Nintendo Switch

[Schizophretard]

You can easily slide around on the diamond without lifting your thumb, assuming the buttons are convex and not placed stupidly high.

The direction buttons are exactly mirrored to be like the action buttons in shape and size for when the the Joy-Cons are used as two controllers. I can tell just by looking at the buttons that I couldn't easily slide around with them anywhere near as good as with a D-pad.

[Flojomojo]

Reggie and Miyomoto bring a Switch to the Jimmy Fallon Show

https://youtu.be/7TJ7IUNWGl4

[Flojomojo]

Link not working on the Wii-U: https://hackerone.com/browser-not-supported.html

 

That's because you're the only person I've ever met who reads web forums from video game consoles, you weirdo pervert. Here's the full text, which I suppose could be interesting to visit someday long after their program is gone.

 

Nintendo’s goal is to provide a secure environment for our customers so that they can enjoy our games and services. In order to achieve this goal, Nintendo is interested in receiving vulnerability information that researchers may discover regarding Nintendo’s platforms. Currently, in the context of the HackerOne program, Nintendo is only interested in vulnerability information regarding the Nintendo 3DS™ family of systems and is not seeking vulnerability information regarding other Nintendo platforms, network service, or server-related information.

Below are examples of types of activities that Nintendo is focused on preventing:

• Piracy, including:
  • Game application dumping
  • Copied game application execution
• Cheating, including:
  • Game application modification
  • Save data modification
• Dissemination of inappropriate content to children

Below are examples of vulnerabilities that Nintendo is interested in receiving information about:

• System vulnerabilities regarding the Nintendo 3DS™ family of systems
  • Privilege escalation on ARM11 userland
  • ARM11 kernel takeover
  • ARM9 userland takeover
  • ARM9 kernel takeover
• Vulnerabilities regarding Nintendo-published applications for the Nintendo 3DS™ family of systems
  • ARM11 userland takeover
• Hardware vulnerabilities regarding the Nintendo 3DS™ family of systems
  • Low-cost cloning
  • Security key detection via information leaks

Nintendo reserves the right to choose whether or not it will address any reported vulnerabilities.

Rewards

Nintendo will pay rewards to the first reporter of qualifying vulnerability information ranging from $100 USD to $20,000 USD. Only one reward per qualifying piece of vulnerability information will be awarded. Nintendo will determine at its discretion whether the vulnerability information qualifies for a reward as well as the amount of any such reward. Nintendo does not disclose how the reward amount is calculated. Vulnerability information that is already known to Nintendo or the public, for example, does not qualify for a reward. Rewards will not be issued to individuals who are on sanction lists, or who are in countries on sanction lists.

The reward amount depends on the importance of the information and the quality of the report. In general, the importance of the information is higher if the vulnerability is severe, easy-to-exploit, etc.

A report is evaluated to be high quality if you show that the vulnerability is exploitable by providing a proof of concept (functional exploit code is even better). If you don’t yet have a proof of concept, or functional exploit code, we still encourage you to report to us sooner rather than later such that you do not to lose the opportunity to become the first reporter; you can then submit a proof of concept or functional exploit code later (within three (3) weeks of the initial report) and it will be considered to be a part of the report.

The reward will be paid after the reported vulnerability has been fixed by Nintendo, but no later than four (4) months after Nintendo has confirmed the reported vulnerability.

Nintendo will not disclose to the public the amount of any reward distributed by Nintendo.

Disclosure of vulnerability information

Because older system versions can continue to exploit vulnerabilities that have been reported to Nintendo by researchers and subsequently fixed by Nintendo, you agree that you shall not disclose vulnerability information reported to Nintendo to any other third party.

Report template

Please include the details requested in below when submitting vulnerability information to Nintendo. All such reports should be submitted in English.

• State the name of the applicable platform (e.g., Nintendo 3DS™, New Nintendo 3DS™, or both)
• State the region of the platform you used (e.g., JP, US, or EU)
• State the system version number(s) that the vulnerability applies to
• Describe all of the steps required to reproduce the issue
• Describe the details of what the vulnerability is and, if possible, potential ways to fix the vulnerability
• Describe, if applicable, how individuals might be able to utilize the vulnerability information to impair the applicable system(s) and/or game(s) by showing a proof of concept or functional exploit code. You are allowed to submit a proof of concept or functional exploit code later (within three (3) weeks), after the initial submission of the report.
• Confirm that the vulnerability is not widely known to the public.

Legal

You agree that you will not violate any law, or disrupt or compromise any data that is not your own in connection with reporting vulnerability information to Nintendo.

Nintendo reserves the right to modify the terms of this program at any time.

You have no obligation to provide Nintendo with the abovementioned security and vulnerability information. However, you agree that by submitting such information to Nintendo, even if the information is not eligible for a reward, you grant Nintendo a worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive, transferable, sublicenseable, fully-paid and royalty-free license under any and all intellectual property rights that you own or control to use, copy, modify, create derivative works based upon and otherwise exploit such information for any purpose.

Nintendo will not grant rewards to people who are/were employed by Nintendo or third parties that are/were engaged in developing code and/or hardware for Nintendo.

 

[Andromeda Stardust]

 

That's because you're the only person I've ever met who reads web forums from video game consoles, you weirdo pervert. Here's the full text, which I suppose could be interesting to visit someday long after their program is gone.

 

This made my day, thanks!

[Jinks]

I am definitely not buying anything nintendo after the U. I can not afford to upgrade every coulple years to soon to be abandoned system. All the features only last 2 or 3 years after spending thousands on software and the system who has the $$ to buy a new doorstop every 3 years?

[akator]

I am definitely not buying anything nintendo after the U. I can not afford to upgrade every coulple years to soon to be abandoned system. All the features only last 2 or 3 years after spending thousands on software and the system who has the $$ to buy a new doorstop every 3 years?

 

 

I was very interested in Nintendo's next system. When the Switch promo video was released, I was a little less optimistic. We have had a gaming tablet / controller with HDMI out for years so that "multi-function form factor" is old news in our household. Still, I was holding out that Nintendo would offer some amazing games that will make the Switch worth buying.

 

Then they screwed up with both the NES Classic and 3DS this holiday. They announced 2 things, creating demand, then completely and massively failed to deliver. Including the Wii U, that's a big run of disappointments that have completely eroded my consumer confidence. If they couldn't pull off the NES Classic and 3DS when millions were clamoring to buy them, I have doubts about their ability to make the Switch a success.

 

We haven't seen a gaming hardware company screw up this much since Sega in the 90s, then Atari before that. I don't want Nintendo to fail, but they can't seem to get out of their own way anymore. They seriously need some new leadership in that company.

[Andromeda Stardust]

 

 

I was very interested in Nintendo's next system. When the Switch promo video was released, I was a little less optimistic. We have had a gaming tablet / controller with HDMI out for years so that "multi-function form factor" is old news in our household. Still, I was holding out that Nintendo would offer some amazing games that will make the Switch worth buying.

 

Then they screwed up with both the NES Classic and 3DS this holiday. They announced 2 things, creating demand, then completely and massively failed to deliver. Including the Wii U, that's a big run of disappointments that have completely eroded my consumer confidence. If they couldn't pull off the NES Classic and 3DS when millions were clamoring to buy them, I have doubts about their ability to make the Switch a success.

 

We haven't seen a gaming hardware company screw up this much since Sega in the 90s, then Atari before that. I don't want Nintendo to fail, but they can't seem to get out of their own way anymore. They seriously need some new leadership in that company.

If it's half as successful as Wii-U, there will be great games on it. That's all I care about. I could care less how their stocks are doing or if they sell one million, ten million, or a hundred million units. Of course more customers = better, but at the end of the day, as long as they continue to deliver the games and don't go tnird party, I'll be happy.

[0078265317]

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2016-12-07-sources-nintendo-switch-will-have-gamecube-virtual-console-support

[0078265317]

Switch will include VR.

 

http://www.businessinsider.com/nintendo-switch-patent-vr-virtual-reality-headset-2016-12

[Keatah]

Switch will include VR.

 

http://www.businessinsider.com/nintendo-switch-patent-vr-virtual-reality-headset-2016-12

 

So exactly what does that mean?

 

Your version where it comes with a VR headset? Or the article's version which talks about a patent that describes how the handheld tablet portion can be dropped into a headmounted visor. (Eeek! I'm not hanging that amount of weight on my neck. No sir.)

 

Huge difference here. And for those that want the fast answer, the switch is not coming with VR-anything.

[Andromeda Stardust]

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2016-12-07-sources-nintendo-switch-will-have-gamecube-virtual-console-support

This is exciting, if true!

[Keatah]

No reason why it's not. It's a great way for the companies to bring forward their own software. Instead of re-porting and re-compiling every game individually, they just make an emulator and instantly the whole library becomes available.

[omegadot]

I would certainly expect GCN support. That thing has maintained a pretty loyal following and the games have aged very well in many cases. Of course, as much as I love what Nintendo does most of the time, they manage to regularly disappoint me.

 

An aside, I wish I could easily backup my save states because the method of deleting them in at least Super Mario 64 can be rapidly done by accident by someone that can't read but is adorably playing the game and hits the menu button. (My daughter is lucky she's so cute).

[BillLoguidice]

 

So exactly what does that mean?

 

Your version where it comes with a VR headset? Or the article's version which talks about a patent that describes how the handheld tablet portion can be dropped into a headmounted visor. (Eeek! I'm not hanging that amount of weight on my neck. No sir.)

 

Huge difference here. And for those that want the fast answer, the switch is not coming with VR-anything.

 

No, and the Switch screen is almost certainly either 720p or 1080p (most likely the former), which, if split in half, is really too low of a resolution to do the type of VR we see with something like Google Cardboard convincingly (and yes, you can do a Google Cardboard experience at that resolution, I'm just saying it's not really satisfactory).

[Andromeda Stardust]

 

No, and the Switch screen is almost certainly either 720p or 1080p (most likely the former), which, if split in half, is really too low of a resolution to do the type of VR we see with something like Google Cardboard convincingly (and yes, you can do a Google Cardboard experience at that resolution, I'm just saying it's not really satisfactory).

Maybe, but for tablet use, 720p is sufficient. In fact I barely notice the pixels on my Wii-U 480p gamepad. The 4-2-0 chroma blending is another story though, but the NX won't suffer from this issue as there is no need to compress the image data. I usually play on the gamepad without my glasses (I am nearsighted) or on the TV while wearing them.

 

"Retina" displays and UHD resolution on tablet and phone screens are kind of a waste when you would literally need a low power microscope to see the pixels. However with head mounted VR visors, the pixels would be greatly magnified. On a side note, can you adjust the diopter strength on VR headsets, or do they lack any focus adjustments? I'm not convinced they would fit comfortably over my glasses, and my eyes might not focus correctly otherwise. Normally I can only focus sharply up to about a foot in front of my face.

[BillLoguidice]

Maybe, but for tablet use, 720p is sufficient. In fact I barely notice the pixels on my Wii-U 480p gamepad. The 4-2-0 chroma blending is another story though, but the NX won't suffer from this issue as there is no need to compress the image data. I usually play on the gamepad without my glasses (I am nearsighted) or on the TV while wearing them.

 

"Retina" displays and UHD resolution on tablet and phone screens are kind of a waste when you would literally need a low power microscope to see the pixels. However with head mounted VR visors, the pixels would be greatly magnified. On a side note, can you adjust the diopter strength on VR headsets, or do they lack any focus adjustments? I'm not convinced they would fit comfortably over my glasses, and my eyes might not focus correctly otherwise. Normally I can only focus sharply up to about a foot in front of my face.

Yes, 720p is fine for regular usage. It's not fine for VR, which is what I was saying. The resolution gets effectively halved in addition to significant frame rate consistentcy demands.

 

My only direct experience is with various Google Cardboard and related mobile VR, as well as PlayStation VR, which I enjoy a great deal. The Switch would have trouble replicating the former, let alone the latter, which, while extraordinary, doesn't quite match up to what's available on the PC. It's all relative levels of power and expense.

 

With the above in mind, it's still early days for proper VR and I don't think Nintendo will miss out by not participating. Microsoft is almost certainly not even going to bother until after the Scorpio's release in late 2017. That would giver Nintendo plenty of time to release the Switch Pro with full VR support (by dropping it in a headset) in 2018.

 

Oh, and glasses work fine with PlayStation VR and some versions of Google Carboard.

Edited December 17, 2016 by BillLoguidice

[Osgeld]

"retina" type displays are awesome if your going to spend a serious amount of time reading something on a device, otherwise I agree, my phone has a 2560x1440 screen, super great yay its 5.2 inches what's the point ... clock looks super crisp but at 5.2 inches its not something im going to curl up and read a book on

 

its something to use when I have no other device and want some experiance outside of text email and phone

 

my netbook has something like a 1200x800 screen, about the same as a cheap 8-9 inch tablet (it was a cheap 8-9 inch netbook) and I can spend hours with it in word or excel doing work ... and GTA vice city looks just fine on it lol

 

edit

 

 

 

With the above in mind, it's still early days for proper VR

 

hogwash, we have had proper VR for 20 years now, I hate two things about people talking vr in today's world

 

1) its proper now, say that in 10 years OMG it only has a XYZ screen running at BLAH BLAH BLAH refresh it was utter shit, no it was quite good for its time, and in some aspects better with inputs without USB overhead and weight, I still cant beleive how much the raft weighs over my old i-glasses

 

2) its going to stick around this time, yea that's why its still a niche product with little or no foothold what 5 years after the first "proper" models started making news?

Edited December 17, 2016 by Osgeld

[Metal Ghost]

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2016-nintendo-switch-spec-analysis

 

"Nintendo Switch CPU and GPU clock speeds revealed

The new console runs faster when docked. Much faster."

VERY interesting article, and I have to admit that while I'm still excited about the Switch, I'm getting pretty nervous. While we don't know for certain that what's stated in the article is accurate, Digital Foundry is a consistently reliable source of information that has good sources.

[leods]

Long story short, the Switch is considerably weaker than the x-boner, a console that's 3 years old and was weak on release. And the worse of all: Right now you can buy, in germany, the xbox one 500gigs S model brand new with 2 controllers off amazon.de. for 230 euros. Even comes with fifa 17 (lol).

 

How much is this Switch going to cost to justify the lack of power and features? I mean, great, it has weird crap that no one else has, but no internal HArd Drive, no blue ray player and no power.

 

Of course, it will have Nintendo games. Is nintendo going to release a cheaper version of the portable for little kids like they did with the 3ds?

 

I agree with Nintendo that power isn't that important. But if you're going to be less powerful and still just as expensive (WiiU right now is MORE expensive than a PS4) It's really hard to justify.

 

So Nintendo is again releasing a console to the market that brand new is weaker than the rest. The only people buying these are people who already buy Nintendo Hardware. But I doubt the kids that get a 2DS are going to get one soon, and I doubt this will atract any third party support. Not sure what nintendo thinks, but they've basically given up on trying to face off against Sony. I guess they have no confidence they could go back to being the top home console maker in the world, so they're trying to steer clear of that and just unify their platforms. This is basically nintendo saying: our home console division is dear. Now we only have a portable division, but the portables have HDMI out.

[godslabrat]

 

Of course, it will have Nintendo games. Is nintendo going to release a cheaper version of the portable for little kids like they did with the 3ds?

 

 

I can't imagine this NOT being part of the long-term plan. Release the "console" bundle in 2017, then in 2018 (or whenever it's time to pull the plug on the 3DS) release a dock-free bundle with minimal controls for $150ish. Eventually, the Switch will have a SKU that occupies the current price points in Nintendo's console lineup.

[Atariboy]

I don't see this dock being very expensive, so I'm doubtful Nintendo will want to offer a SKU without it. The main selling point of this system after all is that it's Nintendo's next-gen system for both the handheld and the console marketplaces.

 

Did anyone really expect Nintendo to release a system that was capable of handheld use, that was actually competitive in power with the competition? Heck, at this point that even sounds like fantasyland if we're talking about a dedicated next-gen console from them.

 

I think it was obvious that we'd be accepting lower specifications here in exchange for flexibility. It's not like the 3rd party situation was suddenly going to change just because this thing had competitive hardware guts.

Edited December 19, 2016 by Atariboy

[Andromeda Stardust]

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2016-nintendo-switch-spec-analysis

 

"Nintendo Switch CPU and GPU clock speeds revealed

The new console runs faster when docked. Much faster."

 

VERY interesting article, and I have to admit that while I'm still excited about the Switch, I'm getting pretty nervous. While we don't know for certain that what's stated in the article is accurate, Digital Foundry is a consistently reliable source of information that has good sources.

I'm disappointed they didn't go with the X2. Still getting one, but buzzkill nonetheless. It seems the NX running off the battery will only be marginally more powerful than a Wii-U. And Sony/MS are releasing new amped up versions of their hardware.

 

About how much would an X2 processor have increased the retail price or profit per console? Bear in mind some high end tablets can cost as much as $600-$800 or more at launch and don't come with extra controls and junk.

[Atariboy]

Be patient since Nintendo was doing mid-generation upgrades long before Sony and Microsoft were.

 

I'm not bothered since I don't see 3rd parties rushing to flood the Nintendo section at retail with their latest hits, making this horsepower race rather a moot one for this particular hardware maker. Yet when I look at something like Mario Kart 8, it's not difficult to feel content if Nintendo never went past that horsepower plateau. How can more powerful hardware make for a prettier game than that?

 

I'd be happy just to see Wii U type capabilities in a handheld form factor, that can interface with my television for console use.

Edited December 20, 2016 by Atariboy

[Schizophretard]

So Nintendo is again releasing a console to the market that brand new is weaker than the rest. The only people buying these are people who already buy Nintendo Hardware. But I doubt the kids that get a 2DS are going to get one soon, and I doubt this will atract any third party support. Not sure what nintendo thinks, but they've basically given up on trying to face off against Sony. I guess they have no confidence they could go back to being the top home console maker in the world, so they're trying to steer clear of that and just unify their platforms. This is basically nintendo saying: our home console division is dear. Now we only have a portable division, but the portables have HDMI out.

 

There must be a double standard when it comes to Nintendo. Sony was the first to put up a decent fight against Nintendo's handhelds with the PSP and also basically given up on trying to face off against Nintendo's handhelds now that the PS Vita is a flop and Sony is now going to focus entirely on home consoles. Is there this same doom and gloom over Sony giving up on the handheld market and focusing entirely on the home console market? No and rightfully so because the home console market is what they are good at. But when Nintendo does the same thing by ditching the home console market(not entirely like Sony's case because the Switch is a hybrid) to focus entirely on the handheld market that is what they are good at then what is the response? Doom and gloom. Sony gives up on one form factor: "That's fine. Sony can survive that with no issue and doesn't have to compete with handhelds anyway." Nintendo gives up on one form factor: "That's not good. Nintendo can't survive that because it still has to compete with home consoles in power regardless of the fact that they are releasing a hybrid that must make a balance between power, battery life, price point, etc."

 

I think Nintendo releasing a console to the market that brand new is weaker than the rest is less relevant here since as you say,"Now we only have a portable division, but the portables have HDMI out." When you look at the home and handheld console markets as a whole the DS line is the 2nd best selling console, the Game Boy/Game Boy Color line is the 3rd, the Game Boy Advance line is the 9th, and the 3DS line is the 11th. However, the 3DS may soon be 10th since it is close to taking the NES's spot for 10th. You know which console is currently in 12th place? The PS4. Granted the PS4 is likely to climb higher in that ranking before end of life but the point is that Nintendo does insanely well at selling handhelds. Better than their own home consoles and better than most home consoles in general. And what is something that Nintendo handhelds have shared in common? They have always been less powerful than the home consoles that were on the market at the time. So, how did they sell so well? Because gamers as well as devs are more forgiving of specs in a handheld form factor. They would have to still be forgiving with the Switch but I would think not as much as usually because it would still be much more powerful than the 3DS as well as the Wii U and closer to home consoles than is usually the case.

 

Concerning,"The only people buying these are people who already buy Nintendo Hardware. But I doubt the kids that get a 2DS are going to get one soon, and I doubt this will atract any third party support." That would potentially be somewhere between 61.57 to 74.93 million people(based on 3DS and Wii U sales). That is a big group of people that could potentially provide a big enough user base to get third party support. People are more likely to buy more than one handheld for a household than a home console so that is more potential. And I doubt people who already buy Nintendo hardware are the only people who would buy this anyway. People who already own a PS4 or XBOX ONE but like Nintendo first party titles are more likely to buy a handheld that takes less space than a bulky console. For an example, a big chunk of those 61.57 million 3DS owners likely also own a home console. Then there is Nintendo's strategy with mobile gamers. I think Pokemon Go's success is a contributing factor to why Sun and Moon have boosted 3DS sales. The same could happen with a Pokemon game on the Switch or a similar thing with Super Mario Run could cause them to want Super Mario Switch. Things like that and the likelihood that when mobile gamers(especially the ones that buy controllers for mobile) sees the Switch they will see Nintendo first party titles running on state of the art mobile hardware as huge selling points. It could even bring gamers that started gaming on mobile and have yet to own a console over to the Switch because it would be a clear upgrade and smoother transition than a home console.

 

Anyway, I'm sceptical that the power is as started in the above article and/or is as bad as they make it sound. If it is the X1 then it is a customized one optimized specifically for the Switch and Nvidia is also optimizing all its software. There is no telling what those customizations for the SOC are and what that means for games when they are pushed. On the software side, the customizations are likely to be more efficient with the resources than on the Shield because the Shield runs the bloated Android TV in the background. The Switch's screen is 720p which needs less power to push pixels than phones/tablets with higher resolutions and yet they can cool passively while the Switch has a built in fan. That tells me that Nintendo is saving power with the 720p screen yet is pushing it in other ways that requires active cooling. Then there is the fact that the Switch is built around a different architecture than the PS4 and XBOX ONE that to my understanding(granted, very limited understanding) means that the specs around power don't directly correlate. But being a different architecture while still having the ability to run the same engines and how Nvidia makes it seem somewhat simple to make ports for it seems like ports would be more like scaling games down some for 1080p when docked and down some more for 720p when not something kind of like games made for the PS4 to scale up for the PS4 Pro instead of ports that are made completely from the ground up. I doubt it is as ideal for third parties as if they released a home console as powerful as the PS4 but still much better than the Wii U and definitely better than the 3DS and if a big enough user base from those two Nintendo consoles along with other users from mobile upgrade to the Switch or owners of other consoles adopt the Switch then it would be enough to justify third party development.

 

I also think that Nintendo combining their home and handheld divisions could produce a more steady stream of first party titles to bring a big enough user base to justify third part development. And not just new games but also Wii U games for most people that missed out on them, HD remakes of games from past consoles and handhelds, etc. Nintendo has enough old games that have stood the test of time that would still be relevant today upgraded that mixed in with a more steady stream of new games from combining their divisions that I think the Switch could potentially be the console that gets the most first party support that could cause third parties to follow.

 

Anyway, Nintendo has only been the top home console maker in the world for only 3 out of 6 of their home consoles while being the top handheld console maker for every handheld they have ever made. So, I think switching their strategy from going from doing what they only get right 50% of the time to doing what they get right 100% of the time isn't an example of lost confidence. It is an example of them fully acknowledging where their strength has always been and being confident in that just the same as Sony dropping handhelds to focus more on their home consoles. Besides, even if Nintendo basically released a PS4 with Nintendo stamped on it something about having all first party titles as colorful family friendly cartoon style graphic games with a massive swarm of first person shooters and games rated mature full of photorealistic graphics from third parties would look like Nintendo is having an identity crisis. It would feel something like starting a movie to see Disney's castle to introduce Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

[godslabrat]

The Switch doesn't run cool without a fan? Obviously it's a terrible design and will fail.