The Switch is not another Wii U!

[zorg1000]

A_C_E said:

zorg1000 said:

What would be different about your proposed seperate dedicated handheld compared to Switch?

For example, let's say Nintendo releases a DS3, how powerful would it be? Since 3D is a slight upgrade over PSP, lets say DS3 will be a moderate upgrade from Vita which would cost around $200.

Don't you feel like a $200 Nintendo handheld and a $300 Nintendo console with handheld capabilities would kinda be redundant? Software wouldn't be fully compatible, you wouldn't simply be able to put your Switch game cart into the DS3 and expect it to be playable or vice versa. At best you would be looking at a Vita & PS3/PS4 style compatibility where a game will be cross-platform and allows for cross-buy/save but that will require extra work from the developers because they are creating two seperate versions of each game.

The best choice for Nintendo is what they are doing and releasing a single, unified platform where they can consolidate their customer base and development support.

Previously their two pillars were handheld gaming devices & home gaming devices. Going forward their two pillars will be dedicated gaming devices & mobile gaming apps.

I would guess that Nintendo would release the DS3 at around $169-$219 for the DS3 and DS3 XL respectively. We saw what happened when Nintendo released the 3DS with an entry price too high.

And this is where the trouble is. If people think they are getting a home console and handheld with the Switch then they wouldn't be too impressed when comparing the battery life and size to the 3DS, a six year old handheld.  But no, it's only redundant without sofware support. The DS3 will have lots of software support and consumer sales with or without the Switch. It's Nintendo's home console that would be more redundant unless it too had good software support from devs and consumers. Price is all about perceived value and Nintendo always succeeds with their handhelds simply due to their software.

Again, I'm not saying that you are wrong just that I'm offering a different opinion.

But that's where the whole aspect of Iwata previously admitting to having struggles with supporting two seperate devices comes into play.

We saw with Wii U & 3DS how much they struggled to give both devices a steady stream of 1st party content simultaneously. The Wii U droughts were much worse than 3DS but what happens when the 3DS successor is an HD device where the resources needed for games increases dramatically? Going from a resolution of 240p with PS2 level visuals to 540/720p and visuals somewhere between Vita & 360 will make the size of teams, length of development and cost of development to increase by alot.

We will probably be looking at two seperate devices with similar output to Wii U where they both have droughts and miss out on key franchises. Switch will get Splatoon while DS3 gets Animal Crossing. Switch will get Xenoblade while DS3 will get Pokemon. Switch will get 3D Zelda while DS3 will get 2D Zelda.

Overall, we will just be seeing the problems they faced this generation being magnified and this time both devices will suffer.