Looking forward to "NX"? (aka The Switch Thread)

[BIL]

You should meet me in the Kotaku comments sometime.

[Strider77]

Not with Skykid's fat ass....

Let us all take a moment to fart on the Nintarded-ness of Majora's Mask, Amiibos and waggle contols.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Zelda goes Dragon's Dogma. I expected From Software to go there sooner. Nobody wants to remember how "open world" Wind Waker was supposed to be, eh? At the very least, this one's world shouldn't feel as hollow as Dragon Quest VIII's... or should it?

[Skykid]

You should meet me in the Kotaku comments sometime.

Not with Skykid's fat ass....

Insinuating that you do in-fact go to the Kotaku comments section to have sex! Do you tussle with the guys there before using a two-button grapple to reel them in, before executing a clothes-removing four hit combo?

And my ass isn't fat, sister! But I know you like them that way, rough and unshaven, and clenching whips.

[Strider77]

Yes, all of that.

[Skykid]

Yes, all of that.

Sounds like a good time to get out your waggle contols!

[Obiwanshinobi]

Some word's out there. Sounds anything but novel to me.

[Ed Oscuro]

You should meet me in the Kotaku comments sometime.

I plugged "So this was all a plot" into Google, and the first result ends the sentence with "to get at my steak?"

I think that this concept of the NX makes sense. Nintendo can't get control over distribution royalties by playing the phone market (unless they wanna become a carrier now) but they do still have a lot of clout in mobile gaming by having that first-party stuff. Well, if they bring it, that is.

This reminds me of Yahoo's woes a bit, in that Nintendo is also looking to keep going after a familiar well that might be running dry. On the other hand, Nintendo does have some kind of path forward as a content developer at least, but they will have to move fast in order to keep their foothold in AR.

In terms of capability, this might have graphics somewhere between the last-gen and current-gen, closer to the current gen I'd hope, but ultimately that isn't really super important. Cartridges + mobile = lotsa freedom, which is good by me. I don't want the secondary screen getting in the way when playing traditional games, though, and therefore the form factor really is critical. I personally doubt I'd prefer a NX for playing any multiplatform title simply because I think control and controller comfort are pretty critical qualities. But, again, that freedom to hook up or go mobile is really important.

[Skykid]

I had no idea what to expect, but I think that's rather a sensible and smart idea in the end. The only market Nintendo has always dominated is handheld, may as well merge the handheld and home console together. The only prob I forsee is the complexity of the connection to TV. I think most people will just continue to play as a handheld even at home unless the graphics are really astoundingly good and work far better on the big screen (I hope that's the case, but it's not going to be easy in handheld sized hardware to get so close to the competition).

I expect Pokemon GO will arrive in cartridge form soon enough. In fact the entire Pokemon GO thing bodes well for a mobile console.

Just no region locking, please.

[Ed Oscuro]

Just no region locking, please.

Unless they have suddenly got a case of the consumer friendlies, I think it's pretty likely they'll be locked given the economic outlook (especially regarding currency exchange). And with downloadables and all, I think it might hurt them even less than it might have in the past. I suppose this is easy for me to say, though, as my interest in text-heavy non-English titles is not that high.

[TransatlanticFoe]

Perhaps the mobile portion will be bolstered by extra horsepower in the dock? More akin to the mobile/console hybrid the Wii U looked like it was going to be, before it turned out to be a consolised DS. I can see it working in a Dreamcast VMU kind of way - mini games based around augmented reality which then forms part of a larger game when docked to the TV. If the Zelda NX is fully playable in mobile form the battery will either last a few minutes or be gigantic, so I don't see how a fully mobile experience can be anything other than Game Gear levels of battery munching - the technology just isn't there yet.

[GaijinPunch]

The only market Nintendo has always dominated is handheld,

1980's, dude.

[Skykid]

The only market Nintendo has always dominated is handheld,

1980's, dude.

The key word was "always"

[GaijinPunch]

The only market Nintendo has always dominated is handheld,

1980's, dude.

The key word was "always"

Ah, yeah. Those keywords always get me.

[Ed Oscuro]

This market isn't in the 1980s anymore and Nintendo's got to find a way to stay relevant. Being a single-source supplier of electronics isn't profitable, and they're almost irrelevant on the software supply side. To be honest I'm not sure how they spin Pokemon GO into something lasting, as everybody else has maps tech too, and AR technology is pretty widely spread.

[neorichieb1971]

Sign me up for NX.

I'm just not feeling the new generation consoles at the moment. When I look at the variety of Xbox one and PS4 games I feel totally detached. There isn't one bone in my body that twitches or any senses that buzz.

Hopefully Nintendo can make a great console with a handful of games.

For some Nintendo RARE, i'm going with ex Rare's (now Playtonic) Yooka Laylee. Most team members worked on Banjo and Kazooie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrME3Tzbfjo

[Lord Satori]

I feel like this is the inevitable next step forward from the Wii U. I'm so glad that it isn't just some shitty VR system like I feared it would be.

[GaijinPunch]

To be honest I'm not sure how they spin Pokemon GO into something lasting,

By implementing it with a long-term, well branded IP. Like Pokemon for example.

[Ed Oscuro]

No, I mean something more than having a simple franchise - especially one that doesn't really make much money.

Valve Software isn't where they are today because they had Half-Life or Counter-Strike; they turned their brief turn as content superstars into a distribution service, which is where the money is.

Nintendo has been trying to stop losing ground as the distribution channel since there were alternatives to the NES, but there's always been a mistake, misfortune, or missed opportunity that has kept them from regaining market share in third party distribution. This is why I said that AR seemed like maybe the sort of thing they could leverage, except apparently they haven't really figured that out.

I'm sure that Nintendo can survive as a software developer; perhaps they don't even need any new franchises. On the other hand, there's nothing that says that Pokemon or any other Nintendo franchise is immune from overexposure and player burnout. I can't think of any Nintendo franchise which has had real staying power since Pokemon - Smash is the only thing I can think of since Pokemon that has had any kind of staying power for Nintendo. If Pokemon were like that, Nintendo would be a small, perhaps well-respected player with little growth and a small stock price, the kind of company always at risk of a takeover or being swamped by competition.

I went to take a look at Nintendo's P:E ratio, and instead I noticed that Nintendo's stock has slid halfway back to where it was before the GO announcement. (If I had any sense / spare cash I'd have shorted them...) So, sure, Pokemon is a big thing right now...or maybe that's "was." Nintendo is a publicly traded company and this can turn a triumph into a crisis. In just a week, after having its stock price double nearly overnight, Nintendo's seen its largest weekly drop ever.

The bottom line is that this great franchise Pokemon has gone in a week from being the savior of the company to this week's liability. Hopefully Nintendo can salvage the situation so they don't end up back where they started.

[GaijinPunch]

I'm sure that Nintendo can survive as a software developer; perhaps they don't even need any new franchises. On the other hand, there's nothing that says that Pokemon or any other Nintendo franchise is immune from overexposure and player burnout

It's 20 years old and was downloaded like a billion times. Those are pretty good numbers. Most games these days just need to keep feeding content once that have a decent user base and voila. Look at PSO2. Probably most successful IP Sega has produced in 2 decades, and any competitor has access to the exact same technology (networking).

[Ed Oscuro]

In other words, it's old and doesn't make any money. That doesn't make me very confident about Nintendo's future.

It's good that Sega has something going for them, but it's a far cry from their glory days. I don't think an MMO is the future either, and in any case, it's just one game, which will eventually stop making them money.

The hope about GO was that it wouldn't just be another game to have its day and then be done. They have to figure out what to do next, and they also have to make money off it.

[BryanM]

Coca-cola needs to stop selling Coca-cola or it's going to go out of business.

In just a week, after having its stock price double nearly overnight, Nintendo's seen its largest weekly drop ever.

> Rich assholes see a thing is raking in money.
> Rich assholes buy stock in something they have no interest or understanding of.
> Rich assholes suddenly realize Nintendo doesn't receive 100% of that revenue, in fact they take in a minority of it.
> Stock mysteriously goes down after rich asshole gamblers finally learn some basic math and reading comprehension.

Guess we have to stop making houses too. There was a bubble, you see.

[BryanM]

Nintendoom'ed



Anyway.

Anyone sad about the possibility their portable device going back to 1 screen instead of 2? While I was far more fond of the idea from the get-go than most back when dual screens were revealed, I think in practice it's a luxury feature at best (not needing a toggle button in Etrian Odyssey) and a pain in the ass at worst (RPGs with the UI on one screen and the fight on another).

I'd actually prefer a single, bigger, higher res screen than two of'em.

[iconoclast]

Pokemon, as a franchise, makes a ton of money. I don't know what Ed's talking about to be honest. The mainline games aren't as popular as they used to be, sure, but they still outsell 99% of the industry. Just look at this gen and last gen:

Pokémon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum (DS – 25.92 million)
Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver (DS - 12.72 million)
Pokémon Black and White (DS - 15.58 million)
Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 (DS - 7.97 million)
Pokémon X & Y (3DS - 14.70 million)
Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire (3DS - 11.84 million)
(from wikipedia)

That's not including any of the spin offs, of which there are many. Plus there's the anime, movies, toys, trading card game, and all of the merchandise. Pokemon is ubiquitous.

I'm interested in seeing how Pokemon Go affects the handheld games, though. If people are satisfied with it, they might not feel the need to buy the games any more. Or it could interest the lapsed fans who haven't bought a 3DS yet and boost sales. I guess we'll see when Pokemon Sun & Moon come out later this year.

[Ed Oscuro]

I don't know what Ed's talking about to be honest [...] they still outsell 99% of the industry. Just look at this gen and last gen:

I get that. This thread has turned into "entirety of Shmups Farm doesn't get that this market isn't like previous markets, GO isn't like previous Pokemon releases." Still, you're right to say that Pokemon (along with most other Nintendo stuff) has more cultural staying power, like Disney still does, so licensing and merchandising is probably safe. But the revenue from games is totally up in the air when you look at the games now that GO is out.

For the games, a better comparison would be how much money GO is making compared to previous releases.

And also how much of that money goes to Nintendo, and what the future of the app looks like.

The stock speculation shenanigans aren't the entire story. I'll spare you all the talk and more talk, this link does a pretty good job explaining it. Combine with this for maximum effect.

It's not all negative; at least Nintendo isn't afraid to try some new things out of fear of sinking their hardware business, which is a model which is barely tenable at this point (aside from sales to die-hard players). If they experiment with their other franchises in a similar way, hopefully the financials will be much more straightforward with Nintendo not having holding companies and investments in third parties with nothing showing up in their quarterly statements.

[Obiwanshinobi]

I wonder how local multiplayer on a single TV will be handled (every console deserves old-fashioned split-/shared screen multiplayer that works)... and I'm pretty sure the folk first to buy the thing would feel relieved seeing that second TV in the room won't be necessary for the sake of getting the most out of their new console's exclusives.

[Strider77]

I personally don't give a fuck how much Nintendo has or is making. I'm more interested in games and consoles that don't suck.

EA and Activision make money.... so what. Pokemon are crap games that are needlessly divided into multiple releases over and over. Amiibos with needlessly locked content suck also.

[Ed Oscuro]

That's a totally valid viewpoint to have, just like I also don't give a fuck about people who don't like details.

I'm mainly interested if this means that Nintendo can keep alive the dream of a games system that's just a games system, not a shekel-sucking "profit center." Pokemon GO has me a bit concerned on that front, and as far as the idea of a Nintendo console being your best bang for the buck, everything depends on this handheld's quality and design. Otherwise, it's the same question I've been asking myself since the GameCube: How does Nintendo get their players all the crossplatform stuff and good exclusives?

That reminds me: Good lightgun game ports. The Wii did really well on those (assuming lag isn't a problem), but how will the NX do? Ha, I've been talking about ways to make the console relevant.

[waiwainl]

Nintendo has only 30% stake in Pokemon GO. It is licensed.

[Skykid]

I personally don't give a fuck how much Nintendo has or is making. I'm more interested in games and consoles that don't suck.

Profound words.

I've had zero interest in buying a PS4, XBONE or Wii U. This generation has done zero so far to tempt me in either direction. If the NX actually has promise, well, that's better than nothing.