Is Nintendo dead and is the switch the nail in the coffin?

[PolluxTroy]

Discuss.

 

[smokehouse]

Yes, Nintendo is in hot water. Like usual, their IP's and handhelds will continue to keep them afloat.

I didn't want to shit on the thread where everyone is all excited about the Switch, but it seems like another limp attempt at Nintendo to "revolutionize" how we play games. Like the Wii and the Wii U, I will 100% ignore the switch and I imagine so will a vast majority of the gaming community.

 

[Neo Alec]

Nintendo's not dead, but the Switch is a DOA idea.

It's too bad no company will just accept third place in the console war. Nintendo thinks they always have to do something different to justify their presence in the market. I liked having three mainstream consoles to choose from in the GameCube days.

 

[wookiewombat]

I honestly give it 4-6 years before we see a Mario game or Zelda game on a Sony or Microsoft console. They are clearly having a hard time appealing to the hardcore audience, initial reactions for the Switch seem to validate that sentiment.

I get that "They have so much money banked" blah blah blah, but after the failure of the Wii U and if the Switch does a dive bomb as well, I'd say they need to start looking into alternatives. Especially with 3DS sales, not being as great as the DS.

 

[ballzdeepx]

If this console truly bridges the gap between the DS line and the home console, then they have an exciting prospect ahead of them. Combine the 1st party console and DS release style games along with the same (or more) amount of 3rd party DS IP, and they could have quite the library.

Even the fact that you will get neo geo and who knows what other legacy titles on this thing has me excited because the 3DS feels cheap and the screen isn't the best. This device will be way more ergonomic and comfortable to play on, and being able to play the first party stuff on here while being handheld is welcomed for the same reasons - doing the same on the giant WiiU tablet felt cheap.

The screen on this device is a huge upgrade over anything they have put out, or is out for handheld gaming presently.

 

[BlackaneseNiNjA]

It's way too soon to tell. If Nintendo would just wake up and put a pokemon game on the switch that looks like Zelda Breath of the Wild they would be just fine.

 

[GohanX]

This device will be way more ergonomic and comfortable to play on

This is really the key for me. Since getting the Wii U a few years back I've barely touched my 3DS. The gamepad is just way more comfortable than the 3DS, and the Switch seems to improve on the design.

 

[GutsDozer]

I don't think Switch will kill them. I'm going to give it a chance but I think they need to step up their first party games. They need to bring back things like Metroid and try and cater to their customers that have been around since the beginning. Another thing they need to stop doing is holding back product to create demand. All other big companies like Sony and Microsoft make sure there is enough product on the shelves. Nintendo needs to follow suit and make sure there is enough Switch to go around.

 

[NGCDFreak]

Nintendo has been dead (to me) since the N64.

 

[Gyrian]

For all the doom & gloom, Nintendo is not even in the position SEGA found themselves on towards the end of the 90's. They will survive the Switch. Despite the tepid start, it's far too early to call the new system dead, too. For my part, I expect that time + a hardware revision might still do wonders for the platform just like it did for the 3DS.

 

[aha2940]

Nintendo died to me with the n64. Never had it, never liked it. Same for Wii and all the other consoles they have produced. I like the GBA, but that's it for post-SNES Nintendo consoles for me.

 

[smokehouse]

Nintendo has been dead (to me) since the N64.

Nintendo died to me with the n64. Never had it, never liked it. Same for Wii and all the other consoles they have produced. I like the GBA, but that's it for post-SNES Nintendo consoles for me.

I can somewhat say the same things.

I really like(ed) the Gamecube. I tried with the Wii but got rid of the thing (motion based control is not something I enjoy). Since then? I've completely ignored nintendo.

Handheld speaking, in my world, the GameBoy Advance was god-like, such an amazing library. I've 100% ignored the entire DS-era. Where the GBA was a mobile, slightly more powerful SNES...all that DS shit is like some shitty mobile N64...which I fucking hate. That may not be the case in reality...but in my mind it is.

I refuse to say that new Nintendo games are shit...I'll more so say that they just aren't for me. Once my favorite Nintendo IP's entered into the 3D world, I've been done with them. Zelda, Mario, Metroid...not really a fan of any of the 3D versions of these games.

 

[Gamefan]

I think Nintendo should abandon the home console market and re-market the switch as a portable. If they can create new IPs, update the existing DS/GBA lineup, then they have a very good chance of keeping that market. Once you are in the home console market space, Nintendo cannot keep up with Sony or Microsoft. Of course, this is just my opinion.

Also, I read somewhere that Nintendo is entertaining the VR space. How is that going to even be possible with the Switch in any decent capacity?

 

[Gyrian]

I think Nintendo should abandon the home console market and re-market the switch as a portable.

While this isn't their marketing message, this is essentially what they are doing by merging their output into a single platform that's flexible enough to live somewhere between both. Sure, they say the 3DS still has a future, but it's more likely that they're messaging this way to keep the milking for as long as they possibly can. At this junction, they would be foolish to give the 3DS any kind of real priority.

 

[NeoTurfMasta]

Give it a few years. They'll make a low cost version of this that is a home console only with no screen. Maybe I'll buy it then. I don't see myself going to any rooftop parties that would require me to take a Switch with me.

 

[Fygee]

Is Nintendo dead? No.

Is the Switch a good idea? Yes.

Is the execution on the Switch subpar, especially in comparison to current console and PC technology? You bet.

Will it cause Nintendo to lose money and third party developers? Definitely, at least one year after release.

 

[smokehouse]

While this isn't their marketing message, this is essentially what they are doing by merging their output into a single platform that's flexible enough to live somewhere between both. Sure, they say the 3DS still has a future, but it's more likely that they're messaging this way to keep the milking for as long as they possibly can. At this junction, they would be foolish to give the 3DS any kind of real priority.

I agree. Nintendo hasn't been vastly successful at home consoles for some time. They have been successful in the mobile gaming market. They're trying to combine the two with the Switch.

I'll gladly admit that I am not the one to ask about any of this...I am not their target market. The only thing I'll say is; who is their target audience? Will they ever find one with the Switch? If I had to make an educated guess...I'd say no, they won't.

Again, I could be wrong, but I really feel Nintendo's strength is their IPs. They should stop making home consoles and take their strong lineup of games to the PS/XBox market. If they want to continue making handhelds...fine.

 

[ki_atsushi]

I predict Nintendo being a cellphone only game maker after this next generation (~5 years). Too much pride to make games on other consoles when they inevitably start to decline.

 

[massimiliano]

Give it a few years. They'll make a low cost version of this that is a home console only with no screen. Maybe I'll buy it then. I don't see myself going to any rooftop parties that would require me to take a Switch with me.

Yeah, I always thought of you as a true hardcore metrosexual hipster.

 

[neofonta]

Nintendo will never die as long as there is a legion of fans giving it permanent support.
Its sales will never be the best but they will be enough to keep her afloat.

 

[neo_mao]

Nintendo will never die. When the times get tough, just release more amiibos and/or classic HDMI systems.


The other maybe not insignificant thing to note is that there was a time when the 3DS was on fire in terms of games and the Wii U had nothing (I'm taking even 1st party stuff).

And vice versa.

So maybe now at there'll be a steady stream of good Nintendo releases.

 

[neo_mao]

Oh hey will the Switch work with amiibos??????????????????????????

 

[Gyrian]

I don't see myself going to any rooftop parties that would require me to take a Switch with me.

The only thing I'll say is; who is their target audience? Will they ever find one with the Switch? If I had to make an educated guess...I'd say no, they won't.

The real danger for them is that the Switch makes most sense mainly to their increasingly small loyalist base: one that's aging but will stick around for whatever is next but will also really benefit from the flexibility of this device against their diminishing time to game. How they can hook a new audience like they did with the Wii, or expand what they have (maybe late to the party to be everyone's default second console?), this isn't looking great with the cards they've played so far.

 

[Ip Man]

yes. the switch will be the end of nintendo as a gaming company, and they will go into making old fashion home crackers.

 

[GohanX]

Oh hey will the Switch work with amiibos??????????????????????????

Yes, although I haven't yet seen how they are used with any of the titles. They did mention it briefly in the presentation that the Switch has the Amiibo reader thing.