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LPVG: No handheld-only Switch at launch.

Reading this thread, since when is the Switch a tablet?

Unless I'm mistaken, isn't the current PR line from Nintendo on the touchscreen basically: "No Comment."

You can call any 7-inch slab of device, with or without touch capability, a tablet if you go by the actual definition of what tablet means.


And tbh, do you even think Nintendo dare releasing a 7 inch portable without touchscreen in 2017? I know sometime they make stupid decision but they can't be that stupid.
 

The Beard

Member
They should release a TV only version and call it the Wii One to avoid confusion. And the mobile only version could be called the 1DS.
 
The way this reads, it would suggest that they would just be selling the console itself with no dock. Not that it would be a different form factor. It would make no sense to sell one that doesn't connect to the tv as it defeats like the whole name of the device.
 
Are you in the habit of stating absolutely delusional things as fact without explanation? Usually when people say outrageously wrong shit they try to come up with some argument or something but from what I can tell yours is just "I'm a person who doesn't play non-home console games so I'm everybody outside of Japan" which just kinda makes you sound strange.

Hint: Western 3DS sales weren't as great as certain fans always wanted to make them (i.e. the real delusion). PSP was belittled as a failure and it was still far more successful than the 3DS, which has given no signs of the market ever recovering from phones taking over. In 5 years I've maybe seen 3 people actually playing 3DS outside (in the city). I.e. the average sales it pushed were obviously despite the fact that it's a handheld, but certainly not because of it.
But good luck finding people playing Switch at hipster parties and between basketball sessions, lol.
 
I thought they'd consider it for the Japanese market, and it sounds like they did. Nothing mad about that.

It'll be interesting to see how it's marketed after the 3DS has had its holiday sales and if they emphasise different aspects, such as the dock, in different regions.
 
Hint: Western 3DS sales weren't as great as certain fans always wanted to make them. PSP was belittled as a failure and it was still far more successful than the 3DS, which has given no signs of the market ever recovering from phones taking over. In 5 years I've maybe seen 3 people actually playing 3DS outside (in the city). I.e. the average sales it pushed were obviously despite the fact that it's a handheld, but certainly not because of it.
But good luck seeing people playing Switch at hipster parties, lol.

Your original post posited that portable gaming, in any form, is an irrelevant feature for westerners. While the success of mobile games clearly shows that's not true. They're just not interested in the current batch of standalone portable gaming hardware. Which is why positioning the Switch as a console that you can also take on the go is so smart.
 
Your original post posited that portable gaming, in any form, is an irrelevant feature for westerners. While the success of mobile games clearly shows that's not true. They're just not interested in the current batch of standalone portable gaming hardware. Which is why positioning the Switch as a console that you can also take on the go is so smart.

Every scenario in the trailer is unrealistic and will only ever happen with phones and tablets (outside of a weird niche).
 
D

Deleted member 752119

Unconfirmed Member
Why would there ever be a handheld only Switch? Dividing the install base is the opposite of a good idea.

It would play the same games, so not division of library/base. Not saying it will happen, but as long as any variations they put out down the road all play the same games the base isn't divided.
 

yyr

Member
What's really needed later is TV-only.

Why? Just leave it in the dock.

To sell a package without the dock might be practical for many people, but to make a special non-portable version doesn't seem necessary at all. This is Nintendo we're talking about; do you really think they'd charge less money for it anyway?

PSP was belittled as a failure and it was still far more successful than the 3DS, which has given no signs of the market ever recovering from phones taking over. In 5 years I've maybe seen 3 people actually playing 3DS outside (in the city).

I've never seen anyone refer to the PSP as a failure. It never hit DS levels of popularity, but it had its own devoted market.

I think the peak of 3DS' popularity was around when Animal Crossing: New Leaf came out. I've gone to New York Comic-Con every year for the last 5+ years. When AC was under 2 years old, my StreetPasses filled almost instantly there. This year (earlier this month), it took over an hour to accumulate 10 tags at one point, and that was with literally tens of thousands of people there.

There may still be a market for dedicated portable gaming, but it's a lot smaller than it used to be. Of course, this may change if a great new device releases. When the 3DS and Vita came out, they were far more advanced than the phones on the market at the time. But the smartphones of today have leapfrogged both dedicated devices.

They should release a TV only version and call it the Wii One to avoid confusion.

But ever since the reality show boom, most TV channels don't even show Wii Ones any more.

::runs::
 

tsab

Member
Introducing a dockless, joycon gripless SKU in the future with a pricedrop makes sense.
Remember when the 3DS had charging docks
and chargers
included but then removed for XL and after?
 

Dekuboy

Neo Member
Wait I am confused, so there will be no 3ds successor right?

But why then these phrases:
While a handheld-only package may come down the line, at launch all bundles of the system will include a dock as to not confuse branding around the name.

There are no plans for the Switch handheld to be able to connect to your TV without the use of the dock.

because I read into that as "there may be coming something, but Nintendo doesn´t want to confuse people. But the last Sentence really doesn´t make sense to me, because she says there won´t be handheld, which can connect to your tv without the dock. But if Nintendo releases a handheld, then why should it be able to connect to the tv at all?
 
Wait I am confused, so there will be no 3ds successor right?

But why then these phrases:




because I read into that as "there may be coming something, but Nintendo doesn´t want to confuse people. But the last Sentence really doesn´t make sense to me, because she says there won´t be handheld, which can connect to your tv without the dock. But if Nintendo releases a handheld, then why should it be able to connect to the tv at all?

That first bit just sounds like some speculation on the part of the article's author. The second line just sounds like they're saying that there's no secret HDMI Out port on the handheld unit itsself.
 
More like Nintendo Go and Nintendo Home.
Lol, that's more like it. Sorry. I would be terrible in marketing. That would be much simpler, but then you must make consumers realize that all those different SKUs are compatible with Nintendo OS. They must realize that it's just like Android and iOS basically. Can Nintendo make that clear and concise without confusing consumers?
 

dcx4610

Member
I just wish the Pro controller was bundled too. I think the system could be hindered again like the Wii U by not having a traditional controller as standard.
 
I just wish the Pro controller was bundled too. I think the system could be hindered again like the Wii U by not having a traditional controller as standard.

The Joycons have every aspect of a traditional controller when they're in the grip. They just look a little funky.
 

Lionheart

Member
Just leave it docked?
1. You still pay for the screen.
2. You pay for a default controller with a layout that looks very painful to use. I'd rather have a TV only model with Pro controller by default.
3. You also pay for battery or even three batteries (each of the joy cons has one as well).
4. They could (but probably won't) make a tv only unit that includes a big 2.5 inch hard drive. I like to go digital only and prices for 256 GB SD cards are already quite high and I'd rather have 500+ GB.
 

I Wanna Be The Guy

U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!
Why? Just leave it in the dock.

To sell a package without the dock might be practical for many people, but to make a special non-portable version doesn't seem necessary at all. This is Nintendo we're talking about; do you really think they'd charge less money for it anyway?



I've never seen anyone refer to the PSP as a failure. It never hit DS levels of popularity, but it had its own devoted market.

I think the peak of 3DS' popularity was around when Animal Crossing: New Leaf came out. I've gone to New York Comic-Con every year for the last 5+ years. When AC was under 2 years old, my StreetPasses filled almost instantly there. This year (earlier this month), it took over an hour to accumulate 10 tags at one point, and that was with literally tens of thousands of people there.

There may still be a market for dedicated portable gaming, but it's a lot smaller than it used to be. Of course, this may change if a great new device releases. When the 3DS and Vita came out, they were far more advanced than the phones on the market at the time. But the smartphones of today have leapfrogged both dedicated devices.



But ever since the reality show boom, most TV channels don't even show Wii Ones any more.

::runs::
2DS. PSTV.

The point would be to have a cheap entry level option for people who don't care about the portable aspect. It's absolutely something they should eventually do. Things like the screen and battery and whatnot add a lot to the cost of a device like this. In 2 or 3 years I totally see Nintendo releasing a super cheap tv only console that plays all Switch games and I think it would do very well.
 

Elatreus

Banned
I'd definitely consider getting a handheld only version sometime in the future.
But they'd need to shrink it more than it's current size, no bigger than the current 3DSXL thank you very much!
 
It certainly doesn't have a traditional d-pad, which is stupidly sacrificed for the sake of 2 controllers gimmick.

While I agree, and I intend to buy a pro controller, that doesn't make it an untraditional controller. It has all of the inputs that the competitors do. It's not a Wii situation where it literally doesn't have all of the inputs required for certain games.
 
She doesn't say Nintendo is planning on releasing it a handheld only unit, just that there are no plans currently.
Unless she says "there are plans later" then it really means nothing.
The dock either has very few internals (just a charger+HDMI out) or it does something substantial no one has leaked. If it's the first then it really can't cost much and losing the gameplay functionality seems unwise.
 

Shpeshal Nick

aka Collingwood
Actually, I'm more interested to know if they'll sell the dock separately.

If the dock is only for charging and TV out and it's cheap enough, I'll buy one for multiple TVs in the house and maybe another for my parents place.
 

MUnited83

For you.
A handheld only switch makes no sense whatsoever really. Even if they release a smaller version down the line that is more handheld-oriented, it should still be able to dock and be used with a TV.
 
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