Will the Switch ever get a Direct competitor?

[Shiken]

Pemalite said:

PC has had portable devices for years... We can't forget mobile devices either like Tablets and Phones.
In saying that... The Switch is also a home console... So it competes with the Xbox and Playstation, those are it's direct competitors.

DonFerrari said:

Let's see how many Sony fans here would agree that Sony likely won't release a new portable because they don't think they can compete with Nintendo on it after Vita, versus how many Nintendo fans will admit Nintendo haven't been able to compete with Sony and MS on console market since N64? Lost twice, then on the last 3 gens releases consoles that go far to not directly compete with both?

I think it's a bit of a disservice claiming that just because you didn't have the most sales in a console generation that somehow it's a "failure" anyway.
The Playstation Portable for example might have only shifted 82~ million consoles verses Nintendo DS's 154~ million consoles.
But 82~ million is still a bloody good number of units to have shifted... It's just comparatively it doesn't seem as successful.

I think if a console has a good games library... Then from a consumers perspective, it doesn't really matter if it sold 5 million or 500 million hardware units, right?

The Nintendo 64 for instance might have failed relative to the Playstation 1 in terms of sales... But anyone who owned a Nintendo 64 likely has stupidly fond memories of it, especially once you start talking Goldeneye.

Well said, and I wholeheartedly agree.  The PSP was anything but a failure and had a lot to offer.  Even the VITA has a lot to offer if you like Japanese games, and the little support it got from Sony themselves still led to some solid games.  To me, it is a great device, but it was a sales failure.

 

This is similar to as you say the N64 and the WiiU.  The N64 was not a sales failure by any means, the PS1 just sold a lot more.  Some even argue that the GameCube was not a complete failure for Nintendo (debatable).  The WiiU however was.  Much like the VITA, it still had a lot to offer for those that liked what it did have.

 

Then we have the Wii, not my cup of tea.  I loved Skyward Sword, but other than that I was on the PS3 or PC.  To many, it was a failure or a "casual" console.  But in reality, it is all a matter of perspective.

 

Now enter the Switch.  Dedicated handhelds are a dying breed, as those types of games are shifting to mobile.  This however was where Nintendo was the most successful.  Their home console division was struggling, so they did what I feel was the smartest decision they made in a long time.  They created a home console hybrid and rejuvenated the idea of portable core gaming while strengthening their home console games.  Nintendo makes great games, and now they have a winning formula to keep them in direct competition with Sony and MS by playing on their strengths to compensate for their weaknesses.  They went against what many people thought was going to happen, and came  back in a way no one saw coming.

 

The constant jabs are really just due to the fanbases themselves, and that will never change.  Sony fans were constantly talked down to in the PS360 days by XBox fans and the Wii sold the most consoles that generation.  Now the tables have turned and Sony is back on top, and they feel the need to shout it from the mountains (I as a Sony fan, have done this myself).  This however, can easily rub people the wrong way.  Now Nintendo fans find themselves in a similar stance, but instead of straight up dominance the Switch can be considered successful alongside the PS4 at this point when aligning the sales data.  For some reason, this bothers Sony fans and they feel the need to attack or bait Nintendo fans as a result (not all mind you, but you know the ones).

 

As a fan of both Sony and Nintendo, I see both sides acting just as ridiculous as the other at times.  Before you know it, even the smallest remarks are taken the wrong way and these flame wars break out.  Misconceptions about how, "if a console does not sell the most, it failed" start to break out and everyone gets on edge.  Do they truly believe it?

 

No, most likely not as that would be ridiculous.  I dunno, I am just tired of all the stupid debates that steer everyone away from what it is all really about...the games.

 

Sorry for rambling, just felt like getting that off my chest.  I am off to play some RDR2 on my Pro before bed with my Switch ready to go with me to work with Ys VIII locked and loaded.