Ok, I'll bite...
IMHO: the "value" that Nintendo brings to the table over many/most of the other systems is merely
- the Nintendo 1st party catalog
- the Switch is a 'console' so the titles are 'plug & play'
I suppose we could toss in that a Switch is a 3-way system (handheld, table top & TV) which many of the other handhelds can do as well.
While Sony and Microsoft have their monthly subscription's that offer a handful of 'free' games each month for subscribers and Steam regularly offers many deep discounts on games on their platform a gamer surely CAN make bad/poor purchases for games on the other platforms as well.
So what we have here is an overpriced system (for what it is) with a bunch of WAY overpriced console games.
Currently (or soon!) to gain access to the Nintendo library one's options are to ether purchase a new Switch2, SwitchOLED, Switch or SwitchLite OR dive into the 'referb market' or the used market. The same goes for games.
While my SwitchOLED collects more dust than playtime I'm not at all interested in a Switch2.
Quote from: GeorgeS on April 02, 2025, 19:32:26the "value" that Nintendo brings to the table over many/most of the other systems is merely
- the Nintendo 1st party catalog
- the Switch is a 'console' so the titles are 'plug & play'
Interesting take. For me it's kind of the reverse opposite. Cyberpunk? Hogwarts legacy? Soulcalibur 2? And this is just the launch beginning library. Third party line up is shaping up to be incredibly strong to me.
For me it's more than the plug & play aspect, if we dig a little deeper. I simply don't wish to deal with windows UX on a handheld. I don't wish to deal with having an anti virus running on my OS, etc. I don't wish to deal with the terrible battery life that is the majority of windows handhelds. At the same time, I don't wish to go steamOS and deal with proton either. If my multiplayer is broken, there's no point to it for me. I rather go console instead.
Quote from: GeorgeS on April 02, 2025, 19:32:26what we have here is an overpriced system (for what it is) with a bunch of WAY overpriced console games.
In a vacuum, yes it is. But it's relative. I think it will do quite well _outside_ the states. You've to understand not everyone one has access to a micro center or bestbuy g14 deals for $1000.
Outside, of the US. Just the total cost of a complete system that includes a decent GPU (12-16gb vram), just that kind of calibre of hardware alone. The cost of that far eclipses the cost of a switch 2 + 25 games + years worth of Nintendo online service. I'm not even getting into other details like dealing with the hassle of disabled rops, what happens if you download the driver and get black screen issues or have an exploding zen 5 CPU on an asrock mobo. With Nintendo and consoles in general, you know you're dealing with solid warranty support if anything goes wrong. PC has always had issues. The difference is, in the past it was cheap and now you're dropping $3000-$4000+ for the privilege to deal with scalpers and be put on a "reserve" list since they don't have enough in stock. To deal with a market where the "underdog" is literally playing -$50 in MSRP vs the market leader.
Also, this is Nintendo console. I've no doubts it will be cracked by hackers in no time. Especially so, with their relatively pricey games. That's literally like an open challenge to them, a moral / ethical justification for it if you will. Steam might be steam pricing but nothing beats free / piracy.
In the end, you don't have to like or be interested in the switch 2 but I don't think anyone can deny that it's literally going to make all these z2 extreme / HX 370 handhelds pretty much DOA. Steam or not, nobody is going to be paying $1350 or 3x more than a switch 2.
Quote from: A different perspective on April 02, 2025, 22:50:26In the end, you don't have to like or be interested in the switch 2 but I don't think anyone can deny that it's literally going to make all these z2 extreme / HX 370 handhelds pretty much DOA. Steam or not, nobody is going to be paying $1350 or 3x more than a switch 2.
Yup.
The age old 'console' vs 'custom' where in the end the former is both less of a PITA and costly vs the alternatives.
Some like to 'tinker' while others just want to 'use'.
As an example, I refer to the popularity(s) of 'iPhone' and 'Android'.
While the PCish OEM's chase the never ending 'bigger is better' while forgetting that it
can't apply to portable and/or handheld systems, Nintendo will win on simplicity along with still better battery life then the 'PC' crowd.