- Can the system be used exclusively on portable mode from the get-go, or is a TV required at least for the initial configuration? The answer is not as crystal-clear as it may seem, and it's not guaranteed at all that the Switch can be booted up right away and played solely on tablet mode. Let's take the example of the PS4 remote play on the Vita: while it's perfectly possible to stream PS4 games on a Vita without any TV at all, a TV monitor is still necessary to install the PS4 at first. Granted, we're talking about a single occurrence, but it's a serious hurdle nonetheless for a gamer like me who doesn't own a TV. If the Switch works in a similar way, that would be a major deterrent to a purchase as far as I'm concerned.
- It's now established that the resolution and frame rate will vary between tablet play and TV play. Now, doesn't that mean that developers will have to come up with two different versions of the same game if they want to exploit these specs to the fullest? Like, one version that can be accommodated by the tablet and another for dock-powered TV play? I'm not a tech wizard and I have very scant notions regarding such matters, but my meagre understanding is that squeezing a game with high specs into a console that cannot accommodate such specs will not result in an smooth automatic downgrading, so to speak; the console will either have major difficulties running the game (case in point: Pokemon Sun and Moon on the original 3DS model) or be purely and simply unable to run it. This means that either developers will indeed have to develop two versions of every single game, which I seriously doubt anybody but Nintendo will do, or they will have to downgrade their games right away to the level of the tablet's specs, which I'd wager every developer but Nintendo will do. Or will some developers choose to limit their efforts solely to one of the two display modes, ignoring the other entirely? Like, could we have games that will run solely in docked mode or tablet mode? Is that even technically possible? And if it is, will Nintendo allow it?
- Because Nintendo decided to go all Wii on us again, these stupid little Joy-Cons contain batteries. Now let's imagine an hypothetical situation in which you play some motion game or some Mario Kart 8 on the TV with the Joy-Cons for some time, then decide to play something on the tablet. Since you've been using the Joy-Cons separately from the tablet screen, doesn't that imply that there will be a discrepancy in the battery levels of the Joy-Cons and the tablet screen? Could this lead to a situation where the Joy-Cons will die on you before the tablet screen, de facto preventing you from using the screen's full battery? Or will the Joy-Cons suck power away from the tablet screen, which could then lead to faster battery depletion? And if the Joy-Cons don't feed from the screen battery, does that mean that they must always be recharged in their dedicated dock? Because then again, such a configuration would be a major deterrent as far as I'm concerned. Charging one system on a regular basis is enough work as it is, and there's no way I'm going to double that workload. One's home contains only so many AC sockets, after all.
Those are my enquiries of the moment, and more will undoubtedly pop up as time goes on. The Switch is shaping up to be a very fussy and complicated console indeed, and I cannot say that my desire to get one is increasing. Hopefully things will clarify in due time and possible technical issues will be solved in an efficient way. Thanks for reading, and be my guest anytime!
As for your second point, much in the way that a computer monitor can display a game in different resolutions and different refresh rates, a console can do the same thing. The hardware can simply impose a resolution change and a framerate limiter when it detects that it is undocked. The developers can also downscale their own graphic quality which is commonplace in game engines already. An example of this is on PC games where you can tweak the texture quality.
ReplyDeleteYour last point is a good one - when I learned just how much functionality is packed into those damn joycons, I sighed a little bit and realized they'd be two more things to keep charged. I assume they are being trickle-charged along via the hardware when the device is in portable mode.
Is it really that simple? I mean, Pokemon Sun and Moon run much worse on the original 3DS model than on the New 3DS, and we're basically talking about the same machine here. Does that imply that Game Freak used the New 3DS as their working base for the pair? And if it's the case, how come they couldn't downscale the game's specs to allow it to run smoothly on the original 3DS?
DeleteThere are also reports that Breath of the Wild's resolution and frame rates are actually worse on dock mode than on tablet mode. How is that even possible? Shouldn't the extra horsepower of the dock allow the game to run better? All this is quite confusing; and so far, there's no guarantee than the switch from tablet play to dock play will be as smooth as Nintendo claims.
On a more general note, I wish developers will be allowed to ditch one of the two display modes if they want to. Such a move would certainly attract more potential developers, from powerhouses that want to deliver TV-based AAA experiences and don't want to bother with tweaking their game engines to accommodate tablet play to niche developers that are currently offering budget games on the Vita.
So, good news for everyone. It seems like Nintendo's president admitted the possibility of a 3DS successor. I'm betting they're gonna wait for Switch's first fiscal year before actually deciding on one. This basically admits they know the Switch isn't intended for portable gaming.
ReplyDeleteAdmittedly, this only encourages me into NOT buying a Switch so they can focus on portable gaming and not that hybrid gimmick.
Source, by the way:
http://www.siliconera.com/2017/02/02/nintendo-president-sees-need-market-3ds-successor-consideration/
Oh yes please Ninty, release another portable system, even if it's but a downgraded version of the Switch itself à la 2DS. Like, I would love to be offered a tablet-only Switch with non-removable Joy-Cons. That would be a godsend, and I hope Nintendo release such a model down the line.
DeleteOn the other hand, this could simply be classic PR talk, i.e. Nintendo keeping all their options opened. Honestly, all the seemingly contradictory statements they've been issuing these last weeks make my head swims. They declared yesterday that they would be developing two to three mobile games a year, and I was ready to pen a mourning post about how Nintendo was about to ditch handhelds; and now this? Heck, that sure is confusing.
One thing is abundantly clear, though: they are more than ready to abandon the handheld market they kickstarted into existence 25 years ago, and they'll fall back onto it only if the Switch and their mobile ventures are not as successful as intended. Now that gives me one more excellent incentive to abstain from purchasing the Switch. That makes two of us on that boat, and I'll wager there will be more gamers reacting that way!
It's classic PR talk, of course. But now even The Legend of Zelda producer comes out and says that the Switch won't replace a dedicated handheld.
DeleteThis is getting more confusing than trying to play JP games without even knowing katakana. Just what the hell is Nintendo doing? How is it possible for a company to have so much inside miscommunication? I really don't want Nintendo to fall with the Switch but this is getting out of hand.
And I disagree with you. They don't want to abandon the handheld market. Trying to develop a home/portable hybrid and thinking it over if they should or not make a successor to their handheld really shows that they have serious doubts about that. But we'll see. I honestly don't even know what to think anymore about the Switch (except that I'll pass up on it for the time being).
Oh, I'm sure Nintendo don't actually WANT to abandon the handheld market at all; if it were up to them, they would keep producing successful handhelds until the end of time. Nonetheless, I'm quite sure that they are currently taking measures to rebound in case that market that has served them for 25 years dries up and disappears entirely. I mean, the notion that dedicated handhelds are about to become a thing of the past has been around for a couple of years now, and it makes perfect sense that they are pondering this possibility and reacting accordingly. In my opinion, the Switch's tablet display is all at once a way to keep their portable market open and to make a smooth transition into a gaming landscape devoid of handhelds if need be. Which I sure as hell hope won't be the case.
DeleteI guess it's slowly dawning on everybody, including Nintendo suits, that the Switch is far from being a stellar or even decent handheld. Apart from the issues of pricing, size and poor battery life, it is now rumored that the tablet is a trifle too heavy to accommodate long playing sessions. And as far as I'm concerned, I also fear that it will be a tad too wide to be truly comfortable to play.
Nintendo makes me facepalm and shake my head in disbelief on a daily basis with their schizophrenic communication around the Switch. How a company can screw its marketing so badly is truly beyond me.
Oh, so now they're considering a 3DS successor? Funny thing, I just read an article a few days ago about how "they're considering VR" too (and there's patents for VR tech on the Switch). And they're gonna keep supporting the mobile market as well? Wow, Nintendo sure has a lot of projects. They must be very confident of their success in the market. It totally doesn't look like they're completely lost and confused and are resorting to throwing crap everywhere to see what sticks to the wall.
DeleteAnd remember the original Switch commercial? The one that was way more focused on showing how the switch worked in portable mode, the one that made us handheld fans have a little hope? Yeah, what happened to that? Seems like Nintendo wanted us to think it was more of a portable console first, but now it's all confused and PR is crapping all over itself. It's like Nintendo doesn't even know who they can sell the switch to except hardcore Nintendo fans. Don't blame them; it looks horrible as a handheld and looks horrible as a console compared to PS4/Xbone.
Whatever, at this point I have little faith in even a true 3DS successor. Not with current Nintendo at the wheel. And if there is a 3DS successor, I'm pretty sure they've told no developers of their plan, so it's in the fetus stages of planning and it's years away from now on. Why do I think this? Because story of seasons has a game announced for the switch, and story of seasons hasn't had a console game in 7 years. I can't see them making the jump to a "home console first" Switch unless they didn't have any other choice at the time.
Man I feel sorry for the developers that have games announced for the switch. Maybe I'm throwing in the towel too early, but all the warning signs of this being a failed console are plain for everyone to see. If this doesn't become the Wii U 2.0, that will be my shock for the decade. And we all know how even excellent games fared by being exclusive on the Wii U. Poor Tokyo Mirage FE...
Although we can console ourselves with the thought that if the Switch does fail and they take 2 years to release another handheld, Nintendo is also gonna get screwed during these years. I'm sure they'll wish they hadn't pulled the plug on the 3DS so early.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.. but this was actually the result of a mistranslation. There is no planned successor to the 3DS, at least nothing that is confirmed or even rumored!
DeleteOh, crap! Sheesh, there misinterpretations wouldn't happen if Nintendo executives dropped the vague PR talk and communicated in a clear and straightforward way. But of course, I guess they cannot say right away that they will develop a 3DS successor if the Switch bombs, because that would imply that they don't have faith in their own product.
DeleteYeah, I saw that later, but I don't it's exactly a mistranslation but Nintendo trying to backpedal on what was said. Next time they're also going to say that what Aonuma said is also wrongly translated?
DeleteAnd even then, it's like Isleif said, the vagueness of their advertising and Switch talk is only deterring the Switch and Nintendo. We currently live in a world where info runs at the speed of sound in world-wide scale. Don't be vague, be objective and clear. A vague comment on something can have an higher impact on future sales than a solid marketing or publicity. I think it's time for Nintendo to call a spade, a spade and not tiptoe around the issue, for their own good.
Exactly. It shouldn't be too hard to say something along the lines of "Okay, we'll make a successor to the 3DS if there is some huge demand for it". That would be clear and to the point, and it would encourage gamers to express themselves on the matter to boot. But that would obviously involve Nintendo actually listening to what the market wants, and that's not been their strongest suit lately.
DeleteAlso, which Aonuma quote are you referring to? The infamous "It's OK if there's pockets of emptiness" line, which seems to imply that they felt it would be too much work to fill up the game world and just didn't bother? 'Cause that one sure was a shocker :P
DeleteNo, I'm referring to the recent "Switch will never replace a dedicated portable console" quote. The one you mentioned was also a great moment of facepalming. When will people learn that it's not okay to just spew everything that comes to your mind when representing a big name company?
DeleteOh great, now things are getting even messier. Looks like Ninty are getting tangled in their own PR talk... They should really shut their mouth and think before uttering that kind of self-contradictory crap.
DeleteThis is all conjecture on my part, but here are my guesses:
ReplyDelete1: Since the switch is a "home console first", there's a really good change you'll need to set up the whole system, including the docking part, before the console lets you do anything else.
2: Best case scenario, it works like Geddy Lee describes. But we don't truly know how the hardware of both the tablet and the dock work. It can be the case that the two are much too different from each other, like O3DS and the N3DS were, and then we'll have issues with games similar to Sun and Moon. Given Nintendo's history...
3: This one I'm pretty sure of. I think the joycons cannot be charged with the tablet. Why? Because besides the docking mode, Nintendo wants to sell an extra accessory that charges the things (I think it costs like 50$), so there's an incentive for them to not allow many options for the Joycon recharging. Plus, I think it'd be worse for handheld gamers if the joycons did charge with the tablet; the switch already has a horrendous battery, can you imagine how quickly it drains when you're playing a "demanding" gaming and you're charging two joycons at the same time too? Yeah, I don't fancy that scenario.
Not like I fancy anything about the Switch anymore. Amazing how I was cautious but hopeful two months ago, and I now I can't even stand the sight of the thing.
On better news, guess what Isleif, New Interpretation of Stranger of Sword City has been announced for a western release, this February 28th, by none other than Experience Inc themselves. The western market must be really working out for them! The bad news is, only a North American version has been announced. I hear Europe's regulations are harder to crack into for first timers on the market, so I hope they haven't announced an European edition yet because they haven't been approved as of now. Or they're like Xseed and Aksys, who always release their games in Europe but take their sweet time to do so. Or that Nisa Europe brings it over if they can't. Either way, Experience Inc releasing these things themselves in the west paints a very good future for them. Also, I'm very thankful I waited before I bought Strange of Sword City. And I just thinking of getting it soon too! This furthers gives me reason to not buy Toukiden 2 at launch no matter my desires; history tells me that KT will re-release it eventually.
"Not like I fancy anything about the Switch anymore. Amazing how I was cautious but hopeful two months ago, and I now I can't even stand the sight of the thing": We're pretty much on the same page here. I can already tell you that if the Switch needs to be installed on a TV first and if Joy-Cons have to be charged separately, there is virtually no chance I'll purchase the Switch at all, no matter how many great games it hosts. The only thing that would make me change my mind in such a case would be the release a dockless, portable-only version of the Switch down the line.
DeleteIt's great to hear about the upcoming Stranger of Sword City Revisited release! Not that I'll be able to add it to my collection, mind you, since it's digital-only. But I'm glad Experience Inc. are faring so well, and I sure hope that they will treat us to amazing first-person dungeon crawlers for many years to come. ^____^