This actually had me interested in buying a Wii U, but the prices on the consoles have skyrocketed and/or become stupidly scarce. I love some of Nintendo's games, but the way that they treat customers like collectible toy buyers is sickening. With the Wii U, I wanted to play Smash Bros since it released. Obviously, Smash Bros is not the type of game to be played with Wii remotes or the tablet, but purchasing the gamecube connector or Pro controllers is stupid. If previous games in a series has a preferred control method, ship a controller that can accommodate that in a satisfying manner.

When I want to play 2-player Mortal Kombat X or a 4-player racing game, I don't have to buy special controllers on the Xbox One or the PS4. Most of their games are loved despite the gimmicky control options and features. I liked Mario Galaxy, Mario 3D land, and what little I played of Splatoon, but I liked them despite the stupid gimmicky motion controls, 3d viewing options, and gyroscopic aiming. Oftentimes, these 'features' come across as desperate attempts to stay relevant in a market where competing consoles offer similar games. This is also not to mention the ridiculous gouging, and backwards thinking taking place on digital purchases. Ugh, I need to go think of something positive now.

TL;DR: "___ is only possible on the Wii, Wii U, 3DS, Switch" is an increasingly infuriating excuse to stay relevant and/or charge exuberate amounts of money for needed peripherals, or to deal with/turn off needless gimmicks.

I'm personally abiding by my never-served-me-wrong Rule of 3 for new consoles. I'll buy the Switch once there are 3 absolute must-play games exclusive to the system. And no, Breath of the Wild does not count since I own a Wii U and can play it there.

That leaves Super Mario Odyssey, MAYBE Splatoon 2 (I loved the first one but I'm not seeing a whole lot new here), and....? I love Nintendo, but this will likely be another new console I wait a year before buying.

The Wii U is a pretty damn good console, there are many others worse than it.

However it's premature to reach any conclusion about a system that isn't even out yet.

@karlhungus01: ....xenoblade 2?

It really is..

@visnes: I don't know... as someone who does a weekly commute the universal portability aspect is very enticing to me. I understand that far from everyone is interested in this feature, but I still wouldn't call it a gimmick, it is an accessibility option of the system that all games will abide by, and as such I'd say that it has inherent value not often seen in 'gimmick' features.

Now HD Rumble on the other hand, that is a gimmick if I ever saw one.

@nagafen: To the OP, I played the Switch at the launch event. It is not a big device, it's more portable than you think. If you take off the joycons, you can probably fit the screen in a large pocket...it's the same size as a 3DS XL, except thinner.

I believe Nintendo is supporting 3DS development for at least 2 more years. I wouldn't be so sure about that statement.

@palmlykta: To me, anything that doesn't add anything worthwhile to the system, and isn't used by all games, would be classified a gimmick.

Motion controllers = Gimmick
Touch screen = Gimmick
Second screen = Gimmick
Semi-portability = Gimmick

It seems as if Nintendo is unable to just create a console without making it something super special. The most popular consoles they've made have no gimmicks, at least no gimmicks that are a major component of the system itself. They were about the games, nothing more. A controller in hand, and a game on the TV.

The worst part for me is their total lack of self reflection, and their total disregard for their customer base. Miyamoto even said in an interview that people didn't get the Wii U, and that it was the reason for its failure. To me the Wii U isn't a great console, but it's a lot better than what they are making the Switch out to be. I have no reason to buy the Switch at this point. I bring my 3DS and PSV when I travel, and have a PC, PS4 and Wii U for use at home. There is no incentive yet. I'll probably pick it up in the future when they reduce the price, and Mario has launched. But right now, not interested. Which is sad. I had a hope that they would nail it this time, and they didn't. Not in any way, shape or form. It's a letdown.

But, I really hope I'm wrong, and that they do right by it. If not, I really hope they stop making consoles, and focus on making great games for their competitors. Not that that will ever happen, as they are far too proud and stubborn for that.

@visnes: Well we just have to agree to disagree then, since the portability is universal (as stated earlier) and, to me, quite worthwhile. Please understand that also I has a PSV, however that device won't hook up to my tv when I'm at my second home.

Judging from your post history I understand that you are disappointed by the Switch and won't try to push 'my point' further, but for what it is worth I can say that I too feel a bit disappointed, albeit for wholly different reasons (it is expensive as hell, weak lineup, aforementioned HD Rumble, etc).

Edit: In Sweden, online price comparison sites have this thing listed at roughly $410, and this is the low-end offer presented by retailers that has presumably adjusted their price since the reveal of the official NA pricepoint... (Obviously there are a whole lot of other factors regarding pricepoints for different territories but still, that ain't cheap)

I don't know, if someone told me they were releasing a new 3ds model that could also attach to my TV so I could finally play the few Wii U games I wanted to play I'd be pretty excited. For me Nintendo machines might as well be Pokemon machines since its really all I play on them these days. Though I occasionally really want to play something like Xenoblade, but I just can't justify buying a Wii U for one game. So it will be kinda nice to have them both on one system. I'm worried about the battery life though and the controllers. They don't look comfortable and, call me an old man, but I think that motion controls are just lame. But anyways if this is where Pokemon comes out, I'll probably get one at some point.

In the sense that apparently all anyone buys Nintendo consoles for is the games, and the fact that the Wii U already has a good library of games while the Switch has... uh...

Point being, I guess in a way it's already objectively worse than the Wii U. I still wanna play around with one until I write it off completely, but that won't be for a very long time based on the local price and 1st year lineup.

@kerse: That's the only thing keeping me interested too, but nothing out of Nintendo so far has suggested they'll actually be bringing their 3DS/portable franchises over to the Switch. It's the obvious assumption, one might even argue the entire point of this system in the first place but... boy it sure doesn't seem like Nintendo thinks that.

I will agree with what some people are saying about the message Nintendo is trying to convey is a confusing one. Nintendo has been in a weird place for a long time with their marketing. On one hand they talk about wanting to bring back "core gamers" into the fold with their new hardware, but on the other hand they have their investors screaming that they want another Wii in terms of accessibility as an attempt to capitalize on the success that had. Hence all the time devoted to 1 2 Switch and "hey everyone, bring this thing to your parties."

I think the Switch will be plenty capable and provide of what most people who want a more traditional system want, but they are spooked by the other message. That is completely understandable and I make no excuses for Nintendo's shitty marketing. Nevertheless, this thing can't be everything to everyone. The expectation that is was going to fill the roll of a 3DS, a better WiiU, and some sort of thing that's going to bring all your family and friends together in one room was always very overinflated. Forget about heavy third party support outside of Japan, it's just not going to happen with this company.

However, I do think the Switch will be a console worth getting in the long run based on the amount of quality titles Nintendo's studios are able to produce. It's not going to be for everyone or replace your smartphone for the gadget you always have with you or anything, but it will be fun for most people who enjoy games I believe.

As a scorned Wii U owner (even though I played some great games on that thing, just not enough of them) I have to agree. The Switch seems scary in it's Wii U parallels and the launch year looks to be even emptier then the Wii U's. If Switch has a bad first year that is only going to negatively effect it in the future years, and I don't expect Nintendo to have a bunch of quality "surprise" games launch before this year ends.

I may pick on up holiday 2017 if there are deals but if the game library doesn't look much better then I won't even do that. I can pass on a Mario game and be just fine.

If this can deliver a solid tv experience with the option to take it with me when I leave, that sounds fucking perfect. I get the grips about the thin lineup as much as any console has a shit launch, but I don't understand people complaining about an optional feature that isn't gameplay required

@caesius6: As someone that has tried to have rational conversations on the internet and even giving up ground as a means of some basic compromise, but would just hit a wall of "nah!" I feel your pain. Sometimes you meet some cool level headed people and can have a nice discussion. Most of the time unfortunately it's just people who would rather die than compromise on even the smallest part of their argument. As for the Switch, I think there is a decent mix of both. I personally believe that Nintendo does get a free pass more often than not, but I don't care if they fail or succeed one way or the other. I'm not a fan of their core franchises, and it's not like they have any real third party support, so I'm usually a bystander observing how actual fans react. From what I can gauge, with the Switch more so than any of their past consoles even true Nintendo fans are showing signs of wanting something more.

The Switch has sold literally 0 units, it's clearly a worse failure than the WiiU by a long shot! </Obvious Sarcasm>

It's a shame that literally every game has to be played with dual-fisted motion controls. </More sarcasm>

Nintendo will never figure out the internet, what are they even doing </... well, this one's true>

I get that people aren't immediately jazzed about it, but why not shrug and walk away? Why the insistence on complaining about it? It boggles the mind.

Cool. I'm going to play an awesome Zelda game on it in a few weeks.