The biggest problem with 3rd party ports on Switch...

[Shiken]

So I have come to a realization...and I have a story to go with it.  Maybe developers see this as well, and anticipate sales not being worth the downgraded port.  This is something that many have said throughout the Switch's life so far, but it really hit home today...

 

So as some of you already know, I got a PS4 Pro soon after picking up God of War on launch day.  As I worked my way through Horizon Zero Dawn, God of War, and Resident Evil 7 in 4k HDR, I felt my Switch calling to me as Octopath Traveler's release neared.  I also noticed that my launch PS4 was just sitting there doing nothing...time for a trade in at gamestop (something I rarely do, but it is free money for an extra console).

 

I decided to trade it for in store credit for 165 dollars as opposed to the 108 cash offer.  If I buy games I planned on buying anyway, I am still ending up with cash in my bank account in the end, right?

 

I scooped up Wolfenstein 2 as I decided that the portability was more important to me than playing in 4k (bet you thought this was gonna be about power didn't you =P).  I noticed Hyrule Warriors and considered buying that as well (for my collection), but there was one more title to obtain...Ys VIII...which was nowhere to be found.

 

Feeling defeated, as the point of this was to use the in store credit to buy the games rather than my bank accout, I began to look for another game...but found little that interested me.

 

Then I had a thought, just get a PS4 game.  So I walked to the PS4 section and began to browse...and that is when it hit me like a ton of bricks.  As I stood there with my 60 dollar Switch copy of Wolfenstein 2, I see the same game available on PS4 for 19.99 (with 4k and HDR support).

 

I stared at it a minute...thinking I want to play this on Switch.  But how could I justify passing on a superior console verion (far superior with my new Pro), just for supporting Nintendo and portability.  I almost just walked away, but then I did the math.  Had Ys VIII been over there, I would have spent 180 bucks with a 165 dollar discount for 3 games.  Not bad...but...I could could get more if I bought for PS4 instead...so I browsed some more...

 

I ended up buying Persona 5, Monster Hunter World, Assassin's Creed Origins, and Dragonball FighterZ (another Switch port I was holding out for) all for the grand total of 160 bucks...so I basically got them for free with 5 dollars to spare.  Had I gone for 180 like the 3 Switch games, I would have had 5 PS4 games to 3 Switch games.

 

And the funny thing is, I DID NOT EVEN BUY WOLFENSTEIN 2.  There very game I was looking at all of a sudden got pushed aside by a wider array of games that caught my interest.  This brought to my attention another factor, the Switch just does not offer a lot of the games I wish to play.  I always knew that my PS4 would offer more, but even the 3rd party games that did come to Switch got pushed to the wayside for other games I was more interested in once I opened my mind to the idea.

 

So the problem with Switch ports is not power...I chose portability over 4k.  Had Ys VIII been there, I probably would have bought the game and left without a second thought.  It IS in fact that the same games are available with better performance on the other consoles at a much cheaper price.

 

I have defended the 60 dollar price point on Switch ports for some time...and was not wrong about it...there is justification.  The more expensive cart paired with the fact that it does require money to alter the programing to downscale the game makes it necessary despite popular opinion.  However while it may not NEED to sell as much as the PS4 version to be successful, 350k sales (like DOOM for example) probably lack the profitability required to motivate a dev to make the port at all (it might even lose money).

 

So I canceled my pre order for Octopath Traveler and DB FighterZ on Switch, as my backlog on PS4 is now too massive for me to keep spending money.  I will still buy my must have exclusives for Switch, but 3rd parties for me are sadly on the far back burner when it comes to the console (and I supported it A LOT in year 1).  Focusing on Switch 3rd party games not only limits my selection of games as I can only play so many games in a certain timeframe, but it burdens my wallet as well.

 

And that is the story behind my realization that this is why 3rd party games, many that could in theory easily come to Switch, fail to make their way over or get ported late by a dev that specializes in porting to Switch, like Panic Button.

 

It is a sad truth because I wanted so bad to enjoy these games portably...but I cannot run from the truth anymore.  Given the circumstances and my overall taste in games, I cannot put a focus on the Switch like I thought I could.

 

But do not get me wrong.  I do not regret getting the Switch, Nintendo exclusives more than justify the purchase for me.  I just thought I would share my thoughts on 3rd party support, why it struggles, and why I feel many people do not bother to buy the ports we do get.

 

Thoughts?

Last edited by Shiken - on 10 July 2018