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Nintendo Website Indicates Built in Switch Friends List (+other online features)

S

spekkeh

Banned
Yeah so at this time it appears to me that you can just play online on the system like you would Mario Kart or Splatoon on the Wii U, but if you want to set up friends lobbies and chat etc, you will have to use the complimentary app, which I'm guessing will be something like Miitomo but with the affordance to create events and launch the game. But then hopefully a fuckton faster to load and use than miitomo.

I'm guessing because they want to tie it into the Nintendo coins and stuff (which then the service should be free ugh), or because they think the dual setup better protects children from online abuse than if they allow the voice chat with strangers in the standard game.

As someone not at all interested in voice chat (primarily because of the abuse) I would be okay with that setup really. But then that could also mean I'm just doing a wishful thinking here.
 
S

Skittzo0413

Member
spekkeh said:
Yeah so at this time it appears to me that you can just play online on the system like you would Mario Kart or Splatoon on the Wii U, but if you want to set up friends lobbies and chat etc, you will have to use the complimentary app, which I'm guessing will be something like Miitomo but with the affordance to create events and launch the game. But then hopefully a fuckton faster to load and use than miitomo.

I'm guessing because they want to tie it into the Nintendo coins and stuff (which then the service should be free ugh), or because they think the dual setup better protects children from online abuse than if they allow the voice chat with strangers in the standard game.

As someone not at all interested in voice chat (primarily because of the abuse) I would be okay with that setup really. But then that could also mean I'm just doing a wishful thinking here.
Click to expand...

I think it's because 1) they want the OS on the Switch itself to be as bare bones and snappy as possible and because 2) DeNA is developing their online services and have a lot of experience with smartphones but not much with console OS's.
 
D

Dark Cloud

Member
Nintendo making the OS quicker on the Switch. They're utilizing DeNAs expertise with phones for this app. It also helps protects children.

I know there's a parental app too. I'm guessing they'll keep the parental security app separate from this online app.

Once you sign into this app the Switch will know. Also it said "voice chat options". Hmm different options for voice chat...
 
Polygonal_Sprite

Polygonal_Sprite

Member
Dark Cloud said:
Nintendo making the OS quicker on the Switch. They're utilizing DeNAs expertise with phones for this app. It also helps protects children.

I know there's a parental app too. I'm guessing they'll keep the parental security app separate from this online app.

Once you sign into this app the Switch will know. Also it said "voice chat options". Hmm different options for voice chat...
Click to expand...

Do we know how much RAM the Switch has yet ? I have a bad feeling the might have cheaped out with 2GB with the lack of apps and some of the textures in a few of the games :(
 
H

Halabane

Member
Thing that I get is it's now more expensive to play either splatoon or mario kart. It's not like there are tons of online games on this platform I want to play. Hope they give us a price before 3 March so I can decide whether it's worth it. This system is getting more expensive by the minute.
 
P

Pat

Member
I'm confident everything is doable on the system itself. Reggie misinterpreted the whole thing and what he said was referencing an alternative app to do social stuff.

Like, for example, voice chat. How the hell can it work if you are playing online while the system is docked since the micro-jack is on the system and not on the Joy-Cons/Pro Controller? Well, you have two options: 1) Get a "bulky" headet (what he said) with an annoying long-ass wire to connect in the microphone jack on the console to play while sitting on the couch OR 2) connect your regular earbuds with mic on your smartphone and use the app to voice chat with your friends. You can just leave your phone on your side since you are probably sitting.

I can't see how you can play in portable mode if you must keep your smartphone in your hands AND the console. It's just... impossible.

tl;dr App is a solution to voice chat if the system is docked because the microphone jack is on the system, not the controllers.
 
S

spekkeh

Banned
I.. had not thought about it like that. Obviously the joycons don't have space for audio jacks. Yeah.

Then again you're missing 3) allow a Bluetooth headset.
 
S

Slayven

Member
Is there any company worse at messaging then Nintendo? There shouldn't be fan theories for features of a product that will be on shelves in 4 weeks
 
S

stan423321

Member
Pat said:
I'm confident everything is doable on the system itself. Reggie misinterpreted the whole thing and what he said was referencing an alternative app to do social stuff.

(...)

tl;dr App is a solution to voice chat if the system is docked because the microphone jack is on the system, not the controllers.
Click to expand...

That would make a lot more sense, but we are talking about Nintendo here. One, they don't need to make sense at all, no one does really, but Ninny in particular tends to make decisions which don't make much sense. Two, they have legitimate, if overall minor and counter-intuitive to everyone here, reasons for making the Switch as much of an appliance as possible (loads of browser exploits, processing bloat of their implementations of side programs, and last but not least, Swapnotegate in Japan - this one in particular makes kicking everything to the phone side seem like subtly pointing out perceived hypocrisy by someone at NCL).
 
B

boiled goose

good with gravy
robotvendingmachine said:
Well now I think you are on to something OP. It doesn't mention an app for friends list or adding friends. I would be fine if the Switch had the same functionality as the Wii U when it came to friends list. I wouldn't mind if the app was only for party chat and lobbies and basic game chat could still be done via the game ala Wii U. Nintendo really needs to clear this up with a Direct.
Click to expand...

It would be horrible if lobbies where completely independent from switch online though. You have to make a lobby on app for chat and then also lobby in game for playing? That's horrible.

360 10 years ago had os level online integration. This shit can't be worse than that.
 
S

stilgar

Member
Slayven said:
Is there any company worse at messaging then Nintendo? There shouldn't be fan theories for features of a product that will be on shelves in 4 weeks
Click to expand...

That's...actually quite true.
They made a lot of things right this time, but such an amateurism is baffling for a company as big as this one.
 
K

KtSlime

Member
Pat said:
I'm confident everything is doable on the system itself. Reggie misinterpreted the whole thing and what he said was referencing an alternative app to do social stuff.

Like, for example, voice chat. How the hell can it work if you are playing online while the system is docked since the micro-jack is on the system and not on the Joy-Cons/Pro Controller? Well, you have two options: 1) Get a "bulky" headet (what he said) with an annoying long-ass wire to connect in the microphone jack on the console to play while sitting on the couch OR 2) connect your regular earbuds with mic on your smartphone and use the app to voice chat with your friends. You can just leave your phone on your side since you are probably sitting.

I can't see how you can play in portable mode if you must keep your smartphone in your hands AND the console. It's just... impossible.

tl;dr App is a solution to voice chat if the system is docked because the microphone jack is on the system, not the controllers.
Click to expand...

I am almost certain that Reggie is misinterpreting something, and I doubt he has seen what the current alpha/beta software looks like. He does not speak a lick of Japanese, so perhaps the information he got was poorly translated and not clearly written, then when he answered the questions he was not only unsure, but further muddled the message.

I have not found anything on the service in Japan aside from the exact same information as the NoA site.

stilgar said:
That's...actually quite true.
They made a lot of things right this time, but such an amateurism is baffling for a company as big as this one.
Click to expand...

I think the issue comes from Nintendo not caring much about Online, as local play is better and the norm in Japan, and NoA asked Nintendo to do something about it because people outside of Japan like to play with friends locked in their dungeons. So they contracted DeNA to do something about it for them. It is probably Nintendo's fault, but they probably think of this as a very small unimportant feature and not worth communicating much on until closer to the launch.
 
TDLink

TDLink

Member
Slayven said:
Is there any company worse at messaging then Nintendo? There shouldn't be fan theories for features of a product that will be on shelves in 4 weeks
Click to expand...

Ultimately they don't need to talk about this stuff 4 weeks before the product is on shelves. The first shipment is going to be sold out due to people who were going to buy it regardless/already have bought it.

Most companies in other tech industries only start talking about features a week or two in advance of it being on shelves (that includes announcing the actual product in many cases as well).
 
S

stan423321

Member
Slayven said:
Is there any company worse at messaging then Nintendo? There shouldn't be fan theories for features of a product that will be on shelves in 4 weeks
Click to expand...

The Switch may be on shelves in 4 weeks, but the new online service won't (and not in the sense that it's not physical).
 
B

boiled goose

good with gravy
stilgar said:
That's...actually quite true.
They made a lot of things right this time, but such an amateurism is baffling for a company as big as this one.
Click to expand...

The soldout issue is also exacerbated by bad communication. They did not make it clear if amiibo were getting reprints and when. Leading to scalping and craze.
 
S

Slayven

Member
TDLink said:
This isn't actually true. There are day 1 titles that support online. There are just additional features that aren't coming out until later.
Click to expand...

A staggered launch for a console online system....in 2017.

B1sMLcx.jpg
 
TDLink

TDLink

Member
Scrawnton said:
Shhhhhhhhthe online isn't launching until summer. This is a half baked release.
Click to expand...

Slayven said:
A staggered launch for a console online system....in 2017.

B1sMLcx.jpg
Click to expand...

Yeah okay, maybe. But trying to claim there is no online on the system at launch is just wrong. There are launch titles like Bomberman, FAST, and I Am Setsuna which will support online play. And major Nintendo games with online that come out prior to the launch of the full service in the fall. Namely, Mario Kart, ARMS, and Splatoon.
 
B

Bluth54

Member
Polygonal_Sprite said:
Do we know how much RAM the Switch has yet ? I have a bad feeling the might have cheaped out with 2GB with the lack of apps and some of the textures in a few of the games :(
Click to expand...

Nintendo has yet to confirm how much RAM it has but the rumor is it has 4GB though only 3.2 GB can be used for games and the rest is reserved for the OS.
 
P

PrimeBeef

Member
azyless said:
Yeah that has been known for weeks.
People didn't just decide to "hate on Nintendo" like some fans here want to believe, there's plenty of evidence that this will be the only way.
Click to expand...
The only way to voice chat through official Nintendo means yes but not for online play. The app enhances matchmaking by allowing you to create lobbies. We already saw SF2U screens that allow you to play online and search for friends to play with. So it seems like a bunch of people were "hating" just to hate since a lot of it came from the assumption that you could only play online if you used the app even though the website indicates you do not need an app to do so.
 
S

stan423321

Member
TDLink said:
This isn't actually true. There are day 1 titles that support online. There are just additional features that aren't coming out until later.
Click to expand...

The additional features are arguably the new part though. Although I guess the extent of features being available at March is another example of something that is not clear enough. What if it, say, only allows quickplay until autumn's "full launch", would that contradict anything we got so far?

Bluth54 said:
Nintendo has yet to confirm how much RAM it has but the rumor is it has 4GB though only 3.2 GB can be used for games and the rest is reserved for the OS.
Click to expand...

That almost sounds optimistic. Wii U reserved 1 GiB out of its 2 GiB of main RAM for pretty much naught. ~800 MiB out of 4096 is way better, it leaves something closer to PS4's 5-5.5 GiB than Wii U's 1.
 
A

azyless

Member
PrimeBeef said:
The only way to voice chat through official Nintendo means yes but not for online play. The app enhances matchmaking by allowing you to create lobbies. We already saw SF2U screens that allow you to play online and search for friends to play with. So it seems like a bunch of people were "hating" just to hate since a lot of it came from the assumption that you could only play online if you used the app even though the website indicates you do not need an app to do so.
Click to expand...
Yes I'm talking about lobbies and voice chat just like plenty of other people. See the voice chat thread specifically.
 
P

PrimeBeef

Member
stan423321 said:
That almost sounds optimistic. Wii U reserved 1 GiB out of its 2 GiB of main RAM for pretty much naught. ~800 MiB out of 4096 is way better, it leaves something closer to PS4's 5-5.5 GiB than Wii U's 1.
Click to expand...

If the rumors are to be believed, the Switch OS is barebones and wouldn't need a lot of RAM.
 
B

boiled goose

good with gravy
Slayven said:
A staggered launch for a console online system....in 2017.

B1sMLcx.jpg
Click to expand...

It shouldn't be this hard. If Nintendo fails for a third time in a row regarding online features and digital content management i might be done with their hardware.

I want to play their games but i have to vote with my money.
 
D

Dark Cloud

Member
I didn't know where to ask this. Nobody really talks about VC and the role it can play in Nintendos lineup. It looks like VC won't be tied to this online subscription.

We had the GC VC rumors and I know it was from LKD and she's not really trustworthy as much anymore, but I feel like it's hard to make up GC VC. Idk if anybody else reported the rumor too like Emily or Eurogamer.

Anyways, do you think VC will be at launch and do you think GC VC will be at launch? It'll really make it look even better.
 
S

Skittzo0413

Member
Dark Cloud said:
I didn't know where to ask this. Nobody really talks about VC and the role it can play in Nintendos lineup. It looks like VC won't be tied to this online subscription.

We had the GC VC rumors and I know it was from LKD and she's not really trustworthy as much anymore, but I feel like it's hard to make up GC VC. Idk if anybody else reported the rumor too like Emily or Eurogamer.

Anyways, do you think VC will be at launch and do you think GC VC will be at launch? It'll really make it look even better.
Click to expand...

Eurogamer reported it actually, not LKD. I think LKD backed up the Eurogamer report but it originated with EG. I think VC will start to come shortly after launch, and the more they wait to announce a February Direct the longer after launch I think it'll come.
 
Compsiox

Compsiox

Banned
I'd lIke to discover the UI on my own since we'll be seeing it for years but I don't know if I trust them to make a good UI so I'd need to know beforehand.
 
D

Dark Cloud

Member
Skittzo0413 said:
Eurogamer reported it actually, not LKD. I think LKD backed up the Eurogamer report but it originated with EG. I think VC will start to come shortly after launch, and the more they wait to announce a February Direct the longer after launch I think it'll come.
Click to expand...
Oh ok it was Eurogamer. Well, they still have good credit lol!

And they said Sunshine, Melee and Luigis Mansion were the first three games. I was hoping VC would be there Day 1. It may not be a big thing, but people like seeing lists. No matter what games really, but they like to see a bigger list of games for launch. If they could get GC VC with Mario Sunshine would be great because it's a "new" game to the VC.
 
K

KtSlime

Member
It's kind of a rough translation (with some liberties) but here you go.

Splatoon 2 (will use) the "Online Lobby and Voice Chat" Smartphone app for Nintendo Switch.
This app, linking with the game, is the (tool) to do matching in the game, and meeting up with friends invited by SNS and (friend list?), it even does voice chat.

Voice chat is also linked to the game.

For instance, in a private match, you can chat with all rendezvousing members before splitting into teams, and then the conversation changes to only speaking to those on the same team.

Now you can't converse with someone you don't know.
Click to expand...


I think what is more interesting are the twitter responses, people are more concerned that the app gets ported to their phone (old iPhone version, or Windows Phone) rather than being upset that the smartphone is required (my assumption from the wording) for use.
 
B

Branduil

Member
I still can't believe that not only did someone come up with this fucking stupid idea, but enough other people also didn't immediately realize how fucking stupid it is.
 
D

DrROBschiz

Member
Can we all agree that Nintendo is still behind the curve with Online?

What bothers me the most is that they have clear templates in the form of ALL of their competitors including the Mobile space

Why is this so difficult for them to organize and implement?
 
S

Skittzo0413

Member
Presumably this means you don't need the app for standard online with randoms, but you may need it for online play with friends. Which is so dumb.

Nintendo really needs to announce a Direct, ASAP. This confusion is not good for them.
 
B

Branduil

Member
Skittzo0413 said:
Presumably this means you don't need the app for standard online with randoms, but you may need it for online play with friends. Which is so dumb.

Nintendo really needs to announce a Direct, ASAP. This confusion is not good for them.
Click to expand...

I dunno, it seems like the confusion is actually good for them right now. Making it clearer will also make it obvious what an unbelievably dumb and backwards decision this is, LOL.
 
D

Dark Cloud

Member
Skittzo0413 said:
Presumably this means you don't need the app for standard online with randoms, but you may need it for online play with friends. Which is so dumb.

Nintendo really needs to announce a Direct, ASAP. This confusion is not good for them.
Click to expand...

Don't worry a new topic will be made and Nintendo will continue to be bashed since Nintendo doesn't care to tell us the info. In the grand scheme of things it really doesn't matter. The info will come. Us small minority of people just want the exact info! But yeah it seems like the app is a must for friends and voice chat.
 
K

KtSlime

Member
DrROBschiz said:
Can we all agree that Nintendo is still behind the curve with Online?

What bothers me the most is that they have clear templates in the form of ALL of their competitors including the Mobile space

Why is this so difficult for them to organize and implement?
Click to expand...

I don't know, I think it makes sense for what the Japanese want. Everyone uses LINE, and other SNS for communication, if it works how I think it does, and you can send an invite just like you can send a map or picture, or link, then I think it will work well. Anonymity is very important, and I would say most Japanese feel most comfortable online when it is just text.
 
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