Nintendo announces updated Switch with a larger OLED display, 64GB of storage, improved...

[Geralt]

It's not really about Nintendo not competing with Sony and Microsoft... It's Sony and Microsoft that can't compete with Nintendo. All you have to do is look at game sales. Nintendo trumps both of them. Add in the fact that Nintendo actually sells their hardware at a profit, unlike Sony and Microsoft, and really, Nintendo is simply in a league of their own.

Sony and Microsoft were also trying to compete with Nintendo in other areas... Sony tried competing with Nintendo's handhelds with the PSP, and failed. Microsoft tried competing with the Wii by incorporating Kinect, and failed.. And so on and so on.

Strong hardware isn't everything. And this has been proven again and again and again. And Nintendo is charging this for the new Switch, because they know they can get away with it.

But they are boring, not revolutionary, not exciting. They are good businessmen only, but zero understanding about what really moves the gaming market: Emotions. I don't feel any emotion (positive at least) having to deal with their crappy Wii or with their little boring things like Switch. OK, it is difficult to express what I really want to say.

 

[Edster]

But they are boring, not revolutionary, not exciting. They are good businessmen only, but zero understanding about what really moves the gaming market: Emotions. I don't feel any emotion (positive at least) having to deal with their crappy Wii or with their little boring things like Switch. OK, it is difficult to express what I really want to say.

I find it deeply ironic people are saying Nintendo are boring in relation to the PS5 and Xbox Series whatever; considering the "revolution" in this new generation is literally just faster parts that PC has seen for years mostly. This is speaking from a PS5 owner perspective. At least PS5 has some fancy pansy controller and SSD that they marketed, I can't think of any reason to get the new Xbox. But point is, both companies are ultimately doing the whole "plug in console to TV and play with controller" shtick they had been doing since their first console. Sony and Microsoft haven't tried anything "new" that wasn't seen in PC or Nintendo or from earlier consoles, those 2 are the boring, not revolutionary, not exciting companies in the gaming space.

Whereas this Switch is more like the "Pro" version of their consoles. Like, what did you expect? They didn't exactly market as "Switch 2".

And speaking of emotions. None have tied people more than Nintendo has, the fanatic following Pokemon and Zelda has is amazing, these 2 franchises single handedly propped up the handheld and console for Nintendo for over 2 decades. Mario Kart and Smash Bros has also been a staple in parties for a lot of people. They may not had been games you grow up with, they were certainly not mine, but they definitely left a lot of positive emotion to a lot of people.

 

[Geralt]

I find it deeply ironic people are saying Nintendo are boring in relation to the PS5 and Xbox Series whatever; considering the "revolution" in this new generation is literally just faster parts that PC has seen for years mostly. This is speaking from a PS5 owner perspective. At least PS5 has some fancy pansy controller and SSD that they marketed, I can't think of any reason to get the new Xbox. But point is, both companies are ultimately doing the whole "plug in console to TV and play with controller" shtick they had been doing since their first console. Sony and Microsoft haven't tried anything "new" that wasn't seen in PC or Nintendo or from earlier consoles, those 2 are the boring, not revolutionary, not exciting companies in the gaming space.

Whereas this Switch is more like the "Pro" version of their consoles. Like, what did you expect? They didn't exactly market as "Switch 2".

And speaking of emotions. None have tied people more than Nintendo has, the fanatic following Pokemon and Zelda has is amazing, these 2 franchises single handedly propped up the handheld and console for Nintendo for over 2 decades. Mario Kart and Smash Bros has also been a staple in parties for a lot of people. They may not had been games you grow up with, they were certainly not mine, but they definitely left a lot of positive emotion to a lot of people.

They need to stop milking Mario, Zelda and all that. There is nothing glorious in those games (anno 2021). I bought such a big hardware to play real "modern" games, not that crap which was very popular in the 80's. I cannot imagine deciding if I will play Mario or Horizon Zero Dawn. It is anno 2021, and it is time for Nintendo to release something exciting and modern. And on top of that their boring/old crap is very expensive.

 

[Scshadow]

I'm neither overwhelmed nor underwhelmed. I'm just whelmed. It's probably a fair upgrade for $50. Nothing crazy though. I would've liked to have seen the LAN port on the original dock for sure. That wide stand should've always been there. It just feels like they're out to fix the original

 

[gamerk2]

Nintendo and its little things always. When will they release a serious console competing with PS5 and Xbox?

They won't. At this point, you buy a Nintendo console to buy Nintendo's IP; that's it. People are going to purchase their console whether it costs them $100 to make the HW, or $500. So why not just pocket the extra change and cheap the HW to do just barely what Nintendo's SW department needs? It's not like Nintendo is going to get much third party support anyway.

Simply put: What purpose would 4k even serve when Nintendo has no third party support anyways? Besides, the Tegra derived chipset isn't nearly powerful enough; Nintendo would need a full HW refresh to even approach 4k at playable speeds, let alone keeping power draw to a minimum.

 

[gamerk2]

They need to stop milking Mario, Zelda and all that. There is nothing glorious in those games (anno 2021). I bought such a big hardware to play real "modern" games, not that crap which was very popular in the 80's. I cannot imagine deciding if I will play Mario or Horizon Zero Dawn. It is anno 2021, and it is time for Nintendo to release something exciting and modern. And on top of that their boring/old crap is very expensive.

This is what Nintendo has *always* been; they've bled third party support since the first Playstation came out, and Nintendo has shown they have no capacity to come up with more then one or two new IPs per generation. They aren't targeting gamers; they are targeting children and adults who are feeling nostalgic.

Nintendo would be far better off going Sega and just being a third party, but Nintendo has such an insular culture that they are convinced they are special. But eventually, their limited IP won't be enough to keep them afloat as a console manufacturer.

 

[AMN3S1AC]

This is what Nintendo has *always* been; they've bled third party support since the first Playstation came out, and Nintendo has shown they have no capacity to come up with more then one or two new IPs per generation. They aren't targeting gamers; they are targeting children and adults who are feeling nostalgic.

Nintendo would be far better off going Sega and just being a third party, but Nintendo has such an insular culture that they are convinced they are special. But eventually, their limited IP won't be enough to keep them afloat as a console manufacturer.

Nintendo's valuation and profits suggest that they are fine doing what they are doing.

 

[AMN3S1AC]

They need to stop milking Mario, Zelda and all that. There is nothing glorious in those games (anno 2021). I bought such a big hardware to play real "modern" games, not that crap which was very popular in the 80's. I cannot imagine deciding if I will play Mario or Horizon Zero Dawn. It is anno 2021, and it is time for Nintendo to release something exciting and modern. And on top of that their boring/old crap is very expensive.

I got more fun out of Mario Odyssey and BOTW than I did with Horizon.

 

[punctualturn]

Sony or Microsoft should do something like this:

AYA NEO | handheld gaming device

www.ayaneo.com

 

[texasrattler]

Why everyone likes... I don't like those little things. I want a real screen, in the first place. What a crappy screen size they give you, and how expensive it is.

I dont disagree but the masses do as they keep buying it.

 

[nismo91]

They aren't targeting gamers; they are targeting children and adults who are feeling nostalgic.

.

Cant agree more with this.

bought my brother an nintendo switch lite in march to let him have some nostalgic playing old-school games that isn't available in his ipad.

I was stunned when I first setup the device, that I had to lie about my region to be able to access the eShop. if you select Asia, you can only choose: Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan and Hongkong. well I guess since they have earned so much money, the other 3 billion people in Asia don't really matter to them huh. inside the eShop I was also disappointed to see there aren't alot of games to begin with. I know eShop is no steam but even the xbox store during the 360 era sells way more titles im sure.

I knew I messed up. had I done more research into I would have spend twice and get a PS4. at least I don't have to lie about my region and zip code to be able to buy games.

honestly I can't imagine if EA and Nintendo ever teams up.

 

[texasrattler]

It's not really about Nintendo not competing with Sony and Microsoft... It's Sony and Microsoft that can't compete with Nintendo. All you have to do is look at game sales. Nintendo trumps both of them. Add in the fact that Nintendo actually sells their hardware at a profit, unlike Sony and Microsoft, and really, Nintendo is simply in a league of their own.

Sony and Microsoft were also trying to compete with Nintendo in other areas... Sony tried competing with Nintendo's handhelds with the PSP, and failed. Microsoft tried competing with the Wii by incorporating Kinect, and failed.. And so on and so on.

Strong hardware isn't everything. And this has been proven again and again and again. And Nintendo is charging this for the new Switch, because they know they can get away with it.

That's exactly what was being talked about.

MS dont need to make a profit off of a console which is they don't worry about console sales. They are in the services/software business, like they always have been.

Sony nor MS has never tried to compete against Nintendo, they never have needed to. They have tried various things n products to see what's best or works for their company.
The kinect actually wasn't a failure. It may not have done what MS wanted originally but it did n does work in other areas that it wasn't intended for. It's tracking capabilities were groundbreaking.

Strong hardware is everything to the right buyer. Nintendo don't cater to pc gamers, graphics or memory. The new consoles can n do.
There is a market for just about everything in this world, just need the right market n marketing to make money.

 

[SirDigby]

Man this is so disappointing. Most of us were hoping for an actual upgrade, switch struggles with like 30% of the games in its catalogue, and the other 60% are small indie / puzzle games / mobile ports that ran on phones 10 years ago. The last 10% are actually optimised for switch, usually first party games, but Mario Kart and Hyrule Warriors still get massive slowdown.

We want 4K output (AI upscaled, native is unreasonable for competitive price point) and we want more reliable, consistent system performance.

 

[Puiu]

It's theoretically possible that something changed in the chip (e.g. a clock bump), since the tech specs for all three models only mentions "CPU/GPU NVIDIA Custom Tegra processor" (https://www.nintendo.com/switch/tech-specs), but I seriously doubt they'd do that without mentioning it in ads or other marketing content. And DLSS is basically out of the question, as the new Switch and dock still top out at 1080p TV output, so it'd be very underutilized.

Other than maybe different clock speeds (highly unlikely though), the new Switch is getting the exact same chip. Such a big disappointment, especially when its even their first party titles that need extra power.

 

[NightAntilli]

But they are boring, not revolutionary, not exciting. They are good businessmen only, but zero understanding about what really moves the gaming market: Emotions. I don't feel any emotion (positive at least) having to deal with their crappy Wii or with their little boring things like Switch. OK, it is difficult to express what I really want to say.

Ok... So... I'm simply going to tackle the revolutionary part with a couple of examples. The rest will speak for itself. Nintendo is supposedly not revolutionary, while;

- Having Mario and Pokemon as a franchise, which were revolutionary from the beginning
- Having a successful handheld with two screens, including a touch screen, and using that touch screen to have gameplay never seen before
- Having a successful console with motion control at its center. No other console did that before
- Having a successful device that is basically both a handheld and a home console.

You may find them boring and not exciting, but the data tells otherwise. There is a reason the best selling games exclusive games are all Nintendo games.

MS dont need to make a profit off of a console which is they don't worry about console sales. They are in the services/software business, like they always have been.

And Nintendo aren't...? Microsoft has a myriad of software and services. Nintendo focuses this on mainly games.
Saying that Microsoft don't need to make a profit off of a console is backwards. They HAVE to sell the console at a loss to get any sort of fan base / market share in the first place. If there is one complaint that was always thrown at MS is that you don't need an Xbox if you have a PC. It's only now that they are actually capitalizing on this. And at least they are innovating with GamePass.

Sony nor MS has never tried to compete against Nintendo, they never have needed to. They have tried various things n products to see what's best or works for their company.

So the reason that both Sony and Microsoft went with motion controls just after the success of the Wii is just a coincidence... Uhuh... Of course....

The kinect actually wasn't a failure. It may not have done what MS wanted originally but it did n does work in other areas that it wasn't intended for. It's tracking capabilities were groundbreaking.

That it worked in other areas is irrelevant. We are talking gaming here. Let's stick to the subject at hand shall we?
Whether something is a failure or not is whether it was profitable or not, helped the gaming platform or not, and got users (I.e. gamers) interested or not. Kinect was not profitable, it ruined the reputation and success of the Xbox One, and was ditched by pretty much everyone in the gaming space.
How 'groundbreaking' it was is irrelevant if it couldn't appeal to the mass market. The PSP is another prime example of a product that on paper was great but in practice was simply a failure.

Strong hardware is everything to the right buyer.

Yeah. Bugatti is also everything to the right buyer. But most people still have Toyotas.

Nintendo don't cater to pc gamers, graphics or memory. The new consoles can n do.
There is a market for just about everything in this world, just need the right market n marketing to make money.

A lot of PC gamers would actually buy a Nintendo console on the side, while they are hard-pressed to buy an Xbox and even PlayStation on the side, especially today. If you care about hardware, PC is the primary option. If you care about innovative gameplay or exclusives, Nintendo is still king. The PS and Xbox are for the ones that either don't have the money to buy a PC, don't have the know-how to build a PC, or are simply brand-loyal to either console.

Gaming is about having unique interactive experiences. Improved hardware can enhance those experiences, and that is all welcome. But better hardware should not be the primarily goal in and of itself, because it does not automatically mean better games. Example? Which game is better?
Need for Speed Underground 2, or, Need for Speed Payback...?
Halo CE or Halo 5?
Mass Effect 2 or Mass Effect Andromeda?
Exactly.
The ones that care about the most powerful hardware are not actually interested in gaming, but in bragging and prick-waving about their purchases. That's why there are so many console warriors. That's why there are so many Intel/nVidia/AMD fanboys. And that's why it's so offensive to people to say that Nintendo is the most successful gaming brand and platform out there. They cannot accept that weaker hardware can actually be more successful than stronger hardware. Unfortunately for these people, the numbers speak for themselves. Hardware is a means to an end, not the end in and of itself. Nintendo understands this better than everyone else.

And I'm far from a Nintendo fanboy, before someone calls me that. I game primarily on PC, I actually have an Xbox One, and yes, I did buy a Switch recently, and, it's great. But, if there is one thing I really dislike about Nintendo is how aggressive they are in cracking down on communities, like what happened to that ROM site owner, or, shutting down PokeMMO, instead of embracing it or adopting it. There was no need for that. That's all unfortunate, but, they are the most successful gaming brand for a reason. Denying that does not change reality.

 

[EdmondRC]

The Nintendo Switch is a great system, it has redefined Nintendo and it continues to be the best way to experience handheld games. In my opinion, Nintendo has nothing to gain with a Switch Pro. They have nothing to gain by trying to compete with MS or Sony either. They have a large circulating audience of young people and let's just be honest, Nintendo is primarily focused on the 6-12 audience as well as the families that have kids in that age range. Even their few "T" rated games, most parents have no problems letting their younger kids play. But, Nintendo makes their games appeal to both their primary audience and adults by making AAA games for essentially everyone to enjoy. Despite calls for Nintendo to compete, its absolutely the worse thing they could do. They need to keep their systems less expensive and keep the wide appeal of Nintendo first party titles. There is plenty that Nintendo could do better, that's for sure, but trying to be a direct competitor to MS and Sony is not one of them.

 

[mbrowne5061]

Having money doesn't mean you can or do compete. Cause they don't. They also realized that long ago which is why after the wii they won't do any hardware console other than a handheld. They learned and realized they could NOT compete n turned to making a handheld n not another console. Was the right move n have made billions. Prior to that they struggled to even be relevant. Switch and amiibos changed all that for them.

"Market cap" isn't money that any company "has". It is [share price] x [number of shares outstanding]. This is what the company is valued at by its investors, based on revenues, costs, and sometimes projected future growth (depending on an investor's philosophy of market pricing - is growth "priced in" to the price already, or not).
Simply put: Nintendo is more profitable than the gaming divisions of Microsoft or Sony, and investors value the company more than they do Xbox or Playstation.

 

[mbrowne5061]

But they are not exciting. They have money only.

Excitement is subjective, money is objective. Objectively, Nintendo is more competitive than Sony or Microsoft, and by a very large margin.