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[CrAzY FiNgErS]

LOL... What company does this? That's just beyond dumb.

Apple. It's already been pointed out that the Wii U was revealed 2 years in advance and look at that disaster. Maybe a shorter hype period with a greater line up of games will actually increase the hype. I just hope we don't have another Wii, Amiibo, NES Classic Mini on our hands. I want this thing to be readily available. That's why I need to preorder this ASAP. Of course, I may be in the minority here on GAF, but with Nintendo it's like preaching to the choir to me. I am a lifelong Nintendo fan and consumer so I am getting this regardless.

 

[Carlius]

good, this means they may actually upgrade the switch to something better.

 

[EloquentM]

In the video game industry? Who?

What other video game companies are releasing consoles 3 months after holidays?

 

[GamerJM]

If only there was some company that sets precedent of short turnaround from full announcement of their product to release date that Nintendo's marketing strategy of the last decade could be compared to. If only...

The difference is that all people really need to know about those types of devices is the hardware itself and then they're good to buy. With a console there's a lot of fine details Nintendo needs to make clear prior to launch. Like.....we currently know nothing about the launch lineup. I'm sure there will be more than just Zelda.

 

[Friend of Sonic]

I don't blame Nintendo. They fluffed me this morning and I have a raging hard on. Even when 2017 rolls around, I'm gonna have a fierce semi that they can easily coax back to life

 

[CrAzY FiNgErS]

good, this means they may actually upgrade the switch to something better.

LOL, I don't think the Switch is for you then.

 

[jchap]

While this isn't a big deal, my appetite for information is insatiable. Hopefully they will show off the hardware functions more if not specific specs or games.

 

[TDLink]

I don't understand why people think this is a bad thing. Despite you personally wanting to know more about the system, there is no reason Nintendo needs to say anything about the system at all this year. They didn't even need to do the video today. They can talk about it in January or whenever and still have the same effect as if they did it now. The difference is doing it now would dilute their message for the holiday season, which happens to be...buy Pokemon. So it makes a lot of sense that they aren't going to talk much about it this year.

Now, I do think they'll say more since they have in fact unveiled it. They kind of have to at the investor meeting next week.

But there is nothing bad about them largely holding off on info. The date continues to be march and there is no arbitrary date that info has to be revealed by for a march production date to be hit, even if you want there to be.

Try to cool your heads off.

 

[udivision]

Ugh, I won't even know if that was the Switch version of zelda or just the Wii U version of Zelda on display in that video. Can't make out any differences whatsoever with low quality footage.

Look at all of the other games shown. I don't think graphics are going to be the defining thing that separates the Switch from the Wii U.

 

[Vanillalite]

What other video game companies are releasing consoles 3 months after holidays?

Exactly.

And for the record I doubt Nintendo would have chosen this time frame. Ideally they probably would have hoped they could have been ready for Holiday 2016 or else the Wii U and 3DS were selling so well they could have just done this later in 2017.

Is what it is with the launch month though as well as Nintendo's fiscal year.

 

[Plinko]

The feigned outrage over this is hilarious.

The idea that any major business must need 6 months to market a system in 2016/7 where news and information is instantly at our fingertips? Also hilarious.

Just because we aren't seeing it doesn't mean the marketing campaign and money hasn't already been set up for a huge 3 month push once the holidays are over.

 

[Schnozberry]

Yeah, I wonder what this is about. I don't think they need to reveal absolutely everything right now but some confirmed details on a few games is all I really want.

I think you're gonna have to wait. There's a reason Bethesda wouldn't confirm Skyrim on Switch yet. They all have financial targets to meet by the end of the year selling you shit for the Holidays. Nintendo and others probably agreed to hold off announcements until the New Year to protect their respective Holiday schedules from people holding off for a Switch version.

Nintendo looks like the bad guy, but I'm guessing this thing had to be hammered out among a number of third parties.

 

[joedick]

The reaction reminds me of when they unveiled their E3 strategy - which worked out just fine for them.

Any info they give in Nov or Dec could distract from the 3DS systems and NES minis they'll be trying to push.

 

[SirShandy]

While I'm dying to see more of the software, since we were only thrown the tiniest morsels in the Switch trailer, I can't take fault with the strategic reasoning here.

With how quickly the market and information moves and changes nowadays, I don't see how a concentrated marketing push in the few months leading up to launch would be any less effective than if it were more evenly spread out over a larger period of time (not much larger at that.)

For those who follow this stuff closely, I can share the frustration, but in terms of marketing and bringing a new product to the mass public, there may be a benefit to unveiling your trove of goods closer to when they can actually get their hands on them.

 

[guek]

I don't understand why people think this is a bad thing. Despite you personally wanting to know more about the system, there is no reason Nintendo needs to say anything about the system at all this year. They didn't even need to do the video today. They can talk about it in January or whenever and still have the same effect as if they did it now. The difference is doing it now would dilute their message for the holiday season, which happens to be...buy Pokemon. So it makes a lot of sense that they aren't going to talk much about it this year.

Now, I do think they'll say more since they have in fact unveiled it. They kind of have to at the investor meeting next week.

But there is nothing bad about them largely holding off on info. The date continues to be march and there is no arbitrary date that info has to be revealed by for a march production date to be hit, even if you want there to be.

Try to cool your heads off.

Yup. Competing with holiday mindshare for a product out in March makes zero sense.

 

[brawly]

Has it been confirmed that thre's no 3D Mario and the one shown was bullshit? Because I bet it is.

 

[DecoReturns]

After reading more of the thread. It seems more of the anger is a emotional response.
Yes there are some reason to continue to talk about it but in the long wrong it's a better idea to wait the holiday season out.

 

[Schnozberry]

While I'm dying to see more of the software, since we were only thrown the tiniest morsels in the Switch trailer, I can't take fault with the strategic reasoning here.

With how quickly the market and information moves and changes nowadays, I don't see how a concentrated marketing push in the few months leading up to launch would be any less effective than if it were more evenly spread out over a larger period of time (not much larger at that.)

For those who follow this stuff closely, I can share the frustration, but in terms of marketing and bringing a new product to the mass public, there may be a benefit to unveiling your trove of goods closer to when you they can actually get their hands on them.

They want to sprint to the finish, not jog. It's solid business strategy. You also have to protect the holiday season, if not for them specifically then for their partners.

 

[TheDarkKnight774]

Has it been confirmed that thre's no 3D Mario and the one shown was bullshit? Because I bet it is.

Stay tuned in 2017!

 

[Plinko]

While I'm dying to see more of the software, since we were only thrown the tiniest morsels in the Switch trailer, I can't take fault with the strategic reasoning here.

With how quickly the market and information moves and changes nowadays, I don't see how a concentrated marketing push in the few months leading up to launch would be any less effective than if it were more evenly spread out over a larger period of time (not much larger at that.)

For those who follow this stuff closely, I can share the frustration, but in terms of marketing and bringing a new product to the mass public, there may be a benefit to unveiling your trove of goods closer to when you they can actually get their hands on them.

Yup. Competing with holiday mindshare for a product out in March makes zero sense.

100% agree.

 

[?oe?oe]

The reaction reminds me of when they unveiled their E3 strategy - which worked out just fine for them.

Any info they give in Nov or Dec could distract from the 3DS systems and NES minis they'll be trying to push.

GAF fumed over many Nintendo's decisions this year, and for a "gap year", Nintendo has being going up and up despite the meltdowns.

 

[mortal]

How do you announce a completely new console that lauches 5 months from now, without one single new IP?

 

[Timeaisis]

I like the shorter hype cycle. It's easier to hold on to the mindshare in the sea of releases.

 

[ElMexiMerican]

I'm fine with a January media blowout for games and specs. Get people psyched back up after coming off of the holiday rush, allow people to still have the 3DS in mind when making purchase decisions for Christmas, and maybe sell a Wii U or two along the way to further dry up the inventory. This definitely makes the most business sense given the current circumstances.

 

[SirShandy]

Has it been confirmed that thre's no 3D Mario and the one shown was bullshit? Because I bet it is.

Why would it be bullshit?

What's unbelievable about the idea of Nintendo showing a new 3D mario game?

 

[Neoweee]

Has it been confirmed that thre's no 3D Mario and the one shown was bullshit? Because I bet it is.

wat

You really think they made footage of a fake Mario game to create a demo?

Please tell me I'm misreading what you wrote.

 

[Plinko]

How do you announce a completely new console that lauches 5 months from now, without one single new IP?

They haven't even done the full reveal yet. We don't even know launch titles, and the idea that you need 5 months for this in the current marketplace is beyond ridiculous.

 

[UberTag]

After reading more of the thread. It seems more of the anger is a emotional response.
Yes there are some reason to continue to talk about it but in the long wrong it's a better idea to wait the holiday season out.

Yeah, it's an absurd overreaction. That said, I'm sure we're going to get another constant barrage of Simpsons memes with Nintendo going back into radio silence.

 

[TheGreatLugia]

At least 2017 isn't too far away.

Has it been confirmed that thre's no 3D Mario and the one shown was bullshit? Because I bet it is.

Yoshiaki Koizumi confirmed that EAD Tokyo was working on the next 3D Mario game back in April 2014. They've had plenty of time to work on it

 

[MuchoMalo]

In terms of reveal, this is barely any better than the Wii U. Better name, better reveal to release timeline, that's it.

I think you're underestimating how terrible Wii U's reveal was. Revealing via press release the day before launch would have still been better than Wii U's.

I kinda suspected this. I didn't think that they'd give launch details this year, so it's probably cheaper to only have one event in February than to have an even in November and in February. Sadly, I assume that this means third party launch titles are still NDA'd.

 

[Malus]

The reaction reminds me of when they unveiled their E3 strategy - which worked out just fine for them.

It worked fine in the sense that BOTW was good and got people excited. It's not as if it would've been worse if Nintendo had the Switch ready to show. And there's probably not a BOTW type thing to get people excited while they wait for the proper reveal.

 

[TheDarkKnight774]

The reaction reminds me of when they unveiled their E3 strategy - which worked out just fine for them.

Any info they give in Nov or Dec could distract from the 3DS systems and NES minis they'll be trying to push.

Sony has been doing quite well with PSX

 

[lenovox1]

Way to give would be NS buyers a reason not to buy a PS4 or XB1 this holiday season!

Look, your console looks nice and all but other than Zelda we still have zero official game confirmations for the damn console. The WiiU's dead. You guys should be hyping us for the Switch so much that people would choose to wait for it instead jumping the gun.

Jesus Christ, Nintendo. I fail to see why this announcement is considerably better than the WiiU's.

They still have to sell the 3DS.

 

[Devilgunman]

wat

You really think they made footage of a fake Mario game to create a demo?

Please tell me I'm misreading what you wrote.

If that Mario is fake, it isn't the first time Nintendo did that.

 

[Blackleg-sanji1]

So pokemon moon and sun on the switch is what I got from this(it makes no sense how I got that from this but yet of you think about it makes all the sense in the world)

 

[AniHawk]

the only thing that would suck is preorders. a lot of time third parties want about 6-12 months for preorders (or longer), so that the initial order can be big. it's increasingly important as the dedicated market shrinks. however, considering launch titles and launch window titles, having all eyes on a lineup that includes your game might be coverage you normally can't buy.

just because things haven't been done before doesn't mean it's a bad idea. they had only one game at e3 and it was an enormous success. they had a three minute video to reveal their next-gen platform and the reaction is mostly positive. nintendo could have had a conference at e3 that was 60 minutes and it could have been spectacular. it also could have turned into a substitute for sleeping pills like the playstation meeting. what will really matter is if they can do something well or not.

 

[brawly]

Why would it be bullshit?

What's unbelievable about the idea of Nintendo showing a new 3D mario game?

Unbelievable to me is that they show it without announcing it and now they go "see you in a couple months". It's a 3D Mario.

wat

You really think they made footage of a fake Mario game to create a demo?

Please tell me I'm misreading what you wrote.

Uh, yes? Remember Zelda? lol

 

[udivision]

Sharing information about the Switch really shouldn't hurt holiday sales unless they're concerned that hardcore gamers (the only people who'd be watching Nintendo Directs and would even know what the Switch is) would forgo Pokemon and the NES Mini because the Switch launches in March. The Switch that they were going to get anyway, and since they were savvy, already knew this.

I'm pretty sure Nintendo has effectively been able to disseminate information to their fans without the mainstream knowing as well.

There's a difference between running TV ads and releasing a press release with some info.

I think you're underestimating how terrible Wii U's reveal was. Revealing via press release the day before launch would have still been better than Wii U's.

The more I think about it, I think owning a Wii U actually makes the Switch's reveal slightly worse (but still better than the Wii U's). They did "show, don't tell" a lot better than the stupid title cards but the Switch had a similar issue with the games shown.

 

[GamerJM]

The feigned outrage over this is hilarious.

The idea that any major business must need 6 months to market a system in 2016/7 where news and information is instantly at our fingertips? Also hilarious.

Just because we aren't seeing it doesn't mean the marketing campaign and money hasn't already been set up for a huge 3 month push once the holidays are over.

I'm not saying that waiting until January for the marketing push is a bad move. I'm saying that deliberately not saying anything about the console at the moment for no seeming reason is. There's absolutely nothing bad that can come from releasing concrete information about the console at the moment. It doesn't really "matter," but it'll appease their fans more. People want to know ahead of time so they can plan their purchases ahead of time and know what's coming and decide if they want to buy. Nintendo needs to communicate and have some kind of a dialogue with their fans.

 

[ahkdigital]

Well, he was a little off on calling it "unlikely (but not impossible)" about NIntendo discussing things via an online presentation this week and the other people on Twitter were correct about the trailer. Laura K. Dale did say to "expect price, date, specs and specific games expanded on by the end of the month investor call."

So, strap in, guys!

Let's see where this train goes.

 

[Blackleg-sanji1]

Sharing information about the Switch really shouldn't hurt holiday sales unless they're concerned that hardcore gamers (the only people who'd be watching Nintendo Directs and would even know what the Switch is) would forgo Pokemon and the NES Mini because the Switch launches in March. The Switch that they were going to get anyway, and since they were savvy, already knew this.

I'm pretty sure Nintendo has effectively been able to disseminate information to their fans without the mainstream knowing as well.

There's a difference between running TV ads and releasing a press release with some info.

Completely agree.

 

[Mihael Mello Keehl]

Honestly as a young marketing major I'm fuming lol. So tone deaf. Their marketing team must be full of 50+ year olds.

10k pls

 

[Hydrus]

wat

You really think they made footage of a fake Mario game to create a demo?

Please tell me I'm misreading what you wrote.

Remember getting that Zelda that was shown at launch...

Yea, me neither.

 

[Dark Cloud]

This is what I was expecting-a full reveal in January.

But I thought Laura said Nintendo would talk more about NX to investors?

 

[dimb]

The feigned outrage over this is hilarious.

The idea that any major business must need 6 months to market a system in 2016/7 where news and information is instantly at our fingertips? Also hilarious.

Just because we aren't seeing it doesn't mean the marketing campaign and money hasn't already been set up for a huge 3 month push once the holidays are over.

Nintendo are not the only ones making games for the system. Third parties may have very different marketing strategies, and the more third party developers the specifics are revealed to the more likely information is to leak in a way where Nintendo does not control the message.

 

[Roo]

Well.. that's one way to kill all the hype and good will you just got from your console reveal, Nintendo.

Well done.

 

[casiopao]

GAF fumed over many Nintendo's decisions this year, and for a "gap year", Nintendo has being going up and up despite the meltdowns.

Agree lol. Everyone called for Nintendoomed this year but not only they had been keep going up, their mindshare is actually doing really well here.

Poke Go
Super Mario Run
Zelda BoTW on E3

is all great moves. Lets see if this moves in January is going to pay off here.^_^ As i am sure not going to rule out their moves here.

 

[OrbitalBeard]

This is what I was expecting-a full reveal in January.

But I thought Laura said Nintendo would talk more about NX to investors?

They will, but the meeting probably won't be full of substantial new info. Maybe a few nice tidbits of new stuff though.

 

[phanphare]

Sony has been doing quite well with PSX

that's because PS4 news doesn't really hinder the mindshare of the PS4

 

[Oersted]

Sharing information about the Switch really shouldn't hurt holiday sales unless they're concerned that hardcore gamers (the only people who'd be watching Nintendo Directs and would even know what the Switch is) would forgo Pokemon and the NES Mini because the Switch launches in March. The Switch that they were going to get anyway, and since they were savvy, already knew this.

I'm pretty sure Nintendo has effectively been able to disseminate information to their fans without the mainstream knowing as well.

There's a difference between running TV ads and releasing a press release with some info.



The more I think about it, I think owning a Wii U actually makes the Switch's reveal slightly worse (but still better than the Wii U's). They did "show, don't tell" a lot better than the stupid title cards but the Switch had a similar issue with the games shown.

Every single major news website is covering Switch. Switch was worldwide number 1 trend. You are incredible naive if you think this doesn't hit mainstream.