The Nintendo Switch: First Impressions/Speculations
This is the basic set of thoughts on the Nintendo Switch. But first, here are a few links for you to learn more about the Nintendo Switch.
Let me begin with a picture of the system:
^ from: Twitter; Gamespot - This is the Nintendo Switch- which may be the most adaptable gaming console ever with its multiple configurations.
the official video from Nintendo:
^ "First Look at Nintendo Switch"
Now for some links...
• Nintendo Official
• "Everything We Know About Nintendo Switch" (WIRED)
• "Everything we know about the new Nintendo Switch" (The Verge)
• "Nintendo Wants To Make It Clear The Switch Reveal Guaranteed No Specific Games" (Forbes)
And I found this article interesting:
• "Nintendo Switch is the spiritual successor to the Nvidia SHIELD" (TechCrunch)
Now that you have some general insight on the Nintendo Switch, allow me to share my impressions and thoughts.
My Basic Thoughts on the Nintendo Switch.
For one thing, I am NOT expecting the Nintendo Switch to spank the PlayStation 4 and/or the XBOX One. The performance numbers are so out of the league of the PS4 and XBOX One. Nintendo, however, was never known to be any powerhouse in this department. I think the Switch is seemingly designed to be a console that combines a home experience with a portable gaming style. Reportedly Nintendo and NVIDIA are together in helping put together this Nintendo Switch.The Nintendo Switch was designed to be completely adaptable. I would say its biggest draw is the ability to have an uncompromised console gaming experience almost anywhere in the world. You don't need to be at home with all of the different nuances and features to enjoy gaming on the Switch. The Switch seems to have maybe five different configurations. You can separate the two ends and attach them to some device to have the gamepad for this system. Or, you can break off the two ends of the switch to enjoy gaming like with the Wii. The Switch even comes with its own kickstand. So you can dock the main screen someplace and connect it to your television unit or monitor. To me, I like to think of the Nintendo Switch kind of like a big Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP).
Games will reportedly be on these cards, kind of like Nintendo DS cards or maybe something like SD cards. Over 40 different developers have at least acknowledged wanting to work with and develop content for the Switch. These include a handful of game companies and different other developers. Some of the names include Sega, Atlus, Telltale Games, Unity, and more. Even if at the expense of trying to downsize games to make them better play on the Switch, Nintendo has itself the vastly important aspect of third-party support. More importantly on the gaming front, rather than make one console-quality game and then make a version of it better suited for portable gaming, and rather than exclusives for the respective console and portable markets, everything is all on one system made for the Nintendo Switch. So you don't get to have many exclusives for console-style gaming and portable-style gaming. Think of this more like having a middle ground between a console-style game and a portable-style game all in one package.
I want to imagine the Nintendo Switch to offer many popular applications and features to enhance the array of material outside of gaming. For example, I'm sure this system will provide applications such as Netflix, Hulu, Vudu, Amazon's services, Pandora, iHeartRadio, and more as part of the Switch package. I am sure this will have as more functionality than either the Wii or Wii U. I may even speculate the possibility of maybe expanding its memory by having SD cards or access to external drives. This can come in handy if the space for the Switch becomes insufficient for most gamers.
Superlatives?
You know people are going to eventually try to come up with some kind of console war or try to compare this to the PlayStation 4 and the XBOX One. Let me just say this right now- the Switch is NOT going to overtake the PlayStation 4 and/or the XBOX One. Even PC and Mac types will not feel threatened in the least sense gaming with the Switch. Then too, world domination (or at least the gaming world) is usually never the goal of Nintendo. Many people even still see Nintendo either as not being serious enough to push to be the best console maker on the market, or many others still see Nintendo is a shadow of its former self that stays alive banking on its exclusive characters and games. I think the Nintendo Switch will be a console that offers its own experience and probably couldn't care less if it doesn't have the same market share and appeal as anything of Sony or Microsoft. There is a real risk-reward in Nintendo trying to blaze its own trail going against the grain. Whether or not Nintendo succeeds in this department remains to be seen.Then again...
What if the Nintendo Switch Becomes a Failure?
If the Nintendo Switch ends up being a failure, what's next for Nintendo? I asked this question to my friends on the message board GTPlanet. Some of the responses I got ranged from Nintendo having to bank on its portable game sales to stay financially afloat to responses like (and I can't imagine THIS happening, but...) maybe the chances of Nintendo becoming a 3rd Party developer like its former console rival SEGA. A lot of people thought the Gamecube was a failure when it went up against the likes of the PlayStation 2 and the original XBOX. Some others may remember the Virtual Boy- that was a real failure. And believe it or not- I WANTED a Virtual Boy back then!Final Thoughts (as of now).
The Nintendo Switch is incredibly intriguing for what it has to offer and for the gaming experiences it attempts to deliver to the gaming masses. For the most part, I am intrigued myself about it. All I can do is imagine what I think the system could provide and how I can use this system to play any number games. With details so tight-lipped and few and far between, we don't really know what to expect for the Nintendo Switch once it releases proper in March 2017 here in the United States.This is surely a hybrid console that could either be a real game changer or a total flop. We'll see if the former or the latter will describe this system when we have more concrete details on it. For now, I'm pleased you found my blog and had a chance to read my material. You can Subscribe and Follow this blog (and my others) to get more thoughts of mine on a variety of things. Just follow the links in the below table. Thank you for reading! Take care and be well.
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