However, I'm still interested in the overall execution, and whilst I'm sure it'll find love among some people it still looks a little puzzling to me. The mobile version simply looks miles too big to actually be of any practical use when travelling, but probably fine if you want to carry on playing Zelda whilst taking a shit. The regular gamepad looks a bit cheapy nasty, but at least they've followed the Xbox stick placement rather than the PS one across all controllers.
The break-off controllers for 2P games is novel, and being able to use them without a connecting piece (so one in each hand) could end up being the default way to play if they're comfortable enough. Sadly I think the trailer was lacking in more detail, such as the touchscreen on the mobile unit (surely it is?) and any motion detection in the pads too.
It'll certainly be interesting to see the finer specs of the unit, especially gfx power: The nVidia Tegra base isn't a bad idea, especially if it's on the 1060/70/80 platform, but that's going to suck some serious juice which could well compromise battery life.
Of course the Mario fans will buy this as a matter of course, but I can't see it attracting too many more users than the current WiiU has, i.e. about seven.
"Chav kids are like sand people. They're easily startled but they'll be back, and in greater numbers."
On the battery point I'm kinda hoping it'll auto switch output modes so it draws less juice with a lower graphical output in tablet mode but knocks everything up to max performance when you drop it into the base station for big-screen play.
I'm not personally interested as I sort of feel I'll be following the PS4Pro/PSVR path but I can imagine this being something Jay would like to play with. He's currently splitting his gaming time between the LEGO titles on PS4 and various bitty games on Helen's old DS lite, but I could see him switching to Switch (arf) for stuff like Zelda.
Do I like the concept? Sure. There have been other consoles you can take on the go and plug in to a TV so it's not a new idea, but this design looks a little less clunky. (Then again I think they're being a bit idealistic with the promo video - are people really going to pull this out of their bag and have impromptu Switch sessions outdoors or on the train?)
Will I be getting one? No. Like Joe I'll be sticking with Sony for the time being; not only have I just picked up a PSVR but I'm still looking forward to a number of forthcoming games on PS4, both VR and traditional. I'll keep an eye on it though, and obviously I'll have to make hard decisions if Street Fighter VI is revealed as a Switch exclusive...
I thought the dock would contain extra stuff to help it display on big screens in higher quality. But apparently that's not the case. The dock is just a place to connect to TV and mains. Sounds like a mistake to me.
The first big reveal event presentation thing happened earlier this week; an archive of the main thing can be seen below:
0:00 - preshow prep 34:30 - the actual presentation begins
It'll launch on March 3rd; they have RRPs for Japan and the US, but for Europe they said "check with your local retailer". $299 in the US hopefully won't just be translated to £299 here as we're past the era of just taking a US price and swapping the $ with a £. Battery life for the controller "will vary from game to game but will range from 2.5 - 6.5 hrs".
The games range from a minigame selection designed to showcase the controller functionality (1-2-Switch), a new Splatoon, a new Mario and some other bits and pieces.
Last edited by qazimod on Sun Jan 15, 2017 10:47 am, edited 2 times in total.
£280 here. 3 hours play with Zelda, 900/30 when docked and 720/30 when mobile.
Utter shit. Zelda looks amazing, but Mario isn't due until Xmas and what else is there? A couple of JRPGs? A cut down version of FIFA? SF2?? Okay, so that last one might tempt you a bit
I just can't see any life in this at all. The tech would be out of date two years ago much less two years in the future, it's lacking any kind of serious 3rd party support (Skyrim is over five years old, EA clearly only give half a shit, Sega couldn't even be bothered to show a game), and the price for the peripherals is taking the piss ($90 for the dock, so give or take £75? Pro controller will be £60 too), no HDD... Oh, and now they're charging for on-line too which is going to be a clusterfuck as Nintendo & on-line really don't go well together.
I love Nintendo games, but I so want this to fail so they can fuck off and just make games for the PS and Xbox. Imagine Zelda on the PSPro...!
"Chav kids are like sand people. They're easily startled but they'll be back, and in greater numbers."