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Nintendo Entertainment Games Technology

Nintendo Reportedly Plans Smaller and Cheaper Switch For This Year (engadget.com) 96

Posted by BeauHD from the pocket-friendly dept.
According to a report from Nikkei, Nintendo is developing a smaller and cheaper version of the Switch focused on portability, and without some of the features in the original console. "A rumor in October suggested Nintendo was developing a new Switch, but instead of improving on the existing model, it's just as likely the company is looking for ways to streamline the system," notes Engadget. From the report: As Ars Technica speculates, the console's plastic dock could be the first thing to go. It's available separately for $90, and there are also cheaper ways to get your Switch to output to a TV (it's relying on a USB-C connection, after all). Nintendo could conceivably move towards a smaller and cheaper screen, and potentially even make the controller a physical part of the console, instead of the removable Joy-Cons. It also wouldn't be out of character for Nintendo to break existing functionality with a console revamp -- the 2DS was a cheaper spin on the 3DS that was still very playable without 3D.
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Nintendo Reportedly Plans Smaller and Cheaper Switch For This Year More

Nintendo Reportedly Plans Smaller and Cheaper Switch For This Year

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  • Nickeling and Diming (Score:3, Insightful)

    by DrYak ( 748999 ) on Friday February 01, 2019 @05:33AM (#58054348) Homepage

    Looks like a way for Nintendo to actually increase profits :

    The base "Switch Lite" will be cheaper, but :

      - The whole raison d'être of the Nintendo Switch and its success is the ability to seamlessly switch from portable console on the move to big screen in your living room.
      - So you'll buy a separate Nintendo-branded official dock (because their USB-C connector isn't 100% standard-compliant, and some of the cheap 3rd party accessory don't actually work perfectly).
      - So you'll buy a separate controller for the big screen mode if the "Switch Lite" doesn't have detachable controller. (Other wise you'll have to use the whole console tethered to the big TV screen as a giant controller, in the style of SEGA Nomad). And you can bet that Nintendo will find a way to have you buy preferably Nintendo-branded joycons, instead of any random Bluetooth controller. (e.g.: the proprietary gyro and accelerometers and other extra that a joycon has in addition to any no-name asian bluetooth gamepad)

    etc.

      - Of course all of the above will come with an extra "Nintendo tax" in the price.
    Because Shareholders/Profits/Why not.

    (me ? sorry, but I'm already more than happy with my Pi).

    • Re:Nickeling and Diming (Score:4, Funny)

      by Nidi62 ( 1525137 ) on Friday February 01, 2019 @07:53AM (#58054652)

      The base "Switch Lite" ...

      I think "Lite Switch" has a better ring to it.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by elrous0 ( 869638 )

      The whole raison d'être of the Nintendo Switch and its success is the ability to seamlessly switch from portable console on the move to big screen in your living room.

      No, lets face it. The Switch was intended from the start to be Nintendo's way of gracefully exiting the console market while still saving face. The dock was always an afterthought. Nintendo gave up trying to keep up with Sony and MS a long time ago, and the Switch is just their transitional device. It was never intended as a successor to

      • > No, lets face it. The Switch was intended from the start to be Nintendo's way of gracefully exiting the console market while still saving face

        Oh this canard again? Normally the naysayers only throw out the "Nintendo's exiting the console market" phrase when their console sales are doing poorly, like in the Gamecube or Wii U days, instead of trying it when the latest console is on fire in the market.

        Nintendo builds whatever makes the most money. Consoles sell, and Nintendo builds theirs (unlike Micros

        • I guess you haven't been paying attention to the releases on the 3DS. It's been near dead since the Switch released. As far as a canard about exiting the console market, he meant the traditional console market which Nintendo has created 3 devices that have done that, Wii, Wii U, Switch. They aren't even trying to compete with Sony and MS directly and rightly so. Nintendo has complained that developing for two systems (Wii U and 3DS) was slowing their releases to a crawl and mentioned creating a parity with
      • The Switch was their way of having just a single product line going forward. They made plenty of complaints that breaking into HD graphics (Sony and MS did that in the PS3/XB360 gen) for the Wii U while also developing for the 3DS was why the software releases were so slow for both device lines. They ceded out of trying to compete directly with Sony/MS with the Wii after lackluster pickup of the Gamecube. Wii U was their worst selling console ever. It just makes sense considering their target audience is fa

    • I don't think the Raspberry Pi has enough power to properly emulated Wii games, let along Wii U or Switch games.

      If you are happy with your Pi then you are fine with the old nostalgic games. There is no problem with that. However, there is no point on ranting about the new systems either.

    • In defense of the Nintendo Pro controller, while objectively expensive, and this is my subjective opinion: the build quality and overall quality of the product can't be overstated. Well made, with good feel and responsiveness, and quite a lot of gyro tech. None of the bullshit I've had with Xbox one wireless controller battery packs, none of the periodical droupouts I'll get using the windows dongle.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by dnaumov ( 453672 )

      Except for the part where in the real world, barely anyone, ever, connects the Switch to a TV screen.

      • In the real world, I haven't bought a switch, because I don't want to pay for a built-in screen that I won't use. I'm not alone.

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by Guspaz ( 556486 )

        The only statistics that I've seen show the split was roughly half of players using it primarily as a mobile console, and half of players using it primarily as a fixed console.

      • Hi, I live in the real world, and 99% of my Switch gaming is done on my 58" TV. It's nice to take on the road on trips, but when I'm home it's parked in the dock for days.

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by Hadlock ( 143607 )

        I've played my switch in mobile mode about 6 times, half of them were on my boat either in the marina or at anchor

        The vast majority of the time spent playing the thing is playing mario kart with family on the big screen tv in the living room. In fact, other than Hollow Knight, the new Mario game an Civilization 6, they are all 4 player multiplayer games. I'm sure for the under-21 crowd who don't have their own room/tv the switch is probably played mostly mobile, but there's a significant number of a

      • Except for the part where in the real world, barely anyone, ever, connects the Switch to a TV screen.

        Errr You live in a different real world than the rest of the population clearly. Most Switches spend their home lives connected to the TV. Being portable is a bonus that many people ignore.

        Now I truly admit there is a sense of irony that I wanted to play the Switch today, pulled out the controller, turned on the TV and ... damn the wife took it to work.

    • Most of the recent console systems in memory have introduced a "half-generation" upgrade, which typically reduces costs, reduces the console size, and tweaked features and capabilities (sometimes improved, sometimes reduced). This has also been a typical pattern for Nintendo's handhelds as well. This new Switch seems to fall in line with this general trend.

      In my recollection, console refreshes have been a good deal for the consumer, precisely the opposite of what you're suggesting, because they have to at

    • This is all about multiple Switches per household sales. They lost that when they discontinued the DS/3DS. They also created a hole in that pricing market so this is the perfect reason to make a cheaper model, especially with a new Animal Crossing and Pokemon this year.

    • The whole raison d'être of the Nintendo Switch and its success is the ability to seamlessly switch from portable console on the move to big screen in your living room.

      No. The raison d'être of the Nintendo Switch is to play the latest Nintendo games. The fact that you can play them portably is a bonus.

      Of course all of the above will come with an extra "Nintendo tax" in the price.

      A tax worthy of paying for a decent and fun games library. Remember that word? Fun? You can keep your AAA garbage.

  • Comment removed based on user account deletion

    • Servicing batteries (Score:4, Informative)

      by sjbe ( 173966 ) on Friday February 01, 2019 @07:22AM (#58054584)

      They owe us one where the batteries can be replaced.

      They owe you nothing. They are offering a product for sale. If you like it, buy it. If you don't, don't. Either choice is fine. I like user replaceable batteries too but I'm under no illusion that companies are under any obligation to provide them. I have declined to purchase products where I felt that servicing them would be a problem in the future. Nothing Nintendo makes is a life necessity so don't buy it if it doesn't meet your quality and durability standards.

      Things like video game consoles are precisely the sort of thing where the government should be outlawing planned obsolescence in the form of non-fixable batteries.

      "Planned obsolescence"? They don't have to plan it. It's going to be obsolete in 2-4 years with no planning whatsoever. That's just how fast the market moves. Now if your argument was that by making devices that cannot be serviced they are making unnecessary landfill then I think you might have a reasonable argument. Having a device fail because the battery went dead and cannot be replaced (by user or by manufacturer) is something that is a real problem.

      "Send it in and we'll replace the battery or unit" should not be permissible on consumer electronics.

      If you don't like it don't buy it. I think your complaint is a perfectly legitimate reason to not buy it. But if you fork over the cash for it then obviously it wasn't really a deal breaker for you now was it? I agree that the battery should be replaceable in some fashion but insisting that it be user serviceable is unreasonable for some products. If they provide a means to have it replaced by the manufacturer for some appropriate length of time (similar to automobile service parts) then that is fine. I can think of several products where having the General Public poking around inside to replace a battery is not the best idea. User serviceable is obviously ideal when possible but don't let perfect be the enemy of good.

      • Comment removed (Score:4, Interesting)

        by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Friday February 01, 2019 @12:13PM (#58055722)
        Comment removed based on user account deletion

        • I think if you look at the vast majority of people who play video games, nobody is throwing out games because they're four years old.

          They might not throw them out but almost all of them sure as hell aren't playing them anymore. They are on to the next thing in most cases. Fortnite wasn't a thing 2 years ago and now every kid I know is playing it. Two years from now it will be something else. That's how it works and how is has worked for a long time. I was playing video games in the early 1980s and it was just as true then.

          "Obsolete" doesn't mean "Can't run the latest stuff", it means "Is no longer useful".

          Obsolete means many things and not being the current state of the art is definitely one of them. (that includes

        • nobody is throwing out games because they're four years old.

          You're right. They don't throw them out. They throw them in a drawer and let them get dusty. Back in the real world console[currentgen+1] has just been released, along with awesomegame[version+1]. Now watch your fun game sit at the loading screen endlessly with the text "Waiting for other players" flashing on the screen endlessly.

          Just because you're still able to throw a disc in and turn it on doesn't make it any less obsolete.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by DrXym ( 126579 )
      Companies would ask why sell a phone / tablet every 5 years when you can sell a phone / tablet every 2 years if the battery is sealed in. This is something only a government can force them to do and it's way overdue.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

      They owe us one where the batteries can be replaced. Things like video game consoles are precisely the sort of thing where the government should be outlawing planned obsolescence in the form of non-fixable batteries. "Send it in and we'll replace the battery or unit" should not be permissible on consumer electronics.

      So change it yourself. It's technically user replaceable with a few screws and all that. Treat it as a IQ test. If you can figure it out, you can change the battery yourself. If you can't, you'r

  • New! Nintendo Switch (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Then Switch U. Followed in 20 years with Switch Classic Mini.

  • I like how the 'cheaper option' linked has 24% 1-star reviews on Amazon. Probably not something you'd want to buy (main complaint is that it doesn't work).
    I find it unlikely they wouldn't pack in a dock. For one thing, it being a console that can also be used as a portable is the chief gimmick, and not including a dock means it wouldn't be convertible out-of-the-box. Second, those docks are a hunk of molded plastic with a few standard USB ports and wires in it, which probably costs a buck tops to manufactur

  • This new Switch-Mini, with it's focus on portability, being smaller and easier to carry around, having build-in controllers etc. will probably replace the DS line.
    What would be the point if keeping the DS around? The Switch-Mini will be more powerfull, more capable. It's only missing a second screen, but then again, it probably has 3x the resolution of a DS.

    • Yep. There's a big hole for people in that price range right now, that the 2DS/3DS used to fill. That's exactly what this is all about and they'll still have just one product to design all of their games for.

  • There are many games that rely on the joycons as a pointer, being able to shake or manipulate them independently, or some games where you can only play holding them sideways. It wouldn't work if you can't remove them. Games like Mario Party, 1-2 Switch, Snipperclips, Just Dance, and more.

    Hopefully if it is a more portable Switch they will add things like StreetPass, like they did on 3DS, to make it a fun portable experience.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by DrXym ( 126579 )
      Knowing Nintendo, they'll probably fix the controllers to the smaller, even crappier Switch and if you want to do the things you say then you'll have to buy a second set for $$$, along with a way to charge them for $$$.

    • Yes but Nintendo's focus will be on "portability" and using the joycon as a pointer or playing games multiplayer is marginally useful in a portable way (IE using the built in display as a portable device). So Nintendo could embed just the physical controls on the device and make that static (like a 2DS did away with the hinges), and have an HDMI port in the back. If someone whats to play on a TV then they can use the device as a controller, plus link joy-cons to them for other players or games that absolu

    • 98% of the games support handheld play. There's only the few that you listed that explicitly don't.

  • This is pretty sweet news! This will probably be in time for Xmas or birthdays.

    I have most of the good Wii U games for my kiddos, all bought used for about $15/each avg. Why buy a Wii U you ask? Let me repeat...$15/game vs $60/game. Most of the games are fun but only a few hours at best for the little ones. Nice thing is that I know they will come back and play them again when they are a little older.

    For those of you without kids, it is tricky to navigate spending too much, spoiling, and the sheer number of

  • The only reason why the Switch did so well is the screen, Breath of the Wild, and Mario Odyssey. In terms of pure design, the 3DS was a far superior device. The 3DS's user interface was charming and rich. StreetPass was genius, and inspired me to carry around my 3DS for years. It was compatible with the previous generation games - having access to the huge DS library meant I was never at a loss for games to play. Virtual console was great. The clamshell case felt solid, unlike the Switch where I consta
  • Fix the design of the joy-cons. The buttons/thumbsticks on those things get messed up so easily.

  • Would finally realize, when looking at the SWITCH's success, how boneheaded it was to castrate the PS Vita by removing its ability to connect to a TV.

    Its predecessor the PSP, for all its flaws as a disc-based portable console, could be connected to a TV.
    You will never imagine how long I, incredulous, searched my VITA for the TV port and never found it.

    Removing a basic feature so that they could force you to buy a second model of VITA, the VITA TV (but not portable).
    Greed, greed and more greed.

    • This is going to be a cheaper SKU of the Switch as an alternative, like the 2DS was to the 3DS. It's not a replacement. It's all about getting the market they lost when they abandoned the DS/3DS price group.

  • I like the switch, but never use the JoyCon controllers. The buttons are about half the size that they were on the Wii U. I understand wanting portability, but some of us bigger folks might like it too. I'd pay for bigger buttons on the joy cons.

  • New one is less powerful than a midrange cell phone?

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