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Nintendo Switch: Famitsu asks about BC, battery life and mobile games

Principate

Saint Titanfall
So 3DS and Switch are meant to co-exist going forward? This isn't their nextgen console or handheld?

The Wii U is dead bruh even Nintendo acknowledges that, that's why in spite of not being a successor to either it's still their new home console.
 
Bundles will be interesting to learn about, especially if they do vary amongst region. I can definitely see Nintendo selling a Switches without docks or Joycon grips to their JP audience, meanwhile packaging all that stuff together for the West.

Nintendo knows what they're doing with the Switch. It's honestly the perfect console to market worldwide despite different gaming cultures. This will be especially true if they can really nail Western 3rd party support (as I'm sure JP support will be there by default as with 3DS).
 

TrutaS

Member
This reads like:
- we are struggling to get good battery life on this thing, but still trying,
- not worth being backwards compatible to Wii U, because a lot of these games will be repurposed for Switch to provide a good launch library
- not worth being backwards compatible to 3DS, because that will still be in the market for at least a year (or it might not be a touchscreen)
- we are still working on the system UI, which might be android, so we are not confident to talk about the presence of mobile games yet (or it might not be touchscreen)

The whole thing is screaming struggles in production unfortunately. I hope they pull it off, because the concept could be brilliant.
 
Well, I think the question phrasing and answer phrasing are both interesting.

Q: Will everything that was revealed today - the main unit, the dock, the Joy-Con, and the Joy-Con grip, be included in the package?

A: The details of the product composition will be announced later in each region before release. We intend to include both Joy-Cons - Joy-Con (L) and Joy-Con (R), as a pair.

This basically leaves the dock and the grip in question. I definitely think there will be multiple SKUs, including one targeted a portable gamers.

Yeah, I believe that the existence of multiple SKUs is the right interpretation. But it is rather weird that there is conflicting info on the dock between Famitsu and WSJ, when both of their info comes from Nintendo.
 

Pandy

Member
It makes perfect sense.
The best part of the Switch is that they can sell it as an console and an handheld. You can perfectly play the Switch without the Dock and there is the possibility for local multiplayer. This means one household could want more then one Swtich (if they price is close to the 3DS), but only need one Dock (especially if parents want to play them self and have there kids taking there Switch with them).

Selling multiple Switches for one household would be the case scenario for Nintendo. Something what is very rare with consoles.
I agree. I can definitely see a scenario where I'm buying a full set-up with the dock and Pro-controllers, while my friends can save some money by buying the basic bundle and bring it along to my place for multiplayer.

The whole point of the system is to play the way you want. While there might be some limitations at launch because they'll have to focus a limited supply, I certainly expect we'll be able to buy the basic unit without the dock or joy-con pad before long.
 
Really? Read the thread, read the OP. :p
lol I went to your first edit thinking that was the last edit

This reads like:
- we are struggling to get good battery life on this thing, but still trying,
- not worth being backwards compatible to Wii U, because a lot of these games will be repurposed for Switch to provide a good launch library
- not worth being backwards compatible to 3DS, because that will still be in the market for at least a year (or it might not be a touchscreen)
- we are still working on the system UI, which might be android, so we are not confident to talk about the presence of mobile games yet (or it might not be touchscreen)

The whole thing is screaming struggles in production unfortunately. I hope they pull it off, because the concept could be brilliant.

You're creating these "struggles" in your head. How is not playing Wii U games a "struggle"?
 

duckroll

Member

I still believe they will release multiple SKUs. There will definitely be one where everything is included, and the dock isn't going to be an accessory you are required to buy separately if you want it with the system from the start. We'll see. There's a reason they haven't announced any details yet like pricing and exact package contents.

Yeah, I believe that the existence of multiple SKUs is the right interpretation. But it is rather weird that there is conflicting info on the dock between Famitsu and WSJ, when both of their info comes from Nintendo.

I don't think it is unusual because I don't think any solid decisions have been locked down yet. Nintendo rushed this out because there was leak after leak and they wanted to regain control of the messaging.
 

Retrobox

Member
I'm sure it won't be long before it's rooted so BC emulators would be possible.

Wii U took its sweet time to go anywhere homebrew wise I think. Your post implies the Switch will be cracked within a year or so. Why is that?
Is it because it uses that tegra chip which we are already familiar with?
 

Hermii

Member
This reads like:
- we are struggling to get good battery life on this thing, but still trying,
- not worth being backwards compatible to Wii U, because a lot of these games will be repurposed for Switch to provide a good launch library
- not worth being backwards compatible to 3DS, because that will still be in the market for at least a year (or it might not be a touchscreen)
- we are still working on the system UI, which might be android, so we are not confident to talk about the presence of mobile games yet (or it might not be touchscreen)

The whole thing is screaming struggles in production unfortunately. I hope they pull it off, because the concept could be brilliant.

Lots of jumping to conclusion here. No BC could be because of major architectural differences between Tegra and 3ds / Wii U. And I guarantee you its not android, that is a bad OS for game development and its far to open for Nintendo.
 

hemo memo

Gold Member
No BC is the standard moving forward. Not great but it is what it is, at least Nintendo is showing signs of adopting industry standards set by companies other than themselves, Hopefully this means region free.
Sadly it probably also means a paid Nintendo Premium Account might be required for online multiplayer!!

Not companies.. It's only Sony who did it and they love for you to pay for what you already own. XBO support BC.
 

KingSnake

The Birthday Skeleton
I still believe they will release multiple SKUs. There will definitely be one where everything is included, and the dock isn't going to be an accessory you are required to buy separately if you want it with the system from the start. We'll see. There's a reason they haven't announced any details yet like pricing and exact package contents.

I can see them doing just a portable SKU to sell it as the second, third handheld in the same home, as you don't need more than one dock. But I don't think they will do this at launch or close after because it blurs the message.
 

maxcriden

Member
I imagine the Joy-Con grip will come with the system, at least in the West, but that is just a guess.

Also, just FWIW, the rumored connectivity hat WSJ article in terms of smartphone games was never specified to be direct playing of those games or something like MyNintendo integration.
 

Somnid

Member
They are very secretive about the touchscreen. Definitely hiding something there and it's probably related to mobile games.
 
I imagine the Joy-Con grip will come with the system, at least in the West, but that is just a guess.

Also, just FWIW, the rumored connectivity hat WSJ article in terms of smartphone games was never specified to be direct playing of those games or something like MyNintendo integration.

I can agree with this. I expect different bundles and packages between the west and Japan. I know it says they'd do a dock with WSJ, but that's the west I feel like only. I could see in Japan where it's separate.
 

noshten

Member
I'd be positively surprised if the battery life is more than 3-4 hours. I'm expecting a slightly better Battery life than the GamePad.

To me it seems that Switch is an attempt to grow the 3ds user-base in Japan by attempting to not only consolidate the Nintendo gaming divisions but also provide mobile gaming for 3rd parties who've so far not had much success in Japan due to that market ignoring consoles in favor of mobiles/handhelds.
I can totally see a lot of 3rd party devs being excited about easily porting their games to a device where there is a chance to sell a million to the Japanese market. With Switch possibly having some type of mobile game/app integration - devs can utilize mobile apps/games to advertise to the mobile market.

I think the 3rd party support geared towards the Switch would be based on how well it does in Japan. If Splatoon/Pokemon/DQ/YW/MK etc are able to get this device to sell at a faster pace than 3ds/wii u combined - it will make the device too attractive to not port towards.
I think Switch is a demonstration of Nintendo trying to focus on their largest market while providing a device that would be attractive to current WiiU/3DS owners. Can't say it will have mass market appeal in the West but it does seem to me that it can be a device that sells north of 20 million in Japan.
 

The Hermit

Member
No BC is the standard moving forward. Not great but it is what it is, at least Nintendo is showing signs of adopting industry standards set by companies other than themselves, Hopefully this means region free.
Sadly it probably also means a paid Nintendo Premium Account might be required for online multiplayer!!

Dont Jinx it!

Nintendo is the last bastion of free online.
 

Rappy

Member
I still believe they will release multiple SKUs. There will definitely be one where everything is included, and the dock isn't going to be an accessory you are required to buy separately if you want it with the system from the start. We'll see. There's a reason they haven't announced any details yet like pricing and exact package contents.
It makes complete sense from a pricing and marketing standpoint. The switching from handheld to home console isn't THE whole point. Part of the "switch" is the control method itself, whether you play it attached to screen, off screen, or multiplayer sideways. Dockless SKU will help appease the handheld/mobile audience.
I can see them doing just a portable SKU to sell it as the second, third handheld in the same home, as you don't need more than one dock. But I don't think they will do this at launch or close after because it blurs the message.
Consoles still aren't big in Japan. Advertising as handheld first there, with optional dock would probably generate more sales. They'll allocate SKU stock based on region.
 

duckroll

Member
I can see them doing just a portable SKU to sell it as the second, third handheld in the same home, as you don't need more than one dock. But I don't think they will do this at launch or close after because it blurs the message.

Nah I expect it to be available day one. Willing to bet on it too. It makes perfect sense to have one dock and multiple units in a household.
 

Oregano

Member
Clarification on my translation: About the bundle thing, the original article did not use the dock as the example. I just added "like the dock" into the translation to tell you what are the other accessories. To be honest, I really hope they are not referring to the dock.

That probably makes more sense. I imagine it was more referring to the controller she'll thingy or pro controller.
 
I have two quick points. I may be completely wrong. But what if :
1) Nintendo can not comment on mobile games at this time, but there is clearly mobile games with Dena on the list of software developers. If there is mobile games, there is multi touch screen. If there is multi touch screen and it has apps. Whose app store is it using, Google, Amazon, Windows, or ...iOS? Nintendo won't have its own app store. It would be a modified version of one these. Those agreements could be being kept secret for now.

2) I am starting to think that this Switch CAN run graphic intensive games like Red Dead 2, and Doom. But only if the SCD is true. What if that rumor about a SCD is true. While it would fragment the market some, but that could be a "hardcore gamer" package for $399. Really smart move if true.
 

Soapbox Killer

Grand Nagus
Nintendo Switch Drive ™ Add-on allows for instant backwards compatibility with both Wii/WiiU Disc based games. $99.99 *MSRP Available Spring 2018


I fully expect this to happen as long as the Switch name holds up.
 

Morfeo

The Chuck Norris of Peace
Was really hoping for DS/3DS compatiblity, but got my hopes down when i saw the cart slot yesterday, and guess this confirms it. That just mean they need to release a DS Player for it, cause I really want to play those games on the big screen!
 

duckroll

Member
1) Nintendo can not comment on mo ole games at this time, but there is clearly mobile games with Dena on the list of software developers. If there is mobile games, there is multi touch screen. If there is multi touch screen and it has apps. Whose app store is it using, Google, Amazon, Windows, or ...iOS? Nintendo won't have its own app store. It would be a modified version of one these. Those agreements could be being kept secret for now.

I don't understand what you are saying. Like, at all. There is almost no question that there will be mobile titles available on the NIntendo Switch. As in, titles which are available on mobile, made available on the Nintendo Switch. Just like how there are mobile titles released on PS Vita, PS4, PC, etc. These games will be digital titles available on Nintendo's storefront just like how those titles are available on the Playstation Store and Steam.
 

Gamervana84

Unconfirmed Member
Can't see it not coming with the dock. Surely the dock will act as the charger to save money, with the option of buying a seperate charger in the future. I'm also sure that the controler grip and pro controler will be seperate to get the cost down.
In my view this console has to be sold at a lowestate possible price to get more people to buy it.
 

kinggroin

Banned
How would you get backwards compatibility, on hardware architecture vastly different from its predecessor? Don't expect it.

Games will be remastered for the digital store a la PS3 to PS4
 

Greddleok

Member
I'm cool with no B/C, I have a WiiU, and the games I have on it are pretty much all classics.

It might have been a poor choice on Nintendo's part. Hopefully they can get some eshop games on there, for the people that missed out on the WiiU.

Let's hope it ships with the charger...unlike the 3DS.
 
I don't understand what you are saying. Like, at all. There is almost no question that there will be mobile titles available on the NIntendo Switch. As in, titles which are available on mobile, made available on the Nintendo Switch. Just like how there are mobile titles released on PS Vita, PS4, PC, etc. These games will be digital titles available on Nintendo's storefront just like how those titles are available on the Playstation Store and Steam.

People are questioning not an Eshop. But an actual App Store.

If your using a big players app store, you have much more than just Netflix, and Crunchyroll. If the system is aimed at age group teenagers and up. Instagram, Discord, Kik, Hbo Go, possible kindle reader would all be smart apps if this is a multi touch device.
 

duckroll

Member
Not companies.. It's only Sony who did it and they love for you to pay for what you already own. XBO support BC.

Legit question, I don't know the answer to this and I'm curious - If you bought digital games on the 360 on your Live Account, can you download those games on the same account on XBO and play them? I know that there is software BC for 360 games being improved with each update, but I don't know if it's for disc games only or if your entire digital library is available on XBO.
 

Rappy

Member
It depends how much it costs to produce the dock. If they are cheap as dirt, then why bother?
To add a premium to make up the costs of selling at a "low" price. The same reason for price differences in storage capacity SKU's.
 

Sesuadra

Unconfirmed Member
Legit question, I don't know the answer to this and I'm curious - If you bought digital games on the 360 on your Live Account, can you download those games on the same account on XBO and play them? I know that there is software BC for 360 games being improved with each update, but I don't know if it's for disc games only or if your entire digital library is available on XBO.
You can
 

ggx2ac

Member
It depends how much it costs to produce the dock. If they are cheap as dirt, then why bother?

Shipping costs, like with the 3DS XL and New 3DS models. You remove something unnecessary like the power adapter to make the box smaller which means you can ship more units in one shipment and save on costs.

The dock looks huge and would take up a lot of space in a box.
 

cyberheater

PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 Xbone PS4 PS4
Wii U took its sweet time to go anywhere homebrew wise I think. Your post implies the Switch will be cracked within a year or so. Why is that?
Is it because it uses that tegra chip which we are already familiar with?

I think this is closer to a android tablet relative to the chip set and architecture so it's more likely to cracked sooner as there is a lot of knowledge about rooting those.
 
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