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

ugh that sounds awful if true. smaller cheaper switch pretty much means no joycons, portable only system, which means it isn't really a "Switch". I expected that late in the life cycle but not now. Should be an XL with beefed up screen size, disk space, cpu, battery, etc to continue selling at $300 while the OG Switch gets dropped in price to start picking up some buys a bit closer to portable prices. I'm worried Nintendo is about to make a bad move right when Switch is at its most popular. Maybe it'll just sell well in Japan and to kids or something. I wouldn't want a Switch without joycons and that isn't hybrid.



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Nautilus said:
zorg1000 said:

Pokemon Let's Go plays fine in handheld mode so I dont think that's a valid example.

Even if you exclude Pokemon, there are a number of titles that would suffer, like MP and ARMS as an example.

ARMS is fully playable in handheld mode. But that's the thing, if you want games that dont work in handheld mode like 1 2 Switch, Labo or Mario Party than you get the sku that plays them.



When the herd loses its way, the shepard must kill the bull that leads them astray.

 

thismeintiel said:
zorg1000 said:

Handheld and console specific skus makes the platform more affordable and attractive for people who only care about one aspect. They could use the Tegra X2 to make these 3 revisions.

Switch Go-$199, 5" 720p screen without detachable Joy-Cons.

Switch TV-$199, micro console with pair of Joy-Cons bundled.

Switch Pro-$299, 7" 1080p screen, better battery, hybrid form factor.

Possibly.  But, I think an all-in-one Switch at $249, the same price as the Wii at launch, is going to be MUCH more attractive than splitting the base into three.  Especially if the bottom 2 SKUs may be confusing for your average consumer.

It's really the same principle as MS having 4 different SKUs for the XB2, 2 with disc drives and 2 without, but next to it is the all-in-one PS5.  The PS5 is going to sell more just because of simplicity.

I remember when they first started talking about NX they talked about wanting a family of devices similar to iOS. You have iPod, iPad, iPhone and Apple TV in that family, I can see something similar for Switch with a handheld (iPod), hybrid (iPhone) premium hybrid (iPad) & home console (Apple TV) skus where like 98% of the software is shared between all devices.

It will all come down to how well they market/advertise these products. If its executed poorly than yes there may be alot of consumer confusion, if they execute it effectively than it should be minimal.



When the herd loses its way, the shepard must kill the bull that leads them astray.

hey guys. Quick question for those who think a Switch with built in joy-cons would support separate joncons - how would you charge the joycons?

There might be a "Switch mini" but it isn't getting any less tall, it isn't losing joycon support, and you're going to be able to attach the joycons on the sides.

As for those claiming it would have to work with the dock - well, maybe, but if it were shorter and not as wide, there would be no way to remove it, and again, no way to dock it while charging the joycons. You would definitely need a redesigned dock.



potato_hamster said:
hey guys. Quick question for those who think a Switch with built in joy-cons would support separate joncons - how would you charge the joycons?

There might be a "Switch mini" but it isn't getting any less tall, it isn't losing joycon support, and you're going to be able to attach the joycons on the sides.

As for those claiming it would have to work with the dock - well, maybe, but if it were shorter and not as wide, there would be no way to remove it, and again, no way to dock it while charging the joycons. You would definitely need a redesigned dock.                             

There are already charging grips and charging stands for the Joy-Cons.



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StarDoor said:
potato_hamster said:
hey guys. Quick question for those who think a Switch with built in joy-cons would support separate joncons - how would you charge the joycons?

There might be a "Switch mini" but it isn't getting any less tall, it isn't losing joycon support, and you're going to be able to attach the joycons on the sides.

As for those claiming it would have to work with the dock - well, maybe, but if it were shorter and not as wide, there would be no way to remove it, and again, no way to dock it while charging the joycons. You would definitely need a redesigned dock.                             

There are already charging grips and charging stands for the Joy-Cons.

That's not convoluted at all. I'm sure the clueless parents of gaming children will totally be pleased by that.

/s



potato_hamster said:

 

StarDoor said:

There are already charging grips and charging stands for the Joy-Cons.

That's not convoluted at all. I'm sure the clueless parents of gaming children will totally be pleased by that.

/s

Convoluted? You're already making the assumption that these "clueless" parents are going to take the extra effort of buying unnecessary controllers in the first place. The entire point of a handheld-focused Switch is that it has built-in controls and doesn't need Joy-Cons to function. What you've presented is a complete non-issue.



 

zorg1000 said:

Handheld and console specific skus makes the platform more affordable and attractive for people who only care about one aspect. They could use the Tegra X2 to make these 3 revisions.

Switch Go-$199, 5" 720p screen without detachable Joy-Cons.

Switch TV-$199, micro console with pair of Joy-Cons bundled.

Switch Pro-$299, 7" 1080p screen, better battery, hybrid form factor.

Agree with everything you said have not heard anyone with a legit argument yet as to why this is bad idea.

Mario party requires two Switch's (screens) to get the most out of it. So people who only own one Switch and don't have any friends that own one can't get the full experience.



Smaller switch seems more logical than an upgrade as it won’t alienate those that have already purchased a switch...and still has the potential to broaden the user base at the same time. Personally I hope it’s true but I would hope the screen is not much smaller, and that it still keeps the dock (I assume it would as the hybrid concept is switches main selling point) ...hopefully the pro controller would be compatible (I rarely use the joy-cons) and that the console itself has fixed (rather than removable) controllers.. that’s all I’m asking for anyway.



This service for enthusiasts will be a paid streaming service for SNES, N64, GB, GBA games. I've said this a few times: Nintendo is not willing to give us a Virtual Console unless they can monetise the hell out of it. A streaming service would be a gold mine for them and they could charge a lot of money annually. Look at Sony's profits with PSN. This is what Nintendo is aiming at and the NES online service is only the playground.

A Switch Mini makes sense, as long as it's a fully fledged console and not handheld-only. It just needs a dock and be compatible with Joy-Cons obviously.