Only Minecraft and Street Fighter for May? Can Switch sell well this month?

[zorg1000]

Zod95 said:

zorg1000 said:

@bolded, I have no idea how you came to that conclusion or how its relevant to the discussion.

The purpose/concept wouldnt have to change, the main goal of Switch is to consolidate their home & handheld audiences and software output onto a single unified platform. Currently they have a single device that acts as both because that is the easiest way to demonstrate the concept. Later on, once the concept of Switch is firmly established than they can release seperate devices that cater to the individual audiences.

For example,

Switch Go-5" screen, built in controls, 4-8hr battery life, $199.99

Switch TV-microconsole form factor w/Pro Controller, $199.99

These devices will still have the same branding & same software, its just giving consumers more options if they prefer one style over the other.

Great/terrible marketing as in Wii had extensive advertsing found everywhere& had an easy to understand concept while Wii U was primarily advertised on kids networks and nowhere else & the majority of people either didnt realize it existed or thought it was an expensive tablet add-on for Wii.

2 screen gameplay worked great for DS because both screens are in your line of sight simultaneously. It did not work great for Wii U because you had to constantly look from one screen to the other making it only useful for a map/inventory screen that you only had to glance at seldomly.

Wii U droughts happened instantly. It had a solid amount of launch titles but no notable 1st party titles until 9 months later and only a handful of 3rd party titles in that time frame.

It seems like you are arguing for the sake of argument because many of the things you are arguing against are undeniable facts.

Before PSP, the world only knew GBA-level graphics (can it be compared to SNES?). The handheld experience was 2 generations behind. People associated portable gaming with 2D graphics heavily pixialized. With PSP, peopel saw their PS2 experience in a handheld. That was mind-blowing. PSP's initial sales were strong but there was a problem: the console had a short battery life and the games it offered were not what the portable gaming experience used to be. People began to realize that they could have the same experience in a bigger screen and with a better controller (the home consoles). PSP had no purpose. As a result, it did not crush DS. On the contrary, DS crushed PSP. Even with all the console revisions, PSP could not turn the tide. Even with all the efforts Sony made to give PSP more casual games, the distance to DS did not stop to increase. A console must be born with a purpose.

That separate device strategy is an interesting prediction. And if that happens, I think that Nintendo has a shot to make the Switch a huge success. I just don't think that's the most probable scenario. Like the PSP was crushed between a cheaper PS2, a more evolved PS3 and a more portable DS, I think that Switch will most probably be crushed between a cheaper PS4, a more evolved PS5 and the more disseminated tablets and smartphones.

Regarding the WiiU, you make some good points but I just don't agree with the "droughts" part. It only seems that the Wii didn't have droughts because Wii Sports and Wii Play were top sellers for many months. They carried the Wii along the way. NSMB and Nintendo Land couldn't do the same for the WiiU, so people were eager for more titles (which could become the console's saviors). When you're waiting, time slows down and you begin to see droughts where you couldn't see before.

I'm not arguing for the sake of it. I actually think we're going too far and that we should agree to disagree on some points, and let the time show who's right.

Why does it matter that DS sold better than PSP? It sold over 80 million and virtually tied with GBA as the 3rd best selling handheld of all time. Either way, this is getting a bit off topic, your original point was that Switch lacked certain things to attract handheld gamers and i explained how those things can potentiallly get fixed with revisions.

Again PSP sold over 80 million despite PS2, PS3, 360, Wii & DS all being on the market simultaneously. PS4/Pro, XBO/Scorpio, PC & smartphones/tablets will certainly provide tough competition but that doesnt mean Switch cant carve out a sizeable market for itself since it offers a different experience from all those devices.

Here, ill show you the first party lineup for Wii & Wii U in their first 18 months.

 

Wii

Nov 2006-Twilight Princess

Nov 2006-Wii Sports

Nov 2006-Excite Truck

Jan 2007-WarioWare: Smooth Moves

Feb 2007-Wii Play

Apr 2007-Super Paper Mario

May 2007-Mario Party 8

Jun 2007-Big Brain Academy

Jun 2007-Pokemon Battle Revolution

Jul 2007-Mario Strikers Charged

Aug 2007-Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

Oct 2007-Donkey Kong Barrel Blast

Oct 2007-Battalion Wars 2

Nov 2007-Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn

Nov 2007-Super Mario Galaxy

Nov 2007-Link's Crossbow Training

Jan 2008-Endless Ocean

Mar 2008-Super Smash Bros Brawl

Apr 2008-Mario Kart Wii

May 2008-Wii Fit

 

Wii U

Nov 2012-New Super Mario Bros U

Nov 2012-Nintendo Land

Jun 2013-Game & Wario

Aug 2013-Pikmin 3

Oct 2013-Wind Waker HD

Oct 2013-Wii Party U

Nov 2013-Super Mario 3D World

Feb 2014-Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze

May 2014-Mario Kart 8

 

Wii had a 1st party game almost every month in its first 18 months while Wii U would regularly go months between 1st party titles.

Also according to Nintendo's quarterly results, Wii had more games in its first year (196) than Wii U has had in 4 years (165).