4 ms·

I’m glad to see Nintendo found a form factor that’s kind of gimmicky that actually worked. The Wii and Wii U were too gimmicky, but portability was a great choi

by jjice 2y ago

I’m glad to see Nintendo found a form factor that’s kind of gimmicky that actually worked. The Wii and Wii U were too gimmicky, but portability was a great choice. I’m also glad to see backwards compatibility. I’m excited to see what kind of hardware improvements have been made. The switch came out in March 2017, just about 8 years ago. Just due to the way Nintendo games have their animated charm, they’re able to make their games look excellent on that hardware still. That said, I’d love to see how good a Zelda game looks on some new hardware.

xnx 2y ago
The Wii was a huge success and the Wii U was a step toward the Switch, which combines the best of both of those consoles.
- bogwog 2y ago
  > which combines the best of both of those consoles. Minus the dual screen of the Wii U, which was awesome. It'd be cool if the Switch 2's dock could work independently of the console, so that you could have a reverse Wii U- experience with it. The dual screen setup can be a neat gimmick for gameplay, but it's biggest strength is the convenience that comes from having a second screen closer to your face. You can have less visual clutter on the main screen, and reduce the amount of menus players need to click through.
  - xnx 2y ago
    A feature they could still possibly have snuck in would be the ability to cast a feed from the handheld to a TV.
  - ARandumGuy 2y ago
    TBH other then a few neat local multiplayer stuff in NintendoLand, there really wasn't much that actually utilized the dual screen in a way that actually enhanced the game. You couldn't quickly swap between the screens like you could on the DS, because the screens were different distances away and required re-focusing your eyes. This meant that most gamepad usages played the same as if you just pressed a button to bring up your inventory or switch views or whatever. And that's before you take into account the fact that the biggest titles on the Wii U (Mario Kart and Smash Bros) didn't use the second screen at all. The second screen was a gimmick, and a gimmick that was exhausted pretty quickly.
    - runevault 2y ago
      Been forever since I played it, but I recall appreciating having 2 screens for Xenoblade X (which I'm curious to see how it feels on the Switch remaster coming out in March). But yeah as someone who bought a WiiU there weren't a ton of games that did a good job with the second screen.
    - frosted-flakes 2y ago
      Zelda Wind Waker made excellent use of the second screen. You could swap tools and scroll the map on the fly without pausing, while continuing to otherwise play normally.
  - endemic 2y ago
    I really loved some of the multiplayer games on Wii U that took advantage of the gamepad. Completely brilliant to have one "special" player with the gamepad + second screen vs. the rest of the plebs with Wiimotes.
  - jncfhnb 2y ago
    I’m fairly certain I remember them suggesting that the original switch was capable of doing this but then they either never granted access to it in the dev kit or they just never had it end up getting used in any noteworthy games. Nintendoland for the Wii U was _very_ fun in my memory. It was the only title that I remember leveraging the asymmetry of information that different players can have for local multiplayer.
  - WillAdams 2y ago
    That would be an interesting use of the USB connector at the top --- plug into the Dock and use the Switch as a gamepad à la the Wii U while playing on the TV.
darkwizard42 2y ago
The Wii was on the of the best selling consoles of all time? I believe only surpassed by the PS2. Is the gimmicky a personal opinion or something you believe didn’t resonate with customers?
- ChoGGi 2y ago
  Looks like the DS and switch both sold about 50m more units. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_game_consoles https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_game_co...
  - darkwizard42 2y ago
    Yes, great source. filter that by Home vs the mobile category to see it is only beat by PlayStation. You could argue the Switch is a home console as well.
    - extraduder_ire 2y ago
      The switch may be kind of hard to count for home console sales, since the switch lite is a portable console (lacks hardware to use the dock) and may be included in some sales numbers.
      - baby 2y ago
        The switch was basically the first hybrid
    - ChoGGi 2y ago
      Good point, I just looked at consoles in general.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- jjice 2y ago
  "Gimmicky" in the sense that they used movement controls and that's non-standard in the industry and went away mostly afterwards. I'm considering anything that isn't a traditional stationary control (keyboard + mouse or controller) as "gimmicky" or out of the ordinary. In terms of sales, you're absolutely right - the Wii crushed it. I'd be curious to know about usage and software sales though. Maybe I'm wrong (very possible), but almost everyone I knew had a Wii at some point, but they didn't use it outside of a family toy with a few games when they first got it. I'd still consider that a win for Nintendo compared to less sales, but I'd imagine the average Xbox 360 or PS3 had a lot more software sales per console.
jsheard 2y ago
> That said, I’d love to see how good a Zelda game looks on some new hardware. Hopefully they'll go back and update their major Switch titles to leverage the new hardware. BOTW and TOTK look fantastic in an emulator with the resolution and framerate cranked much higher than the original Switch hardware could handle, even without updating any of the assets. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ex2iIvuc78k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ex2iIvuc78k
- jjice 2y ago
  I personally don't have much faith that Nintendo will do that, _but_ I hope I'm wrong. That would be wonderful. Also just removing some of the lag from those games (and the Link's Awakening remake was pretty bad) would be a big win.
Terretta 2y ago
> I’m glad to see Nintendo found a form factor that’s kind of gimmicky that actually worked. I don't quite understand this comment. Parents will be unable to tell the difference (like parents buying their kids Xbox One S when Xbox Series S came out, really bad naming increment with form factor so similar), and other comments here note this Switch 2 is a regression to less quirk. What's the gimmicky part of this that caught your eye you feel like they found in Switch 2?
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- jjice 2y ago
  My words definitely could've been better. I was referring to "portability" as the gimmick here since it's not the norm in the industry for primary console. Nintendo did handhelds for years, but that was also a secondary thing to their primary consoles. Having their only console also be handheld was what I was referring to as the gimmick here, but I understand the argument that that's not a gimmick. As for naming, I think it'll be fine since they're using numbers. I'm not in the position of a middle aged parent who's getting a gift for a child, but the fact that Sony has successfully done it for this long makes me feel that it'll work. Add a letter to the end is awful though. It took me a bit to nail down the Series X vs Series S Xboxs (granted, I haven't owned an Xbox in over a decade). The Wii U definitely confused people as well.
  - bombcar 2y ago
    The portability was amusing but then turned out to be absolutely phenomenal (and likely resulted in multiple sales to individual households). It both saved them from having to work out what to do with the handhelds, and introduced parents to "the kids can just bring it with them". I have an Xbox Series X and I'm still not sure I got "the right one" but since I got it as a glorified blurry player that can also play games maybe, it's fine as is.
    - bigstrat2003 2y ago
      > It both saved them from having to work out what to do with the handhelds Well, more accurate to say they just gave up. The Switch is very much not a viable replacement for a 3DS because of how damn big it is. You can't just slip it into your pocket and go.
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
hbn 2y ago
The gaming industry is much more mature and settled than the past when Nintendo could mess around with a crazy new gimmick every new console release. People expect backwards compatibility now, and the Switch has such a mature software library, it would be a waste to throw it out. And it'll be harder than ever to re-sell people a port of a game from a few years ago that looks basically identical to how it did before (though Sony's been trying) I'm looking forward to this, and I hope Nintendo patches OG Switch games to take advantage of the new hardware. It's a shame the only (official) method of playing the new Zeldas gets you frequently chugging along at like 15fps. > The switch came out in March 2017, just about 8 years ago. Just due to the way Nintendo games have their animated charm, they’re able to make their games look excellent on that hardware still. Even more impressive, the SoC in the Switch is from about 2013 I believe.

by jjice 2y ago

xnx 2y ago

The Wii was a huge success and the Wii U was a step toward the Switch, which combines the best of both of those consoles.

bogwog 2y ago
> which combines the best of both of those consoles. Minus the dual screen of the Wii U, which was awesome. It'd be cool if the Switch 2's dock could work independently of the console, so that you could have a reverse Wii U- experience with it. The dual screen setup can be a neat gimmick for gameplay, but it's biggest strength is the convenience that comes from having a second screen closer to your face. You can have less visual clutter on the main screen, and reduce the amount of menus players need to click through.
- xnx 2y ago
  A feature they could still possibly have snuck in would be the ability to cast a feed from the handheld to a TV.
- ARandumGuy 2y ago
  TBH other then a few neat local multiplayer stuff in NintendoLand, there really wasn't much that actually utilized the dual screen in a way that actually enhanced the game. You couldn't quickly swap between the screens like you could on the DS, because the screens were different distances away and required re-focusing your eyes. This meant that most gamepad usages played the same as if you just pressed a button to bring up your inventory or switch views or whatever. And that's before you take into account the fact that the biggest titles on the Wii U (Mario Kart and Smash Bros) didn't use the second screen at all. The second screen was a gimmick, and a gimmick that was exhausted pretty quickly.
  - runevault 2y ago
    Been forever since I played it, but I recall appreciating having 2 screens for Xenoblade X (which I'm curious to see how it feels on the Switch remaster coming out in March). But yeah as someone who bought a WiiU there weren't a ton of games that did a good job with the second screen.
  - frosted-flakes 2y ago
    Zelda Wind Waker made excellent use of the second screen. You could swap tools and scroll the map on the fly without pausing, while continuing to otherwise play normally.
- endemic 2y ago
  I really loved some of the multiplayer games on Wii U that took advantage of the gamepad. Completely brilliant to have one "special" player with the gamepad + second screen vs. the rest of the plebs with Wiimotes.
- jncfhnb 2y ago
  I’m fairly certain I remember them suggesting that the original switch was capable of doing this but then they either never granted access to it in the dev kit or they just never had it end up getting used in any noteworthy games. Nintendoland for the Wii U was _very_ fun in my memory. It was the only title that I remember leveraging the asymmetry of information that different players can have for local multiplayer.
- WillAdams 2y ago
  That would be an interesting use of the USB connector at the top --- plug into the Dock and use the Switch as a gamepad à la the Wii U while playing on the TV.

darkwizard42 2y ago

The Wii was on the of the best selling consoles of all time? I believe only surpassed by the PS2. Is the gimmicky a personal opinion or something you believe didn’t resonate with customers?

ChoGGi 2y ago
Looks like the DS and switch both sold about 50m more units. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_game_consoles https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_game_co...
- darkwizard42 2y ago
  Yes, great source. filter that by Home vs the mobile category to see it is only beat by PlayStation. You could argue the Switch is a home console as well.
  - extraduder_ire 2y ago
    The switch may be kind of hard to count for home console sales, since the switch lite is a portable console (lacks hardware to use the dock) and may be included in some sales numbers.
    - baby 2y ago
      The switch was basically the first hybrid
  - ChoGGi 2y ago
    Good point, I just looked at consoles in general.
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
jjice 2y ago
"Gimmicky" in the sense that they used movement controls and that's non-standard in the industry and went away mostly afterwards. I'm considering anything that isn't a traditional stationary control (keyboard + mouse or controller) as "gimmicky" or out of the ordinary. In terms of sales, you're absolutely right - the Wii crushed it. I'd be curious to know about usage and software sales though. Maybe I'm wrong (very possible), but almost everyone I knew had a Wii at some point, but they didn't use it outside of a family toy with a few games when they first got it. I'd still consider that a win for Nintendo compared to less sales, but I'd imagine the average Xbox 360 or PS3 had a lot more software sales per console.

jsheard 2y ago

> That said, I’d love to see how good a Zelda game looks on some new hardware. Hopefully they'll go back and update their major Switch titles to leverage the new hardware. BOTW and TOTK look fantastic in an emulator with the resolution and framerate cranked much higher than the original Switch hardware could handle, even without updating any of the assets. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ex2iIvuc78k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ex2iIvuc78k

jjice 2y ago
I personally don't have much faith that Nintendo will do that, _but_ I hope I'm wrong. That would be wonderful. Also just removing some of the lag from those games (and the Link's Awakening remake was pretty bad) would be a big win.

Terretta 2y ago

> I’m glad to see Nintendo found a form factor that’s kind of gimmicky that actually worked. I don't quite understand this comment. Parents will be unable to tell the difference (like parents buying their kids Xbox One S when Xbox Series S came out, really bad naming increment with form factor so similar), and other comments here note this Switch 2 is a regression to less quirk. What's the gimmicky part of this that caught your eye you feel like they found in Switch 2?

deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
jjice 2y ago
My words definitely could've been better. I was referring to "portability" as the gimmick here since it's not the norm in the industry for primary console. Nintendo did handhelds for years, but that was also a secondary thing to their primary consoles. Having their only console also be handheld was what I was referring to as the gimmick here, but I understand the argument that that's not a gimmick. As for naming, I think it'll be fine since they're using numbers. I'm not in the position of a middle aged parent who's getting a gift for a child, but the fact that Sony has successfully done it for this long makes me feel that it'll work. Add a letter to the end is awful though. It took me a bit to nail down the Series X vs Series S Xboxs (granted, I haven't owned an Xbox in over a decade). The Wii U definitely confused people as well.
- bombcar 2y ago
  The portability was amusing but then turned out to be absolutely phenomenal (and likely resulted in multiple sales to individual households). It both saved them from having to work out what to do with the handhelds, and introduced parents to "the kids can just bring it with them". I have an Xbox Series X and I'm still not sure I got "the right one" but since I got it as a glorified blurry player that can also play games maybe, it's fine as is.
  - bigstrat2003 2y ago
    > It both saved them from having to work out what to do with the handhelds Well, more accurate to say they just gave up. The Switch is very much not a viable replacement for a 3DS because of how damn big it is. You can't just slip it into your pocket and go.

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

hbn 2y ago

The gaming industry is much more mature and settled than the past when Nintendo could mess around with a crazy new gimmick every new console release. People expect backwards compatibility now, and the Switch has such a mature software library, it would be a waste to throw it out. And it'll be harder than ever to re-sell people a port of a game from a few years ago that looks basically identical to how it did before (though Sony's been trying) I'm looking forward to this, and I hope Nintendo patches OG Switch games to take advantage of the new hardware. It's a shame the only (official) method of playing the new Zeldas gets you frequently chugging along at like 15fps. > The switch came out in March 2017, just about 8 years ago. Just due to the way Nintendo games have their animated charm, they’re able to make their games look excellent on that hardware still. Even more impressive, the SoC in the Switch is from about 2013 I believe.