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Nintendo Switch hype levels in Japan

J

jmizzal

Member
maxcriden said:
FWIW, as others have said, it's likely to hit in July due to the summer holidays in Japan. I believe Nintendo clarified the summer release date as specifically being during H2, so if that's correct we unfortunately won't see it till July at the earliest.
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July is fine, I just dont want it to be late Summer lol

Arms could be May and they might give it some breathing room then come with Splatoon
 
Mediking

Mediking

Member
Inuhanyou said:
people who are handheld partial seem to want to stay on 3DS as long as possible. I think nintendo are going to have to forcibly stop it at some point if they want better switch sales
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"I don't wanna upgrade to PS4!!! I wanna stay on PS3!!! I'm not ready!!!!"

.....

They'll come when they see something they want. Cheaper Switch model with Pokemon is really gonna do damage.
 
A

Ansatz

Member
I would say the mainstream appeal of Switch is limited at the moment considering the high cost of the console, accessories and games. The only strategy I can see working is to introduce a watered down 3DS-like form factor of Switch that coincides with the release of the Animal Crossing, Pokemon and Monster Hunter trio of games. I'm assuming this is what they're planning and that the current state of the platform is to milk as much as they can from enthusiasts, then later position it as the less popular high-end option.
 
M

Memento_Mori15

Member
My company is filled with otaku and most want it for splatoon. One coworker I'm close to wants to camp for it but is moving to Nagoya so he will have to wait.
 
D

Delusibeta

Banned
Yeah, I'll say that Splatoon 2 is a guaranteed system seller in Japan, and subsequently it'll probably be a good idea to consider that the "proper" launch for the system.
 
H

hatchx

Banned
I'm quite curious to see how Zelda:BotW and 1,2,Switch perform in Japan.

Mario Kart 8DX doesn't have any hype but I'm sure it will sell very well.
 
C

cw_sasuke

If all DLC came tied to $13 figurines, I'd consider all DLC to be free
Inuhanyou said:
people who are handheld partial seem to want to stay on 3DS as long as possible. I think nintendo are going to have to forcibly stop it at some point if they want better switch sales
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Big handheld gamer here and love my 3DS but the low resolution has been killing my desire to play on it lately... And I'm not the only one who has issues going from higher resolution phone screens to the 3DS. Depending on the game it's often not a big deal but I know a lot of people that were just waiting for a more modern Nintendo potable.

Just seeing MK8D on Switch or Splatoon 2 running on that screen.. Will be quite the jump for the 3DS audience.
 
F

frankie_baby

Member
Asd202 said:
I know Splatoon sold really well but some people make it out like it saved the Wii U.
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Had the wii u had a typical year 3 price cut it almost certainly would have done

Oh and sold really well is kinda underselling the fact it is the biggest selling home console game this generation
 
ranmafan

ranmafan

Member
I've started to see commercials running for it on tv now and the word about it is getting out there. I hear about it more and more at work, but a lot less than I thought I would at this stage. I expected more excitement for it by now here but I expect it to rise by next week. It looks like it will do just fine here, especially once splatoon 2, which is huge here, gets released. Honestly the hype for consoles are pretty high here these days overall. Just look at the crazyness about PSVR here and how people are still trying to find one and all. So yeah switch excitement is out there for sure.
 
S

sir_bumble_bee

Member
mrmickfran said:
It will probably be ginormous in Japan if the rumored Pokemon Stars is exclusive. Adding to the already mentioned Splatoon 2.

That's not getting into Dragon Quest X and XI as well as the eventual Monster Hunter.
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Splatoon 2 x Pokemon x Dragon Quest X+XI x Monster Hunter

If all those games release within the first 18 (hopefully 12) months of the Switch's launch, I would be shocked if 3DS sales aren't reached. This is not including any potential hits Nintendo may have cooking up, or anything Level 5 puts out.
 
T

TheDinoman

Member
Asd202 said:
I know Splatoon sold really well but some people make it out like it saved the Wii U.
Click to expand...

Key difference here is that we're on a handheld style device, which are far more popular in Japan.

Look at series like Animal Crossing and Monster Hunter. They sold fairly well with their first few installments on home consoles, but they only really became as big as they are today once they made the move onto handhelds. The same could happen to Splatoon.
 
T

tsumineko

Member
The switch is sold out everywhere here, including my local store in my small town, if that's anything to go by. But I'm not seeing any real signage for it around in stores around where I live. No one I know is talking about it yet. Probably fine though, as soon as people starting bringing them onto trains hype will increase.
 
A

Asd202

Member
TheDinoman said:
Key difference here is that we're on a handheld style device, which is far more popular in Japan.

Look at series like Animal Crossing and Monster Hunter. They sold fairly well with their first few installments on home consoles, but they only really became as big as they are today once they made the move onto handhelds. The same could happen to Splatoon.
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I still wonder about the impact of paid online on the handheld mulitplayer space.
 
N

noshten

Member
Asd202 said:
I still wonder about the impact of paid online on the handheld mulitplayer space.
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Considering that you won't have to pay for online if you have friends with Switches and it's very likely to be a popular device among gamers in Japan - I think the online fees might not be much of a stumbling block.

KtSlime said:
Thanks to it coming with 2 controllers that always come with you, Famicom style, your friends don't even need Switches for many games. The Switch is like a giant walking advertisement for itself in Japan. Like the Wii but portable.
Click to expand...

That's definitely a factor for kids or adults with smaller hands - that gets underplayed on GAF.
 
K

KtSlime

Member
noshten said:
Considering that you won't have to pay for online if you have friends with Switches and it's very likely to be a popular device among gamers in Japan - I think the online fees might not be much of a stumbling block.
Click to expand...

Thanks to it coming with 2 controllers that always come with you, Famicom style, your friends don't even need Switches for many games. The Switch is like a giant walking advertisement for itself in Japan. Like the Wii but portable.
 
P

Pinky

Banned
OrbitalBeard said:
Unfortunately, it's probably going to get a Pikmin game. Nintendo really needs to let that one go.
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picard_clapping.gif


Well played
 
V

Vitacat

Member
Switch seems like it would fit well into urban Japanese lifestyles, I would think. Small, even in console form, portable enough to take onto trains, very small game carts etc.
 
ranmafan

ranmafan

Member
Vitacat said:
Switch seems like it would fit well into urban Japanese lifestyles, I would think. Small, even in console form, portable enough to take onto trains, very small game carts etc.
Click to expand...

The convience factor of the switch will be its biggest strong point by far in Japan. And not just for the train riding gamers of the big cities. People in places, like myself, where you actually need a car will want it as well. It's something that will go well especially with kids and such. And that will be especially seen with Dragon Quest, as that was one of the major reasons for the huge success of IX.

But that also brings up a concern I have for the system. Small but one that could be an issue. While Nintendo keeps saying this is a console first, I think people in Japan will view it as a portable first. And that's fine and all, but portables from Nintendo tend to be priced well enough for people to buy for their kids. However this is a system where it seems like a one and done purchase rather than a get one for everyone type thing like a 3ds or vita is. And the price will refelect that problem too. So it will be interesting to see how the market reacts to that and how Nintendo reacts (such as will they really make a true 3ds successor).

Still the hype is starting to build. Preorders are done, and kids are talking about it. Splatoon 2 will be huge along with whatever form of dq xi comes out for it (although ironically I'm actually hearing more excitement from people about the PS4 version with 3ds second. Lots of people don't even know the switch version exists.)
 
F

frankie_baby

Member
ranmafan said:
The convience factor of the switch will be its biggest strong point by far in Japan. And not just for the train riding gamers of the big cities. People in places, like myself, where you actually need a car will want it as well. It's something that will go well especially with kids and such. And that will be especially seen with Dragon Quest, as that was one of the major reasons for the huge success of IX.

But that also brings up a concern I have for the system. Small but one that could be an issue. While Nintendo keeps saying this is a console first, I think people in Japan will view it as a portable first. And that's fine and all, but portables from Nintendo tend to be priced well enough for people to buy for their kids. However this is a system where it seems like a one and done purchase rather than a get one for everyone type thing like a 3ds or vita is. And the price will refelect that problem too. So it will be interesting to see how the market reacts to that and how Nintendo reacts (such as will they really make a true 3ds successor).

Still the hype is starting to build. Preorders are done, and kids are talking about it. Splatoon 2 will be huge along with whatever form of dq xi comes out for it (although ironically I'm actually hearing more excitement from people about the PS4 version with 3ds second. Lots of people don't even know the switch version exists.)
Click to expand...

Its effectively launching at roughly the same price vita launched at but offers a lot mlre than that did
 
ranmafan

ranmafan

Member
frankie_baby said:
Its effectively launching at roughly the same price vita launched at but offers a lot mlre than that did
Click to expand...

Oh agreed, but will parents buy one for each of their kids is what I'm asking. That's something you see with 3ds. Every kid has one and everyone wants their own. But that didn't happen also until after the quick drastic price drop. And vita needed a price drop too (as well as minecraft) before kids started to get into it. So like I said I feel if this system is viewed as a portable first in Japan, and I think it will, will that be an issue? Time will tell, but one thing in its favor is it's future lineup and potential lineup is quite strong to help make that happen.
 
M

Malakai

Member
^Besides the 2DS, price have been a very understated problem with generation 8 handhelds. People often compare the 3DS sales to the Gameboy, DS and GBA without factoring the price have been extremely high for the main SKU though out all of its life.
 
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