If Nintendo can do one thing which the Switch, what would you pick?
We’re a week away from Switchmas, that’s what we’ve been calling Nintendo’s Switch Presentation 2017. It’s on in just a week – can you believe it!?
At this point we all just want to see the thing, it’s been a long time since the last trailer and we’re thirsty for me. However, everyone wants something different from the Presentation and from the Switch itself, some features and games might mean a lot to some people and others not so much.
We put our team together and asked some other local Australian media folks if they could pick ‘One’ thing that they want from the Switch – what would it be?
First and foremost, I’d like it to work.
No, seriously. The entire premise and the primary source of joy that swells up in my heart whenever I see the Nintendo Switch in action is the possibility of being able to play, undock, keep playing, and not have to worry about performance, online saves, storage, or a whole myriad of technical nightmares in between.
It’s a simple idea. It’s kind of the same idea that Nintendo tried to sell the Wii U on, the fact that you could keep playing on this small screen. But that obviously didn’t pan out, for several reasons.
But I think Nintendo have been denied credit for an observation of theirs that, in the flooded free-to-play world we live in, is unmistakably true now. The mobile market has an awful lot of potential – but when it comes to premium experiences, console-like quality games that you can play on the go – the cupboard is embarrassingly bare.
It’s why the 3DS has continued to power on for years. It might be behind what you can visually render and represent on a phone, and it’s certainly nowhere as convenient. But you get a better gaming experience. And that’s the realm I want the Switch to lie in. There’s some crowdfunding campaigns floating around for portable PCs that are trying to do a similar thing – take your Steam library with you on the train, to the airport or where have you, and play the games you normally would.
The Switch says something similar. Take Mario Kart. Or Zelda. Or, fuck it, Skyrim. And it’ll work. It’ll play well enough for you to enjoy yourself. That’s all I want it to do. I’ll trade off a lot of things – even bare minimums, like an improved online marketplace or a UX overhaul – as long as Nintendo doesn’t bugger up the technicals.
Don’t fail me, Nintendo. More so than anything, 2017 could be yours.
I just want to be pleasantly surprised. Games, support, events, online infrastructure. After the Wii U, I’m just a bit worried and cynical, but still hopeful Nintendo really are putting their all into this one. While it remains to be seen if all the talk of third party support will culminate in anything, the fact the talk exists is at least a sign there’s effort being made on that front.
The games are, of course, the biggest part of any gaming platform. I feel like that gets forgotten in a lot of spec talk – games can look as pretty as they want, but if they’re uninspired or boring or just bad, what’s the point? Nintendo will definitely bring their A-game to the Switch, but hopefully some more collaborative surprises come out for the platform too, like Hyrule Warriors, or Tokyo Mirage Sessions.
And with Nintendo having multiplayer as a huge part of their identity, the online support has got to be there. Dedicated servers, proper voice chat, even text messaging. It would be nice to see Nintendo take the online side of things much more seriously.
Really, all I really want from a Nintendo console is a bunch of great Nintendo games. I want a new Mario Kart that is even better than 8 (keep the handling, put in a mission mode, fix battle mode, ok thanks). I’d also like a new Smash Bros that finally introduces Waluigi, the best and most important Nintendo character, and a new 3D Mario platformer that feels more like Galaxy 3 than 3D World 2.
But digging deeper, what I really want from Nintendo – which they only really managed once on the Wii U, I’d say – is more of those titles that feel new and exciting and like things just changed, or at least took a step in a new direction. Nintendo might not be leading the industry in terms of sales or support, but they’re the company that most often drop games that make me say ‘damn, okay’.
To be more specific: in 2015, Splatoon changed the way I thought about third person online shooters. Before that, Super Mario Galaxy 1 & 2 found a new plateau for the 3D platformer (nobody has even really tried to come close since), and Wii Sports rejigged a lot of people’s relationship with gaming. Pikmin is the only real-time strategy series I’ve ever loved, Smash Bros the only fighting game series I’ve put a heap of time into, Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask and Wind Waker are stunning pieces of design even now. Metroid Prime, while not necessarily my thing, still stands tall in so many people’s minds.
All I ever really want from Nintendo is for them to keep doing well at the things they excel at, and to get a little better at the things they’ve traditionally sucked at. It looks like the portability of the console is a cool selling point rather than the central concept around which games will be designed, which pleases me, and Breath of the Wild is looking special. Ultimately, I’m a sucker for Nintendo, and I know I’ll opt in regardless of whichever balls they drop.
I want the Nintendo Switch to give me a better overall console experience when I’m using it. I’m not a big fan of the rounded-tile home layout that has been prevalent on Nintendo’s home and portable consoles since the release of the Wii in 2006. To me it seems slow, clunky and somewhat old school compared to the user experience on other consoles.
I’m really hoping for a responsive home screen that is zippy and lets us switch (pun intended) between games, friends, the eShop and digital sharing at the click of a button or via a quick voice command. I’d like to see more of what my friends are doing and, if I’m not asking too much, the introduction of something akin to achievements or trophies so I can compare myself against them without necessarily having to go into each game.
The Wii U successfully removed the horrid ‘friend codes’ and let us add friends via their username and I hope that stays for the Switch (I only bring this up because Super Mario Run reverted to the old, time-consuming method). If Nintendo can give us at least some of the above, it will be way more likely that I’ll turn it on and use it daily instead of only when I want to play a newly-released game.
Nintendo to remind non-gamers and core gamers why they’re the king of software. I feel like Nintendo has really gone away from what made them special over the last 3-4 years. The last 12-18 months of software releases has seen them go from the best and most innovative software developer to an uninspired mess.
Nintendo need to get all the basic information out there in terms of pricing, release date, region free, online capability and having a decent storefront and make people remember why people love Nintendo – software.
The Wii and Wii Sports made non-gamers absolute believers and more recently, Pokemon GO had non-gamers absolutely addicted, so they need to bring this to the Nintendo Switch. The Wii never saw a proper 3D Mario or 3D Zelda game which was definitely the main issue.
We kept waiting for that piece of killer software that never came, so I want Nintendo to regain their focus and bring back some life and love to their core franchises which will, in turn, make non-gamers and gamers alike remember why Nintendo are the king of software.
I thought this was gonna be a harder question than it is, but actually it’s a pretty easy one for me to answer. All I really want from the Switch are some awesome games. Forget the usual innovation from Nintendo, that can take a back seat for me this time around. You know – motion controls, touchscreens, multiple screens, nunchuks and all that.
Sure, the Switch has it innovations, but without a library of amazing in-house and hopefully third-party titles, it can all just simmer away on the back burner, set aside and forgotten until the goodness dries up and all that you’re left with is that flaky black stuff, crispified to the bottom of the pot, with that familiar smell of burning steel. (I don’t cook much anymore.)
We all know Nintendo are fully capable of making top-notch games, yet when I glance over to my Wii U collection, it’s just a measly eighteen games. Well, eighteen that I care about. It’s not enough. I want there to be a plethora of games from Nintendo and beyond. Yep, that’s right, a plethora; a very large amount of something, especially a larger amount than you need, want, or can deal with.
A catalogue of fun that makes me want to buy a new game on my Nintendo system more often than a few times a year. A catalogue that brings the amount of joy I’m used to from my favourite video game company on a more regular basis. A catalogue that makes me have to buy a new shelf unit. That’s what I want.
Recent live show meltdowns aside, Mariah Carey’s lesser known Christmas bonus track, All I Want For Switchmas Is You, adequately sums up what I want from Nintendo’s very-nearly-here console. In this instance the “you” refers to the Switch itself. I just want the console. In my hands. Now. Please.
In the remaining 200 words allocated to my soapbox, I could mention anything I want from the Switch, including third-party support, decent battery life, and a rooftop bar to play Mario with my young and attractive culturally-diverse friends who may or may not only exist in the Switch reveal video. Instead of wishing for the bleeding obvious, I would like to ask the big Nintendo in the sky for one thing – a good, functional online ecosystem to compete with Sony and Microsoft.
I already know I will love the Switch. I know I am going to play the heck out of all sorts of games on the home/handheld hybrid console. What would really sweeten the deal for me would be an online system where I can add friends, join online matches, and browse the eShop with ease. One of the constant frustrations I have with the current Nintendo consoles is being unable to browse the prices of games and purchase them on a web browser or app when I don’t have access to the said consoles. If it weren’t for the dedicated team at Vooks.net and their lord and saviour Mr Vooks himself, I would have no idea what the latest specials on the eShop are.
I have bought many a game on a whim on the PS4 or Xbox One due to browsing the specials on their respective apps – Nintendo, darling, please let me do the same. If you do, I will go from simply loving the Switch, to kicking my girlfriend out of the bed and gently placing the Switch in her place, à la Nathan Fillion and his PS4. Sorry, Laura.
Consistency.
That’s what I want from the Switch. I want releases of games to be consistent; no huge breaks between games. I want everyone in the world to get the game around the same time. We live in a connected world, let’s all celebrate a game’s release at the same time and share the hype. When Pokémon Sun and Moon came out everyone got to play it and enjoy it, except for people in Europe – why? The biggest release of the year and you couldn’t get it out the same week? Come on, son.
Virtual Console releases: consistent and around the world at the same time. Make sure everyone gets the best version of the game. The eShop: make the storefront and offers the same everywhere. You can buy games as download codes in Japan but you can’t anywhere else. You can buy games from the web and have your system download them in Europe, Japan and America but you can’t in Australia and other regions.
A Nintendo Switch owner should get the same experience no matter where they live. We should be able to celebrate owning one of these consoles with our friends from all around the world. Do it.
It's Black, Back Again.
If these aren't the coolest graphics...
Loco Motive, MySims: Cozy Bundle, Stray, Nine Souls, Servonauts.