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Switch will not have an Internet browser (at least at launch)

But people thinking an expensive handheld with expensive games that doesn't have those features is a better sell? How?

I never said anything about better.

That's why I believe the launch is clearly targeted at enthusiasts who are willing to spend 400€ on Zelda and the rest will have to follow in the following months and years. Get Mario out there for Christmas, bundle it with a console, have Netflix and YouTube ready. That will help.
 
is there a wii u version of splatoon 2?
I mean, I get what he's saying about development effort. It's no coincidence that it's coming out before, say, Xenoblade 2. I just don't know where he's going with that. And developers reuse engines all the time, but new content doesn't just come out of nowhere.
 
Moving Goalposts: A Neogaf Story

No goalposts were moved. I think Splatoon 2 is clearly using recycled assets and engine from the first game. And I was straight up wrong about ARMS because I thought it was a mid-priced game.

I mean, I get what he's saying about development effort. It's no coincidence that it's coming out before, say, Xenoblade 2. I just don't know where he's going with that. And developers reuse engines all the time, but new content doesn't just come out of nowhere.

Fair enough. I just haven't seen enough of Splatoon 2 to know if it has enough new content to be a true sequel. It felt like a marketing name as opposed to the Mario Kart Deluxe which is being marketed differently. I hope I'm wrong because Splatoon was my favorite game on Wii U.
 
A few things. I don't use console internet browsers, but I do use portable ones, for the hotel WiFi situation listed above. We have also had a number of threads where others have denigrated the Wii U's browsing and app capabilities, only to be responded to with folks who use the those services.

Now, in the Time interview this came from, Nintendo acknowledges that it wants to be a lifestyle device.

Can I just add that in the context of the whole of that quote, they talk only of being the constant device in your gaming life

"We're hoping that Nintendo Switch will be a system that will be the constant in your gaming life," adds Koizumi. "Whereas previously, you would play certain things on your home system and certain things on your handheld. Our hope is that Nintendo Switch can be the system that bridges both of those and becomes the constant system that you're always using."

Then he continues after your quote to clearly define that vision of being a gaming device

Koizumi envisions scenarios in which, say, you wake up in the morning and maybe find some time to play a game on your TV while eating breakfast. Then you bring Switch with you on your morning commute to work or to school. "And then you're coming back home on your commute and maybe you're sitting in the bath enjoying a game," he says. He believes that if Switch can achieve this, then it might hasten the demise of the split between a "home console" versus a "handheld."

The issue is that Nintendo previously understood what most platform holders get. If you want to be a lifestyle device with constant use, then you need to provide the services that prevent them from going to other platforms.

They can't compete, they tried and failed - so why not just concentrate on what they do best? And why shouldn't they just do that for now? Did I buy a 3DS for gaming or for netflix and browser apps?

As a consumer - if I buy a device and expect it to do something that at no time the seller told me it can do it, then I have failed.

If a device offers enough of a proposition to make me want me to buy it for the service it is being sold to deliver, then the seller has delivered.

This generation alone (I'm 36 now)
I've paid £250+ to play Xbox One games
I've paid £300+ to play PS4 games
I also paid £250+ (WiiU) and £180+ (3DS) to play Nintendo games

I'm now going to be paying £280 to pay Nintendo games both at home and on the go.
So has the value proposition with the switch actually gotten better already as a Nintendo gamer?
 
You'd think given how they are using smart phones they would not have a browser anyway, and just have people use their phones for a browser.

Not like I use a browser on any other console anyway.
 
Your new console can't get hacked if you don't have an internet browser.

*roll safe*

I really hope someone hasn't done this earlier in the thread
 
Yeah, this is how it goes from supposed "non-issue" to "can't be used as a wifi device while out and about" in a flash. If it has some pop up mini-browser to get into public wifi stuff, then its just Nintendo being lazy with features because if there's access, there's access.

By the by, how many "non-issues" does it take to fuse together to make an issue? Asking the very vocal experts from the last month on what is and isn't an issue.

The Switch is a tablet, guys. Why would you want to pull up another tablet to browse the internet?

The switch is a gaming device. I wouldn't pull out my 3DS to browse the internet.

I personally wouldn't pull out a tablet just to browse the internet, in any case, anyway. Phones have big enough screens now that I don't need it. I find it too cumbersome. Even in the situations people are mentioning like checking strategy guide while playing or something, that just sounds like an overly clunky use case to build software for when other things you'll already be carrying will handle that task so much better and wouldn't require you to close the game to use.
 
Things like a web browser on a console is a given, its just a little disappointing it wont be there at launch.
 
Good. I would rather they put those resources towards something people will actually use.

And no, I don't care if your fridge has a web browser. 99.9% of people will just use the computer/phone/tablet they already have.
And many will just use those to play games too, and not get a switch.
 
Wait, arms is $60?

pTnFr8j.gif
So I guess you believe demos are the full extent of all games? That's the only way it makes sense that you and others would laugh at the idea of it being a full priced game. You have to think and believe the demo is all there is to it and as a result you have to be think that about all games that get demonstrated at events.
 
The switch is a gaming device. I wouldn't pull out my 3DS to browse the internet.

I personally wouldn't pull out a tablet just to browse the internet, in any case, anyway. Phones have big enough screens now that I don't need it. I find it too cumbersome. Even in the situations people are mentioning like checking strategy guide while playing or something, that just sounds like an overly clunky use case to build software for when other things you'll already be carrying will handle that task so much better and wouldn't require you to close the game to use.

The switch would make a great tablet for someone like me who does not own one.

With tablet features + gaming it'd be a no brainer to get the Switch when I'll every buy a tablet.
 
I never said anything about better.

That's why I believe the launch is clearly targeted at enthusiasts who are willing to spend 400€ on Zelda and the rest will have to follow in the following months and years. Get Mario out there for Christmas, bundle it with a console, have Netflix and YouTube ready. That will help.

I agree with this, but I bet 1, 2 Switch is the bundled game instead of Mario. Maybe Mario Kart. No way they don't maximize Mario sales.
 
The Xbox One browser sucks ass. I would rather see those resources used somewhere else.


Good call by Nintendo.
 
What more is there to say? It looks like a budget title.
If you think it's worth $60, that's fine.

What is a meaningless attempt to impart value onto a partial picture for 500$, Alex.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1341258

More to say would be, you know, actually giving justification for your value judgment. Because "it looks like" is not something that imbues confidence in the merit of an opinion and is more the hallmark of a thrown together justification to suit ones own cognitive dissonance.

To me, "it looks like" your post was vacuous of any actually worth. Just hot air caught in the breeze, and forgotten just as quickly.
 
ARMS (and more but you only asked for one).

Also, you have no idea what's coming after E3.

He's freakin right though. This is a port-machine. Mario Kart Deluxe. Splatoon 2 (aka. Deluxe)

Man,....

It's hard to believe that people really praise Bomberman as a big thing in 2017. I guess you all are just tryin to mess with my head.

This console has 3 games:
- Zelda
- Mario
- Xenoblade 2

Then 2 great ports:
- Mario Kart
- Splatoon

And then a lot of overpriced demos and indies and freakin old games
- ARMS
- 1-2-50 freakin €
- Bomberman lol
- Tetris lol
 
Splatoon 2 hews very close to the original. I would be surprised if people could tell screenshots apart if there wasn't something really obvious like a new weapon front and centre.

People could tell Splatoon 2 was a sequel based on just the reveal trailer.

Watch some of the reactions. They immediately point out new locations, characters, clothing options, weapons, etc just from the brief glimpses in October. January was just confirmation of that.
 
How will Pornhub generate those sweet infographics about console users on their site now?
PS4 will always win tho...
 
I can't fathom how closing a game, opening a console web browser, and typing with a controller could be any faster or more efficient than taking your phone out of your pocket.

The Switch is a tablet and could navigate the www as easy as your phone.
 
He's freakin right though. This is a port-machine. Mario Kart Deluxe. Splatoon 2 (aka. Deluxe)

Man,....

It's hard to believe that people really praise Bomberman as a big thing in 2017. I guess you all are just tryin to mess with my head.

This console has 3 games:
- Zelda
- Mario
- Xenoblade 2

Then 2 great ports:
- Mario Kart
- Splatoon

And then a lot of overpriced demos and indies and freakin old games
- ARMS
- 1-2-50 freakin €
- Bomberman lol
- Tetris lol

man, fuck this shit
 
I agree with this, but I bet 1, 2 Switch is the bundled game instead of Mario. Maybe Mario Kart. No way they don't maximize Mario sales.

I think it's an awful decision to not have 1 2 Switch pre-installed on that thing. Maybe there will be a demo. Otherwise I have no idea how Nintendo plans on convincing people to buy that game for 50€. Unless they're banking on people buying it since it's the only Nintendo game next to Zelda. Which is a terrible strategy imo.
 
You could clone the Switch MAC on your other device with browser capability, then athenticate, disconnect and reconnect swith to open wifi.


¯_(ツ)_/¯
 
He's freakin right though. This is a port-machine. Mario Kart Deluxe. Splatoon 2 (aka. Deluxe)

Man,....

It's hard to believe that people really praise Bomberman as a big thing in 2017. I guess you all are just tryin to mess with my head.

This console has 3 games:
- Zelda
- Mario
- Xenoblade 2

Then 2 great ports:
- Mario Kart
- Splatoon

And then a lot of overpriced demos and indies and freakin old games
- ARMS
- 1-2-50 freakin €
- Bomberman lol
- Tetris lol
I'm surprised with this kind of logic that people aren't trying to call Xenoblade 2 a port as well.
 
I don't like how dismissive people are of this. I mostly plan to use the Switch as a home console when I eventually get one, but given its nature as a piece of mobile hardware it's silly that it doesn't have basic, standard functionality. If I took it outside somewhere I would expect it to have some of the standard features of devices you take out with you.

Here is the thing: DS and Game Boy was a very prolific piece of mobile hardware, but I don't see iPhones with d-pads, do you? Because they aren't standard features for mobile phones. You can't group "mobile hardware" together and make broad associations like that about what a device is mandatory to include. If you do, then smartphones would never have become what they are, given that a keypad was a "standard feature" for "mobile hardware" and even "multi-function mobile phones" more specifically at the time of their release.

Hardware makers make decisions about what their devices will and will not include all the time within their very specific market category.

"Just pull out another tablet"

I don't have a tablet and I'm not made of money. And I wouldn't want to carry around a ton of different devices anyways.

So you're going to leave your phone at home when you take your Switch out of the house? That doesn't seem very practical.

We live in a multi-device world now. It's a thing.

"People would just pull out their phone anyways"

Why? The Switch is basically a tablet, why would I put it away to use my smaller phone to web browse? Continuing to use the Switch would be more convenient than putting it away and pulling out another device. Plus, the Switch is much nicer than my phone and I would rather browse the web on it than my phone *any* time. Not all of us have iPhones or high end Android devices. I only have a Blu R1 HD from Amazon, and while its nice for what it cost, it pales in comparison to the Switch.

So first, it's not basically a tablet, any more than my Apple TV is basically a game console.

People generally associate their phones with mobile browsing. They know the interface, they're comfortable using it. It's the "go-to" device for that function. Also, it can browse the internet in more places, because the Switch doesn't have a SIM option. It's overall the better browser option, by leaps and bounds, and that means that the vast majority of people will continue reaching for their mobile device, since they won't be inclined to wait until they have a Wi-Fi connection before they go to browse.

I certainly don't expect it to have the Android App store, but Netflix/Youtube and a Web Browser are absolutely features/programs that I do expect from *any* hardware now. At launch.

Well damn, I should throw out my set top box and smartwatch, since they don't have a browser. What trash. Again, devices are made with certain end goals in mind and this idea that devices made in 2017 mandate certain features, regardless of their actual practical or likely utility, is baseless.

So yeah, this is disappointing to me.

And you're entitled to be disappointed. But let's not make things into more than that and trying to establish that your disappointment is more than that.

A few things. I don't use console internet browsers, but I do use portable ones, for the hotel WiFi situation listed above. We have also had a number of threads where others have denigrated the Wii U's browsing and app capabilities, only to be responded to with folks who use the those services.

Now, in the Time interview this came from, Nintendo acknowledges that it wants to be a lifestyle device.



The issue is that Nintendo previously understood what most platform holders get. If you want to be a lifestyle device with constant use, then you need to provide the services that prevent them from going to other platforms.



For many mainstream consumers, gaming is a "good enough" situation. You may feel mobile gaming lacks depth and control, but the gaming is secondary. The point is they have a device that is always there and provides a myriad of uses. That it can also game is a value add and those experiences reflect how people game on the go.

Now, you can absolutely say "I don't particularly need that and it's not a problem for me". Rock out. To say "It's not a problem at all" is incorrect. That's not overreacting, that's not outrage, that's not rioting. It's simple criticism based on the market the Switch is launching into. If you're a Nintendo fan, you want them to succeed outside of yourself, because hard Nintendo fans carried the Wii U to 13.56 million units, which was dire. You should want Nintendo to provide a strong value to the average consumer, because this means more systems sold, which means more games sold, which means more money for Nintendo, which feeds back into the rest.

The more a consumer has to rely on a smartphone or tablet for services they expect, the more likely they will rethink a $300 purchase. Again, this isn't an iOS/Android device at the point of sale versus a Switch. They already have the other devices. (This is similar to the Switch's home console problem for many.) You're trying to convince someone to buy this in addition. And "It plays Nintendo games" isn't enough of an answer. It wasn't for the Wii U at all and it wasn't for the 3DS, which required a hefty price drop, mixed with a wider variety of software to kick off.

This is clearly a soft launch to appease investors. You may be fine with that. I'm fine with that. But I also understand why others are not.

See, I agree with the premise here, but at the end of the day, if something like a browser barely ever gets used, then it's a value-add provided solely to fulfill its purpose as a bulletpoint. If practically no one uses it, all they are missing is a bulletpoint, and that's purely perception. And while I understand perception plays a factor in buying decisions, we are in a very different world now. "It also has a browser" has become as much of a banal addition, it's the equivalent of the hackney trope of a kitchen device that "slices, dices and makes julienne fries" in the 80s and 90s.
 
What is a meaningless attempt to impart value onto a partial picture for 500$, Alex.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1341258

More to say would be, you know, actually giving justification for your value judgment. Because "it looks like" is not something that imbues confidence in the merit of an opinion and is more the hallmark of a thrown together justification to suit ones own cognitive dissonance.

To me, "it looks like" your post was vacuous of any actually worth. Just hot air caught in the breeze, and forgotten just as quickly.

You could equally say that earning a consumer's positive first impression is the entire point of a demo and if said consumer doesn't see how the concept shown in said demo could provide enough entertainment for 60 dollars, then that is a problem of messaging and not with the consumer's impression.
 
I never use it but nowadays it's one of those things you put in because reasons. This is a minor thing imho but they're giving (again) credits to those who believe that they're launching the console earlier than they should've. Good thing there's Zelda.
 
What is a meaningless attempt to impart value onto a partial picture for 500$, Alex.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1341258

More to say would be, you know, actually giving justification for your value judgment. Because "it looks like" is not something that imbues confidence in the merit of an opinion and is more the hallmark of a thrown together justification to suit ones own cognitive dissonance.

To me, "it looks like" your post was vacuous of any actually worth. Just hot air caught in the breeze, and forgotten just as quickly.

From what I've seen and read, including the post you linked, it doesn't seem worth $60 to me.
It's OK that you don't agree.
 
This console has 3 games:
- Zelda
- Mario
- Xenoblade 2

Then 2 great ports:
- Mario Kart
- Splatoon

And then a lot of overpriced demos and indies and freakin old games
- ARMS
- 1-2-50 freakin €
- Bomberman lol
- Tetris lol

You forgot Fire Emblem Warriors, and Splatoon 2 isn't a port.
 
No browser at launch doesn't imply no browser ever. Keep in mind, the 3DS didn't have a web browser, or Video apps, or even the eShop at launch either. These are things that can be added via either a system update, or the eShop. Right now, Nintendo want's this thing to be purely games focus, all the extras will come later.
 
People could tell Splatoon 2 was a sequel based on just the reveal trailer.

Watch some of the reactions. They immediately point out new locations, characters, clothing options, weapons, etc just from the brief glimpses in October. January was just confirmation of that.

Like, the original had new locations, clothing and weapons released throughout its lifecycle, so I don't know what point you're trying to make. The cat has a baby now though, I will give you that.

Seriously I've played the game, it's about as much of a sequel as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is.
 
Hope they won't waste resources to make it a feature. If I want to browse the web I own 5 better devices to do it than Switch.
 
That kinda sucks, as the browser for Wii U is actually very good.

Hopefully browser and video apps later this year, perhaps?
 
It doesnt look like a full priced game, but then this is Nintendo we're talking about, so I should have guessed really.

Huh? Why not? It's a fighting game by the studio that made MK8. It's probably going to have a lot more content.
 
Like, the original had new locations, clothing and weapons released throughout its lifecycle, so I don't know what point you're trying to make. The cat has a baby now though, I will give you that.

Seriously I've played the game, it's about as much of a sequel as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is.
You played a DEMO.
 
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