Nintendo Switch: Thread 08

[Neon Ignition]

Presumably each game in the Mario Collection will cost $60 each as well now

[DeathAdder]

There isn't a comparison. I think Zaki meant that Pikmin 3 on the Switch wasn't any more of a middle finger to Wii-U owners than the Uncharted Collection on PS4 was to PS3 owners.

Uncharted Collection was in addition to an Uncharted game on PS4.

Pikmin 3 on Switch, along with Mario Kart, Tropical Freeze, and NSMB, likely to be the only iteration of that series on the Switch.

That's the difference.

So people who bought the Wii U, including me, don't have anything new to look forward to on the Switch in some of Nintendo's biggest series. And it's the Nintendo series which are the main reason anyone buys a Nintendo console.

[Nu-Eclipse]

Presumably each game in the Mario Collection Super Mario 3D World Deluxe will cost $60/£60/€60 each as well now

Corrected.

[Neon Ignition]

November 2020 - Super Mario 3D World Deluxe
March 2021 - Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition
July 2021 - Umm... Switch 2?

[Zaki]

Well, if we're talking middle fingers here, then you could argue it's switch owners getting shafted, not Wii U owners.

I have both consoles, but I'd rather just have everything on one system right now.

Tropical freeze disappeared for a few weeks from the Wii U eshop when the switch version came out. It's back now.

Those of you who have had a Wii U since 2012, why didn't you buy pikmin 3 already?!

[randombs]

Uncharted Collection was in addition to an Uncharted game on PS4.

Pikmin 3 on Switch, along with Mario Kart, Tropical Freeze, and NSMB, likely to be the only iteration of that series on the Switch.

That's the difference.

So people who bought the Wii U, including me, don't have anything new to look forward to on the Switch in some of Nintendo's biggest series. And it's the Nintendo series which are the main reason anyone buys a Nintendo console.

I assumed they've been porting these games over for a whole new audience who hadn't already bought a Wii-U.

A cursory glance at hardware sales figures puts the Switch at ~60m right now vs Wii-U's ~15m overall. Even if every single Wii-U owner bought a Switch, that still leaves 75% of Switch owners who never had a Wii-U. That's a huge potential market to sell these games to. I'm oversimplifying things, but that's almost like free money.

The fact that these games were on the Wii-U isn't a good enough yardstick to judge how well they could sell on Switch because of the huge difference in their respective markets.

[Neon Ignition]

This could well be the new norm for Nintendo now also. Switch 2 largely fuelled by Super Mario Odyssey Deluxe and Animal Crossing: New Horizons+ rather than new entries.

[DeathAdder]

It's Switch owners who also owned a Wii U who are getting shafted.

If, like importaku, you never owned a Wii U, then this is great news - a Nintendo game that you have never owned is being released.

If you own both, then this is a sod, because it means that there probably won't be a Pikmin game on your new console that you haven't played already.

I'm more than happy for games to be rereleased, but not when that turns out to be the only iteration of that series on the newer console. Hence I'm more annoyed at, say, NSMB and Pikmin than Unchartered.

[DeathAdder]

I assumed they've been porting these games over for a whole new audience who hadn't already bought a Wii-U.

A cursory glance at hardware sales figures puts the Switch at ~60m right now vs Wii-U's ~15m overall. Even if every single Wii-U owner bought a Switch, that still leaves 75% of Switch owners who never had a Wii-U. That's a huge potential market to sell these games to. I'm oversimplifying things, but that's almost like free money.

The fact that these games were on the Wii-U isn't a good enough yardstick to judge how well they could sell on Switch because of the huge difference in their respective markets.

I don't think anyone is disputing that it makes commercial sense for Nintendo to release them.

[Dogg Thang]

This could well be the new norm for Nintendo now also. Switch 2 largely fuelled by Super Mario Odyssey Deluxe and Animal Crossing: New Horizons+ rather than new entries.

Not sure I’d agree with that. While Nintendo have never been shy about mining older games for newer systems and I am certain that will continue, the level of WiiU to Switch game releases is really high. But it’s high largely because the WiiU was not a successful system. There are huge numbers of Switch owners who will never have played these games. With Switch numbers, that won’t be true for the next system. I’m sure the next system will have one if not two games that cross over with the Switch on launch and will have at least one or two classic Marios or Zeldas released for it but I don’t think we’ll see the level that we’ve seen in this generation. There is nothing to suggest a new normal.

Edit: For the record, it stinks that we don’t have a unique Switch Mario Kart. But I will never be annoyed by not getting a NSMB game. Pikmin, I can take or leave.

[Neon Ignition]

Realistically we'll definitely see less porting on Switch 2 but the question remains of what they will replace them with. The ports have doubly served on Switch to revitalise last gen games lost on the previous system but also to plug large gaps in Switch's first party output. Hopefully Nintendo stops coasting soon to avoid a repeat of what happened following the Wii's success.

[Dogg Thang]

Personally, I suspect we’ll just see the gaps. We had a huge drought on the 3DS - impressive lineup by the very end but first party releases were very, very slow and, yes, included remasters. The WiiU didn’t have all that much and, as you say, there are very notable absences on the Switch and large holes. And even some of those that made it out (the Yoshi game jumps to mind), I didn’t feel were hugely impressive. But that’s the pattern. I think no matter what the form of the next system, anyone expecting a steady stream of great first party titles from Nintendo will be disappointed.

[randombs]

It's best to pretend like the Wii-U never happened.

[Neon Ignition]

To be fair to the WiiU in death though, it's inflation in price is because it's also a counter point to the Switch. You can pick one up and have much greater B/C support and much of the Switch's first party output on a budget. The two systems are much closer than they get credit for. That's without hacking one either, then the WiiU is probably the single greatest Nintendo console ever.

[randombs]

I jest, of course. Funny you mention how similar they are: I bought a Wii-U a few years ago because I could play a bunch of Switch games on it without buying a Switch.

My wife bought the Switch for me last year as a surprise.