Nintendo: No more Switch game info, specs, region lock info this year; wait until 2017

Takashi Mochizuki, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, just interviewed Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima. In the interview, Kimishima announced that Nintendo will not provide any more details regarding games for the Nintendo Switch or its spec info until next year. Moreover, Kimishima would not say whether the console is region-free.

[PhoenixUp]

Wow I was afraid they'd announce the console then not reveal crucial info until a mere two months before release.

[fiveby9]

Why is it important for them to reveal specs before it is released? It's not like you can buy it before it is released. If it's just to satisfy one's curiosity then we'll all just need to be patient. Don't get me wrong, I am interested in specs too but not concerned about waiting till release.

[BrandanT]

That's reasonable.

[gbsrnctaln]

Why know the horsepower before you buy a car? I get it, there are people out there that think like this...I call them idiots, or in this case casual gamers.

[zombiewombie]

They need to get out all the bad news first so that they can build hype up before launch again. It'll be a repeat of the Vita if they start releasing shit news right before launch and end up killing some of the hype and demand.

I'm not saying the specs will be bad, I'm talking about any quirks they'll add into the system like region locking or games being tethered to the system instead of an account.

[NotoriousWhiz]

@gb, when I buy a car, I don't care about the horse power, I just care about how it drives. Same applies to consoles. I just care how it plays games. Specs will obviously affect performance, but if it feels good, then obviously the specs are good enough.

[mikeslemonade]

But the car is outdated. The system should already be out.

[fiveby9]

@gbsrnctaln You are making my point. You cannot buy the car yet so knowing the specs today is nice but not crucial since there is no way to purchase at this time. I agree knowing the specs before you buy is important but it is still an unreleased product. We'll just have to wait till more info is available.

[Moonman]

Yeah, but you know how the gaming media works. We will learn A LOT more before 2017. There is no way the press won't fight more information to share. Just today, Nintendo themselves have spilled more details. Incoming news....

[moegooner88]

Wow..

[ninsigma]

I was afraid of this. I don't understand why they wouldn't want to keep talking about it. Strike while the iron is hot. Everyone is now talking about the switch. The attention is there so they should take advantage of that, especially with an upgrade of the current market leader about to drop, I would have thought they'd want to take as much attention away from that as possible.

[Summons75]

It is odd but you also don't want to play all your cards too soon either and I'm sure the system is going into final revisions right now before mass production in early 2017 to make the March release. Really too, it's not that far away.

[Red_Renegade]

if they didn't want to play their cards, they should have waited to reveal.

[DeadlyFire]

WiiU created fear inside Nintendo. This is the result. They probably will wait until after the season is done. Then they can steal the hype for themselves. They probably feel like November/December belong to Sony. I agree with ya though if they want to stand a chance they need to grab a piece of pie. Not wait until everyone else grabs it. Its a strategy that failed with WiiU. It could cause doubt in the Switch.

[Hoffmann]

See..there are companys like Microsoft that can reveal something like "6 Terraflops" over a year before launch..and there are other companies that better wait with revealing any specs because they are not that impressive.

[jaymacx]

Yeah but younjust bought into a sales pitch without seeing anything

[Automatic79]

@ninsigma

You raise up some good points. But this can all be a part of the marketing technique, as well as getting there teams ready for there reveal. Keep in mind the games have to be ready, third party reveals have to be ready, the discussion regarding the Nintendo Switch and It's services have to be fined tune to present to the world. Right now they are reading all the feedback, twitters, Facebook, social media etc. and preparing to address. I am not sure if they are going the route of a Nintendo Direct or in the alternative a stage show. One thing is clear the Nintendo Switch looks like a very fun system. I hope they make a fantastic comeback.

[ShottyatLaw]

Right or wrong, they still want to sell 3DS and (a few) Wii U systems this holiday. That's my guess.

[OtakuDJK1NG-Rory]

They have Pokemon Sun & Moon to sell, 3DS games to sell, remaining Wii U units to sell, NES Mini to sell and other current things.

The Nintendo Switch need all of 2017 to itself. Why because it going to start off the next fiscal year for Nintendo beginning April

[Summons75]

That's a bit off, they are probably waiting until they have the final product in hand.

[MasterCornholio]

Dang it.

:(

[DiscoMan]

Time for more rumors until 2017!

[crazychris4124]

Don't worry, we will get more leaks

[NotoriousWhiz]

"leaks", which is really mostly hoaxes and speculation.

[crazychris4124]

Where have you been all year? Scorpio, Neo and NX leaks were pretty much dead on.

[conanlifts]

That puts a stop to me preordering one. What a stupid decision.
I understand the specs etc, but not announcing possible games is just random. Are they assuming people will preorder it just for Zelda? Assuming thats even a launch title that is.

I guess third party supporters could still announce their games though. Assuming they have third party launch games.

[jaymacx]

You can't preorder it now anyway... normally preorders start when price is announced so we gotta wait either way.

[conanlifts]

It's available for preorder in Australia from multiple retailers. They have a placeholder price and minimal details. You can also preorder any of the 7 games shown in the trailer. I put a link showing what they have so far.

https://ebgames.com.au/nint...

https://ebgames.com.au/feat...

[TheFirstClassic]

Wtf

[pompombrum]

Sounds like a very Nintendo like decision, two steps forward, one step back. After the hype they've generated, why not capitalize on that by keeping the momentum rolling? As enthusiastic as I am for the Switch after the reveal, there is so many questions that need answers. I don't see how it helps them to go silent for the rest of the year when they could easily say drip feed little bits of info every two weeks to keep the buzz going while simultaneously putting the potentially bad rumours that are almost a certainty to rest.

[DillyDilly]

Now Im worried & this makes the reveal pointless

[Relientk77]

I was expecting a Nintendo Direct or something. All we got was a trailer

[StormLegend]

Well this sucks! the console is releasing in a few months from now.

[Relientk77]

Wow Nintendo... What the hell. We wanna know about the damn thing.

[corroios]

The specs will leak...

[DillyDilly]

Nintendo might as well have just released the Switch without any reveal or marketing & Nintendo will learn the hard way just how loved their brand really is

[kranker]

Still a company stuck in the past and archaic in their practices. Region locking and the way they treat content makers on youtube makes me sick hence why ill not be buying any of their products until i see change.

[PizzaSteve]

If they stat the specs now people will complain it's weak. It won't be a power house like Pro and Scorpio. Sadly this gen power, fps and resolution is argued about more.

[nitus10]

The Scorpio is over a year away from releasing while the PS4 pro is due out worldwide in about 18 days. Even with the Switch which is due out in March 2017 (about 5 months from now) will still have a lead of around six months on the Scorpio.

I know allot of people are very happy with the Switch reveal but Shareholders of Nintendo stock were not and Nintendo's share prices have dropped 6.5% http://www.bloomberg.com/qu... Read into that what you may.

[OtakuDJK1NG-Rory]

fps??? LOL this gen does not care about FPS. Why do you think they are trying to jump ahead to 4K and not trying to get 1080p 60fps first.

It more resolution and power.

[Fullmetalevolust]

It almost sounds punishing without an explanation to go along with it.
Are you revising specs? are you trying to confirm launch games? Consumers are smart enough to handle answers.
You just had a major Wow factor and now a blow. Who's gonna steal your ideas or fabricate stories if you willingly share that information with the media.
It truly was just a teaser without much substance behind it.

[zaherdab]

I guess they want to show more games before they talk specs since most likely specs are going to turn off many people with as little footage of games as they currently have.

I did like my Wii U games regadless of the power level of the Wii U, nintendo's consoles are more about the games and somewhat the gimmicky new control schemes...

[crazychris4124]

I was going to pre order this as a 'gift' for someone. Now I gotta wait for price, games, features and more. Not going to pre order with so few details.

[KakashiHotake]

Nintendo Switch = Wii U 2

[jay2]

Bloody stupid n atop.this bs if you want it to sell

[deafdani]

Judging at face value, to me this looks like Nintendo want to starve people of information intentionally to artificially generate hype based on high anxiety levels and speculation after yesterday's video, which now looks more and more like a cock tease to me.

If that's the case, it's sad to see them generating hype by manipulating people instead of hyping them based on the merits of the product itself.

Shady.

[MilkMan]

mistake.
what ever happened to cloud processing?

[NotoriousWhiz]

Nintendo really needs to follow up with some information else Sony is taking all the consumers' money with the VR and Pro and people won't have any money left when the switch drops.

If Nintendo wants people to buy at launch, they need to know what they're saving for.

[Razzer]

meh....it will get leaked anyway

[81BX]

Smh.

[DivineAssault]

Thats a stretch for details.. Oh well.. Just show games

[OtakuDJK1NG-Rory]

Not surprising. Anyone with a brain would know Nintendo has thing to sell for the remaining of this year.
3DS, Pokemon Sun & Moon, Supe Mario Run, remaining 800K Wii U units, NES Mini and others.
2017 is going to be all Nintendo Switch with little bit of focus on 3DS remaining titles and localization before finally closing it off in 2018.

Understand Business People.
Also waiting til 2017 in January gives the opportunity to ensure the Launch Lineup is Finalize and Ready, Price, Specs, Features, Online and others things such as Bundles and Deals.

Nintendo is carefully trying to keep things steady and ready for launch not have any screw up before release.
With the Switch Preview Trailer now over 14m views which is only 2 days and was able to surpass the Wii U trailer in two days vs almost 5 years. That is saying A LOT.

[Ashunderfire86]

I can look forward to leaks and rumors again then Smh!