Nintendo pins financial hopes on selling 2 million Switch consoles at launch

Players will be able to try the system before its launch in March.

Read the whole story

 

[evanalmightyyy]

I really am just waiting to see it play actual games, and see how well they play. I think the concept is great but until I see performance in action I am just mildy interested.

 

[engdlyzp]

I can see it selling like crazy since the hype seemed huge. However, I only see a glorified tablet. Side controllers aside, there really doesn't seem to be much going on.

On another note, I liked the first party games Nintendo had as they were excellent offline multiplayer games. I wonder if that will continue with this new device.

 

[dr_lha]

March 2017 is so soon, have we ever had a console that we're known less about this soon before launch? Well I supposed we knew even less about it before the recent video preview of it!

Launch price will be key here. Along with what you get with the console. I'm wondering if they can sell the full bundle for less than $300, or whether we'll see just that price just cover the basic handheld, with the docking station and home controller extra.

 

[Kane2207]

Given the internet hoo-ha about this, I think 2 million is probably quite a conservative estimate.

Price will make or break it.

 

[cyclingsm]

I look forward to it but I am a bit wary since using the screened Wii U controller was painful for my hands...

 

[Mangosteen69]

engdlyzp[/url]":2xbkit4u]I can see it selling like crazy since the hype seemed huge. However, I only see a glorified tablet. Side controllers aside, there really doesn't seem to be much going on.

On another note, I liked the first party games Nintendo had as they were excellent offline multiplayer games. I wonder if that will continue with this new device.

The trailer did show offline multiplayer gaming so I would expect Nintendo to remain committed to it (as usual).

 

[lunarworks]

engdlyzp[/url]":3e8zbong]I can see it selling like crazy since the hype seemed huge. However, I only see a glorified tablet. Side controllers aside, there really doesn't seem to be much going on.

On another note, I liked the first party games Nintendo had as they were excellent offline multiplayer games. I wonder if that will continue with this new device.

The games are what will differentiate this from a tablet.

Tablet games aren't usually all that compelling. They're typically just time-wasters. Nintendo's gonna bring the gameplay and quality.

 

[theycallmetatersalad]

lunarworks[/url]":3iszhln0]

engdlyzp[/url]":3iszhln0]I can see it selling like crazy since the hype seemed huge. However, I only see a glorified tablet. Side controllers aside, there really doesn't seem to be much going on.

On another note, I liked the first party games Nintendo had as they were excellent offline multiplayer games. I wonder if that will continue with this new device.

The games are what will differentiate this from a tablet.

Tablet games aren't usually all that compelling. They're typically just time-wasters. Nintendo's gonna bring the gameplay and quality.

And actual, physical, controllers. Touch is crap for gaming.

 

[gwguy]

Well certainly the premise is certainly promising and it's the logical end game of all their product lines.

The only issue from a financial standpoint is how much they've accounted for the switch cannibalizing the DS sales. Obviously the Wii/WiiU is dead, but the DS's have been strong sellers and it may be that where fan would buy a Wii and a DS now they only buy a switch.

 

[RandomTask089]

As long as they have a solid game line up at release I think they will do alright. A game (even if it's an older WiiU title) included with the console at release would be a cherry on top. I dislike having to drop money on a console and an extra $60 for a game to play on it.

If they can get it in the sub-$300 price point and closer to $250 so it doesn't have to deal with direct comparisons with current consoles, I think it'll sell like hotcakes

 

[Marlor_AU]

Given that the Switch is evidently the successor to both Nintendo's handheld and home console lines, I don't think there is any surprise that the company's financials hinge upon it.

I think there is a bit of right-sizing going on here. Given that Nintendo, as a purely gaming company, can't hope to compete with high-performance gaming consoles offered by the diversified behemoths Sony and Microsoft, it really has made no sense for a while now to maintain two separate libraries of games. Nintendo's output has been solid over the past few years, but split across two platforms, it hasn't seemed like that was the case.

Unifying the company's games output makes a lot of sense, provided that a decent proportion of Wii U and 3DS owners "make the switch". With a unified development target, Nintendo will have no problems satisfying gamers with first-party output alone. If the Switch can attract some lapsed Nintendo gamers and new audiences, then third parties will likely come on board as well (in more than a token capacity), and the device will be a real success.

However. It really is a case of all their eggs being in one basket. In the past Nintendo has often done well with handheld sales while home console sales have flagged and vice versa. This is an all-in gamble for the company.

 

[IntergalacticWalrus]

engdlyzp[/url]":veaoqfqt]However, I only see a glorified tablet.

It's not a tablet. It's a handheld game console (that can also be docked and output to HDMI).

I mean I thought it was fairly obvious but apparently some people like you don't even remember what a handheld game console is, which is a damn shame.

 

[Kyle Orland]

dr_lha[/url]":19j8jfkg]March 2017 is so soon, have we ever had a console that we're known less about this soon before launch? Well I supposed we knew even less about it before the recent video preview of it!

Launch price will be key here. Along with what you get with the console. I'm wondering if they can sell the full bundle for less than $300, or whether we'll see just that price just cover the basic handheld, with the docking station and home controller extra.

"have we ever had a console that we're known less about this soon before launch?"

Nope!

 

[Stone]

RandomTask089[/url]":1i1mdy8a]As long as they have a solid game line up at release I think they will do alright. A game (even if it's an older WiiU title) included with the console at release would be a cherry on top. I dislike having to drop money on a console and an extra $60 for a game to play on it.

If they can get it in the sub-$300 price point and closer to $250 so it doesn't have to deal with direct comparisons with current consoles, I think it'll sell like hotcakes

Considering it's essentially a 2017 Nvidia Shield with a charge/video dock, $250-300 shouldn't be too tough to reach.

edit: touch -> tough

 

[Jeht]

Does anyone know if it will have a charging/USB port that can be used without the docking station? It would be nice to be able to charge it on the plane or on trips.

 

[vartec]

Kane2207[/url]":2rti9oqi]Given the internet hoo-ha about this, I think 2 million is probably quite a conservative estimate.

Price will make or break it.

OTOH, last Zelda game sold only 1.15mln copies.

 

[LimpBagel]

Jeht[/url]":5nqgtre5]Does anyone know if it will have a charging/USB port that can be used without the docking station? It would be nice to be able to charge it on the plane or on trips.

Not confirmed but they would be pants on head to not include it.

 

[vartec]

IntergalacticWalrus[/url]":62uqpapc]

engdlyzp[/url]":62uqpapc]However, I only see a glorified tablet.

It's not a tablet. It's a handheld game console (that can also be docked and output to HDMI).

It's a Nintendo branded slightly upgraded Nivida Shield tablet.

 

[Voldenuit]

Stone[/url]":2h79wb93]

RandomTask089[/url]":2h79wb93]As long as they have a solid game line up at release I think they will do alright. A game (even if it's an older WiiU title) included with the console at release would be a cherry on top. I dislike having to drop money on a console and an extra $60 for a game to play on it.

If they can get it in the sub-$300 price point and closer to $250 so it doesn't have to deal with direct comparisons with current consoles, I think it'll sell like hotcakes

Considering it's essentially a 2017 Nvidia Shield with a charge/video dock, $250-300 shouldn't be too touch to reach.

Also, don't forget the Shield Tablet came out in 2014 with a 1080p screen for $299 and the Switch only has a 720p screen.

 

[diabol1k]

Voldenuit[/url]":1qibnxmz]

Stone[/url]":1qibnxmz]

RandomTask089[/url]":1qibnxmz]As long as they have a solid game line up at release I think they will do alright. A game (even if it's an older WiiU title) included with the console at release would be a cherry on top. I dislike having to drop money on a console and an extra $60 for a game to play on it.

If they can get it in the sub-$300 price point and closer to $250 so it doesn't have to deal with direct comparisons with current consoles, I think it'll sell like hotcakes

Considering it's essentially a 2017 Nvidia Shield with a charge/video dock, $250-300 shouldn't be too touch to reach.

Also, don't forget the Shield Tablet came out in 2014 with a 1080p screen for $299 and this... thing only has a 720p screen.

Didn't the Shield have utterly abysmal battery life? A lower resolution screen is certainly one way to address that issue.

 

[foreignreign]

vartec[/url]":11twxjlc]

Kane2207[/url]":11twxjlc]Given the internet hoo-ha about this, I think 2 million is probably quite a conservative estimate.

Price will make or break it.

OTOH, last Zelda game sold only 1.15mln copies.

If the Switch launches with Mario that's a guaranteed like 5m units so.

 

[sword_9mm]

launch it with a good lineup of games and a good price and it should do well.

new zelda, a pokemon game, a mario game, even wiiU games remade for it would be great. lots of folks never got a wiiU and i'd love to play that hyrule warriors game as well as the donkey kongs and yoshi's and what not.

put 10-20 games on a shelf at launch, launch the tablet only for 199$, base + tablet 249$ and i think they'd have a hit.

 

[vartec]

foreignreign[/url]":1i014y9m]

vartec[/url]":1i014y9m]

Kane2207[/url]":1i014y9m]Given the internet hoo-ha about this, I think 2 million is probably quite a conservative estimate.

Price will make or break it.

OTOH, last Zelda game sold only 1.15mln copies.

If the Switch launches with Mario that's a guaranteed like 5m units so.

Does it really? Nostalgia train only gets you so far. Kids nowadays don't know Mario and don't care for Mario. They prefer Minecraft

 

[cloroxbb]

Jeht[/url]":15mtcxfg]Does anyone know if it will have a charging/USB port that can be used without the docking station? It would be nice to be able to charge it on the plane or on trips.

Yes, in the scene with the guy that sits next to the blonde in the airport it shows it plugged in on the bottom of the Switch.

 

[Mangosteen69]

SmokeTest[/url]":1jpwghd7]It would be great if Nintendo would just produce a "normal" console again. I am utterly baffled at their failure to learn their lessons from their repeated failures in the console market.

The N64 was a huge success in western markets, but not in Japan. Mostly because developers hated cartridges (lots of reasons), which caused 3rd party developers to flee to the PlayStation. Nintendo loses its dominance in RPGs, forever. Sony crushes Nintendo in sales.

The Gamecube slid even further, failing to match the N64's sales, and coming in dead last in sales compared to the Xbox and PS2, which beat the GameCube even worse than the PSX beat the N64. And the underpowered console with tiny discs was again not a hit with 3rd party developers. Nintendo has its biggest 3rd party developer flap ever with the "Capcom 5". Even first party games are crippled by the underpowered console, like Wind Waker which had to limit sailing speed and content in the overworld because of a lack of memory, which are alleviated in the Wii U remake, proving that game design was hindered by the hardware.

The Wii seems to have been a fluke, selling loads of consoles. It did nothing to convince 3rd party developers to return, though. Still, based on sales it's Nintendo's best console in a long time.

The Wii U...oh my god the fail. Despite coming out first, it was rapidly surpassed by all competitors, and the third party library problem is in full force. Still.

So, after a few decades of shooting themselves in the foot, they release...a weird, unproven console/handheld hybrid? Who knows, maybe this makes sense, as Nintendo's handheld market has been covering for the failures of its consoles for decades, so maybe this is just what their console needs. I think I see a little too much Wii U in the NX, though.

Personally? I'd prefer a normal console that has normal controllers and the horsepower needed to play modern games at modern resolutions and framerates. I suspect I'm not the only one, either.

Maybe if MS does bow out of the console race (as has been rumoured due to crap XB1 sales) THEN it might make some sense to TRY competing with the PS for "regular (powerful) console". Currently that market is fully saturated and Nintendo wouldn't be able to compete very well.

TL;DR: there's no good argument for Nintendo to compete in the "high powered" "normal" console segment except "muh developer support" which NVidia might be able to help with on the Switch.

 

[Kane2207]

vartec[/url]":3orkx2qb]

foreignreign[/url]":3orkx2qb]

vartec[/url]":3orkx2qb]

Kane2207[/url]":3orkx2qb]Given the internet hoo-ha about this, I think 2 million is probably quite a conservative estimate.

Price will make or break it.

OTOH, last Zelda game sold only 1.15mln copies.

If the Switch launches with Mario that's a guaranteed like 5m units so.

Does it really? Nostalgia train only gets you so far. Kids nowadays don't know Mario and don't care for Mario. They prefer Minecraft

Mario 3D Wrld on the Wii U was/is epic, you're missing out.

http://www.metacritic.com/game/wii-u/su ... o-3d-world

 

[Unzip_for_Harambe]

vartec[/url]":1fsnufer]

Kane2207[/url]":1fsnufer]Given the internet hoo-ha about this, I think 2 million is probably quite a conservative estimate.

Price will make or break it.

OTOH, last Zelda game sold only 1.15mln copies.

According to Wikipedia:

Skyward Sword: 3+ million copies
Link Btwn Worlds: 2.5 million in first 5 months

 

[OrangeCream]

engdlyzp[/url]":134xeipl]I can see it selling like crazy since the hype seemed huge. However, I only see a glorified tablet. Side controllers aside, there really doesn't seem to be much going on.

On another note, I liked the first party games Nintendo had as they were excellent offline multiplayer games. I wonder if that will continue with this new device.

The 2DS is a glorified tablet with side controllers, too.

 

[OrangeCream]

Unzip_for_Harambe[/url]":1r1111b0]

vartec[/url]":1r1111b0]

Kane2207[/url]":1r1111b0]Given the internet hoo-ha about this, I think 2 million is probably quite a conservative estimate.

Price will make or break it.

OTOH, last Zelda game sold only 1.15mln copies.

According to Wikipedia:

Skyward Sword: 3+ million copies
Link Btwn Worlds: 2.5 million in first 5 months

Unless he's talking about Triforce Heroes

 

[bri2000]

theycallmetatersalad[/url]":1lqnjgfk]

lunarworks[/url]":1lqnjgfk]

engdlyzp[/url]":1lqnjgfk]I can see it selling like crazy since the hype seemed huge. However, I only see a glorified tablet. Side controllers aside, there really doesn't seem to be much going on.

On another note, I liked the first party games Nintendo had as they were excellent offline multiplayer games. I wonder if that will continue with this new device.

The games are what will differentiate this from a tablet.

Tablet games aren't usually all that compelling. They're typically just time-wasters. Nintendo's gonna bring the gameplay and quality.

And actual, physical, controllers. Touch is crap for gaming.

More like touch is crap for certain genres. And probably not as many as us middle aged fogies railing against these damn kids and their new fangled touchscreens and demanding that they use "proper" controls like we had when we were young, think.

I've watched my nieces and nephews playing Minecraft, Terraria and other stuff quite happily on phones and cheap tablets until the batteries die. They'll play them on console with physical controllers as well but aren't especially fussed either way and don't complain that some genres of game they can play on console aren't available on tablet.

So far as I can tell the hopes for the success of this device seems to be posited on the idea there's a big market of people who are so desperate to play, for example, fighting games or Mario while out that they'll carry yet another device specifically for that purpose. I'm not convinced of that.

I suspect this will sell very well initially to the nostalgia crowd currently hailing it on the internet, then drop off sharply. It will be very interesting to see what happens.

 

[Marlor_AU]

SmokeTest[/url]":25m55u9h]It would be great if Nintendo would just produce a "normal" console again. I am utterly baffled at their failure to learn their lessons from their repeated failures in the console market.

Whenever I see comments like this, I wonder when the mythical time in history when Nintendo used to regularly produce high-powered, cutting-edge consoles occurred.

Was it with the NES (powered by a 6502 core that was first released in 1975)? Or was it with the SNES (powered by an almost decade-old CPU design - similar to the one used in the mid-80s era Apple IIGS)?

Nintendo's philosophy has always been lateral thinking with withered technology.

The Gamecube slid even further, failing to match the N64's sales, and coming in dead last in sales compared to the Xbox and PS2, which beat the GameCube even worse than the PSX beat the N64. And the underpowered console with tiny discs was again not a hit with 3rd party developers.

The Gamecube was massively more powerful than the PS2, and didn't lag far behind the XBox. If you want to point to any period of time in Nintendo's history where the company competed on tech specs, this is it.

Personally? I'd prefer a normal console that has normal controllers and the horsepower needed to play modern games at modern resolutions and framerates. I suspect I'm not the only one, either.

There are two of those. You can buy them quite easily!

But asking Nintendo to release one is asking the company to do something that isn't in its DNA.

 

[Mangosteen69]

vartec[/url]":2uphk0nk]

foreignreign[/url]":2uphk0nk]

vartec[/url]":2uphk0nk]

Kane2207[/url]":2uphk0nk]Given the internet hoo-ha about this, I think 2 million is probably quite a conservative estimate.

Price will make or break it.

OTOH, last Zelda game sold only 1.15mln copies.

If the Switch launches with Mario that's a guaranteed like 5m units so.

Does it really? Nostalgia train only gets you so far. Kids nowadays don't know Mario and don't care for Mario. They prefer Minecraft

OMG! If Switch launches with a non-crippled version of Minecraft (preferably non-mobile version, but there's not much hope of getting the full PC version) then I might just buy it day 1 (currently going to wait for a main series pokemon to be released). Hell, even the mobile version would be fine. I never play minecraft on my phone because the controls are unbearable.

P.S I don't think the Wii U ever got Minecraft because it was too weak right? (3DS is definitely way too underpowered). I hope MS doesn't try to withhold a Minecraft port for the Switch... (which should be powerful enough at least for the Android/mobile version).

EDIT: turns out the Wii U did get minecraft, my bad. Nonetheless, this could be THE premium (best) mobile Minecraft experience out the there!!

 

[SmokeTest]

Mangosteen69[/url]":2yb2qgek]

SmokeTest[/url]":2yb2qgek]It would be great if Nintendo would just produce a "normal" console again. I am utterly baffled at their failure to learn their lessons from their repeated failures in the console market.

The N64 was a huge success in western markets, but not in Japan. Mostly because developers hated cartridges (lots of reasons), which caused 3rd party developers to flee to the PlayStation. Nintendo loses its dominance in RPGs, forever. Sony crushes Nintendo in sales.

The Gamecube slid even further, failing to match the N64's sales, and coming in dead last in sales compared to the Xbox and PS2, which beat the GameCube even worse than the PSX beat the N64. And the underpowered console with tiny discs was again not a hit with 3rd party developers. Nintendo has its biggest 3rd party developer flap ever with the "Capcom 5". Even first party games are crippled by the underpowered console, like Wind Waker which had to limit sailing speed and content in the overworld because of a lack of memory, which are alleviated in the Wii U remake, proving that game design was hindered by the hardware.

The Wii seems to have been a fluke, selling loads of consoles. It did nothing to convince 3rd party developers to return, though. Still, based on sales it's Nintendo's best console in a long time.

The Wii U...oh my god the fail. Despite coming out first, it was rapidly surpassed by all competitors, and the third party library problem is in full force. Still.

So, after a few decades of shooting themselves in the foot, they release...a weird, unproven console/handheld hybrid? Who knows, maybe this makes sense, as Nintendo's handheld market has been covering for the failures of its consoles for decades, so maybe this is just what their console needs. I think I see a little too much Wii U in the NX, though.

Personally? I'd prefer a normal console that has normal controllers and the horsepower needed to play modern games at modern resolutions and framerates. I suspect I'm not the only one, either.

Maybe if MS does bow out of the console race (as has been rumoured due to crap XB1 sales) THEN it might make some sense to TRY competing with the PS for "regular (powerful) console". Currently that market is fully saturated and Nintendo wouldn't be able to compete very well.

TL;DR: there's no good argument for Nintendo to compete in the "high powered" "normal" console segment except "muh developer support" which NVidia might be able to help with on the Switch.

I'd say the abysmal Wii U sales (<33% of PS4) are a pretty good argument for dropping the stupid gimmicks and just making a solid console with a solid games library. Also, it would do wonders for the chronic third party problem Nintendo has had since the N64 days.

I believe it was Einstein that said the definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Maybe, just maybe, Nintendo should try something different than it has been, and produce a console without a gimmick.

 

[Mangosteen69]

cloroxbb[/url]":2f89hiuc]

Jeht[/url]":2f89hiuc]Does anyone know if it will have a charging/USB port that can be used without the docking station? It would be nice to be able to charge it on the plane or on trips.

Yes, in the scene with the guy that sits next to the blonde in the airport it shows it plugged in on the bottom of the Switch.

Foreshadowing of low battery life doom?? (Can't last a 6 hour flight?!?!?)

 

[Kane2207]

Mangosteen69[/url]":7kcm6jub]

vartec[/url]":7kcm6jub]

foreignreign[/url]":7kcm6jub]

vartec[/url]":7kcm6jub]

Kane2207[/url]":7kcm6jub]Given the internet hoo-ha about this, I think 2 million is probably quite a conservative estimate.

Price will make or break it.

OTOH, last Zelda game sold only 1.15mln copies.

If the Switch launches with Mario that's a guaranteed like 5m units so.

Does it really? Nostalgia train only gets you so far. Kids nowadays don't know Mario and don't care for Mario. They prefer Minecraft

OMG! If Switch launches with a non-crippled version of Minecraft (preferably non-mobile version, but there's not much hope of getting the full PC version) then I might just buy it day 1 (currently going to wait for a main series pokemon to be released). Hell, even the mobile version would be fine. I never play minecraft on my phone because the controls are unbearable.

P.S I don't think the Wii U ever got Minecraft because it was too weak right? (3DS is definitely way too underpowered). I hope MS doesn't try to withhold a Minecraft port for the Switch... (which should be powerful enough at least for the Android/mobile version).

The Wii U got Minecraft - it even had an exclusive pack

https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Wii-U- ... 76821.html

 

[pmartin66]

I think they can sell at least 2 million. There are enough Nintendo fans. Me, I'm out and done with them. My son will probably continue to buy their stuff though, as he is a diehard Nintendo fan.

 

[StitchesX]

engdlyzp[/url]":3sd69lel]I can see it selling like crazy since the hype seemed huge. However, I only see a glorified tablet. Side controllers aside, there really doesn't seem to be much going on.

On another note, I liked the first party games Nintendo had as they were excellent offline multiplayer games. I wonder if that will continue with this new device.

The above mirrors comments posted when MS and the Sony shifted from custom chip sets to x86-based ones.

Yes, everything is a computer. So what is really your point.

As long as it supports the "Gameflow" Nintendo is demonstrating with game looking as good and with enough untapped potential for game to grow, it doesn't matter if it is a tablet, a console, or an empty shell powered by the tears of Cthulhu. If it changes the playing field and refines or innovates, I am game for it.

Given this lackluster console generation, on the hardware front at least, it is most welcome.