Switch Reveal Opinion Extravaganza

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It’s Dae here! I promised to write up a bit on my opinion on the Switch reveal, but it turned out to be longer than I expected. Therefore I’ll take this opportunity to publish my first article in a couple of years. Enjoy!

Let’s get the conference out of the way first; it was a poor showing. Live shows are usually a hit or a miss and this one was definitely a miss. Awkward, stiff translations as well as weird presentation of games and holding out on information that would entice customers are among my major gripes. The nice thing is that the Zelda trailer was absolutely amazing and Mario and Xenoblade 2 had a good showings too. But Zelda shouldn’t have been the final ‘one more thing’ surprise, everybody expected it to be a launch title already. Rather, I’d have liked a Metroid tease or something along those lines as a finisher for the show.

The lack of distinct games was also apparent. I guess they didn’t want to show games that weren’t prepared for release, but it didn’t show any confidence that they could produce a steady lineup of games for the Switch. People fear a repeat of the Wii U now, and that could really damage the sales of the console. I also wonder what makes the games so sparse at launch. Nintendo hasn’t released a lot of games in the past two years so I would have assumed they were working on new ones. If that isn’t the case, what were they doing all the time? I guess we’ll have to take a wait and see approach here and time will tell if they announce more games.

The games that have been announced do look pretty good though. Zelda is, of course, breathtaking and had one of the best trailers for a game I’ve ever seen. It really hit all the marks on a checklist of ‘how to make the perfect trailer’. Odyssey looks refreshing and can set itself apart from Galaxy so it won’t have the trouble of being compared to its shadow. The real life city may feel a bit uncanny valley, but I actually like the effect it brings out and luckily there’s a whole slew of different environments. Really looking forward to a more sandbox-style Mario again after the more linear games we’ve had in the past ten years. Splatoon 2 looks fresh, although it looks more like an upgraded port instead of a actual sequel, but then again what is a shooter sequel actually? You can’t innovate a lot except for new weapons, new maps, new strategies and a better online infrastructure. I don’t know if it was confirmed or denied, but I hope for online co-op possibility. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is also more of a luxury port, but the base game was great and this one will still be lots of fun for parties. I liked the new style of Xenoblade 2 too; it’s a bit different from the previous two but that’s OK in my opinion. Looking forward to hear about those games. 1 2 Switch looks like a fun mini-game collection, but I understand people saying they wanted this to be a pack in title. I don’t expect many people to cough up $50 for it, and I do believe they should have made it a $30 game, but I wouldn’t count on Nintendo rethinking it as a pack-in. I feel like they want to give the impression of it being a top-quality title.

The Switch will launch with only a couple of games, the sparsest it’s ever been for a launch of a console. I think there are a couple of reasons for this. First, you have Nintendo releasing Zelda: BotW. Most who picks up a Switch will pick up Zelda too. That makes for a tough competition from the get-go and games like Skyrim really could suffer from it. That’s why I think some high profile games got delayed last minute when they heard Zelda was making launch. And on the third party side, there a few ports of older games. But then I think, who buys all those ports anyway? Yes, they can make the ports and show ‘confidence’ in the Switch, but neither customers want old ports of uninteresting games they already bought and the publisher won’t make their money back too. It’s sadly a bit of self fulfilling prophecy, as few ports don’t entice customers to buy the console which leads to even fewer ports. But the Switch will all-in-all be a Nintendo and Japanese gaming system, and we just have to have faith in the usual companies to bring over their franchises. In this way I see Switch more as 3DS, with it getting the 3DS like library. With this I mean stuff like Phoenix Wright, Zero Escape… To be successful I think Nintendo just have to push through with being an alternative system, there’s no point to go compete with PS4 and XB1 without bringing some new stuff on the table.

And that brings me to the hardware. I haven’t used the actual hardware itself, but I read many positive impressions. The build quality is great and the looks are top notch. I even find it to have a bit of ‘sex-appeal’. If you search for direct comparison shots between the Switch and Wii U Gamepad, you’ll realize how bad the Gamepad looked and feel like it was made by Fisher-Price. But they did a great job with the Switch. The concept is appealing, and can be demonstrated easily to someone unfamiliar with the console. As a power engineer with some electronics background, I can also tell from all the technical stuff I read that this is the best console they could have built. The processor and graphics card is the most modern one that can power the console for continuous use. Processors in a iPhone 7 or upcoming Galaxy S8 may be faster, but they clock down due to power and heat concerns. The battery is also rather large and takes up a lot of space already, so saying they skimped out on battery is untrue. The battery life might not be a lot, but it’s actually comparable to phones running at 100% load. They also use a lot of modern application like USB C fast charging, Wifi AC, multitouch… Maybe you don’t believe it, but it’s really an impressive piece of tech that is competitive with stuff released today.

We can’t forget about the best parts of the console too: the Joy-Cons. I feel like they are the heart of the console, they are so well designed that the concept of the Switch really shines. Some vendors do have some detachable controllers for a generic tablet, but the from factor, build quality and ease of use are so far ahead that you can really see the ‘Nintendo magic’. Switching (haha, get it?) between docked, portable and table mode is so easy that it gets this wow factor when showing it off to friends. Being able to share a Joy-Con for two players is also nice, even though it doesn’t seem to be the most comfortable thing. But I can assure you, I can pop out my Switch and have some great fun with friends playing Mario Kart 8. The HD Rumble works well too apparently, and I think Nintendo can find some good applications for its use in games. Having some motions controls built in while functioning as traditional controllers is what makes this console combine the best of both worlds. A 20 hour battery life isn’t too shabby either, and you can easily recharge the battery when you dock the console.

This all reflects on the price too, which is indeed a bit expensive. $80 for a pair of Joy-Cons is steep, and far above a regular PS4 or Xbox One controller. Yes, you technically get two, but you’ll be buying them in pairs, because who wants a single lonely Joy-Con? I suspect many games to require a pair of Joy-Cons too, even though I don’t know if it’s possible to connect four pairs of Joy-Con if some game featured four player local multiplayer (Smash Bros?). They feature lots of tech and game companies always want to make money on accesories, but I think it would have been better if they priced it $10 to $15 lowers to reduce the sticker shock effect. The other accessories are expensive too, the Pro Controller is the definitive controller for couch gaming, but it comes with a definitive price as well. Buying extra Joy-Cons don’t even give the same colour straps, which can be bought for $8 seperately. And if you want an extra grip and be able to charge your controllers, which you can’t do with the included grip, it’ll cost you an extra $30. Granted, including it in the box would have upped the box price with another $15. If you want a ‘starters pack’ for new Switch users, you can feel nickel-and-dimed due to the high accessory costs. I wish Nintendo can first address those prices if it seems that it is a barrier to entry.

As for the box itself, I feel the $299 is still a fair price. Based on what I read, I already expected that $249 would be a tough target to reach. $299 is actually reasonable if you know what’s inside and how much things cost in manufacturing, R&D costs, distribution, retail and not to mention bad exchange rate and taxes in Europe. I believe that Nintendo still makes less profit in Europe per console sold, since people always forget that doing business in general is more expensive here due to wages, business taxes and buildings. The real question is actually value sided. It’s not: ‘Is this a fair price to charge’, but: ‘Do I feel like this is a fair price to me’. Nintendo will have to do a good job in selling value to the consumer and needs a clear messaging what it’s actually selling. In that I feel that a comparison with PS4 and generic tablets is not the way to go. Yes, the PS4 is comparable in price and more powerful, but as long as the Switch offers distinctly different features, people may still get enticed to buy. We’ll see if this works out, but I’m not the one who is calling this out as a flop already.

As for myself, I still believe in the Switch and even did save up enough the past two years to go on a crazy shopping splurge. I pre-ordered the Grey console, got the Pro Controllers, the Red/Blue Joy-Cons, the Charging Grip and an extra case. I really felt like that at some point in the future, I would have bought it anyway to play my favorite Nintendo games and therefore it doesn’t matter to me if I buy it sooner. I also want the definitive edition of Zelda, and being able to transport it between my dorm and home is a really big plus to me. I really look forward to most of the first party games that are announced, even though not many details have come out already. The conference damped my enthusiasm a bit, but I think it will be on full fire again closer to March 3rd. I’ll do a technical review of the Switch in six weeks when I get my hands on one, so look forward to reading it here!

This thing has gotten really long now, and I didn’t even touch on all the aspects of the Switch, but I need to wrap up here. If you’d like to have my opinion on an untouched subject, just ask in the comments. I’ll still check them regularly, even though I may not be an active writer anymore 🙂 I’d love to hear your opinion on the Switch too. Are you buying at launch? Holding out a bit? Or have even become uninterested? What do you think of the price? What games can entice you to buy? Tell me in the comments!

Enjoy and you’ll hear back from me when I get my Switch!

~Daedardus~

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3,671 thoughts on “Switch Reveal Opinion Extravaganza”

  2. Emboar and Pinsir are starting to really grow on me, I’ve been using them on showdown and they rock. Pinsir is like the ideal sweeper for me and Emboar is the perfect bulky attacker with an Assualt Vest.

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  6. Glrrgglllelll would any of you be so kind to donate a handfuls of brainsells bekause eye tink i bleu haff of them oout with this minekraft projecty

    Reply

  7. I think… Pinsir is now my favorite Pokemon.
    It’s just the perfect Pokemon to use when battling another person, and the Mega has Flying as another type, which is one of the best typings in my opinion.
    Guess that means I’ll have to change my icon and name lol

    Reply

  10. I felt like sharing one of my Fanmon sets its based on a Blobfish

    Bouyanish- Water (Bouyance+Fish)
    Gelobber- Water/Flying (Gelatine+Lob(throw)

    Reply

  11. Hmm…So Recently I’ve had a bit of a thought and I’d figure I’d ask some insight on it. I was watching the gamexplain discussion earlier about their feelings about the switch and an interesting question was brought up. Will Nintendo Support the 3DS along side the Switch as they claim. While one of them(who openly has said he’s not a fan of handheld gaming) pretty much said he’s fine with them dropping it and wants to see Nintendo go all in on the Switch, you could hear the other two kinda hesitating to say that, mostly because when you get right down to it, the switch isn’t really made in mind to be a proper handheld.

    So I figured I’d share the question here and hear your personal thoughts on it. Do you really see them going all in on one device, or do you think Nintendo will stay true to their word and support both indefinitely?

    Personally I’m kinda seeing them lean more towards indefinite support for both not only due to the insanely big install base of the 3DS, but mostly due to the dev cost issue and the design philosophy issue’s kind creating problems with developing games for the switch if they really did try to go all in on the console. But again I’d really like to hear your feelings either way. Its kinda fascinating since really we don’t know what Nintendo has planned for the future and can only really speculate.

    Reply

    • I hope both because I like 3DS more than what I see of Switch, and until something comes around that I like… the Switch won’t mean much while the 3ds will

      Reply

  14. Thought I’d share a Fakémon right before I get studying

    Basis: Pyrosome (Individual and Colonial)

    Name: Isolid (Isolated + Zooid)
    Species: Isolated Pokémon
    Type: Water/Bug
    Ability: Illuminate/Rattled

    Acid: This tiny Pokémon is pathetic in most aspects. It’s so pathetic, it can’t even best Miniscute as the smallest Pokémon. They have a low survival rate because of this..

    Base: Most trainers won’t bother to raise this Pokémon, as even its amazing bioluminescence does not make up for its terrible battle prowess.

    Equilibrium: This Pokémon can stay out of water for a surprisingly long time, but having a Poké Ball or fishbowl at hand is for the best.

    Name: Pyrosect (Pyrosome + Sect)
    Species: Belonging Pokémon
    Type: Water/Bug
    Ability: Flame Body/Water Bubble

    Acid: Their bioluminescence is so strong that it generates a strong heat. They constrict around predators and burns them, before making a hasty escape.

    Base: Isolid only changes slightly when it evolves, but these changes allow it to live compactly on its gelatinous tunic with other evolved Isolid as a Pyrosect.

    Equilibrium: Ancient myths state that the gelatinous tunic that each Pyrosect

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  16. Another regional variant:
    Gyarados
    Water/Fire
    Ability: Intimidate/Flame Body (HA: Swift Swim
    HP: 95
    Attack: 115
    Defense: 79
    Sp Attack: 60
    Sp Defense: 100
    Speed: 91
    The Gyarados that live in the region eventually found residence in underwater volcanos, and began to reside in the unpopulated areas. The magmatic energy from the volcanoes changed its physiology, so now Gyarados have a very hot and intense body and are faster than the average Gyarados. Their personalities are a lot more vicious and fiery, making it much more aggressive. Anyone who comes across one should flee, because it will eradicate its foes with fiery hot water that scorches everything.

    Reply

  17. I finally did it!!! I completed the Multi Battle Tree (Accumulated 1,871 BP)
    At 555:55 I complete the Alola Passport Stamps!!!
    I’m so proud of myself!!
    GG Pokemon Sun
    9.5/10 Would and will play again!

    Reply

  19. Uhg I hate days like this. Dont have any motivation to finish any art, I dont want to do anything just uhggggggggggggggggggggg

    I think I may just bike down to the small park thing in my neighborhood and just chill for a bit even though its cloudy af

    Reply

      • and then I have to go to school.
        2/4 of my classes are insanely boring and they are back to back in the middle of the day. Like I’m not the person who just thinks school is boring, I like learning, but holy shit is it boring. Art, History, and Lunch are the only times i feel like a functioning human being instead of just a collection of organs and muscles questioning the effectiveness of the American education system

        Reply

  20. @Ya Boi Satya Vaswani

    You just made me relize I need a Third game for my set but whats an Equal setting between Storms (Thunder) and Earthquakes (Quake)

    Reply

  23. Damn these fan made Alolan Forms are cute

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/97425c7f81a921330a573c1aea313a5717aa105745de7e86f8fabc942d608694.png https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/ac72f31fa04c28b99e2e7428b8d7528cfeb37411104e862173189c0ef0a54b5a.png https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/f4f0efb4cdf9c486ca6ce552d692912cf94ce21a6aa6704231fdc71154e370d2.png https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/677e48e544f16de359586cadf72178d9aa283930d70afc9b01e13a3125606314.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/423163e16f630cc49608ed3bc0170acb91101ef6f769a44c65a77122c896ac93.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/1a8d3dc938bbe2df6ef026fb9681bec2bbfaff24eb51dbfb1904e6b3ba8d9eaf.png

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  24. Let’s face it, I’m bored, you’re bored, we’re all bored (unless you aren’t). Ergo, it’s question time motherfuckers

    If you had superpowers

    1) Which ones would it be? (the more you have the weaker they are)
    2) Origin story within three sentences?
    3) Who here would you form an alliance with?
    4) Hero or villain? In-between?
    5) Arch-nemesis?

    Reply

    • Easy
      Earth Manipulation and Super Strength (also my earth powers let gain special auras that let me pull healing and fortifying energy from the ground)
      But I must be standing on the ground to use them, or within 15ft of Dirt or stone

      Sucked into tabletop fantasy game, finds scenter in a tomb, holds the spirit of a elemental goddess and it fuses into my smelly body and soul.

      Anybody who’ll take me

      Technically I’m Chaotic Good so I’ll fight for justice but going way past the limits of moral ambiguities

      Some kinda Magical Robot bent on creating a world not inhabited by any natural elements (which is kinda a big deal for me)

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      • Also depending on the setting I have a Viking themed attire with brown fur lined leathery armor, a horned helmet, skull belt buckle “Skuckle”, and a Hammer made from the scepter I found

        But in future mostly the same but the horns on my helmet are drills and have a visor, and my gloves have interchangeable fingers (drill claws, mini gun)

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      • 1. Sometimes I can stretch my arm to get a drink or something
        2. Whatever my name is
        3. Pajamas
        4. Random sadness
        5. Shrinking to the size of the ant just to put everything in perspective

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      • -Some of my attacks include,
        the rock shot: I blast energized stones from the ground,
        my Drill Rush where I rotate my hammer head and it bores into solid earth,
        Fault line: I create a crack in the ground that travels outward (enemies who step on it sink in, and later I send geothermal energy)
        But my bread and butter is the Elemental Exoskeleton where I pull rocks and stone to form a large body around me I can control
        -Earthstorm
        -like I said Fantasy Barbarian Viking
        -flying monsters, anything not near the ground
        -My ultimate attack is kinda a last resort, Ragnarock: only my anger has peaked beyond quelling a cataclysmic blast that tears up a great chunk of the land to send it everywhere but molten and fiery

        Reply

    • Me I’m all for
      1.)Super Speed
      2.)I lived a good life till the day I got struck by Lightning. I spent a month in a coma no one able to cure me till I one day just woke up. I contemplated my options for a long time till I finally decided to do what was right!
      3.)StarStorm and Ithsme
      4.)Hero obviously
      5.)I want to say some people, but no I won’t you wouldn’t like it (Trump, Ziggy, and more)

      Reply

    • 1. Flight /Animal Telepathy (can speak to them)
      2.My power is thrust upon me one day while me and my dog are walking, turning her into a huge beast and giving me my powers.
      3.Idk probably none of you, maybe star storm but she’s nicer than I am.
      4.In-between, a hero that doesnt flinch to do un-hero like things I guess.
      5.Evil, corruption, animal abusers. I have no arch-nemesis because I don’t deem those kinds that I would be fighting my equal.

      Reply

    • But I do have a super hero form
      Name: Neo Warrior
      Powers: Flight, and use of a crystal like armor that can do most anything
      Backstory: I went adventuring one day and in cave found a celestial Armor suit that glowed in multi-colors(The colors like the evolution crystal in Pokémon MD RRT), and eventually after I brought it home with me, but after a while my friends started to notice me being gone at night then the next day places were robbed, and much crime happened also lots of criminals were being caught by an unknown formed being. Eventually they started to monitor what happened to me at night, and discovered the suit was taking over my body and using me to do its biding, so they decided to stop me only to be defeated by me, but then my an alien of ultimate proportions arrived. The suit used me to stop the fiend only for it to be defeated, and letting its grip of me go and working together with me to stop him, and we have hailed as heros fighting crime together ever since.
      -Heroes
      Arch nemesis- Organoc- A Giant goblin looking alien who was after the armor as it was the last part of the planet he destroyed that was left. He’s yellow

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    • Alright here’s mine:
      1)- Light manipulation – basically I can utilize light waves and be able to form barriers, weapons, or concussive beams of energy at a foe
      – Flight – Utilizing light waves, I would be able to levitate myself with that energy, granting the ability to fly around. The stronger the light waves, the faster I fly.
      2) I got lost in the mountains for a few months and I came across a cave that lead deep into this mountain in order to find shelter. Ancient ruins were at the deepest part, and I found an artifact that symbols described as “the power of the sun”. Touching this armor altered by genetic dan, with the power of light filling me.
      3) I would form an alliance with either Seraph, Ithsme, Kurusu, or Star
      4) A hero
      5) My arch-nemesis would be someone that can manipulate gravitational fields, so basically this villain has something like the force. They were a scientist that got into a experiment gone wrong, and woke up with their body unstable and with gravity like powers. As such, they have to wear an armor to control the unstable gravitation forces within. The whole idea between my hero and the villain is the concept of stars and black holes.

      Reply

    • Tbh its kinda weird it’s been up this long and I haven’t answered it myself yet

      1) Emotional Manipulation – The power to amplify, decrease or invert someone’s emotions. For example, I can call someone down or rile them up. I could also turn that hatred into love. This works for short – lived emotions (anger over something, excitement for something) and long – lived emotions (love or hate against someone), and it is permanent until the emotion runs its course or I change it back. I’d be unable to create new emotions though, only able to edit what exists.

      2) Super villain father with mind control abilities. Super villain mother with the ability to make someone fall in love or to be overwhelmed with hatred. Superhuman genetics, yay.

      3) Would basically just team up with who I need to, being kind or a loner due to being a superhero born from villains.

      4) Superhero, but slightly anti – hero

      5) Evil siblings

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    • 1)- Ice Manipulation- Basically what you think. Can create ice and use it as shield or as an attack. This also includes snow. Mainly for defense
      – Electricity Manipulation. Just what it means again. Mainly for offense
      -Great Speed. Since you said more you have weaker you are. Here is what I mean, my speed wont be like flash speed, but I will be very quick on my feet
      2) I like ice. I like lighting. I like being salt.
      3) Whoever is a villain
      4) Villain. Im the villain that will laugh at you suffering, and is very merciless. And takes my time with people
      5) Dont care.

      Reply

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