7 ms·

Same boat. After the Wii I was done. If I wanted to put money into gaming it was going to be on PC. The Switch isn't the most powerful, or has the best library

by bane 5y ago

Same boat. After the Wii I was done. If I wanted to put money into gaming it was going to be on PC. The Switch isn't the most powerful, or has the best library (Nintendo first party games notwithstanding), or the most portable, but it's "good enough" at everything in the way VHS and MP3s were/are. It also helps that it's relatively inexpensive to get into, and has a huge indie game scene. So while you may not get the best version of "Soldiers on a Battlefield 2022" or whatever, there are hundreds of semi-exclusives. Getting a console and a portable in one unit was also brilliant and something that neither Sony or Microsoft can do with their "most powerful hardware first". Nintendo cares about things that affect the gameplay experience, and Microsoft and Sony care more about how cool the software is. Orthogonal purposes but it lets Nintendo, a relatively small company, compete globally and effectively against two 9 million pound mega giants.

lelandfe 5y ago
Without detracting anything from your other statements (the comparison to MP3 is excellent), "notwithstanding" is doing a lot of work in the line, "Nintendo first party games notwithstanding." Nintendo's games are the reason folks buy a Switch.[1] It's pretty unbelievable the record they (and especially EPD) have: 1. Breath of the Wild was game of the year for most publications, is considered by some the greatest game of all time[2], and single-handedly sold the console for many people I know 2. Super Mario Odyssey is generally heralded as one of the best Mario games ever made and shipped 22 million copies 2. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the best selling fighting game of all time 3. Mario Kart 8 is the best selling racing game of all time, and the 7th highest selling video game of all time 4. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the 13th highest selling video game of all time (2nd highest in Japan) [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_Nintendo_Switch_video_games https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_Nintendo_... (and apropos of nothing, compare to PS4's: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_PlayStation_4_video_games https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_PlayStati... - Switch's top 6 best sellers all moved more than PS4's #1) [2] https://www.ign.com/articles/the-best-100-video-games-of-all-time https://www.ign.com/articles/the-best-100-video-games-of-all...
- bane 5y ago
  That's a really good point. In fact I did buy the Switch to play both BotW and SMO. I keep forgetting that Nintendo first party titles are so dominant in sales vs. other large franchises. I keep thinking they're just large on the one platform.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  - cableshaft 5y ago
    Yeah I own like 100 games on the Switch at this point (most first party, several good third party, and some cheaper retro or indie games), and those two games are still the best games to me on the Switch, by far. I kind of doubt they're going to be topped, even by their sequels. BOTW, SMO, Baba is You, Persona 5 Royal, Outer Wilds, Subnautica, The Witness, God of War (2018 version), Nier Automata, Slay the Spire are all masterpieces of design in the past 5 years, for my tastes.
- celticninja 5y ago
  BOTW was a huge factor in the switch's early success IMO. Not just because it was a Nintendo exclusive but because it was such an amazing game. For me GTA IV AND GTA V are the pinnacles of their time for great games. BOTW was the equivalent but for a wider audience. Unfortunately for my kids it was one of the first games they really played, so they have been spoilt, very few games will ever get close to that, especially in a world of Fortnite.
- nmfisher 5y ago
  Every single Nintendo console I've owned has basically been a very expensive Zelda machine. In a hypothetical world where Sony/Microsoft/someone else acquired the rights to Zelda, I'd expect Switch sales to be at least 50% lower. The incredible strength of their first-party titles is why Nintendo can get away with underpowered hardware, shoddy controllers, crappy software and a big whopping Nintendo tax.
  - iso1210 5y ago
jayd16 5y ago
>Getting a console and a portable in one unit was also brilliant and something that neither Sony or Microsoft can do Actually the PSP had video out. Really just a marketing thing.
- djrogers 5y ago
  Did it have a dock and come with removable controllers like it was always intended to be used with a big screen? Nope, it did not. It’s not ‘just a marketing thing’ when a product is designed in a completely different way, with different goals.
  - jayd16 5y ago
    I mean, it was the controller in an era of wired controllers.
    - reissbaker 5y ago
      The (affordable) technology of the time didn't allow for easy dock/undock experience like the Switch does. That doesn't mean it was "just a marketing difference," the product experience was worse and wasn't designed to easily be used as both a portable console and a dedicated living room device.
    - philistine 5y ago
      What if you needed to recharge your PSP battery while playing? It had video out, but it was never designed for a couch experience. It was the typical Sony let's do all the things at once mentality. No one bought it for that reason alone, but it, and all the other weird features of the PSP, probably helped it become the only viable portable competitor to Nintendo in 30 years.
      - alpaca128 5y ago
        Too bad Sony then decided to get rid of the video output in the PS Vita even though it was possible (the dev kit had HDMI) and contrary to the PSP it actually made sense as at this point mobile hardware was so much better due to the smartphone industry. One of many small mistakes that made the Vita much less enjoyable overall.
zitterbewegung 5y ago
Nintendo figured out when the xBox came out that if you weren't Sony and or Microsoft you would have a really hard time competing in the space so they tried just to focus on making consoles that had some kind of gimmick and optimizing on having fun and they had a clear domination over the mobile space. I would say that the Switch is their response to Apple as being off balance on the mobile space and they were easily defeated by just focusing on a fun and portable console that also can be plugged into a TV. Really the Switch has a NVIDIA Tegra 1 and the rest of the console is Nintendo's design.
- jmcgough 5y ago
  Way before xbox, this has been their strategy since before they were making video games. Gunpei Yokoi, who came up with the idea (and practically nintendo's entire electronics division), called it "lateral thinking with withered technology" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunpei_Yokoi#Lateral_Thinking_with_Withered_Technology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunpei_Yokoi#Lateral_Thinking_...).
  - lelandfe 5y ago
    Classic example of this: Sega Game Gear: full-color screen, $150, 4hr battery life Nintendo Game Boy: monochromatic screen, $90, 30hr battery life
    - celticninja 5y ago
      Yup the game gear was technically better but the cost difference meant the Gameboy was more ubiquitous and so that's what sold. Also for the switch, a lot of kids who had Gameboy's when they came out are now working and can afford a souped up handheld alongside their main console.
      - mcphage 5y ago
        Technically more powerful. Better… well, not with no battery life, it wasn’t.
noobermin 5y ago
To help the thread, this is the Nintendo way of "lateral thinking with withered technology.[0]" They for example choice lack of color for the Gameboy for the sake of battery life, that is, using cheap technology that can be replicated and mass produced well. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunpei_Yokoi#Lateral_Thinking_with_Withered_Technology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunpei_Yokoi#Lateral_Thinking_... From the venerable Gunpei Yokoi, who helped develop the original Metroid and the Gameboy
Aeolun 5y ago
> If I wanted to put money into gaming it was going to be on PC. I think people that are otherwise PC gamers make for a great audience for Nintendo. They don’t need any power, they already have that on the PC. What they want is to be able to carry the thing around and play anywhere they want.

by bane 5y ago

lelandfe 5y ago

Without detracting anything from your other statements (the comparison to MP3 is excellent), "notwithstanding" is doing a lot of work in the line, "Nintendo first party games notwithstanding." Nintendo's games are the reason folks buy a Switch.[1] It's pretty unbelievable the record they (and especially EPD) have: 1. Breath of the Wild was game of the year for most publications, is considered by some the greatest game of all time[2], and single-handedly sold the console for many people I know 2. Super Mario Odyssey is generally heralded as one of the best Mario games ever made and shipped 22 million copies 2. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the best selling fighting game of all time 3. Mario Kart 8 is the best selling racing game of all time, and the 7th highest selling video game of all time 4. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the 13th highest selling video game of all time (2nd highest in Japan) [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_Nintendo_Switch_video_games https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_Nintendo_... (and apropos of nothing, compare to PS4's: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_PlayStation_4_video_games https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_PlayStati... - Switch's top 6 best sellers all moved more than PS4's #1) [2] https://www.ign.com/articles/the-best-100-video-games-of-all-time https://www.ign.com/articles/the-best-100-video-games-of-all...

bane 5y ago
That's a really good point. In fact I did buy the Switch to play both BotW and SMO. I keep forgetting that Nintendo first party titles are so dominant in sales vs. other large franchises. I keep thinking they're just large on the one platform.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- cableshaft 5y ago
  Yeah I own like 100 games on the Switch at this point (most first party, several good third party, and some cheaper retro or indie games), and those two games are still the best games to me on the Switch, by far. I kind of doubt they're going to be topped, even by their sequels. BOTW, SMO, Baba is You, Persona 5 Royal, Outer Wilds, Subnautica, The Witness, God of War (2018 version), Nier Automata, Slay the Spire are all masterpieces of design in the past 5 years, for my tastes.
celticninja 5y ago
BOTW was a huge factor in the switch's early success IMO. Not just because it was a Nintendo exclusive but because it was such an amazing game. For me GTA IV AND GTA V are the pinnacles of their time for great games. BOTW was the equivalent but for a wider audience. Unfortunately for my kids it was one of the first games they really played, so they have been spoilt, very few games will ever get close to that, especially in a world of Fortnite.
nmfisher 5y ago
Every single Nintendo console I've owned has basically been a very expensive Zelda machine. In a hypothetical world where Sony/Microsoft/someone else acquired the rights to Zelda, I'd expect Switch sales to be at least 50% lower. The incredible strength of their first-party titles is why Nintendo can get away with underpowered hardware, shoddy controllers, crappy software and a big whopping Nintendo tax.
- iso1210 5y ago

jayd16 5y ago

>Getting a console and a portable in one unit was also brilliant and something that neither Sony or Microsoft can do Actually the PSP had video out. Really just a marketing thing.

djrogers 5y ago
Did it have a dock and come with removable controllers like it was always intended to be used with a big screen? Nope, it did not. It’s not ‘just a marketing thing’ when a product is designed in a completely different way, with different goals.
- jayd16 5y ago
  I mean, it was the controller in an era of wired controllers.
  - reissbaker 5y ago
    The (affordable) technology of the time didn't allow for easy dock/undock experience like the Switch does. That doesn't mean it was "just a marketing difference," the product experience was worse and wasn't designed to easily be used as both a portable console and a dedicated living room device.
  - philistine 5y ago
    What if you needed to recharge your PSP battery while playing? It had video out, but it was never designed for a couch experience. It was the typical Sony let's do all the things at once mentality. No one bought it for that reason alone, but it, and all the other weird features of the PSP, probably helped it become the only viable portable competitor to Nintendo in 30 years.
    - alpaca128 5y ago
      Too bad Sony then decided to get rid of the video output in the PS Vita even though it was possible (the dev kit had HDMI) and contrary to the PSP it actually made sense as at this point mobile hardware was so much better due to the smartphone industry. One of many small mistakes that made the Vita much less enjoyable overall.

zitterbewegung 5y ago

Nintendo figured out when the xBox came out that if you weren't Sony and or Microsoft you would have a really hard time competing in the space so they tried just to focus on making consoles that had some kind of gimmick and optimizing on having fun and they had a clear domination over the mobile space. I would say that the Switch is their response to Apple as being off balance on the mobile space and they were easily defeated by just focusing on a fun and portable console that also can be plugged into a TV. Really the Switch has a NVIDIA Tegra 1 and the rest of the console is Nintendo's design.

jmcgough 5y ago
Way before xbox, this has been their strategy since before they were making video games. Gunpei Yokoi, who came up with the idea (and practically nintendo's entire electronics division), called it "lateral thinking with withered technology" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunpei_Yokoi#Lateral_Thinking_with_Withered_Technology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunpei_Yokoi#Lateral_Thinking_...).
- lelandfe 5y ago
  Classic example of this: Sega Game Gear: full-color screen, $150, 4hr battery life Nintendo Game Boy: monochromatic screen, $90, 30hr battery life
  - celticninja 5y ago
    Yup the game gear was technically better but the cost difference meant the Gameboy was more ubiquitous and so that's what sold. Also for the switch, a lot of kids who had Gameboy's when they came out are now working and can afford a souped up handheld alongside their main console.
    - mcphage 5y ago
      Technically more powerful. Better… well, not with no battery life, it wasn’t.

noobermin 5y ago

To help the thread, this is the Nintendo way of "lateral thinking with withered technology.[0]" They for example choice lack of color for the Gameboy for the sake of battery life, that is, using cheap technology that can be replicated and mass produced well. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunpei_Yokoi#Lateral_Thinking_with_Withered_Technology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunpei_Yokoi#Lateral_Thinking_... From the venerable Gunpei Yokoi, who helped develop the original Metroid and the Gameboy

Aeolun 5y ago

> If I wanted to put money into gaming it was going to be on PC. I think people that are otherwise PC gamers make for a great audience for Nintendo. They don’t need any power, they already have that on the PC. What they want is to be able to carry the thing around and play anywhere they want.