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[StoppedInTracks]

Right now Switch has the biggest backlash from this community here since Xbox One 2 years ago. It disappointed people with everything:

- price
- paid online
- storage
- general HW performance
- launch line-up (???0

It's pretty crazy!

Is GAF totally wrong here like with mobile games and PSVR hype? Or is this gonna be a true Nintendo bomb?

I think it's pretty cool for Nintendo games personally as every Nintendo console ever.

 

[Zia]

I think it'll be a failure on par with the Wii U. A console with a great little library but a commercial failure that'll push Nintendo even further toward mobile.

I can't believe how messy and barren everything is just two months out.

 

[ScientificPizza]

Yeah, eventually. I don't think it's going to be an immediate hit, though. I see it having a slow build like the 3DS

 

[Got]

I think it will struggle like the WiiU. I love my WiiU though so it was worth it for me. Not sure if I'm jumping in on this at the start like the WiiU though. I have my pre-order for it but still waffling. Need to see how much more they fuck up this launch than they already have.

 

[Nospaceinmyname]

This was going to be my first nintendo home console in a long time, but after reading everything i have from their plans for online, to the price of peripherals has got me real turned off.

As of right now, i'd lean towards it ultimately failing but we'll see.


Their (meaning Nintendo) questionable methods doesn't help it's chances either.

 

[FZZ]

25-30 million based on what we saw

They're gonna pivot it being more of a handheld in a year or two I think

 

[Animator]

I went from day one to day none after seeing the price. It is not just the price of the system either, you have to pay for online, extra memory card and whatever else to make it even ready to play games. It has 3 hours of battery life so I can't even justify it with "I guess I can play it on a international flight".


I am either gonna get a used wiiU for super cheap just for zelda or run it on the pc emulator if it works.

 

[NotLiquid]

Right now Switch has the biggest backlash from this community here since Xbox One 2 years ago. It disappointed people with everything:

- price
- paid online
- storage
- general HW performance
- launch line-up (???0

It's pretty crazy!

Is GAF totally wrong here like with mobile games and PSVR hype? Or is this gonna be a true Nintendo bomb?

I think it's pretty cool for Nintendo games personally as every Nintendo console ever.

The answer likely lies somewhere in between. The Switch has much more of a leg to stand on than the Wii U but it's not something that's going to light the market on fire unless they really can remedy a software drought following 2017. There's plenty of room for course correction with the console, they're just gonna have to wisen up with stuff like pricing.

 

[vaporeon]

Why are people so frustrated with the launch price? Consoles always release at a premium to squeeze out as much as they can at that price. It will probably drop during the holidays.

 

[IrishNinja]

Better than Wii U, but that's not saying much.

this is my bet
then again i thought the WU would at least put up GC #'s so my bet doesn't count for a lot

it's gonna have an enjoyable library though, which as someone not holding corporate stock is all i care about

25-30 million based on what we saw

They're gonna pivot it being more of a handheld in a year or two I think

i can see the latter happening when the 3DS is officially gone, yeah

 

[Captain Smirk]

Same as Wii U unfortunately

 

[RPGam3r]

GAF at times is so unbearable when it comes to being hyper negative.

Yes, I think it will be a success.

Price complaints are funny to me after this holiday season where my daughter was making a Xmas list with 100-150 toy dogs/cats, a LEGO set I got her was around 100, and a small tricycle she wanted was 150. So many people want stuff cheaper than I could ever imagine it being.

 

[ArkkAngel007]

If it's a success, it'll be down the line. This holiday looks to have some good things, but the online and other factors could turn off a lot of the potential casual audience more than the price ever could.

 

[onemanasylum]

The answer likely lies somewhere in between. The Switch has much more of a leg to stand on than the Wii U but it's not something that's going to light the market on fire.

How so?

 

[roddjbrown]

I desperately want it to be good, I really do, but this time I'm not prepared to be one of the guinea pigs. If it stays at that price, I don't see it. If it drops and Nintendo can show me a decent line up of games then I'm in

 

[Tertullian]

I mean, just... what happened with Nintendo's executive culture? I've been assuming for four years that they were humble and in freak-out mode and realized in retrospect how massively they'd fucked up, and they were asking themselves questions like "How did we produce so much hardware and software that's totally unappealing? What can we do to apologize to our fans and make it up to them? How can we completely change and update our whole way of thinking to match the needs and desires of 2017 gamers? How can we use our war chest to deliver a huge amount of appealing software cheap and win back market share?"

But everything about yesterday suggests that they learned absolutely none of those lessons. It suggests that they have an insular executive culture of back-patting and mutual reinforcement, like George Lucas surrounded by his sycophants or something. They seem to really believe that the Wii and DS are the norm and the Wii U the exception, despite all evidence to the contrary. They seem to think their whole way of thinking is fundamentally correct, that their products are just the best, and that the Wii U's failure is... a fluke? Somebody else's fault? Anything but a sign that their entire approach to video games is fundamentally broken.

How else do you explain a $300 handheld right after their $250 handheld and $300 console had trouble selling? How else do you explain the online play subscription fee with absolute garbage value-added? How else do you explain $70 and $110 controllers? How else do you explain 1,2,Switch with its hilariously dreadful minigames, a collection that to all appearances makes Nintendo Land look like the game of the century? I mean, pretending to milk a cow? Counting balls? For $50? Are you fucking kidding me? Is this a joke? This is what Nintendo thinks is the new Wii, the new mass-market killer? A bunch of corporate icebreakers that make the average VR shovelware look like a masterpiece?

How did Nintendo's decision-makers get this bad? How could they possibly be so insulated from the real world to be this delusional?

 

[Kurdel]

It might have a chance when the 200$ tv console only version comes out.

 

[Xellos]

I want Switch to succeed, but can't help feeling that it's overpriced and that the software lineup isn't ready. My guess is that demand fades quickly after the initial rush from Nintendo fans and scalpers. I hope I am wrong and that Nintendo will announce more games in the coming months to justify the high price.

 

[jooso]

I have a feeling the Switch will sell even less than the WiiU. I think Nintendo will release a cheaper "third pillar" handheld when the Switch flops in a few years, to try salvage their handheld business. And maybe a more traditional console with another gimmick (vr?) after that.

 

[Iorv3th]

How so?

It's built into the console.

 

[Hale-XF11]

They should sell a version without the screen for less than half the price.

 

[Xater]

Right now Switch has the biggest backlash from this community here since Xbox One 2 years ago. It disappointed people with everything:

- price
- paid online
- storage
- general HW performance
- launch line-up (???0

It's pretty crazy!

Is GAF totally wrong here like with mobile games and PSVR hype? Or is this gonna be a true Nintendo bomb?

I think it's pretty cool for Nintendo games personally as every Nintendo console ever.

People that doubt mobile and think PSVR was going to set the world in fire are crazy. I lowballed PSVR but still feel overall correct in my predictions .

 

[MisterR]

An embarrassment of riches while Switch owners will be playing Zelda and...that's it. Nobody is buying a Switch in the launch window for what they are charging except Nintendo fanboys and scalpers. The value simply isn't there. $80 controllers, ridiculous accessory pricing, lack of quality software, paid yet gimped online that won't launch with basic features, laughable free game program where you can only play the title for a month before Nintendo makes you buy it (yes, that's real), terrible battery life for a portable, too weak and expensive to compete with consoles, 32GB storage which will alienate 3rd party devs/consumers who prefer digital...

I'm stunned right now. I was SO hyped prior to the conference and have gone from borderline day one purchaser to waiting for it to hit $250 with a pack in game that isn't a mini-game collection.

You forgot Snipperclips

 

[Nydius]

Nope, it'll sell to the faithful and that's it. Hell, it won't even sell to all of the faithful (read: me). Other than the DSi, I've bought every damn Nintendo unit I have no desire to pick up the Switch. Not at its current price tag and not with paywall online multiplayer coming by Fall. The latter effectively kills one of the major reasons I'd buy the system (Splatoon).

I suspect in a few years we're going to end up seeing a repeat of the Wii U: Low sales numbers and gaming press writing endless articles wondering why Nintendo couldn't revitalize the market. Only this time they won't be able to blame naming alone.

 

[orthodoxy1095]

You're right- this is a really good point. I still think some people need to understand that this is, in fact, a new console- and it's obviously not gonna launch at 199$. Yes, it would be awesome and it would probably sell more units, but it's just a little outlandish in my opinion. I'm 100% agreeing on the launch game-lineup being pretty bland (except zelda which looks amazing), so the value proposition is a lot weaker than a PS4 or an XBONE. But i think that people who thinks that 299$ is too much for the Switch should just wait- just like i did with the PS4. I waited until the great games were there and when the price was a little lower.

PS: Seems like the charger grip is included in the package. Rejoice!

I don't think most people are asking for $199. That's a disingenuous argument when what people are asking for is more of a value proposition from the $300 that Nintendo chose. And we're not really talking from a purely personal perspective in this thread. Yeah, I'm going to wait until probably at least late summer if not winter to pick one up. I get that. The question is whether the Switch will be a success, not whether we want to get it at launch. And looking at the year ahead, I don't see how the value proposition of a Switch stands up to the competition throughout the year and especially during the holiday season.

And no, that's not a charging grip. That's a plain grip. They're different.

 

[Lokbob]

Similar to the 3DS, not initially but once the software kicks in and the price drops.
I don't expect a great first year.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

The answer likely lies somewhere in between. The Switch has much more of a leg to stand on than the Wii U but it's not something that's going to light the market on fire unless they really can remedy a software drought following 2017. There's plenty of room for course correction with the console, they're just gonna have to wisen up with stuff like pricing.

Bruh, nothing matters but the games.

The Switch is already behind the 8 ball with the technology problem and the high cost of ownership. It's hurting even more with lack of compelling games beyond 2 or 3 for the entire year.

There are some real problems here.

 

[disappeared]

I think Nintendo's gonna have a hard time selling it in Canada.

$400 plus taxes, so around $450

No pack-in game, to play any software will be an immediate extra $60

$90 and $100 controller options, severely alienating those who want to dive into real co-operative multiplayer


All in all you could be looking at nearly $600, and that means only one game and one extra controller.

Shit's ridiculous.

 

[Skel1ingt0n]

$249

Zelda @ launch
Mario Kart @ launch
Mario within the first month/ 5 weeks
Metroid/F-Zero/some abandoned IP in "summer"
Pokemon "Stars" for Holiday 2017

Sprinkle in one 3rd-party surprise. Assassin's Creed Collection. Dark Souls Collection. Exclusive Sonic game. Call of Duty. Just one.

That's IT. That's literally all it would take for the entire atmosphere to be flipped upside down and all of GAF would be blown away by such a great conference. Would have been an awesome release schedule. Start off with an amazing bang that is Zelda and Mario Kart to show off the on-the-go multiplayer.

Mario hits hard for spring and E3.

Metroid or some other "core" game keeps people interested in the summer.

Nobody can say no to a new, exclusive pokkemon in the holiday season - sells like gangbusters, especially as a pack-in.

Boom! Nintendo just blew everyone away.

And what sucks - is the list isn't that crazy. They've had years to tee something like that up.

 

[Dre3001]

I was so hyped for the Switch yesterday and then after the press conference I was just in shock.

I really think this will be another Wiiu situation.

A Switch and a decent sized memory stick is the same price as a Ps4 pro. The value just isnt there right now.

 

[AAMARMO]

DOA.

 

[KageMaru]

Between the price, lack of solid game announcements, and requiring payment for the online "service", I don't see this taking off.

Why are people so frustrated with the launch price? Consoles always release at a premium to squeeze out as much as they can at that price. It will probably drop during the holidays.

You can get a shield console for $200. The price is a ripoff, regardless of what they throw in the box.

 

[HStallion]

The console itself is very underwhelming but the games look pretty good even if third party content is once again slim pickings so far. I hope its a success as competition in general is good and Nintendo is a long time force in the industry that brings interesting unique content to the market.

As to my expectations, I'm not actually sure. Its just weird enough that I don't know if the general public is going to be down on it.

 

[Miracle]

At first, I was hyped as hell for it after the reveal trailer and thought the concept was great. But then as days, weeks, months went by with each and more news coming out for it. Outdated and underpowered hardware, lackluster launch lineup...then the presentation and somehow it's even worse then what most of us thought. Paid online that doesn't even feature some of the most basic features in console that Xbox 360 and PS3 have already had, accessorys being charged for outrageous prices, etc.

It's like they purposely designed this console to fail right out the gate. The first month or two, it will be like every other big named console and be hard to find (especially due to Nintendo's constant desire to create artificial demand for their products), but after that period is over, people here will just be laughing at it's sales in NPD threads.

Bet in a nutshell: This thing will bomb.

 

[Kodiak]

What is the likelihood that Nintendo will have the awareness to fix PR mistakes like MS did with the XBONE?

 

[Yoshi88]

I don't understand why a Nintendo console will never be granted a launch price point of 300 - no matter what (!) - while Playstation and Xbox are always hovering at prices beyond that at launch. I just don't understand the double standard sometimes.

Even if you're purely looking at specs, which shouldn't be the only factor in valuing a new product on the console market anyway, PS4 and One for example were nicely specced for consoles, but miles away from PC even at launch. So what justified their launch price versus Switch?

And after the presentation, regarding all the tech they stuffed into a those controllers and looking at the mobile form factor, as a everyday-joe-consumer i could see, where that price would be justified.

 

[Airbar]

The way everything looks right now I would guess less than 10M. They might change it up and do a relaunch a la 3DS. If not, this thing is dead in the water.

 

[ChaosZeroX]

I mean, just... what happened with Nintendo's executive culture? I've been assuming for four years that they were humble and in freak-out mode and realized in retrospect how massively they'd fucked up, and they were asking themselves questions like "How did we produce so much hardware and software that's totally unappealing? What can we do to apologize to our fans and make it up to them? How can we completely change and update our whole way of thinking to match the needs and desires of 2017 gamers? How can we use our war chest to deliver a huge amount of appealing software cheap and win back market share?"

But everything about yesterday suggests that they learned absolutely none of those lessons. It suggests that they have an insular executive culture of back-patting and mutual reinforcement, like George Lucas surrounded by his sycophants or something. They seem to really believe that the Wii and DS are the norm and the Wii U the exception, despite all evidence to the contrary. They seem to think their whole way of thinking is fundamentally correct, that their products are just the best, and that the Wii U's failure is... a fluke? Somebody else's fault? Anything but a sign that their entire approach to video games is fundamentally broken.

How else do you explain a $300 handheld right after their $250 handheld and $300 console had trouble selling? How else do you explain the online play subscription fee with absolute garbage value-added? How else do you explain $70 and $110 controllers? How else do you explain 1,2,Switch with its hilariously dreadful minigames, a collection that to all appearances makes Nintendo Land look like the game of the century? I mean, pretending to milk a cow? Counting balls? For $50? Are you fucking kidding me? Is this a joke? This is what Nintendo thinks is the new Wii, the new mass-market killer? A bunch of corporate icebreakers that make the average VR shovelware look like a masterpiece?

How did Nintendo's decision-makers get this bad? How could they possibly be so insulated from the real world to be this delusional?

I agree with pretty much everything you said. Why not just delay the console until more games are ready to ship and why such overpriced accessories? Did they not see the Vita Memory cards? I just don't understand how they make these decisions at Nintendo

 

[Goose_Se7en]

Nintendo has already dug the Switch into deep hole with that awful conference presentation and paltry lineup of launch games for Switch -if you can even call that a lineup of games- and this news of them offering a "free" SNES/NES game for a month then taking it back is like whoa, wtf are the thinking. Did the big wigs over at Nintendo literally google "opposite of being successful plan" and decide to follow that?

The lack of SD card support, the paltry 32GB of memory onboard the Switch itself, the pricey accessories really feels like an insult, at least to me. The way the presentation started with games that do not appeal to me with 1,2 Switch and Arms tells me that Nintendo doesn't care about the hardcore gamer and stopped caring along time ago.

They did not talk one iota about VC and how the "online configuration" is going to work. Granted they said they would post something on their webpage regarding online but they totally kicked the bucket down the road.

Having said all that, I believe that when it's all said and done that Switch will be a success and a major one at that. It has all the ingredients to be a commercial hit and it has one thing the competition just does not have -Sony maybe can challenge Nintendo in terms of interesting IP for me- and that is those Nintendo properties and the fact that these studios can focus on just one platform, the Switch.

Imagine 2018, 2019 when they're -hopefully-firing on all cylinders imagine all the Nintendo games that are gonna come to this thing? It has an uphill battle, especially at the $299.99 price point but if they get there online infrastructure and VC sorted out by bringing GameCube, Wii, Wii U, SNES/NES and in addition new IP as well as awesome games from known properties then Nintendo Switch will be a success.

 

[Arxisz]

It will be DOA until they do a 3DS type relaunch.

 

[DrunkShogun]

There's a lack of bundles which is usually what appeals to people I know that window shop for games. I'm personally wait for a zelda bundle and will probably get another 1st party game in addition around may-summer period.

 

[prwxv3]

Why are people so frustrated with the launch price? Consoles always release at a premium to squeeze out as much as they can at that price. It will probably drop during the holidays.

The value proposition for the everyday consumer is terrible. You can get a more powerful PS4 slim or xbone with a game for that same price or even lower.

It is what sunk the WiiU yes it was cheaper then PS4 and Xboone but the value was shit compared to those consoles.

 

[Comet]

I don't think so unless it really embraces more of a handheld identity. Putting Pokemon, Mario, Zelda, and Monster Hunter will get it to perform better than N64/GC levels but that's about it.

 

[NotLiquid]

How so?

It's not being muddied by confused marketing for one thing. People instantly understood what the Switch was when it was revealed, and that something seemed to be an appealing product based on the buzz. It also has much wider crossover appeal than the Wii U, and Nintendo's development efforts being more concentrated means it's likely to provide more of a general profit off of the games they'll hopefully be releasing in a more frequent pace. That is, if they play their cards right.

Wii U was just a straight up unappealing product, and I say this as someone who loved theirs. The Switch doesn't come without it's caveats but based on what it is, I think people would be far more willing to put money down on it if the proposition is appealing enough, which after last night's conference is a bit mixed but there's always room to recover.

Bruh, nothing matters but the games.

The Switch is already behind the 8 ball with the technology problem and the high cost of ownership. It's hurting even more with lack of compelling games beyond 2 or 3 for the entire year.

There are some real problems here.

I don't disagree that games matter. Personally I think 2017 looks great as far as Nintendo's first party efforts is concerned but I never assume that Nintendo don't do the best they can when it comes to internal development. The problem is there not being a lot of other developers inclined to do the same, and to that end I can only hope there will be enough games announced in due time to make the wait between Nintendo's heavy hitters more bearable, whether they be smaller or bigger titles.

 

[nogoodnamesleft]

I don't understand why a Nintendo console will never be granted a launch price point of 300 - no matter what (!) - while Playstation and Xbox are always hovering at prices beyond that at launch. I just don't understand the double standard sometimes.

.

I guarantee you if the switch had specs even CLOSE to an xbox one the backlash would be dramatically reduced by that fact alone.

 

[Drayco21]

Out of the gate, I see it doing better than the Wii U. Long term it's hard to guess, but once they really consolidate their handheld and console development under one screen, I'm expecting a lot more going forward.

 

[MouldyK]

since Xbox One 2 years ago.

It was 4 years ago. Like March-May 2013, right?

 

[F0rneus]

I don't think so sadly. It'll go the way of the Wii U. There's nothing in that first year that's a true must own except Zelda and Mario Odyssey. Their top 3rd party games are coming in far too late. Plus paid online and the meager reward, a retro game rental for a month...Completely out of touch. My local game store will be getting ONE unit only too. There's over 9 preorders already.

 

[Newtype-001]

I want it to do well but Nintendo are just making it so hard for me to believe 😣😣😣

 

[orthodoxy1095]

I don't understand why a Nintendo console will never be granted a launch price point of 300 - no matter what (!) - while Playstation and Xbox are always hovering at prices beyond that at launch. I just don't understand the double standard sometimes.

Even if you're purely looking at specs, which shouldn't be the only factor in valuing a new product on the console market anyway, PS4 and One for example were nicely specced for consoles, but miles away from PC even at launch. So what justified their launch price versus Switch?

And after the presentation, regarding all the tech they stuffed into a those controllers and looking at the mobile form factor, as a everyday-joe-consumer i could see, where that price would be justified.

There is no double standard. It's a pricing, marketing, timing, optics issue. This is the inherent issue with launching your console mid-generation.

The PS4/X1 are going to be around sub-$250 this holiday season with a pack-in game. You'll get a game, a more powerful system and an exponentially larger game library. The Switch is competing against that, whether you or Nintendo want to admit that or not. And to me, the value proposition of what's in the $300 SKU does not seem to stand up to the value proposition of what's in a PS4/X1 SKU right now.