittedly, Nintendo has never been about that... but if there was ever a time in the company's history where it needed to throw every resource it has into its hardware, and onto our screens, and really push the envelope in terms of conceiving of new ways to play games, this was it.

On first glance, I'm not certain they've done enough. Though it pains me to say it - because I love Nintendo, and I love the games industry all the more for Nintendo being one of the Big Three - a hybrid system seems like the most boring and obvious route they could've gone.
FROM THE ARCHIVE:
GREAT MOMENTS IN GAMING: BEATING YOUR HIGH SCORE IN TETRIS (1989)
​
NINTENDO: LIFE BEFORE MARIO - A HISTORY
SEGA: LIFE BEFORE THE MASTER SYSTEM - A HISTORY
84 Comments
Jem link
20/10/2016 04:08:05 pm

As a lapsed Nintendo fan myself, I loved what I saw in the trailer. Can't wait for it to come out.

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Spiney O'Sullivan
20/10/2016 06:04:33 pm

Same here, though I'm going to remain cautiously optimistic. My initial reaction to this is a lot better than my initial reaction to the WiiU, which was "so it's just a big DS?" (I still think dual screen gaming doesn't actually work that well for the most part)

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Nige
20/10/2016 04:08:11 pm

Thing is, we're not already doing that. I would love to be able to play Destiny or (the new) Doom in the office at lunchtime, but I can't. I can play mobile... things instead, where my fingers obscure half of the screen and the control never feels quite right.

I like the idea. It does have to be considerably more powerful (or "game-focused") than the average phone to succeed, though.

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Dan link
21/10/2016 09:52:36 am

1. You won't be playing Doom or Destiny on this at home or out and about. Ever. It has neither the grunt, nor the third-party support, nor the desire to please anyone older than 12.

2. You CAN play those games on the go already on PS4 using PlayStation remote play.

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Nads
22/10/2016 01:17:57 am

1. Did he mean Doom or Destiny specifically? I suspect Nige alludes to big modern Nintendo games, as opposed to flappy birds crap on an iphone. Perhaps you didn't read the article closely, as you seem to have missed Biffo's comments on the twenty something demographic that the early marketing seems aimed at.

2..34 haha numbers are FUN my playstation sez '4' written onit WOOTWOOT

Kara Van Park
20/10/2016 04:13:41 pm

It looks achingly generic, like a peripheral for an android tablet. So much effort is being focused into portability and social gaming. I'd imagine most people are happy sitting in front of their TV and most people's friends would look at you like some sort of antisocial oddball if you pulled this out at a party.

As with the Wii U, the success of the device will rest on if they can get versions of their biggest franchises onto the thing in a reasonable time. That is the one thing that makes them stand out in a positive way amongst Sony and Microsoft and what they failed to do with the Wii U.

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Superbeast 37
20/10/2016 07:00:00 pm

Nail on the head with that second paragraph.

They repeatedly fail to capitalise on their one ace card.

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Rob link
20/10/2016 04:18:37 pm

Agree that at this early stage I'm a little underwhelmed. Feels like what the Wii U should have been rather than a console that will still be relevant in 2020 and beyond. Hope I'm wrong though.

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Mr Biffo
20/10/2016 04:21:46 pm

Me too. It's early days, so far too soon to judge. But as first impressions go... I'm just a bit... meh.

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Antony Adler
20/10/2016 04:24:20 pm

Echoing the early comments on here, in theory I'm very excited about this. I'm very tired of ipad / phone casual gaming, lack of proper controls just kills me and I also don't want to drain my phone's battery. I'd love an HD handheld that I can also play at home. It's a great idea, there's nothing like this on the market (vita / remote play were DOA) - but...cartridges? fast but small. And quite possibly not enough grunt to run 'proper' 3rd party AAA games. I love me some Ninty, but at the same time, I'm sick to death of Super Mario / Mario Kart / Zelda, it'll need to be far more than that or they're dead in the water. I'm highly intrigued, I'd love for it to be great, but I'm nervous....we'll see !

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Scott C
20/10/2016 08:46:25 pm

Not sure about carts/cards being "fast but small" anymore. Blu-ray is 50Gb, while SD cards can easily surpass that. The problem is cost. A 64Gb SD costs at least £10 just for the media and without the Nintendo licencing on top. Nintendo games were always that bit more expensive.

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Rakladtor V
22/10/2016 01:21:46 am

The format allows a more robust design for a portable system. SD cards are expensive? So is fixing a broken disc drive

The School Boy
20/10/2016 04:26:00 pm

Multiplayer on one portable device will be great for kids, pretty 20-something socialtypes and competitive gaming nutjobs, and the rest of us will be able to play Splatoon on the bog. This thing will be huge.

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Alex link
20/10/2016 04:27:14 pm

"Look at the NES Mini: it's a shamelessly retro design, and you can only play old games on the thing, but everyone wants one because it looks cool and cute. The Switch just looks as cold as every other dull box you already own. "

Though curiously, the original NES was designed as it was (with that unreliable front-loading mechanism) so it wouldn't look like a console in the wake of the US gaming crash.

Or so the internet tells me.

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Colm
20/10/2016 04:28:40 pm

It's disappointing. It doesn't offer new WAYS to play, but rather offers more flexibility to play the same games. That's not what I want from Nintendo.

Nintendo can't compete with Sony and MS in terms of core games, particularly when repeatedly releasing technologically inferior systems (and the Switch is destined to be inferior, given its size). They can only compete when they embrace their Japanese bizarro sensibilities a la the Wii.

I recently got the PS VR. It's innovative and exciting in all the ways that I expect Nintendo to be. If Nintendo were wise, they'd aim to be the first company to bring out an all-in-one affordable VR console of that quality.

Oh, and the first person to yell "VIRTUAL BOY!" in a reply gets a wet salmon across the face.

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colincidence link
20/10/2016 06:39:01 pm

SIMULACRUM LAD!!

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Retro resolution link
20/10/2016 04:28:46 pm

I have to agree with your first impressions Mr. B. The swiftness and quality of your writing always impresses.

The GameCube (and Xbox original) were the last gaming hardware I felt compelled to buy on launch day (and the first, as I was of an age to finally have disposable income)

I don't see what the USP is - but perhaps a Wii-style surprise sales-storm still awaits? I have no clue!

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Kara Van Park
20/10/2016 04:31:15 pm

I already play Splatoon on the toilet and I don't even own a Wii.

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Charles 'The Wit' Herringbone
20/10/2016 06:54:05 pm

Ho ho ho ho.

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Stoo
20/10/2016 04:32:18 pm

I do like the idea of a portable device that can plug into a base and it becomes a living room console. I can see other mobile items going that way as they become more powerful. For example: put your phone into a dock, connect to monitor and keyboard, and it functions as the core of a PC. (I think windows phones might already do this actually?)

Whether or not this feature will help Switch compete with PlayBox, I have no idea. If they have a new Zelda or Mario or Metroid that will help it get off to a good start at least.

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Kelvin Green link
20/10/2016 06:23:54 pm

Windows phones don't do anything useful.

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Tamath
20/10/2016 04:33:56 pm

This seems a little unfair to me.

I get that the video was skewed towards the "twentysomething" audience and is a move away from the "children and grandparents can play too!" Wii image, but it's not different from the kind of marketing done for the PS4 and XB1. However, I agree that taking this route is unnecessary of Nintendo and isn't playing to their strengths.

As for what the conole itself is, it seems Nintendo can't win - in the same breath it's criticised for not having the same graphical clout as the other two main consoles, yet also for being a "boring" hybrid. I feel that had Nintendo gone the raw power route that also would have been panned for being "boring" by aping Sony and Microsoft, seeing as you also panned the aesthetics for being "another box" in the vein of the PS4 and XB1. How is being a hybrid boring? I feel like this disappointment is purely due to the leaks, and that it would not be considered boring had this news literally come out of the blue instead of having being preceded by expectations formed from the leaked info.

This leads me to be puzzled as to what you actually wanted from this console, to be honest, and if anything Nintendo could have done would have satisfied you.

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Mr Biffo
20/10/2016 04:36:04 pm

I think you're mistaken by the thrust of what I was reaching for. It's not about what I want, but about what I think Nintendo needed to achieve if it wants to continue as a hardware company. On first impression, I'm not sure Switch does enough. But I want to be proved wrong, because I love Nintendo.

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Tamath
20/10/2016 11:01:44 pm

I see. Sorry, seems I got the wrong end of the stick. On that front, I do see your point - but I still feel like Nintendo has a sporting chance with the public. Pokémon GO has shown that Nintendo still has a decent presence in the minds of the public, and yes, while I concede that a game for a piece of hardware as ubiquitous as a smartphone is apples compared to the oranges of having to shell out for a console, but I feel like if the games are compelling enough the public may be willing to take a punt now that there are no weird gimmicks like the Wii U Gamepad to put them off.

There's obviously going to be a power gap between Switch and PS4/XB1, which will become a chasm when Pro and Scorpio come out. But this may yet work to Nintendo's advantage - while the beefy consoles continue to blur the line towards just being PCs, the Switch is still singing all the benefits of being a console - pick up and play accessibility and a simple, unified library, with the added bonus that you can take it with you and even set up LAN party-esque gaming sessions with it, without even needing extra TVs. Of course battery life will show if this is viable, but if nothing else this video is showing more of a forward thinking Nintendo that may - gasp! - have finally learned from past mistakes.

Future information will show if they truly have, however.

Kara Van Park
20/10/2016 04:49:41 pm

Nintendo expects us all to have mates that look like they're all on Valium. In the normal world, the thing would have cigarette burns and Tesco lager poured into the vents within hours.

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John Veness
20/10/2016 05:05:51 pm

Yes, those vents on top of the tablet worry me. I mean, I wouldn't expect the thing to be completely waterproof, but the slightest little shower would likely ruin the thing.

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Ben
20/10/2016 04:56:20 pm

Well, this is all pretty negative...I thought it looked fantastic.

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Mr Biffo
20/10/2016 05:05:50 pm

:-(

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MrPSB
20/10/2016 05:00:07 pm

Depends on the games and the price, I have more desire for this than for a PS4 or Xbox One these days due to almost everything getting ported to PC anyway

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Panda
20/10/2016 05:14:09 pm

Being able to play proper "core" games like Zelda and Skyrim on the move or, more likely for me, without using a TV at home is a pretty big thing, especially when it comes to controls and processing power. It might not sound like it but I realised is when I played Mario Kart 8 literally every day for at least three months just because I could pick up the gamepad and didn't have to retreat upstairs and hide away in the bedroom to play it. I don't think I'm the only person in this situation.

The problem with the Wii U was that it was inconsistent on which games allowed this, plus support for it was dropped extremely prematurely. Splatoon would've been masterful if I could play it under the same conditions as I played MK8 and now it looks like I can, although I'm concerned that the motion controls that worked really well in that game have now been sacrificed.

The main things they have to do and say to convince me still need to be done and said - namely price, battery life, software support - but there's no doubt on my part that if they can deliver on those fronts and pull off that one central idea that worked so well when the Wii U managed it, I'd be right on board and I suspect it'll do a lot better than the Wii U.

If they don't have any good launch games that justify the Wii U's abandonment and are asking for over £250, though, that's a different story.

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Adam
20/10/2016 05:19:10 pm

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Adam
20/10/2016 05:20:51 pm

Looks good. But why they felt the need to have the trailer full of hipster twats is beyond me.

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Adam
21/10/2016 01:04:26 pm

Do you know how marketing works dear? Hipster twats are needed to sell it to the brain dead masses who don't normally buy games, like they did with the Wii.

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PeskyFletch
21/10/2016 07:18:06 pm

Keep telling yourself that.

Mrtankthreat
20/10/2016 05:33:42 pm

It's not that portable though is it? It's not going to fit in my pocket so if I'm going to have to carry it around in a bag anyway why not just get a proper gaming laptop?

And cartridges, seriously? I'm going to have to carry around multiple cartridges in the age of hard drives with massive storage capabilities?

It just looks like yet another gimmick from Nintendo who are grasping to hold on to their former glory. I hope it fails and they finally just go thitd party. The only thing they do well is games not consoles. The Mario game looks amazing but I'm not shelling out any more money on gimmicky consoles just to play the odd Mario game.

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CM Punk
20/10/2016 06:17:48 pm

I am sure there are people who have always wanted a device that ticks certain boxes.

Maybe we all want just such a device but we don't know it yet.

To me *personally* it looks like a compromise. Neither novel or mobile enough to replace the phone/3DS and too lacking in power to compete with rival full sized consoles.

Third party support will therefore be weak and the device reliant on Nintendo's in house titles. The problem is that those titles have been coming too infrequently and very few are as revolutionary and influential as they used to be. Quality has also slipped.

It looks like something that could be killed off in an instant if the tablet/mobile market ever got its act together and Apple/Google created some kind of standards for gaming with a universal Bluetooth controller design and investing more in their own gaming divisions etc.

The vulnerability with any mobile console is that frequently refreshed tablets will surpass its power very early into it's lifespan.

Will I buy one? Well probably because I blow all my money on gaming. Although I will want to see what kind of account/online service they have implemented. I am sick to death of the restrictive current system with software tied to hardware and pain in the butt transfer processes etc. Anymore of that and you know what? I might just call it a day and give this one a miss.

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Kelvin Green link
20/10/2016 06:25:39 pm

I am intrigued by the cartridges. It's supposed to be an obsolete format so either Nintendo has gone mad or it's come up with a clever idea. I'm keen to see which it is.

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Scott C
20/10/2016 08:50:37 pm

Not really; solid state is the future and discs are a thing of the past. HDD to SSD. By data density a microSD easily beats a blu-ray disc. The problem is the cost of the media.

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Kelvin Green link
20/10/2016 09:06:26 pm

Yes, quite.

Rakladtor V
22/10/2016 01:37:25 am

The format allows a more robust design for a portable system. Solid state may be expensive but so is fixing a broken disc drive

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Yoopi
20/10/2016 06:26:45 pm

The Wii U was only a disaster for shareholders. It was amazing for gamers; the quality and brilliance of the games on that system were far beyond the financially successful Wii. Pity so relatively few got to fully experience what Wii U offered. I'm sad it's at the end of its life-cycle and I just hope the Switch can live up to the experiences the tablet brought. I'm also going to miss the brilliantly realised 3D on the 3DS when that dies out.

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Spiney O'Sullivan
20/10/2016 09:57:57 pm

I really don't know if you're being sarcastic or not...

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Yoopi
21/10/2016 09:31:23 am

Nope. It's a really fun console relatively few people played. The tablet, when used well, really added to the games. Very successful console for gamers; less so for shareholders--a demographic many seem to fixate on for some reason.

combat_honey
20/10/2016 06:33:11 pm

Notwithstanding the slate-grey nothingyness of the thing and the beautiful young people in the ad, I was quite impressed overall. The modular design is clever and I love the idea of being able to continue playing 'proper' games on the go.

The positioning of those analogue sticks worries me though. The fact that they're directly above / below the buttons on either side makes it seem like it'd be very difficult to comfortably move your thumbs between the stick and the buttons.

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Chris Wyatt
20/10/2016 06:38:36 pm

Going to do what I did with the Wii U I think, and just wait for a Zelda game to come out for it. I've not looked at any of the press releases yet, but I guess Breath of the Wild will be on it.

So yeah, might get this one, money depending.

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Chris Wyatt
20/10/2016 06:45:38 pm

Irritating trailer, but then the Nintendo adverts always are now.

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Chris Wyatt
20/10/2016 07:07:26 pm

Should've done my research before commenting. So Zelda is a launch title: well that was pretty obviously going to happen anyway. It's Twilight Princess all over again!

But I'm quite excited about this, because I haven't really been playing many video games lately (reading about them more), which is quite sad really, and I don't think that's so much to do with the quality of games right now, but more to do with the weird depressed stage I am at with my life at the moment, and also the debt that I got myself in to for so long.

If Nintendo don't deliver, I'll probably be able to relive some classic Ninty titles that I haven't played in ages anyway (because they have been repackaging many old games recently), and if they do end up delivering loads of great games, then for me that will be an added bonus, so it's win-win for me. I think if I had bought the Wii U I would be more apprehensive, but I'm gonna go in for the plunge once I get some money together and a new TV :).

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Rakladtor V
22/10/2016 01:48:46 am

'wait for a Zelda game to come out for it' is my exact same mentality when deliberating over a new Nintendo console. However the Zelda game for this is also being released for Wii U, so if you've already got a Wii U then it might be more 'debt friendly' to go for that version. I'll be going for the Wii U version, if only for wanting the wretched thing to at least have a swansong

Rak V
22/10/2016 01:55:27 am

Ah shit "if I had bought the Wii U I would be more apprehensive" ok just ignore everything I said

SAFESTYLE UK
20/10/2016 06:56:16 pm

NICE SLAB OF GLASS

WANT SOME NEW WINDOWS?

I HEARD IF YA BUY ONE, YA GET ONE FREE.

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Captain Whoops
20/10/2016 07:11:31 pm

And to think the other advertising agency pitching at Nintendo didn't win...in which a miserable, balding 38 year old man desperately attempts to conjure up a carefree feeling from the past whilst sitting on the toilet as his wife shouts things he needs to do through the door and his kids fight with each other.

As the kids say "day one."

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James
20/10/2016 10:43:51 pm

Amazing! Tempered only by the fact this is a fairly accurate description of my life right now :(

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jawa
20/10/2016 07:15:30 pm

Perhaps a bit harsh to suggest that the NES Mini looks exciting whilst the Switch looks dull. Come, now - the NES isn't exactly a design classic... it's more the associated nostalgia that drives fond feelings.

Sure the use of attractive twenty-somethings to show off the product was rather obvious, but what should they have done instead? Used kids ("typical Nintendo kiddie console!") or older folk ("cool people don't play on Nintendo!")? Nintendo has recently been - perhaps rightly - battered for getting their advertising wrong, This time it was perhaps a little safe but it got the messaging across loud and clear - this is a cool new games machine that can be played both on your TV and on the go. There is little room to mis-understand the product, and that has to be some kind of achievement.

Maybe it's the actual product that didn't thrill you, Mr Biffo. Fair enough, but it's harsh to say that trailer was a let-down.

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Kara Van Park
20/10/2016 08:16:13 pm

https://karavanpark.wordpress.com/2016/10/20/nx-to-wii-u-to-wii-u-nx-good-games-good-games/

'I don’t want any of this Hokey Cokey shit. Plug the thing in and forget about it. I like my consoles how I like my women; permanently tethered in the corner til they are broken or they become too old to enjoyably use.'

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Chris Wyatt
20/10/2016 09:00:40 pm

Nintendo Switch-Me-Do would have been a better name

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Starbuck
21/10/2016 12:04:22 am

They should have called it the Ultra 364

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Penyrolewen
20/10/2016 09:14:28 pm

I own-and like- a wii u and don't have a ps4 or xbone (still got a 360). I was waiting for this before going current gen. I've had every Nintendo console since the SNES. But this is solving problems I don't have.

When I'm at home, I want to get my teeth into big, meaty games - Zelda, Mario, whatever.
When I'm out and about and have a couple of minutes to kill, I don't want those games. I need longer to play them. Even Splatoon, which is pretty shallow (in terms of problem solving) needs full attention for a sustained period. I want something I can easily drop into and out of, when I'm called by the barber or my wife is finished trying things on etc. My phone - which I have with me already- has those types of game in the millions (probably).
I don't want to play on a tiny screen at home when I have a big one (phnarr).
Multiplayer, maybe. But They could just bundle more controllers. Or sell them to us.
I love Nintendo but I don't know who needs the Switch. Boo. I'm worried now...

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Damon link
20/10/2016 10:29:49 pm

I was excited until I saw the commercial... er "trailer" I mean. It could just as well be an AD for anything.

Nintendo seems to be going mainstream and it's sad. Guess they decided you can't survive being different. It's a shame.

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Rakladtor V
22/10/2016 02:03:16 am

The advert doesn't define the entire product. With games being interchangeable there will be room for unusual games, as well as COD etc

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MatthewL
20/10/2016 10:58:20 pm

I understand the caution/concern, but I think I'll reserve judgement until we know the price and the specification. If this can play the kind of games a similarly-priced tablet struggles with while being blessed with proper physical controls instead of relying upon a touchscreen, it might be quite interesting. If there is some sort of graphical/power boost while fitted to the docking station for playing on a big TV that would help smooth over some of the worries, I think.

Weren't Nintendo investigating virtual reality for this generation too, though? I wonder if they'll find a way to make the Switch explore that technology at some point, what with its modular design possibly leaving the door ajar for upgrading or replacing aspects of the unit in the future?

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Octoroc
21/10/2016 12:04:30 am

Yet another Nintendo console that doesn't play DVDs.

I think it looks OK. I didn't really register this whole 'hipster' thing perhaps the overwhelming sense of relief that it wasn't total arse had something to do with it. Maybe affluent twenty-somethings are the folk Nintendo need to woo. There's no point in preaching to the converted.

I held out on buying the 3DS and Wii U because I didn't want to pay for gimmicks which were kinda crappy and mostly unnecessary, but there's nothing I find too offensively indulgent about the Switch.

It looks like there might actually be some decent third party games on it, but Nintendo's 1st party games have always been their best USP and Breath Of The Wild has got to be something of a system seller. I really want to play Breath Of The Wild. Like real bad man. It's burning up inside of me.

Lovely graphics are indeed lovely and for those who really worry about such things, the Switch appears to be powerful enough to run some kind of Skyrim Remastered on a big telly. Sony and Microsoft seem hellbent on pushing 4K gaming pie into our faces, but personally I'd rather play a game running at a solid 30/60 fps than a game doing the same old herky-jerky in 4K which I can't even see because my TV is dead old and is -as a matter of fact- only 'HD Ready'. That's true that is.

So yeah. Overall, I'm quite pleased. Whether the cool dudes with beards will go for it I do not know. Price is very important. Will Nintendo make another console after this one? It really doesn't matter at all.

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Spiney O'Sullivan
21/10/2016 08:44:17 am

I'm not sure people even know what hipsters are anymore. I thought most of the people in the trailer looked alright.

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Chris Wyatt
21/10/2016 02:02:29 pm

Yeah same. There was a gang of kids with one wearing a cap that potentially looked like morons (potentially), but I didn't notice any obvious hipsters.

Chavvy McChaverton
21/10/2016 01:52:38 am

Want to play games on the go? Got my phone innit!

Want to play games in me crib? Got my X Station 360 pro!

Don't need this kiddie fluff, got my FIFA right here with Gears and CoD and Destiny and shit. Once a year and I can just pay some cash to unlock all the good stuff. Sorted mate. (innit?)

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soupymit
22/10/2016 10:46:18 pm

izzit, totally get ya!

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Ganapan
21/10/2016 04:26:19 am

Definitely Nintendo can't win. Either they are critisied for not being xboxs/ps' or not innovative enough. I'll end up thinking that microsoft and sony are the smartest of all for just iterating the same thing over and over again with a little more power. This practice seems to attract less unwanted attention.
I like the idea of being able to play big games on a handheld AND on a big TV; it also seems what the WiiU needed to be from the beginning.

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Quickshot
21/10/2016 09:05:15 am

The bit about public conveniences and braying like a mule utterly floored me. Went to bed laughing at that and reread it first thing today. Thanks Biffo, you're ace.

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Fancy Pants
21/10/2016 09:17:40 am

I was just left with an overwhelming feeling of “MEH”, but that could be due to all the leaks being spot on and the ad just confirming what we already knew. The Switch will be relatively underpowered, so every multi format title will either be rubbish or simply non-existent (same as the Wii U). I can’t shake the feeling that it’s just a rebranded Android tablet with a cheapo dock and a horrible bolt on controller. As a 42 year old, it just doesn’t seem to be for me. Who is it for though? Certainly a 20something, as in the ad, wouldn’t cart around a huge single function device on the off chance of playing a bit of Mario. My 9 year old son said “This actually looks really cool” – so he will probably be the sole owner of a Switch amongst his friends. Same as he is with his Wii U. If there is a version of Pilot Wings for it, it will be a day one purchase for him.

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Simon 'saint' Templar
21/10/2016 10:34:59 am

Shibata has got it right, i'm only just beginning to imagine the world of possibilities this opens up! i can play it right here, or over there, or there...or near that thing....or just up there, near that post

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Kara Van Park
21/10/2016 01:13:13 pm

Look at the Wii U. Do you think the people that rejected it thought "I'd love one, but only if I could play it on a train."?

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Chris Wyatt
21/10/2016 02:08:22 pm

I laughed at the bloke in the park playing on it, after dark. If you lived in a dodgy area you wouldn't be playing such an expensive piece of kit in public, and I've always felt a bit self-conscious playing my DS in public (but the problem lies with me there).

But adverts seem to contain a make believe world where everyone has a big gaping grin on their face. I'd be able to identify with the advert more if they were ugly and grumpy. Adverts just put me off, but then I guess they aren't aimed at me.

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Mr Three Dee
21/10/2016 02:25:42 pm

The switch comes across as basically a handheld console with TV out. Consequently I wouldn't expect to pay more than £150-£200 for it, in line with handheld console pricing.

Anything significantly above that price is unlikely to sell many units, in my opinion.

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Muddy puddle
21/10/2016 02:54:20 pm

First impressions meh I'll stick with my wiiu I've still got a big backlog.

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Rakladtor V
22/10/2016 02:17:24 am

It's basically the PC Engine LT

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Rakladtor V
22/10/2016 02:19:40 am

Hopefully it will offer Super CD-ROM compatibility!!

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Chris Wyatt
22/10/2016 02:50:18 am

It better support photo CD; otherwise Ninth aren't getting a single penny off me

Rakladtor V
22/10/2016 06:39:24 am

Nintendo didn't manufacture the Super CD-Rom, so wouldn't be responsible for photo CD compatibility issues. Your ire would be better directed at NEC

Rakladtor V
22/10/2016 05:12:53 am

As someone who finds hipsters and adverts repulsive, the trailer didn't lame me out in the slightest. It seemed to convey a good time for all and the product itself has a solid look about it.

Ok it didn't appear there was anyone above 30yrs in the ad, but I saw focus. A significant portion of Nintendo's customer base are coming into their twenties now, their interest in Pikachu is waning and they want something more sophisticated.

Impressing a strong herd of early adopters is crucial, as post Wii U, Nintendo realise that bad sales out the gate would lead to bad publicity and could even wreck the Switch in it's first year. I think Nintendo see the twenty-something smash bros/splatoon herd as the strongest group of potential early adopters, and is reassuring their fickle asses that Nintendo has grown up alongside them, but not so much that they'll be gaming with grandad.

I noticed the new Mario offers a behind player view, hopefully a decent progression of Sunshine/Galaxy is in the pipeline

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Rakladtor V
22/10/2016 05:33:17 am

At this stage it's the meat of the existing customer base that Nintendo need to be impress with their trailer, in order to generate initial hype. If they get the ball rolling, I expect they'll extend their focus to other demographics

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soupymit
22/10/2016 10:52:47 pm

Can't disagree, like the trailer, love nintendo's home grown games, wish they'd release more, console looks tight, jaded enough to wait for the Switch new eXsmall version. ultimately I don't know how affordable it will be.

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Billy-Bob Thorthon
22/10/2016 12:14:26 pm

Skyrim in bed seems like the cosiest thing ever tho.

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Soupymit
22/10/2016 10:58:34 pm

I just want a sofa experience. Neither bus nor bed nor train interest me.

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Dave L
23/10/2016 02:33:10 pm

I think age is a definite factor in both Mr. Biffo's review and some other comments. I'm 60, and in poor health. I had to give up on NDS/PSV due to hands and eyes unable to handle devices that small and blocky around 2010, and skipped the Wii U because I can't handle two planes of focus as far apart as the TV and the Gamepad with or without glasses.

I've been looking for something with the form factor of the Switch ever since, but I found a viable answer last year with iPad Mini+Gamevice — like others in this thread I only needed laptop, not actual on-the-go gaming. Even a 16:9 game would be 6.4"x3.6" 2048x1152 there, compared to ~5.6"x3.2" 1280x720 on the Switch. That's actually a big difference up close.

Of course, pretty much any first-party Switch title is going to have better *gameplay* than any game that will ever be released for iAnything, and my normal rule with Nintendo hardware is "if it has a new Zelda: TAKE MY RUPEES", but I don't see my self pre-ordering, queuing, or early adopting. I suspect if I buy at all, it will end up docked to the TV and I'll be playing with the Pro controller; and with every other console, TV, and game maker trying to upsell 4K, NS could easily end up a TV-resolution-cycle behind the way the Wii did with HDTVs.

Price: irrelevant. I can afford it. Hipsters: irrelevant. I can afford to ignore them.

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Rakladtor V
27/10/2016 06:04:27 am

Instant respect for anyone such as yourself who's stuck around since videogames appeared, you're the only ones who have experienced it all

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