Nintendo doubles down on portables, reveals Nintendo Switch tablet-based console

AppleInsider

Alongside mobile ambitions with iOS, Nintendo's new console called the "Nintendo Switch" has debuted, and a promotional video shows a Tegra-powered game console able to be hooked up to a television in a dock, with controller connectors that when connected strongly resemble the older GameVice iPad and iPhone peripheral.

The cartridge-based Nintendo Switch console, previously referred to as the NX, is a hybrid system that will connect to a television when connected to the charging dock, and will "instantly transition to portable mode" when removed from the stand.

The controllers, called "Joy-Con," flank the console when inserted into grooves and connect to the console wirelessly. When installed, the entire assembly resembles the GameVice MFi peripheral released for the iPad in 2015.

GPU developer Nvidia notes that it is the supplier for the Tegra system-on-a-chip that powers the device. Included in the unspecified processor is a GPU based on the same architecture as the "top-performing GeForce gaming graphics cards" used in the PC industry.

Nvidia additionally created new gaming APIs for the device. The newest API, NVN, was built specifically for Nintendo to "bring lightweight, fast gaming to the masses" according to the company.

Activision, AutoDesk, Bethesda, Capcom, Epic, Ubisoft, and others have all pledged to support the console in some form.

Pricing, and technical specifications are not yet known. The console is expected to release in March 2017.

The shift in focus away from a console tethered to a television with the Nintendo Switch is happening in parallel with Nintendo's offerings for other hardware.

While "Pokemon Go" is affiliated with Nintendo, and continues to be extremely profitable for the consortium that was responsible for its intellectual property and development, Nintendo itself does not make that much money off of it directly. The vast majority of the generated income from the title goes to Apple and Google for hosting the title in respective app stores, and the development house behind the game.

"Super Mario Run" was revealed during the iPhone 7 debut event in September, and will be released in December for iOS. Nintendo also promises titles relating to the "Fire Emblem" adventure series, and the "Animal Crossing" town builder on mobile in March 2017.

minisu1980

This looks like a system I would actually want. I'll wait until it has a lot of games I want to play released before purchasing. Got burned on the Wii U with this, still no Zelda, no Mario in forever. All the decent titles are coming out on their handheld system, which I don't care for. Switch looks like the best of both worlds, exciting.

Would have loved to see an Apple collaboration here.

mwhite

I think it's a little past March 2016

bdkennedy1002

I watched the video and I was impressed at first, but by the end I wasn't convinced this is going to be a hit. It's just too complicated. There are too many different parts to lose and break. It's essentially a Wii U with removable controllers and a dock. 

mcfrazieriv

The sliding and click sound effects made me uncomfortable. And then somehow my attention left the console entirely and I began watching the people interacting with it which caused my OCD to freak out thinking about how dirty and ungroomed most of them were... and I imagined the bad breath they'd have as they used their greasy hands touching my Switch controller that I'd have to sanitize before I ever clipped it back into the system. I will now jump off a bridge...

schlack

This looks awesome. But NX is such a better name than Switch. Was is Nintendo struggling so much with bad naming??

mike1

sog35 said:

The thing I don't get: does the console work without the portable screen?

Lets say you come home from work and you want to play Zelda. But then you realize your Son took the portable screen to his friends house. Does the Switch still work? If not, then this will lead to a ton of fights in homes with multiple gamers.

The screen is the console. The dock just adds connectivity to the TV and charges the unit.

tallest skil

mike1 said:

The screen is the console. The dock just adds connectivity to the TV and charges the unit.

That can’t possibly be the case. Not with the hardware it’s trying to push.

randominternetperson

sog35 said:

Nintendo is so dumb.

Why do they have to waste their time and money on gimmicks?
Why do they have to waste their fans time and money?

This is all true Nintendo fans want:

1. A console
2. With power similiar to the competiton
3. With a decent controller

That's it. But Nintendo keeps doing stupid stuff. Motion controllers, controllers that look like wands, controls with big screens on them..........ENOUGH!!! 

Just give us a system with decent power, a good controller, and no pricey gimmicks!

The last time Nintendo did this they dominated gaming = the SNES.

Starting with the N64, Nintendo has been giving us gimmick features or a severly underpowered console. 

1. N64 - not using a disc media was stupid. All because Nintendo wanted to control chips and piracy. 3rd parties did not want to make games because cartridges were so crazy expense.

2. Gamecube - super underpowered system. Plus tiny disc gimmick lead to less content.

3. Wii - gimmick controller. Very underpowered compared to competition

4. WiiU - just like Wii but worse

5. Switch -gimmick controller. Plus the extra screen is EXPENSIVE. That money should have been spent on better CPU/GPU to match competition

I have no idea why Nintendo loves to rely on gimmicks now. They don't need to! 
Just give us a system and controller that is competitive and pump out your awesome franchise games - Mario, Zelda, Metroid, ect.
Make it easy for 3rd parties to make games on your system!

The Wii was a huge success for Nintendo, the "gimmick" controller differentiated it from the power gamer consoles and opened up the market to millions of casual gamers.  Having said that, that success was a decade ago.  They are way overdue for another big hit.  They have such a valuable pool of IP (Pokemon, Mario, Zelda, etc.) they can turn any device into a must-have purchase for kids (my kids and all their friends went through LOTS of DSes to keep up with all the Pokemon games)--if/when they don't screw it up.

FYI, during the Wii-induced boom times, Nintendo was the second most valuable publicly traded company in Japan (after Toyota).  I assume that's ancient history now.  

tallest skil

randominternetperson said:

The Wii was a huge success for Nintendo, the "gimmick" controller differentiated it from the power gamer consoles and opened up the market to millions of casual gamers.  Having said that, that success was a decade ago.  They are way overdue for another big hit.  They have such a valuable pool of IP (Pokemon, Mario, Zelda, etc.) they can turn any device into a must-have purchase for kids (my kids and all their friends went through LOTS of DSes to keep up with all the Pokemon games)--if/when they don't screw it up.

Nintendo is the Apple of the video game industry. Not to say that Sony doesn’t have its share of high quality exclusive properties (Metal Gear Solid, for one, but even the GameCube got Twin Snakes and the 3DS got MGS3–BUT THE PC APPARENTLY WON’T EVER GET ANY MORE OF THE SERwhatever not important), but they don’t have nearly as many as Nintendo, and they’re certainly not as well known. The hardware exists to sell the software. The WiiU was a complete and utter debacle, of course, and I don’t really know how to feel about the Switch so far.

This time I wanted good hardware. Could we get a game with some anti-aliasing, for heaven’s sake, Nintendo? Nope. Gimped hardware. Just like Apple.

tallest skil

sog35 said:

But the problem was most of the sales were to very casual gamers. And what ended up happenning was these casual gamers did not buy games. 

I’m not sure how that’s a problem, as not only did Nintendo make money on every console sold, but the casuals aren’t the source of the disgusting changes made to the industry in the last decade or so.

because the gimmick died.

No, that was wholly an advertising failure. It’ll be the headline example of what not to do in textbooks soon if it isn’t already.

wigby

sog35 said:

mike1 said:

sog35 said:

The thing I don't get: does the console work without the portable screen?

Lets say you come home from work and you want to play Zelda. But then you realize your Son took the portable screen to his friends house. Does the Switch still work? If not, then this will lead to a ton of fights in homes with multiple gamers.

The screen is the console. The dock just adds connectivity to the TV and charges the unit.

That's lame.

So if you live in a multi-gamer household your 'console' could go missing for long stretches. 

That's not very different from any other consoles is it? Were you really expecting to get 2x the hardware for a regular console price?

tallest skil

sog35 said:

Apple's hardware is not gimped.

Three years since a professional desktop. GPUs across the board are gimped in TDP by the case designs. Apple has always been lacking in the graphics department. And if you want to talk about gimmicks, you can’t replace mouse and keyboard with a touchscreen game interface.

wigby

sog35 said:

randominternetperson said:

sog35 said:

Nintendo is so dumb.

Why do they have to waste their time and money on gimmicks?
Why do they have to waste their fans time and money?

This is all true Nintendo fans want:

1. A console
2. With power similiar to the competiton
3. With a decent controller

That's it. But Nintendo keeps doing stupid stuff. Motion controllers, controllers that look like wands, controls with big screens on them..........ENOUGH!!! 

Just give us a system with decent power, a good controller, and no pricey gimmicks!

The last time Nintendo did this they dominated gaming = the SNES.

Starting with the N64, Nintendo has been giving us gimmick features or a severly underpowered console. 

1. N64 - not using a disc media was stupid. All because Nintendo wanted to control chips and piracy. 3rd parties did not want to make games because cartridges were so crazy expense.

2. Gamecube - super underpowered system. Plus tiny disc gimmick lead to less content.

3. Wii - gimmick controller. Very underpowered compared to competition

4. WiiU - just like Wii but worse

5. Switch -gimmick controller. Plus the extra screen is EXPENSIVE. That money should have been spent on better CPU/GPU to match competition

I have no idea why Nintendo loves to rely on gimmicks now. They don't need to! 
Just give us a system and controller that is competitive and pump out your awesome franchise games - Mario, Zelda, Metroid, ect.
Make it easy for 3rd parties to make games on your system!

The Wii was a huge success for Nintendo, the "gimmick" controller differentiated it from the power gamer consoles and opened up the market to millions of casual gamers.  Having said that, that success was a decade ago.  They are way overdue for another big hit.  They have such a valuable pool of IP (Pokemon, Mario, Zelda, etc.) they can turn any device into a must-have purchase for kids (my kids and all their friends went through LOTS of DSes to keep up with all the Pokemon games)--if/when they don't screw it up.

FYI, during the Wii-induced boom times, Nintendo was the second most valuable publicly traded company in Japan (after Toyota).  I assume that's ancient history now.  

The Wii's 'success' was overrated.

Yes they sold a ton of systems. But the problem was most of the sales were to very casual gamers. And what ended up happenning was these casual gamers did not buy games. The Wii had the lowest games sales per console by far. The other problem was these casual gamers did not buy the WiiU, because the gimmick died. The Wii's success was a fad and did nothing to strengthen Nintendo long term. 

In fact the Wii hurt Nintendo. Since it was seen as a casual gamers system. It also had a crappy controller that did not work well with hardcore games and gamers.

What REAL GAMERS want is simply a decently powered Nintendo system with a good controller. No gimmicks. This big screen controller is just another expensive gimmick.

Why Nintendo can't do this blows my mind. Its almost as if they out think themself. The console itself does not have to revolutionary. Its the GAMES that make the console, not the other way around.

The strategy is simple:

1. Wait for Sony/Microsoft to release their systems
2. A year latter Nintendo releases a system with simliar hardware power (components should be much cheaper a year latter)
3. Don't add any gimmicks to keep the price low
4. Release Nintendo's franchise games

Literally that's all Nintendo has to do. And its easy. Cheap POS China smartphone brands can do this( release a year old device for much cheaper). Why can't Nintendo? 

There is no excuse why Nintendo releases severly underpowered consoles.

I always see the parallels between Apple and Nintendo in these situations. They both are trying to skate to where the puck is going to be in terms of hardware. Then when they don't get there or send confusing messages, the developers don't follow them to the puck. Right now, Apple does command a huge developer community that will follow them (and the money). Nintendo hasn't figured out how to excite developers enough to join them ever since Wii. I don't think Mario and Zelda are enough to carry a company bent on making their own hardware like Nintendo. 

20 million iOS users have already signed up to be notified when Super Mario Run is released. I don't think Nintendo gets it yet but we all do.

wigby

randominternetperson said:

sog35 said:

Nintendo is so dumb.

Why do they have to waste their time and money on gimmicks?
Why do they have to waste their fans time and money?

This is all true Nintendo fans want:

1. A console
2. With power similiar to the competiton
3. With a decent controller

That's it. But Nintendo keeps doing stupid stuff. Motion controllers, controllers that look like wands, controls with big screens on them..........ENOUGH!!! 

Just give us a system with decent power, a good controller, and no pricey gimmicks!

The last time Nintendo did this they dominated gaming = the SNES.

Starting with the N64, Nintendo has been giving us gimmick features or a severly underpowered console. 

1. N64 - not using a disc media was stupid. All because Nintendo wanted to control chips and piracy. 3rd parties did not want to make games because cartridges were so crazy expense.

2. Gamecube - super underpowered system. Plus tiny disc gimmick lead to less content.

3. Wii - gimmick controller. Very underpowered compared to competition

4. WiiU - just like Wii but worse

5. Switch -gimmick controller. Plus the extra screen is EXPENSIVE. That money should have been spent on better CPU/GPU to match competition

I have no idea why Nintendo loves to rely on gimmicks now. They don't need to! 
Just give us a system and controller that is competitive and pump out your awesome franchise games - Mario, Zelda, Metroid, ect.
Make it easy for 3rd parties to make games on your system!

The Wii was a huge success for Nintendo, the "gimmick" controller differentiated it from the power gamer consoles and opened up the market to millions of casual gamers.  Having said that, that success was a decade ago.  They are way overdue for another big hit.  They have such a valuable pool of IP (Pokemon, Mario, Zelda, etc.) they can turn any device into a must-have purchase for kids (my kids and all their friends went through LOTS of DSes to keep up with all the Pokemon games)--if/when they don't screw it up.

FYI, during the Wii-induced boom times, Nintendo was the second most valuable publicly traded company in Japan (after Toyota).  I assume that's ancient history now.  

After Pokemon Go was released, they became very valuable again but that didn't last.

thewhitefalcon

sog35 said:

wigby said:

sog35 said:

mike1 said:

sog35 said:

The thing I don't get: does the console work without the portable screen?

Lets say you come home from work and you want to play Zelda. But then you realize your Son took the portable screen to his friends house. Does the Switch still work? If not, then this will lead to a ton of fights in homes with multiple gamers.

The screen is the console. The dock just adds connectivity to the TV and charges the unit.

That's lame.

So if you live in a multi-gamer household your 'console' could go missing for long stretches. 

That's not very different from any other consoles is it? Were you really expecting to get 2x the hardware for a regular console price?

Its different because I don't need to worry that my XboxOne will disappear for many hours. I know it will be in my living room......always.

With this thing, your console could disappear.

LITERALLY DISAPPEAR. NO ONE HAS EVER PRODUCED A SMALL DEVICE LIKE THIS BEFORE. NEVER EVER. GRAVITY MAY STOP WORKING AND THE SWITCH COULD JUST FLOAT INTO THE SKY.

baka-dubbs

sog35 said:

No one made a console before that doubled as a portable. 

I don't understand why this is so hard to understand. 

You don't have to worry about your Xbox or Playstation not being in your living room. ITS ALWAYS THERE. With this thing? Half the time it will probably be out of the house. If you are the only one in the house that plays games, then fine. But if you have multiple gamers, this will really screw things up.

I agree to a point.  I think the Wii U's biggest downfall was price.  It was an under-spec'ed overpriced machine with a few novel idea's that quickly got dumped.   So for the Switch, I think they have to nail the price point.  Judging by the advertising this is supposed to be a very personal system(much like a hand held) so if they price it closer to a hand held, say no more than 250, then it would be reasonable to have multiple units in one house.  If they creep over the 300 price range, were back to an underpowered over priced machine with potential limited adoption rate, where it will quickly be dropped by 3rd party developers(as was the wii with its terrible game attach rate). 

Beenz

sog35 said:

randominternetperson said:

sog35 said:

Nintendo is so dumb.

Why do they have to waste their time and money on gimmicks?
Why do they have to waste their fans time and money?

This is all true Nintendo fans want:

1. A console
2. With power similiar to the competiton
3. With a decent controller

That's it. But Nintendo keeps doing stupid stuff. Motion controllers, controllers that look like wands, controls with big screens on them..........ENOUGH!!! 

Just give us a system with decent power, a good controller, and no pricey gimmicks!

The last time Nintendo did this they dominated gaming = the SNES.

Starting with the N64, Nintendo has been giving us gimmick features or a severly underpowered console. 

1. N64 - not using a disc media was stupid. All because Nintendo wanted to control chips and piracy. 3rd parties did not want to make games because cartridges were so crazy expense.

2. Gamecube - super underpowered system. Plus tiny disc gimmick lead to less content.

3. Wii - gimmick controller. Very underpowered compared to competition

4. WiiU - just like Wii but worse

5. Switch -gimmick controller. Plus the extra screen is EXPENSIVE. That money should have been spent on better CPU/GPU to match competition

I have no idea why Nintendo loves to rely on gimmicks now. They don't need to! 
Just give us a system and controller that is competitive and pump out your awesome franchise games - Mario, Zelda, Metroid, ect.
Make it easy for 3rd parties to make games on your system!

The Wii was a huge success for Nintendo, the "gimmick" controller differentiated it from the power gamer consoles and opened up the market to millions of casual gamers.  Having said that, that success was a decade ago.  They are way overdue for another big hit.  They have such a valuable pool of IP (Pokemon, Mario, Zelda, etc.) they can turn any device into a must-have purchase for kids (my kids and all their friends went through LOTS of DSes to keep up with all the Pokemon games)--if/when they don't screw it up.

FYI, during the Wii-induced boom times, Nintendo was the second most valuable publicly traded company in Japan (after Toyota).  I assume that's ancient history now.  

The Wii's 'success' was overrated.

Yes they sold a ton of systems. But the problem was most of the sales were to very casual gamers. And what ended up happenning was these casual gamers did not buy games. The Wii had the lowest games sales per console by far. The other problem was these casual gamers did not buy the WiiU, because the gimmick died. The Wii's success was a fad and did nothing to strengthen Nintendo long term. 

In fact the Wii hurt Nintendo. Since it was seen as a casual gamers system. It also had a crappy controller that did not work well with hardcore games and gamers.

What REAL GAMERS want is simply a decently powered Nintendo system with a good controller. No gimmicks. This big screen controller is just another expensive gimmick.

Why Nintendo can't do this blows my mind. Its almost as if they out think themself. The console itself does not have to revolutionary. Its the GAMES that make the console, not the other way around.

The strategy is simple:

1. Wait for Sony/Microsoft to release their systems
2. A year latter Nintendo releases a system with simliar hardware power (components should be much cheaper a year latter)
3. Don't add any gimmicks to keep the price low
4. Release Nintendo's franchise games

Literally that's all Nintendo has to do. And its easy. Cheap POS China smartphone brands can do this( release a year old device for much cheaper). Why can't Nintendo? 

There is no excuse why Nintendo releases severly underpowered consoles.

I believe that the Wii had the second highest Attach Rate of Nintendo Systems. (8.84 or about)

georgie01

sog35 said:

I agree with this. It looks very much like a personal device.

This is the main reason I don't want Nintendo to do gimmicks on their consoles because:

1. It will make it cost too much
2. The cost of the gimmicks means less money spent on the CPU/GPU

I wish Nintendo would just make a conventional console with no gimmicks that is equal or more powerful (what a concept!) than the competition. 

Now if Nintendo can sell the Switch for $250 then they might have a hit. But I doubt it. That screen alone looks expensive. I'm thinking $299 minimum. Which is a dumb move. Nintendo should have just made a standard console and sold it for $199.

Although you have some valid points in your multiple posts, I think you'd be happier if you stopped worrying about gimmicks and started focusing on games.

Whatever the shortcomings of the Wii U, it has some really excellent games you can't find on any other system. I have never liked the Wii U's gamepad controller but I'm not so full of myself that I think my personal controller preference affects how good the games actually are, and for games such as Xenoblade Chronicles X or Splatoon the gamepad is actually fairly useful.

I personally am looking forward to the oddly-named 'Switch' and plan on buying it. It looks like what the Wii U should have been.

tallest skil

sog35 said:

Those numbers are misleading because Wii Sports and Wii Play were basically free games that was included in that 8.8 number

Not in Japan.

Beenz

Those numbers are misleading because Wii Sports and Wii Play were basically free games that was included in that 8.8 number

OK, so about 100.9 mil Wii units sold, subtract 2 games per unit (201.8mil) bringing the total to about 690.54mil, thus making the attach rate 6.84. This still puts the Wii in the top 5 for the company out of about 10 different units.