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[ggx2ac]

I'm remembering two specific things people held onto so hard that NX was going to use AMD.

When the CEO of Nvidia dodged a question about any new ventures with Tegra:

Which lead to the "Durr hurr Tegra is self driving cars now, they no longer do gaming". Even though the absence of evidence wasn't evidence of absence.

And that AMD had 3 semi-custom design wins.

That was the only stuff against the increasing mountain of rumours suggesting a hybrid using Nvidia that was first posted by Emily Rogers, then Eurogamer, then WSJ (first mentioned Dev kits in the first place, only talked about hybrid), Laura Kate Dale, the Pokémon CEO, etc.

It was also great that certain people that kept shouting down whatever Emily Rogers said now shut themselves up seeing as they were completely wrong.

Too bad she's no longer going to leak rumours anymore considering all the drama that shit brought on.

 

[DecoReturns]

I remember 98% of GAF were saying it would be DOA and sell less than WiiU during the January event.

It really blew my mind how a massive amount of people were surprised and disappointed it cost 300 dollars.

I wasn't. Those rumors/hopes of $250 were incredibly strong to the point that people took it as confirmation.

 

[Speely]

I remember a lot of:

If it's a hybrid, it's DOA. Either overpriced or underpowered.

Oh, its a hybrid that costs $300. DOA. Underpowered and overpriced.

It was really tough to communicate how much value being a hybrid offered to folks during this time since GAF is mostly a graphics/performance-based site. I am glad to see that the platform itself has shown that value.

It was a fun ride, though.

 

[Spyder_Monkey]

NX speculation was the worst.

 

[Condom]

People swearing it wasn't going to be a hybrid and calling others ignorant, quoting some dude from Nintendo. I member.

 

[UnemployedVillain]

I remember trying to picture holding this thing:

I remember laughing at the people who thought this was possibly real

 

[BFIB]

I had bought a Wii U, and overall, while I enjoyed Mario 3D World, DK TF, and MK 8, I kind of felt I was "done" with Nintendo. I initially passed on the early discussions as the NX, as I truly felt I had outgrown Nintendo finally (I'm 37 BTW).

I saw the treehouse (I think?), where they went into detail on the Switch itself. I was behind most gaffers on the knowledge base, but I was intrigued by the system itself. I had worked a ton of OT last year, so I decided to splurge and give Ninty one last shot, especially with how the Zelda hype was really starting to creep in.

I think I have logged about 10 hrs on my PS4 game wise since the Switch launched. I honestly don't believe I have been this excited for a console in a long, long time, probably going back to the SNES. It didn't hurt that Zelda is probably in my top 3 of all time now, but the concept of the console/handheld is managed so perfectly. Every time I pick up the console, I still get a smile on my face. When I show it to new people, and see how impressed they are, I cannot help but feel excited for the future of this console.

 

[watershed]

Nintendo has been on a great roll since the Switch reveal trailer. The delay was worth it. They managed to actually line up qualify software between indies and 1st party games. I've been very satisfied so far. Nintendo seems to be on their A game.

But there are still lots of flaws and question marks including their online app/service and of course big 3rd party games.

 

[Xenoblade]

That dpad is beautiful.

I think you mean that kickstand.

 

[Jaded Alyx]

SCD

lol people arguing over Maxwell or Pascal without having the faintest idea what either of them really meant.

 

[DMONKUMA]

I remember 98% of GAF were saying it would be DOA and sell less than WiiU during the January event.

It really blew my mind how a massive amount of people were surprised and disappointed it cost 300 dollars.

I was originally saying it was going to be $300 and $350 if they were gonna bundle something with it. There was definitely some that were expecting $199 or shit even lower....like fucking really?

 

[Lupin the Third]

I was originally saying it was going to be $300 and $350 if they were gonna bundle something with it. There was definitely some that were expecting $199 or shit even lower....like fucking really?

The CVG(?) rumor was it would be really mass-market cheap, and $200 is really cheap. Also the PS4 is now the same price as the Switch and many of us worried that Switch would be dead in the water in that scenario. I was personally and vocally rooting for $200-250. I'm just glad it's thriving at $300 though, even though it cost me $50+ more than I wanted to pay.

But below $200? Yeah definitely crazy talk. I would expect a handheld-mode-only later model to hit that $200 price point or lower, though.

 

[Sylverstone14]

Don't forget the absolute madhouse that was /r/NintendoNX, and also the rise of Karen after the first look trailer.

 

[heringer]

The CVG(?) rumor was it would be really mass-market cheap, and $200 is really cheap. Also the PS4 is now the same price as the Switch and many of us worried that Switch would be dead in the water in that scenario. I was personally and vocally rooting for $200-250. I'm just glad it's thriving at $300 though, even though it cost me $50+ more than I wanted to pay.

But below $200? Yeah definitely crazy talk. I would expect a handheld-mode-only later model to hit that $200 price point or lower, though.

What's the advantage of a handheld mode only version when the dock is just a cheap piece of plastic? Removing it would barely cut costs.

 

[RAWRferal]

I think you mean that kickstand.

Yup, one of my only gripes.

 

[EDarkness]

I think the most shocking thing for me was that the Nvidia guy was talking about custom stuff when in the end they used a stock Tegra X1. It's funny. Still, I'm fairly happy with what they were able to accomplish. The rumor mill was insane back then, though.

 

[Lupin the Third]

What's the advantage of a handheld mode only version when the dock is just a cheap piece of plastic? Removing it would barely cut costs.

The dock has multiple electronic adapters inside and sells for $50 on its own. It's not just a piece of plastic.

Also the internal hardware will be shrinkable in a few years' time. This is not an absurd suggestion and it has had multiple threads.

 

[Jubenhimer]

It's amazing how far we came from the initial announcement. I remember people around here saying it needed to be a super-powered hardcore gamer-box with no gimmicks and AAA 3rd party support to sell. Turns out the Switch is successful by being the unconventional underpowered system we eventually got. Shows you what gamers know.

 

[heringer]

The dock has multiple electronic adapters inside and sells for $50 on its own. It's not just a piece of plastic.

Also the internal hardware will be shrinkable in a few years' time. This is not an absurd suggestion and it has had multiple threads.

Nintendo charges $50 for it because periferics like that always have huge margins. It doesn't cost nearly as much as that. I would be surprised if the cost was higher than 10~15 dollars even with licensing fees factored.

Internals shrinking doesn't mean anything. They can still make docks for a tiny Switch.

 

[Jon Carter]

People misunderstood that Iwata was simply explaining that integration didn't necessarily mean they had to make a hybrid. Instead, they read it as him saying that they wouldn't make a hybrid. This misunderstanding was widespread.

I don't see that. There is no "necessarily" in the key sentence: "What we mean by integrating platforms is not integrating handhelds devices and home consoles to make only one machine."

But then again, I was one of those guys who shook my head at people explaining their genius idea that the NX would be a hybrid, because I can't reconcile his words with that. I think we were reading that sentence correctly and they were not planning on making a hybrid, but their plans changed.

It's worth noting Iwata said the number of devices they would make "might" increase rather than making a hybrid, and I don't see how that's possible as the 3DS line already has six different models. I can't imagine the Switch having more than that, so I guess those plans changed, too.

 

[ggx2ac]

I don't see that. There is no "necessarily" in the key sentence: "What we mean by integrating platforms is not integrating handhelds devices and home consoles to make only one machine."

But then again, I was one of those guys who shook my head at people explaining their genius idea that the NX would be a hybrid, because I can't reconcile his words with that. I think we were reading that sentence correctly and they were not planning on making a hybrid, but their plans changed.

It's worth noting Iwata said the number of devices they would make "might" increase rather than making a hybrid, and I don't see how that's possible as the 3DS line already has six different models. I can't imagine the Switch having more than that, so I guess those plans changed, too.

You're definitely ignoring the context of why Iwata made that statement. He was explaining to investors what it meant for Nintendo to integrate their architectures, especially for software development.

Go back and read the whole statement, putting​ a laser focus on one sentence just loses the context which caused this narrative to occur.

Iwata never said they were not going to make a hybrid.

Edit: We also know from an Nvidia statement last year at one of their financial briefings that they had been working with Nintendo on the Switch for two years.

That statement​ from Iwata about integrating their architectures was from January 31st 2013 while Nvidia worked with Nintendo on Switch since 2014.

Jen-Hsun Huang - NVIDIA Corp.
I guess you could also say that Nintendo contributed a fair amount to that growth. And over the next – as you know, the Nintendo architecture and the company tends to stick with an architecture for a very long time. And so we've worked with them now for almost two years. Several hundred engineering years have gone into the development of this incredible game console. I really believe when everybody sees it and enjoy it, they're going be amazed by it. It's really like nothing they've ever played with before. And of course, the brand, their franchise and their game content is incredible. And so I think this is a relationship that will likely last two decades and I'm super excited about it.

http://m.neogaf.com/showthread.php?t=1312746

 

[ArtHands]

There were a couple of threads of indie devs not getting dev kit last year, and i was rather unhappy and thought Nintendo is making a mistake for not distributing dev kits to as many devs as possible to secure support for the launch period. Turned out its a non-issue, and there is no launch drought as the devs could easily port their games over.

Will buy a splatoon bundle in july

 

[Kthulhu]

The schadenfreude I feel to this day for seeing everyone saying the Switch was DOA were dead wrong is fantastic.

I knew when my co-workers got hyped about it that this thing had some mainstream appeal.

SCD

lol people arguing over Maxwell or Pascal without having the faintest idea what either of them really meant.

That's like, 99% of conversations about hardware specs on this site. It makes me wanna pull my hair out.

 

[Cow Mengde]

I think the most shocking thing for me was that the Nvidia guy was talking about custom stuff when in the end they used a stock Tegra X1. It's funny. Still, I'm fairly happy with what they were able to accomplish. The rumor mill was insane back then, though.

I still suspect that Nvidia might have bungled the chip and was forced to stick with a stock Tegra X1 since they were running out of time. This is based on the WSJ comment. Maybe the chip wasn't industry leading in power, but it sounded like it was something specially designed, or a newer architecture. Maybe even just a smaller chip for better battery life or some such.

 

[ggx2ac]

A neat reminder that while people were arguing about GPU vendors for NX last year, Nintendo and Nvidia were working on the Switch since 2014.

Jen-Hsun Huang - NVIDIA Corp.
I guess you could also say that Nintendo contributed a fair amount to that growth. And over the next – as you know, the Nintendo architecture and the company tends to stick with an architecture for a very long time. And so we've worked with them now for almost two years. Several hundred engineering years have gone into the development of this incredible game console. I really believe when everybody sees it and enjoy it, they're going be amazed by it. It's really like nothing they've ever played with before. And of course, the brand, their franchise and their game content is incredible. And so I think this is a relationship that will likely last two decades and I'm super excited about it.

http://m.neogaf.com/showthread.php?t=1312746

 

[The Adder]

Conversation's been sounding more like the one that was had about the Wii than the Wii U to me

Why am I always so right all the time?

EDIT:

I don't expect a Wii-like success, but judging from my non-gamer circle's buzz combined with the general gamer negative reaction, we have the exact same storm brewing as there was in 2006. It's going to do gangbusters, though not Wii well.

So damn right all of the damn time!

 

[Dark Cloud]

I can't wait for the SCD to be announced at E3 that's going to make the Switch a super power console.

 

[Jon Carter]

You're definitely ignoring the context of why Iwata made that statement. He was explaining to investors what it meant for Nintendo to integrate their architectures, especially for software development.

Go back and read the whole statement, putting​ a laser focus on one sentence just loses the context which caused this narrative to occur.

Iwata never said they were not going to make a hybrid.

Edit: We also know from an Nvidia statement last year at one of their financial briefings that they had been working with Nintendo on the Switch for two years.

That statement​ from Iwata about integrating their architectures was from January 31st 2013 while Nvidia worked with Nintendo on Switch since 2014.



http://m.neogaf.com/showthread.php?t=1312746

I'm not ignoring the context at all, I did read the whole thing and re-read it many times over the past few years. Of course Iwata didn't straight up say "We're not making a hybrid," but there's a type of language used in those meetings where they never really commit (using phrases like "I don't know if" or "I'm not sure if" which usually mean "We're not doing that") until they've made a formal announcement, but you can get very strong hints from their statements. How many times have Iwata or Miyamoto or Nintendo as a whole said something where, if you read between the lines, you could accurately predict stuff they'd announce later? Sometimes much later. This is the only instance I can remember with Nintendo where what I gathered from their statements turned out to be wrong. It's usually very predictable and that's why so many of us were convinced it was not going to be a hybrid. It's not a matter of ignoring the context of poor reading comprehension.

 

[mavo]

My favorite one was "NX is nothing confirmed for 2016, Nintendo can't just wait"

And of course when it was confirmed for 2017 some people were saying the system was delayed and then when the sparse line up was showed people were saying it was rushed.

 

[Astral Dog]

I saw a Switch today on my shit town,its legit guys

 

[Speely]

I can't wait for the SCD to be announced at E3 that's going to make the Switch a super power console.

Switchio

 

[Dark Cloud]

Don't forget how stupid Nintendo was for not revealing the NX at E3 2016.

 

[ggx2ac]

I'm not ignoring the context at all, I did read the whole thing and re-read it many times over the past few years. Of course Iwata didn't straight up say "We're not making a hybrid," but there's a type of language used in those meetings where they never really commit (using phrases like "I don't know if" or "I'm not sure if" which usually mean "We're not doing that") until they've made a formal announcement, but you can get very strong hints from their statements. How many times have Iwata or Miyamoto or Nintendo as a whole said something where, if you read between the lines, you could accurately predict stuff they'd announce later? Sometimes much later. This is the only instance I can remember with Nintendo where what I gathered from their statements turned out to be wrong. It's usually very predictable and that's why so many of us were convinced it was not going to be a hybrid. It's not a matter of ignoring the context of poor reading comprehension.

Alright, if the bolded is the case that hints should be obvious to everyone, then everyone should have pointed to the following when Eurogamer leaked the NX as a hybrid.

Q&A session from May 8th 2015

https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/lib...0508qa/02.html

Again, I am posting some of the answer, click the link for the rest.

Question 4:

To the extent that you can share with us today, I would like you to give us a hint about NX, the dedicated video game system for which you said you would announce the details in 2016. Is it possible that you will both announce it and release it in 2016? Will it be a replacement for any of the existing dedicated game systems, or will it become your third pillar, so to say? Or, in the first place, should we abandon the current notion of thinking about home consoles and handheld devices separately? Also, does the "N" in "NX" stand for "Nintendo"? Does this codename "NX" have any specific meaning?

Answer 4:

Iwata:

We will not announce any details about NX until 2016. I used the name "NX" during our joint press conference with DeNA on March 17 because we thought that our announcing the business alliance with DeNA to start a smart device business could result in such misunderstanding as "Nintendo is making a transfer to smart devices because it is pessimistic about the future for dedicated video game systems." I intentionally chose to announce the development of NX so early because I wanted to confirm the fact that we are developing a new dedicated video game platform, that we have never lost passion regarding the future for dedicated video game systems and that we have bright prospects for them. Though I cannot confirm when it will be launched or any other details of the system, since I have confirmed that it will be "a dedicated video game platform with a brand new concept," it should mean that we do not intend it to become a simple "replacement" for Nintendo 3DS or Wii U.

Your question also included the "current notion of thinking about home consoles and handheld devices." When it comes to how dedicated game systems are being played, the situations have become rather different, especially between Japan and overseas. Since we are always thinking about how to create a new platform that will be accepted by as many people around the world as possible, we would like to offer to them "a dedicated video game platform with a brand new concept" by taking into consideration various factors, including the playing environments that differ by country. This is all that I can confirm today.

But that didn't happen, people still kept the narrative going up to the reveal that the NX isn't a hybrid despite what was leaked.

 

[DMONKUMA]

Honestly my favorite moment was on the night when they announced the reveal video. All the insiders we hearing stuff about a reveal then suddenly the announcement. Gaf was in a frenzy and so was I.

 

[Jon Carter]

Alright, if the bolded is the case that hints should be obvious to everyone, then everyone should have pointed to the following when Eurogamer leaked the NX as a hybrid.



But that didn't happen, people still kept the narrative going up to the reveal that the NX isn't a hybrid despite what was leaked.

That's not true. Eurogamer is a very credible source and by that point most reasonable people thought their info was most likely correct. I know there were some who stayed in denial, but the confident "NX won't be a hybrid" statements had all but vanished once that report came out.

 

[ggx2ac]

That's not true. Eurogamer is a very credible source and by that point most reasonable people thought their info was most likely correct. I know there were some who stayed in denial, but the confident "NX won't be a hybrid" statements had all but vanished once that report came out.

Bullshit.

 

[qko]

I remember 98% of GAF were saying it would be DOA and sell less than WiiU during the January event.

It really blew my mind how a massive amount of people were surprised and disappointed it cost 300 dollars.

The disappointment on gaf nearly pushed me toward not preordering.

Good thing I went with my gut as I'm not the type to be calling stores every week to see if stock is available.

 

[WordAssassin]

I think I got pretty close with my mock-up!

DAMN SON I EVEN GUESSED THE NEON COLORS!?!

I put the rails on the system instead of the controllers, and I got the camera and speaker placement wrong, plus the Home/Power buttons. Also the D-Pad. But still pretty close for being made 10 months ago! (according to imgur?)

 

[Lupin the Third]

Nintendo charges $50 for it because periferics like that always have huge margins. It doesn't cost nearly as much as that. I would be surprised if the cost was higher than 10~15 dollars even with licensing fees factored.

Internals shrinking doesn't mean anything. They can still make docks for a tiny Switch.

That's great and all but if you make it handheld only you can also ignore proper Joy-Con support which saves on the 3 Bluetooth chips you'd otherwise have to include, along with every "interconnecting" component on the Switch. Also no need to include a Joy-Con grip which may only cost $2 or so to make. But all that coupled with not including a $15(?) dock... That crap all adds up. Simpler is also easier for QA and results in fewer defective units, etc.

Look, maybe you don't personally want a purely handheld Switch and that's fine, but I'm not making up some wild fantasy thing that could never happen in a million years. This is an--I think--extremely reasonable product variant possibility in two to three years at a price point similar to their current handheld line. I'm not just pulling crazy wishful ideas out of the ether and my line of thinking has been supported in hundreds of posts before mine. I really don't know why you seem to think it's so outrageous.

 

[psychowave]

Looking back on that fake oval controller thing, how come so many journalists jumped on it claiming that it "matched" their "sources"? They were clearly full of shit, is that really the state gaming journalism is at?

 

[DMONKUMA]

Looking back on that fake oval controller thing, how come so many journalists jumped on it claiming that it "matched" their "sources"? They were clearly full of shit, is that really the state gaming journalism is at?

It was the same for some people on here who said they heard similiar things.

 

[GamerJM]

Very strange leadup for a console. I've been vaguely following console leadups since the Gamecube and closely since the 360/PS3/Wii days and this was unlike anything. In retrospect it felt very surreal that we were getting a new console at all a few months before launch. It's weird how these crazy Nintendo fans in the corner of the internet speculating about something based on niche pieces of information were able to largely correctly predict what this very successful console would be like.

I still think Nintendo not giving more information earlier was the wrong move, but it ultimately doesn't really seem to be a big deal.

 

[ggx2ac]

Looking back on that fake oval controller thing, how come so many journalists jumped on it claiming that it "matched" their "sources"? They were clearly full of shit, is that really the state gaming journalism is at?

It wasn't a lot of journalists, I only remember shockingAlberto and specifically a Game informer editor heard it had no face buttons.

That was true at one point:

One big thing to get out of the way: Switch development kits. These are planned for a cost of roughly 50,000 yen. If you’re doing a direct conversion, that’d be about $450 / $500.

Originally, the Joy-Con controllers were still in the research phase and weren’t included in the explanation document. Ijuin from Capcom said that there was only a touch panel form factor and nothing like the Joy-Con. Because of that, he wasn’t sure in what way the device would be portable. Then after the Joy-Con appeared, he thought “I got it!”.

http://nintendoeverything.com/switc...kit-capcom-wants-to-make-aaa-games-much-more/

Edit: The Game Informer editor didn't confirm the fake leak, he only said he heard it had no face buttons.

I had heard that the NX wouldn't have face buttons, so the leaked pictures match what I was told but was unable to confirm.

https://twitter.com/GI_AndyMc/status/712691446927724544

 

[Pancakes R Us]

#hybridnothybrid

 

[MegaManTrigger]

#hybridnothybrid

Easily the most irritating part for me when reading the hype threads, and even now with responses to the Switch. There are still people adamant that the Switch is only ONE system rather than a system that allowed you to play however you want.

 

[ArtHands]

The disappointment on gaf nearly pushed me toward not preordering.

Good thing I went with my gut as I'm not the type to be calling stores every week to see if stock is available.

I feel like neogaf is more often wrong than correct. Many even said Sony is making a smart move with the Vita TV and how its is going to boost the Vita significantly. It ended up lasting for just like a year before Sony pulled the plug.

 

[titiklabingapat]

That's great and all but if you make it handheld only you can also ignore proper Joy-Con support which saves on the 3 Bluetooth chips you'd otherwise have to include, along with every "interconnecting" component on the Switch. Also no need to include a Joy-Con grip which may only cost $2 or so to make. But all that coupled with not including a $15(?) dock... That crap all adds up. Simpler is also easier for QA and results in fewer defective units, etc.

Look, maybe you don't personally want a purely handheld Switch and that's fine, but I'm not making up some wild fantasy thing that could never happen in a million years. This is an--I think--extremely reasonable product variant possibility in two to three years at a price point similar to their current handheld line. I'm not just pulling crazy wishful ideas out of the ether and my line of thinking has been supported in hundreds of posts before mine. I really don't know why you seem to think it's so outrageous.

The Joycons are integral to value of the system. The modularity is the whole point.

 

[Lupin the Third]

The Joycons are integral to value of the system.

For you.

The modularity is the whole point of the base model, yes. So what if they release a 3DS-like handheld version? It would limit software options but I'm pretty confident they can make that clear in packaging/marketing and may have already planned on it since the breakdown of mode compatibility is on the back of every game case.

 

[MegaManTrigger]

That's great and all but if you make it handheld only you can also ignore proper Joy-Con support which saves on the 3 Bluetooth chips you'd otherwise have to include, along with every "interconnecting" component on the Switch. Also no need to include a Joy-Con grip which may only cost $2 or so to make. But all that coupled with not including a $15(?) dock... That crap all adds up. Simpler is also easier for QA and results in fewer defective units, etc.

Look, maybe you don't personally want a purely handheld Switch and that's fine, but I'm not making up some wild fantasy thing that could never happen in a million years. This is an--I think--extremely reasonable product variant possibility in two to three years at a price point similar to their current handheld line. I'm not just pulling crazy wishful ideas out of the ether and my line of thinking has been supported in hundreds of posts before mine. I really don't know why you seem to think it's so outrageous.

Because it defeats the entire point of the Switch as far as its concept is concerned?

 

[titiklabingapat]

For you.

The modularity is the whole point of the base model, yes. So what if they release a 3DS-like handheld version? It would limit software options but I'm pretty confident they can make that clear in packaging/marketing and may have already planned on it since the breakdown of mode compatibility is on the back of every game case.

The reason they had to come up with the Switch is that Nintendo wanted to consolidate their handheld and home console software divisions. They admitted that the two being separate has been hurting them and is gonna hurt again them in the long run. They are not about to repeat the Wii U disaster by muddying the waters again.