So, Should We Be Excited for the Switch?

polygon.com

     Hey guys, welcome back to The Glovebox! Today I’m going to be discussing the recent reveal of the Nintendo Switch, the long-secret project that we got our first taste of last Thursday. There have been a lot of reactions to this, positive for the most part, but I realized that I alone do not have the knowledge to really discuss this in an intelligent way. So, to that end, I decided to talk to a good friend of mine (and diehard Nintendo fan) and transcribe our conversation for your benefit. Without further ado, let’s talk about some games, folks!

Me: Alright, my friend, welcome to The Glovebox! Maybe you should insert your introductory paragraph here so that the folks know who I’m talking to.

Brandon: My name is Brandon Whaley. I've been playing games since I first picked up a Zapper at the age of 5. I'm mostly a Nintendo fan and handheld gamer at heart, but if a game is fun, you'll probably find me playing it. I write about games old and new at Gamer Pantheon, a site myself and a few like minded individuals began about a year ago. We offer reviews and discussions and I mostly argue that Nintendo is still cool, dangit.

Me: See, I told you he was crazy! No, but for real man, thanks for doing this. Let’s go ahead and dive right into it. What was your first reaction to that Switch footage?

Brandon: Cautious optimism. I enjoy handhelds more than consoles, so that's a huge plus for me. Third party support is good as well, but that was promised for the Wii U and we see how that went.

Me: Same here, even though I'm definitely a console guy (#TeamSony). Honestly I was just fascinated that a machine like this exists. The moment I finished with the trailer I immediately tried researching how they were going to make the titular switch from console to handheld work. But as you experienced first-hand I clearly didn't understand it all lol.

Brandon: Haha yeah. I'm still a bit confused, but they've since confirmed that the dock just transmits to the TV and serves no other purpose.

Me: Oh really? So they're basically just creating another handheld that happens to have TV capabilities?

Brandon: It seems that way, yes. The processor and everything is contained in the handheld itself.

Me: Huh, a handheld with the power of a home console (at least that's what it looks like). So is this Nintendo's Vita?

Brandon: Let's hope it does a bit better than that, but I can see that being the case.

Me: Well hey you learn something new everyday! Vita comparisons aside I do think this is the right move for Nintendo. Handhelds have been their strength since Sony and Microsoft joined the console wars, so why not use that strength? It's quite brilliant on their part, honestly.

Brandon: It really is. I'm hoping other companies see that as well and begin to take a chance on Nintendo again.

pcworld,com

Not like we can go anywhere but up, guys! (FB= FrostBite engine)

Me: Yeah we'll see... But hey, given that you're the Nintendo optimist out of the two of us, what was the big thing about this preview that really grabbed you and made you feel confident? At least, what made you the most confident that Nintendo has a hit on their hands?

Brandon: You already said it: It's a handheld at heart. I'm not sure why that makes a difference, but it makes me feel like they'll care more, I guess?

Me: I think you hit the nail on the head there but for a different reason: it seems like they care. The one part that ready soothed my worries was the few seconds of footage of somebody playing the remastered Skyrim on the Switch. While you know I'm not a huge fan of that game, it told me two things: one, that they're serious about upping their game at least in terms of graphics and processing power, and two, that they are trying to reach out to the hardcore gamer again. Showing us that was them saying "Hey, I know it's been awhile and I'm sorry, but we've got something really cool for you that'll really be worth your time." And that's great to see because it's a great marketing strategy.

Brandon: Yes exactly, if they stick with that strategy they can cater to their fans and the larger gaming market simultaneously, which is exactly what they need.

express.co.uk

Now you can awkwardly swing at buggy monsters too, Nintendo gamers!

Me: Exactly! Now for the flipside, cuz I'm a fair man and I don't want to just shower praise: what makes you the most nervous about this system?

Brandon: Well, it's still got a gimmick to it, which is arguably what hurt the Wii and Wii U the most. Also, that's a lot of moving parts for a console that is likely going to get moved around a lot. Nintendo products are fairly durable, but this might be pushing it.

Me: Yeah that's honestly my biggest concern (besides one we'll discuss in a minute): this looks like it's always one clumsy move from breaking. It was like that gif you sent me where the guy separates the controller sides and the screen in the middle falls and shatters.

Brandon: Yeah, I mean I don't expect it to be that fragile, but it is a concern.

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Me: And this is just a personal thing for me, but that Gamepad for the Wii U always felt like something I bought from Dollar Tree. They up the quality on that, then I'll know they care!

Brandon: As much as I like the Gamepad, it did feel like Nintendo couldn't decide between committing fully to the concept and keeping the price family affordable. They kind of cheaped out with it.

Me: Kind of? Sheesh, it was like they used the knockoff flea market Gamepad, except it was the actual Gamepad.

Brandon: I wouldn't go that far, but I understand haha. For what it's worth, mine has survived three kids using it for clandestine Netflix viewing.

Me: Fair enough, I can meet you halfway on that point. Okay, so Nintendo has all this promising stuff going for them. But, as we've seen with the Wii U, that doesn't necessarily mean anything. So what do they need to do to really make this a sustainable hit?

Brandon: Well, it looks like the gimmick won't hamper developers looking to make traditional games this time around. That's a step in the right direction. They just have to convince the developers of this.

Me: I'd kinda have to fight against your use of the word gimmick here. While I think you're correct technically, I view things like the Wii as much bigger gimmicks that were borderline impenetrable to developers who didn't know how to use it. Despite the handheld nature this seems like a relatively straightforward system to develop for.

Brandon: No I agree with that, but let's look at the audience at large who are already on the fence with Nintendo. They'll see it as a gimmick.

Me: Eh, perhaps, but I think the gimmick really plays on the innate desire we all have as gamers to take something like a Skyrim with us wherever we want and fulfills the promise of the Wii U that many of us were really excited about. So I don't necessarily think that will be the biggest hurdle with the audience.

Brandon: True. This may be the device that makes console gamers go handheld, in a sense.

a90skid.com

"A sampling." Sweet Jesus Nintendo, please don't mess this up.

Me: Now, you mentioned third party support at the start, and I think this is our biggest concern, right?

Brandon: Oh definitely. I fully believe that was a huge part of the Wii U's failure.

Me: What is it with Nintendo and third parties that they can never hold on to them? The Wii U definitely wasn't the first time that happened.

Brandon: It's hard to say. Look at the GameCube era. Third party support was flowing like wine in those days.

Me: I know Nintendo can be a little stingy and secretive when it comes to their hardware... Hopefully they've learned by now that they can't keep doing that. They literally can't afford it.

Brandon: Let's hope. Nintendo always impresses when utilizing their own hardware. If they could let others in on those methods, everyone would win.

Me: That is a good point, man. I mean, look at Mario Galaxy on the Wii compared to... Anything else on the Wii. A very stark contrast.

Brandon: Exactly! And Metroid Prime on the GameCube...it looks better that a large majority of Wii games. It's insane.

memegenerator.com

Me: Okay, so we've covered Nintendo's... Unique business practice. Let's talk games. You think they need to let the third parties carry the heft or really break out their IP during the early days of this system?

Brandon: I think we need a combination of both. Nintendo fans want Nintendo IPs. But not just Mario and Zelda. Let's see that library come into play. Metroid, Star Fox, F-Zero, Pikmin, Splatoon, and Smash Bros. Likewise, non-Nintendo fans need a reason to jump on board. Third party presence needs to be strong and exclusive.

Me: That's the key word right there: exclusive. Let's be honest, this is Nintendo's real entry into this console generation, and even if they were to somehow get Call of Duty or Assassin's Creed, most gamers would just use the systems they have to play them. Now, an exclusive AC series for the Switch or maybe bringing back Prince of Persia or Rayman as exclusives? Now we're talking.

Brandon: Exactly. Or even a new must have IP from a big AAA publisher.

Me: Plus, it's time they started reaching out to indie developers as well. Sony and Microsoft have done a wonderful job at that, and if by some chance Nintendo loses big publisher support they can draft these guys in to help create fun, exciting stuff. There's no reason that a Super Time Force or a Firewatch couldn't have been on a Nintendo console. There really just isn't.

Brandon: Well, Nintendo does have a big indie presence of their own. The 3DS is swimming in quality indie titles.

youtube,com

Learn something new every day!

Me: You think they can make the transfer?

Brandon: I think so. Nintendo has a good relationship with their indie developers. I think they can 

take that forward.

Me: Well there you go, fact #2 I've learned from you today, my friend. I knew there was a reason I kept you around! But now let's discuss the big thing here. My personal favorite topic to discuss when you and I talk about Nintendo: releasing the beast known as Nintendo's catalog. Do you, Brandon, think it's time to bring it all into play?

Brandon: It's past time. They should've done that with the Wii U. Why wouldn't you use heavy hitters like Metroid?

Me: And why would you screw up a heavy hitter like Star Fox so badly? Oh wait, let's not talk about that lol.

Brandon: Yeah, let's move on from the past haha.

Me: And this really ties into the plan I think they really need if they're going to be competitors. I call it "The Marvel Plan." So you know how Marvel makes like three movies a year now? Well I think Nintendo needs to do the same with the games. One heavy hitter, one mid-sized one, and then digging something out of the vault. So like next year, the main Nintendo team is releasing Zelda. In my plan, they've got Retro working on another Donkey Kong Country for the summer season and then maybe one of their smaller partners (let's just say if they get Capybara and Super Time Force) to do something like, say, Earthbound for the fall. Three sizable players that immediately shake up the year and put Sony and Microsoft on notice. Let's make it happen Nintendo! Sorry, I get a little excited when I try to "Save Nintendo" pitches.

Brandon: That makes sense. If they threw a new IP in there, I don't think that would hurt anything either.

Me: Oh definitely, that's just to supplement the line and create surefire hits. It's like Warner Bros releasing BvS and Suicide Squad but also making room for Sully. I know movies and games are different businesses, but I think that guarantees a good amount of interest and spares us the barren wasteland of gaming that this holiday season is turning into.

Brandon: Yes. Took the words out of my mouth.

Me: So we've covered pretty much everything I wanted to talk about. You have any final thoughts?

Brandon: No, we hit all the points I wanted to touch on. I just want Nintendo to come out swinging with this thing. Nintendo used to dominate the landscape. I think those days are probably gone, but I want them to actually have a player in the game again.

Me: I agree with you 100%. They've made some bad decisions over the years, some downright asinine, but I think they have something here that can really put them back out there as a brand to be respected and not a punchline. So, now for the three-to-four hundred dollar dollar: you gonna buy this?

Brandon: I have postponed buying a PS4 just to see what Nintendo is going to present in the coming months. I can say I'm far more optimistic than I have been in the past few months with the NX rumors floating around. I think this could be a cool addition to the gaming scene overall.

Me: I'm going to be withholding my money too until I see the set of launch titles and how well it works. But hopefully our fears are for nothing and we'll all have a nice March surprise!

Brandon: Here's hoping!

knowyourmeme.com

So is mine, Reggie. So is mine.

Big thanks to Brandon for sitting in on this with me. Make sure to check out his website at https://gamerpantheon.com/ and see all the cool stuff they've got going on over there!

The Nintendo Switch will be releasing in March.

Hey guys, if you like this article please leave a comment or share this post so we can get the word out there! If you have any questions or comments you can find me at:

Twitter: @PresidentGlover

Instagram: _steveng_

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