Learning From The Switch: How Should Nintendo Launch Its Next Console?
Learning From The Switch: How Should Nintendo Launch Its Next Console?
by fegis123
38 Comments
EvenSpoonier
Nintendo needs a Wario Ware game at every new console launch, focused on showing off what the console can do.
ashbelero
I’m not done with my Switch yet. I don’t want another console 🙁
Ameratsuflame
With analog sticks that don’t suck.
acewing905
Backwards compatibility with Switch titles
Handheld mode (preferably OLED screen)
Give me those and it’ll be a day 1 buy (day 1: whichever day it is that I can obtain one at the earliest)
NewAndNewbie
A fucking functional eshop. Like it doesn’t even need to be perfect. PSN is plenty shit but it doesn’t Lag on open and lag on every fucking button input.
DontVoteHater
Switch gen is already over?
EarthDragon2189
People in this sub are weirdly defensive about the idea of the Switch’s life cycle coming to an end.
leoo88556
Just don’t call it Switch U and you’ll probably be alright.
Kaffee_Maus
Just improve what it already has.
Better performance, OLED screen, less drift-prone joycons, less lag on the eShop…
thatsyurbl00d
I hope Nintendo takes every measure possible to ensure initial stock isn’t absorbed by bots. I don’t want them to take a hands-off approach and let the merchants attempt to handle it, if they even care.
markaznar
Super Switch or Switch Next, would be a good name
PowerUser77
Whenever it will be released, I expect the next Switch to be a very conservative upgrade. The biggest jump could be if Nintendo decides to support all the neat new Nvidia gpu features, that could really elevate how the games run and look
PapaProto
***New Nintendo Ultra Switch UDS***.
mystachewatch
Nintendo requires some level of novelty to push a successful console. More power won’t cut it. They don’t have same fan base Sony does that is simply pleased by more of the same largely. They need something new and exciting to draw the more casual players who are not paying super close attention to gaming tech.
I’m guessing they do something with hologram tech or AR at least while maintaining the hybrid format. Imagine a tabletop hologram with several players around the table. It would capture what they were trying to go for with Wii U (interesting local multiplayer) and the 3D tech that actually wows, like the 3DS.
LolaCatStevens
As if Nintendo has ever listened to anyone but themselves. Whatever they’re gonna do you’ll never predict it
OkorOvorO
Release Mario and Zelda within the first year.
Every Nintendo console that launched with both were financial successes. SNES, Wii, Switch.
Library over everything.
That’s why Xbox has never been the most popular console, despite the lead it had in the 6th and 7th generation on power and online services.
That’s why the PS2 is still the best selling console ever made.
That’s why the N64 and Gamecube were such pathetic flops.
Mario and Zelda sell hardware. No surprise that the worst selling Nintendo home console had no showings from either of these series.
It doesn’t matter that the Switch is fragile. It doesn’t matter that hardware fails right out of the box. It doesn’t matter that it’s weaker than a console that released 12 years before it at the same price point. It doesn’t matter its games are always marked up. It doesn’t matter its online services are less robust than last millennium’s SegaNet. Mario and Zelda sell it.
And this isn’t even mentioning Pokemon.
Thoraxekicksazz
Scalping needs to be addressed. I don’t know the answer but something needs to be done. I don’t feel like waiting multiple years to find one. Also if you buy from a scalper you are just as much the problem.
RK800Android
Should they even bother anymore
DrakneiX
Better performance and retro-compatible with current switch games.
Mountain-Role-7333
My wishes for the new Switch
1. New controllers
2. Better online service
3. A bundled in title like Wii Sports and the Wii
magmafanatic
With like 2 more games than they had last time
And make your weakest title like twice as fun as 1 2 Switch.
Texas_Moonwalker
They should just call it Switch 2. Backwards compatibility with Switch games is critical. Have a launch in the fall with strong first party games (Zelda or new Mario). 4K in docked mode. Have the switch accessories be compatible, even the dock.
mathteacher85
Uh…just don’t think about calling it the Switch U.
sweetcinnamonpunch
Here’s my list:
– Make it backwards compatible
– Fix Joycon drift
– further improve screen
– much more power for docked play, 1440 60 should be possible at least
– good marketing like with the switch
– good launch titles
– more QOL stuff, like quick resume, or apps, or more themes for home menu
– cleanse the eshop of all the wild stuff…
ErrorEra
– Battery life is super important to me, hope they improve it back to 3ds levels
– Saves should be back on the cart, too many horror stories of people losing their saves through no fault of their own, that and I think it’s bupkiss to not have a free way to backup saves and Nintendo Online doesn’t even backup saves for all games.
– Basics such as folders shouldn’t take years to be added, they should be there from the start
– If they don’t fix joycon drift, they should make it even easier to swap them out, and sell official sticks (I had some lemons when buying 3rd party parts)
– If they’re going to do another gimmicky showcase, they should include a game demo that demonstrates all those gimmicks. I still see no difference in their patented rumble compared to xb/ps other than it’s loud like a shaver.
Jibece
– Give it a simple name that anyone can understand it’s actually a new Switch and not some special version of the current Switch.
– launch it in Q1 or Q2 to not have to directly deal with some christmas period with basically everyone who wants to purchase one
– don’t try to be revolutionnary. The Switch WAS revolutionnary, and it’s a good thing. Now Nintendo just have to build up around this product to make it better.
– Nintendo don’t have to launch some big games in the launch day, but it have to get some Day-0 retrocompatibility. If someone want to play a Switch 1 game on it, even the least known it have to be supported.
– Stay with a 720p screen in handheld mode. People don’t need more, either me or you. It’ll save battery, and if you actually “see” some big pixels, that’s not the fault of the screen, that’s the one of the game itself who’s low rez or too demanding.
– OLED screens for everyone.
KingBroly
– Launch in the Spring; allows for more teething issues of the OS to be ironed out before release/before the first big holiday; also allows for a more compressed schedule in ‘the first year’ to paint the perception that more games are coming to the system (assuming the games are released)
– Day 1 they need to launch with either a 3D Mario, Mario Kart, or 3D Zelda; historically speaking, this is what drives Nintendo console sales
– Be mindful of the economic climate, what they’re up against and what they’re offering. Basically, don’t go overboard on price like 3DS or Wii U. Price tags need to stay the same for years these days. Launching at a high price in a tough climate can be disastrous, as likely will be the case with Switch 2.
– People have to know it’s ‘next gen.’ Calling it Switch U or Switch Pro ain’t gonna cut it. Switch 2 or else.
– Digital libraries have to carry over (and not be done bad like DS games on 3DS) or no one will ever trust Nintendo with digital purchases ever again.
EMI_Black_Ace
– Clear marketing. The device should be advertised itself. While similarity is acceptable it should have a distinct look, which should be shown off in commercials.
– Emphasis on what’s improved. It should be “day and night” difference in graphics. It should justify its existence etc based on doing stuff that the Switch really can’t do.
– Killer games at launch. Yeah sure cross release on Switch but the next gen version should be so much better looking.
thefjordster
Henry Ford once famously said, “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” This thread is a good example of that.
Reset_Tears
Introducing… the Nintendo Gamesterball. You control in-game movement by tilting yourself in a giant hamster ball. Button inputs are via the pitch of your screams. Here’s an ad of college kids on a roof playing with the Gamesterball. “Looks like they’re… having a ball!” (Mario_woohoo.wav) Only $599, and for a limited time it will come with a digital copy of Super Mario Bros Lost Levels, absolutely free.
PalmeraCocotera
Switch 2. Retro-compatible with switch games.
New interface, themes, folders, more power, more NSO consoles and better joycons.
The time? This winter, xmas season I think.
Legitimate-Trade2746
They aint gonna, the switch is a relic at this point but it sells well. Lil bro Nintendo be scared as hell to try something new and fail like they did with the Wii U.
jonshipman
I like the name that’s been floating around, “Super Switch”. But I also had the idea, with the Switch getting all these great remakes – what if the idea is that it’s 100% compatible with the Switch (current model). Then, let’s say there’s a Wind Waker Remastered that comes out for the Switch – I mean, you don’t have any reason to use more hardware than what available in the OG switch. My proposal would be that new AAA titles from other studios – things like the Assassin’s Creeds, Overwatches, Bauldar’s Gates, etc. release on the “Super Switch”. But games that have the right to run on original Switch hardware (2d platformers, old port remasters) work on both systems.
I’d also make the argument that the “Super Switch” doesn’t get extra features over the Switch, like upscaling to 4K or whatever, because that would just mess with development and make more developers just forget about the Switch. I’m thinking more along the lines of keeping the Switch going for another generation – if only for playing more retro titles and remasters. And if we get some cool indie titles, that would just be a plus. Not to mention the “Super Switch” would be automatically backwards compatible with Switch OG. I feel like this approach would be a win-win-win.
I can’t speak for everyone, but going from the Wii to the Wii U to the Switch, I just feel like there’s been too many gimmicks the last few systems. Not to mention, with how hardware is progressing, a Super Switch could just release and be 10X more powerful and it would sell like hotcakes. The backwards compatibility would mostly be for costs – e.g. same dev kits and everything but would hopefully cushion any negative press by making it more of a home staple.
​
If I were being honest – and I never see Nintendo doing this – is that I would make the Super Switch titles available to OG Switch users through streaming. Paizo’s WOTR Pathfinder game shows that this “could” work, and it would be another great goodwill gesture by Nintendo (want to play offline, get a Super Switch, can’t afford it? play the same games on Wifi). But like I said, no chance in Hell this would happen, but a boy can dream.
Parzivull
The biggest issue going forward now that we’ve seen the writing on the wall is going to be scalpers. Consoles have been hoarded for literally years now in garages because of bot program use, giving themselves an unfair advantage in the scope of retail purchases. It’s also something retailers haven’t addressed particularly well. There are some methods used to counter it, but products of the future are going to need a new method of sale authentication for certain items due to the inability to beat programs to the punch on purchasing. I suspect this will only get worse and branch out more and more until every major product feels like you’re having to go through ticketmaster to acquire something. Never underestimate the idea that people will try to take advantage of each other and this trend is a perfect example. The rise of scalpers and scammers is reaching new levels.
madmofo145
If your talking actual lessons from the Switch:
Clear marketing about what the new console will let a gamer do that they can’t currently. The WiiU struggled with that, the Switch reveal though did a great job of showing you can take play the new Zelda anywhere, and Skyrim as well. Aim for the same thing here, even if it just ends up being you can take Odyssey 2 anywhere, and Dragon Quest 12. Ideally you want to hit on some big 3rd party games there though, highlighting a continued strong 3rd party lineup.
Some gamer focused upgrades. The reveal trailer for the Switch prominently showed off the pro controller a lot as Nintendo knew there were complaints about control options on the WiiU. Show some things that will assuage gamer fears about the next device, like a pro controller 2, better joysticks, and the like. You don’t need to discuss drift, but showing a better looking stick and mentioning that it’s hall effect in your specs will go along way.
A strong year one lineup. It’s harder here since 4 of the Switches year one draws (Zelda, Splatoon, Mario Kart, and Xenoblade) will have recent iterations/DLC on the Switch. Ideally the “Switch 2” includes not only has universal BC, but a strong list of hit games getting next gen patches at launch to help smooth that transition, but it needs some big exclusives as well. Perhaps a surprise launch of a new Animal Crossing and Metroid Prime 4 on top of Mario helps build that year one evergreen lineup.
That’s really the most your going to learn from the Switch. Obviously it’s specific “gimmick” sold well, it’s been hugely successful, but I think the big lessons were mostly just have good games at launch, target core gamers that tend to buy more games, and focus on clear marketing.
razeus
It’ll be interesting to watch. I love the dock and handheld hybrid console. There’s no going back at this point. I do wonder if they’ll get rid of cartridges though. Also curios to what controller scheme they come up with next.
Old-Caterpillar-3067
Nintendo switch 2 electric boogaloo
blackandwhitetalon
Backward compatibility with Switch. If that’s not the case, I’ll probably skip out on next gen Nintendo consoles for a very long time
38 Comments
Nintendo needs a Wario Ware game at every new console launch, focused on showing off what the console can do.
I’m not done with my Switch yet. I don’t want another console 🙁
With analog sticks that don’t suck.
Backwards compatibility with Switch titles
Handheld mode (preferably OLED screen)
Give me those and it’ll be a day 1 buy (day 1: whichever day it is that I can obtain one at the earliest)
A fucking functional eshop. Like it doesn’t even need to be perfect. PSN is plenty shit but it doesn’t Lag on open and lag on every fucking button input.
Switch gen is already over?
People in this sub are weirdly defensive about the idea of the Switch’s life cycle coming to an end.
Just don’t call it Switch U and you’ll probably be alright.
Just improve what it already has.
Better performance, OLED screen, less drift-prone joycons, less lag on the eShop…
I hope Nintendo takes every measure possible to ensure initial stock isn’t absorbed by bots. I don’t want them to take a hands-off approach and let the merchants attempt to handle it, if they even care.
Super Switch or Switch Next, would be a good name
Whenever it will be released, I expect the next Switch to be a very conservative upgrade. The biggest jump could be if Nintendo decides to support all the neat new Nvidia gpu features, that could really elevate how the games run and look
***New Nintendo Ultra Switch UDS***.
Nintendo requires some level of novelty to push a successful console. More power won’t cut it. They don’t have same fan base Sony does that is simply pleased by more of the same largely. They need something new and exciting to draw the more casual players who are not paying super close attention to gaming tech.
I’m guessing they do something with hologram tech or AR at least while maintaining the hybrid format. Imagine a tabletop hologram with several players around the table. It would capture what they were trying to go for with Wii U (interesting local multiplayer) and the 3D tech that actually wows, like the 3DS.
As if Nintendo has ever listened to anyone but themselves. Whatever they’re gonna do you’ll never predict it
Release Mario and Zelda within the first year.
Every Nintendo console that launched with both were financial successes. SNES, Wii, Switch.
Library over everything.
That’s why Xbox has never been the most popular console, despite the lead it had in the 6th and 7th generation on power and online services.
That’s why the PS2 is still the best selling console ever made.
That’s why the N64 and Gamecube were such pathetic flops.
Mario and Zelda sell hardware. No surprise that the worst selling Nintendo home console had no showings from either of these series.
It doesn’t matter that the Switch is fragile. It doesn’t matter that hardware fails right out of the box. It doesn’t matter that it’s weaker than a console that released 12 years before it at the same price point. It doesn’t matter its games are always marked up. It doesn’t matter its online services are less robust than last millennium’s SegaNet. Mario and Zelda sell it.
And this isn’t even mentioning Pokemon.
Scalping needs to be addressed. I don’t know the answer but something needs to be done. I don’t feel like waiting multiple years to find one. Also if you buy from a scalper you are just as much the problem.
Should they even bother anymore
Better performance and retro-compatible with current switch games.
My wishes for the new Switch
1. New controllers
2. Better online service
3. A bundled in title like Wii Sports and the Wii
With like 2 more games than they had last time
And make your weakest title like twice as fun as 1 2 Switch.
They should just call it Switch 2. Backwards compatibility with Switch games is critical. Have a launch in the fall with strong first party games (Zelda or new Mario). 4K in docked mode. Have the switch accessories be compatible, even the dock.
Uh…just don’t think about calling it the Switch U.
Here’s my list:
– Make it backwards compatible
– Fix Joycon drift
– further improve screen
– much more power for docked play, 1440 60 should be possible at least
– good marketing like with the switch
– good launch titles
– more QOL stuff, like quick resume, or apps, or more themes for home menu
– cleanse the eshop of all the wild stuff…
– Battery life is super important to me, hope they improve it back to 3ds levels
– Saves should be back on the cart, too many horror stories of people losing their saves through no fault of their own, that and I think it’s bupkiss to not have a free way to backup saves and Nintendo Online doesn’t even backup saves for all games.
– Basics such as folders shouldn’t take years to be added, they should be there from the start
– If they don’t fix joycon drift, they should make it even easier to swap them out, and sell official sticks (I had some lemons when buying 3rd party parts)
– If they’re going to do another gimmicky showcase, they should include a game demo that demonstrates all those gimmicks. I still see no difference in their patented rumble compared to xb/ps other than it’s loud like a shaver.
– Give it a simple name that anyone can understand it’s actually a new Switch and not some special version of the current Switch.
– launch it in Q1 or Q2 to not have to directly deal with some christmas period with basically everyone who wants to purchase one
– don’t try to be revolutionnary. The Switch WAS revolutionnary, and it’s a good thing. Now Nintendo just have to build up around this product to make it better.
– Nintendo don’t have to launch some big games in the launch day, but it have to get some Day-0 retrocompatibility. If someone want to play a Switch 1 game on it, even the least known it have to be supported.
– Stay with a 720p screen in handheld mode. People don’t need more, either me or you. It’ll save battery, and if you actually “see” some big pixels, that’s not the fault of the screen, that’s the one of the game itself who’s low rez or too demanding.
– OLED screens for everyone.
– Launch in the Spring; allows for more teething issues of the OS to be ironed out before release/before the first big holiday; also allows for a more compressed schedule in ‘the first year’ to paint the perception that more games are coming to the system (assuming the games are released)
– Day 1 they need to launch with either a 3D Mario, Mario Kart, or 3D Zelda; historically speaking, this is what drives Nintendo console sales
– Be mindful of the economic climate, what they’re up against and what they’re offering. Basically, don’t go overboard on price like 3DS or Wii U. Price tags need to stay the same for years these days. Launching at a high price in a tough climate can be disastrous, as likely will be the case with Switch 2.
– People have to know it’s ‘next gen.’ Calling it Switch U or Switch Pro ain’t gonna cut it. Switch 2 or else.
– Digital libraries have to carry over (and not be done bad like DS games on 3DS) or no one will ever trust Nintendo with digital purchases ever again.
– Clear marketing. The device should be advertised itself. While similarity is acceptable it should have a distinct look, which should be shown off in commercials.
– Emphasis on what’s improved. It should be “day and night” difference in graphics. It should justify its existence etc based on doing stuff that the Switch really can’t do.
– Killer games at launch. Yeah sure cross release on Switch but the next gen version should be so much better looking.
Henry Ford once famously said, “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” This thread is a good example of that.
Introducing… the Nintendo Gamesterball. You control in-game movement by tilting yourself in a giant hamster ball. Button inputs are via the pitch of your screams. Here’s an ad of college kids on a roof playing with the Gamesterball. “Looks like they’re… having a ball!” (Mario_woohoo.wav) Only $599, and for a limited time it will come with a digital copy of Super Mario Bros Lost Levels, absolutely free.
Switch 2. Retro-compatible with switch games.
New interface, themes, folders, more power, more NSO consoles and better joycons.
The time? This winter, xmas season I think.
They aint gonna, the switch is a relic at this point but it sells well. Lil bro Nintendo be scared as hell to try something new and fail like they did with the Wii U.
I like the name that’s been floating around, “Super Switch”. But I also had the idea, with the Switch getting all these great remakes – what if the idea is that it’s 100% compatible with the Switch (current model). Then, let’s say there’s a Wind Waker Remastered that comes out for the Switch – I mean, you don’t have any reason to use more hardware than what available in the OG switch. My proposal would be that new AAA titles from other studios – things like the Assassin’s Creeds, Overwatches, Bauldar’s Gates, etc. release on the “Super Switch”. But games that have the right to run on original Switch hardware (2d platformers, old port remasters) work on both systems.
I’d also make the argument that the “Super Switch” doesn’t get extra features over the Switch, like upscaling to 4K or whatever, because that would just mess with development and make more developers just forget about the Switch. I’m thinking more along the lines of keeping the Switch going for another generation – if only for playing more retro titles and remasters. And if we get some cool indie titles, that would just be a plus. Not to mention the “Super Switch” would be automatically backwards compatible with Switch OG. I feel like this approach would be a win-win-win.
I can’t speak for everyone, but going from the Wii to the Wii U to the Switch, I just feel like there’s been too many gimmicks the last few systems. Not to mention, with how hardware is progressing, a Super Switch could just release and be 10X more powerful and it would sell like hotcakes. The backwards compatibility would mostly be for costs – e.g. same dev kits and everything but would hopefully cushion any negative press by making it more of a home staple.
​
If I were being honest – and I never see Nintendo doing this – is that I would make the Super Switch titles available to OG Switch users through streaming. Paizo’s WOTR Pathfinder game shows that this “could” work, and it would be another great goodwill gesture by Nintendo (want to play offline, get a Super Switch, can’t afford it? play the same games on Wifi). But like I said, no chance in Hell this would happen, but a boy can dream.
The biggest issue going forward now that we’ve seen the writing on the wall is going to be scalpers. Consoles have been hoarded for literally years now in garages because of bot program use, giving themselves an unfair advantage in the scope of retail purchases. It’s also something retailers haven’t addressed particularly well. There are some methods used to counter it, but products of the future are going to need a new method of sale authentication for certain items due to the inability to beat programs to the punch on purchasing. I suspect this will only get worse and branch out more and more until every major product feels like you’re having to go through ticketmaster to acquire something. Never underestimate the idea that people will try to take advantage of each other and this trend is a perfect example. The rise of scalpers and scammers is reaching new levels.
If your talking actual lessons from the Switch:
Clear marketing about what the new console will let a gamer do that they can’t currently. The WiiU struggled with that, the Switch reveal though did a great job of showing you can take play the new Zelda anywhere, and Skyrim as well. Aim for the same thing here, even if it just ends up being you can take Odyssey 2 anywhere, and Dragon Quest 12. Ideally you want to hit on some big 3rd party games there though, highlighting a continued strong 3rd party lineup.
Some gamer focused upgrades. The reveal trailer for the Switch prominently showed off the pro controller a lot as Nintendo knew there were complaints about control options on the WiiU. Show some things that will assuage gamer fears about the next device, like a pro controller 2, better joysticks, and the like. You don’t need to discuss drift, but showing a better looking stick and mentioning that it’s hall effect in your specs will go along way.
A strong year one lineup. It’s harder here since 4 of the Switches year one draws (Zelda, Splatoon, Mario Kart, and Xenoblade) will have recent iterations/DLC on the Switch. Ideally the “Switch 2” includes not only has universal BC, but a strong list of hit games getting next gen patches at launch to help smooth that transition, but it needs some big exclusives as well. Perhaps a surprise launch of a new Animal Crossing and Metroid Prime 4 on top of Mario helps build that year one evergreen lineup.
That’s really the most your going to learn from the Switch. Obviously it’s specific “gimmick” sold well, it’s been hugely successful, but I think the big lessons were mostly just have good games at launch, target core gamers that tend to buy more games, and focus on clear marketing.
It’ll be interesting to watch. I love the dock and handheld hybrid console. There’s no going back at this point. I do wonder if they’ll get rid of cartridges though. Also curios to what controller scheme they come up with next.
Nintendo switch 2 electric boogaloo
Backward compatibility with Switch. If that’s not the case, I’ll probably skip out on next gen Nintendo consoles for a very long time