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Nintendo has been trying to blend mobile and console gaming since the Gamecube (anyone else remember the GBA link??). I think they've finally succeeded in a way

by zelias 10y ago

Nintendo has been trying to blend mobile and console gaming since the Gamecube (anyone else remember the GBA link??). I think they've finally succeeded in a way that can make the transition between the two seamless. In a space currently dominated by two nearly-identical competitors (XBONE and PS4), I think Nintendo has the opportunity to capture a large portion of the market.

slantyyz 10y ago
I'm very intrigued by this console. I switched to Steam after the PS3 and thought I'd never get a TV based console again. I really love the slide-in controllers. A few things I hope for would be: * Open specs for the slide-in controllers so that third parties can satisfy various niches (like the fighting game community) * A standard USB-C or micro-USB charging port so that people can use their existing power banks/chargers * A well implemented eStore (with purchases that aren't bound to a single device) with a huge back catalog of games from their older consoles * Compatibility with Nintendo's older wireless controllers
- ianai 10y ago
  What would be the business decision for them allowing cross device purchases? They might be selling the console at a loss for game revenue.
  - slantyyz 10y ago
    IIRC, it was a huge issue for the 3DS. If you lost or damaged your 3DS, it was a real pain to get all your downloaded games back on a replacement device.
    - astrange 10y ago
      It's no problem since they introduced actual accounts (Nintendo ID). But you still lose your 3DS friends list, and games can only be installed on one system at a time.
  - nf05papsjfVbc 10y ago
    Nintendo hasn't sold devices at a loss unlike some other game console makers. At one point they were the only major console provider to make a profit on the device.
    - ianai 10y ago
      I think I'd forgotten that point. I also think they could just straight offer a second tier i.e. $10 for the device-linked game and $20 for the device-unliked.
    - r-w 10y ago
      I think the person to whom you were replying may have meant that there would be a loss in game revenue.
- PrimHelios 10y ago
  > Compatibility with Nintendo's older wireless controllers Well, it looks like it uses bluetooth. If it uses a standard bluetooth stack, they might let other BT controllers (such as the PS4, Wii U Pro and Xbone) work with the system. I really have a lot of high hopes for this, but I don't wanna get super excited without knowing any of the specs.
  - btym 10y ago
    > other BT controllers (such as the PS4, Wii U Pro and Xbone) The Xbone controllers use some proprietary Wi-Fi-based protocol, don't they? Not Bluetooth.
    - rtkwe 10y ago
      They released a new controller with the XBox One S that was released mid-year that uses Bluetooth finally.
ianai 10y ago
In my experience those customers have a windows/Mac fanboy style visceral reaction to Nintendo's "different" consoles.
monocasa 10y ago
Even before that, they had the N64 Transfer Pak. And before that they had the SuperGameboy. They've been trying to blend mobile and console since they had both.
- r-w 10y ago
  I wouldn't call that blending. That's just making it convenient to have both. What they're doing now is combining them into the same device.
  - monocasa 10y ago
    I mean, the SuperGameBoy literally let you play GameBoy games on your TV. And it was hidden way deep inside of it, but Pokemon Stadium 2 had a GameBoy emulator that ran out of a Transfer Pak.
- city41 10y ago
  And the Gameboy Player for the GameCube.
daodedickinson 10y ago
Well, the Super Game Boy and the Transfer Pak were right along that continuum with the GBA link.
blakeyrat 10y ago
The Xbone and PS4 can both play Skyrim and Fallout 4. Nothing Nintendo's put out can come close. Just sayin'. Different people have different priorities when it comes to gaming.
- touristtam 10y ago
  Yeah but then would you really restrict yourself to this kind of hardware?
- rafaelvasco 10y ago
  Well, Nintendo is all about Exclusives. The moment they change that they're doomed.
- ben174 10y ago
  Not sure if you noticed in the Switch launch video, but that's Skyrim they're playing. It looks like Nintendo is putting some effort into third party this time, and they'll be the only "console" which allows you to play "console" third party games portably. Pretty significant advantage.
  - TheBranca18 10y ago
    That's quite a jump you made there: a port of a game that came out in 2011. I don't really think getting Skyrim is a big deal. If you were around for the Wii U launch, they got a ton of third party ports. Comically a game like Mass Effect 3 when I'm pretty sure the first two games didn't appear on any Nintendo platform. I'd also be wary about battery life. The 3DS and its sleep mode aren't known for being very good on that front.
  - blakeyrat 10y ago
    It has Skyrim-- only 5 years late! So impressive. The fact that they're showing off Skyrim, a 2011 game, in their 2017 console launch video doesn't say much for their hardware's abilities. It says a lot about how beloved Skyrim is, though.
- ihuman 10y ago
jmkni 10y ago
Sega did this before with the Dreamcast

by zelias 10y ago

slantyyz 10y ago

I'm very intrigued by this console. I switched to Steam after the PS3 and thought I'd never get a TV based console again. I really love the slide-in controllers. A few things I hope for would be: * Open specs for the slide-in controllers so that third parties can satisfy various niches (like the fighting game community) * A standard USB-C or micro-USB charging port so that people can use their existing power banks/chargers * A well implemented eStore (with purchases that aren't bound to a single device) with a huge back catalog of games from their older consoles * Compatibility with Nintendo's older wireless controllers

ianai 10y ago
What would be the business decision for them allowing cross device purchases? They might be selling the console at a loss for game revenue.
- slantyyz 10y ago
  IIRC, it was a huge issue for the 3DS. If you lost or damaged your 3DS, it was a real pain to get all your downloaded games back on a replacement device.
  - astrange 10y ago
    It's no problem since they introduced actual accounts (Nintendo ID). But you still lose your 3DS friends list, and games can only be installed on one system at a time.
- nf05papsjfVbc 10y ago
  Nintendo hasn't sold devices at a loss unlike some other game console makers. At one point they were the only major console provider to make a profit on the device.
  - ianai 10y ago
    I think I'd forgotten that point. I also think they could just straight offer a second tier i.e. $10 for the device-linked game and $20 for the device-unliked.
  - r-w 10y ago
    I think the person to whom you were replying may have meant that there would be a loss in game revenue.
PrimHelios 10y ago
> Compatibility with Nintendo's older wireless controllers Well, it looks like it uses bluetooth. If it uses a standard bluetooth stack, they might let other BT controllers (such as the PS4, Wii U Pro and Xbone) work with the system. I really have a lot of high hopes for this, but I don't wanna get super excited without knowing any of the specs.
- btym 10y ago
  > other BT controllers (such as the PS4, Wii U Pro and Xbone) The Xbone controllers use some proprietary Wi-Fi-based protocol, don't they? Not Bluetooth.
  - rtkwe 10y ago
    They released a new controller with the XBox One S that was released mid-year that uses Bluetooth finally.

ianai 10y ago

In my experience those customers have a windows/Mac fanboy style visceral reaction to Nintendo's "different" consoles.

monocasa 10y ago

Even before that, they had the N64 Transfer Pak. And before that they had the SuperGameboy. They've been trying to blend mobile and console since they had both.

r-w 10y ago
I wouldn't call that blending. That's just making it convenient to have both. What they're doing now is combining them into the same device.
- monocasa 10y ago
  I mean, the SuperGameBoy literally let you play GameBoy games on your TV. And it was hidden way deep inside of it, but Pokemon Stadium 2 had a GameBoy emulator that ran out of a Transfer Pak.
city41 10y ago
And the Gameboy Player for the GameCube.

daodedickinson 10y ago

Well, the Super Game Boy and the Transfer Pak were right along that continuum with the GBA link.

blakeyrat 10y ago

The Xbone and PS4 can both play Skyrim and Fallout 4. Nothing Nintendo's put out can come close. Just sayin'. Different people have different priorities when it comes to gaming.

touristtam 10y ago
Yeah but then would you really restrict yourself to this kind of hardware?
rafaelvasco 10y ago
Well, Nintendo is all about Exclusives. The moment they change that they're doomed.
ben174 10y ago
Not sure if you noticed in the Switch launch video, but that's Skyrim they're playing. It looks like Nintendo is putting some effort into third party this time, and they'll be the only "console" which allows you to play "console" third party games portably. Pretty significant advantage.
- TheBranca18 10y ago
  That's quite a jump you made there: a port of a game that came out in 2011. I don't really think getting Skyrim is a big deal. If you were around for the Wii U launch, they got a ton of third party ports. Comically a game like Mass Effect 3 when I'm pretty sure the first two games didn't appear on any Nintendo platform. I'd also be wary about battery life. The 3DS and its sleep mode aren't known for being very good on that front.
- blakeyrat 10y ago
  It has Skyrim-- only 5 years late! So impressive. The fact that they're showing off Skyrim, a 2011 game, in their 2017 console launch video doesn't say much for their hardware's abilities. It says a lot about how beloved Skyrim is, though.
ihuman 10y ago

jmkni 10y ago

Sega did this before with the Dreamcast