Nintendo's Witch

HOTTEST NINTENDO'S WITCH GIRL!

Ashley
1
4%
Bayonetta
10
37%
Broom Hattler
1
4%
Cackletta
0
No votes
Drawcia
0
No votes
Gruntilda
1
4%
Irene
1
4%
Kamella
0
No votes
Koume and Kotake
0
No votes
Mapes
0
No votes
Maple
2
7%
Syrup
1
4%
Tharja
8
30%
Witch (Fire Emblem)
2
7%
Vivian
0
No votes
 
Total votes: 27
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Nintendo's Witch

Postby IGNORE ME » Thu Oct 20, 2016 12:10 pm



After what seems like an eternity of waiting, the Nintendo NX turns out to be... almost exactly what everything thought it was going to be. The ultimate surprise!

In the grand tradition of Nintendo's actual console names being much less cool than their associated project names, the thing is called the Nintendo Switch. It's a tablet at its core that you can hot-drop into and out of a TV-connected dock, and a pair of handles/tiny controlpads that you can slide onto the sides of the tablet, onto a filler piece of plastic, or apparently just hold awkwardly separate (Wiimote+Nunchuck style) or use as two tiny controllers, if you're into any of that.

Nobody asked me, but I'm going to comment on the video because I would rather do this than go to work.

0:06: As a bearded 30-something white guy I'm just going to say, no matter what your target audience actually is, please do not use bearded 30-something white guys in your video game advertisements. Thank you.
0:39: The framerate in portable mode looks like shit, even in the trailer. Whether this indicative of actual hardware performance or just Nintendo's own bullshots doing them an injustice, dunno.
1:11: They turned off the UI, but apparently that deer head is in Skyrim, so... there's a port of Skyrim. Huh.
1:36: A Mario Kart.
1:41: Two players sharing a half of the side-controller each. It's a cute idea, but even the actors look super-uncomfortable with it. No apparent tilt control.
2:01: A Basketball Game.
2:12: A Mario. Looks new. Unknown if that Dia de las Muertes theming is just a specific area or will be a theme for the whole game; Nintendo seems to love turning its characters in to crafts projects, so I wouldn't be surprise if it turned out to be, like, Super Mario Puppet adventures or something.
2:32: This "two-player via splitting up the controller" thing will probably be used in one awkward demo pack-in game and never again. In all honesty though, I wouldn't actually mind a new NintendoLand.
2:45: Yep, there's Splatoon. Nothing in the trailer looks different from regular old Splatoon on the Wii U, though, so it's unknown at this time whether they're showing off a new game or a port. They seem to really want to sell it as a "serious eSports" game though.
3:08: The normal "handles" look fine but apparently Nintendo thinks you're going to want to play serious eSports with a 100% clone of the X-Box controller, so there's also a 100% clone of the X-Box controller. This is the strongest indication that Nintendo is done with the "two screens" fetish that they've been trying to satisfy since 2004; Splatoon actually made a ton of use out of that Wii U gamepad screen, but now they're suggesting you play it with a specialized controller that doesn't even have a second screen. So hmm. Also, this strongly implies that both the regular handles controller and the X-Box ripoff controller are going to have a gyroscope in them, or else the new Splatoon is going to really suck.
3:35: Bethesda and "NBA" are listed as copyright holders; I'd assume 2K or Take-Two would show up if it was actually NBA2K, but who knows.

So the lingering questions are:

* Price.
* Is it VR ready? (No.)
* Performance in tablet mode vs. docked mode.
* We can assume that it comes with the standard cadre of Netflix/Hulu/etc. streaming apps. Will they work well enough to replace your PS4/XBox as a media center, or your iPad as the tablet you give to your kids to shut them up?
* Seriously do any of the controllers have a gyroscope because there were two games there that demand a gyroscope and they did not show off any gyroscopic control.

All of which is academic to me because if they come out with a new system with a new Zelda and a new Splatoon it could be a fucking watch and they'd still have me by the balls already. C'est la vie.

in b4 someone calls me "Nintendo's Bitch"

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Re: Nintendo's Witch

Postby IGNORE ME » Thu Oct 20, 2016 12:39 pm

Also apparently the reason the Switch is so much like the nVidia Shield is because it is basically the nVidia Shield.

Hopefully with less catching on fire.

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Re: Nintendo's Witch

Postby Wheels » Thu Oct 20, 2016 1:44 pm

This... is interesting. A gimmick that makes it usable to the 18-30 demographic. Again though, the limiting factor on this hardware is going to be the horsepower. The tablet itself has to be the console as opposed to phoning home to the console in your living room over wifi since they showed it being used on a plane and in a park.

I don't think it would be a good idea if they did this mind you, but I wonder if they're going to market this as the new portable option instead of doing another DS or GameBoy as well.
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Re: Nintendo's Witch

Postby Mongrel » Thu Oct 20, 2016 1:50 pm

Yeah, that's Skyrim. Interesting to have a 5 year old game as a marquee example in your new system unveiling.
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Re: Nintendo's Witch

Postby Grath » Thu Oct 20, 2016 2:00 pm

Criteria for me buying one of these:
1) backwards compatible with (downloaded, or maybe disc drive in the dock thing? I dunno.) WiiU games, so I can use my SSB:U gamecube adapter that I don't have a WiiU to use it with. (Dev version of the dock has two USB ports? So maybe.)
2) $300 or less. Maybe $350 max.

I already have a tablet. Mine's running a very beefy Tegra, has a 10" 2560x1800 display (vs 6" 720p), hooks up to a real physical keyboard, and can run emulators using a standard XBox 360 controller via USB OTG rather than two awkward handle-pads.

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Re: Nintendo's Witch

Postby Mongrel » Thu Oct 20, 2016 2:01 pm

Also, fix your poll to allow vote-switching, 'cause I misclicked while googling all the names I didn't recognize. :3
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Re: Nintendo's Witch

Postby Blossom » Thu Oct 20, 2016 2:02 pm

Well, the Skyrim Remaster is coming out soon, I think they're showing off that. And having something like that in their launch lineup speaks to the game's ease of porting - we might be seeing all those PC/PS4/XBone games landing on Switch too.
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Re: Nintendo's Witch

Postby Grath » Thu Oct 20, 2016 2:13 pm

Also: Where's the Nintendo Bait?

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Re: Nintendo's Witch

Postby Wheels » Thu Oct 20, 2016 2:14 pm

Thinking about it, no, this probably IS the portable option as well. The 3DS is starting to show its age and it forces the hand of third parties. To explain, one of the main reason the Wii U failed by anyone's measure is lack of third party support. Why spend development time making console specific mechanics and features that are useless on the more profitable platforms? By that same token, you have to make Nintendo portable specific titles. It's the most profitable platform, who the fuck cares that we can't make it work on the PSP/Vita?

By making this *the* portable option, they'd be dragging third party support in with them by default. And the presentation of the thing makes a pretty clear challenge to the Android/iOS market too. I doubt that will work as well, though. People will always have their phones, regardless how awesome or versatile the Switch is.
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Re: Nintendo's Witch

Postby Grath » Thu Oct 20, 2016 2:25 pm

Defenestration wrote:Thinking about it, no, this probably IS the portable option as well. The 3DS is starting to show its age and it forces the hand of third parties. To explain, one of the main reason the Wii U failed by anyone's measure is lack of third party support. Why spend development time making console specific mechanics and features that are useless on the more profitable platforms? By that same token, you have to make Nintendo portable specific titles. It's the most profitable platform, who the fuck cares that we can't make it work on the PSP/Vita?

By making this *the* portable option, they'd be dragging third party support in with them by default. And the presentation of the thing makes a pretty clear challenge to the Android/iOS market too. I doubt that will work as well, though. People will always have their phones, regardless how awesome or versatile the Switch is.

3DS end of life is 2018.

Rumored battery life is 4 hours active.

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Re: Nintendo's Witch

Postby Wheels » Thu Oct 20, 2016 2:29 pm

We have tablets that have 12 hour battery lives. I'd be surprised if Nintendo lost the 8 hour battery life or bust requirement for something like this.
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Re: Nintendo's Witch

Postby Grath » Thu Oct 20, 2016 2:48 pm

Defenestration wrote:We have tablets that have 12 hour battery lives. I'd be surprised if Nintendo lost the 8 hour battery life or bust requirement for something like this.

My current tablet has sufficient battery life that 3-4 hours of use during commute + light to medium use during the workday for browsing/Discord/note-taking/etc leaves me at 30-40% battery when I plug it in at night. 4 hour battery life would be... unfortunate.

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Re: Nintendo's Witch

Postby Mothra » Thu Oct 20, 2016 3:25 pm

I'm into it. Love the idea of being able to bring a small console to a friends, hook it up, and play on the big screen without much hassle. Also like the idea of playing a portable title on the train home, then flipping it into the TV when I get into my apartment.

Honestly, portable gaming is all I have time for, with multiplayer local the big exception. Combining the two seems like a good idea on the surface.

Concerned about that shitty framerate though.

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Re: Nintendo's Witch

Postby Friday » Thu Oct 20, 2016 4:25 pm

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Is that a pumpkin on your head or are you just happy to Stun my entire squad
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Re: Nintendo's Witch

Postby Metal Slime » Thu Oct 20, 2016 5:21 pm

Brentai wrote:So the lingering questions are:

* Price.
* Is it VR ready? (No.)
* Performance in tablet mode vs. docked mode.
* We can assume that it comes with the standard cadre of Netflix/Hulu/etc. streaming apps. Will they work well enough to replace your PS4/XBox as a media center, or your iPad as the tablet you give to your kids to shut them up?
* Seriously do any of the controllers have a gyroscope because there were two games there that demand a gyroscope and they did not show off any gyroscopic control.


*Battery life of all the battery using components.
*Storage space options for downloadable stuff, because SD cards won't be enough in the end.
*How durable it is since it won't have clamshell protection and is rather sizeable for a portable device.
*Do we have to pay for purchased VC games AGAIN?
*Who's the girl at the end of the trailer and can I play video games with her?

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Re: Nintendo's Witch

Postby patito » Thu Oct 20, 2016 7:51 pm

Is nobody gonna talk about the tiny d-pad?

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Re: Nintendo's Witch

Postby Grath » Thu Oct 20, 2016 8:25 pm

patito wrote:Is nobody gonna talk about the tiny d-pad?

Plus button. There's a minus on the other side.

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Re: Nintendo's Witch

Postby Newbie » Thu Oct 20, 2016 9:48 pm

Grath wrote:1) backwards compatible with (downloaded, or maybe disc drive in the dock thing? I dunno.) WiiU games, so I can use my SSB:U gamecube adapter that I don't have a WiiU to use it with. (Dev version of the dock has two USB ports? So maybe.)


Not happening. Because the Wii U used an ancient PPC architecture in order to have hardware compatibility with Wii games, the switch cannot hardware emulate Wii or Wii U titles, and I don't think it can manage that via software, just based on what I've read so far.
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Re: Nintendo's Witch

Postby IGNORE ME » Thu Oct 20, 2016 11:14 pm

Mongrel wrote:Also, fix your poll to allow vote-switching, 'cause I misclicked while googling all the names I didn't recognize. :3


Done! I feel like I should take both Bayonetta and Tharja off, because Nintendo only bought Bayonetta on the slave market, and Tharja is clearly labeled a "black magician" even though she brews potions and casts hexes and shit.

Grath wrote:Also: Where's the Nintendo Bait?


Right at the top of the poll.

Grath wrote:I already have a tablet. Mine's running a very beefy Tegra, has a 10" 2560x1800 display (vs 6" 720p), hooks up to a real physical keyboard, and can run emulators using a standard XBox 360 controller via USB OTG rather than two awkward handle-pads.


Grath wrote:
Defenestration wrote:We have tablets that have 12 hour battery lives. I'd be surprised if Nintendo lost the 8 hour battery life or bust requirement for something like this.

My current tablet has sufficient battery life that 3-4 hours of use during commute + light to medium use during the workday for browsing/Discord/note-taking/etc leaves me at 30-40% battery when I plug it in at night. 4 hour battery life would be... unfortunate.


Yeah, but try running Pokemon Go on anything for four hours at a time. Full 3DCG rendering at an acceptable framerate is... well, you would probably want a specialized device for it. Like this one!

Also, if you're going to be trying to sell a portable gaming device in this day and age, you're going to just have to live with the "I already have a full-featured tablet that runs an emulator and blah blah blah" counterargument. The Switch isn't going to replace your iPad, ever; it has to find a way to supplement it. In this case, it's supplementing your normal PED by offering 4 (rumored) hours of modern-console gameplay without having to worry about blowing the entire battery you have to ration for more important stuff, plus you don't need to give a fuck about whatever scary permissions you might be giving to the apps. And it's juuust portable enough that it's not too much of a hassle to carry both around, probably.

Metal Slime wrote:*Storage space options for downloadable stuff, because SD cards won't be enough in the end.


The fastest way to kill this thing will be to force everyone to use proprietary overpriced storage hardware. Fortunately Sony already blazed that trail for us.

Metal Slime wrote:*Do we have to pay for purchased VC games AGAIN?


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Re: Nintendo's Witch

Postby Thad » Thu Oct 20, 2016 11:53 pm

Newbie wrote:Not happening. Because the Wii U used an ancient PPC architecture in order to have hardware compatibility with Wii games, the switch cannot hardware emulate Wii or Wii U titles, and I don't think it can manage that via software, just based on what I've read so far.


I've read that the Shield actually does an adequate job of emulating some Wii games via Dolphin, so I wouldn't rule it out. Wii U? Probably not.

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