Yeah, they pulled the same "third pillar" thing back with the DS. It's just a way for Nintendo to cover their asses if the Switch fails. They can say that the Switch was an experiment and they're continuing on with their DS line.
Nintendo NX / Switch Discussion
- Thread starter eastman23
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Really?! My main issue with the DS is that the touch screen was used to make games more complicated to control and more annoying. The 3DS uses it wisely, the DS does not.
Yeah, that's the part I don't get. But whatever, Ninty gonna Ninty.
I don't see what that has to do with what I said. The touchscreen has been vital to a very small number of games; most simply don't use it at all, or if they do it's as an alternate (and completely optional) supplement to the gamepad controls. It's true that the DS had touchscreen features shoehorned in a lot of the time, whereas it's less common on the 3DS. That is more a consequence of developers learning when it's smart to use a touchscreen and when you don't need it, no doubt aided by the vast experience we all now have with touchscreen-only devices.
It's portable. Close enough.
For me, something like that would be portable in the house, can't imagine using it on the bus. YMMV.
As RobMax said, it's portable, and beyond that, it's using portable hardware on the inside. The Tegra line is one of the bog standards for tablets and other portable devices. Beyond that, Nintendo initially lost a metric fuckton of cash on the 3DS and I have no doubt it's ready to retire that line rather than pouring money into a form factor that's realistically hit the end of its usable life.
3DS will be dead by Christmas (if not sooner), mark my words.
Not to mention, the console itself is more expensive than the other consoles, so "here are a bunch of tablet games" is quite a mismatch. It sends a confusing message to consumers. And it's possible brand dilution. Nintendo is probably allowing it because it needs the money to roll in.
Right. I haven't looked at its financials anytime recently, but off the top of my head I believe by some metrics Nintendo has operated at a non-insignificant deficit for two or three fiscal years, and had another few years of bleeding maybe five or six years ago, which is due to a number of factors:
- Totally botching almost everything about the Wii U (I'm pretty sure Iwata would have been fired for that if he hadn't died)
- The price cuts on the 3DS and New 3DS
- Incredibly poor marketing in North America (pretty clear this is why Nintendo took Reggie Fils-Aime down a peg in their organizational restructuring a year or so ago)
- Yet another repeat of poor third-party relations for a third consecutive hardware generation
Nintendo's a company sorely in need of some strategic planning because it's all over the place right now.
I agree with you when it comes to the 3DS and especially the Wii U, but Nintendo's done a pretty good job of correcting course with the Switch. The marketing is on point and the system has a clear message that plays to Nintendo's strengths. Obviously the verdict is still out on whether the Switch will be a success or not, but you can't fault the attempt.
The naming of the New 3DS should be in that list, also selling a console without the fucking plug that makes it work, should also be on the list.
However the New 3DS had a price cut?
Switch's marketing has been pretty good, from what I've seen, and it doesn't seem like anybody can find new units in stock anywhere, so either Nintendo way underproduced or it's genuinely popular. (I tend to assume the former--limited supplies help build hype because it makes it seem like everybody wants one.)
The Zelda game seems to be very well-regarded, though, and if they can build out a library over the next year or so, maybe there is hope.
Yeah, it was dropped to $150 for the XL, and I believe they had a "normal sized" version for $100 last holiday season.
Selling it without the plug is kinda dumb but I'd hardly rate it as a major misstep. Just a cheapskate move on Nintendo's part.
I'm waiting to get a Switch for now. Too many issues.
Switch hardware issues -- Polygon
Switch unknown error issue -- Reddit
Switch hardware issues -- Polygon
Switch unknown error issue -- Reddit
If they don't have stronger third-party support, it won't matter how good the advertising or the console itself is. Mario and Zelda are only going to push so many consoles. The Wii U was a system that deserved to do better than it did.
You're ignoring the 3DS. The 3DS had (and still has) strong third party support. Those developers are going to move to the Switch.
People like to look at Ty and the Beanie Babies as the culprit, but really, Nintendo pioneered artificial scarcity with the original NES (in what I believe was Howard Lincoln's idea, as NOA didn't have the liquid capital to comply with toy stores' goofy-ass net-180 invoicing / guaranteed return demands, so he countered by limiting the inventory of systems and games they'd receive until they went to net-15) and fucking mastered it with the N64.
Can you please read our own link.
Nintendo will be offering the New 3DS (the standard, smaller model, not the bigger one) for just $150-
The smaller one not being the XL. The new XL is still $200, like it has always been. There hasn't been a price drop, there have been sales.
Really? You know this for fact? What are the winning numbers and when will Trump finally drop dead?
So all the early adopters are like beta testing this for everyone 
Well, I dunno. Just look at 1-2 Switch. Everyone was just so confused about it when it was revealed and felt they were perhaps misguided in their approach with that.
Yeah, not so sure why people are so surprised at this. This is Nintendo.. I thought they were well-known for generating buzz via scarcity. This isn't really any different. It happened with the Wii, and it happened more recently with the NES-Mini. And as you say with the original NES.
