The Nintendo NX Thread

[TechMonkey]

I'm tempted. I don't need another DVD/BluRay player. I don't want another massive box under my TV and I'm getting a bit fed up when I sit down for a quick gaming session having to wait for updates, installing to HDD or wondering if a newer more uptodate version of the console is just around the corner.

 

This also has the benefit that I could have a gaming session and then when my wonderful wife decides Made in Chelsea is on and asks me if we could have that on, I can pull the screen out, plug headphones in and carry on next to her on the sofa, rather than thinking why I haven't got a second TV that I could disappear to. Added to that having a little one, I could see this as a great device in the future to take with us somewhere without them having to have their own tablet or using one of our phones.

 

As long as Nintendo sort out the games then I would be happy.

[zag]

Nintendo get more and more bizarre every year!

 

I'm sure they could have made a simple console and sold millions of copies of Mario on it as well as blockbuster games and made a lot more money!

 

You have to admire the innovation though.

[Dos_Box]

@Arthur I saw the cart on a second viewing of the teaser. I blinked and missed it the first time around! They do look very small (small USB wifi dongle sized).

I can see them getting lost quite easily. Judging by how easy my kids misplace their 3DS carts these will be much more difficult to keep tabs on!

 

As I said, the big selling area will be the price point it launches at. If it's over £150 I suspect that it may have problems if both Microsoft and Sony drop their current consoles to the £200 region.

Edited October 21, 2016 by Dos_Box

[sted]

@Arthur I saw the cart on a second viewing of the teaser. I blinked and missed it the first time around! They do look very small (small USB wifi dongle sized).

I can see them getting lost quite easily. Judging by how easy my kids misplace their 3DS carts these will be much more difficult to keep tabs on!

 

As I said, the big selling area will be the price point it launches at. If it's over £150 I suspect that it may have problems if both Microsoft and Sony drop their current consoles to the £200 region.

predicted ive seen $300 for the base machine $400 for a bundle touted around

[Dos_Box]

predicted ive seen $300 for the base machine $400 for a bundle touted around

 

Oh dear, I suppose we shall have to wait for CEX in Jan to get the full details, but if it's priced too high then consumers will stay away.

I also wouldn't be surprised to see a lot of Android compatible look-alike controllers coming out. Admittedly, they wouldn't be as polished, but consumers will have to wonder if they want to carry on mobile gaming on their existing tablets/phones or splash out on an extra device that only does gaming.

I know I'm being cynical, but I really hope Nintendo don't fluff this.

Edited October 22, 2016 by Dos_Box

[sted]

Oh dear, I suppose we shall have to wait for CEX in jan to get the full details, but if it's priced too high then consumers will stay away.

I also wouldn't be surprised to see a lot of Android compatible look-alike controllers coming out. Admittedly, they woun't be as polished, but consumers will have to wonder if they want to carry on mobile gaming on their exisitign tablets/phones or spash out on an extra device that only does gaming.

I know I'm being cynical, but I really hope Nintendo don't fluff this.

i think what nintendo need to do to sell units is also announce a virtual console subscription whereby for £10 a month you get access to their entire back catalogue from nes-wii/wiiu and definitely get gamecube games on the virtual console(of course assuming vc is a thing going forwards but i cant see it not being)

[Matt_Renato]

i think what nintendo need to do to sell units is also announce a virtual console subscription whereby for £10 a month you get access to their entire back catalogue from nes-wii/wiiu and definitely get gamecube games on the virtual console(of course assuming vc is a thing going forwards but i cant see it not being)

 

I 100% agree with that, I'd probably pay £10 a month just for access to the SNES back catalogue.

[localzuk]

I think a heck of a lot of people would go for a £10 a month subscription. Even if they only sold 20m of them, and 25% signed up, that'd be £300m per year solid income for very little outlay in comparison.

[Dos_Box]

I think a heck of a lot of people would go for a £10 a month subscription. Even if they only sold 20m of them, and 25% signed up, that'd be £300m per year solid income for very little outlay in comparison.

 

A low launch price and subscription services could nail it for them. I wait with baited breath!

I wonder if they will be porting Wii U titles and if so how the graphics hold up?

[Arthur]

Nintendo Switch has a 6.2" 720p multi-touch screen

 

A number of sources, including those who informed me of the Switch's design and detachable controllers back in July, have all confirmed other capabilities which Nintendo is currently keeping quiet.

 

Let's start with the Nintendo Switch's screen. It is 6.2" in size, 720p and - for the first time in any Nintendo device - boasts a capacitive multi-touch screen.

 

(Both 3DS and Wii U featured resistive touchscreens, reliant on pressure and less precise. They were also single-touch only).

 

As is standard for capacitive devices such as most modern smartphones, Switch's screen is a 10-point multitouch display, meaning multi-finger gestures are supported.

[CAM]

1080p is the standard for gaming these days and we are entering an era where UHD is gaining traction. I presume the TV connection will run 1080p or it could be a mistake.

[Duranis]

I have to say this looks like complete junk, whoever thought this was a good idea is seriously out of touch with most gamers.

 

It's not powerful enough for a home console with its "tablet" format and limited hardware it can't compete. 720p... My phone was capable of 720p display over 5 years ago.

As a mobile device it doesn't look any better than a a decent spec tablet. In fact if it doesn't have media capabilities, internet browsing and is stuck to the propitiatory memory cards it is worse than most tablets.

The clip on controllers look rubbish. Might be ok(ish) when attached but they are way to small and not enough buttons to be good for most modern day games. Nintendo its not 1991 anymore, most people want more than 2 buttons to play a game with. Also this is not innovation, Bluetooth controllers for mobile phones and tablets where available before Android was even out.

Who the hell can't stop a game for 10 minutes to take their dog for a walk.... who the hell takes their console with them and plays on it none stop while walking their dog. Poor advert dog.

Also if someone comes to a BBQ, pulls out an NX and sets it up on a table people wont gather around to watch, they will likely punch them in the face for bringing a terrible "console" to a BBQ. If people wanted to play a console at my BBQ they could go inside and do it on the 50inch TV, with decent controllers, and a better selection of games.

 

If I want to mobile game I will use my phone, it is in my pocket anyway and there are some pretty awesome games on it (not to mention emulators).

If I want to game at home I will use a console that is a lot more capable then the NX appears to be.

 

Why Nintendo still thinks that underpowered/overpriced consoles are still a good idea I don't know. Stop trying to be "innovative" and start creating something good that people actually want.

 

I don't want or need something that tries to do both and makes a mess of it.

 

Also the no updates, no installing to HD, no worrying about a new system coming out. I don't see anything here that says these wont still happen with the NX, other than maybe installing to the HD, instead it might just update directly on the "game card".#

 

TL:DR - I'm not really a fan

[Dos_Box]

The 720p thing caught my attention too. I am presuming (and hoping for Nintendos sake) that it is restricted to the handheld screen and was for battery life purposes.

The base unit could possibly provide 1080p output, but in the year Sony and Microsoft move to 4k when it launches it once more shows Nintendo well behind the curve.

Again, price will be the deciding factor IMO. If they fluff this they will be heading the same way as Sega and that would be a massive shame as it is competition in the console market which keeps things fresh.

Nintendo have always prided themselves with playability over tech, but they really do need to catch up on what consumers want out of a modern console.

We will just have to wait until CES in january (unless there are leaks in the meantime) to find out what the Switch will deliver.

[sparkeh]

Nintendo have always prided themselves with playability over tech

^ This

 

I really don't get why people get hung up on resolution. If its an awesome game its awesome in 720, 1080 or 4k. If its a pile of then who cares if its in 4k, you just get to see the a bit sharper.

 

Nintendo make great games, as long as that continues I'll be buying

[Dos_Box]

^ This

 

I really don't get why people get hung up on resolution. If its an awesome game its awesome in 720, 1080 or 4k. If its a pile of then who cares if its in 4k, you just get to see the a bit sharper.

 

Nintendo make great games, as long as that continues I'll be buying

 

I think the problem they have is mass market appeal. People want more from their consoles these days. They should not only play games but become multimedia hubs for the home and provide for third party plugins.

If they have provided for these then they may have a winner, but if they fall back on their traditional 'games and little else' then they may lose out to those eying up the next gen Sony and Microsoft offerings.

[synaesthesia]

The Wii was massively underpowered, generally rubbish compared to everything else out there yet sold like hotcakes. It's not always about power.

[flyinghaggis]

The Wii was massively underpowered, generally rubbish compared to everything else out there yet sold like hotcakes. It's not always about power.

 

The thing with the Wii was that it had the novelty of the detachable nunchuck motion controller which also had an infrared bar for controlling a cursor on screen which allowed for some great experiences in games that simply couldn't be replicated on the Playstation or Xbox at the time. You had the Zelda sword moves, shooting by aiming at the screen in Metroid and all the Wii sports and Warioware titles just to name a few highlights you wouldn't get elsewhere.

 

I'm kind of concerned that, on the face of it, this just seems to be a 6"-ish touchscreen tablet with some bolt-on controllers and the ability to dock it into a TV. To me that isn't really bringing anything new or exciting to the games market. Plus they're about to release a device like this in a world where every man, woman and child already has a 5-6" touchscreen device in their pocket already in the form of a smartphone!

 

I'm not sure I actually want to buy another device which doesn't appear to offer anything more than the phone in my pocket beyond a bolt on controller. And I say all this as someone who actually wants to buy a Nintendo console as I missed out on the Wii U so there are loads of games I'd like to play which will hopefully be ported across to it!

 

I'll keep an eye on it but so far my feelings are kind of 'meh'......

Edited October 31, 2016 by flyinghaggis

[sted]

The Wii was massively underpowered, generally rubbish compared to everything else out there yet sold like hotcakes. It's not always about power.

the system sold well but iirc games (at least non 1st party ones diddnt)

 

I dont see power as an issue as such as long as its within the ballpark (and from what ive heard switch might be like ps pro/xbox scorpio in that going forward this may be technically the last generation of consoles and they get incremental yearly/bi yearly updates to make them more powerful rather than starting a new gen every 4-8 years)

 

from what ive seen the 720p is the handheld screen and the "base station" has extra processing power to be assumed for 1080 possibly 4k (again possibly with an update sometime after 4k is more of a thing)

 

You dont buy nintendo for the hardware you buy it for the games end of so what it offers your phone dosent is nintendo games. I barely play mobile games ive found them to either be dull or so full of microtransactions you may as well buy a console game anyway.

 

As a mobile device you wouldnt put in an optical drive or hard drive as hard rives dont like being jogged round and weve all used discmans and they sucked more skipping than music even with buffers, anti skip etc. It does have a micro sd slot for internal storage (so eshop-saves etc) that is reported to take 128gb cards and that is probably changeable with firmware as 256/512/tb cards get cheaper and if games are on carts anyway i fail to see the issue you can write to a cart so as long as its planned that game takes 62gb they use a 128gb cart to allow for extra content later i see no real issue

 

personally i see the portability being more useful in the same way that off screen mode is in the wii-u than playing it at a roof party in that i can play it in bed or while something else is on the tv

 

atm unless they really reveal something that sucks in January id preorder one now if i could

[CAM]

Common sense says that the cart size can be doubled for later content, but economics won't work like that. The cart will have the minimum space required as you still pay per MB which eats the profit on the game (especially when age discounts apply). Plus with cross platform, you may not meet the disk space targets when designing the DLC. The publisher leaves 20GB space for planned expansions, the DLC comes in at 25GB, features have to be cut for the Switch to make back 5GB whilst the superior version sits on the PS4/XB1 with a 500GB internal hard disk happily swallowing up the space. You end up with a repeat of the Wii U where third parties ship cut versions of their games then wonder why no-one buys them. A large internal storage on the console also allows for online purchases which is a huge part of the market (something Nintendo still fails at regarding online infrastructure).

 

Also if someone comes to a BBQ, pulls out an NX and sets it up on a table people wont gather around to watch, they will likely punch them in the face for bringing a terrible "console" to a BBQ.

 

You host some very violent BBQs.

[sted]

Common sense says that the cart size can be doubled for later content, but economics won't work like that. The cart will have the minimum space required as you still pay per MB which eats the profit on the game (especially when age discounts apply). Plus with cross platform, you may not meet the disk space targets when designing the DLC. The publisher leaves 20GB space for planned expansions, the DLC comes in at 25GB, features have to be cut for the Switch to make back 5GB whilst the superior version sits on the PS4/XB1 with a 500GB internal hard disk happily swallowing up the space. You end up with a repeat of the Wii U where third parties ship cut versions of their games then wonder why no-one buys them. A large internal storage on the console also allows for online purchases which is a huge part of the market (something Nintendo still fails at regarding online infrastructure).

 

its still got the micro sd slot so if it wont fit on the cart its less of an issue. Granted bigger carts cost more but at that end of the supply chain its probably only pence (nintendo may even specify you will use a 128gb say cart for everything for simplicity only 1 sku)

[Dos_Box]

There is a screen grab from the promo video showing a cart:

 

 

It's not clear though if this is a game cart or potential memory module though. It's very small whichever it is and the potential for losing them will be great as anyone with young kids and DS\3DS's will confirm!

[Pottsey]

^ This

 

I really don't get why people get hung up on resolution. If its an awesome game its awesome in 720, 1080 or 4k. If its a pile of then who cares if its in 4k, you just get to see the a bit sharper.

 

Nintendo make great games, as long as that continues I'll be buying

That’s not what I found. As screen sizes get bigger many great games that used to be awesome are no longer awesome due to the low resolution. I lost count of how many old games that play good on a small screen but once stretched over a modern large screen don’t work. Not long back I tried to replay Boulder Gate Dark alliance and it was really hard to tell what I was doing on a large screen with everything being blocky. It just didn’t work. Now there are exceptions some games do scale well but just as many don’t.

 

It’s the same reason I don’t buy or use DVD’s anymore as on large screens they look terrible and are pretty unwatchable. 720p is just too little for today’s large screens yet alone for a device that’s meant to last for years. There is no way I am going to use 720p on my screen it would feel like watching a VHS.

[sted]

There is a screen grab from the promo video showing a cart:

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]39518[/ATTACH]

 

It's not clear though if this is a game cart or potential memory module though. It's very small whichever it is and the potential for losing them will be great as anyone with young kids and DS\3DS's will confirm!

 

if you look at the video where they pull out the kickstand you can see the micro sd slot supposedly i cant but ive seen it said in a few places

[sted]

That’s not what I found. As screen sizes get bigger many great games that used to be awesome are no longer awesome due to the low resolution. I lost count of how many old games that play good on a small screen but once stretched over a modern large screen don’t work. Not long back I tried to replay Boulder Gate Dark alliance and it was really hard to tell what I was doing on a large screen with everything being blocky. It just didn’t work. Now there are exceptions some games do scale well but just as many don’t.

 

It’s the same reason I don’t buy or use DVD’s anymore as on large screens they look terrible and are pretty unwatchable. 720p is just too little for today’s large screens yet alone for a device that’s meant to last for years. There is no way I am going to use 720p on my screen it would feel like watching a VHS.

 

thats why i play a lot of wii-u virtual console games on the tablet they often look much better esp old gameboy advance etc games they look dreadful ion a 42" screen lol

[sparkeh]

That’s not what I found. As screen sizes get bigger many great games that used to be awesome are no longer awesome due to the low resolution. I lost count of how many old games that play good on a small screen but once stretched over a modern large screen don’t work. Not long back I tried to replay Boulder Gate Dark alliance and it was really hard to tell what I was doing on a large screen with everything being blocky. It just didn’t work. Now there are exceptions some games do scale well but just as many don’t.

 

It’s the same reason I don’t buy or use DVD’s anymore as on large screens they look terrible and are pretty unwatchable. 720p is just too little for today’s large screens yet alone for a device that’s meant to last for years. There is no way I am going to use 720p on my screen it would feel like watching a VHS.

Sure but I didn't really mean playing old games on modern screens. I agree with you there.

 

I meant comparing the same generation consoles and games. So if console X had 4k output but boring games and console Y had a 720 screen but great games, I would choose console Y. It seems to me that when I read about console there is so much emphasis on the hardware whereas I am more interested in the playability of the games.

 

For me, the Nintendo consoles have always had the best games so have always stuck with them.