Nintendo Switch: Snap to the Future

Nintendo Switch: Snap to the Future

January 13, 2017

A’Gia Alston

for A State of Gaming

Holy puns on the run Batman. This morning’s Nintendo Switch Presentation crawled slower than mini Toad hit by a storm cloud mid-race. There were more snaps than a bowl of Rice Krispies and a box of Slim Jims combined. I tuned in around 11:45pm EST and almost turned it off ten minutes in. Yes, the stage presence and presenting process was indeed that horrendous. But, I stuck it out for you lovelies so that you did not have to. So, let’s recap the Nintendo Switch Presentation:

1. $299.99 suggested retail price

The Switch *SNAP*  tiptoes along the $300 line mark when it launches March 3rd, 2017. The hybrid console/handheld will have two Joy-Cons (one left, one right), one AC Adapter (they learned), one docking station, and an HDMI cable. The Nintendo Switch website includes a breakdown of additional peripherals and their prices. Customers can choose between the standard black and grey console, or the black console with red and blue Joy-Con controllers. Based on the presentation, the Pro Controller will be sold separately and customers have to pay for a data plan. Social media overflowed as fans lamented concern over the additional data charge. $299.99 is not the $499.99 Sony aficionados spent on the Playstation 3 back in 2007, but for a system that may not have many launch titles to play on day 1, people are worried.

2) Launch Date: March 3, 2017

Prepare to trade in your systems and games at local retailers for credit because you only have a month and a half to get your funds together. On one hand, Nintendo’s ability to launch Switch with such speed-- when it was just announced and revealed last year-- is admirable. However, the downside is that interested buyers do not have a lot of time to grind for launch day. Tack on the holiday season just ending, and I feel Switch sales day 1 will suffer slightly. The other potential issue affecting the Nintendo Switch launch day is…

3) Day 1 Title Line-Up

...or lack thereof. Maybe I missed the memo in the Nintendo Switch Presentation this morning, but the murmur of playable titles accompanying the launch March 3rd could barely be described as a list. Super Mario Odyssey looks stunning, but it is forecasted for a Holiday 2017 release. Ultra Street Fighter II: the Final Challengers-- a game announcement that set my heart a-flutter with pitter patter-- has a new tabletop mode, two new characters, and configurable graphics settings, but no release date. Note: Ono-san and other members of the CAPCOM team are playing this Live on Nintendo Treehouse as I type and I stopped to watch it.

Courtesy of Harrison at Capcom-Unity

Arms, Splatoon 2, and Xenoblade 2, to name a few others, have release dates after launch. As of 1AM EST, only Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and 1-2 Switch are blatantly confirmed as available day 1 titles. This is no small feat and my Twitter feed blew up as fans rejoiced for Legend of Zelda, but that was literally the highlight of the whole show. If anyone watching the presentation decided to dip out ten minutes in like I almost did, they would have been left with a lackluster impression.

4) Legend of Zelda

Get hype and stay hyped folks. Breath of the Wild will be released March 3, 2017 for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Wii U. There are three purchasing options: a) buy the game alone for $59.99, b) purchase the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Special Edition, or c) go big for the grand Pubah Master Edition. Both editions are Nintendo Switch exclusive collections. Ready for the bad news? Neither edition comes with the actual system. Why is this a problem? Because…

5) No Bundles

The Nintendo Switch is small and affordable, given the technological advancements it manages to embody. However, gamers have grown accustom to bundle possibilities when systems launch. The Switch will not even come packaged with 1-2 Switch to at least get you started.

6) Third Party and Indie Love

Electronic Arts, Bethesda brings Skyrim, Suda 51 and Grasshopper are hinting at Travis Touchdown from No More Heroes...the Nintendo Switch Presentation may have been campy, but the third party support is there and if the Nintendo Treehouse Live feed is anything to go by, Indie developers will feel right at home.

Takeways

Innovation and fun have always been Nintendo’s modus operandi and I do believe the Switch will be a rewarding experience. The revealed games are fresh and the promotion team made sound decisions showcasing various genres. The dry humor, awkward transitions-- someone messed up Suda 51’s introduction and content display-- and forced enthusiasm made the presentation cumbersome. It felt like a product suggestion a team delivers to their boss hoping it will get green-lighted as opposed to a persuasive, explosive marketing hook. It kept your attention for all the wrong reasons.

If you can ignore the stage presence, Nintendo Switch has promise. The launch day line up will not make it a day 1 purchase for me, but I look forward to bringing it home.

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