Topic: Nintendo Switch 2 - Official "First-Look Trailer"

[JonLeung]

[Cyartog959]

*SIGH...* 

Honestly, in my perspective, and others', I'm not that too impressed about this from Nintendo. It's more of the same blueprint and formula as the original family line. That trailer I've seen makes it far less thrilling and exciting they want us to be.

Sure, the name is quite obviously what lots of people predicted(alongside other probable names people made up), but that doesn't make them completely perfect predictors to think Nintendo's Switch console will go the numerical way perpetually.

So, it showcased seconds of another Mario Kart installment, big deal. I'm not too thrilled.

The bigger sizes for that console doesn't necessarily make everything better for it. For a gaming system that claims it to be a "portable console" for home, it surely shows the complete opposite of it.

Just because it bridges the gap between home and handheld gaming doesn't mean it can permanently replace home and handheld gaming forever as we still know it. We have had lots more years of it, and the Switch can't ever replace all of it, and such both fields are too treasured to us to just let them go.

And, honestly, the other gaming products trying to take inspiration from the Switch and mobile gaming surely proves how so much people have been, and can be, too spoiled and pampered by what they've experienced from the Switch and too much smartphones & their mobile games, and that can make others disregard the good, proper conveniences their dual-screen handhelds provided over the Switch.

Why, at that pace, there may be people that can and will forget that Nintendo and other gaming companies made actual handhelds, and will not want to pay a lot more attention to them and only stay with what millions had, and that worries me a lot as a true handheld gaming lover as a whole.

Providing us the same as before just stagnates and deteriorates the original identity Nintendo had in video gaming history, especially when they had made actual home and handheld consoles people still remember all those years ago. Truly, it makes me think Nintendo is losing not just their own identity alone with that console...

That's the kind of thing Satoru Iwata was worried about when he was leading Nintendo and talked about that kind of thing when he was talking about the company veering into mobile gaming too much, and so on.

Besides, after all the stunts they pulled to harm and disregard the home and handheld gaming history and gaming preservation(we never forget that), especially more likely with the Wii U and 3DS' eShop exclusive games, I can't truly feel excited about what console Nintendo makes.

The more actions they did to downplay all that we have been trying to preserve for all gaming, the more it makes me, and others more, miss how we had actual home and handheld gaming consoles to actually enjoy more and more.

Despite Nintendo's previous statements about the Switch not being the 3DS and Wii U's successor by Tatsumi Kimishima(which, I still know, it never is to the 3DS family at all, period.), I'm already grasping the idea that in all of their intentions in their self-contained bubble, in the whole of video gaming history, Nintendo's clearly not having a "Plan B" for anything they had made, and are trying to bank on the original's success too much by having their escalating expectations about that upcoming console rapidly succeeding where the Switch did in sales. That's kinda going to lead to such stumbles that could cost them... in many ways.

The 3DS and Wii U had actual soul and identity we can still remember, as well as the memories and communities made with it while playing online matches and such. The Switch, not so much. It feels too hollow in many ways as a game console.

My heart truly feels it, and I can say this, I expected far differently from Nintendo, but that... I feel great disappointment about this.

I can say my concerns about all this, don't get me wrong, but I still feel if Nintendo keeps up with whatever more actions that are harming gaming history and preservation as a whole(and I do mean history spanning many past consoles and handhelds), under the thumbs of Shuntaro Furukawa in JP and Doug Bowser in NA, alongside other factors, all things considered, there may not be anything for Nintendo to save at all.

To those thinking otherwise, don't expect too much excitement about all this for that upcoming console and its launch, either, all the same.

I mean, sure, they may have saved gaming with the NES, but we can't let that company be the only one that falls last, should another potential gaming industry crash occurs, like how it did in 1983, and we can't rely on them to try another attempt to save the industry from that said second crash and themselves. That'd be crazy thinking, in a bad way.

Whether Nintendo likes it or not, unrelatedly and outside of what game mappers do here normally, it's gonna have to be up to us to create the TRUE standalone 3DS successor console we have been hoping for as the actual "Plan B" for the gaming industry as a whole.

Apologies for this lengthy post, but I had to get my thoughts out about this.

[JonLeung]

Personally, I'm excited.

Granted, certainly not as excited as I would have been if not for the leaks, and that other than a little bit of (presumably) Mario Kart 9, there isn't any game footage (that we officially know of, unless Metroid Prime 4 is being moved or ported over), but the fact that we're getting a new Nintendo console after all this time is nice, even if expected.

I made this image at the end of December 2021, so at the time of writing this, it obviously could use an update in the Switch section, but this could be updated later... (Just a disclaimer if I update the image but forget to edit this post...)  One thing most people look at here is the lifespan of each console until its successor.  (Don't ask me to explain the "5 years 365 days" for the Wii, so tired of it, I don't get why people don't understand leap years...)  Considering a very consistent average of five years before the Switch, over eight years of the Switch means a new generation feels "overdue".

And yes, simply the fact that it's "the new Nintendo console" should be of interest to any gamer.  I've always maintained that Nintendo's biggest strength is its exclusive games.  This current generation, Sony's been putting almost all of even their own first-party PlayStation games on Steam/PC, much like Microsoft has done with their Xbox games being put on Windows as far back as their first Xbox.  You can say, "oh, but they are 'console-exclusives'", but for me, personally, I need a high-end PC for work, projects, and personal use anyway, so I already have the means to play most of the AAA games coming to either the PlayStation or Xbox.  (I don't get why other people are computer-averse, but that's another topic altogether.)

I made this image showing the "so-called" exclusives.  Yes, this could really use an update too, to put in newer, more relevant games, maybe remove or do something else with Indiana Jones And The Great Circle since that is also on PS5, plus, to be fair, I really should add Astro Bot - an ACTUAL PS5 exclusive on there.  But the point remains... (aside from eventual emulation,) the only (legal, intended) way to play the newest Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Super Smash Bros., Xenoblade, etc., will be to get the latest Nintendo hardware.

I fully expect that Sony and Microsoft would at least be considering handheld/console hybrids for their next platforms due to the success of the original Switch.  There's demand for it, after all, there's the Steam Deck, ROG Ally, and other PC-based gaming handhelds with docking capabilities.  The thing is, many of Sony's and Microsoft's games are already available on Steam, and verified for the Steam Deck... Nintendo offers games unique to their platforms.

Video games include more than just what the console manufacturers and their own teams make, of course.  I think the relative lack of "gimmicks" keeps the third-party developers on board.  With the Wii, motion controls soon felt silly for some people, after the wave of Wii Sports died off.  The Wii U GamePad is neat when used right, but many of those who were making cross-platform games felt obligated to put something on there, to not-great effect, and when its sales slumped, they didn't feel a need to design any games suited for it from the ground up.  And considering the Wii and Wii U are considered the "weakest" of their generations, raw power-wise, AAA games that took advantage of the higher-end capabilities of the competition would have to be toned down in some way for Nintendo's platforms.  While the Switch 2 is expected to be more comparable to like a PS4 Pro than a PS5, it may be the norm that generations are just longer now so I don't think the PS6 or next Xbox are on the horizon, and generational leaps aren't as big anymore.  The fact that you can have a portable PS4 Pro-like device to game on?  That's impressive!  (Yes, there's the PlayStation Portal to remotely play PS5 games that already exists, but that requires more hardware and a constantly good Internet connection, so I don't think that's quite as comparable.)

Getting back to the idea of gimmicks, in true Nintendo fashion, there's still something new here.  Shown in the trailer is a brief sequence of Joy-Cons drifting (I see what they did there), sliding around on the table, much like how you'd expect a mouse to work, like all the leaks have been suggesting regarding what appears to be an optical sensor on the "bottom".  How many platforms (consoles, computers, or anything) come, standardly, with two mice?  Or more?  Like... none.

The idea of even just one mouse for a console means more faithful ports of games originally designed for the PC.  Real-time strategy games will feel more natural, first-person shooters will feel more precise, and the whole genre of point-and-click adventure games could potentially reach a new audience of console-only gamers.  And again, there's two... presumably if you have like eight players (and who's to say there couldn't be more?), all with a mouse, there's new ways to play things.  As others have pointed out... a return to Mario Paint, or Super Mario Maker, too.  Is a mouse truly groundbreaking?  Well, since so many people like mouse controls in shooters in particular... I don't think it is nothing, it will make some kind of splash.  Yet at the same time, it's also subtle (not like a whole GamePad), so if third parties want to port their games to the Switch 2, they really don't have to use the mouse controls.

Would I have liked to see more gimmicks, or new stuff, if done well?  Sure.  But we haven't seen everything yet, I don't think.  Are there zero infrared cameras or two (at the bottom of the Joy-Cons)?  It's hard to tell.  Supposedly the new button on the right Joy-Con is a square "C" button (it doesn't show that in the trailer, probably meant to be a surprise), which is supposedly "Campus" or "Community"?  A return to Miiverse?  We haven't even seen how the OS works, there's likely something new there.  Maybe something like Achievements/Trophies?  Nintendo does its own thing, so even if they're copying others, I'm sure they'll come up with their own name for it...

The Switch 2 might appear to be only a slight upgrade with a boring name, but in the end, it's the new Nintendo hardware... in a few years we'll be busy playing the newest Zelda or Metroid or whatever, not caring how we felt about yesterday's announcement.

The original Switch announcement from back in October 2016 was pretty fun, though.  Hope we see something at least as joyful as that when we see the Nintendo Direct on April 2!

[Cyartog959]

To be more informant, there have been more people feeling less optimistic about Nintendo lately, and not just their recent actions they committed against gaming preservation alone, and there have been more Nintendo fans turned turncoats against them than there were more fans only excited for them after all they've done for long now, and the numbers of people against Nintendo for their actions, should they still continue that way, may still keep rising and may not stop.

Other people griped about the system's screen being LCD rather than OLED, but I don't side with such people that think OLED is better than LCD, which I don't think it is. It was not about which screen type was better than the other. Sure, they're both neat, but I view them still as their own, not to be over-competitive over petty, pointless technical differences and outlasting and outmoding one's specs against another.

I acknowledge your opinions, but don't get your hopes and/or expectations too high about Nintendo's console and what that offers in many ways too soon. When people get their hands on it, they may expect and feel more disappointment than excitement(of varying degrees, sure), because they'll no doubt say it worsens the lack of soul, charm and identity prior consoles and handhelds have, such as the DS and 3DS families, the Wii, and so on.

Same goes for Sony and Microsoft, too.

What people still constantly asked for Nintendo, that is to say, the return of music to main menus, shops, and such, I now get the actual feeling that the company may, and will never listen, and will just go to the opposite direction, causing them to turn them away more than get dragged in.

I try to keep an eye on things about that and try not to go with others' preemptive conclusions and expectations.

To still point out, the Nintendo Switch Online service is still not the better choice of playing past games on a monthly subscription basis, and the overall experience is never better for it, and it must never be the ONLY way to play past games.

Heck, there are still loads of other past games not given their chances for it, such as select games based on licensed movie and TV IPs, like "Over the Hedge", "Shrek", "OddParents" or "SpongeBob", for examples, and were still never brought back for resale again after their games' original launches.

The Virtual Console for Wii and 3DS were far more better choices of playing past games for each system; Wii for console, and 3DS for handheld. And they never needed subscriptions; just pay one normal price, and they're all set to play. That's what still should've been kept.

What I truly enjoyed from prior consoles and handhelds are true unique experiences none can try to recreate nor meld together, such as the dual-screen addition from the DS family, and the DSi Shop that gave other devs their chances to launch unique games there to utilize its potential as the first handheld with a digital storefront the Wii, 360, and PS3 offered.

Sure, DSiWare's tech constraints were tighter than WiiWare's, but the games made were still never forgettable, including my still-strong favorite game, "Go! Go! Kokopolo", and other DSiWare favorites, too, such as "SteamWorld Tower Defense", "Shantae: Risky's Revenge", and "Mario VS Donkey Kong: Minis March Again". And, don't forget the unique fidelity, advantages, and principles of them, too.

Not everyone wants to go the way of the hybrid console route just because the Switch is successful. There are still those that still prefer separate home consoles and handhelds for such experiences they still loved, and they can't expect to just let them all go and move on with it based on others' elusive and rapidly ever-changing expectations of other big-time gaming companies and manufacturers.

To be thorough, there is no "wave of the future" for the hybrid console blueprint and brand for permanent replacement of traditional consoles and handhelds. Never said it is. People can, may, and will get sick and tired of it, and that may come sooner than you and/or anyone else think.

Sure, the 3DS had struggles for its launch, but that handheld made up for it with the price slashed down a notch and their Ambassador Program and succeeded out of it. I kinda enjoyed it to bear that honor. And it and the Vita doesn't have to be, and never will have to be, the last original dedicated handhelds ever made in gaming history. There's always still hope for the next one made to continue on the visions of them.

The Steam Deck and ROG Ally are fine examples of PC-based handheld consoles with others, but from my experience and seeing them being PC-based, they all don't actually play original games, let alone have any made to be playable. All they're normally capable of are playing emulated games from past systems and other games, and it doesn't actually make the feeling and experience of playing actual handheld games from scratch the same.

And, to be sure, they're far more expensive than prior consoles, or at least, their prices that may supersede prices of others, regardless of configuration. The GBA and DS were far less pricier, but their sales were far better for it. Don't expect Nintendo's console to be less pricier.

They don't actually fill the unique kind of void made from what Nintendo did lately. There are those that feel that exact void as I do, and don't think and expect that kind of void to be filled with Nintendo's next console and constant actions they still do. Heck, should that continue on, we may not even need to rely on Nintendo to fill that void by themselves any longer. We can't expect Nintendo to keep their boat floating forever. You might have to consider and think about that and other probable possibilities. I have, and am.

I enjoy gaming, but not the present state its in right now, mainly because of what Nintendo did constantly, and others harming preservation and enjoyment. I loathe to think of what could happen to the whole of video gaming if it keeps up.