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Comment by iamatworknow | Hacker News Reader

Maybe I'm a glass half full kind of guy but I'd like to believe they spent less effort on duplicating features that fulfill needs most buyers can already meet with other devices and more effort on features germane to the console itself, like the matchmaking and account services you mention. I could very well be wrong.

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For something portable like this, it would be appealing to have Netflix on the go on it. It could be the best screen you have with you, and multifunction means that you can potentially leave some other device at home.

Fair point. But is that necessary at launch, or can it be a few weeks or months down the road? I'm guessing it will be.

I think the larger point is, anyone else would have had it at launch, because it would have been both a no-brainer and no big deal. Netflix is generally pretty good about supporting ports of their client to anything that can run it. There's also no Virtual Console, the eShop isn't available for review yet... and Nintendo has a terrible track record on online services. The Wii U was even further behind on such matters than it was on graphics, compared to the Xbox One and PS4. You can argue that Nintendo shouldn't compete on graphics. But simple stuff like "downloadable games I buy should be linked to my account, not my console" are things they should be doing and have a really bad track record with. So I think Nintendo doesn't deserve a lot of the benefit of the doubt that they will get things like Netflix up-and-running on the Switch.

If Nintendo hadn't shipped a shitty Netflix app and instead got the console to work better it would have been worth buying.

I mean, they did neither. And Netflix would have done a lot of "free" work to put their app on the Switch.

With just wifi? Why not use a tablet, which is going to give better video playback with a regularly updated app anyway?

Because it's another expensive device you need to buy, carry with you (+0.5kg!) and keep charged (+weight for all the chargers, because of course iPad won't use USB-C ;) )

The Switch is basically a high-powered tablet with proper gaming controls. I'd love it if it could actually replace "real" tablets. As it is, we're going to have two separate classes of tablets: those that are actually good at gaming (Switch), and those that are good at everything else (iPad, etc.).

That said, it's easy to see why Nintendo's focusing on gaming: it's their core competency, nobody else in the tablet space does serious non-casual gaming well, and it would be a tremendous undertaking to make the Switch into a real iPad competitor.

I already have a tablet. I certainly don't want to browse anything with shitty Nintendo software. They should focus on games.

Hell, this is the best sign yet that the switch will have SOME value beyond "you can play the latest Mario here"

Do you really want to carry both an iPad and a switch in your bag, though?

I would much rather carry a Switch and an iPad rather than something that amounts to an iPad with awful tacked on gaming controls, with the kind of games the iPad is known for.

Multipurpose portable utility computing platforms are all well and good, but in a general sense are a jack of all trades and master of none.

I prefer to read on a kindle. I prefer to type on a laptop. I prefer to watch movies on an iPad. I carry my DS in case I want to game. I also carry a DSLR in case I feel like taking photos.

I can guarantee I get more work done on my laptop on the train than the guy with his iPad, and I take better photos than the guy with his phone out. I like to think I enjoy the gaming I do on the train more than the people playing bejewelled to pass time.

Hmmm, do you have to walk or bike to the train? If you carry that much stuff around, I guess a car would be better. I've been simplifying what I carry around, I can read better on an iPad anyways.

Late response, but I walk. It's roughly a 10 minute walk from my house to the train station.

I've not weighed my bag, but it usually contains:

* 6D DSLR body, 20mm f/1.4, 35mm f/1.4 85mm f/1.4. (About 4KG total of lens & camera.)

* Xiaomi Notebook Air 13" (About 1.2 KG.)

* iPad Pro 9.7.

* Kobo H2O.

* Nintendo DS.

And other sundries: A couple moleskines and pens, a leatherman, headphones, a 20k mAh USB battery pack and lightning cable.

I mean, do you really want to wear pants AND a shirt?

Yes, I need both of those. When I'm commuting, I don't want to carry both a tablet and a game console. I'll choose one that can do what I need (so in this case, an iPad).

Can I just say that the Wii U browser wasn't a "power user" browser or anything, but was totally charming and fun. I loved it.

The thing is I don't want to carry multiple devices or have tonnes of things plugged into my tv. I want to turn on a device and watch Netflix or YouTube.

I also got the WiiU late on a whim and it wasn't a good purchase. The switch looks like what the WiiU should have been but still seems underpowered compared to other things I can plug into my TV.

I already have a PS4. I cannot see the switch replacing it without the basics of a decent online system and access to streaming services.

I'm not really clear why it's a problem to have more than one device plugged into a TV, especially when they're going to have such a different selection of games.

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