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Nintendo announces the Switch Lite...and I have Questions

Monoochrom

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275
Nintendo has announced a New Handheld Focused Switch


As can be seen, the Controllers are integrated.

I find this interesting and even a bit amusing given the marketing material featuring people playing together in different places, as the Switch Lite will not Support Super Mario Party, one of Nintendos most well known Party Titles without necessitating the purchase of further JoyCons, which, given the design of the Switch Lite would also require a Loading Station. Given my poor experience with standard JoyCons, of which the Sticks can be traded fairly easily, I don't want to know what added frustration there might be with intergrated JoyCons that already lack features (and so may also use less reliable parts then those in normal JoyCons) when the Sticks malfunction.

As someone who already has a Switch, I don't really see the appeal of the Switch Lite, the original is already plenty portible and to me, it seems, the changes that were made would only make problems worse, there is still nothing protecting the Sticks and without them being detachable, improvised solutions will be more difficult. Certain Games won't work and it's questionible if Nintendo will do anything to stop you from buying them in the EShop as they technically CAN work if you put in another 100+ for extra JoyCons and a loading station, meaning you've now payed the same amount or even more for a inferior model.

I thought I had questions, but it turns out I really only have one

"This is because of Pokemon, isn't it Nintendo?"
 

Signa

Libertarian Contrarian
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764
I use my switch in almost exclusively portable mode, so I see the appeal. Not nearly enough appeal though.
 

gaijinkaiju

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Soo they're releasing a handheld version of a handheld? Alrighty then. Why not just make a new ds?
I could see it being sold as a cheaper entry point then the standard version, but I can't see someone who already owns a switch buying one. That turquoise model looks really nice though , I wouldn't mind seeing a standard switch in that colour.
 

Monoochrom

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275
I use my switch in almost exclusively portable mode, so I see the appeal. Not nearly enough appeal though.
But that's just the thing to me. Why make a Handheld focused Switch that is worse them the original at everything including being a Handheld?

A Home Console Version makes more immediant sense to me, which is why I assume that pokemon played a big role in this decision.

Surely a version without a screen or battery pack would be more profitible pro unit sold for a entrance point Version of the system.
 

bluegate

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292
Always keep in mind; You aren't Nintendo's target audience, Japan and its love for mobile devices is.

Japan loves mobile devices, Japan gets a cheaper, mobile-only version of the Switch in order to sell to more children in Japan that want a mobile device but have no need for the tv part of said device.
 
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Signa

Libertarian Contrarian
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Messages
764
But that's just the thing to me. Why make a Handheld focused Switch that is worse them the original at everything including being a Handheld?

A Home Console Version makes more immediant sense to me, which is why I assume that pokemon played a big role in this decision.

Surely a version without a screen or battery pack would be more profitible pro unit sold for a entrance point Version of the system.
I wouldn't say it's worse at everything though. The joycons are secure, but they are also a stress point if you hold the device by the edge. I could see them wearing out and breaking with the wrong usage. Also, the Dpad on the joycons is shit. It doesn't matter in most games, but I've been playing Hollow Knight again, and they really leave a lot to be desired. Like I said, I see appeal, but not enough of it. Why buy the lite when that's all the benefit you get for sacrificing a lot of other key features?

Edit: Actually, yeah, a dedicated console version sounds like a MUCH better idea than the portable one. You could put proper cooling in it, so that the hardware doesn't downclock itself when it gets heavy use. I'm told that Zelda runs better on the Switch than the Wii U version if it doesn't get hot. But it does get hot, so the Wii U version has better overall performance.
 

Monoochrom

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I wouldn't say it's worse at everything though. The joycons are secure, but they are also a stress point if you hold the device by the edge. I could see them wearing out and breaking with the wrong usage. Also, the Dpad on the joycons is shit. It doesn't matter in most games, but I've been playing Hollow Knight again, and they really leave a lot to be desired. Like I said, I see appeal, but not enough of it. Why buy the lite when that's all the benefit you get for sacrificing a lot of other key features?

Edit: Actually, yeah, a dedicated console version sounds like a MUCH better idea than the portable one. You could put proper cooling in it, so that the hardware doesn't downclock itself when it gets heavy use. I'm told that Zelda runs better on the Switch than the Wii U version if it doesn't get hot. But it does get hot, so the Wii U version has better overall performance.
I find the "D-Pad" placement awkward anyway and I only ever used them when I first had problems with the Sticks and assumed it was because of the copius amounts of Binding of Isaac I was playing and how that'd stress the Sticks. Pretty sure I played Hollow Knight with the Sticks and I didn't really find it difficult (in terms of controls, the game is "hard" I guess). With Zelda, I've had occasional hiccups, but the only consistent slow down I've had is the place with the Master Sword and the Deku Tree, always get noticible slow downs there.
 

Arnox

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This system is purely to replace their 3DS line which is now soon to be decommissioned. Nintendo has operated like this since the beginning as their portable sales have always propped them up.
 

Monoochrom

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275
This system is purely to replace their 3DS line which is now soon to be decommissioned. Nintendo has operated like this since the beginning as their portable sales have always propped them up.
Nintendo has never had a home console/handheld hybrid, up until Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee, nothing about the Switch really suggested that it would be taking over their Handheld Market as well. There's no real precedent for anything with the Switch that couldn't be said about any Console coming from Nintendo.
 

Arnox

Master
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Founder
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5,285
Nintendo has never had a home console/handheld hybrid, up until Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee, nothing about the Switch really suggested that it would be taking over their Handheld Market as well. There's no real precedent for anything with the Switch that couldn't be said about any Console coming from Nintendo.
Wait, I'm confused. Are you agreeing or disagreeing with me? lol
 

Monoochrom

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Disagreeing in the sense that the Switch is different enough that any assumptions based on past Nintendo Consoles aren't very meaningful. It's both Home Console and Handheld, so how are you going to reasonably say that anything done regarding the Switch is because Nintendo did X in the past with Systems that were EITHER a Handheld or a Home Console and not both like the Switch.

That's why I think it's because of Pokemon that they decided to go with this. Pokemon, in it's Main Series is a Handheld Title. So you make a Handheld focused Switch to both sell more Systems due to the Cheaper price and avoid consumers confusing the upcoming Sword and Shield with a non-Main Series entry. Obviously I could be wrong, but poor messaging regarding the nature of a Console is a part of what made the WiiU fail (and also that Nintendo failed to understand that they were never going to rewatch the success of the Wii, because the Wii was as successful as it was because it became trendy not anything Nintendo did). I really think that the immediant success of Sword and Shield is probably more important to Nintendo then the sales of Switch Lite (which going off of articles I've seen in the meantime, could very well be a smokescreen for cost reduction as they are apparently also going to be using different hardware for the normal Switch as well)
 
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