The gameplay in this looks quite cool, and I like the possibilities of using Mario's hat as a temporary platform instead of having F.L.U.D.D. or a double jump. That said, the more realistic environments are jarring in a Sonic Adventure sort of way, and I have mixed feelings about that. The New Donk City world looks like Grand Theft Mario.

The NES Classic was clearly produced in very small numbers, so it's not that surprising.

I really like the look of the Switch and, really, I'm an easy sale but the lack of games will have me holding off. As a WiiU owner, right now it's a proposition that doesn't really make any sense. Its one big launch game I can get on the WiiU. Its next big game, MK8, hasn't demonstrated why it would be worth a purchase to anyone who already owns the WiiU version. And same for Splatoon, with the added issue that online will be paid later in the year where it has been entirely free and easy on the WiiU.

So until Sonic Adventure Odyssey (I actually think it looks really good), I'd be struggling to justify a Switch. Must admit I have been hugely disappointed by the show of games so far.

Not that anyone needs my validation, but I was pretty impressed by what I saw. That said, not to be a party pooper, but I'm kind of worried about that damn battery.

Take any of this with a grain of salt since I pretty much buy every console nowadays anyway just to have every option available (and no, I haven't found anything to do with my Xbox One yet other than D4 and Ori ) AND I still adore Nintendo's first part output. 

I feel more and more disconnect from the majority of "gamers" on the internet every time something major comes up.  I watched a presentation Thursday night about a new console that showed a bunch of really cool and fun looking games as well as some interesting new hardware ideas (and the thought "I could probably translate Japanese better than this and this dude probably make a lot more money than I do, but that's a bit unrelated).  Xenoblade 2 seems like it could be the true sequel to one of my favorite RPGs ever (X was still solid for me, but did not come close to recapturing the original), any 3D Mario by Tokyo EAD is going to be phenomenal, the party games while most people don't care about will be hours of fun with my friends who are a mixture of levels of enthusiasm about games in general, and of course Zelda looks better than ever.  And who can forget that in the only not-horrible thing Konami has done in ages, BOMBERMAN is getting resurrected???

What I do NOT get is why the vast majority of people in my hobby seem to not understand - after generation after generation of this happening - that Nintendo is not trying to BE Sony or Microsoft.  They have carved out a niche for themselves that is different and to the side and both simultaneously attempting totally new ideas (vs. just MOAR GRAPHICS) and clutching to concepts from the past that I miss in the other consoles.  Why is it such a bad thing to have diversity in games and have multiple consoles that accomplish multiple things?  Do people want to just dump their X1s, PS4s, and PCs because Nintendo gives them an option to do so and offer the same exact thing at a higher resolution or something?  I don't understand why I feel like I'm one of the only people who enjoys each platform for what it is, rather than hate it for what it isn't.

In any case, I got in a preorder at Best Buy the night of the presentation.  Haven't done so for any of the games yet, as I was hoping to get the cool version of Zelda with the Master Sword.  Not sure that's going to happen now, though, as apparently most retailers put those up during that night while I decided to get a few hours of sleep before work and now preorders are sold out everywhere.  Oh well.... probably don't need more plastic statues filling space in my house these days anyway.

Overall though, yeah... I'm actually super excited right now about video games in general.  The PS4 and Xbox One are both finally hitting their strides (especially PS4 for me, but with multiplatform games I feel depending on your tastes you can't go wrong with either), the PC is getting more and more content that used to be only for consoles, mobile gaming is starting to mature a little bit, and Nintendo is flying in from a weird angle to give us something strange and new and maybe great (but still with their solid first party stuff regardless).  Indy games are starting to do a shockingly good job of filling niches that the big publishers abandoned ages ago.  It's a good time to play video games!

I think a lot of the frustration comes from people wanting Nintendo games to be successful, and Nintendo games trapped on hardware that nobody wants (Wii U) makes them less successful than they could be. I have a hard time believing the Switch will be a big hit. There's very little third-party support and the there's no proven market for a hybrid device that's not powerful enough to be a competitive console and too big to be easy to take with you. America wants super powerful consoles for beautiful, big screen gaming. Japan wants easy-to-use, convenient portables that fit into daily commutes. Does the Switch meet either of those needs?

I was cautiously optimistic about the Switch but under the current circumstances Nintendo are going to miss pretty much every prospective audience that exists for the console.

Nintendo fans who bought Wii U: Every other Nintendo game (if not more) in the early lineup looks to be a slightly improved port of a Wii U game. Aside from a few extra features, limited portability, and promises of better things down the road there looks to be little incentive to upgrade.

Nintendo fans who skipped Wii U: The price is the same, the lineup is mostly the same, even the system itself is mostly the same aside from, again, limited portability.

On-the-go gamers: In concept releasing a console that doubles as a home console and portable is the right approach, but in its current iteration I'm not sure the battery life meets most people's requirements for portability.

Gamers who need cutting edge tech: We always knew this wasn't going to happen.

Casual gamers and families: There are plenty of people in this category who would like to play the occasional Nintendo game, but not at $300.

As long as the system has been rumored for I'm a little shocked this is the best lineup they could launch with, and I can't believe they're pricing it at $300 and expecting success. Either they're going to experience a disappointing launch and have to drop the price to $250 in time for the holidays (and face the same early adopter backlash they did with the 3DS) or they'll leave it at $300 though the year, face a disastrous holiday season and miss the system's best chance at success.

There's nothing to be done about the early lineup but Nintendo are going to have to take a loss on hardware if need be and drop the price if they don't want to lose out on another console generation. They also need to prepare a contingency plan to ditch the screen and battery and release a home-only version for $50 cheaper. It would lose the "switch" concept but Nintendo's insistence on sticking with an inessential hardware feature that raises the price is partially what doomed the Wii U. (Conversely they dropped the signature feature of the 3DS for the 2DS, and though the execution left something to be desired it did net them extra sales.)

As someone who relocates too often to invest in a full-sized console and doesn't require cutting edge graphics, but would like something a step up from the 3DS and smartphones, I was hoping the Switch would at least fill my own particular niche, but not with that price and lineup.

I don't agree with this. At least from my perspective as a Nintendo fan (although not a die-hard fan) who skipped the Wii U. Seems to me with the release of Zelda & Mario Odyssey, Nintendo already has more interesting games then they had for the Wii U. Not to mention Fire Emblem Warriors (may be good), Xenoblade 2 (will keep an eye out)... and uh, Skyrim? Well, if they can get unique quests for Skyrim (doubt it) maybe it will sell well? At any rate, the fact that they *finally* have a new Zelda game that doesn't appear like it's utterly gimmicky (Skyward Sword, Link Between Worlds) is refreshing and gives me some heart (get it, see what I did there

Also, as for limited portability. I don't know if I'm in the minority on this, but I couldn't care less about portability. I just want a home console that's good and has good games...

That is true, and Nintendo has stated they're not directly competing with Sony or Microsoft, but the problem is that they ARE competing with Sony and Microsoft, whether they like it or not.
If you can only afford one console per cycle, you have to choose what you spend your money on, and if you have to choose between a technologically unimpressive, gimmicky console with 32GB of storage for $300, or a 500GB PS4 (a console that already has an impressive library too) for exactly the same price, why would anyone go for the Switch?

It looks like they're trying to get that casual audience they captured with the Wii again, but I don't think they can pull off another hit like that, especially not at this price point.

I've bought pretty much every Nintendo console since the N64 at launch, but this will be the first time I'm going to hold out (which, frankly, also has a lot to do with the fact that February and March are already PACKED with big releases).

Breath of the Wild is also coming to Wii U though.
I'm still gonna get the console, but I'll wait until Mario or Xenoblade 2 gets released.

There's something of an elephant in the room here, which is that the special editions of Breath Of The Wild are only being released for the Switch version. That doesn't seem fair on those collectors who were waiting for what was heavily promoted as a major Wii U game.

EDIT: After a bit more digging, it sounds like there may be Wii U flavours of the special editions coming after all. If so, I guess they weren't announced simultaneously as a way of keeping the focus on the Switch.

Got to be honest, I fully expected the WiiU version to be cancelled and I'm a little surprised that didn't happen. I'm very glad and it would have brought about an incredibly negative reaction but, as pointed out, it removes a key reason to buy a Switch for anyone who already has a WiiU.

Isn't the WiiU dead in the waters, and frankly, hasn't it been "dead" for a long time already? Don't get me wrong, it had a handful of great titles, but a handful of titles compared to what's available for the PS4 or Xbox? Joke. As Amazing noted, of course Nintendo is directly competing with Sony and Microsoft! To think otherwise is silly.

Yes, but the people who bought one probably still have it, and I expect there's a lot of overlap between the people who bought a Wii U and the people who are interested in the Switch, so the problem is that their biggest launch title is not a super-compelling reason to buy the Switch for Wii U owners.
I certainly won't mind settling for a slightly inferior version if it means I can save $300.

Yep, that's exactly it. Adam really nailed why this is both a difficult proposition for those who have a WiiU and those who haven't. As someone who has one and actually wants to be sold on this, they're really not giving me a reason to get one.

I'm waiting to see how much better the Switch version of the new Zelda is.  The new Mario game isn't enough to sway me to buy a new Nintendo console given how little I've played the Wii U.

I know this could/should be a separate thread in another category, but I'm surprised no one has made mention of who's slated to score Xenoblade 2.

I think this guy is spot on

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdGV03wskOY

I may be incorrect, but I think you meant to post this in the other thread.

The trailer mentioned Mitsuda and ACE.

If the first game is any indication, Mitsuda will compose a theme song (probably played during the end credits) and the rest of the game will be scored by ACE, which is perfectly fine by me, because the first game's soundtrack kicked ass.

On the other hand, Shimomura doesn't seem to be involved this time, so maybe Mitsuda gets to do a little bit more (title screen, maybe?). I bet/hope the majority of the music will still be done by ACE though.

From what I've read, the Switch version runs a bit smoother, but they're both still 30FPS, just with (frequent?) frame rate dips on Wii U.

Also, Switch has slightly higher resolution and better sound.
And the Wii U version has a mandatory install of 3GB, which apparently doesn't work on USB sticks:

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/switch … 0-6447008/

Oh, sry, my bad.

That's good to know.  I think I'll still wait to see how differently they perform.  I suspect it will be like how Hyrule Warriors apparently lags quite badly on the "old" model 3DS.

uuhhg..."Both have a frame rate of 30 FPS"...that disappoints..

Speaking of the Switch and borrowing a bit from avatar's one thread:

Am I the only one that's a bit annoyed that Gamestop is trying to bundle Switch stuff together already? No, putting Just Dance in a bundle with all the Zelda stuff isn't going to make me want that game. Yes, you may save in the end but I don't know why this bugs me as much as it does? Does it reek of desperation? Eh, hell if I know.

I just placed an order for Breath of the Wild, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Ultra Street Fighter II and Mario Odyssey from Amazon. The total, after tax and Prime Savings, came to $195 for all four of them. That's $48.75 per game. I'm pretty happy with that, but now I have to find a Switch system for the list price. It's easy enough to find one for $450 and higher, but I'm not looking to support the exploitation marketplace.

The turning point for me wasn't one thing. I can't say specifically what it was, but a combination of many positive things. The lack of an optical drive, the cart-like games, the dual nature of the system, the need to escape from reality (Breath of Wild seems to deliver on that point), etc. - all positives that influenced me.

Edit: I got a notice from the Bloodstained Kickstarter I backed that the Wii U version was cancelled and is being replaced with a Switch version. That was a significant factor as well.

I went to a Gamestop today to order a Switch and I learned they don't do that - you can't put your name on a list and then pick it up when it arrives. I just assumed that was how people are getting these things, and that's how I used to buy consoles in the past. Rather than having a reserve system, and thus getting more money, the Gamestop employees actually told me to check Walmart and Best Buy. Wouldn't they rather collect $300 from me and then call me when it arrives? Well, they lost my business.

So I headed to two Walmarts and two Best Buys and had no luck. And then, I remembered the Toy R Us near me, so I drove there and found it boarded up. I had no idea it was closed. That was a cool store, since they sold me Super Mario All Stars before the official release date, back when I was a teenager.

I felt like a Game Chaser today.

From what I gather, their profit margin on new hardware and games is low. So that isn't too farfetched for them. Plus, they probably get bothered by people looking to buy at $300 and sell for $450 a lot, that they can't distinguish between people who actually want the system and people who are looking to scalp.

I honestly can't believe the situation with the Switch. I can't tell if it's demand or if it's just low supply. I have trouble seeing the system thriving in this current marketplace, unless Nintendo decides to unload a string of hits.

I assume this has something to do with their Circle of Life program that caused a big scandal recently:

http://kotaku.com/new-gamestop-program- … 1791874332

I managed to get one last week during the BestBuy restock blitz. Spent 45 mins hitting pay on their website desperately trying to keep my site session alive so it didn't empty out my cart while it tried to process my credit card.

The whole process has started to turn me off of gaming. You're either forced to pay up immediately to ensure you get something you may eventually down the line want or pay upwards of triple later. I can't even find any accessories in store or online unless I want to pay scalpers at this point.

As for gamestop the whole store is decorated with switch advertising and the front window even said they had stuff in stock but when I asked about ANYTHING they said it was all out of stock.

New Nintendo talk: http://nintendoeverything.com/nintendo- … much-more/

You got lucky. Very lucky. Last Tuesday, I decided to give Best Buy another chance, since the employees were more accommodating than Gamestop employees. Or so I thought. Rather than wasting gas and driving around again, I decided to check Best Buy's website first and it stated that the store nearest to me had the Switch with gray joy-cons in stock. That made sense. When I was talking to the employees in the store last Saturday, they commented that the version with gray joy-cons was much easier to find.

So when I got to Best Buy, I walked to the gaming display and there were no Switch consoles on the shelf. Plenty of games and accessories (especially 3rd party accessories), but no consoles. I found an employee standing near a computer.
"Are the Switch consoles in stock?"
He looks them up in inventory and I can see that the model with gray joy-cons is indeed in stock, while the model with pink and blue joy-cons is not in stock. He shows genuine surprise to see that any are in stock.
"I noticed there were none on the shelves."
He states, "We don't put those on the shelves."
He then heads into the warehouse to grab a Switch console.
As I'm standing there, I notice a very thin LG OLED display behind me, so I start to check it out. Another guy is also looking at it. A woman notices us both looking at the set and approaches us. She introduces herself as a sales rep for LG. The other guy quickly disappears, but I'm waiting for my Switch console, so I have to stand there. I explained to her that I was waiting for a Switch console and I wasn't interested in the TV, but she would not shut up or walk away.
A Best Buy employee approaches me and he was not the same one that headed into the warehouse.
"We do have the Switch consoles in stock, but we can't sell you one. They are ticketed items and are going to be for sale this Sunday."
I ask, "Can I reserve one of them and pick it up on Sunday?"
"We don't take preorders or reservations."
"Can you at least tell me how many are in stock so I can count the people in line on Sunday and know whether it's worth my time or not?"
"No, I can't tell you that."

As I was walking out of the store, I considered complaining to the store manager and then going to the corporate level, if necessary. They admitted they had the item in stock and refused to sell it to me. I did decide not to wait in line on Sunday, because this isn't communist Russia. In the end, I've now boycotted both Gamestop and Best Buy. Best Buy really pissed me off that day, between the combination of the pushy LG sales rep and the refusal to sell me a Switch.

The real problem is that places like Ebay and Amazon allow scalpers to flourish. It should be illegal for anyone to attempt to sell a Switch console for a price higher than the MSRP. Once Switch production shuts down, years from now, and the console is no longer supported, then sure, anything goes. But this is a new item and has a MSRP of $300. So that means whether my neighbor Joe wants to sell it or Best Buy wants to sell it, they have to sell it for $300. No exceptions, no excuses.

Another serious issue are bundles. That should also be illegal.

You've just summed up the whole problem with Best Buy and why savvy people are shopping elsewhere and online. So despicably anti-consumer, robotic treatment of customers and the ugliest side of corporate disservice -- every reason you should go out of your way not to spend a penny there (or GameStop) and let these awful companies change their ways or die.

As much as I despise the scalpers (as mostly evidenced during the Pepsi Perfect and NES Classic Edition issue), the marketplace ultimately still decides with actual bids on demand product. The real culprit is Nintendo not producing enough units as they've recently, embarrassingly done with the NES Classic Edition (to which I still haven't found 5+ months following release). I've even mentioned how, I kid you not, everytime I go to Target the Nintendo case is EMPTY -- this is not an exaggeration -- this is a real problem for a company who cannot supply a product they're pushing so hard.

I've always said eBay should take advantage like the scalpers take advantage of the marketplace and charge exorbitant closing fees so eBay can deter these practices. Of course, eBay won't do this because it'll deter sellers thus deters their bottom line.

I did see one (colored version) myself in a Walmart last week. I haven't stepped into a Walmart in over a year and found one left upon that visit. If I knew you were looking for one, I would've picked it up for you.

Can I ask why if you saw it on the website as in stock you didn't order it and ask for store pickup? That's how I got mine. I saw the site listed 3 as in stock at my local store, so I ordered one and placed it on store pickup. Went in, showed the order ticket and walked out. I wouldn't walk into the store and ask for one given the demand, that hasn't worked for years.

It was the timing. I got the idea to check as I was leaving for work and I looked it up on my cell phone, saw the green in stock checkmark and quickly drove there, as it's close to my workplace. I didn't even consider the possibility that they would not sell me one. I'm not sure, now, if ordering online would've made a difference with those people. Back when I bought a SNES, I just walked into Best Buy, grabbed one off a shelf and bought it. Why are things different now? Game consoles used to be placed in plain view.

That would've been cool. I'll find one. I didn't think about checking Target. There is a Wal-Mart within walking distance of me and the electronics dept. said they've haven't received any new Switch consoles since the launch date. It was not encouraging when one of the employees told me he can't find one either.

I forgot to mention that the first time I checked Best Buy, the employee looking for Switches in inventory started talking. He told me that he bought the console, beat Zelda, and sold it for a profit. He also said Zelda was boring. So that's a typical scalper. They work at Best Buy. Even more reason to stay away.

If you have any Meijers in your area (or similar less-popular-for-video-games stores), check there.  I saw three there last week.  Of course they were gone the next day.  I also know someone who found one at Toys R Us this past weekend.  They ARE getting shipped out but are still selling out super quickly when they do show up.  Odd experience for you at Best Buy, though... I had a very positive experience getting mine on Launch night from our local one.