WTH NINTENDO? Do you WANT me not to like you again?
I just don’t get you sometimes, Nintendo. At E3 you impressed me with your lineup and even got me to the point of wanting to buy a Switch. But here you are again, doing things that make me change my opinion and not even bother with you. I’ve called you out many times before over these matters, but since E3 there have been three issues that still irk me, and I want to mention each of them right now.
1. IT’S MID-JULY, DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR SWITCH STOCK IS?
The Nintendo Switch was launched back on March 3rd, four months ago! Even with a four-month time difference, good luck trying to find any Switch consoles in stock. The only time I was able to find them in stores was two weeks ago when I was at a Best Buy in Lynchburg, VA, where they had two units in stock. But go figure, I did not have the money at the time to purchase one. But here in the DC area, every store I have gone to, they have displays for the Switch but no consoles on sale.
I don’t understand what Nintendo is thinking. We have the money, we are willing to pay to buy your console. Why won’t you work on stock and get them out on the shelves? Do you NOT want to make money? Or would you rather see the money that you could get go in the hands of greedy resellers who post listings on eBay for twice the amount?
And speaking of resellers…
2. TODD VS. THE RESELLER PART 4: THE SNES CLASSIC MINI
Here we go again, Nintendo. You could listen to all those you angered last Christmas and continue to stock the original NES Classic Mini console, instead of just discontinuing it out of nowhere, meaning that more people could get their hands on it without spending triple digit values on eBay. But nope, you had to go and announce the SNES Classic Mini with even LESS games (only 21 compared to the 30 on the NES.)
But…but…but…but…I hear you Nintendo fanboys going off to me. We finally get Starfox 2!
Yes, you do get Starfox 2, but I’m going to be honest with you, the first game is grossly overrated, especially when you consider how poor it ran on the SNES, and before you go off on me as a Starfox hater, know that I absolutely LOVED Starfox 64 and it is one of my favorite games of all time. It’s not going to help that this game is going to make the SNES Mini even more coveted than the original. In fact, every store that has listed pre-orders for it have already sold out. So once again, I can see Nintendo intentionally limiting stock to appease the greedy.
However, even with all the greed that is going on, I will give eBay credit for now. When resellers started posting preorders for a console that comes out in September, eBay cracked down on their listings as it violates a policy they have regarding pre-sales that are more than 30 days from their release. I hope they keep this up, and that retailers would learn to limit sales to one per customer.
I doubt that will happen though.
Lastly my biggest complaint about Nintendo involves those who DO own a Switch.
3. NINTENDO, DO YOU EVEN KNOW HOW TO VOICE CHAT?
Splatoon 2 comes out today, and from what I’ve read and saw the early impressions of the game are quite good. However, the same people who are praising the game are also criticizing one key element: the way Nintendo is providing in-game voice chat.
Normally we would expect for Nintendo to handle it in the same way Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, and Steam all handle theirs, right? Well, this is Nintendo we’re talking about, and instead everything runs through a cell phone/tablet app that needs to be on at all times. When you have it all connected, and all is set and done, your Switch and cell phone/tablet look like they are all on life support.
Obviously, I can’t provide a take on how it operates as I don’t own a Switch (yet,) but there is a Youtube video from DreamcastGuy who provides a better take on how convoluted the whole process is. Be sure to check out what he says here, as well as his other videos:
Nintendo really needs to overhaul this right away! Also, Nintendo, I’ve seen a lot of people mentioning Discord as an option. I don’t see you doing it, but if it happened, it would be a step in the right direction. Try listening to us for a change, Nintendo. I’m more than welcome to have you contact me here. I’m not writing this to spew hate. I just have a lot of concerns and want to know what you’re going to do to fix them.
My comments section is ready.
Currently Playing: DIRT 4 (Xbox One)
Waiting For: Middle Earth: Shadow of War