Nintendo Switch sales, power, and the Unreal Engine 4 port button

Since the reveal of the Nintendo Switch, there has been a constant string of naysayers that have done their best to downplay the system on every front. “The price is too high, it will never sell!”, “It’s too weak to make good games!”, and “It won’t get third party support!” are battle cries for a crowd that would seemingly rather hate on Nintendo than enjoy games. Every single argument they make continues to be debunked as the Nintendo Switch keeps trucking from one success to another.

[porkChop]

That port button could be really big. If the engine can automatically put out a Switch-optimized build with a single button push, there wouldn't be much reason to not release a Switch version of UE4 games.

[PlebeGamer]

It still has to be optimized, but the bulk of the listing is done automatically. It works really well too, as seen by the demo.

[indysurfn]

Agreed, did you notice that in the 20 games listed that are ALREADY being translated one is FF VII REMAKE! And a second of them is Dragon quest XI. Wow I guess that would prove that Square Enix is sticking to their work to support SWITCH more than Xbox One.

[zivtheawesome]

"switch optimized build"
WOW
WOW
WOW
people are falling for the most obvious PR statement ever. the fact it is porting it to switch doesn't mean it'll magically be optimised for switch. ALL of the work is still done from the developer side. UE4 also ports to ps4 and X1 why do people think switch will somehow be self optimized for it...

[porkChop]

When I said optimized I didn't mean it would be ready to go. I meant the fact that the engine can output a runable Switch build at the push of the button.

That's pretty big considering the differences in architecture. Previously devs would have to spend a lot of time rewriting code and porting everything between consoles. Different architectures​ have different languages, and it wasn't always this easy to translate.

Optimization would still need to be done, obviously, but a lot of the big stuff would be out of the way.

[zivtheawesome]

it's not that surprising as you think it is. ALL consoles have that option in unreal. it still needs at least the same level of optimisation of ps4/xb1 if not even more because of the hardware being weaker

[PlebeGamer]

While yes, all consoles have tis function in Unreal Engine 4, this is the first time Unreal has officially supported Nintendo hardware like this. It essentially kneecaps the argument that Switch won't get ports.

Furthermore, the Switch ran Casa Barragan at 720p without being optimized, that's freaking amazing. Keep in mind it only needs to do 720p for handheld, and that 720p on the handheld screen looks great due to the display's high count of pixels per inch. Also, the Switch had Unreal Engine 4 features made exclusively for it.

[XiNatsuDragnel]

Switch is better Wii at this point. Selling hotcakes and make people eating Itachi crows.

[Movefasta1993]

This man and his anime references lol

[XiNatsuDragnel]

😂😂😂 This is definitely time and place to do so.

[gangsta_red]

"eating Itachi crows"

Hilarious

[XiNatsuDragnel]

Ikr More ppl should be expressive on this site, don't hold back we're all nerds here

[Angeljuice]

It's still too expensive and underpowered for me to be interested.
The arguments in the article are pretty weak. Nintendo always "outsell supply" on every product they make, it's how they operate.
It is underpowered and that does matter to many people (otherwise we'd still be playing NES and PS1).
When I buy a new console it's because it is a generational leap over my last one, not because it's not far off from being close to having the same level of performance as my current 4-5 year old machine.

[C_Ali88]

Tsukuyomi'd the whole industry...

[Nu]

On the vgchartz site Switch has sold more than PS4 for that week/month

[corroios]

The price is too high!, true
Its too weak for a 2017 console!, true.
It wont get third party support!, still a reality. Zero blockbuster games there.

It wont sell. NOT TRUE everybody knows that Nintendo machine sells tons, portable even more. The Wii U also sold very well in the first year and even got COD.

Does the Switch sales have any kind of effect on the PS4 and Xbox One? Not really. Both are selling tons and new games on the PS4 are selling millions, because the portable market does not have any kind of impact on the home market.

[Razzer]

Switch is in both the home and portable markets.

[_-EDMIX-_]

Playing on the television screen doesn't mean it's going to have an impact on the Home console Market anymore than plug in your iPad to the TV.

They mean the Home console Market in regards to the company's that makeup that market in regards to Electronic Arts Activision Ubisoft take 2 what-have-you.

That is the market we referring to when you're seeing titles like Call of Duty Battlefront 2 Prey Destiny 2 Red Dead Redemption 2 what have you.

When you're talking about business and you're talking about markets in regards to any industry you're actually not simply just referring to something like pulling off the TV you're actually referring to the core content that users are actually purchasing.

Because based on your logic cell phones are part of the same Market because they could play off of the television I mean using your same logic like I've stated many times the PSP as part of the same Market.....

That's a false statement because that's not actually what is being talked about and that's not what people referring to.

The people who want the upcoming Assassin's Creed or Call of Duty or destiny what have you are not going to purchase this device because it is not in the same Market no different than they wanted purchase a cell phone simply because it could play off of the television but it's not the reason why they're purchasing the device thus it is an irrelevant statement and literally off of semantics.

I mean playing off of TV doesn't mean you're in the same Market, unless you want to say VCRs are also now in the same Market LMFAO!

The switches in the portable Market playing off of the TV doesn't suddenly mean it's actually in the same Market, because it is literally not marketing the same games that literally isn't even the same product as PlayStation 4 and Xbox one because of its limitations.

ie different market

[Razzer]

Switch is both a home console and a portable. That is how it was designed and that is how it works.

Is it a home console that appeals to different consumers? Yeah....probably. I agree that it won't, for the most part, receive the same games as PS4 and X1 because it isn't as powerful. That doesn't negate the fact that it is a home console as well as a portable. Was Wii a home console? Yep. Did it play the same games as PS3 and 360? Again, for the most part, no.

[_-EDMIX-_]

If you're ready to call anything a Home console because it plays off of the television then you might as well say the same thing about the PSP.

In fact you might as well say the same thing about cell phones iPads and basically any other portable device that could run off of the television , I'm sorry but running off the television doesn't negate its portability you're literally talking about the PSP 3000....

I mean using that logic PSP was technically the PlayStation 3 to you.

Outing to a TV doesn't suddenly mean it's not a portable.

[Razzer]

PSP was not designed as a home console. It was designed as a handheld. Neither were iPads. When they sell iPads with controllers and docks that make it so it outputs to the TV out of the box....then maybe. Switch is both a home console and a portable. That is how it was designed and that is how it works.

[_-EDMIX-_]

Agreed it is just appealing to a completely different market and has its own games that are going to sustain it.

I believe the Nintendo switch is going to do really fine for Nintendo especially in Japan where Portables are a big deal.

I don't see the switch having any impact on the Home console Market anymore than the DS or 3DS or PSP or Playstation Vita or anything like that.

All those Portables cater to different markets and they never really affected the Home console Market because of the power difference.

[PlebeGamer]

The difference is if Nintendo starts getting toned down ports of third party games, a lot of people would take the Switch over a PS4/XB1 as their home console. I know I've already decided I'll take the Switch version whenever available.

Previous handhelds had handheld type games, the Switch has those and console quality games.

[_-EDMIX-_]

@plebe-previous handhelds like the PSP and the 3DS and even the psvita actually had console quality games as a literally there are ports to those actual platforms that are just console games...

Grand Theft Auto on the PSP is the same quality Grand Theft Auto on the PlayStation 2, the same with God of War in Birth by Sleep In fact all you have to do is go read the reviews of the actual journalist and fans saying so themselves..

Resident Evil Revelations on the 3DS was ported to several platforms with very little if any differences in gameplay.. so the days of trying to pretend that they're Polar Opposites I've been over for quite some time now...

I mean for god sakes we have several games that are on the PS Vita that are coming to the PlayStation 4 and you wouldn't never really know which platform they came from being on a portable does not suddenly mean it is not a game simply because there's nothing in regards to structure that is a limited from something like a portable that would not have otherwise been limited from a console of the same Hardware limitations.

Animal Crossing new Leaf on the 3DS is still Animal Crossing with the same actual features as the previous versions, so you could stop pretending they're suddenly not games smh

Desperate

A portable is simply just a Lost Generation console anything that can be produced on that previous generation based on those limitations can be produced on a portable.

You're not talking about magic simply making it portable doesn't suddenly mean the concept cannot be created on that platform...

If the PlayStation 3 is able to produce the level of Graphics you see based on its Hardware it means any portable can do the same thing based on those specs which if you look at something like the PlayStation Vita it was unlikely that the next Nintendo portable was going to be weaker than the PlayStation Vita....

Which means even a slightly more powerful than the PlayStation Vita puts you in the ballpark of PlayStation 3 which actually puts you in the ballpark of having both type of experiences in the first place.

It has nothing to do with portable or set home console

it has everything to do with the power limitation.

[_-EDMIX-_]

Previous handhelds had handheld type games"

No. I'm not sure what you mean and you have to repost and specifically say what you're talking about previous handhelds all had limitations based on with their Hardware could produce this is no different it's not magic it is limited by what its Hardware could produce which is moot point.

I don't understand? Was the next Nintendo portable supposed to be weak? Was it supposed to be weaker than the PlayStation Vita? Help me understand where there was some magical rule that stated the next Nintendo handheld was never supposed to have the quality deemed by its Hardware?. LMFAO!

I don't think you're really understanding this ..

You're not playing Call of Duty World War II you're not playing Battlefront 2 or the new Battlefield in fact you're not playing any PlayStation 4 or Xbox One games that were 100% designed to run on those platforms on the switch....

Soooo you technically are still playing a portable that is limited that is not playing the exact same games you're finding on PlayStation 4 and Xbox one that actually max out those platforms...

You are playing Wii u level games, that's no different than the 3DS playing Wii level games or the PSP playing PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 1 games...

Or PS Vita playing PlayStation 3 level games like Gravity Rush or uncharted abyss etc

You're technically not talking about something that's never been done you're technically talking about something that has been done every generation in regards to Portable.

Every handheld is going to play console quality games..... Of the previous generation.

You're playing Wii U games portable e no different than PSP Gamers were playing PlayStation 1 games portably, no different than Gameboy Advance was playing Super Nintendo, no different than 3 DS was playing Wii in N64 games, no different than PS Vita playing PS3 level games etc

If you purchased world.of.final.fantasy trust me you were never going to know which system it came from if we told you no PlayStation Vita version existed and you just saw the PS4 version.

It is not somehow not a game because it's on portable.. if you play that game on PlayStation 4 there's not a single indication that would tell you such a thing was on a portable.. anything technically could be on a portable given time and Technology.

So are you telling me Ocarina of Time when it played on the 3DS was suddenly not the same quality when it was on in 64 despite the 3DS being more powerful?

This has nothing to do with "portable" this has everything to do with power.

If it's powerful enough it's going to receive the game. PERIOD! Metal Gear Solid 1 can be played on the PSP because it is powerful enough to run Metal Gear Solid 1....

So this idea of "portable games" doesn't make sense and it's semantics and I think you actually know that.

There are games that don't max out the PlayStation 4 that are clearly console games that can run on Portables if the portable is powerful enough it actually has nothing to do with it being "portable" and the other device being console

it has everything to do with if it's powerful enough to run the game.

So if the 3DS is powerful enough to run Wii games that means that quality has always been possible. Nothing to do with portable. Everything to do with power, Switch is not powerful enough for all the games that are on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One that are being maxed out.

Fact

[zb1ftw777]

Kinda disagree.

XB1 and PS4 are too close to PC gaming and getting closer.

I can't stand gaming on the PC. It's either another boring shooter, a grind game that takes months to accomplish one task, a simulation (snore) or another indie that "blows everyone away for implementing a slightly new idea" (but is still boring).

I packed up my PS4 and XB1, traded them in and got myself a Switch with Zelda and Mario Kart.

Best gaming move i ever made since selling my gaming PC and never buying one again.

No more stupid hardware upgrades every few months, no more ridiculous time investments into one game.

Just turn it on, have a quick blast, turn it off.

The way gaming used to be.

[_-EDMIX-_]

I have no clue what you're talking about but the actual system has nothing to do with the genre or the design of the games you're going to see , that for the most part is irrelevant. That is up to developer discretion in very irrelevant to any type of system.

Why were you purchasing PC parts every few months? I'm sorry but it sounded like you have no idea what you're doing I only upgrade my PC literally once every generation because that is actually the only time it is even necessary to really upgrade your PC when the generation has started in the games begin demanding the upgrade.

For instance any GPU right now but it's going to max out The Witcher 3 is also going to be able to run every single game that's releasing this entire generation, the only time that GPU was going to become Obsolete and won't be able to run the next set of games is when PlayStation 5 and the next Xbox have already released in those specs have jumped significantly to accommodate for the new platforms ,which actually means you should never even be purchasing Parts every few months , for god sakes every few years you should not be purchasing parts that should literally be once every 5, 6 or even 7 years when the generation starts

if you had to do such a thing you messed up somewhere greatly.

Mind you that has nothing to do with the way gaming "used to be" because PC gaming has always coincided along with console gaming

This literally just sounds like you don't know what you're doing or simply preference.

I would never trade in any of my gaming platforms to have something that's completely limited in nature it's more easier for me to simply just buy both then get rid of an option as I don't really see the benefit unless you simply don't have the money, in that case I'm not entirely sure what you were doing gaming on PC as even how you set up your PC sounds like you weren't really sure what you were doing because you should never really need to be upgrading every couple months if you've done it correctly.

Who built your PC , a chimp? Lol

I own a gaming PC I own a PlayStation 4 and I'm definitely planning to buy a switch so ,no I'm not planning to sell all of my systems to get one as that just seems like your priorities are not in order lol

How about all of em?

I'm not missing out on games based on ignorance.

[Segata]

Switch did in a month what Wii U took over a year to do in sales.

[blawren4]

Good article. Definitely worth a read.

[_-EDMIX-_]

I want it really get anyone's hopes up in regards to any major Triple-A ports.

There's always going to be special cases as was with the Wii and Wii U and 3DS, in regards to Major triple a third party games that's very unlikely I'd argue with more unlikely now then even previous generations.

Before you have the likes of Ubisoft supporting even some of the platform and now you're having Ubisoft come out and say they're not even going to release mature rated games for the company.

You have Capcom confirming that they're not even releasing Resident Evils​ for the platform which is not that surprising considering they actually stopped doing that in 2013.

With Electronic Arts simply just releasing FIFA and moving on its kind of clear that some publishers have already made their decisions a long time ago and it might have been off of those previous generations.

So with Mass Effect Prey Shadow of wae, Destiny 2, Battlefront 2 Call of Duty World War II Red Dead Redemption 2 and just a slew of games not come to this platform you might as well consider it no different than Nintendo's previous handhelds.

But that never stopped those handhelds from doing fine and that never determined those handhelds success or failure.

It's just a completely different Market in the people purchasing Portables are not necessarily looking for that type of content.

The 3DS selling 65 million shows two things.

It shows that clearly the dedicated portable Market is dwindling significantly, it also shows that Nintendo has no problem selling a significant amount of hardware to the portable Market without any type of Triple A third-party support.

With multiple iterations like a switch XL a switch mini and even a switch that doesn't have detachable controllers I definitely believe they could continue to sell the way they're selling right now.

[PlebeGamer]

The Unreal Engine 4 support for Switch was announced recently. Games far into development probably weren't deemed worthwhile for a late port on an unproven system.

Going forward from here, games can be designed with Switch ports in mind, as well as the knowledge that there are gamers buying the system. Gamers that are actually in the AAA game target demographic.

[_-EDMIX-_]

Because the wii U got lots of support in that department?

Running an engine doesn't actually mean a game is going to be supported on that platform.

the same engine you're talking about good run on the iPhone and Android...

So the reasons for not seeing stuff like Call of Duty World War 2 , Destiny 2, Battlefront 2 , Red Dead Redemption 2 what have you has very little to do with the engine not supporting the platform...

Call me when Gears of War 5 is launching on the iPhone and Android 😂😂😂

Games can be designed with a platform in mind I don't disagree with you but that's very much likely not going to happen with AAA games, didn't happen with 3DS. The 3DS could run on the Resident Evil 5 Engine with Revelations that didn't mean it was going to get Revelations 2 and Resident Evil 5&6 or anything like that.

You're stretching ,exaggerating and greatly misrepresenting what all of this actually means

[PlebeGamer]

The Wii U never had native UE4 or UE3 support, and it sold poorly, how does that relate to anything about the Switch?

Switch is selling crazy well, and now it's easy to port to. An engine not being supported on a console has almost everything to do with whether or not a console gets support from studios that use that use that engine. Nobody wants to rebuild their game in a new engine just for a console that isn't selling well.

Your posts are consistently ignorant, generally uninformed, and needlessly combative. It's not a good look.

And now EA is jumping on board with the Switch, so it very well could receive some of their AAA products in the future.

[_-EDMIX-_]

Because the engines that Did support the Wii U didn't magically mean all the games that use that engine appeared on the Wii U....

The Wii U is relevant to the switch because both platforms are weaker than the Xbox one and PlayStation 4 clearly going to result in the same situation ,zero support from triple a third party.

"An engine not being supported on a console has almost everything to do with whether or not a console gets support from studios "

No it doesn't because you have to add in the rest of the specs...

Unreal Engine 4 is supported on iPhone and Android so what you're telling me right now is all the games that use Unreal Engine 4 on Playstation 4 and Xbox One and PC are all good appear on iPhone and Android?

So just ignore all the specs right?

The wii sold 100 million , are you still waiting for Resident Evil 5-6 Metal Gear Solid 4 ,5, Dead Space series, Mass Effect series, Battlefield what have you?

Also lots of Developers tried to support the Wii U even when it was in selling that well and they all ultimately left.

Some of those same Publishers have actually made clear actually at the start of the switches release that they had no plans to support it with specific properties namely Capcom saying that they were not bringing Resident Evils to the switch, but I'm not surprised because they've taken this stance since 2013 they actually stopped releasing Resident Evil titles on Nintendo platforms and I know I'm not the only one that begin to realize this when almost every major release was just skipping their platforms.

I mean that's like saying because Resident Evil 5 engine was used for the 3DS , Resident Evil 5 and 6 should be on the 3DS ,so are you still waiting for those games? How come those games didn't release on the 3DS? The Resident Evil 5 engine works on there right?.

Your engine supporting a platform doesn't mean that every game created on that engine is going to appear on a platform.

Unless you're waiting for Gears of War 5 to randomly appear on iOS...

Electronic Arts? You mean the same company That has Battlefront 2 releasing on PlayStation 4 Xbox One and PC and not the switch? The same publisher that only put one game on their platform at launch? Meanwhile the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One launched with a plethora of games by Electronic Arts? Electronic Arts is not onboard anything we'll see when they actually bring games on their platform but that's extremely unlikely because the wii selling 100 million units didn't mean the Dead Space series actually would appear on the wii, unless you're counting waggle light gun games like Dead Space Extinction 😂😂😂

I'm sorry but don't get your hopes up on such a thing happening in my opinion the best thing you should do is expect the same type of support that they received in the past because you're desperately trying to pretend this is a different situation when it mirrors all their other previous Portables.

I mean using the same type of ignorance are you still waiting for Mass Effect to appear on the DS? 🤔🤔🤔

[PlebeGamer]

The very first thing you said was completely wrong, and everything after it was too. There were no third party engines with native support for the Wii U at launch. Not a single one. Nintendo used their own proprietary engines, and their own architecture. Anyone trying to make a game on a third party engine had to customize it until it ran on the Wii U. See: CryEngine.

Sonic Boom Rise of Lyric was being made on CryEngine 3, but then it became Wii U exclusive, so they tried to customize the engine to run on Wii U, and it was a disaster because they couldn't make the engine work. That and the lack of sales are the reason Wii U didn't get ports. It had nothing to do with power. The Wii U was stronger than PS3 and XB360, but they continued to get ports for years after the Wii U was abandoned by third parties. Why? BECAUSE THE ENGINES SUPPORTED THEM.

I don't understand why you can't understand he concept of scaling. It's done on PCs with literally every release now. If the Switch (Or any modern console) can't run the game you ported, drop the resolution, lower the AA, lower the shadow, remove effects, until it can.

So to recap, for a system to get a port two requirements must by met:

1) It must be worth porting the game. If there's no market for the game, and nobody buys the game, then developers won't port the game.

2) The game's engine must be supported on the system. If the engine isn't supported, the game can't play unless remade on a new engine, or you modify the engine to run on the system it wasn't meant to be on.

The only exception is when a system sells so many units that it's worthwhile to rebuild a new version of you game in a new engines or try and make the engine run on the system. (CoD/Xmen/etc. on Wii).

[C_Ali88]

All this talk for you to say almost nothing of actual repute or fact....

Burned.

Plebe is right you're totally ignoring the basis of the article to continue your rant. Much ado about nothing.

[_-EDMIX-_]

That's nice.

His points disregard the specs of the device.

My point is simply that Unreal Engine is also running on cell phones are you telling me that we're going to see Gears of War 5 on iPhone day and date with Xbox One and PC?

It's not JUST about the engine actually supporting the system, it actually has to also do with the rest of the specs.

It's not magic bud.

I mean even with his requirements for a game to get ported he completely ignores the actual specs is simply just says that they must be worth porting in the engine must support the platform and then basically ignores the actual specifics of the system 😂😂😂
28514;

He is literally going out of his way to ignore the most important thing that's likely regarding these games not coming on that platform.

Again .. how many triple A third party games in this current generation have released on cell phone simply because they run on the same engine?

I also love how both of you guys have no real response for why Destiny 2 ,Battlefront II ,Prey Mass Effect Andromeda ,Red Dead Redemption 2, shadow of war and a whole slew of other games are not coming for the switch. LMFAO!!!!

But sure all it takes is the engine supporting the platform and feelings to make it work lol

I mean so you're still waiting for Resident Evil 5 and 6 to appear on the 3DS right?

😂😂😂&# 128514;

I mean using such stupid desperate logic these games should also be appearing on the PlayStation 3 and 360....ie magic scaling lol

[C_Ali88]

Trust me I'm over actually reading your articles.... As stated much ado about nothing!

Yet you continue!

[sk8ofmnd]

Still wont mean much when nintendo fans mostly buy exclusives, the fanbase hit the reset button, and unreal engine games will cost less and run better on other platforms. Nintendo effectively shot themselves in the foot when they went the cartridge route and decided to price themselves as much as a base ps4. So what this system can be mobile... What good is that when its not even powerful enough to run 8th gen AAA 3rd partys... Now that would have been amazing. 9th gen my ass. I love how when a platform is weak af ppl claim power doesnt mean everything but if it was powerful all you fanboys would be screaming from the rooftops. Not 1 of you would have been like... Im totally done with nintendo for making a syatem that runs ALL games... Not just indies, 1st partys, and poor mans 3rd party games. I cant wait to see what happens this fall when the only major game comming is yet another mario... Yayy

[DrumBeat]

It is my firm belief that the Nintendo Switch is a piece of garbage.

[Segata]

Just like your opinion.

[MazeRunner]

This is the first Nintendo console I have bought in over 15 years and I'm happy with it. I always knew it was gonna be inferior in terms of power but there's something about Nintendo games that no gamer should avoid. I really enjoyed Zelda (still do) and I'm loving Mario Kart. The Nintendo Switch for me it's a secondary console, an alternative to my main consoles. I'm sure down the line Nintendo will work on adding more features and Nvidia will continue to work on the SDK's so that developers can port their games more easily. If the console continues to sell the developers will take notice and start porting the big name titles. But for now, all I want is for Nintendo to work on the UI, the store, and the messaging system.

[Einhander1971]

No Matter how great the switch is, you'll always get the DICKS!! Downplay it.

[Einhander1971]

Great article someone with a brain and who talks sense.

[svoulis]

As a fan of Nintendo products I understand what I am buying and I am okay with it. I buy Nintendo games, like Pokemon, Mario,Zelda, Metroid (lol), etc etc etc.

BUT if they ever release Mega Man on the switch i will gladly play those games on the switch vs my PS4/Xbox or even PC. ITs just something about playing those games on a Nintendo console.

That being said. I know Nintendo will have 3rd party support but in all honesty, that is not whyi bought it. Probably not a reason anyone bought it. Its going to be the go to for Nintendo only products.

also a NeoGeo emulator apparently .

[Gemmol]

i get everything 3rd party 1st party 2nd party.....wont limit myself.......if i get to play those same 3rd party games on the go I am taking it over the ps4 version....for example nba 2k18 which is getting same features as ps4 version even the limited editions......this is all i wanted to hear and I got the perfect news