Hot Take on the Nintendo Switch Live Event and Massive After Event Information Dump

Hot Take on the Nintendo Switch Live Event and Massive After Event Information Dump

Last night marked the full official reveal of Nintendo’s latest home console, the Switch. Coming in at just over an hour long, the live event presentation gave a detailed overview of what the Switch console is, how it works, and the multiple ways you can play on the device. The Switch is a hybrid console that doubles as a home gaming device and a portable as well which makes it appealing, as you can play games on your TV and then grab the Switch and play it on the run if you have to leave the house. The core device is a tablet with a 6.2 inch 720p HD capacitive touch screen. 2 Wiimote-like controllers named Joy-Cons can be attached to the sides of the tablet (which makes the Switch look like an iPad with a standard video game controller fused to it), although you can keep the Joy-Cons detached as well for both single and multiplayer game play. Should you prefer a more traditional controller, there is a Pro-Controller that looks similar to an Xbox controller. The launch day, pricing, and many 1 st party games were shown off, as well as a handful of 3rd party games. If you would like to watch the full presentation, check out the video below:

Key take-aways from the live event:

• The Switch launches worldwide on March 3rd, 2017 at a suggested retail price of $299.99 (U.S. price, if you live outside of the states, the price will vary. Check your local retailers for more pricing information.)
• The Joy-Cons are like super powered Wiimotes with full analog sticks, HD rumble features, an advanced motion IR camera, accelerometer, gyrosensors, haptic feedback, and an NFC reader/writer. Essentially, the works.
• Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will be available at launch
• 1-2 Switch will be available at launch
• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe will be available in April
• Super Mario Odyssey, Splatoon 2, Fire Emblem Warriors, and Xenoblade 2 will be available in 2017
• 80 games are currently in development for the Switch, by a variety of big name and independent developers alike

My Hot Take on the Live Event: On the plus side, the live event did an excellent job on showcasing the unique aspects of the Switch, as well as sticking to the branding. Seriously, they must have said Switch over 100 times. Zelda, Splatoon 2, Xenoblade 2, and Super Mario Odyssey look amazing. Nintendo’s new IP: Arms, has potential and could be a lot of “beat ’em up” style fun, but I’ll need more info about the game, features, single player campaign, multiplayer, and whether or not it offers any customization options before I can give a better judgement on it. 1-2 Switch (a multiplayer, accessible to all type game meant to show off the different capabilities of the Joy-Con controllers) was a far harder sell, as it sounds OK in theory, but didn’t play out very well on the trailer that they showed for it. If it works, 1-2 Switch could take off like Wii Sports did a decade ago. I suppose time will tell. Check out the trailer below and tell me if you think it makes much sense.

3rd party support was not very well displayed at the event. They had a number of partners from those companies come on stage and talk about how they plan to support the Switch. Perhaps most notably, Suda 51 announced a new No More Heroes was in development (a series that originated on Nintendo’s Wii system and was quite poular). Problem there, was they only talked about supporting the Switch. Most of the 3rd parties didn’t even present a trailer, which was unfortunate as it is was a massively missed opportunity. Square Enix showed off a trailer for a sweet looking RPG titled Project Octopath Traveler, which was a nice surprise. Details about launch titles, 3rd party games, and the overall UI of the console were not well laid out. In many ways, the live event was a rousing success purely because it truly nailed the explanation of the Switch concept and branding. First party game titles in particular looked really good. Where the live event fell apart is in future software support and laying out a solid road map of when games (primarily 3rd party) would be released for the system. Bottom line: the live event did a great job of educating consumers on the Switch, but not for how Nintendo plans to support the system in regards to user interface, features, online, and timetables for 3rd party software. Essentially, it was 6 one way, half a dozen the other. It was not Nintendo’s best foot forward, but it wasn’t a complete fumble either. Plus, we got this beautiful Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Trailer.

The good news! Yes, there was some good news. Shortly after the live event, a veritable avalanche of content started to appear from all over the internet. A lot of it came directly from Nintendo, as they updated their website nintendo.com/switch with a lot of data about the games, their content, release dates, accessories, pricing, and 3rd party game information. 3rd parties took to social media and made quick announcements as well,  many of which with trailers.

In the overall scheme of things, it probably would have been best for Nintendo to have made the live event 2 hours long, and spent the first half on the Switch and first party software, and then dedicated the second half to 3rd parties, allowing them to show trailers and game play during the big event.

A lot of comments around the internet seem to indicate that consumers were hoping for more games at the live event, which they didn’t get until afterwards from various social media feeds. This left a sizable group feeling underwhelmed by the live presentataion. It was a missed opportunity for sure, but I imagine Nintendo will regroup and put more “Nintendo Direct” styles videos out highlighting both first and 3rd party content more adequately in the future. I have faith in Nintendo, as haphazard as this event was, that they will pull this off. The concept of the Switch is far too strong for them to not be able to capitalize on it. Whereas the Wii U was a muddled mess to market, the Switch is super easy to market which ultimately means that if there are enough great games to play on the system, then it should do very well. By the time Super Mario Odyssey comes out later this year, I imagine the Switch will start flying off the shelves. Right now, the Switch launch feels in many ways a lot like how Nintendo launched the 3DS, which was a tad reckless as well, but after the first few months they got everything under control and managed to put together a truly amazing software lineup from all parties involved. 6 years later, the 3DS is still selling out at Christmas time (thanks Pokemon Sun & Moon). Nintendo can do this with the Switch also, and I believe they will.

Post Live Event Information Dump Roundup:

A ton of information and game announcements have become available from both Nintendo and the 3rd party developers. It’s certainly more than enough to sell my a system. I mean c’mon, there’s a new freaking Bomberman game coming out at launch! HYPE! Here’s a preliminary list of all the announced games in development for the Switch as of today: (source: gameinformer.com)

NINTENDO
1-2 Switch
Arms
Fire Emblem Warriors
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Untitled Pokemon game
Snipperclips: Cut It Out, Together
Splatoon 2
Super Mario Odyssey
Xenoblade Chronicles 2

2K GAMES
NBA 2K18

ACTIVISION
Skylanders: Imaginators

ARC SYSTEM WORKS
Untitled Blazblue game
New Frontier Days: Founding Pioneers

BANDAI NAMCO
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2
Taiko Drum Master
Unannounced Tales Game

BETHESDA
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

CAPCOM
Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers

ELECTRONIC ARTS
Unannounced FIFA game

FOCUS HOME INTERACTIVE
Farming Simulator 17

KONAMI
Super Bomberman R

MICROSOFT
Minecraft: Switch Edition

NIPPON ICHI
Disgaea 5 Complete

SEGA
Project Sonic 2017
Puyo Puyo Tetris
Untitled Shin Megami Tensei game
Sonic Mania

SQUARE ENIX
Dragon Quest Heroes I &II
Dragon Quest X
Dragon Quest XI
I Am Setsuna
Project Octopath Traveler

TEAM 17
Yooka-Laylee

TECMO KOEI
Nobunga’s Ambition
Romance of the 3 Kingdoms

TELLTALE GAMES
Minecraft Story Mode – The Complete Adventure

UBISOFT
Just Dance 2017
Rayman Legends: Definitive Edition
Steep

WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE
Lego City Undercover

INDIES
Arcade Archives
The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+
Constructor HD
Cube Life: Island Survival HD
Dungeon of Zaar
Fast RMX
Has Been Heroes
Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom
Untitled No More Heroes sequel
Redout
Rime
Riverside
The Sacred Hero
Seasons of Heaven
Shovel Knight
Stardew Valley
Sunu Ikkibu: Din Nahu
Syberia 3
Tank It!

I’ll leave you with this nice little sizzle reel that Nintendo put together showing off a variety of the different games that will be available for the Switch during the launch window (first 6 months or so). It’s a healthy mix of games, although noticeably light on Western games, but hopefully those are coming later in the year or early next year after the Switch gets a solid install base of gamers behind it.

So what do you think? Will you be picking up a Nintendo Switch in 2017? Leave a comment and tell me how you felt about the live event, the new info, the games, and the Switch in general.