Rumour: "Switch Mini" handheld coming in June (No joycons or dock, but still compatible with them)

Anything to do with games at all.

Which form factor would you prefer for a handheld "Switch Mini"

Traditional (GBA, PSP, PS Vita)
11
25%
Clamshell (DS, 3DS)
16
36%
Neither (I have no interest in a "Switch Mini")
17
39%
 
Total votes: 44
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Choclet-Milk
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PostRe: Rumour: "Switch Mini" handheld coming 2nd half of 2019 (No joycons or dock, but still compatible with them)
by Choclet-Milk » Mon Mar 25, 2019 9:14 pm

Ad7 wrote:STOP CALLING IT A PRO

FOR THE GAMERS™

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Victor Mildew
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PostRe: Rumour: "Switch Mini" handheld coming 2nd half of 2019 (No joycons or dock, but still compatible with them)
by Victor Mildew » Mon Mar 25, 2019 10:08 pm

Chocolate-Milk wrote:
Ad7 wrote:STOP CALLING IT A PRO

FOR THE GAMERS™


I THINK I'LL JUMP IN

Hexx wrote:Ad7 is older and balder than I thought.
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Rax
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PostRe: Rumour: "Switch Mini" handheld coming 2nd half of 2019 (No joycons or dock, but still compatible with them)
by Rax » Tue Mar 26, 2019 8:57 am

The New Nintendo Switch XL™
The New Nintendo Switch Lite™

Or just go all in on a Microsoft partnership and call it them the Switch X and the Switch S.

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Balladeer
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PostRe: Rumour: "Switch Mini" handheld coming 2nd half of 2019 (No joycons or dock, but still compatible with them)
by Balladeer » Tue Mar 26, 2019 9:03 am

Looking forward to the Switch One in a few years.

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OrangeRKN
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PostRe: Rumour: "Switch Mini" handheld coming 2nd half of 2019 (No joycons or dock, but still compatible with them)
by OrangeRKN » Tue Mar 26, 2019 10:09 am

Things a pro ad7 model could do while keeping parity with the original model (in both general performance and joy-con support):

- Docked performance while handheld
- Higher resolution screen
- Larger screen (reduced bezel)
- Larger built-in memory
- Better wifi
- Built-in mic support
- Bundled with pro controller as standard

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Rax
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PostRe: Rumour: "Switch Mini" handheld coming 2nd half of 2019 (No joycons or dock, but still compatible with them)
by Rax » Tue Mar 26, 2019 11:18 am

OrangeRKN wrote:Things a pro ad7 model could do while keeping parity with the original model (in both general performance and joy-con support):

- Docked performance while handheld
- Higher resolution screen
- Larger screen (reduced bezel)
- Larger built-in memory
- Better wifi
- Built-in mic support
- Bundled with pro controller as standard

Already present isnt it? Nintendo just choose not to support voice chat in their games but as far as I know the headphone jack does have a mic ring built in.

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OrangeRKN
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PostRe: Rumour: "Switch Mini" handheld coming 2nd half of 2019 (No joycons or dock, but still compatible with them)
by OrangeRKN » Tue Mar 26, 2019 11:33 am

No idea to be honest, I just assumed it wasn't and hadn't thought much about how Fortnite had hacked in support (I assumed they were using the speaker as a mic or something crazy)

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NickSCFC

PostRe: Rumour: "Switch Mini" handheld coming 2nd half of 2019 (No joycons or dock, but still compatible with them)
by NickSCFC » Tue Mar 26, 2019 12:04 pm

Rax wrote:The New Nintendo Switch XL™
The New Nintendo Switch Lite™

Or just go all in on a Microsoft partnership and call it them the Switch X and the Switch S.


I'd expect anything they brand as "New" will have a 1080p screen and run at that resolution in handheld mode.

I see a "New" Switch coming in the next 12 months, and a "New Mini" coming towards the end of the platform's lifespan.

Having most games use dynamic resolution was a great move by Nintendo.

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Abacus
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PostRe: Rumour: "Switch Mini" handheld coming 2nd half of 2019 (No joycons or dock, but still compatible with them)
by Abacus » Tue Mar 26, 2019 9:57 pm

I can't get excited about either of these, nor do I really see the point.

Why go the effort of creating a hybrid console to combine handheld and home gaming, and then break it up again with different SKUs?

On the 'pro', I'm not really interested as I'm happy enough with the current Switch on my TV. If people want it, fine - so long as it doesn't mean some games not being compatible with the current model, or new games starting to have performance issues in games running on the older hardware.

But, then again, in that case why even have it? It'll be competing with the PS5 and the Xbox whatever soon enough; a slight boost in performance isn't going to be noticed.

It's the mini I have more of a problem with. The reason I have loved the Switch so far is the mass of games that come with local 2 player co-op or competitive play, which has felt like an incredible release from online only interaction. And why have there been so many of those? So many, that in fact it sometimes feels like a mistake if there isn't that as a default option. I'd say it's because of the hardware itself.

Every single developer, or developer looking to release a retro 2 player game built on that appeal knows that everyone can play that way right out of the box because of those detachable joycons. You can play 2 player straight away and, yes, improve it later with new and better controllers but still you can release a game knowing there are no barriers to entry for co-op games right out of the gate. In fact, it seemed designed for that sort of game.

I'd contrast that with my PS4: I bought a spare controller for 2 player japes only to find that it's a complete rarity. That second controller now only gets used as a spare in case I forget to charge the first one and can't be bothered to reach over and plug it in. That's not the only or main reason game developers went down the online only multiplayer route for sure, but I'd wager it's a factor when you're deciding what modes to include.

So now, you release a Switch that isn't really a 'Switch' because the joycons aren't detachable, and so you can't add them to a controller dock and play comfortably from your couch like a home console, OR pass one to a friend and play that way. Nor presumably can you do motion controlled stuff like fire a bow and arrow, play Labo etc.

Essentially, you've just made a straightforward handheld again, unless you buy extra stuff to supplement it.

And then you'll need to caveat every new game by saying you can't play the two player mode unless you buy more stuff. So, if you're a developer, do you start to spend less effort making 2 player stuff if not everyone can play it right from the off? Hence damaging one of the machines' selling points, in my mind.

Fragmenting what they have just combined really doesn't make much sense to me.

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Victor Mildew
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PostRe: Rumour: "Switch Mini" handheld coming 2nd half of 2019 (No joycons or dock, but still compatible with them)
by Victor Mildew » Tue Mar 26, 2019 10:12 pm

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Hexx wrote:Ad7 is older and balder than I thought.
NickSCFC

PostRe: Rumour: "Switch Mini" handheld coming 2nd half of 2019 (No joycons or dock, but still compatible with them)
by NickSCFC » Tue Mar 26, 2019 10:48 pm

Abacus wrote:It's the mini I have more of a problem with. The reason I have loved the Switch so far is the mass of games that come with local 2 player co-op or competitive play, which has felt like an incredible release from online only interaction. And why have there been so many of those? So many, that in fact it sometimes feels like a mistake if there isn't that as a default option. I'd say it's because of the hardware itself.


As far as I can see there's nothing stopping you from using joycons with a "Switch Mini", they just wouldn't slot onto the side.

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PostRe: Rumour: "Switch Mini" handheld coming 2nd half of 2019 (No joycons or dock, but still compatible with them)
by HSH28 » Tue Mar 26, 2019 10:49 pm

Abacus wrote:Fragmenting what they have just combined really doesn't make much sense to me.


Its not really going to do that.

This is something they've had success with before in the handheld market. I'm pretty sure its not going to make any difference to you if you don't want one, its not going to stop developers making certain types of games. All you need to do is look at the DS and 3DS to see that its not going to be an issue for you.

All it will really do is add options for gamers if they want them. Can't be a bad thing.

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Abacus
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PostRe: Rumour: "Switch Mini" handheld coming 2nd half of 2019 (No joycons or dock, but still compatible with them)
by Abacus » Tue Mar 26, 2019 11:17 pm

NickSCFC wrote:
Abacus wrote:It's the mini I have more of a problem with. The reason I have loved the Switch so far is the mass of games that come with local 2 player co-op or competitive play, which has felt like an incredible release from online only interaction. And why have there been so many of those? So many, that in fact it sometimes feels like a mistake if there isn't that as a default option. I'd say it's because of the hardware itself.


As far as I can see there's nothing stopping you from using joycons with a "Switch Mini", they just wouldn't slot onto the side.


This is all speculation for now, admittedly.

But my point is, even assuming you can buy and connect joycons, you'd need to buy joycons separately at what, £60? And if its the price that's stopping you from getting one already, then that's going to be a problem.

Because, unlike the current model, not everyone looking to buy a game on this machine will be able to play 2 player co-op straight away without spending more.

So it will mean, especially if you're a smaller developer, do you spend resources making a 2 player compatible game, knowing that a chunk of your potential market can't play it?

Fundamentally, the selling point of the Switch is that it is a hybrid console. Why take away that selling point by making it a handheld and confusing what you were trying to achieve?

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The Watching Artist
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PostRe: Rumour: "Switch Mini" handheld coming 2nd half of 2019 (No joycons or dock, but still compatible with them)
by The Watching Artist » Tue Mar 26, 2019 11:24 pm

Abacus wrote:
NickSCFC wrote:
Abacus wrote:It's the mini I have more of a problem with. The reason I have loved the Switch so far is the mass of games that come with local 2 player co-op or competitive play, which has felt like an incredible release from online only interaction. And why have there been so many of those? So many, that in fact it sometimes feels like a mistake if there isn't that as a default option. I'd say it's because of the hardware itself.


As far as I can see there's nothing stopping you from using joycons with a "Switch Mini", they just wouldn't slot onto the side.


This is all speculation for now, admittedly.

But my point is, even assuming you can buy and connect joycons, you'd need to buy joycons separately at what, £60? And if its the price that's stopping you from getting one already, then that's going to be a problem.

and then you have to charge the joy cons

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Abacus
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PostRe: Rumour: "Switch Mini" handheld coming 2nd half of 2019 (No joycons or dock, but still compatible with them)
by Abacus » Tue Mar 26, 2019 11:30 pm

HSH28 wrote:Its not really going to do that.

This is something they've had success with before in the handheld market. I'm pretty sure its not going to make any difference to you if you don't want one, its not going to stop developers making certain types of games. All you need to do is look at the DS and 3DS to see that its not going to be an issue for you.

All it will really do is add options for gamers if they want them. Can't be a bad thing.


Well, maybe.

Except I think it is a bad idea if the selling point of your console is that it is both a home console and a handheld, and then you take that selling point away by making a handheld and calling it the same thing.

And by nerfing a heck of a lot of software that already exists because your new machine (assuming you didn't already have a Switch) can't play them fully without you buying new stuff first.

And message wise, I think that different consoles with different hardware capabilities needing different peripherals becomes confusing.

NB For all its success, I think the DS line is probably done now, although I admit it was probably mainly mobile phone games and parental fear over the horrors of 3d gaming that did for it rather than the hardware revisions.

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PostRe: Rumour: "Switch Mini" handheld coming 2nd half of 2019 (No joycons or dock, but still compatible with them)
by HSH28 » Tue Mar 26, 2019 11:38 pm

Abacus wrote:Except I think it is a bad idea if the selling point of your console is that it is both a home console and a handheld, and then you take that selling point away by making a handheld and calling it the same thing.

And by nerfing a heck of a lot of software that already exists because your new machine (assuming you didn't already have a Switch) can't play them fully without you buying new stuff first.


There are already plenty of switch games that exist that you can't play fully without buying more hardware, the vast majority of those 2 player games support 4 or even more players, who require extra controllers. Having a lower priced entry model shouldn't split the userbase at all, if the only major difference is that the controllers don't come off the console.

Abacus wrote:NB For all its success, I think the DS line is probably done now, although I admit it was probably mainly mobile phone games and parental fear over the horrors of 3d gaming that did for it rather than the hardware revisions.


Actually I think its probably more to do with Nintendo dropping it in favour of the Switch. If they hadn't released a hybrid console, I'm pretty sure they would have brought out another handheld console and there's no reason to suspect they wouldn't have done really well with it.

As for confusing, you are talking about the company that ended up releasing a system that played 3DS games only in 2D. They have form and like I said its not like it hasn't worked in the past, no matter how confusing it got.

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Christopher
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PostRe: Rumour: "Switch Mini" handheld coming 2nd half of 2019 (No joycons or dock, but still compatible with them)
by Christopher » Wed Mar 27, 2019 6:52 am

Hugo is spot on.

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KingK
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PostRe: Rumour: "Switch Mini" handheld coming 2nd half of 2019 (No joycons or dock, but still compatible with them)
by KingK » Wed Mar 27, 2019 7:40 am

How would you charge the joycons if you cant dock them?

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Victor Mildew
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PostRe: Rumour: "Switch Mini" handheld coming 2nd half of 2019 (No joycons or dock, but still compatible with them)
by Victor Mildew » Wed Mar 27, 2019 7:45 am

KingK wrote:How would you charge the joycons if you cant dock them?


The same way I have to charge my extra joycons - by putting them in the extra charging grip I had to buy.

Hexx wrote:Ad7 is older and balder than I thought.
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OrangeRKN
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PostRe: Rumour: "Switch Mini" handheld coming 2nd half of 2019 (No joycons or dock, but still compatible with them)
by OrangeRKN » Wed Mar 27, 2019 8:11 am

Ad7 wrote:
KingK wrote:How would you charge the joycons if you cant dock them?


The same way I have to charge my extra joycons - by putting them in the extra charging grip I had to buy.


Why can't you just charge them in the switch?

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