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+--- Thread: Nintendo Switch Press Reactions (/showthread.php?tid=7024)
Nintendo Switch Press Reactions - A Black Falcon - 23rd February 2017
So, many gaming media outlets have Switch units now, and the first NDA ended today, so they can talk about the hardware itself. No games yet, Zelda info will have to wait until tomorrow, but this is a start, and it's great to finally see more of this system that Nintendo has been very quiet about many of the details of.
First some bad news, Virtual Console will not be available at launch: http://nintendoeverything.com/nindies-showcase-presentation-set-for-tuesday-fast-shovel-knight-for-switch-launch-no-vc-at-release/ It will be coming, but not at launch. Ah well. The eShop will be up though.
Second, some outlets are having issues with the right Joycon when using it more than 6-7 feet from the Switch unit, that is in the Grip or such; it keeps disconnecting, apparently. Hopefully this is just a software issue and not hardware... Info: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1346789
Otherwise things sound good, though. Lots of reports and videos now are showing the OS, Mii creation, account settings, and such. It looks like a fairly plain and generic-looking OS and menu system, with lots of boxes, rectangular icons, and such, in the style of the (bad) modern trend towards "flat" interface design. It still has some of that Wii-ish Nintendo look to it thoguh, with the fonts and such. There's no music in the interface or menus though, unlike the Wii and such... huh. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70rMXj4wGPI The OS looks functional and easy enough to use though, which is the post important part. Of course a console's menu interface not the focus, the actual games are, but you need to be able to get to them quickly. I hope there are good organization options for the games and such you have installed, with folder support too; Nintendo usually has them so I expect it, but I'm not sure if I've seen that yet.
Oh, as for the hardware itself, I see it's getting lots of praise, and I guess it looks fine, but.. again, the Switch tablet unit itself has a fairly generic modern look to it, I think -- it looks like a tablet, it's matte instead of glossy, etc. I kind of like that Wii-like gloss... I guess it is true that glossy doesn't hold up as well and shows fingerprints very easily, but still, based on videos I think the Switch looks fine, but not anything amazing. (My favorite console hardware design is still the N64... and for operating system interface styling, probably Vista.) The Joycons are another issue; they're very small, but look nice and like Nintendo designs, apart from the left one not having a d-pad on it. The Pro Controller fixes that, for 2d platformers, fighting games, and such, but it's an additional $70. With the Wii I've gotten away with never buying a Pro Controller, but with the Switch it'd probably be needed...
So yeah, from what I've seen design-wise, for both the system and interface, the Switch looks fine. I'm not hugely impressed or disappointed.
List of some of the previews and such: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1346776
Nintendo Switch Press Reactions - Dark Jaguar - 23rd February 2017
So you can create Miis after all? I'd heard that Miis as well as Miiverse were being phased out with the Switch. Well, that's cool. I'll do what I've done from the start and just import all my Wii Miis over. I have one for Nester.
I do really hope they reverse their stance on Miiverse. Technically, once it gets a browser, it'll have it whether Nintendo likes it or not, but since Nintendo creates the communities on it, it'll be a problem for new games. Seriously though, the Miiverse is great and they need to keep that community fed on the Switch.
Nintendo Switch Press Reactions - A Black Falcon - 23rd February 2017
Yeah, and there are some more options available in Mii creation, most notably that there are a lot more color options now. Miis are de-emphasized versus the Wii, but they still exist. And one video showed someone importing a Mii from an Amiibo, so you can do that too. (though I hadn't realized you can save Miis to Amiibos... huh.)
As for the "Joycon desync" issue, GameXplain found out a bit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbG3F9RwlcY
Quote: I do really hope they reverse their stance on Miiverse. Technically, once it gets a browser, it'll have it whether Nintendo likes it or not, but since Nintendo creates the communities on it, it'll be a problem for new games. Seriously though, the Miiverse is great and they need to keep that community fed on the Switch.There won't be a browser at launch, and Nintendo hasn't said if they will have one eventually; there may be web applets for games to use or something, but a browser... we'll see. One of the oddest things about the Switch's launch is how there are no major video, online, etc. apps announced yet, or even announcements of if there definitely will be any. Why make this tablet and then not say 'yes, we will have major tablet apps like a browser, Netflix, Youtube, etc'? I can't believe that there is no interest from those companies, so what's going on here? Focusing on games first is great, but whether it's not learning until today that VC won't be out at launch or the absence of other apps, Nintendo's reticence here is kind of hard to explain.
Nintendo Switch Press Reactions - Dark Jaguar - 23rd February 2017
Netflix and the like are maintaining code bases for about two dozen versions of their streaming apps. That's gotta be a headache, especially since the user interface isn't even consistent between hardware. Between all the consoles, multiple mobile phone OSes, streaming boxes like Roku, and a bunch of individual "Smart TV" OSes, that's a LOT to maintain. The Switch added to that isn't really that big a deal, so yes it's weird we haven't heard much yet (though I'm set as far as that goes either way), but this points to a bigger issue. Why should Netflix and others be put in this situation in the first place? Unlike a game, Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon (and a billion others now) do just ONE thing, they stream video (DRM'd video). Really, ONE good program should be able to handle ALL of those services. Instead of 100 providers making 20 different versions of their software, why not just make 20 versions of streaming software that works with every service? It'd be set up so it works with one predictable interface and all a user needs to do is punch in the site's address and plug in their credentials and they are off to the races. They can add credentials for each account they are signed up for and all of it will appear in that one program. That program would handle the DRM and any commercials and all the service would need to do is describe the DRM to the program and tell it which commercials to play. I'm talking standardized meta data for how a series is organized into seasons and previous for movies and grabbing quick descriptions and "box art" for each item. So, Apple would make their streaming option, MS would make their version for Windows 10 (and that would extend to their phones and console as a natural result) and Nintendo would make their version (probably resembling their short-lived TVii experiment).
Now, as to why it seems like all these major features are missing at launch, I've seen people kicking around the term "soft launch" lately. I have no idea where this started, and frankly dismissed the notion out of hand, but then I watched this video:
And this talking piece of felt was pretty convincing. Apparently it's a launch option that's become more popular lately because it works pretty well. Do an initial launch aimed at the Nintendo diehards, then after building momentum and fixing issues with that initial user base this base also promoting the thing to their friends and family and building up some hype, do a full blown "holiday launch" marketing push closer to Christmas. It wouldn't be a true "soft launch" as it's normally used, but it would be a similar idea and how the 3DS ultimately ended up taking off after a pretty dry first few months. No clue if this is actually what Nintendo's plan is, but it would explain things. That said, if it's the case, I do feel like a bit of a sucker paying premium price for the chance to be Nintendo's beta tester, but hey I gotta get me that Zelda.
They really do have to bring that Miiverse to the Switch though. I mean they just gotta.
Nintendo Switch Press Reactions - Dark Jaguar - 24th February 2017
Breath of the Wild looks to be the hardest Zelda in years, something more closely resembling the difficulty curve of Zelda 1 (in keeping with it's return to the Zelda 1 style across the board). I'm okay with this. Very okay. Zelda games were really getting insultingly easy as of late, even the amazing Link Between Worlds.
ABF probably isn't going to be happy with this though. I know LTTP was too tough for his tastes. Zelda in the past tended to avoid overt "difficulty levels", but in recent years it's really expanded on unlockable "Hero modes", namely in Skyward Sword, A Link Between Worlds, and the HD remakes on Wii U. Hero Mode generally doubles damage taken and the amount of stamina drained from abilities while also making random dropped hearts either more seldom or missing entirely. With this game, a "Beginner mode" might be in order. For my part, I'm jumping in head first.
Nintendo Switch Press Reactions - A Black Falcon - 24th February 2017
I don't necessarily think that LttP is too hard; I died less in that game than I did in my first times through the three GB/GBC Zelda games, after all, and I like all three of them a lot more than LttP. I did find LttP difficult in some annoying ways, though, such as how much more of a dungeon you have to replay in LttP when you die than in pretty much any newer Zelda game, how the near-useless shield made things harder, etc.
Anyway, if BotW is going to be the hardest 3d Zelda game, okay... but how hard are we talking? Is it going to be a lot harder than the combat in the hardest 3d Zelda game, which I would say is OoT? Unless we're talking ultra-difficult, which I doubt, no, I think that there are a lot of reasons that I expect to dislike BotW, whenever I play it (and I doubt it will be anytime soon), a lot more than the difficulty. In my good-length posts from last E3 on why I don't expect to like this game (here http://tcforums.com/forums/showthread.php?7214-Zelda-Breath-of-the-Wild ), I didn't mention difficulty in the 'it'll be too hard' sense, only in the 'I don't like the TES Oblivion-and-beyond-like level-scaling concept, if this game does that." It's not one of my bigger potential issues with the game, the core concept is the main problem, but while it sounds like there are harder areas and easier areas, that you can go anywhere, even right to the final boss, right at the start... no! I do not want that in this series, that's all wrong! Progression is key in games, and if you remove that you're left with what, "just wander around and stuff"? No thanks, that's boring.
And on that note, a few weeks ago I started playing Twilight Princess for the Gamecube again, meaning to just start from the beginning and play it a bit...
... and seven hours later I finally managed to force myself to stop and put the controller down. That's still an absolutely exceptional game across the board, and I'm definitely going to keep going through it again! It really is an exceptional masterpiece in almost every way, the slow start and mediocre story being the main weak points. It's pretty sad that Nintendo didn't keep making Zelda games like that; as much as I do like Skyward Sword, it's not quite on TP's level...
Quote:And this talking piece of felt was pretty convincing. Apparently it's a launch option that's become more popular lately because it works pretty well. Do an initial launch aimed at the Nintendo diehards, then after building momentum and fixing issues with that initial user base this base also promoting the thing to their friends and family and building up some hype, do a full blown "holiday launch" marketing push closer to Christmas. It wouldn't be a true "soft launch" as it's normally used, but it would be a similar idea and how the 3DS ultimately ended up taking off after a pretty dry first few months. No clue if this is actually what Nintendo's plan is, but it would explain things. That said, if it's the case, I do feel like a bit of a sucker paying premium price for the chance to be Nintendo's beta tester, but hey I gotta get me that Zelda.Yeah, with the very thin release schedule through most of the year, marketing that is significant but not all-encompassing, seriously lacking OS featureset (no VC, video/internet apps, etc.), and such, the idea that it is kind of a soft launch makes some sense. Is it as good of an idea as Arlo says there, though? I mean, if it works out, sure, it should be fine. But if sales struggle because of those factors it can really damage the platform. You can make up for a bad launch, but it hurts, and in a some cases has badly damaged platforms, the Saturn for example. The N64 in Japan also never recovered from the very thin release schedule in its first year, where after Mario 64 and a couple other games at launch there was next to nothing for months. I fully expect that the Switch will do better than those systems, and yes, most casuals won't be paying attention until Christmas, but it is a potentially risky move. Should they have released the system when they had things more together to launch everything at once? Well, we'll know in a few months I guess. Right now who knows, it could go either way.