Nintendo Switch: Thread 09

[CMcK]

Thanks for your thoughts NI. I am super fussy with AV stuff so though the OLED model would be a worthwhile upgrade. I really need to get hands on with one I suppose. Being able to use the dock and TV out functionality would be a big change for me too.

[Atticus]

If I was buying one now there's no way I'd get an older style model. Personally I still have my og and don't really feel the need to upgrade, but I held an oled model yesterday and it feels sturdier and higher quality in the hands. Lots of little refinements (and one big one) have made it clearly a better choice if you've never had one.

[Nu-Eclipse]

If I was buying one now there's no way I'd get an older style model. Personally I still have my og and don't really feel the need to upgrade, but I held an oled model yesterday and it feels sturdier and higher quality in the hands. Lots of little refinements (and one big one) have made it clearly a better choice if you've never had one.

I can appreciate that, but the Quality of Life improvements on the SWOLED are still minor at best and they definitely don't warrant the price bump over the 2019 Redbox model.

I still think that Nintendo have boxed themselves into a corner with the SWOLED. It simply wasn't needed as an iteration IMO.

The SWOLED is clearly being primed to replace the 2019 Redbox as the standard entry Switch, but the problem is that Nintendo seemingly now cannot shift the remaining stock of Redbox Switches even after a price cut.

[wakka]

I think Nintendo are probably quite happy to have something that slots in between the cost of a Lite and an OLED. I think they're doing the Apple thing of occupying as many price points as they can in order to appeal to a broader range of budgets, while maximising spend per customer.

I agree with Atticus though, personally I have a v1 model and I'm not bothered about upgrading to an OLED as I mostly use mine on the TV anyway. But if I was Switch-less and buying one today, I'd want an OLED for sure. The price difference is not that big.

[Nu-Eclipse]

I think Nintendo are probably quite happy to have something that slots in between the cost of a Lite and an OLED. I think they're doing the Apple thing of occupying as many price points as they can in order to appeal to a broader range of budgets, while maximising spend per customer.

The strategy makes far more contextual sense with Apple products than it does with the current Switch range though. The SWLITE (? Lol) clearly makes sense at the low-end budget scale of things and it has always been easily available. The 2019 RedBox Switch was still selling nicely and performing as Nintendo expected. There was never any need for this kind of iteration unless it was going to be the fabled "Switch PRO".

What we are seeing now shows this to be the case. Why the hell would you want a Redbox Switch when you can pony up small change to get a SWOLED instead? Redboxes are now literally going unsold.

Of course [MENTION=4034]Atticus[/MENTION] is spot-on - there is no reason to purchase anything other than the SWOLED if you're somehow a first-timer to the Switch.

[Neon Ignition]

Yep, the OLED falls into the bracket of being the best model but unless you find yourself in a position where it financially makes sense then there's not much to sell it. The screen is good but it's not a PSP to Vita situation, there was never anything really wrong with the standard screen and whilst the main unit feels a little stronger built the joycons are just as flimsy as ever. Nintendo clearly feels it hit the design enough on the first pass

[wakka]

I can definitely see some parents looking at the difference and being happy to save the £50. It's a slightly better quality screen, most kids probably won't even notice.

At the other end of the spectrum, they're also more likely to snag a margin-boosting upsell on parents who would otherwise buy the Lite, and who might find a £110 upgrade to the OLED too rich, but a £50 one to the redbox more palatable.

I think the line-up makes sense. Is there evidence that they're really struggling to sell redbox models? You make it sound like they're imminently going in an E.T. 2600 style pit in the desert!

[Nu-Eclipse]

I can definitely see some parents looking at
I think the line-up makes sense. Is there evidence that they're really struggling to sell redbox models? You make it sound like they're imminently going in an E.T. 2600 style pit in the desert!

Lol. I've made it sound like no such thing but you know that.

Switches have always had significant periods of being unavailable, bar the Lite which has always been around.

Even during this unprecedented period where we have a chip shortage and a pandemic making mass hardware production noticeably difficult, it appears to be still easy to get a Redbox Switch everywhere, even on places where they have been traditionally tough to get (Amazon, MyNintendoStore, etc). SWOLEDs are still selling like hot cakes though.

Is that anecdotal? Sure. But that says to me that people don't want them, even with a price drop.

I'd still wager that if Nintendo can clear their inventory of Redboxes, they'll just stop making them and make the SWOLED the de facto model.

[wakka]

Yeah, maybe. Although they are managing to keep them in stock, I’m not sure if that implies they’re selling poorly. A lot of electronics that sell well are in stock.

My guess would be that they’ll keep the redbox around as a middle tier personally, but who knows.

[Neon Ignition]

Purely for the kids angle, I'd always struggle to justify the OLED simply because with some shopping around the Lite can be picked up with enough left over to cover most of the cost of a Series S too

[Nu-Eclipse]

Purely for the kids angle, I'd always struggle to justify the OLED simply because with some shopping around the Lite can be picked up with enough left over to cover most of the cost of a Series S too

Nintendo's failure to address Joy-Con drift is exacerbated on the Lite given that you cannot detach the controls.

That alone makes purchasing a Lite an absolute non-starter for me.

[importaku]

There's also the fact that unlike with the 3DS & DS the save data is now kept on the machine instead of on the carts so having multiple machines becomes a pain as even if you share save data on them via cloud saves it still causes problems. The lite seems like it was made like the 2ds as a cheaper model for parents to give their kids who need multiple switches for them.

On other news took advantage of the current ongoing sale as some of the stuff on eshop is stupidly low priced. I ended up picking up the room which i didn't even know had made it to the switch and also oxenfree for absolutely nothing as i had enough gold points sat in my account to pay for both as they were only a couple of quid each. So far the story in oxenfree is REALLY good i love the radio mechanic and the general vibe of the island, the voice acting is really good too.

[Atticus]

Personally I still have my og and don't really feel the need to upgrade

Oh really Atticus, then what’s this?



Seriously, the more time I spent with my mate’s oled the more I was seduced by it. I do play more handheld than I used to these days and the screen (and sound) is brilliant. Big and vibrant.

I won’t be setting it up before I’m 100% on the Animal Crossing transfer process though.

[briareos_kerensky]

Eschatos will soon grace western Switches

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[Dogg Thang]

Eschatos will soon grace western Switches

Is that like a burrito but just folded a different way?