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Lack of a virtual console I can understand, but are you really being dissuaded from purchasing a Switch based on its lack of web browser and Netflix -- two thin

Lack of a virtual console I can understand, but are you really being dissuaded from purchasing a Switch based on its lack of web browser and Netflix -- two things that run on half a dozen or more devices that the typical HN reader probably already owns?

danso 10y ago
Exactly...two things that are ubiquitous on modern devices, but aren't on the Switch because of what seems like rushed online infrastructure. Why should we have faith that Nintendo has successfully executed social matchmaking and account services, which are much more bespoke?
- iamatworknow 10y ago
  Maybe I'm a glass half full kind of guy but I'd like to believe they spent less effort on duplicating features that fulfill needs most buyers can already meet with other devices and more effort on features germane to the console itself, like the matchmaking and account services you mention. I could very well be wrong.
  - cwyers 10y ago
    For something portable like this, it would be appealing to have Netflix on the go on it. It could be the best screen you have with you, and multifunction means that you can potentially leave some other device at home.
    - iamatworknow 10y ago
      Fair point. But is that necessary at launch, or can it be a few weeks or months down the road? I'm guessing it will be.
      - cwyers 10y ago
        I think the larger point is, anyone else would have had it at launch, because it would have been both a no-brainer and no big deal. Netflix is generally pretty good about supporting ports of their client to anything that can run it. There's also no Virtual Console, the eShop isn't available for review yet... and Nintendo has a terrible track record on online services. The Wii U was even further behind on such matters than it was on graphics, compared to the Xbox One and PS4. You can argue that Nintendo shouldn't compete on graphics. But simple stuff like "downloadable games I buy should be linked to my account, not my console" are things they should be doing and have a really bad track record with. So I think Nintendo doesn't deserve a lot of the benefit of the doubt that they will get things like Netflix up-and-running on the Switch.
        throwaway91111 10y ago
        If Nintendo hadn't shipped a shitty Netflix app and instead got the console to work better it would have been worth buying.
        cwyers 10y ago
        I mean, they did neither. And Netflix would have done a lot of "free" work to put their app on the Switch.
    - throwaway91111 10y ago
      With just wifi? Why not use a tablet, which is going to give better video playback with a regularly updated app anyway?
      - izacus 10y ago
        Because it's another expensive device you need to buy, carry with you (+0.5kg!) and keep charged (+weight for all the chargers, because of course iPad won't use USB-C ;) )
  - nilkn 10y ago
    The Switch is basically a high-powered tablet with proper gaming controls. I'd love it if it could actually replace "real" tablets. As it is, we're going to have two separate classes of tablets: those that are actually good at gaming (Switch), and those that are good at everything else (iPad, etc.). That said, it's easy to see why Nintendo's focusing on gaming: it's their core competency, nobody else in the tablet space does serious non-casual gaming well, and it would be a tremendous undertaking to make the Switch into a real iPad competitor.
    - throwaway91111 10y ago
      I already have a tablet. I certainly don't want to browse anything with shitty Nintendo software. They should focus on games. Hell, this is the best sign yet that the switch will have SOME value beyond "you can play the latest Mario here"
      - seanmcdirmid 10y ago
        Do you really want to carry both an iPad and a switch in your bag, though?
        hug 10y ago
        I would much rather carry a Switch and an iPad rather than something that amounts to an iPad with awful tacked on gaming controls, with the kind of games the iPad is known for. Multipurpose portable utility computing platforms are all well and good, but in a general sense are a jack of all trades and master of none. I prefer to read on a kindle. I prefer to type on a laptop. I prefer to watch movies on an iPad. I carry my DS in case I want to game. I also carry a DSLR in case I feel like taking photos. I can guarantee I get more work done on my laptop on the train than the guy with his iPad, and I take better photos than the guy with his phone out. I like to think I enjoy the gaming I do on the train more than the people playing bejewelled to pass time.
        seanmcdirmid 10y ago
  - SilkRoadie 10y ago
    The thing is I don't want to carry multiple devices or have tonnes of things plugged into my tv. I want to turn on a device and watch Netflix or YouTube. I also got the WiiU late on a whim and it wasn't a good purchase. The switch looks like what the WiiU should have been but still seems underpowered compared to other things I can plug into my TV. I already have a PS4. I cannot see the switch replacing it without the basics of a decent online system and access to streaming services.
    - matthewmacleod 10y ago
      I'm not really clear why it's a problem to have more than one device plugged into a TV, especially when they're going to have such a different selection of games.
- VLM 10y ago
  Something only 60s/70s kids will remember is the bubble in digital LCD clocks in the early 80s meant the average 80s kitchen had over 15 digital clocks in it, and keeping them set or covering the screen with electricians tape was an annoyance. I'm happy to be down to 4 digital clocks to maintain in my kitchen and I could achieve a mere 1 with some effort. I'm happy I don't have to install and maintain a netflix account on my bathroom scale and my car keyless entry keyfob and my digital picture frame and my outdoor thermometer. Might be an early sign that Netflix on Everything is post bubble peak.
  - nsxwolf 10y ago
    There were so many of those cheap little LCD clock modules with the two little buttons to set the time. They were crammed into absolutely everything. It was like we were thinking, we desperately want the future to be here, but we don't have the technology yet, so these will do.
    - btschaegg 10y ago
      This reminds me of a comment by Douglas Adams in which he pointed out the absurdity of regular clocks/watches going out of fashion at about the same time as pie charts became insanely popular (since a traditional watch works more or less exactly like a pie chart). While this is just a funny thing to notice, it really shows that both technical product design and fashion often depend more on a "look what we can do now!" factor than actual practicality. Luckily, there are more and more product designers who recognize that minimalism is often the better principle to base their work on.
      - mastazi 10y ago
        Remove the word "minimalism" from your comment and I'll upvote you ;-)
  - slg 10y ago
    I'm not sure that analogy works because an unmaintained Netflix isn't a blinking eyesore like an unset digital clock. I setup Netflix on my PC and on my tablet which casts to my TV. Other devices, like my Xbox or my TV itself, are no worse for having never been setup with Netflix.
squeaky-clean 10y ago
> but are you really being dissuaded from purchasing a Switch based on its lack of web browser and Netflix -- two things that run on half a dozen or more devices that the typical HN reader probably already owns? It's competing against those devices though. And not just for sales, but pocket/bag space. If I'm bringing a Switch somewhere, I don't really want to carry an iPad with me too if I want to watch something on Netflix.
- flukus 10y ago
  > It's competing against those devices though. It's not, it's a game machine. If you want to play games take a switch, if you want to do other things then take them.
  - tblair 10y ago
    Not to be too uncharitable, but did you read the rest of their comment? The very next words are that they don't want to bring multiple devices.
    - flukus 10y ago
      Yes, but it starts out with the assumption that the devices have the same function, which they don't. In a similar vain, a laptop will not replace either.
      - 83457 10y ago
        If you can't admit there is a huge overlap between mobile touch screen devices your are just being silly.
        flukus 10y ago
        Have you replaced you phone with your tablet/laptop or visa-versa? They're all mobile touch screens.
nickik 10y ago
I usually have a phone, and sometimes also a laptop. If a added the Switch it would be add a far superior viewing experience when I am sitting in the train and watching. Also, when Im playing video games and want to look up something, I would like it to be 2 clicks away and not on a different device. I think Nintendo could just sell these as tablets that are specially good for gaming. The people who already carry around tablet will not drop theirs until the Switch supports common stuff, and they will not buy a Switch because why add another device of the same size.

danso 10y ago

Exactly...two things that are ubiquitous on modern devices, but aren't on the Switch because of what seems like rushed online infrastructure. Why should we have faith that Nintendo has successfully executed social matchmaking and account services, which are much more bespoke?

iamatworknow 10y ago
Maybe I'm a glass half full kind of guy but I'd like to believe they spent less effort on duplicating features that fulfill needs most buyers can already meet with other devices and more effort on features germane to the console itself, like the matchmaking and account services you mention. I could very well be wrong.
- cwyers 10y ago
  For something portable like this, it would be appealing to have Netflix on the go on it. It could be the best screen you have with you, and multifunction means that you can potentially leave some other device at home.
  - iamatworknow 10y ago
    Fair point. But is that necessary at launch, or can it be a few weeks or months down the road? I'm guessing it will be.
    - cwyers 10y ago
      I think the larger point is, anyone else would have had it at launch, because it would have been both a no-brainer and no big deal. Netflix is generally pretty good about supporting ports of their client to anything that can run it. There's also no Virtual Console, the eShop isn't available for review yet... and Nintendo has a terrible track record on online services. The Wii U was even further behind on such matters than it was on graphics, compared to the Xbox One and PS4. You can argue that Nintendo shouldn't compete on graphics. But simple stuff like "downloadable games I buy should be linked to my account, not my console" are things they should be doing and have a really bad track record with. So I think Nintendo doesn't deserve a lot of the benefit of the doubt that they will get things like Netflix up-and-running on the Switch.
      - throwaway91111 10y ago
        If Nintendo hadn't shipped a shitty Netflix app and instead got the console to work better it would have been worth buying.
        cwyers 10y ago
        I mean, they did neither. And Netflix would have done a lot of "free" work to put their app on the Switch.
  - throwaway91111 10y ago
    With just wifi? Why not use a tablet, which is going to give better video playback with a regularly updated app anyway?
    - izacus 10y ago
      Because it's another expensive device you need to buy, carry with you (+0.5kg!) and keep charged (+weight for all the chargers, because of course iPad won't use USB-C ;) )
- nilkn 10y ago
  The Switch is basically a high-powered tablet with proper gaming controls. I'd love it if it could actually replace "real" tablets. As it is, we're going to have two separate classes of tablets: those that are actually good at gaming (Switch), and those that are good at everything else (iPad, etc.). That said, it's easy to see why Nintendo's focusing on gaming: it's their core competency, nobody else in the tablet space does serious non-casual gaming well, and it would be a tremendous undertaking to make the Switch into a real iPad competitor.
  - throwaway91111 10y ago
    I already have a tablet. I certainly don't want to browse anything with shitty Nintendo software. They should focus on games. Hell, this is the best sign yet that the switch will have SOME value beyond "you can play the latest Mario here"
    - seanmcdirmid 10y ago
      Do you really want to carry both an iPad and a switch in your bag, though?
      - hug 10y ago
        I would much rather carry a Switch and an iPad rather than something that amounts to an iPad with awful tacked on gaming controls, with the kind of games the iPad is known for. Multipurpose portable utility computing platforms are all well and good, but in a general sense are a jack of all trades and master of none. I prefer to read on a kindle. I prefer to type on a laptop. I prefer to watch movies on an iPad. I carry my DS in case I want to game. I also carry a DSLR in case I feel like taking photos. I can guarantee I get more work done on my laptop on the train than the guy with his iPad, and I take better photos than the guy with his phone out. I like to think I enjoy the gaming I do on the train more than the people playing bejewelled to pass time.
        seanmcdirmid 10y ago
- SilkRoadie 10y ago
  The thing is I don't want to carry multiple devices or have tonnes of things plugged into my tv. I want to turn on a device and watch Netflix or YouTube. I also got the WiiU late on a whim and it wasn't a good purchase. The switch looks like what the WiiU should have been but still seems underpowered compared to other things I can plug into my TV. I already have a PS4. I cannot see the switch replacing it without the basics of a decent online system and access to streaming services.
  - matthewmacleod 10y ago
    I'm not really clear why it's a problem to have more than one device plugged into a TV, especially when they're going to have such a different selection of games.
VLM 10y ago
Something only 60s/70s kids will remember is the bubble in digital LCD clocks in the early 80s meant the average 80s kitchen had over 15 digital clocks in it, and keeping them set or covering the screen with electricians tape was an annoyance. I'm happy to be down to 4 digital clocks to maintain in my kitchen and I could achieve a mere 1 with some effort. I'm happy I don't have to install and maintain a netflix account on my bathroom scale and my car keyless entry keyfob and my digital picture frame and my outdoor thermometer. Might be an early sign that Netflix on Everything is post bubble peak.
- nsxwolf 10y ago
  There were so many of those cheap little LCD clock modules with the two little buttons to set the time. They were crammed into absolutely everything. It was like we were thinking, we desperately want the future to be here, but we don't have the technology yet, so these will do.
  - btschaegg 10y ago
    This reminds me of a comment by Douglas Adams in which he pointed out the absurdity of regular clocks/watches going out of fashion at about the same time as pie charts became insanely popular (since a traditional watch works more or less exactly like a pie chart). While this is just a funny thing to notice, it really shows that both technical product design and fashion often depend more on a "look what we can do now!" factor than actual practicality. Luckily, there are more and more product designers who recognize that minimalism is often the better principle to base their work on.
    - mastazi 10y ago
      Remove the word "minimalism" from your comment and I'll upvote you ;-)
- slg 10y ago
  I'm not sure that analogy works because an unmaintained Netflix isn't a blinking eyesore like an unset digital clock. I setup Netflix on my PC and on my tablet which casts to my TV. Other devices, like my Xbox or my TV itself, are no worse for having never been setup with Netflix.

squeaky-clean 10y ago

> but are you really being dissuaded from purchasing a Switch based on its lack of web browser and Netflix -- two things that run on half a dozen or more devices that the typical HN reader probably already owns? It's competing against those devices though. And not just for sales, but pocket/bag space. If I'm bringing a Switch somewhere, I don't really want to carry an iPad with me too if I want to watch something on Netflix.

flukus 10y ago
> It's competing against those devices though. It's not, it's a game machine. If you want to play games take a switch, if you want to do other things then take them.
- tblair 10y ago
  Not to be too uncharitable, but did you read the rest of their comment? The very next words are that they don't want to bring multiple devices.
  - flukus 10y ago
    Yes, but it starts out with the assumption that the devices have the same function, which they don't. In a similar vain, a laptop will not replace either.
    - 83457 10y ago
      If you can't admit there is a huge overlap between mobile touch screen devices your are just being silly.
      - flukus 10y ago
        Have you replaced you phone with your tablet/laptop or visa-versa? They're all mobile touch screens.

nickik 10y ago

I usually have a phone, and sometimes also a laptop. If a added the Switch it would be add a far superior viewing experience when I am sitting in the train and watching. Also, when Im playing video games and want to look up something, I would like it to be 2 clicks away and not on a different device. I think Nintendo could just sell these as tablets that are specially good for gaming. The people who already carry around tablet will not drop theirs until the Switch supports common stuff, and they will not buy a Switch because why add another device of the same size.