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Is Switch potentially becoming the main console for many now?

Amir0x said:
Well you backed it so technically not free... but I mean yeah you already crossed the Rubicon. No going back now!

It's not awful just like painfully dull and a pale imitation of what it aspires to. If I had to compare, imagine how Croc was a pale imitation of Spyro or something. Feels like one of them shovelware knockoffs from back in the day :p
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Right. I guess it's not free, more like a sunk cost. And yeah I'm not going in expecting it to be terrible, just a lot less excited about it now after reading some review snippets.

But I'm still glad I backed it. As someone who (tried) to develop games as a hobby I can imagine how amazing it must feel to actually be able to execute on your vision of a game, and having fans help do that is a great thing for the developers and the industry as a whole.

PritheeBeCareful said:
My most played games this generation have been Bloodborne, The Witcher 3, MGSV, Horizon Zero Dawn, Dark Souls II: SofFS, Dark Souls III, Destiny...

We can be fairly certain none of these games will ever see Switch releases and those are just games I've enjoyed. Other ones that I haven't loved so much but others loved : Nioh, Nier: Automata, Fallout 4, Final Fantasy XV...

And dozens more I've missed. It goes without saying that you won't be able to 'enjoy all of these huges games on a handheld' - not in the foreseeable at any rate.
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We know From was listed as a developer, so I'm actually fairly sure we will see some Dark Souls games ported. But that's all beside the point, because I'm trying to compare the hardware here, not the libraries. The Switch has shown to be capable of running all of the above games (obviously not at the same visual fidelity) which is what lets me enjoy it far more than any handheld before, since it has the potential to get plenty of huge games, while the 3DS clearly is unable to do so. And that was the point of my post that you quoted- comparison between Switch hardware and previous handheld hardware.

While most of those huge games will be from Nintendo, if it continues to sell at this rate I guarantee we'll see some more developers jumping on board.
 
For Nintendo fans and lapsed Nintendo fans of who love their games, and similar style of games from indies and third parties? Sure.

For the average gamer? Probably not assuming there someone who's been big into the PS and/or Xbox and/or PC ecosystems and still enjoying the big first and third party AAA game scene as the Switch offerings are very different. For most of those, myself included, the Switch is a great complementary system as it ads a different flavor of games to the mix and ads the portability option.

A lot of those games aren't going to get ported and a lot of us wouldn't buy the ports anyway as we want the better graphics on the other platforms, to be playing where our friends are for online games, want the trophies/gamerscore etc.
 
Skittzo0413 said:
If the Switch was guaranteed to get every single multiplat released, would people prefer playing those on the Switch or PS4/XB1/PC? For me the Switch wins hands down purely due to the convenience.
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Still no

I like gaming on a couch. I don't mind it even when my time is so limited. I don't really feel like gaming while i'm on the subway or waiting for my wife to finish her chores somewhere. I have my dedicated weekly hours of gaming and i'm very comfortable with that. And when i do game, i want the best version avaliable for me with a controller that i like. This, the switch can't provide me yet. But it provides me with nintendo games, so that's why i bought one. I can't see it being my main console ever though even if the library were as good as the other consoles - i like the added bells & whistles from other versions and my switch never leaves the dock anyway, might as well turn on the xbox instead.
 
cw_sasuke said:
lol...wut ? Level 5, Atlus, Bamco, SE, KT, Sega, Capcom etc. are all on board with the Switch - just because they dont have all their games ready for the first 9 months doesnt mean they are skipping Switch. No idea what you are talking about - look how much time it took for japanese 3rdPartys to deliver PS4 software that wasnt just based on Vita/PS3 games.
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Talk is cheap as fuck. I'm sure we will get a Yokai watch and some handheld only franchises by virtue of Switch being the de facto sole handheld past 3DS, but the big franchises, the vast majority of them demonstrably seem to be once again skipping the Nintendo console.

You can keep saying "wait until..." And make arbitrary timelines for your fantasy Switch scenario, but the evidence before us is clear. We can see how things are playing out, and library wise with third parties... not a whole helluva lot different than last Nintendo consoles. Thus, same category.

cw_sasuke said:
Either you havent been following MC threads lately or really think that most JP publishers arent planning to support Switch down the line.
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The support speaks for itself. Even among games which are already fully announced and no reason to hide of it had a Switch version, vast majority not coming there.

I can show you lists of names from every system ever made, and I can assure you until these games materialize they are essentially meaningless. They dont actually do much to inform us as to the level of support. And the few times there have been real surveys of developers, the numbers committed to Switch are fractional compared to PS4 and even XBO.

He'll even Monster Hunter 5 is skipping
Switch.

cw_sasuke said:
The OPs mainpoint is that people with multiple consoles would go for the Switch version if South Park, Persona or the next X.Com was also on Switch - why there was little to no reason on previous systems to 3rdParty games on the Nintendo platform. The industry is bigger than the couple AAA releases per year.
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But they won't be, and never will be. Which is why Switch will not be most of the game hobbyist world's main console. Hypotheticals like this prove the point.
 
Keinning said:
Still no

I like gaming on a couch. I don't mind it even when my time is so limited. I don't really feel like gaming while i'm on the subway or waiting for my wife to finish her chores somewhere. I have my dedicated weekly hours of gaming and i'm very comfortable with that. And when i do game, i want the best version avaliable for me with a controller that i like. This, the switch can't provide me yet. But it provides me with nintendo games, so that's why i bought one. I can't see it being my main console ever though even if the library were as good as the other consoles - i like the added bells & whistles from other versions and my switch never leaves the dock anyway, might as well turn on the xbox instead.
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Nintendo would never do this, but it would be cool if they came out with a dock that added extra power to games in docked mode. I don't know if that's technically possible though. More than likely, Nintendo will release an upgraded Switch a couple of years from now that will still be underpowered compared to the competition.
 
Well, there are some games I want and I will probably get it on Switch it available. The idea of home x away works.
 
I cannot see anyone who considers them a video game enthusiast making the switch their only gaming device. You will be missing out on the grand grand majority of games.
 
Mark1 said:
Sorry for the wording of the title (hard to narrow down and be clear at the same time), and that it's another Switch thread. However this is a topic that I'm genuinely keen to share with you guys heere.

Switch has taken off massively this year - a lot more than people expected. But what's been even more bizarre is the frequent number of posters amongst here or elsewhere who have stopped gaming on PS4, Xbone, etc. and started played exclusively on Switch. Why could that be?

Back in the era when Nintendo had another phenomenon with the Wii, it was quickly dismissed by many as a console for the non-gamer or hardcore Nintendo fanboys audiences. So it's not quite the same (yet).

So what has changed between then and now with the Nintendo Switch? The AAA Western Third Party support isn't there yet. It's still relatively weak in comparison to its competitors (although not as much). The online support doesn't seem too promising so far. What gives?

I know it's early to determine how it'll turn out - this new hybrid console feels catered more towards gamers this time round.

Your views and opinions on this matter? Is it the powerful handheld factor? The freedom of choice? Or simply the games on offer? Or was it Zelda?
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Where are all of these posters? I haven't seen them. Nothing against the Switch, it's a great console. But your post seems based on fantasy rather than reality. I think people are playing the Switch because it has some good games on it right now. It is not, however, somehow making gamers of other consoles quit altogether. The people who like handhelds and or also like Nintendo are going to love the Switch. People who like playing games will play games. News at 11. Personally, I love Nintendo and the 3DS was fantastic. But Halo multiplayer is still my go-to.
 
Personally, my PS4 will remain my main console due to the shear volume of content, but I love my Switch and I continue to want more games for it.
 
No, not for me at least, as I'm treating it just as any other Nintendo home console and that is to play the classic Nintendo exclusive franchises on a TV with a controller in my hands.
 
The Switch is the shiny new toy and a lot of people are infatuated by it at the moment. However, the Switch can't be the main console from most folks. It's a great secondary console, but it's never going to have the AAA Western games that most people buy consoles to play.
 
Blobbers said:
The number of WiiU predictions is insane. I voted Gamecube tier with 40 million sold, and immediately after launch felt like I might've undershot it by a good degree
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I have a post there that says I think it will do more than 50m but less than 3ds ltd.

Now, I think it will do around 3ds ltd, give or take a 2.5m +/- range.
 
If they can keep up the pace of new content, Switch honestly could become my "main" console. I've already logged more hours into Switch games than I have on Xbox/PS4 in probably the last two years combined.

Strangely, I still consider my Xbox One my "main" console because I use it for multi-platform games. Really not sure why at this point.
 
Not for me. Right now I use it to play MK8 now and again. There's some indies I'd like to get but I have other backlog games on pc and consoles. So I'm hoping a sale might finally pop up for switch games.
 
MisterR said:
The Switch is the shiny new toy and a lot of people are infatuated by it at the moment.
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I don't think this argument holds water anymore. yeah, the switch is still new, but the infatuation period is long over - people just genuinely like it. it's not hard to understand why the idea of AAA gaming on a handheld is so enticing to people even when its not for you (like it is my case). It mostly depends on how do you feel about gaming on the go - if that's a strong positive for you, the switch is the one offering most, if it's not that important, it's hardly to justify having just one unless nintendo games are your favourite thing

And what can be or cannot be a main console to someone depends entirely on their gaming taste. People who like puzzle games could go entire gens with mobile/gba/ds/3ds for example. And even if the switch doesn't get most AAA westerns, if they get the ones people want it could still be their main console nonetheless.
 
MiamiWesker said:
I cannot see anyone who considers them a video game enthusiast making the switch their only gaming device. You will be missing out on the grand grand majority of games.
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I'm just fine with having a Switch as my main console. I don't have a PS4 or XB1, but I do have a gaming computer that I only occasionally use Steam on. Zelda and Mario Kart and surprisingly Puyo Puyo Tetris have been very successful in our house. I had more Switch games a couple of months after launch than I had Wii U games total over its entire life cycle.
 
Absolutely not, don't be so ridiculous. There's a large portion of games it cannot and will not be able to play, has non existent online service and will not have the type of 3rd party support expected from a main platform.
 
Even nintendo doesnt seem to be interested in being the only console for gamers, they dont see ps4 and one as direct competition, and vice versa.
 
based on software alone I don't see this ever happening not when the games do the talking first

based on software alone I don't see this ever happening not when the games do the talking

this is no different than the Wii and the success the dad had and I never looked at that as a console that was the leader of any sorts other than the gold that is struck with the Casual Gamer

This isn't to dismiss it as a handheld console hybrid but if we're talking about games and software and Lead platform for gamers then it is entirely laughable because it's not we're all the best games are it's not the most powerful system it's missing many features and while Nintendo is being very proactive in changing some things they are still far behind the curve and you really can't change those facts

Using the Google voice so sorry about the lack of punctuation and all that it is now time for me to work LOL
 
MiamiWesker said:
I cannot see anyone who considers them a video game enthusiast making the switch their only gaming device. You will be missing out on the grand grand majority of games.
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I'm not interested in the grand grand majority of xb/ps4 libraries. I'm just fine with nintendo & indies. If that means I'm not "real gamr" or whatever, oh well. I'll live.
 
I don't see how this is possible considering I can't play 99% of the third party AAA titles on my Switch.
 
Are that many posters commenting that they've stopped gaming on PS4, X1 and PC to game on Switch? Maybe I haven't really been in all of the threads but I haven't seen much of this sentiment at all...
 
Probably will have bought more ps4 games (such a strong Japanese showcase this year) this year than switch, but next year.....not quite sure.
 
What exactly is everyone playing on this system? I don't see many games right now. When the PS4 and Xbox One came out, people on GAF were complaining about a drought for those systems.
 
Switch has great 3rd party support, it can be considered a main console by some folks. You guys put too much importance on the big western companies, when they are not such a big deal for a lot of people nowadays tbh.
 
cuate said:
I'm not interested in the grand grand majority of xb/ps4 libraries. I'm just fine with nintendo & indies. If that means I'm not "real gamr" or whatever, oh well. I'll live.
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I'm mostly interested in indies too. Many of them still skip the switch. Things could change if crossplay xbox/switch start being a thing though.
 
Nah not even close. My most played genres are JRPGs and online shooters and Switch is seriously lacking in both at the moment. Waiting for Zelda DLC next. When Splatoon 2 and Xenoblade 2 come out though...


Also I'm not going to rebuy indie games just to play on Switch. I thought about rebuying Shovel Knight to play on the go but then I realized how stupid and a waste of money that would be. I already have it elsewhere so there isn't a need to buy it again. Same goes for Disgaea 5 and for Stardew Valley once that's out.
 
Sora the Cat said:
Switch has great 3rd party support, it can be considered a main console by some folks. You guys put too much importance on the big western companies, when they are not such a big deal for a lot of people nowadays tbh.
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yeah pretty much

when you consider the entire gaming landscape (ie not just set top consoles) it's funny how people act like western AAA games are the standard

they're great if you value spectacle out of your games but of course that's not going to appeal to everyone

Keinning said:
I'm mostly interested in indies too. Many of them still skip the switch. Things could change if crossplay xbox/switch start being a thing though.
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I think year 2 will be when you really see indie support get crazy. it feels like right now Nintendo is taking a conservative approach with them to give each individual title a bit more visibility and to space them out throughout the year. so far it seems like they're releasing a solid indie title about every other week or every week in some cases so it seems like Nintendo doesn't want to flood the eshop with them just yet.
 
Sora the Cat said:
Switch has great 3rd party support, it can be considered a main console by some folks. You guys put too much importance on the big western companies, when they are not such a big deal for a lot of people nowadays tbh.
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Yeah, except for like, you know, most of the market. You are using "a lot of people" quite loosely here.

Why do you think PS4 sells? Is it the great first party content? It sure has it, but if you look at the most sold games list, it's the same old franchises and blockbusters year after year. That's what the majority plays. It might not be what GAF plays, but the casual gamers that make up the majority of the market spend most of their time with the usual suspects.

I don't even know why anyone would try to argue this. It's been this way for as long as I can remember.
 
DryvBy said:
What exactly is everyone playing on this system? I don't see many games right now. When the PS4 and Xbox One came out, people on GAF were complaining about a drought for those systems.
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Zelda is a long game and Mario Kart and Arms and infintely replayable for people who love them, as is Puyo Puyo Tetris. The indies seem to new to a lot of owners too as I guess a lot are Nintendo only folk who missed out on the ones that weren't on Wii U or 3DS.

Mostly people don't need a lot of games. The diehard single player gamers on sites like this do, but most were fine with Xbox/PS4 first years as they were just dumping hours in to CoD, FIFA etc. like many Swich owners are Mario Kart, Arms etc.
 
DasPenguin said:
Yeah, except for like, you know, most of the market. You are using "a lot of people" quite loosely here.

Why do you think PS4 sells? Is it the great first party content? It sure has it, but if you look at the most sold games list, it's the same old franchises and blockbusters year after year. That's what the majority plays.
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Exactly. The Switch can absolutely be the main or only platform for a number of people who love Nintendo style games, indies etc. and don't like the western AAAs.

It won't be the main system for a majority of gamers though as the western AAAs are what dominate the market and sell hardware.
 
I love my Switch and probably have more games on it than 99% of owners (up to 18 titles now) but I think there is almost no way this is the case. Would definitely wait to see numbers rather than speculation. Fact is, there are only a few million of these out in the wild compared to 100 million combined PS4/XBO and then you have PC, mobile, handhelds, etc. Just don't see it happening yet--not with the major manufacturing shortage.
 
Keinning said:
I'm mostly interested in indies too. Many of them still skip the switch. Things could change if crossplay xbox/switch start being a thing though.
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It’s still way too early to judge how well supported it’ll be by third parties, in particular indies who have way less resource to add additional platform support.

Any third party would have been rightfully skeptical of how well the Switch would do and unlikely to start developing a port. Now that it’s doing well, I expect a lot more indies will be supporting it pretty much by default if porting remains relatively easy, but for ones we know about they haven’t exactly had time to start that development.

If lots of indie games are being announced later this year then something isn’t going well.
 
Hardware wise yes. Software wise no. But if all game releases were equal to the other platforms then it would be my main. Which is really what I think the op is getting at. It goes without saying it doesn't have the library. I'd still buy some big graphical showcases on my PC but 4/5 games I play aren't pushing graphical boundaries anyway.

I also think people here are continuing to underestimate the potential of it. People will choose Switch versions of games just because they are portable. This will be a sizeable amount of people. All you need to do is look at it's initial success. That's not happening just because people want to play Nintendo games.
 
What people like the most about the Switch has nothing to do with Nintendo.

If you have trouble wrapping your head around it, just think of the PS4 if you could take your PS4 with you to the toilet, to the bedroom, to the bus, to school, to work, to kick back on the couch.

Without control compromises or network restrictions, or needing to have more than one device running.

This system would be an absolute killer.

Alas, I continue to prefer games coming out on Switch than on PS4 and will keep transitioning my library as possible, for the most part.
 
DasPenguin said:
Yeah, except for like, you know, most of the market. You are using "a lot of people" quite loosely here.

Why do you think PS4 sells? Is it the great first party content? It sure has it, but if you look at the most sold games list, it's the same old franchises and blockbusters year after year. That's what the majority plays. It might not be what GAF plays, but the casual gamers that make up the majority of the market spend most of their time with the usual suspects.

I don't even know why anyone would try to argue this. It's been this way for as long as I can remember.
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I know what the majority plays, I'm just saying that it is viable to consider Switch a main console for a lot of people who don't care about those big western IPs. I never claimed the phrase: "A lot of people" meant: "Most of the market".
 
As soon as (or if... I'm still nervous that it is vaporware) Rainway launches on the switch, I'll likely never play any other console. The hardware combination of console and handheld is everything I've ever wanted as a gamer.
 
jts said:
What people like the most about the Switch has nothing to do with Nintendo.

If you have trouble wrapping your head around it, just think of the PS4 if you could take your PS4 with you to the toilet, to the bedroom, to the bus, to school, to work, to kick back on the couch.

Without control compromises or network restrictions, or needing to have more than one device running.

This system would be an absolute killer.

Alas, I continue to prefer games coming out on Switch than on PS4 and will keep transitioning my library as possible, for the most part.
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That is a huge part of the appeal for Swtich owners.

I don't think that a majority the PS4/Xbox/PC crowd feel that way though. The average, mainstream gamers is just fine playing CoD, FIFA, GTA, DOTA2 etc. on their big screens/PCs a few evenings a week.

They're not game obsessed people like us Switch early adopters on GAF who are trying to squeeze in every minute of gaming they can.
 
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