The Nintendo Switch Thread

[Meta77]

Nah most stores I know only allowed one preorder but buying the system does not have that limit launch day that I know of

[Mando-Whirl-Wind]

Got a solid interview for you guys

http://gonintendo.com/stories/273452-nintendo-on-possible-switch-peripherals-lifespan-wooing-3rd-par

Quote

Nintendo on possible Switch peripherals, lifespan, wooing 3rd parties/indies, Snipperclips could be at launch & more

 

06 February, 2017 by rawmeatcowboy | Comments: 0

Coming from a TIME interview with Nintendo Director Shinya Takahashi and Switch Producer Yoshiaki Koizumi...

The importance of playing with others (Yoshiaki Koizumi)

"Of course, Nintendo as a company is one that we've always put a tremendous amount of emphasis on playing together with others. Even going back to when we were making cards [starting with Nintendo's inception in 1889], playing cards for use with card games, those were geared towards playing with other people.

As we were talking about creating a system that you can take with you, the other thing that we felt we had to continue to place tremendous amount of emphasis on is this nature of playing with others. We felt it was important that we include two controllers with the system right out of the box because if you have a system that you can take with you anywhere and you have two controllers, you can hand the controller to somebody you know or even somebody you don't know and instantly be able to play right there.

And so I think the story that we wanted to tell was this idea of bringing the system with you and sharing it with others. Switch has become the platform for telling that story."

On Switch lifespan and possibility of upgrades

"Certainly, we've designed Nintendo Switch in a way that it can be used by consumers in the way that best suits them. I think we may see that people who have bought a Nintendo home console in the past traditionally, they may treat Switch like a home console and buy it and use it for a long period of time.

Whereas people who have been traditionally Nintendo handheld gamers, they may buy Nintendo Switch and then for example, if a new version were to come out later, then maybe they would decide to upgrade to that. Or, for example, because you can take the Joy-Con off the system, then I guess that leaves open the possibility of something else that might get attached. There's obviously a lot of different developments that we could look at from that perspective as well." - Shinya Takahashi

"We're hoping that Nintendo Switch will be a system that will be the constant in your gaming life. 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." - Yoshiaki Koizumi

On potential peripherals (Koizumi)

"Because you can remove the controllers from the system, it opens up a lot of possibilities for expansion of what you're able to do with the controllers or what you're able to connect to the system. I'm sure a lot of people have lots of different ideas about what might potentially get connected to the system, and perhaps suddenly one day, we'll just pop up and say, 'Hey, now there's this', though I can't give you any examples right now.'"

On reaching out to third parties

"The two of us have met with a large number of third-party developers directly and done our Nintendo Switch presentation to them face-to-face directly. There were many overseas developers who we presented the system too who were very happy to see it." - Koizumi

"We did a number of these presentations last year, and we were actually pretty nervous doing them, because we didn't know how the overseas developers were going to respond to it and in each presentation, one of the last things that we showed was 1-2-Switch [a Nintendo-developed party game that makes use of the removable controllers advanced "rumble" feedback and motion controls]." - Takahasi

On wooing indies and Snipperclips making launch

"Snipperclips is one that's very fun, and the interpersonal communication is a lot of fun. But it's also an example of some of the work that we've been doing upfront, as Mr. Koizumi mentioned, to get the development environment to a place where small teams like that can create the game for Nintendo Switch. Our hope is that we'll start to see more and more indie developers coming to Switch and preparing content for the system as well." - Takahasi

"That's a game that's being developed in Unity that's on pace to be available for launch of the system. I think that with the tools being available earlier in the life cycle of the system, it's going to make it a lot easier for developers to create a variety of different games of varying scope for Switch." - Koizumi

On Nintendo striking a balance between horsepower and creating fun games

"You're asking this question to two individuals at Nintendo who come from an art background and the computer graphics background. We tend to be among the pushiest when it comes to graphics within the company. That being said, as we mentioned before, at Nintendo we feel like we're an entertainment company rather than necessarily a games or a graphics company. Our priority is always on trying to create new and fun forms of entertainment. That's the top priority.

Certainly, graphic quality falls somewhere within our priority, but our feeling is that Nintendo Switch is a system that really has the best balance of being able to create fun and new ways to play, but doing so with the graphic quality that's still good enough while also being one that's easy to develop for." - Takahashi

"Graphics and frame rate are important in terms of how you're connecting with or how you're moving the heart of the player who's immersed in that world. Nintendo Switch also has something else that can connect with that player in the form of the HD Rumble, where you can be immersed in that world, but you can actually feel in your hands the sensation of something in that world that you haven't been able to feel before that adds a new layer of immersion to go along with the graphics and the frame rate.

I think when you start to look at the total package of tools that Nintendo Switch has to help bring those worlds to life, I think you'll find that it has some unique ways to connect with you as a player and move you in ways that you haven't necessarily experienced before." - Koizumi

 

[Meta77]

Nintendo stance on graphical power is no shocker anymore but does this mean well be seeing upgrades like a iPhone? Yearly additions

[Candescence]

10 minutes ago, Meta77 said:

Nintendo stance on graphical power is no shocker anymore but does this mean well be seeing upgrades like a iPhone? Yearly additions

Yearly is probably not on the cards. Mid-gen upgrades, though, are more likely. The Switch could be the first true iterative console, if Nintendo is going to be sticking with the Tegra and Nvidia is being pushed to make each of their next Tegra chips perform big jumps over the last.

[Radiant Hero Ike]

Hey hey, what if we got a Tomodachi Life game on the Switch? The 3DS one did get boring after a while, I admit, but I still come back to it every once in a while. If they made another one on Switch with loads of new features, that'd be awesome.

[Meta77]

......I guess that be ok . But I'd rather see more system sellers first like metroid or smash bros first

[SonicComicFanboy]

On ‎2‎/‎5‎/‎2017 at 5:50 PM, Cyalume said:

Is anyone else dying for an Animal Crossing title on this thing? I didn't quite get into New Leaf, but somehow I feel Animal Crossing on the Switch would be great.

 I imagine we will get an Animal Crossing game for Switch eventually.  I loved New Leaf myself, but I would like a game where you can make a much larger town, heck, maybe make a game where you manage an entire state of talking animals! XD

 

 Also hope we get more info about the mobile Animal Crossing title soon.   I know it got pushed back to later this year so it wouldn't have to compete with the launch of the Switch and Mario Run finally coming to Android, but yea, hope we get more info about it at E3 this year.

[JaidynReiman]

4 minutes ago, SonicComicFanboy said:

 I imagine we will get an Animal Crossing game for Switch eventually.  I loved New Leaf myself, but I would like a game where you can make a much larger town, heck, maybe make a game where you manage an entire state of talking animals! XD

 

 Also hope we get more info about the mobile Animal Crossing title soon.   I know it got pushed back to later this year so it wouldn't have to compete with the launch of the Switch and Mario Run finally coming to Android, but yea, hope we get more info about it at E3 this year.

It was pushed back, but not likely that far. It was just pushed out of the fiscal year.

We're probably getting it before E3, in mid-to-late April or early May.

[Salamander]

2 hours ago, God Eater Lenka said:

Hey hey, what if we got a Tomodachi Life game on the Switch? The 3DS one did get boring after a while, I admit, but I still come back to it every once in a while. If they made another one on Switch with loads of new features, that'd be awesome.

Tomodachi Life apparently did very well, so I'd be surprised if there wasn't some kind of Switch successor in the works.  The groundwork is there for Nintendo to see it as a reliable non-hardcore title.  Maybe in a year or two?  It's the kind of game which gets people using their systems every day (like Animal Crossing, in fact), rather than one that sells those systems (per above discussion).

[Marcello]

Tomodachi Life sold 5.58 million copies, so I'd be very surprised if it didn't get a sequel.

[Zippo]

Snipperclips possibly making launch would be a nice surprise, it's been the sleeper hit of their lineup, from all of the impressions I've seen.

40 minutes ago, Marcello said:

Tomodachi Life sold 5.58 million copies, so I'd be very surprised if it didn't get a sequel.

Considering the DS and 3DS versions were released in the middle of those systems' lifespans, I'm guessing it'll be the same case if a new one is made.

[Zippo]

We could be potentially getting a Nintendo Direct or some news next week. Nintendo has had private events for new announcements in the past.

A big Direct happened two days later following this. 

https://mobile.twitter.com/nintendonyc/status/664180540078080001

Nintendo usually never has directs on Mondays and the timing does line up. By the end of the weekend, their new console will be launching in two weeks, there's still a lot we don't know, especially regarding online, so it's time for another news blowout. Journalists and reviewers should also be receiving review copies of Zelda and other launch titles very soon as well.

[Mark1]

http://gonintendo.com/stories/273724-gameseek-uk-to-offer-switch-at-198-50-once-again 

One chance to get the Switch for just under £200. GameSeek are doing a special deal once they have more orders in place to get the Neon Red and Blue Switch for launch. Details below:

GameSeek is happy to announce that our customers will have another chance to pre-order the highly anticipated Nintendo Switch console at £198.50 before release day.

 

You may remember our big news last month, following the Switch reveal by Nintendo, where we confirmed that we'll be honouring pre-orders from customers that purchased the Nintendo Switch from us at £198.50 - over £80 lower than the £279.99 RRP.

This time we will be doing the mega offer on the Neon Red / Neon Blue Nintendo Switch consoles. We can also guarantee that the customers who pre-order at £198.50 will have there Switch consoles dispatched before release day! 

So when are the Switch consoles going back on sale at GameSeek for £198.50? Soon.

 

[JaidynReiman]

17 hours ago, Zippo said:

We could be potentially getting a Nintendo Direct or some news next week. Nintendo has had private events for new announcements in the past.

A big Direct happened two days later following this. 

https://mobile.twitter.com/nintendonyc/status/664180540078080001

And a Splatoon Direct followed two days after this.

Nintendo usually never has directs on Mondays and the timing does line up. By the end of the weekend, their new console will be launching in two weeks, there's still a lot we don't know, especially regarding online, so it's time for another news blowout. Journalists and reviewers should also be receiving review copies of Zelda and other launch titles very soon as well.

It could be planned for a couple days after. I mean, I expect a Direct soon anyway.

[Zippo]

A Splatoon 2 global testfire has been announced. Coming three weeks after the Switch launch set for March 24-26th. This likely also means Spla2n is almost finished and ready for release.

[JaidynReiman]

Definitely no later than May for release. I'd argue May is probably the most likely by far.

[Zippo]

 

http://gonintendo.com/stories/273813-nintendo-3rd-party-switch-reveals-soon-several-online-service

Koizumi says a lot more third party announcements are coming "soon".

This makes me think a Direct is coming very soon even more now.

Also, full on confirmation that Nintendo is once again using the DS' "slow burn" strategy.

On that lineup, Zelda looks terrific, but there isn’t many games for day one. Does that not concern you?

Takahashi Certainly we look at it not just from the perspective of what are the games available on launch day but what we have from a lineup perspective not just from this year but into next year aswell. And speaking just about this year we have our launch games, Zelda and 1-2-Switch, and we’ve lined up so we’ve got great games launching in each season of this year. We’ll have Mario Kart shortly after launch, Arms in the Spring, the lineup continues after the holiday. This time we feel we’ve launched a system that has great games at launch in Zelda and 1-2-Switch but also a very strong lineup through the end of the year aswell.

Koizumi As you know we’ve been focussed on development on first party games, but with Nintendo Switch we’ve also put a lot of energy into making third-party cooperation possible, and that includes a lot of attention paid to the development environment that we are provided to these partners as well as the middleware we create for them. Soon you will a lot more announcements from third-party partners.

[JaidynReiman]

Ditto on the Direct. Fully expect one within the next couple weeks. Probably this week given what's going on at Nintendo NY.

[Shiny Gems]

I can see a Direct happening soon as well. Do you guys think it may be on a Wednesday or Tuesday or something? Just wondering.

[Mando-Whirl-Wind]

3 minutes ago, CrystalStorm51 said:

I can see a Direct happening soon as well. Do you guys think it may be on a Wednesday or Tuesday or something? Just wondering.

Standard trends would say Weds/Thurs, but this close to a console release you never know. expect it to be announced tomorrow though

 

Also, from everything we've heard(especially with the developers only getting devkits back in august for the most part. Konami seems to be an exception, and it's possibly because SBR was codeveloped by N) It seems quite likely that it isn't that we aren't getting third party support this year, rather most weren't ready to show at the conference last month, so they decided to wait until they could show a united front of confirmable release dates for announcements rather than what seemed as promises

[Zippo]

3 hours ago, CrystalStorm51 said:

I can see a Direct happening soon as well. Do you guys think it may be on a Wednesday or Tuesday or something? Just wondering.

Wednesday or Thursday sounds most likely. They had a private event today in New York, and they have another private event tomorrow that goes from 1PM into the evening.

Something is definitely up.

3 hours ago, Mando-Whirl-Wind said:

Standard trends would say Weds/Thurs, but this close to a console release you never know. expect it to be announced tomorrow though

 

Also, from everything we've heard(especially with the developers only getting devkits back in august for the most part. Konami seems to be an exception, and it's possibly because SBR was codeveloped by N) It seems quite likely that it isn't that we aren't getting third party support this year, rather most weren't ready to show at the conference last month, so they decided to wait until they could show a united front of confirmable release dates for announcements rather than what seemed as promises

Sounds likely. From what I've heard around, Nintendo was very strict about dev kits for third parties and Indies until recently.  Unless you're a VIP, no indie can request a dev kit until after launch.

[Zippo]

.So, we may have just had the biggest Nintendo Switch leak ever. Developers have confirmed this IS real. It's a full breakdown of the Nintendo Switch system specifications and online functionality.

Courtesy of Dystify on Gaf:

Apparently Nintendo developer information leaked. There are documents floating around that reveal a ton of information about Switch. If this is fake it's really impressive—there are a ton of files, in-development images and also new shots of Switch (called NX here) itself.

Note: Even if this is real, there may be some outdated information here.

You can download the files here:
(Note: If you don't wanna download the files, I have added all images from them to imgur. But they may not make much sense without context.)

• NX overview: http://www.filedropper.com/nx-overvi...715-en-private
• System features guide: http://www.filedropper.com/nx-system...930-en-private
• SDev Kit quick start: http://www.filedropper.com/nx-sdevqu...729-en-private

I have compiled all the images from the documents into folders on imgur.

• NX overview: http://imgur.com/a/QFscH
• System Features Guide: http://imgur.com/a/FuZf8
• SDEV Quick Start: http://imgur.com/a/vrfoo

Here's a list of some new information from the files.

• HD Rumble's technical name is a Linear resonant actuator
• When in handheld mode, the Switch will have an unlock screen like a smartphone to prevent accidental waking.
• The Switch features a Quick Menu. Press and hold the HOME Button for at least one second to display the Quick Settings screen on top of all other screens, including the HOME Menu and any applications. Unlike the 3DS, the active software will not be suspended when this menu is invoked
• The Switch's keyboard will feature predictive text such as those on iOS and Android
• System Settings will allow the user to edit the following settings:
  • Flight Mode Toggle
  • Enable/Disable Bluetooth
  • Manage Wi-fi
  • Manage NFC
  • Manage screen brightness
  • Screen lock
  • User Settings
  • Create/Edit Mii
  • Theme management
  • Controller management
  • System Update
• Miis will have more options for hair, eyebrows, eyes, facial hair, glasses, mouths, and skin.
• Miis will not store the creator's name, their favorites, and their birthday anymore. Anyone can edit Mii characters
• Developers can create and sell Season Passes for their games
• This document confirms an X1 like SoC using Maxwell on the final retail version
• There are NO plans to provide an Internet Browser at this stage but developers are able to access a web applet to display specific websites within their game/app
• A maximum of 8 users can be registered on a system
• Friend requests and game invites CAN be sent from the console.
  • "Friend Presence is a feature that uses the Internet to convey information in real time about the online status of friends and the applications they are playing. Among possibilities, we see this being used in the application to check whether friends are in the joinable state, and to use the Friend List system feature screen to show what applications friends are playing."
• A Nintendo Account can be linked to multiple Switches BUT save data is not automatically synchronised
• There are TWO dev kit devices: SDEV and EDEV
  • SDEV - Has built-in ports; no built-in battery
  • EDEV - Resembles the retail product exactly but is black color
• Game cards come in 1 GB, 2 GB, 4 GB, 8 GB, 16 GB, or 32 GB variations.

Nintendo is expanding its online network and offers a library called Network Extension (NEX).

Matchmaking:

• This feature matches players for multiplayer games. It can be used to bring players together based on matching criteria from among unspecified numbers of users, or to create groups among friends only. Groups can be created temporarily for a multiplayer game, or they can be created as lasting entities usable as communities.

Ranking:

• This feature uploads scores so users can get the relative rankings. Rankings can be calculated for only a certain period of time, or for only the scores of players registered in a certain group, and the score information can be periodically reset.

Data Store:

• This is a network storage feature. Any data can be optionally saved to the game server. This saved data can be tagged, searched, and appended with ratings and the like.

Subscriber:

• This is a messaging feature based on the publish-subscribe pattern. It can be used to post messages on certain topics, poll for posts on certain topic, and otherwise share information within the application.

This my be the primary reason we're being asked to pay for online services now.

Nintendo Switch hardware specifications:

[Meta77]

All I need clarify on is how voice chat is going to work

[Mando-Whirl-Wind]

3 hours ago, Zippo said:

.So, we may have just had the biggest Nintendo Switch leak ever. Developers have confirmed this IS real. It's a full breakdown of the Nintendo Switch system specifications and online functionality.

Courtesy of Dystify on Gaf:

Apparently Nintendo developer information leaked. There are documents floating around that reveal a ton of information about Switch. If this is fake it's really impressive—there are a ton of files, in-development images and also new shots of Switch (called NX here) itself.

Note: Even if this is real, there may be some outdated information here.

You can download the files here:
(Note: If you don't wanna download the files, I have added all images from them to imgur. But they may not make much sense without context.)

• NX overview: http://www.filedropper.com/nx-overvi...715-en-private
• System features guide: http://www.filedropper.com/nx-system...930-en-private
• SDev Kit quick start: http://www.filedropper.com/nx-sdevqu...729-en-private

I have compiled all the images from the documents into folders on imgur.

• NX overview: http://imgur.com/a/QFscH
• System Features Guide: http://imgur.com/a/FuZf8
• SDEV Quick Start: http://imgur.com/a/vrfoo

Here's a list of some new information from the files.

• HD Rumble's technical name is a Linear resonant actuator
• When in handheld mode, the Switch will have an unlock screen like a smartphone to prevent accidental waking.
• The Switch features a Quick Menu. Press and hold the HOME Button for at least one second to display the Quick Settings screen on top of all other screens, including the HOME Menu and any applications. Unlike the 3DS, the active software will not be suspended when this menu is invoked
• The Switch's keyboard will feature predictive text such as those on iOS and Android
• System Settings will allow the user to edit the following settings:
  • Flight Mode Toggle
  • Enable/Disable Bluetooth
  • Manage Wi-fi
  • Manage NFC
  • Manage screen brightness
  • Screen lock
  • User Settings
  • Create/Edit Mii
  • Theme management
  • Controller management
  • System Update
• Miis will have more options for hair, eyebrows, eyes, facial hair, glasses, mouths, and skin.
• Miis will not store the creator's name, their favorites, and their birthday anymore. Anyone can edit Mii characters
• Developers can create and sell Season Passes for their games
• This document confirms an X1 like SoC using Maxwell on the final retail version
• There are NO plans to provide an Internet Browser at this stage but developers are able to access a web applet to display specific websites within their game/app
• A maximum of 8 users can be registered on a system
• Friend requests and game invites CAN be sent from the console.
  • "Friend Presence is a feature that uses the Internet to convey information in real time about the online status of friends and the applications they are playing. Among possibilities, we see this being used in the application to check whether friends are in the joinable state, and to use the Friend List system feature screen to show what applications friends are playing."
• A Nintendo Account can be linked to multiple Switches BUT save data is not automatically synchronised
• There are TWO dev kit devices: SDEV and EDEV
  • SDEV - Has built-in ports; no built-in battery
  • EDEV - Resembles the retail product exactly but is black color
• Game cards come in 1 GB, 2 GB, 4 GB, 8 GB, 16 GB, or 32 GB variations.

Nintendo is expanding its online network and offers a library called Network Extension (NEX).

Matchmaking:

• This feature matches players for multiplayer games. It can be used to bring players together based on matching criteria from among unspecified numbers of users, or to create groups among friends only. Groups can be created temporarily for a multiplayer game, or they can be created as lasting entities usable as communities.

Ranking:

• This feature uploads scores so users can get the relative rankings. Rankings can be calculated for only a certain period of time, or for only the scores of players registered in a certain group, and the score information can be periodically reset.

Data Store:

• This is a network storage feature. Any data can be optionally saved to the game server. This saved data can be tagged, searched, and appended with ratings and the like.

Subscriber:

• This is a messaging feature based on the publish-subscribe pattern. It can be used to post messages on certain topics, poll for posts on certain topic, and otherwise share information within the application.

This my be the primary reason we're being asked to pay for online services now.

Nintendo Switch hardware specifications:

Yeah, it's believed to be Devkit 1 from July/August, not the final one shipped back in october, which is supposed to be more powerful

[Radiant Hero Ike]

So is a Nintendo Direct not likely now? Or could they announce it tomorrow and then it could happen on Friday? I want some more info from SwitchDonald's in the form of a Switch Mac (though a Quarter Switcher would be nice too).