Support NeoGAF

[Labombadog]

I wasn't expecting this but it does kinda make sense for touch screen centric games. Neat. Now let's make an Ouendan 3!

 

[:Motorbass]

FYI, this is a gameplay video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqJfJWVDaD4

 

[tolkir]

Nintendo could easily fix this by releasing a controller dock with a touch pad.

Good luck to play with touch pad this.

 

[Garrett Hawke]

It's not a handheld tho

🌝🌝🌝

 

[ArtHands]

A bit concerned by this.

Many folks (including myself at times) have been talking up the switch from the perspective of hopefully being able to play all Nintendo games on both handheld and TV now, and saying goodbye to the days of wishing certain Wii U games were on the 3DS, and vice versa. We'll obviously have to wait and see more games announced from Nintendo to know how this plays out as so far this isn't the case for any first party games, but now the possiblity is there.

The Pokemon example someone brought up already is a good one.

Its either you get this game in portable mode, or you don't. And lets be frank, they are in no position to give any limitation such as forcing them to make the game playable in docked mode.

If you want games that can transfer seamlessly in docked and portable mode, you will most likely not buy this game anyway, seeing how this is not a game designed with buttons. They advertised DS with touch screen, and going by the same logic, every DS games will have to make use of touch screen and buttons. That make little sense.

 

[Kuni]

Hmm not happy with this at all potentially. This kind of thing savaged Wii U games and their inconsistent use of the gamepad...

Will take a wait and see. Hopefully this won't happen too often.

 

[ITSMILNER]

I wonder what happens when you try to dock it then? A standard placeholder screen?

 

[Garrett Hawke]

I think this is good, as long as the policy is "must be playable in handheld" and doesn't allow for games the other way around.

 

[mocolostrocolos]

Those games that use the touchscreen in a mandatory way were just a matter of time. Glad it's been sooner than later.

 

[Branduil]

If you listen carefully at this very moment you can hear the army of mobile developers searching for "Switch SDK".

Yeah, it's clear this is why Nintendo is allowing this. I don't think fears about traditional games only having a handheld or docked mode will come to fruition, because they'd only be hamstringing themselves. No one is going to buy the Switch version of a multiplat if it doesn't have a handheld mode, because otherwise it's just the worst version of the game with no selling point.

 

[Wereroku]

It's still promoted everywhere as a home console that you can take on the go, so having games not working on the big screen (as a home console) kind of goes against the promoted concept.

But this is a Japanese game. In Japan the switch is being advertised as a handheld with a big screen mode.

 

[Jonneh3003]

I hope we get more of these, there's no need to restrict touch screen games.

 

[Miker]

Paving the way for the inevitable Ouendan sequel!

 

[Ein Bear]

I wonder what happens when you try to dock it then? A standard placeholder screen?

 

[KingSnake]

In Japan the switch is being advertised as a handheld with a big screen mode.

Is this true? Because the few ads I saw and comments around them didn't give me that impression.

 

[:Motorbass]

Hmm not happy with this at all potentially. This kind of thing savaged Wii U games and their inconsistent use of the gamepad...

Will take a wait and see. Hopefully this won't happen too often.

I disagree. I was hoping for some great games that continued Wii's Wiimote legacy because it was supported and featured heavily in Nintendoland. But after that, there were nearly no games that required the Wiimote.

So that Nintendo even allows for touchscreen controls only games creates a possibility for a more varied game library.

I can see that some players wouldn't touch (haha) these games anyways but for some people (like me) it's great to be able to have these games.

 

[Skeletos311]

I don't think anyone, especially Nintendo, is going to lock out a mode just because. I can see it for motion control and touchscreen games, but not for games that could easily work in either mode with small changes. Pokemon can work just fine with buttons only.

 

[KingSnake]

Hmm not happy with this at all potentially. This kind of thing savaged Wii U games and their inconsistent use of the gamepad...

Will take a wait and see. Hopefully this won't happen too often.

On the positive side, more questions to be asked about every game. Especially 3rd party games. Does it play in TV mode? Does it play in handheld mode? Is it the same game in both modes? Fun, fun, fun.

 

[jariw]

I don't think this is any different than the (few) Wii U games that had a Gamepad-only UI, where the big screen just duplicated the Gamepad screen. Some games only make sense with touch screen controls.

It's not like the portable screen is a required optional device (like a pro controller, balance board, nunchuck).

 

[Wereroku]

Is this true? Because the few ads I saw and comments around them didn't give me that impression.

I can't find it on my phone but one of the earlier pitches in Japanese focused on the portable aspect first. NA advertising is more console focused. I will try to find it later.

 

[Jimmyfenix]

It would be hilarious if game freak did this

 

[Crazyorloco]

I can see hearthstone being a mobile only game.

 

[sixteen-bit]

It would be hilarious if game freak did this

for the rumored pokemon game?

 

[rdytoroll]

New Pokemon out now on Nintendo® Switch!*

*Only playable in handheld mode. Please be excited.

 

[Dragonslayer_023]

Interesting, I'm glad games have the option so games requiring touch can come to the system.

 

[Ushojax]

Expect many more games like this once they stop pretending the 3DS has a future.

 

[Garrett Hawke]

Is this true? Because the few ads I saw and comments around them didn't give me that impression.

In japan they had big subway billboards, many of which only showed the switch in handheld mode

 

[Mpl90]

Kind of surprised this game decided to completely ditch home-like controls, but not completely: having tried it on my iPhone 5S in the past few days, I can totally see why. It's a game that requires a touch screen to be played, especially in Hard and Special difficulties, since you see "notes" to touch / swipe / leaving fingers on on several parts of the screen.

And there are intances far more intense at higher difficulties than that.

Honestly, given the game we're talking about, I don't see it as a problem on the larger scale: yes, there will probably be more handheld only games, but it's probably ports from mobile that will feature the most among this cathegory. But it gives an interesting precedent for sure.

 

[shiyrley]

uh

ehhhhh

I mean, as long as it only for games that absolutely require touch for a legitimate reason, that's ok

outside of that I don't want this to become a trend for the system (and I don't think Nintendo wants, either)

 

[Salty Rice]

Since its touchscreen only it makes sense.

 

[E_Darkness]

Expect many more games like this once they stop pretending the 3DS has a future.

And when they also stop pretending buttons have a future.

 

[iKnackwurst]

They have to allow it, otherwise DS Virtual Console would not be possible.

 

[shiyrley]

And when they also stop pretending buttons have a future.

 

[ggx2ac]

A handheld touchscreen only game on the Switch?

Colour me shocked! I thought everyone convinced me that the Switch is a home console because of NoA's marketing.

Spoiler

lol

 

[JustenP88]

A good precedent to set to attract all the sorts of silly shovelware that keeps 8-year olds preoccupied on tablets (Edit: well, tablet prices have gone down since the last time I was interested in one...). I don't necessarily mean that as an insult. That's a good market for Switch to go after. It's relatively cheap as a tablet and it's a versatile device that a younger child can grow into.

 

[brawly]

Bring on the DS and 3DS VC!

 

[sechsterangriff]

It just bugs me they keep selling this as a home console, that you can bring your games from the tv to outside. And now it just happens there are games you just can't play on the tv. Maybe I should take Nintendo's line about the Switch coexisting with the 3DS with a rock of salt...

 

[UberTag]

I actually prefer the idea of giving the developers the choice of flexibility or restrictiveness here instead of forcing them to support both docked and handheld modes.

Incidentally, some games ought to have touchscreen-support reintegrated into their control schemes instead of foregoing it because of a docked-mode option. Splatoon, I'm looking at you.

 

[Ninja Dom]

This is also a lunch game in Japan on the eShop.

 

[ynwzh]

Can't they make a Grip with touch panel (like PSV's rear) in between, so it can have touch while in dock mode?

 

[giancarlo123x]

And when they also stop pretending buttons have a future.

Gaming is dead when that shit happens.

 

[Mr-Joker]

Nah, Nintendo would never let them do it.

Nintendo has no control over Game Freak and pretty much let them whatever they want to do, so if they want to make Pokémon portable only then they can.

 

[sora87]

great news for certain games (The World Ends WIth You sequel )

Nooooooo, games like that need to support both versions. It's the reason I'm getting a switch..

 

[Interfectum]

Get Hearthstone and Gwent on this thing.

 

[Jimmyfenix]

A good precedent to set to attract all the sorts of silly shovelware that keeps 8-year olds preoccupied on tablets (Edit: well, tablet prices have gone down since the last time I was interested in one...). I don't necessarily mean that as an insult. That's a good market for Switch to go after. It's relatively cheap as a tablet and it's a versatile device that a younger child can grow into.

So you are telling me meme run 2 can exist on the Nintendo switch.

Not bad Nintendo

 

[serenewarfare]

I'm torn about this. On one hand, I'm glad that this will allow many different types of games to come to Switch, even ones that require touch.

On the other hand, I really don't want this to become an avenue for lazy developers to only work on one version of a game and not find a creative/interesting way to make it work both on the TV and portably. Like I fear there will be developers who make something work on the TV and just say "eh, portable mode is too much work" or vice-versa. And that is absolutely not okay.

 

[mrklaw]

This is also a lunch game in Japan on the eShop.

Wait - so not only are they limiting how you play it, they're also limiting *when* you can play it?? This is unacceptable.

 

[KAL2006]

Good. This gives the chance of touch generation sequels to come out like Nintendogs, Brain Age, Trauma Centre and Kirby Canvas Curse.

 

[Jimmyfenix]

Wait - so not only are they limiting how you play it, they're also limiting *when* you can play it?? This is unacceptable.

I'm a brunch man myself

 

[JoeM86]

It's highly unlikely Game Freak would do that. Calm down