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[Darklor01]

My friend runs a store which, I think he said is only getting 15. It doesn't even matter. Selling out means nothing. Those who bought it are either scalping or really wanted to play Zelda BoTW. They also have been told that it is the best version. Outside of that, they will be waiting on a trickle of games and see what is out there on The Nintendo store.

I bout it to play Zelda BoTW. I'll be fine waiting to play Mario Kart for a bit. Outside of that,, if there isn't anything to get on the Nintendo Store, it will just sit waiting on holiday launches. Hopefully they have a good plan for early eStore content.

 

[Ecto311]

I ordered on gamestop.com for the double color handles. Hope it all works my kid is fucking amped for zelda and mario from the stream the other night. Nintendo sure does know how to make me feel like I am 10 again with those videos. It was like my kid and me were the same age and both going nuts.

 

[ggx2ac]

Nintendo needs to sell units badly. They should have risked some more of their war chest and properly produced the Switch so that consumers don't have to wait months to get it. Its going to hurt the long term sales especially if they can't get enough on shelves before the PS4 and Xbone price drop and are cheaper.

We don't know yet if Switch will continue to do well after launch, they're better off not overshipping like Wii U and 3DS.

Wii U and 3DS each shipped with 3 million+ units at launch and they both bombed badly shortly afterwards.

A reminder: 3DS only shipped 700k worldwide for their second quarter after their first quarter which had 3.6 million units shipped. This spooked them to drop the price drastically which we remember and caused Nintendo to suffer their first financial loss in 30+ years.

 

[Yukinari]

Gonna be interesting to see nothing but Zelda pop up in my youtube inbox and on twitch streams.

And the few weird people playing Bomberman and Snipperclips i guess?

 

[devonodev]

As we all know, shortages at launch guarantee a successful console.

Clicked this thread just to see this picture.

 

[Skittzo0413]

Regarding the launch lineup compared to that of the Wii U, I think it's fair to say that Zelda is much, much more of a system seller than something like NSMBU is. People who buy the console buy 2D Mario games but people will spend a lot of money on a console specifically for a Zelda game. Many people did this with the Wii U in fact.

Also, remember that this is launching in March where fewer third party games are launching in general. A months old port of CoD or Maddem might not make sense here like much more recent ports made sense for the Wii U.


Anyway, while expected, this is nothing but positive news. If Zelda really can take care of launch day specifically then the lack of launch day titles might not really be as big of a problem as we/I initially thought.

 

[msdstc]

Why does anybody ever care about initial shipments selling out? Even the original ps3 launch sold out for a bit.

 

[Striek]

3DS is a big success for them. Sure theyd like phones to be terrible at games and multi touch not to exist but that's where tech went.

On 3DS they've had great software sales. In the history of Nintendo it's a really great seller and frankly the fact they've remainded competitive in the portable world is a testament to their software.

>Lowest rate of sales for a Nintendo handheld since at least 1998 (aka pre-Pokemon)
>Sales down 60% from predecessor
>Big success

Makes sense.

 

[AdventureRacing]

As most have said, pre orders and sellouts at launch mean nothing long term. It's at least a little bit of a good sign because the worst part of the switch is the anemic launch schedule. If it can sell ok for the first few months (basically up to E3) I think it will do well.

 

[Schopenhauerian]

Nintendo needs to sell units badly. They should have risked some more of their war chest and properly produced the Switch so that consumers don't have to wait months to get it. Its going to hurt the long term sales especially if they can't get enough on shelves before the PS4 and Xbone price drop and are cheaper...

We don't know yet if Switch will continue to do well after launch, they're better off not overshipping like Wii U and 3DS...

At a certain level of demand (and beyond), presumably Nintendo would be better off shipping more units. Rather than ruling out the possibility that such a high level of demand could exist within the marketplace, hopefully Nintendo has been paying close attention to all available metrics, and keeping an open mind.

Of course, it may also simply not be possible to produce more than is currently planned (two million units for the month of March, as reiterated to Wired by Reggie), as was noted earlier in the thread.

 

[lingpanda]

I ordered on gamestop.com for the double color handles. Hope it all works my kid is fucking amped for zelda and mario from the stream the other night. Nintendo sure does know how to make me feel like I am 10 again with those videos. It was like my kid and me were the same age and both going nuts.

Never underestimate that Nintendo magic.

 

[Basileus777]

We don't know yet if Switch will continue to do well after launch, they're better off not overshipping like Wii U and 3DS.

Wii U and 3DS each shipped with 3 million+ units at launch and they both bombed badly shortly afterwards.

A reminder: 3DS only shipped 700k worldwide for their second quarter after their first quarter which had 3.6 million units shipped. This spooked them to drop the price drastically which we remember and caused Nintendo to suffer their first financial loss in 30+ years.

The 3DS price cut would have been necessary no matter how many they shipped.

 

[SporeCrawler]

Its bad but it is a bit overstated; I can't remember the last good launch lineup. I remember hated every single game I bought for my PS4 and spent most of its first year playing the PS3.

The launch lineup's real issue is how spread out it is. If you are the crazy person who expected this to be you only console, then you have a whole month in between Zelda and Mario Kart...and then who knows how much longer for Arms then to Splatoon...that is assuming you care about those in the first place.

thats why i am glad disgea and dragon quest heroes 1 and 2 is there also i am setsuna and has been heroes. these types of games should be more than enough for the wait for arms and mario kart at least for me.

 

[Davey Cakes]

Scalpers and desperate Nintendo fans.

 

[carlsojo]

As we all know, shortages at launch guarantee a successful console.

What's the story with the picture?

 

[ggx2ac]

The 3DS price cut would have been necessary no matter how many they shipped.

That doesn't make sense. If the 3DS had maintained better shipment numbers by selling well, then Nintendo wouldn't have cut the price which caused them heavy financial losses.

 

[runnin_blue]

Scalpers and desperate Nintendo fans.

This post is straight up trash. Well done.

 

[Basileus777]

That doesn't make sense. If the 3DS had maintained better shipment numbers by selling well, then Nintendo wouldn't have cut the price which caused them heavy financial losses.

Shipping less wouldn't have increased demand. You were talking about overshipping.

 

[ggx2ac]

Shipping less wouldn't have increased demand.

What? Read my post again.

 

[Azerare]

Considering some stores with as little as 6 units?
The store I go to is only getting 35

The one i go to had 60 oddly enough. Though they said other gamestops in the area had 6 as the usual story around here.

What's the story with the picture?

Scalper who bought a lot of wii u stock. (There was no demand for it on launch, so scalper took an L there)

 

[ggx2ac]

Shipping less wouldn't have increased demand. You were talking about overshipping.

Yes, shipped vs sell-through. If they're not getting sold then shipment numbers drop. You weren't clear in your earlier answer.

 

[Gaiaknight]

Nintendo needs to sell units badly. They should have risked some more of their war chest and properly produced the Switch so that consumers don't have to wait months to get it. Its going to hurt the long term sales especially if they can't get enough on shelves before the PS4 and Xbone price drop and are cheaper.

nintendo has gone on record saying they can ramp up production for the switch if demand is there.

 

[onemanasylum]

Clicked this thread just to see this picture.

Wonder if she knows she is famous on GAF now.

 

[Persona7]

What's the story with the picture?

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=500387

Basically people bought Wii U's expecting them to be extremely limited so they can resale them at a higher price but the exact opposite happened and they were easily available without any issue. IIRC that specific seller in the photo didn't sell a single Wii U.

 

[hersheyfan]

I say at least 50m by 2020. Willing to long-term avatar bet. Get at me.

I'll take that bet.

And I say this as someone who has grudgingly decided to purchase a Switch in March, on the grounds that having a handheld with that level of power on the go is a decent value for $300. I'm definitely not expecting it to do gangbusters, if Switch hits 50M by 2020 thats near PS4 level success.

 

[Crazyorloco]

I actually do think you're going to see Nintendo upsell Pokemon and such at $59.99 and I think this is a dangerous move considering the base is children. But whatever, just guesswork.

But this is why I think Nintendo has focused so much on Switch as a console. They have to at that price point. It's a ridiculous price point for a handheld, particularly when (realistically) the largest demographic is children. So I think the other major issue is just making sure they get meaty experiences that hold up visually compared to the other consoles.

So those are the two issues I see. I do think we will see discounting on the hardware by Christmas.

I think the demographics for the switch is actually older than Wii U (this appeared to be geared towards everyone). And the main launch titles for the Wii U were more family friendly titles (NSMBU/Nintendo Land). Also I think pokemon will sell well at $59 still, especially with enchanced graphics. it's pokemon!

The focus seems to be adults this time. The system itself looks like a gadget, not a toy. From the initial Switch unveiling video (https://youtu.be/f5uik5fgIaI) There are no children seen in the video. I also feel that Zelda - the main launch title for the Switch is for older individuals... while most children will enjoy it - adults will be the ones that are mostly playing it.

3DS/2DS have been the systems geared to younger ages and I think Nintendo will continue to market these systems this way.

 

[Ponn]

Scalpers and desperate Nintendo fans.

I'm not a Nintendo fan nor a scalper and ordered one.

 

[SporeCrawler]

I'll take that bet.

And I say this as someone who has grudgingly decided to purchase a Switch in March, on the grounds that having a handheld with that level of power on the go is a decent value for $300. I'm definitely not expecting it to do gangbusters, if Switch hits 50M by 2020 thats near PS4 level success.

this is the 3ds successor as much as this is the WiiU successor. If this fails to reach 50 M nintendo is in deep trouble.

 

[demosthenes]

DOA

Wiiu sold out too.

 

[hersheyfan]

this is the 3ds successor as much as this is the WiiU successor. If this fails to reach 50 M nintendo is in deep trouble.

Yes, they will be. I agree with everything you said.

 

[Crazyorloco]

Its bad but it is a bit overstated; I can't remember the last good launch lineup. I remember hated every single game I bought for my PS4 and spent most of its first year playing the PS3.

The launch lineup's real issue is how spread out it is. If you are the crazy person who expected this to be you only console, then you have a whole month in between Zelda and Mario Kart...and then who knows how much longer for Arms then to Splatoon...that is assuming you care about those in the first place.

While the Nintendo Switch's launch day lineup is poor...I do feel that the first year of the Switch is better than most consoles by far.

Zelda, Mario Kart, Splatoon, Skyrim, Xenoblade, 3D Mario - Switch's first 9 months.


I can't think of a better first 9 months...and we might get smash bros and some surprise great games (ARMS and Snipperclips)

 

[Lingitiz]

While the Nintendo Switch's launch day lineup is poor...I do feel that the first year of the Switch is better than most consoles by far.

Zelda, Mario Kart, Splatoon, Skyrim, Xenoblade, 3D Mario - Switch's first 9 months.


I can't think of a better first 9 months...and we might get smash bros and some surprise great games (ARMS and Snipperclips)

It is a better lineup than any of the other two's launches. The caveat is that they weren't competing against fully matured systems at the time.

That said, after April I'm not even sure what is actually coming out from on the other two platforms. Seems kinda bare and it could be a good time period for Nintendo to generate momentum around Splatoon and Arms.

Has there ever been a console from day one that is actually a good value proposition? The launch lineup is bad here but IMO the PS4 didn't actually become a definite recommendation until maybe late 2015.

 

[Terrell]

I'm not a Nintendo fan nor a scalper and ordered one.

That means, according to GAF, you don't exist. Congratulations!

 

[Boke1879]

It is a better lineup than any of the other two's launches. The caveat is that they weren't competing against fully matured systems at the time.

That said, after April I'm not even sure what is actually coming out from on the other two platforms. Seems kinda bare and it could be a good time period for Nintendo to generate momentum around Splatoon and Arms.

Has there ever been a console from day one that is actually a good value proposition? The launch lineup is bad here but IMO the PS4 didn't actually become a definite recommendation until maybe late 2015.

That's BS. The simple fact that the PS4 and Xbox had games like AC, COD, battlefield, Madden, NBA, etc make them attractive to the mass market. That's something a lot of people either ignore or fail to realize.

I ordered a Switch but the PS4 as far as games go has the edge. Not to mention this fall RDR2, Destiny 2, COD, Madden, Fifa, Nba and possible Battlefront 2 will release.

Switch will sell out of it's initial shipment, but without games like I mentioned. It'll fail to sell over 20-25 million units when we ALL know it needs to do more than that.

 

[TheGreatMightyPoo]

That means, according to GAF, you don't exist. Congratulations!

lol

 

[jadedm17]

The one i go to had 60 oddly enough. Though they said other gamestops in the area had 6 as the usual story around here.


Scalper who bought a lot of wii u stock. (There was no demand for it on launch, so scalper took an L there)

What loss? As much as I love it for my return purposes it can be abused : Most stores offer a 30-60 day return, some even paying for shipping if bought online. The issue with scalping is all you lose is time; At the end of the day you have a huge window for returns. A lot of people spend hours each week clipping coupons to save tens of dollars, I don't think spend a few hours to make a few hundred to thousand (PS3 was $1200 plus at launch) is hurting them. Therein lies the problem with everything from Switch sales to concert and standup tickets; Louis CK spends extra time to prevent this and threatens blind ID checks at entrance and still sells out right away and ends up on stubhub at a 400% markup.

Spoiler

Ive scalped before, in moderation, so I'm far from guilty. Six WiiUs? Now that's excessive.

 

[The Abominable Snowman]

Jesus, I wish when a topic like this is made, the first post autolinks to PS4/Wii U/XBox One and other sellout reports and preorder threads so other posters can get a grasp on how little it means. First few pages are facepalm territory

 

[Wagram]

Xenoblade

It's not happening.

 

[Lingitiz]

That's BS. The simple fact that the PS4 and Xbox had games like AC, COD, battlefield, Madden, NBA, etc make them attractive to the mass market. That's something a lot of people either ignore or fail to realize.

I ordered a Switch but the PS4 as far as games go has the edge. Not to mention this fall RDR2, Destiny 2, COD, Madden, Fifa, Nba and possible Battlefront 2 will release.

Switch will sell out of it's initial shipment, but without games like I mentioned. It'll fail to sell over 20-25 million units when we ALL know it needs to do more than that.

I was speaking mainly in terms of library quality, not mass market appeal. I personally bought both systems early on, but I really had a hard time recommending either one to my more casual friends till about late 2015, mainly due to PS4 and XB1 going through growing pains and some off years from the mainstream annual franchises. COD, FIFA, Madden, and NBA had off years in 2013. In 2014 some bounced back and gained really strong momentum for those platforms alongside the launch of Destiny, while others like COD and AC regressed. In the last two years combined with aggressive bundles and more matured libraries they have been easy recommendations to someone that was waiting to move from a PS3 or 360.

I still think the combination of Mario Odyssey and Pokemon at the holiday could make the system a pretty attractive offer; enough to bring in a decent audience (not saying the other two won't have great holidays). All that is to say that I think the launch window lineup is quite nice and the Switch could look like a great system to recommend by year's end. Nothing is set in stone, but if those games actually release this year alongside what we don't know of yet, it has potential to build a userbase and in turn start bringing more third-parties on board. Unlike Sony and MS, Nintendo doesn't have the support from day one. They have to come out swinging with software and show the sales to make a case for the third parties.

 

[Crazyorloco]

Really wish this would stop.

The first page of all the switch threads seem to have posts like that. It's like twitter is sponsoring the first 10 posts.

 

[Nostremitus]

Yes.

Mario (a holiday title) was shown because it's Mario and I can't remember the last time Nintendo didn't reveal a new Mario game before the launch of a new platform. They're saving the rest of their "Fall" announcements for later.

I think Pokemon is almost guaranteed to be a holiday release that they'll announce later this year. I also wouldn't be surprised by some form of Smash announcement this year, though it might not be a holiday release if it's a new game.

Pokémon is all I can think except a couple of smaller games. Mario is good for the holiday plus they've got a decent library by the end of year one. I expect next year to be where we see the next batch of big games.

I doubt it'll be even until late year two or even year three when the handheld stuff moves over fully.



I suppose they've already sold it once as well.

Ah yes, I forgot about Pokemon. I'm sure Smash will have a big blowout with new characters as well... Then, of course, whatever Retro is working on...

Spoiler

Please God, not another Donkey Kong...

 

[Ponn]

That means, according to GAF, you don't exist. Congratulations!

Oh god my therapist is going to get an earful on tuesday.

 

[foxuzamaki]

these launches are always front loaded with early adopters. its the months afterwards where we'll see if they keep that momentum going.

Indeed, thats what makes the games coming out all through this year interesting, alot of heavy hitters year 1 and their all spread out

 

[Herb Alpert]

Scalpers and desperate Nintendo fans.

Wow. How can I be as cool as you?

 

[HotHamBoy]

I fully expect to be able to get a Switch without hassle once Mario is set to release. There is really no rush to get one right away if you have a Wii U. Zelda and Mario Kart are both Wii U games (i already have the latter) that alone cannot justify a $300 console purchase. That's it til Splatoon 2, which isn't somethibg I'm super eager for, either.

Eagerly awaiting E3 for more 2017 titles.

If they can confirm Smash 4 with exclusive characters and stages then I'll be more intrigued. The 3DS version wasn't really working for me as a portable version of that game. But, you know, another Wii U game I already have.

I could buy Pokemon Sun or Moon for my 3DS but I fell like that is something I should wait and see about.

Seems 2017 on Switch is largely reliant on old games for Wii U and 3DS. At least on PS4 the cross-gen games were released within the same month or two.

 

[Davey Cakes]

Wow. How can I be as cool as you?

Hey, I've always been a big Nintendo fan. I'm just really surprised that there's demand for this thing out of the gate.

 

[LotusHD]

Hey, I've always been a big Nintendo fan. I'm just really surprised that there's demand for this thing out of the gate.

New (Nintendo) console, so not that surprising.

 

[HotHamBoy]

Hey, I've always been a big Nintendo fan. I'm just really surprised that there's demand for this thing out of the gate.

No one should be surprised that people want one at launch. There is an early adopter market for just about everything, especially Nintendo.

Check out Oculus Rift for reasons why that says nothing about a platform's potential for legs.

 

[T-0800]

Why does anybody ever care about initial shipments selling out? Even the original ps3 launch sold out for a bit.

What a bomb that console was.

 

[Caleb187]

Hey, I've always been a big Nintendo fan. I'm just really surprised that there's demand for this thing out of the gate.

After watching the reveal I had no interest in purchasing it. Then GameStop had the huge trade-in credit for my old systems I wasn't playing. Ended up getting the switch preordered without pulling out my creditcard. Betting a lot of people were in the same boat.