Nintendo Switch Presentation - January 12th

[otto-san]

it would totally make sense if it were running some kind of android-based OS since it's running on a tegra. would be interested to learn more

[Ad Bot]

[McJob]

it would totally make sense if it were running some kind of android-based OS since it's running on a tegra. would be interested to learn more

Again, not trying to hint at anything, but it would also make sense to work on an kernel that's easy for third-party developers to interact with, rather than having a proprietary solution that blocks them, as was the issue with the Wii/Wii U.

[crazies alt]

mcjob why is paid online necessary

[SteveJenkins]

mcjob why is paid online necessary

server costs

[McJob]

mcjob why is paid online necessary

Modern console network services involve a number of complex layers.

• The easiest to understand is that every single person and device connected to the network requires some portion of bandwidth to upload/download data, whether it be for games, movies, music, graphics, friend data, updates or so on. Nintendo's primary servers, which control all of that, need to be significant enough in number and strength to not only handle an average number of requests every tick, but also need to be able to weather out DoS-style attacks.
• As with any technology, servers can get old and need replacing, they can act up and need restarting (often due to a programming bug where they start consuming memory to the point of exhaustion) or there might just be new networking functionality that requires an entire service restart. People need to be hired to maintain the physical servers, run regular maintenance, if that goes overtime they get paid overtime, and plan out future upgrades to enhance the service and keep it stable for as long as possible.
• Nintendo runs a family-friend network, which is why they need to pay for a team (army) of moderators to scan for content (reported has priority, but general scanning through new uploads as well) which can be deemed inappropriate, and there might be a chain of command that needs to be followed for designated "bad" content to be actioned, such as deciding if the content is bad enough to get the user banned.
• Nintendo themselves most likely do not directly own everything to do with the network setup, similar to Microsoft and Sony. Rather, they rely on third parties to help with the process of getting you online, and these third parties work on some kind of contract and thus they need to be paid regularly.
• Giving away games for free, or including paid services as part of the subscription is INCREDIBLY costly. Every game given away free is a loss of the retail price multiplied by however many users are currently subscribed. Nintendo is attempting to offset that by making games available in a similar fashion to a "demo period", but it's still incredibly costly as some players may never actually buy those games. Furthermore, those services need to also be paid for as they're usually third-party

That's a very brief look at why a subscription cost is mandatory in this day and age.

[crazies alt]

people keep arguing "aah what about PC??? i can play PC games and those wont cost me anything online!!!!"

[Conan]

people keep arguing "aah what about PC??? i can play PC games and those wont cost me anything online!!!!"

the way pc systems like steam/origin/etc is that they sell many, many more games through their system and have DRM reasons to fund it even if it isn't profitable, compared to things like PSN where its literally just there for the players + small time games.

[Trogtor]

people keep arguing "aah what about PC??? i can play PC games and those wont cost me anything online!!!!"

because valve makes stuffloads of money through the market.

[Shift Kitty]

people keep arguing "aah what about PC??? i can play PC games and those wont cost me anything online!!!!"

Because a PC isn't bound to a single service, nor is it just for gaming. The reason Steam can remain a free service is because of the overwhelming number of titles they're taking 30% from. They also limit your community features (friend list size, profile content, etc) unless you play into their community market, which, also gives them a profit. And when it comes to PC, in most cases, there's either some sort of microtransaction, or the players host the servers themselves.

It wouldn't make sense to have a PC require a monthly subscription. It's an open platform spanning multiple OSes. Each console is a closed platform running on a single service and a single OS.

[McJob]

people keep arguing "aah what about PC??? i can play PC games and those wont cost me anything online!!!!"

Keep in mind that many, many PC games don't rely on matchmaking. Valve let the community run their own dedicated servers for any game running on Source, while GTA Online has an almost completely P2P model that only needs servers to verify for anti-cheat and cloud save your stats (which is paid for by shark card purchases).

Blizzard are probably the best example of a company that does do proper hosting for players, but their financial model is different to most rest.

[beachbum111111]

because valve makes stuffloads of money through the market.

Origin?

[McJob]

Origin?

EA and Ubisoft make stacks through their platforms, and they also have regular DLC packs to sell as well.

[beachbum111111]

EA and Ubisoft make stacks through their platforms, and they also have regular DLC packs to sell as well.

Nintendo's been adding DLC into their games recently (Smash Bros, I think Mario Kart 8?). Plus if you consider amiibo's DLC (since they add in game capabilities like Skylanders do) they make a ton of cash that way https://gamerant.com/nintendo-amiibo-sales-splatoon/

Although I have no clue if Amiibos will work with the Switch.

[Insert Name Here²]

Although I have no clue if Amiibos will work with the Switch.

The presentation showed that they would

[Whackin]

Although I have no clue if Amiibos will work with the Switch.

i dont mean to sound rude but; duh. of course they are. amiibos are a huge money maker for nintendo