Nintendo Switch, and the issue with its storage medium

[C.Mongler]

Nintendo's not really one to sell shit at a loss unless they're floundering, so it'd be damn close. Flash memory is spensy.

[Kalahari Inkantation]

If you want a good TV-focused console for third-party games, use a PS4 or XB1. Nintendo has left that market. Even if they advertise it differently, Switch is basically a handheld with video-out (like PSP had) and detachable controllers.

It hurts.

i use mine primarily in docked mode

Like putting a bandaid on an extra 21st chromosome.

[bluaki]

I'm guessing Capcom was too lazy to change the programming even a tiny bit from the separate releases, like even to the extent of changing the menu to include all the games of both collections.

They can't even fit the combined Mega Man Legacy Collection 1+2 on a single PS4 blu-ray disc

As for Mega Man on 2 blu ray discs, one argue that it was because they were released separately, quite a bit of time between games. Why release separately in the first place, idk.

The real kicker is the X Legacy Collections on 2 discs. But here, you could argue it's because of the 2 playstation games, but even, then, a bit fishy.

Yeah, that's kind of my point.

Capcom basically had several options for releasing Mega Man Legacy Collection on Switch:
1. Release both collections separately just like they did on PS4 and Xbox One
2. Release one retail box that contains two separate cartridges for Collection 1 and 2.
3. Release one retail box that contains a cartridge for one game and a download code for the other
4. Release one retail box that contains a single cartridge for both games
5. Don't release to retail at all, just to eShop.

Option 4 obviously makes the most sense to consumers, and is essentially the same as also releasing a new PS4 disc that combines both collections into one. The only reason I can imagine to not take this approach is that they didn't even want to bother their programming team enough to combine the two titles into one. Like, if you don't care about consumer-friendliness why bother doing that when you can just hit "Compile this existing code for Nintendo Switch". Maybe they also save like fifty cents on each cartridge manufactured for using 1GB cards instead of 4GB ones.

Options 1 and 2 cost more because of the cost of maintaining more retail SKUs and manufacturing twice as many cartridges.

Option 5 drastically reduces sales, more than anything else because having a box on the shelf at retailers is the most effective way to advertise that a game exists.

That basically just leaves Option 3 as the one that might most appease penny-pinching business people who don't care about people who want complete cartridges or who fail to understand that's a thing people even care about.

[don't let's]

I for one welcome our cartridge overlords

[don't let's]

Also, is the internal memory prone to corruption like the wii u?

[bluaki]

i use mine primarily in docked mode

me too

Which is why I don't care too much about getting third-party multiplatform games on Switch. Maybe for simple unintensive games like Mega Man or Sonic Mania or Cave Story or whatever, but not for anything that benefits at all from the higher CPU/GPU power that other platforms offer. But I actually don't care enough about power to prefer PC over PS4. Especially since a lot of console-to-PC ports are terribly optimized or buggy or release later or whatever.

At the same time, I don't really ever think "man I wish this first-party Switch game could be on a more powerful system like PS4" because Nintendo's games simply aren't designed in a way that can really benefit from that since they're generally so cartoonish. Only I guess Zelda and Metroid would really be throttled at all by this level of hardware. Other games generally can hit 1080p/60fps and don't seem to need more graphical effects.

I doubt it would be a $100 increase, but either way, you make an unintentional point. If they increased storage, they probably would've cut corners somewhere else

For 200GB flash memory? Yes, I think that would add $80-$120 to the MSRP. Have you seen SD card prices? Devices like Switch generally use higher-reliability chips too.

Nintendo put the flash memory chip on its own separate board, which indicates they might plan to add higher-capacity models in the future, but they had enough trouble keeping the one 32GB console in stock for its first year.

Also, is the internal memory prone to corruption like the wii u?

I don't think so.

[TooB]

Ugh.
Research.

[TooB]

Hell, I'm surprised Octopath Traveler doesn't require an additional download 

[C.Mongler]

Hell, I'm surprised Octopath Traveler doesn't require an additional download 

....it's a 2.9 GB game my guy.

[Thyme]

most of it being audio files probably

[C.Mongler]

yeah it's about on-par size wise with the Bravely games lol

[YPrrrr]

All modern consoles storage bothers me. Installing and uninstalling on repeat to clear space for games is so annoying

[C.Mongler]

i have about 20 TB of storage across all devices in my home thats kinda wild


my first PC had a GB HDD, and at the time that was considered to be a redonculous amount of data lol

[TooB]

Hell, I'm surprised Octopath Traveler doesn't require an additional download  

....it's a 2.9 GB game my guy.

And?

I mean, if Mega Man can't fit, why should Octopath?

[C.Mongler]

Hell, I'm surprised Octopath Traveler doesn't require an additional download 

....it's a 2.9 GB game my guy.

And?

I mean, if Mega Man can't fit, why should Octopath?

I think Bluaki hit the nail on the head with that one (missed that post until now srry); that seems more of a dev laziness problem than a size one because it's technically two separate game packages that they were too lazy to code-conjoin on a single cart. Seems to be an issue of a majority of the DOWNLOAD REQUIRED games tbh, see:

-Resident Evil Revelations 1 & 2
-Bayonetta 1 & 2
-Megaman Legacy Collection 1 & 2
-Megaman X Legacy Collection 1 & 2 (literally is 2 discs on PS4 and the bone despite being able to easily fit on one Bluray)
-Banner Saga Trilogy

All the other cases are just games that are GAWSH DARN BIG, greatly exceeding the 16 GB card and in some cases even the 32 one:
-LA Noire
-Doom, Multiplayer
-Wolfenstein II
-Shitty 2k sports ports

There's not a single instance of a Switch game that is NOT a collection of games you would buy separately if you went pure digital that is modest in filesize (sub 16 GB basically) that has a download required (besides patches) unless I'm mistaken, to answer your proposition.