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| nuckles87 said: 1. The vast majority of games...something like well over 90%, work perfectly well in portable mode, and even a smaller amount of games are incapable of running games in portable mode. I already play my Switch PRIMARILY as a portable device, and software compatibility isn’t a huge issue. Unless I want marginally better controls in Mario Odyssey or want to play Arms, I only plug it into the dock when I want the big screen experience these days. 2. Portable mode as a whole discourages the use of joycons. Any developer that wants to include portable play in their games makes the joycons an optional experience. And if a developer REALLY needs to use the joycon for their games? That’s already most of the userbase if a portable-only Switch ever comes out, and unless that model outsells the regular Switch model and supersedes it, that’ll always be the case. And if it isn’t? There probably wasn’t a huge market for joycon-heavy games anyway. So far, there have been VERY few games that actually use the joycons in any sort of compelling way. There doesn’t appear to be much demand from developers to utilize joycons.
3. I agree with the idea that the Switch is successful because it isn’t generic. The hybrid concept is a brilliant one. But the Switch’s success is not built on 1-2 Switch and Labo. Neither product have done especially well, in fact. The jury is still out on Super Mario Party, but regardless: the main reason why the Switch is successful is not its bevy of playstyles. It’s not because of the joycons and HD rumble. It’s because it’s a portable device that can also be a console device that has loads of console-quality games that work seemlessly between the two modes. But I’d also argue that the Switch has succeeded not BECAUSE of the joycons, but in spite of them. We didn’t need better motion control. We didn’t need HD rumble. They are neat little features, but they aren’t why I love my Switch. When you look at Nintendo’s top sellers, what do you see? https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/finance/software/index.html Loads of games that rely heavily on the joycons to function? Nah. You mostly see high quality games, that work perfectly well in portable mode. Of the two exceptions (Arms and 1-2 Switch) neither of them are exactly HUGE sellers. 1-2 Switch certainly isn’t Wii Sports. Arms is doing fine for a new IP, but it’s no Splatoon. Everything else works great in portable mode. And if you REALLY want to play those joycon games? A joycon-less Switch ought to also be able to connect with accessories via Bluetooth to do table top-mode anyway. Ultimately though, my MAIN problem within your argument is...that you act like a joycon-less Switch is going to replace the regular Switch. That wouldn’t be the idea, at all. The whole point of it would be to give portable gamers a proper replacement for the 3DS, one with a similar POCKETABLE portable form factor. This is my biggest issue with the Switch right now: it simply isn’t as portable as my 3DS is. It’s a pain to stick in my pocket, or any other place I could have put past Nintendo portables. The joycons can pop off, it’s bulky. It simply isn’t portable ENOUGH. People have been all anxious for Nintendo to kill off the 3DS and replace it with the Switch, without considering that the Switch had to make sacrifices in portable mode that are inconvenient or frustrating for portable-only or portable-primary people to deal with. The whole point of a device like this would be to fill the niche currently occupied by the 3DS. More portable. Cheaper. Hell, they could even replicate the 3DS form factor, add 3DS/DS backwards compatibility via emulation, and include a second screen for some exclusive (but purely optional) dual screen functions, such as inventory management in BotW or restoring second-screen functions in Wii U ports. But it WOULDN’T be to usurp the Switch. If anything, it would provide an option for people who don’t care about the handful of joycon games or TV functionality. It’s something I would definitely buy if it’s not overpriced. And it most definitely wouldn’t usurp my regular Switch either, much like how my iPhone doesn’t usurp my iPad Pro. |
1. You do realize you don't need to dock the Switch to use Joy-Con motion controls do you? Tabletop mode exists for a reason.
2. Same with #1 Handheld mode doesn't discourage Joy-Con use because Tabletop mode exists. It allows you to use the Joy-Con detached WHILE the Switch is undocked. That's why there's several games that don't support handheld mode on Switch at the moment. It takes time for developers to catch on to Nintendo's new hardware, but we've already seen more compelling ideas with the Joy-Con in 2 years, than good ideas for the Wii U Gamepad in 4. Remember, the DS didn't have a lot of Touch-centric games early in its life either. Are we gonna call to take away the touch screen there?
3. I didn't say the Switch's success was built on Labo and 1-2 Switch. But their success shows that there is an audience for these games on Switch. A handheld only model completely screws that audience over.
The reason I'm against the idea of a Joy-Con-less Switch is because it's a misunderstanding of why the Switch is successful in the first place. You say it's successful because it's got home console games you can take on the go. That's a large reason, but that isn't the only reason why. Being able to detach the controllers for motion controls and/or multiplayer anywhere you go is also another huge aspect of the Switch's appeal. Take the Joy-Con away, the Switch just becomes a bad PS Vita clone by that point.
If Nintendo wants the Switch to replace the 3DS, then just sell a bundle without the dock. It preserves the Joy-Con appeal, while also appealing to those who want a purely portable experience. I'd be okay with a Joy-Con-less Switch if it was some novelty model released very late into the system's life like the Game Boy Micro, when the Switch has already sold to those who want one. Not in the third or fourth year where it's just reaching its peak. Nintendo needs to re-enforce the concept of the Switch at this moment.
