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[KillerMan91]

Doubt it will be that expensive and even so Switch already looks better than the 3DS did at launch - not even including the games. New Zelda, Mario, Splatoon etc. likely in the first couple months. Also no need to buy an extra home system for the TV.

I just can't see how you can sell that highly specced handheld with docking station (that probably has some harware too inside it) for under 299 bucks. I mean we can compare it to Vita that was modern handheld hw for its launch year and that launched at $249 and didn't have memory card with it or any extra docking station hardware (not to mention Sony has usually sold hw with lower margins than Nintendo). I guess we shall see.

 

[wrowa]

To me Nintendo Switch looks like a very risky concept for Japanese market as I can't see how it doesn't cost at least $299. We know how 3DS struggled (for Nintendo handheld in Japan) when they priced it at $249. Considering how important market Japan is for Nintendo they better hope that people are willing to spent some extra money this time around.

I'm honestly starting to believe that Switch won't be the only Nintendo hardware we'll get and that a more traditional handheld (likely based on the same architecture, but smaller and cheaper) will follow later. Despite Switch appearing to be a hybrid, they seem to focus on its home console abilities so far.

At least judging by Nintendo's PM, which calls Switch a new "home gaming system" as opposed to giving it a more general term that would include both home and portable gaming.

 

[thestopsign]

I think the Switch will do gangbusters in Japan. It seems perfect for that market.

 

[wmlk]

I think the Switch will do gangbusters in Japan. It seems perfect for that market.

Really? It doesn't look portable like phones at all. It's huge and cumbersome for crowded spaces.

 

[Herb Alpert]

I think the Switch will do gangbusters in Japan. It seems perfect for that market.

any reason why the switch won't dominate Japan?

Spoiler

I agree though, it seems perfect for Japanese market

 

[Hero of Legend]

One name that caught my eye in the dev list is Nippon Ichi, so they're more than evaluating, they're in fact developing for it. They only put out that random sticker game on 3DS. I would think (and hope) they have something more... traditional planned.

From Software is also huge. The only games they put on Nintendo hardware in the last two gens were I think; Cookie & Cream DS, Tenchu 4 Wii, and helped with Monster Hunter Diary DX 3DS (likely what remains of the Cookie & Cream team).

 

[Kresnik258]

One name that caught my eye in the dev list is Nippon Ichi, so they're more than evaluating, they're in fact developing for it. They only put out that random sticker game on 3DS. I would think (and hope) they have something more... traditional planned.

From Software is also huge. The only games they put on Nintendo hardware in the last two gens were I think; Cookie & Cream DS, Tenchu 4 Wii, and helped with Monster Hunter Diary DX 3DS (likely what remains of the Cookie & Cream team).

Makes sense for Nippon Ichi to look at Switch with Vita dying.

But Nippon Ichi developed (poorly) for 3DS, so it's not unprecedented. It's not the same company, but weren't we supposed to be getting a Legend of Heroes game on 3DS too?

I can see it being the place the otaku devs migrate to, but a logo on a splash screen doesn't mean a whole lot at this time.

 

[horuhe]

Yo! Watch Hino make a new YW game and make the Switch sell millions.

Yo-Kai will die on 3DS. I suppose after Sukiyaki, we will have one more update, and that's all. Hino should be worried about Snack World for Switch around now.

 

[wrowa]

Yo-Kai will die on 3DS. I suppose after Sukiyaki, we will have one more update, and that's all. Hino should be worried about Snack World for Switch around now.

Level 5 won't cancel a series which latest entry still sold handily above a million units. It's a far cry from YW2's phenomenal success, but let's not pretend that YW3 isn't still vastly more successful than the vast majority of games in Japan. If Yokai Watch can stabilize around the sales level of YW3 it'll still be a very healthy franchise for years to come.

 

[DriftingSpirit]

I like it.

I found it interesting that their were no children in the trailer.

 

[Oregano]

I'm honestly starting to believe that Switch won't be the only Nintendo hardware we'll get and that a more traditional handheld (likely based on the same architecture, but smaller and cheaper) will follow later. Despite Switch appearing to be a hybrid, they seem to focus on its home console abilities so far.

At least judging by Nintendo's PM, which calls Switch a new "home gaming system" as opposed to giving it a more general term that would include both home and portable gaming.

I think it's being promoted as a home system to third pillar it so that if it bombs they could still do a standard 3DS follow up.

 

[Fisico]

Makes sense for Nippon Ichi to look at Switch with Vita dying.

Another interesting thing is Falcom missing from the list, we saw how the PSV/PS4 multiplat turns out to sell, we're also seeing the PSV dying (slowly but surely) so do they really hope to maintain the same level of sales by being PS4 exclusive in Japan ?

 

[Oregano]

Another interesting thing is Falcom missing from the list, we saw how the PSV/PS4 multiplat turns out to sell, we're also seeing the PSV dying (slowly but surely) so do they really hope to maintain the same level of sales by being PS4 exclusive in Japan ?

I imagine so. A lot of developers will do that.

 

[Mr. Pointy]

Maybe Falcom are the first 3rd party developers to have Vita Pro kits or something.

 

[Jon Carter]

Yo-Kai will die on 3DS. I suppose after Sukiyaki, we will have one more update, and that's all. Hino should be worried about Snack World for Switch around now.

YW3 will be a 1.5m seller. They won't kill the series when sales are this high. What else does Level-5 have in store that could sell that much? The series needs to drop a lot lower for such a move to make sense, especially considering Hino said their future titles would be multiplats with smartphones so the series could experience a couple more massive drops on dedicated hardware and still be massively successful but on two platforms instead of one.

Also, now that we know what the NX is, I remain convinced this isn't the only device we'll get from Nintendo, because that looks expensive compared with the 3DS. Eventually, I think they're bound to introduce a cheaper model with fewer features.

 

[saichi]

Oh no! Third party developer Monolith Soft. is not listed which means that Xenoblade franchise is deader than dead now ;sakd;alsd;as

not sure if serious

 

[Vena]

not sure if serious

Pretty sure he's poking fun at the fact that some still think MSoft isn't Nintendo.

 

[Sandfox]

So far it looks like the Switch will have some strong sellers fairly early on and now Nintendo should be able to release more games for it than their other platforms.

Splatoon should be interesting to follow.

 

[casiopao]

Level 5 won't cancel a series which latest entry still sold handily above a million units. It's a far cry from YW2's phenomenal success, but let's not pretend that YW3 isn't still vastly more successful than the vast majority of games in Japan. If Yokai Watch can stabilize around the sales level of YW3 it'll still be a very healthy franchise for years to come.

Level-5 though is quite well known for how bad their management of their IP during platform transition though.

 

[Nirolak]

As a side note, I think we can pretty safely put to rest the discussion of what version of Dragon Quest XI will be on the NX given the graphics in that reveal video.

I like it.

I found it interesting that their were no children in the trailer.

If it turns out to be the Japanese equivalent of a $300 system with $60 games as standard, I could see why they might want to focus on older audiences for a bit first.

 

[Chris1964]

I imagine so. A lot of developers will do that.

With the record you have at predictions we should expect the opposite.

 

[Vena]

If it turns out to be the Japanese equivalent of a $300 system with $60 games as standard, I could see why they might want to focus on older audiences for a bit first.

Think we'll potentially see a "dock-less" version? It seems to have zero actual limitations to "needing the dock" to be used.

No dock would shave off a pretty penny from the packaged price.

 

[Oregano]

As a side note, I think we can pretty safely put to rest the discussion of what version of Dragon Quest XI will be on the NX given the graphics in that reveal video.



If it turns out to be the Japanese equivalent of a $300 system with $60 games as standard, I could see why they might want to focus on older audiences for a bit first.

Whilst software is obviously going to be more expensive is the expectation that hardware will be priced that high?

It's still a big question mark to me.

With the record you have at predictions we should expect the opposite.

Hey I'm right... like a sixth of the time!

 

[Vena]

Whilst software is obviously going to be more expensive is the expectation that hardware will be priced that high?

It's still a big question mark to me.

The design doesn't look cheap at the very least. I can easily see this at 299$ or more at launch. If they do get it below that, it'll honestly be impressive or they cut some wide corners somewhere (or have some damn wizardly engineers).

 

[Oregano]

The design doesn't look cheap at the very least. I can easily see this at 299$ or more at launch. If they do get it below that, it'll honestly be impressive or they cut some wide corners somewhere (or have some damn wizardly engineers).

I was quite pleasantly surprised with the (appearance of the) build quality of the device. It looks a lot better than the Wii U.

Reminds of me of the DSi and N3DS in a good way.

 

[Vena]

I was quite pleasantly surprised with the (appearance of the) build quality of the device. It looks a lot better than the Wii U.

Reminds of me of the DSi and N3DS in a good way.

It reminds me of the DSLite. Same sort of dark-color scheme and similar curved ergonomics (later in the DSi). That said, the price is going to be curious and I would even wonder if Nintendo has that locked down or if its talking with retail/market people now to try and pin it down. They may well sell it at a small loss if need be because >300$ is going to be a very, very hard pill to swallow given their current market position.

On the plus side, the SoC is very likely cheap (seemingly confirmed what with it being Tegra) as is the screen in terms of pure BoM, so the question will be how it all adds up but nothing looks outlandishly expensive (say, like the massive BoM of the gamepad). IGN noted that they'd heard the Joy-Con parts are also numchuck-cheapEverything is seemingly contained in the core unit and the dock either has complimentary hardware in it or its a glorified port-hub/bus (hence why I also think a "core unit" standalone item is possible).

But, ya, should be obvious why the 3DS is staying around for a while longer at least.

 

[Ōkami]

If Call of Duty releases on Switch, I wonder if Nintendo will localize it.

 

[Mr. Pointy]

Nintendo might sell the Switch without the dock for cheaper.

 

[Shizuka]

Nintendo might sell the Switch without the dock for cheaper.

I hope they do, I couldn't care less about the dock.

 

[BKK]

The dock's only a charger and HDMI connection. It must cost next to nothing to manufacture. You'd still need another charger anyway, and most of the TV out stuff must already be in the actual console in order to output it to the dock.

I'm not really seeing how they can reduce the cost by more than a couple of dollars at most by not bundling the dock.

 

[Eolz]

The dock's only a charger and HDMI connection. It must cost next to nothing to manufacture. You'd still need another charger anyway, and most of the TV out stuff must already be in the actual console in order to output it to the dock.

I'm not really seeing how they can reduce the cost by more than a couple of dollars at most by not bundling the dock.

This. If it was an SCD, I could see the point but this...
The dock will work well in japan and everywhere else. Less confusing if it's included from the start. People wanting to use just the handheld will just it as a charger just like for the 3DS...

 

[Fdkn]

A normal charger would be needed too tho, you can't take the dock with you anywhere as easily

 

[Arzehn]

Why would they sell the Switch without dock when that's where the Amiibo ($$$) functionality is?

:>

 

[Kouriozan]

Nintendo might sell the Switch without the dock for cheaper.

But then they can't say it's a "home console first and foremost"

 

[Takao]

Holy shit!

If they do this for Worlds, what will they do for XV?

A movie, a web anime series, two tie-in mobile games, a pre-order bonus game, a VR experience, a general hardware bundle, perfumes, clothing lines, action figures, a real car, etc. You know, just the usual.

 

[BKK]

A normal charger would be needed too tho, you can't take the dock with you anywhere as easily

I doubt that they'll bundle both, normal charger will probably be sold separately. The actual console is pretty big itself, about the same footprint as the dock, even bigger footprint with the controls attached. The dock is obviously thicker though, but with the console in the dock it's not that much more inconvenient to carry than the console alone, it will require a bag either way.

 

[Madao]

Shame considering Colour Splash is supposedly a big step up from trash like Sticker Star. Tho I wouldn't know because I'm part of the problem. If Nintendo has half a brain they will give the game a second chance as NX launch title.

Sticker Star poisoned the well way beyond repair. they'll need to shelve the brand for a while.

But then they can't say it's a "home console first and foremost"

in japan it could be the opposite and be a "handheld first and foremost".

 

[Ōkami]

I wouldn't expect the dock to be sold separately, plenty of promotional material show both.

Also Mochizuki says dock is part of the package.

 

[Lynx_7]

Sticker Star poisoned the well way beyond repair. they'll need to shelve the brand for a while.

Not really, the problem is Color Splash being a direct sequel to SS in the Wii U of all platforms. It was sent to die.

All Nintendo has to do with Paper Mario to regain good will is release a trailer with NPCs other than Toads and interesting partners. This really isn't a hard franchise to get right, they're just making it way harder on themselves for some reason.

 

[BKK]

Actually, thinking about it, you wouldn't be able to play it without a TV whilst charging in the dock. The most logical implementation would be for a seperate charger which can either power the console directly, or power the dock. In this case there would be even less hardware contained in the dock.

 

[BriBri]

Not really, the problem is Color Splash being a direct sequel to SS in the Wii U of all platforms. It was sent to die.

All Nintendo has to do with Paper Mario to regain good will is release a trailer with NPCs other than Toads and interesting partners. This really isn't a hard franchise to get right, they're just making it way harder on themselves for some reason.

Don't you start blaming Toad for Color Splash bombing ;-)

 

[casiopao]

Don't you start blaming Toad for Color Splash bombing ;-)

Agreed. Especially when the Toad in color Splash this time is damn funny.^_^

 

[Elios83]

So given the Japanese centric nature of these threads, what do you think about the chances of success of the Switch there?
As a handheld it doesn't seem very attractive, it's too big, the design is not kid friendly and it has lost the dual screen and 3D effect present in the 3DS, battery life is rumored to be poor (and let's consider false the rumor that it has no touch features as well...)
Price will also likely be around 30.000 yen while a sub 20.000 yen price just won't happen.
As a product it seems to cater to core gamers interested in having a unified Nintendo console but the system doesn't seem to build on the traditional strengths of a Nintendo handheld which is what usually brings the big sales in Japan.
Thoughts?

 

[duckroll]

I think Japan is going to switch off their nintendos.

 

[Lynx_7]

Don't you start blaming Toad for Color Splash bombing ;-)

I wasn't. As tradition dictates, I'm blaming Miyamoto.

 

[hiska-kun]

First Day Sell-Through {2016.10.20}

[PSV] Macross &#916; Scramble # <ACT> (Bandai Namco Games) (¥6.100) - 30%

[PSV] RecoLove: Blue Ocean / Gold Beach <ADV> (Kadokawa Games) (¥6.980) - 40%

[PS4] [PS3] NBA 2K17 # <SPT> (Take-Two Interactive Japan) (¥6.800) (¥5.800) - 30%

[PSV] Idol Death Game TV <ADV> (D3Publisher) (¥6.800) - 30%

Rabbids Land

[3DS] Mario Party: Star Rush <ETC> (Nintendo) (¥4.700) - 10%

____

Bomba week? Well, there's still Battlefield 1, just released today.

 

[DriftingSpirit]

I think Japan is going to switch off their nintendos.

Do you like the idea of Switch?

 

[casiopao]

First Day Sell-Through {2016.10.20}

[PSV] Macross &#916; Scramble # <ACT> (Bandai Namco Games) (¥6.100) - 30%

[PSV] RecoLove: Blue Ocean / Gold Beach <ADV> (Kadokawa Games) (¥6.980) - 40%

[PS4] [PS3] NBA 2K17 # <SPT> (Take-Two Interactive Japan) (¥6.800) (¥5.800) - 30%

[PSV] Idol Death Game TV <ADV> (D3Publisher) (¥6.800) - 30%

Rabbids Land

[3DS] Mario Party: Star Rush <ETC> (Nintendo) (¥4.700) - 10%

____

Bomba week? Well, there's still Battlefield 1, just released today.

Guess the ending of Delta really soured many fans huh.^_^ Need moar love for Mikumo wkwkwkw.^_^ (Kaname is still the best.^_^)

Mario Party better hoped that it had legs going into holiday.T_T

 

[Humdinger]

Xbox up 400% from last week. Time for a commercial.

 

[SunDimension24]

So given the Japanese centric nature of these threads, what do you think about the chances of success of the Switch there?
As a handheld it doesn't seem very attractive, it's too big, the design is not kid friendly and it has lost the dual screen and 3D effect present in the 3DS, battery life is rumored to be poor (and let's consider false the rumor that it has no touch features as well...)
Price will also likely be around 30.000 yen while a sub 20.000 yen price just won't happen.
As a product it seems to cater to core gamers interested in having a unified Nintendo console but the system doesn't seem to build on the traditional strengths of a Nintendo handheld which is what usually brings the big sales in Japan.
Thoughts?

Part of me says it might be a slightly hard sell to some more casual players and it might hinder them somewhat, then another part of me says it will have the next Monster Hunter, Splatoon, Mario kart and Pokémon so I'm sure it will be fine.