Soundwave said:
I think the reverse. That's what makes the Switch unique. Home sized experiences on the go. There's only a small market left for "small/medium" experiences because mobile can seep into that territory and has made that a red ocean. Mobile doesn't need buttons because it has its own killer app -- free, which evens the odds, or puts the odds in its favor even. That leaves a nichey audience base of people who like things like weird Japanese RPGs and other off-beat titles, and that doesn't really amount to much. Vita tried to sell off these experiences and indie games and got nowhere. Those games are OK as support titles but they're not going to sell systems. Things like Zelda and Mario Odyessy will. |
This is pretty much what the Vita aimed for though, like a small PS3-ish device for on the go gaming with some "big gaming" titles to help it sell (no, it won't sell like the Vita, of course, I'm just saying that this in and on itself isn't a selling point from a marketing perspective). The fact that you add the possibility to dock it to your TV doesn't sell the other concept by default. I rememeber seeing the reveal trailer, the guy playing Skyrim on the plane with the joy-con's looked absolutely ridiculous and I can't imagine there being any sort of huge market for this type of gaming. Sure, you could use a pro controller instead, but then you're starting to make it rather inconvenient when you carry so much stuff around (same goes for the attachment to weld two joy-con's into one controller, this becomes seriosuly bulky to wield for on-the go gaming). I just can't see how the Switch will convince people who want "big gaming" with this concept of taking it to the bus of coffeeshop or school, nor can I see how they'll capture the "small games" market, who only wants the very simplest and most convenient for their quick fix. I fear that once again, Nintendo have placed themselves squarely between two or more markets and that this will limit the appeal long term.
It's also worth noting that, despite the times we live in, Nintendo have once more opted to promote local multiplayer as a main selling point and they've made the process and practical sides of online multiplater needlessly cumbersome with many design choices and lack of features. You know what; I'm not seeing this being the amazing comet on the market that many seem to think. It's perfect for Japan though, but to me there's no sense in expecting another Wii, they're not creating a blue ocean, at best they're tossing a somewhat bipolar lure into a rather orange one.
