Nintendo Switch Thread (March 3 2017 worldwide, US$299)

[pixel]

Just had a thought: I think touchscreen capabilities could come from your phone. What if they had an app that acted like Microsoft's Smartglass?

[Dr. Zoidberg]

http://www.famitsu.com/news/201610/21118771.html

Famitsu asked Nintendo about several issues regarding NS. Here is the summary of the article. As my Japanese is crappy, please tell me if there are any mistakes.

- NS is not the successor of Wii U
- NS is not backward compatible with Wii U and 3DS
- NS will be packaged with Joy-Con(L) and Joy-Con(R)
- The packaging of other accessories will be announced separately for different regions before launch
- Cartridge is called "Game Card" internally
- Specifications of cartridge will be announced before launch
- Battery life will be announced later. The development team aims at allowing players to play NS conveniently at places without electricity connection.
- At this moment, no information on compatibility of smartphone apps can be provided

[Matisfaction]

Just had a thought: I think touchscreen capabilities could come from your phone. What if they had an app that acted like Microsoft's Smartglass?

A touch screen seems like a no brainier, especially if it runs video apps like Netflix etc, the point of having detachable controllers would be to use the screen as a tablet, surely?

[Hawq]

Nintendo confirms that the Switch dock provides "some basic additional functionality"

The main console unit of Nintendo Switch is the LCD screen and detachable Joy-Con controllers, while the dock will add some basic additional functionality.

"The Nintendo Switch Dock has been created so that it is extremely easy to seamlessly switch from playing games on a TV to transition into a portable mode," explained a Nintendo rep to IGN.

"The dock is not the main console unit of Nintendo Switch. The main unit of Nintendo Switch is the unit that has the LCD screen, which the two Joy-Con controllers can be attached to and detached from. The main function of the Nintendo Switch Dock is to provide an output to the TV, as well as charging and providing power to the system."

It's hard to know what functionality the dock will provide, other than being there to provide instant gameplay through your TV. Saying that though, it does look quite substantial, so maybe there is more to it than meets the eye.
source wonder what sort of "basic additional functionality" or should I saw I wonder what they class as basic?

[ian]

if the Switch takes off like the Wii did then they're going to pretty hard to get hold of at launch.

this is a damn good point.
I might pre order 5 at EB. (EB are taking preorders) if it's a flop, I just never pick them up.. but if it's a hit and everyone wants one, Sell those pre ordered consoles to hardcore Nintendo fans who have to own it for good profit! For some reason there are still a lot of people who buy shit like the 3DS and wii u and this actually looks good! Coupled with the fact that idiots pre ordered that mini NES first shipment out just recently. I think this could be a good ticket.

http://www.famitsu.com/news/201610/21118771.html

- NS is not the successor of Wii U

BULLSHIT!!!!
If it sells in stupid numbers you'll never see a wii again..

Kind of like how they said the DS is not the successor of the Gameboy advance? anyone remember that
Well it's more than a god damn decade and still waiting for a new gameboy.

I guess this switch counts as a new gameboy.. No apparent touch bullshit, no dual screen bullshit and no waggle bullshit. All it needs is a decent battery life (7 hours AT LEAST) and it may as well be called the gameboy home!

[Skynet]

Coupled with the fact that idiots pre ordered that mini NES first shipment out just recently.

Yeah, how dare those idiots be excited for something from their past that allows them to legally play games from their childhood in a relatively cheap manner. It's probably cheaper to buy the mini NES than buying those games individually on the Nintendo Shop. So what exactly makes them idiots? The fact that they're not breaking the law or the fact they're buying games they want to play again? The only other legal solution is buy a real NES and you wouldn't be able to buy one with 30 games for that price.

[pixel]

All it needs is a decent battery life (7 hours AT LEAST) and it may as well be called the gameboy home!

As soon as a device has more than 7 hours of battery life, it'll be too bulky and/or underpowered and you'll shitcan it

[ian]

All it needs is a decent battery life (7 hours AT LEAST) and it may as well be called the gameboy home!

As soon as a device has more than 7 hours of battery life, it'll be too bulky and/or underpowered and you'll shitcan it

Quite the opposite. The original gameboy was bulky as shit and underpowered... still had like 30 to 40 hours of battery life. I don't regret getting rid of any console or handheld, except my original gameboy.
the games have aged gracefully, and links awakening is still the only good zelda game.

Sure you couldn't play at night. But 30 god damn hours of tetris is as awesome today as it was back then.
and when you ran out of Battery.... oh swap out for another 30 hours. Or recharge if you had them.
You could get AA's cheap then, and even cheaper now.
I guess the last good handheld was the gameboy advance... also the last they made with decent battery life.

[Dr. Zoidberg]

The Game Boy's battery life was more around the 12 to 15 hour range, not 30.

Apparently the battery life on the Switch is 3 hours according to a couple of sources, one being Ubisoft and the other being Laura Dale (Podquisition). That's pretty shitty.

Also it has a multi-touch screen.






And in other news, people that pre-ordered the NES mini are smarter than people that buy slot cars and Daft Punk Coke bottles. Way smarter!

[Skynet]

And in other news, people that pre-ordered the NES mini are smarter than people that buy slot cars and Daft Punk Coke bottles. Way smarter!

[ian]

The Game Boy's battery life was more around the 12 to 15 hour range, not 30.

What shitty batteries were you using?

[Dr. Zoidberg]

Probably Eveready or Duracell back in those days. I never timed it back then, but Google it and most places say around 15 hours. Maybe playing just Tetris got it some extra hours.

I've still got an original GB so could test it out, but won't bother.

[Dr. Zoidberg]

[Matisfaction]

£250 would be a pretty sweet deal, console + handheld + tablet.

[Skynet]

That's roughly AU$329. So taking the Australia tax and GST into account, I'm guessing $399 or so?

[Dr. Zoidberg]

Yeah $400 sounds about right. The Wii U launched at around that price.

[Dr. Zoidberg]

Wall Street Journal: Investors “Hated” The Nintendo Switch

While the Nintendo Switch reveal was seen as a success by Nintendo fans and the media in general there’s a part of society that wasn’t happy with it. Yes, it was those investors. They weren’t happy with the console and want Nintendo to focus its efforts on mobile platforms rather than a handheld home console.

To the annoyance of investors, Nintendo remains focused on consoles—and in a bad way. It revealed its new Switch console last week, which investors hated.

Investors keep hoping such disastrous quarterly results will eventually get management to see that Nintendo’s future is more in mobile than consoles.

Source: My Nintendo News

Boo hoo.

[Dr. Zoidberg]

[Dr. Zoidberg]

Nintendo Switch has a 6.2" 720p multi-touch screen

What the trailer didn't tell you.

It's been a week since NX became Nintendo Switch and we finally learned all about Nintendo's next home console - except, actually we didn't learn all there is to it.

Last week's slick trailer gave a solid overview of Switch's core mechanics, but Eurogamer has learned about other features which were not shown or talked about.

A number of sources, including those who informed me of the Switch's design and detachable controllers back in July, have all confirmed other capabilities which Nintendo is currently keeping quiet.

Let's start with the Nintendo Switch's screen. It is 6.2" in size, 720p and - for the first time in any Nintendo device - boasts a capacitive multi-touch screen.

(Both 3DS and Wii U featured resistive touchscreens, reliant on pressure and less precise. They were also single-touch only.)

As is standard for capacitive devices such as most modern smartphones, Switch's screen is a 10-point multitouch display, meaning multi-finger gestures are supported.

Why not mention the touchscreen in the trailer, or show users playing with it? Perhaps Nintendo did not want to confuse its messaging of Switch being able to play standard home console games on the go.

Switch does not carry the DS or Wii U branding, for example, and both of those were defined - for better and worse - by their tablet-esque stylus controls. Demonstrating touchscreen on Switch now might suggest a continuation of both those brands rather than a brand new device.

The Switch trailer also focuses on a number of control methods already - playing using the JoyCon controllers with the main unit docked, then play with each JoyCon attached to the Switch itself on the go, then various multiplayer options.

Explaining how the touchscreen will work - and how it is an optional feature - is perhaps another level of complexity than is needed in a three-minute ad, which already has a lot of information to convey.

So, how will the touchscreen work when the Switch is docked? While connected to your TV the Switch itself is out of reach - you play either with both JoyCon controllers attached to the system's grip or with a Pro Controller. The Switch's touchscreen is almost entirely obscured within the console's dock.

The answer may lie hidden in the right-hand JoyCon, which houses a short-range IR sensor in its base. This could be used to point at the TV to replicate basic touchscreen functionality, picked up by a corresponding IR sensor in the Switch's dock.

Nintendo declined to comment when contacted about this article, although last week said it had "nothing to announce" on the possibility of a touchscreen.

A Nintendo Switch media briefing will be held on 13th January where more system features will likely be announced, as well as its exact release date and software launch line-up.

Source: Eurogamer

[Hawq]

January Brings The Nintendo Switch Price, Release Date, & Games Line-Up

anuary 2017 will open the curtains to the Switch's release date, price, and games line-up. Nintendo has announced that the grand unveiling will happen on the 12th, and the details will be livestreamed.

The reveal event is invite-only, and is restricted to the press, analysts, and partners, but don't worry about missing any of the action. As stated above, the event will be livestreamed for all to see. Nintendo will host events globally where press, partners, and consumers can have a play about with the Switch.

Nintendo has said that there's more to the Switch than what they've already revealed, and recent patents suggest that there may be very interesting features onboard.
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