Nikkei rumor: Nintendo Switch Mini Launches In Mid 2019, New Online Services Aimed At Core Gamers

[Nautilus]

Otter said:

Nautilus said:

Thats the usual problem with people trying to predict things: They lean too heavily on past data(or base solely on this) and stop seeing the current circunstances or how people behave and consume things.

1)A Switch mini is "obvious" just because Nintendo makes handhelds, and usually people dont give a better reason other than that."But Animal Crossing is a handheld franchise, and pokemon is a handheld franchise, so its obvious that Nintendo needs a purely handheld format to accompany them".Pokemon just proved that it can also sell on a hybrid system.10 million units in a month and a half.And it did that on a spin off game!Animal Crossing has sold just as a well as New Leaf on consoles(Cant remember the name).That proves that people will consume products, if said products are of good quality, regardless what form it takes(hardware), assuming said hardware dont suck.

2)About the 3DS argument: Yeah, I expect to there still being a market for cheaper handheld consoles.And the system that will do it is called the Switch.Without a mini on it.You guys forget that the Switch is a bloody hybrid.So that means it works as a handheld too.Now for the "cheap" part: The Switch will eventually get cheaper.Hell, we are probably bound for a price cut this year, making the Switch cost 250 dollars(and that would be its official price.If you look hard enough, you will probably find a good deal that its significally cheaper than that), bundled with a great game or two.Two or three years from now the Switch will get another price cut, and so on.Therein lies your cheap dedicated handheld.

3)Plus I should add: Making things smaller dosent make them cheap.I mean, probably not shipping the hardware with joycons(which brings a whole lot of different problems, like killing the whole idea of the Switch, your "handheld" Switch not working with certain games like Super Mario Party, and so on) and a dock will cut a lot of corners, but on the other side not only would you need to invest alot in R&D to shrink the parts without outright killing its performance(and thus rendering any game for the normal Switch useless), but also spending more on buying those parts, because its actually more expensive to buy those kinds of parts, than its bigger cousins.So until you prove me with hard evidence that thats possible without actually increasing the cost of the console, you are just pulling this argument out of your ass.

4)About your "not everyone carries a tablet", "want to fit the Switch in a pocket" and "its nice not to have to share the Switch with other people":Im sorry to say, but you are in the minority.Just look at the sales of tablets worldwide.Just look at the trend of the increase in size of phones.People dont mind putting those stuff on their backpacks rather than their pockets.Hell, even if the Switch was smaller and could fit in my pocket, I would never do it, because I could scratch the screen, I could break the sticks, and many other potential problems.So yeah.

5)"Not only are they one of the biggest costs (which almost every game works without), they can very easily be purchased as an accessory like I'm sure 90% of Switch owners have already done (or purchased a pro controller). " Again, you are pulling this one out of your ass.90% of the users brought another pair of joycons or pro controllers?Those really epensive controllers?Gaming is a hobby, and a expensive one at that.They already spent 300 dollars plus at least 60 for a game, do you really think everyone is willing to shell out an extra 70 or 80 dollars for something they already have and dont really need?I really doubt the numbers are anywhere near that.But if you provide any evidence, Ill be glad to say I am wrong.

6)And congratulations.You made me waste my time explaining something that was fairly obvious.Dont get me wrong, a mini could happen.Who knows, Nintendo is unpredictable and has made worse moves.But Nintendo has shown this gen that it understands this market.So dont expect it

1) Of course Pokemon can sell well on a $300 hybrid platform, but it can also sell even better if it was also on an even more child friendly, $199-249 platform. This is a no brainer. Key word is "also", there can be more than 1 Switch model in the market.

2/3) You can't just magically make the Switch cheaper. The cost argument is not that small things are automatically cheap but that in tailoring towards a dedicated & accessible handheld factor they will cut costs such as screen production, IR scanner, two gyroscopes, 2 HD rumbles, 2 unnecessary bluetooth chips, 2 necessary batteries joycan controllers, an unnecessarily expensive form factor. Infact the Joycons are so expensive to produce they were reported to be sold at a loss during launch. Just like every Nintendo handheld before, I'm pretty sure they can reduce the size without increasing their costs. The Switch's specs even for a HH wasn't bleeding edge when it was released in 2017 and its certainly not in 2019. 

4) You're barely addressing the point of the child market, the market for multiple purchases per household.... and for adults I can assure you people are buying phones they can fit in their pocket, the Switch+cons is bigger than any commercially successful phone. There's also a reason every major manufacturer is selling a range of products including massive tablets, XL phones and the usual 5" phones. A "minority" is less than 50%, it doesn't equate to a non-profitable market.

5) What made you think I was intending to state that figure as fact, it was obvious hyperbole alluding to the fact that console makers have no issue selling additional controllers  & accessories especially on a Nintendo platform. 

6) You're welcome. All this boils down to is whether there is a market for a cheaper, more portable focused Switch and considering the 3DS is STILL selling well it just makes zero sense to think there isn't. It doesn't have to outsell the base console to be valid SKU option (Otherwise PS4 Pro, XB1X, New 3DS, 2DS etc wouldn't exist) 

Thats the whole problem.You are either using hyperbole as a fact(Im sorry, that sentence reads as the majority of people act like you said) or just assuming that there is a market for kids that wasnt tapped because the system isnt cheap enough AND its not in a form that kids like.Thats not a childs market.Thats just the overall market.

As I said before, gaming is an expensive hobby.And most people in the world barely make ends meet.So convincing them to shell out 300 dollars plus whatever more in games is not easy.They are willing, they just cant do it all the time.So when the console eventually drops in price, it obviously makes it easier for them to buy it.Thats not a child market, thats just the market for the "poor".The kids arent going after what feels "childish"(read it like something thats child friendly, or not hardcore), they will be going after what the growups are playing and what is popular in the moment.There is a reason why COD, a violent game that has people killing people, is popular with kids.I mean, the game of the hour is Fortnite, but the game before it was PUBG, which is also violent.And why they play it?Because everyone is playing it.

If the kids family has money, they will buy them a switch.If the kids family dosent have the money, they wont buy them the Switch.Simple as that.Its not the size of the hardware thats "stopping" kids from wanting one.Its the price(and the games obviously).In another words, what Nintendo actually needs to do is lower the price, which is what you ultimately suggest.But thats just common sense, and that logic applies to any product.The cheaper it is, the easier it gets to convince someone to buy it.But as I said before, all you need to do is lower the price of the Switch itself, not make one of lower quality and with fewer functionalities just to get to that price.