I wrote most of this in a private message to a friend of mine, but I figured I'd post it here, since I don't make a habit of keeping my opinions quiet usually, so yeah.
Before I go on, I'd just like to say, I'm a skeptic.
I question and think about everything, critically. Sometimes to a fault.
Nintendo is a corporation. I don't trust corporations. I buy products I'm interested in, when I see it fit to.
Anyhow, about the switch presentation.
The problem I have with Nintendo lately, is their reliance on their consumers ignorance.
With the Nintendo Switch specifically, it's how the trailer presented it, compared to how the presentation showed the console off.
They think the people that buy consoles are easily swayed into believing in bullshit . The reason the Wii sold so well is because they sold the general public on the idea that the Wii was basically a magic "don't have to go outside exercise and fun device" when really it's "a beefy gamecube with wand controllers that detect movement through accelerometers, gyroscopes, and IR positional tracking."
I thought with the Nintendo Switch because of the teaser that maybe, just MAYBE, Nintendo had seen that selling people on bullshit is a good way to get yourself up shit creek without a paddle, which is precisely what happened with the Wii U. It's not necessarily that Nintendo advertised falsely either, it's that they're intentionally vague about things to mask their shortcomings, instead of facing their shortcomings head on, and trying to better themselves at them.
Now they're paddling up the same river again chasing this Wii money that they'll never have again. It's not about innovation right now, unless you're talking VR, and even that is like, extremely niche.
To me, the Wii U was their boat tipping over in the river and everyone knows to watch for their bullshit. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice? I'm not being careful enough.
With them trying to pull the same shit as the other consoles, with paid online but none of the 3rd party support to show for it yet, I can't help but laugh at the notion, especially considering their track record with online in the past few years.
And people can defend this bullshit all they want saying that "they need more money to improve their online infrastructure." but to that I ask: Why the hell would they improve their online infrastructure if they already HAVE your money? Because Nintendo is the good guy? They have integrity? Fat chance. The move is purely for profit, and because all their competition is doing it. The notion that the only other benefit is a loaner Virtual Console game is all the more baffling a move.
I can play every Nintendo game from the past 20 years online on a computer, for free. Is that legal?
Well, it is if I own the game already. Let's talk about that too. Are the people that actually bought Wii U's actually going to be able to move over their Virtual Console to the Switch?
If your consumers want to play this 30 year old game they've bought probably at least once before on the Nintendo Switch, are you going to make them pay AGAIN for a 30 year old rom and a mediocre emulator?
Of course they are. Don't fool yourself. The most they'll do probably is offer a discount. Maybe.
If you're lucky. Not to mention that the new console isn't going to have even a quarter of the past offerings, and the games will be drip fed over the course of years. Want the GBA version of Super Mario Bros 2? Good luck, you may be waiting 5 days or 5 years. Who knows? Have fun.
Yeah for me? I'll play that on my hacked 3DS or on my PC.
You shouldn't have to be lucky to play a game you've already played before on a different device. Especially when that game is 30+ years old.
Look, consumers don't like to be treated like idiots, and I sure as hell don't.
Now- more than ever, people have to watch out for fake shit, and the reason Nintendo is so intentionally vague is because they like to try to preserve this notion of mystery with everyone and to me, that vague behaviour is becoming increasingly suspicious.
The Wii was weaker than every other console of the generation, and thus got bad ports of games or entirely different versions of games that weren't as good as on the PS3 and Xbox 360.
So consumers that bought a Wii, had to buy a PS3 or an Xbox 360, and for those people, their Wii's collected dust. The teens and children that played the Wii then are becoming adults now. Adults with money. And adults that had Wii's that sat on a shelf collecting dust while their Xbox 360's and PS3's chugged along playing GTA and CODs. They aren't going to see any reason to get a Nintendo Switch, unless the Nintendo Switch has that stuff on offer.
I'm not a little kid anymore, Nintendo.
Selling to kids is good, sure. If the console, with ONE retail game, and online for a year doesn't cost at least $430 USD.
I have money Nintendo.
Convince me to give it to you.
I understand that is an extremely selfish statement, sure, but that's the thing. I'm a consumer. It's my money. I don't have to spend it if I don't want to. Nintendo needs to EARN my trust to get me to spend money on them. For some people, the Nintendo Exclusives are enough. And admittedly, I've considered getting a Wii U before just for games like Super Mario 3D World and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but if I want more then that the Wii U won't be enough, so I never got it.
Apparently people agreed because the Wii U was a commercial flop.
Look, Nintendo. I don't believe in Santa Claus, and I don't believe the Nintendo Switch is magical.
Just give it to me straight, what can the thing do, and why should I care?
I learned nothing from this presentation. Except that the switch has Motion Controls and something called "HD rumble." I came out of it saying "Surely this isn't all there is, there must be more, right?" and then it ended.
I'm probably being overly cynical, I know. Be sure to type up your 3 page essay breaking down why I'm wrong in the comments if you'd like. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
But, this is me, and I can't help but feel pessimism in this period leading up to the launch of the Nintendo Switch.
And I can't help but feel like that's not a good thing.
Thanks for reading.
Before I go on, I'd just like to say, I'm a skeptic.
I question and think about everything, critically. Sometimes to a fault.
Nintendo is a corporation. I don't trust corporations. I buy products I'm interested in, when I see it fit to.
Anyhow, about the switch presentation.
The problem I have with Nintendo lately, is their reliance on their consumers ignorance.
With the Nintendo Switch specifically, it's how the trailer presented it, compared to how the presentation showed the console off.
They think the people that buy consoles are easily swayed into believing in bullshit . The reason the Wii sold so well is because they sold the general public on the idea that the Wii was basically a magic "don't have to go outside exercise and fun device" when really it's "a beefy gamecube with wand controllers that detect movement through accelerometers, gyroscopes, and IR positional tracking."
I thought with the Nintendo Switch because of the teaser that maybe, just MAYBE, Nintendo had seen that selling people on bullshit is a good way to get yourself up shit creek without a paddle, which is precisely what happened with the Wii U. It's not necessarily that Nintendo advertised falsely either, it's that they're intentionally vague about things to mask their shortcomings, instead of facing their shortcomings head on, and trying to better themselves at them.
Now they're paddling up the same river again chasing this Wii money that they'll never have again. It's not about innovation right now, unless you're talking VR, and even that is like, extremely niche.
To me, the Wii U was their boat tipping over in the river and everyone knows to watch for their bullshit. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice? I'm not being careful enough.
With them trying to pull the same shit as the other consoles, with paid online but none of the 3rd party support to show for it yet, I can't help but laugh at the notion, especially considering their track record with online in the past few years.
And people can defend this bullshit all they want saying that "they need more money to improve their online infrastructure." but to that I ask: Why the hell would they improve their online infrastructure if they already HAVE your money? Because Nintendo is the good guy? They have integrity? Fat chance. The move is purely for profit, and because all their competition is doing it. The notion that the only other benefit is a loaner Virtual Console game is all the more baffling a move.
I can play every Nintendo game from the past 20 years online on a computer, for free. Is that legal?
Well, it is if I own the game already. Let's talk about that too. Are the people that actually bought Wii U's actually going to be able to move over their Virtual Console to the Switch?
If your consumers want to play this 30 year old game they've bought probably at least once before on the Nintendo Switch, are you going to make them pay AGAIN for a 30 year old rom and a mediocre emulator?
Of course they are. Don't fool yourself. The most they'll do probably is offer a discount. Maybe.
If you're lucky. Not to mention that the new console isn't going to have even a quarter of the past offerings, and the games will be drip fed over the course of years. Want the GBA version of Super Mario Bros 2? Good luck, you may be waiting 5 days or 5 years. Who knows? Have fun.
Yeah for me? I'll play that on my hacked 3DS or on my PC.
You shouldn't have to be lucky to play a game you've already played before on a different device. Especially when that game is 30+ years old.
Look, consumers don't like to be treated like idiots, and I sure as hell don't.
Now- more than ever, people have to watch out for fake shit, and the reason Nintendo is so intentionally vague is because they like to try to preserve this notion of mystery with everyone and to me, that vague behaviour is becoming increasingly suspicious.
The Wii was weaker than every other console of the generation, and thus got bad ports of games or entirely different versions of games that weren't as good as on the PS3 and Xbox 360.
So consumers that bought a Wii, had to buy a PS3 or an Xbox 360, and for those people, their Wii's collected dust. The teens and children that played the Wii then are becoming adults now. Adults with money. And adults that had Wii's that sat on a shelf collecting dust while their Xbox 360's and PS3's chugged along playing GTA and CODs. They aren't going to see any reason to get a Nintendo Switch, unless the Nintendo Switch has that stuff on offer.
I'm not a little kid anymore, Nintendo.
Selling to kids is good, sure. If the console, with ONE retail game, and online for a year doesn't cost at least $430 USD.
I have money Nintendo.
Convince me to give it to you.
I understand that is an extremely selfish statement, sure, but that's the thing. I'm a consumer. It's my money. I don't have to spend it if I don't want to. Nintendo needs to EARN my trust to get me to spend money on them. For some people, the Nintendo Exclusives are enough. And admittedly, I've considered getting a Wii U before just for games like Super Mario 3D World and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but if I want more then that the Wii U won't be enough, so I never got it.
Apparently people agreed because the Wii U was a commercial flop.
Look, Nintendo. I don't believe in Santa Claus, and I don't believe the Nintendo Switch is magical.
Just give it to me straight, what can the thing do, and why should I care?
I learned nothing from this presentation. Except that the switch has Motion Controls and something called "HD rumble." I came out of it saying "Surely this isn't all there is, there must be more, right?" and then it ended.
I'm probably being overly cynical, I know. Be sure to type up your 3 page essay breaking down why I'm wrong in the comments if you'd like. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
But, this is me, and I can't help but feel pessimism in this period leading up to the launch of the Nintendo Switch.
And I can't help but feel like that's not a good thing.
Thanks for reading.
