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[Jubenhimer]

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.

It's hilarious looking back on this. If the Switch has taught us anything, its that people still want Nintendo. Not just their games, they still want the Nintendo style. They still want the Nintendo way of thinking, and they still want the Nintendo-like approach to hardware. They just didn't want a Wii U. So the Switch's success completely vindicates Nintendo in this regard.

 

[Theognosis]

I wouldn't say eating crow just yet. If anything, Nintendo has struggled with longevity. They always had the fanbase that would gobble up the initial stock. Anyone who did say it would fail right out of the gate are crow eaters though.

The coming years will be a test for Nintendo to keep up their support for the console. It should also be said that because it's a hybrid, their massive handheld success is really contributing a lot to the launch. I'm interested to see how Nintendo handle their hand held business because it feels like they just competed with themselves.

Nintendo has practically secured the hybrid market (which has turned out to be most lucrative one) in the next 3 years by securing the rights to nVidia's chip, while the competition is stuck with AMD's power-hungry GPU's. And let's not forget that Nintendo can easily introduce a new SuperDock SCD should people demand more graphics performance at home while still retaining the base Switch for handheld use.

The future is looking very bright for Nintendo.

 

[Do Make Say Think]

I thought a dock that improves performance was an impossibility

 

[deriks]

I thought a dock that improves performance was an impossibility

It's possible, but I guess that even PS4 to PS4 Pro level of upgrading is not achievable in this new dock

 

[Barakov]

Just got a Switch myself and I can see why people want to use it for everything.

 

[Zannegan]

I thought a dock that improves performance was an impossibility

What dock are we talking about here? Did I miss a rumor? Less than a month til E3, so I want to hit my quota of nutso rumors before all is revealed.

It's possible, but I guess that even PS4 to PS4 Pro level of upgrading is not achievable in this new dock

I thought consensus was that the connector had high enough bandwidth to either stream full HD/4K video or be used to connect the console to an external GPU, but not both. On the other hand, if the GPU was powerful enough, I suppose you could just hybernate the Switch's gpu and run the game's visual component on the dock alone and output from there... or something. Clearly I don't really know what I'm talking about. Lol.

 

[deriks]

I thought consensus was that the connector had high enough bandwidth to either stream full HD/4K video or be used to connect the console to an external GPU, but not both. On the other hand, if the GPU was powerful enough, I suppose you could just hybernate the Switch's gpu and run the game's visual component on the dock alone and output from there... or something. Clearly I don't really know what I'm talking about. Lol.

In theory, yes, the dock can work as a GPU-up-thing and the GPU from the Switch will be disable. The problem with this is the "I'll take my Switch from the dock now". I have no idea how the engineering witchery will work, but Nintendo can do it.

But if Nintendo launches a dock that can upscale to 4K or just do 1080p with better textures, people will be fine.

 

[Desmond Sultana]

This thread is like famous on another forum I used to frequent.

I don't think more power is needed.

It can run ports efficiently enough based on Warframe, Doom ect.

No reason to split the userbase.

 

[woigemok]

Necro bump.

 

[Murdoch]

Reading the first page is hilarious!

Most were reacting to price and power. Average consumers don't go for that. I watched the advert/trailer for the game and immediately wanted one with an extra dock. Fast forward two years... The success has been incredible.

Well deserved Mr Nintendo.

 

[woigemok]

Reading the first page is hilarious!

Most were reacting to price and power. Average consumers don't go for that. I watched the advert/trailer for the game and immediately wanted one with an extra dock. Fast forward two years... The success has been incredible.

Well deserved Mr Nintendo.

Now, read this thread
https://www.neogaf.com/threads/playstation-vita-two-hundred-forty-nine-us-dollars-249.432772/

 

[Barakov]

Now, read this thread
https://www.neogaf.com/threads/playstation-vita-two-hundred-forty-nine-us-dollars-249.432772/

There's some real magic in there.

 

[Komatsu]

I'm a Switch owner and love the console, though I do still find the library sorely lacking and the impossibility of plugging an external HD to the dock rather infuriating. That being said, Nintendo still has not met its target for the year. The console market has changed a lot since the GC/PS2/XBX days and bear in mind that, in that same fiscal year - from April 1, 2017 to March 31, 2018- 19 million PlayStation 4 consoles were sold.

I actually think it's very possible the Switch will stagnate around the 35-40 million unit range - not quite sure if this would be a disaster for Nintendo.

 

[CatCouch]

This is a hell of a read! I must say, I was one of those who thought the Switch would absolutely fail. I pictured it as an under-powered console with mobility hampered by the usual battery life issues. I was expecting Nintendo to continue with censorship too. By mid 2017 it looked like the censorship issues were actually gone. Twintelle in ARMS and Xeno looking unaltered made me confident enough to buy a Switch once they were available. Now I love the thing! Sure, there's not enough games yet to be perfect and the online stuff is questionable but I'm very happy with my purchase. Nintendo knows how to make appealing art and games.

Things sure do change! I started 2017 refusing to buy a Switch and embracing my PS4. Now I'm so depressed about Sony I'm not playing my PS4 and I'm buying more and more Switch games. What a world!

 

[Mozza]

As we have said many times, the core video gamer has no idea whatsoever when it comes to what's a hit with the masses,well done Nintendo you deserve it.

 

[Gormless Noodle]

Completely dead on arrival. Will shift Wii U numbers at best. Looking at what Nintendo is planning and what they're charging for it, they seem think they're Apple or something.

Look, I'm feeding myself crow.

I got the Switch some time ago. Awesome piece of hardware, while every other console tries or tried to be the all in one entertainment device, Nintendo created the all in one gaming device. You go from console mode with a controller, to handheld mode in a second, you flick off the joycons and play a touch screen rythm game, you can go multiplayer whenever you want because you already got 2 controllers on it, you can even waggle all you want, it does it all and it does really fucking fast too. The convenience factor of not having to load shit for a year cannot be overstated. So I ended up doing a complete 180 on this thing, it's clearly not without its flaws but of this gen I think I actually like it the most.

 

[Dr.brain64]

It's too expensive. Should cost $200 max. It's a portable.

 

[Scopa]

Now, read this thread
https://www.neogaf.com/threads/playstation-vita-two-hundred-forty-nine-us-dollars-249.432772/

Oh my god, lol.


This is my fave from that thread:

Well, sucks to be Nintendo.

Oops...

 

[shark sandwich]

As we have said many times the core video gamer has idea whatsoever when it comes to what's a hit with the masses,well done Nintendo you deserve it.

Very true. Geeks are horrible at predicting which products will and will not be a mainstream success. Reminds me of the nerds on Slashdot claiming iPhone will never succeed with corporate users unless they add a physical keyboard, swappable battery, SD card slot.... basically imitate Blackberry lol.

Although it’s fair to say that Nintendo themselves also have no clue what will be a hit, considering DS and Wii succeeded far beyond anybody’s imagination (they even canceled the Gameboy successor), while Wii U flopped worse than even the biggest pessimists predicted.

 

[WeirdoStalkerJr]

So much crow and salt. Eat it and lick the godamn plate clean you fucks!!

 

[#Phonepunk#]

Nintendo is always going to rule doing what they do while gawkers sit dumbfounded.

 

[Nikana]

DOA

 

[Mozza]

It's too expensive. Should cost $200 max. It's a portable.

Yes and there is no way an i Pad should cost so much imho,but the value of something is only ever going to be as much as people are willing to pay,at the moment Nintendo seem to have that right.

 

[PocoJoe]

yeah switch is expensive depending of the country. It sells really well in US/japan/some eu areas, but probably wont sell so well in playstation dominant areas.

Here at Finland (i could not find statistics, so these are just my personal observations):
ps4: were sold out at launch for weeks/months depending of the city
ps4: usually sold out in local stores around xmas and other sale peaks

switch: Were not sold out on launch, launch weekend or week. I saw tons of consoles in every store i visited on that weekend in 3 different city(hunted for wiiu games on sale)
switch: I have never seen empty shelf of switches, always on stock like this xmas. PS4 were sold out in few local stores at least, but still plenty of switch available

Similar things happen on big online stores too.

So either switch is restocked faster than light, or it sells less. And ps4 sells like a monster, because it is 100-150e cheaper.

My friend had only game store at downtown (city of ~100 000 residents which is biggish in our scale) at the time when switch launched. It took him 4-5 months to sell 3 of them, and I bought one of them

Maybe big market areas can keep the momentum going, even if many smaller areas lack of sales.

 

[Mozza]

yeah switch is expensive depending of the country. It sells really well in US/japan/some eu areas, but probably wont sell so well in playstation dominant areas.

Here at Finland (i could not find statistics, so these are just my personal observations):
ps4: were sold out at launch for weeks/months depending of the city
ps4: usually sold out in local stores around xmas and other sale peaks

switch: Were not sold out on launch, launch weekend or week. I saw tons of consoles in every store i visited on that weekend in 3 different city(hunted for wiiu games on sale)
switch: I have never seen empty shelf of switches, always on stock like this xmas. PS4 were sold out in few local stores at least, but still plenty of switch available

Similar things happen on big online stores too.

So either switch is restocked faster than light, or it sells less. And ps4 sells like a monster, because it is 100-150e cheaper.

My friend had only game store at downtown (city of ~100 000 residents which is biggish in our scale) at the time when switch launched. It took him 4-5 months to sell 3 of them, and I bought one of them

Maybe big market areas can keep the momentum going, even if many smaller areas lack of sales.

Not the best example,I could say the same about the Ps4, I managed to get one at launch with very little trouble.

 

[Athena~]

It's too expensive. Should cost $200 max. It's a portable.

Agreed they should price drop the thing to have a chance meeting their goals, only 2 months left for them and what we see now are pretty close to failure in terms of goals.

 

[Bonfires Down]

I was thinking 40M, but after seeing the comments here and knowing how delusional gaffers usually are I'm gonna raise to 50M.

What a non-surprise that GAF failed abysmally in their predictions yet again. But I guess 50 million was also too conservative.

 

[Makoto Niijima]

So, let's see....

-Performance clearly superior to a Raspberry Pi 3, probably.
-Built-in storage enough for installing as many as 1-2 games
-Voice comm requiring the use of an app on your cell phone
-Paid subscription online service feature list competitive with Heat.net
-Peripheral pricing so high and bizarrely lopsided with the initial hardware bundle that it makes buying a second Switch for parts a sensible option

...that's pretty dire, but it's still a much more compelling product than the Wii U at first reveal, simply by virtue of being a handheld. Might be somewhat more successful than the Wii U since it's not trying to leverage a poorly thought out archaic tablet as a unique selling point this time, but the cost of ownership is looking *astronomically* high. It's arguably higher than the major console competition, given the peripheral pricing, anemic built-in storage, low value paid online, etc., so it's abandoning a lot of the appeal that would otherwise come with being a handheld.

Handheld form factor and performance, but with $60 game pricing, paid online, tiny storage, and obscene peripheral costs. Worst of both worlds, arguably, and the mediocre mobile SoC isn't going to do it any favors when people hook it up to their living room setups. I seriously doubt I'll want to stretch out Switch games onto my 75" 4K HDR TV.

Not exactly situated to take the market by storm with all that and a very thin launch lineup. Not something that's easy to root for as a consumer, either, since Nintendo loaded up on anti-consumer business decisions here. It's telling that first shipment pre-orders are still available.

No.

Lol

 

[woigemok]

What a non-surprise that GAF failed abysmally in their predictions yet again. But I guess 50 million was also too conservative.

Most of them at Era right now

 

[TacosNSalsa]

Whenever I come into these old threads with out noticing and the first page is a graveyard I be thinking I missed something

 

[Trogdor1123]

Came here to post that I bought one this Christmas for my kids. It's super fun. I retract my previous doubt. It's legit.

 

[Mozza]

Agreed they should price drop the thing to have a chance meeting their goals, only 2 months left for them and what we see now are pretty close to failure in terms of goals.

They will get pretty close to the 20 million imho.

 

[Fuz]

Ahahaahahah oh my god the first answers.

GAF trashed the Wii launch and Wii reveal. Went nuts for WiiU.

Going by GAF it should be massive.

lol

 

[Outrunner]

Nope
Not at all lmao

I don't think it'll come close to outselling the Wii U actually

jesus

 

[LoveSpaceNintendoAndRpgs]

The Switch should be cheaper since it has been out for a while, but Nintendo is like the Apple of video games, just making bundles.

 

[cubicle47b]

I still feel pretty good about my prediction (3DS level).

 

[TLZ]

They will get pretty close to the 20 million imho.

I doubt it.

 

[StormCell]

The Switch should be cheaper since it has been out for a while, but Nintendo is like the Apple of video games, just making bundles.

It was the best selling video game platform of 2018, so I can see why they're not dropping the price.

Then I also wonder if it might benefit them to sell even more at a reduced price, but how much of a price drop would generate a substantial sales bump?

I think that after they release the revised hardware, we'll see a significant price drop on the original Switch.

 

[NickFire]

This post makes me kind of thankful for the nut jobs that used to moderate this place and ban people left and right. Without them I'd probably be eating some crow in this thread.

 

[rockyt]

I got the switch for Christmas from my wife. I can see why it's a success. I love it. Been playing diablo 3 on it and it's been awesome. I currently have 4 physical games for it which I already owned them kn the PC. For example I got wolfenstein 2, diablo 3, ys8 man it is so nice being able to play them on hand held mode which is the only way I play them. So I see the switch being a success for a while.

 

[Roitorb]

When are we getting more variations of colours for the joy cons?

 

[woigemok]

+9.42m in Q3

 

[Audioout]

I remember telling a friend I thought the WiiU would be a flop and he thought I was crazy. I mean, look at what the Wii did...I also predicted DS success when my friends thought the PSP would doom it and called the Switch being a hit.

Maybe I should have Pachter's job.

 

[Mozza]

I remember telling a friend I thought the WiiU would be a flop and he thought I was crazy. I mean, look at what the Wii did...I also predicted DS success when my friends thought the PSP would doom it and called the Switch being a hit.

Maybe I should have Pachter's job.

It's very tough for anybody to predict what will be a hit with the mass market,after the Wii U I was very worried for the Switch when it was revealed.

 

[Mozza]

• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – 15.02 million
• Super Mario Odyssey – 13.76 million
• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – 12.08 million
• Zelda: Breath of the Wild – 11.68 million
• Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu / Eevee – 10.00 million
• Splatoon 2 – 8.27 million
• Super Mario Party – 5.30 million
• 1-2 Switch – 2.86 million
• Mario Tennis Aces – 2.53 million
• Kirby Star Allies – 2.42 million
• Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze – 2.08 million
• Octopath Traveler – 1.08 million (not counting Japan)
• Nintendo Labo: Variety Kit – 1.06 million
• Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker – 1.05 million

Hats off to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe,and I still don't see how Smash has sold that many copies in such a short space of time.

 

[woigemok]

41.67 million currently and going to surpass XB1 lifetime soon.
BOTW is currently over 16 million(Switch+WiiU) and likely to be the second-highest switch game behind MK8D based on its insane leg.

 

[Hero of Spielberg]

lol at the first few pages of this thread. A good reminder heading into next gen.

 

[Mozza]

The Nintendo Switch is sitting at an impressive 52.48 million worldwide sales, if ever there was a massive turnaround of a video game companies fortunes this must be it, and after the Wii U disaster it's very impressive.

1. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - 22.96 million
2. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - 17.68 million
3. Super Mario Odyssey - 16.59 million
4. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - 16.34 million
5. Pokémon Sword and Shield - 16.06 million
6. Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! / Let's Go, Eevee! - 11.76 million
7. Splatoon 2 - 9.81 million
8. Super Mario Party - 9.12 million
9. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe - 5.85 million
10. Luigi's Mansion 3 - 5.37 million

Software sales not to shabby either, those Pokemon haters with their predicted sales boycott must have been wrong.

 

[Nikana]

Is there a way to search for a member in a thread? I know I posted my prediction in here but I dont remember what it was lol. Id love to find out.

 

[Mozza]

Is there a way to search for a member in a thread? I know I posted my prediction in here but I dont remember what it was lol. Id love to find out.

I thought the console would do well, but I did not imagine it would sell like this, even more so after the Wii U's poor sales.