aTokenYeti said:
The_Liquid_Laser said:
I know man. Nintendo games are so radically different. Remember back when Nintendo and Playstation were actually competing? Like back in Gen 5 when PS1 was clearly competing against N64? What did Nintendo make back then? Oh yeah, 3D Mario, 3D Zelda, Smash Bros, Mario Kart, Animal Forest, Mario Party, etc.... Come to think of it, those are some of the best selling games on the Switch right now. I guess those games are still not different enough. If they were competing with Playstation back in Gen 5, then they are still competing with Playstation now. They are still making the same types of games.
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There is more to a games library than first party. You cannot play any of the latest call of duty titles on switch, nor can you play any of the latest EA sports games, nor can you play a number of the more popular free to play battle royales.
in fact I am struggling to think of any of the major AAA titles released in the last 3 years from the likes of ABK, EA, Take Two, Ubisoft, or Zenimax that released on the Switch. The only two significant exceptions I’m aware of are Apex legends and Immortals fenix rising.
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According to your reasoning, the only two systems that have ever competed with one another are Playstation and XBox, and even then it only started in Generation 7. That is when this trend started of both systems having largely the same "AAA third party games".
Obviously this is false. There are many generations where one system will lose a certain about of install base and another system will go up by a similar amount. Nintendo has always competed with its first party games. That has been true on the NES, and it is true now. It is currently competing with Playstation with the same types of first party games that were on the N64, which was also competing with Playstation.
curl-6 said:
Yeah I don't buy that Switch takes sales away from PS/Xbox, or vice versa. Switch launched around PS4's peak and that didn't stop it thriving, similarly PS5 launched during Switch's peak and that didn't stop it selling like crack. They target different niches and people are more likely to buy both than to go "I was going to get a PS5/Xbox Series, but now cos the Switch is so great, I won't."
Also, farewell Wii. It was a fun comparison to watch, but the time has finally come to wave as it passes by.
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I have seen several people make two arguments at the same time which actually contradict one another.
1) "Switch and Playstation target totally different groups of people. That is why they don't compete."
2) "Every Switch owner also wants a Playstation (or XBox), so every single one of them will buy two systems."
Both of these arguments cannot be correct at the same time. Either 1) Switch games are totally repulsive to Playstation owners (and vice versa), so that they would never consider the other console, or 2) Switch games are so fun to Playstation owners that every single one of them will buy a Switch (and vice versa).
Both cannot be true at the same time. I would invite everyone to pick either one or the other. However, given Mnementh's link a few posts ago, it really looks like the second one is closer to the truth. Lots of Switch owners also own a PS4 or XBox1 (and vice versa). Therefore, the idea that Switch and PS/XBox target different people is WRONG!
The main problem with argument 2) is that, even though it is much closer to the truth, it adopts a 0% or 100% mentality. Every person who buys one console will automatically buy a second. This denies basic microeconomics. The truth is that gamers probably like 2 or more consoles to varying degrees, but many will be unable or unwilling to pay for a second one. This is basically how lots of competing products work. E.g. Some people own 2 cars, but many will only buy 1. That is how it works for consoles too. A lot of people may be interested in more than 1 system, but they are only willing to pay for 1.
So, the reality for Switch is that it will eat into PS/XBox marketshare, but it won't be on a 1 for 1 basis. For example if Switch sells 80 million more than 3DS + Wii U, then that doesn't mean a 80 million drop in PS+XBox from Generation 8. Instead the drop will be somewhere in the 20-60 million range. However, the drop won't be 0. What I find amusing is that people say that mobile phones don't compete directly with dedicated systems, and also that they took Nintendo+Sony handhelds from 236m total to 92m total in one generation. However, suggest that Switch might take 1 sale away from PS+XBox and they'll say it's not remotely possible. There really is a lack of consistency in a lot of these arguments.
So, basically neither one of these arguments negate what I am saying. Switch and PS/XBox definitely do appeal to the same types of people and as a result Switch's success must eat into part of that install base.
Last edited by The_Liquid_Laser - on 31 January 2022