Regarding Nintendo Handhelds, was the Switch concept inevitable?

[Mr Puggsly]

The_Liquid_Laser said:

Mr Puggsly said:

Okay, so I was right. In a nutshell since they can play the same games you see them as equals. Even if the Switch port of technically demanding games are taking a massive hit in the overall fidelity.

First of all, the leap to PS3 to PS4 is not a minor leap especially when you look at games actually built for new hardware. Switch is more powerful than PS3 and handles some of the same games on PS4 quite well. However and most importantly, many notable and technically demanding games aren't on Switch nor is there proof Switch could handle them well. Even if Switch could handle technically demanding PS4 games to some playable extent, many aren't on Switch. So even if you feel your Switch is powerful device, you may still need a PS4 to play the latest CoD, BF, AC, RDR2 and list goes on.

I don't need to look at Ark, Doom, Wolfenstein II and other games side by side to see there can be a huge disparity between PS4 and Switch. It really depends on what games we're talking about. You proved my example right, you look at a game like Tales of Vesperia or Mega Man 11 and come to the conclusion PS4 and Switch are equals. If that's your barometer, I guess you would see them as the same.

Again, when you compare Switch to PS5 it really depends on what you're comparing. I mean games with less demanding visuals may look like equals on Switch and PS5. This is a silly discussion, we already see a huge disparity between some Switch and PS4 games. Now you want to bring PS5 into this?

I get your logic. Its just... dumb.

At this point we are just going to have to agree to disagree.  I have played exclusives on both the PS3 and PS4.  To me it looks like a minor upgrade.  For example, I have played both Uncharted 2 and Uncharted 4 when they were current games.  This may be a major difference to you, but to me it is minor.

The thing is that neither of us is alone in our opinion.  I know there are other people who think PS4 was a huge leap from PS3.  What you may not realize though, is that the mainstream is in my camp.  First party games on the Switch look really good.  Zelda and Mario both look extremely good.  When I play a PS4 exclusive, like Uncharted 4 or Spider-Man, I also think the graphics look really good, but I'm not thinking "man this blows away Switch graphics".  To me the first party games on both consoles look good.  And what's more is that a lot of people like the graphics of Switch first party games.  People are willing to pay $300 for a handheld, because the games look worth that price tag.

That is how handhelds have caught up to home consoles.  When people look at the first party games of both systems, now they both look really good.

What mainstream are you exactly? By your logic avid gamers would have stuck with PS3 and 360 while they were still getting notable support but they didn't. Switch is doing great but its not the mainstream when you compare PC, PS4 and X1 combined. The Switch has a unique fanbase, it doesn't do a great job selling 3rd party core games, but I'd argue the people content with is not the mainstream.

Part of the reason you aren't that impressed with X1 and PS4 is they didn't really push specs. I mean Sony and MS is no longer losing big money on hardware so they made consoles that were actually worth about $399. If we had specs like the Xbox One X in 2013, our impression of the 8th gen would be very different. Lets bear in mind the Switch is still far behind the X1 and PS4 in capabilities though, so much so it doesn't get many notable games.

Part of the Switch's success is it delivers console style experiences when its actually supported, unfortunately many big budget games aren't coming to Switch and some that do aren't great ports. If you're a Nintendo fan, its also nice to get all of their games one device now. Switch is the successor to 3DS and Wii U combined. There is place for Switch in the market and its doing great, but its not the mainstream.