Reasons why I personally lost hype for the Nintendo Switch

[JoeCoke]

DISCLAIMER: I do not claim any of this to be factual, this is just my POV/opinion on the matter. I am a lifelong Nintendo fan and I want to be hopeful for the Switch, but Nintendo isn't really giving me many reasons. I am not just “hating on Nintendo”, I own every Nintendo console (yes, even the WiiU) and I love Nintendo. But I'm not just gonna be a corporate fanboy/slave and blindly hype everything they do, because in the end, they're a corporation trying to make money, nothing more. Defending a corporation just because “you like them” is just plain stupid.

 

I do welcome people to correct me on certain points, though. I wish all of these points were wrong. So if I did make a point that is wrong and you feel the need to clear it up, please do. This list is based on the information I've heard, and that information could very well be wrong.

 

Now, anyway, here is my list.

 

Reasons I lost hype for the Switch:

 

1. It's basically just a portable Wii U power wise, maybe a little stronger. Zelda U runs 720p 30FPS on the WiiU, and it runs 900p 30FPS on the Switch. Only a slight difference from what we can tell so far. What could this possibly mean? Poor 3^rd party support yet again! So “fun > graphics” arguments are stupid, because if you're lacking most games and the games you do have run like crap, where is your “fun”?

 

2. Weak launch lineup. A bunch of gimmicky motion games. They have one good game, which is Zelda (IMO IMO IMO), but it's coming to the WiiU too, so that barely counts as you don't even need the Switch to play it. Mario is coming in Q4 and Splatoon 2 in Q2/Q3, so until then the Switch could very well be a deserted wasteland.

 

3. They just don't get it. They repeated pretty much every mistake they made with the WiiU. Under powered system, non industry standard architecture, weak launch, bad reveal, etc. How is it possible to do this twice in a row??? Nintendo has however stepped up their marketing game which was severely lacking or non existent last gen.

 

4. Overpriced peripherals. The controllers cost 80$, the grip costs 30$, the dock costs 90$, the straps (YES, THE STRAPS) cost almost 20$. The console costs 300$, so what? 220$ of that is peripherals and the other 80$ is the console itself? Nintendo, what kind of screwed up pricing is that??

 

5. “Look at your hands while you milk the cow.”

okay i know that was just silly but come on i just had to do it

 

6. Most of the online functions (Voice chat, friends, etc) will not be handled by the system, but you need an app on your phone. WHY??? WHY??? A console in 2017 still lacking features other consoles have had since like 2005. If I need a phone to do voice chat, I'm also not gonna be using their app, I'd just use Discord. Sigh.

 

7. Paid online. Now all the Nintendo fanboys that complained about how anti-consumer Phony and Micro$soft have been will be hypocrites when they pay for online. Subscription fees for online are just ridiculous. I paid for the console, I paid for the games, I pay for my internet access, so why should I have to pay a special fee to pay online?

 

Now, this system could still be successful because it the successor to the 3DS, and Nintendo's handhelds have always performed very well. And as a handheld, these specs aren't bad at all. Let's hope for that, because if the system sells well, most of these problems could be rendered irrelevant. A system that is selling well has a much higher chance for 3^rd party support. This console could end up being amazing in the long run, but one thing's for sure, this launch is a joke. To make this clear yet again, I LOVE NINTENDO AND I WANT THEM TO SUCCEED! Just is my current POV which could change at any time. Knowing me, I'll probably buy a Switch a few years down the line after it has a strong library and price cuts.

[malon]

I personaly was more hyped over the nintendo classic console than the switch, also i will first wait untill more games come out because i cant remember a time in the last 10 years+ where a console launched with a good liberary of games, i meen ive had my ps4 since launch and i stil have the feeling that there are no games that would make me want to buy it, or replace it with a new one it if it broke today.

[Pesmerga]

The paid online bothers me a lot, usually nintendo hasn't a massive amount of online games, requiring a fee to play them will probably kill them as well. Yes they can be played in local co-op (I hope) and it works for mario kart and smash, they can survive without internet, but I think games like splatoon would suffer immensely.

[JoeCoke]

2 hours ago, Pesmerga said:

The paid online bothers me a lot, usually nintendo hasn't a massive amount of online games, requiring a fee to play them will probably kill them as well. Yes they can be played in local co-op (I hope) and it works for mario kart and smash, they can survive without internet, but I think games like splatoon would suffer immensely.

Yeah, it's really shitty. The online has never been great on Nintendo, both in quality and quantity. It's possible that adding a price tag on top of those problems could make it even worse. Maybe they're adding a pricetag to it because they're finally ready to get serious about online, but this is Nintendo so I have my doubts.

[Princess Luna]

3 minutes ago, 2Buck said:

Yeah, it's really shitty. The online has never been great on Nintendo, both in quality and quantity. It's possible that adding a price tag on top of those problems could make it even worse. Maybe they're adding a pricetag to it because they're finally ready to get serious about online, but this is Nintendo so I have my doubts.

Moral of the story: All Praise our Lord Gabe and the Steam Heavens.

 

No, for real now; I have never been into Nintendo, I felt their console was the weakest of all three since the x360 PS3 Wii era, and considering how they really have nothing to offer but their exclusives at this point going the exact same direction as Sony and Microsoft and charge for online services and such seems like a wrong direction to follow whatever way I look at it.

[JoeCoke]

3 minutes ago, Princess Cadence said:

Moral of the story: All Praise our Lord Gabe and the Steam Heavens.

 

No, for real now; I have never been into Nintendo, I felt their console was the weakest of all three since the x360 PS3 Wii era, and considering how they really have nothing to offer but their exclusives at this point going the exact same direction as Sony and Microsoft and charge for online services and such seems like a wrong direction to follow whatever way I look at it.

Exactly. It's a shame Nintendo is so irrelevant, but it's no one's fault but there own. After the Gamecube, they quit trying to compete with hardware all together. It truly is only a race between Xbox and PS4 these days.

[manikyath]

talking sharing opinions, pretty much everything on your list, aside from the pay to online thing, made me go "yup. that's nintendo. it's been like that for a while."

[JoeCoke]

5 minutes ago, manikyath said:

talking sharing opinions, pretty much everything on your list, aside from the pay to online thing, made me go "yup. that's nintendo. it's been like that for a while."

Sadly that's very true. I don't know why I expected different from the Switch, because Nintendo has made the same stupid mistakes time and time again. The only thing the Switch has going for it is the handheld market, but if we're talking home consoles it's a complete joke.

 

I'm just gonna leave these here. They're graphical comparisons between the PS4 and Switch.

[Monkey Dust]

My concern is the very limited games available at launch. Consoles don't live and die by how powerful they are, they live and die by the games and there doesn't seem to be enough of them yet.

 

I hope it succeeds, I'm a long term Nintendo fanboy, but I'm a definitely a bit worried.