Nintendo Switch review: pure potential

Re:Nintendo Switch review: pure potential by VLM on Wednesday March 01, 2017 @11:58AM (#13765511)

Something only 60s/70s kids will remember is the bubble in digital LCD clocks in the early 80s meant the average 80s kitchen had over 15 digital clocks in it, and keeping them set or covering the screen with electricians tape was an annoyance. I'm happy to be down to 4 digital clocks to maintain in my kitchen and I could achieve a mere 1 with some effort. I'm happy I don't have to install and maintain a netflix account on my bathroom scale and my car keyless entry keyfob and my digital picture frame and my outdoor thermometer. Might be an early sign that Netflix on Everything is post bubble peak.

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Re:Nintendo Switch review: pure potential by nsxwolf on Wednesday March 01, 2017 @12:15PM (#13765736)

There were so many of those cheap little LCD clock modules with the two little buttons to set the time. They were crammed into absolutely everything. It was like we were thinking, we desperately want the future to be here, but we don't have the technology yet, so these will do.

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Re:Nintendo Switch review: pure potential by btschaegg on Wednesday March 01, 2017 @02:08PM (#13767103)

This reminds me of a comment by Douglas Adams in which he pointed out the absurdity of regular clocks/watches going out of fashion at about the same time as pie charts became insanely popular (since a traditional watch works more or less exactly like a pie chart).

While this is just a funny thing to notice, it really shows that both technical product design and fashion often depend more on a "look what we can do now!" factor than actual practicality.

Luckily, there are more and more product designers who recognize that minimalism is often the better principle to base their work on.

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Re:Nintendo Switch review: pure potential by mastazi on Thursday March 02, 2017 @01:17AM (#13771915)

Remove the word "minimalism" from your comment and I'll upvote you ;-)

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Re:Nintendo Switch review: pure potential by slg on Wednesday March 01, 2017 @12:22PM (#13765839)

I'm not sure that analogy works because an unmaintained Netflix isn't a blinking eyesore like an unset digital clock. I setup Netflix on my PC and on my tablet which casts to my TV. Other devices, like my Xbox or my TV itself, are no worse for having never been setup with Netflix.

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Re:Nintendo Switch review: pure potential by btschaegg on Wednesday March 01, 2017 @02:13PM (#13767152)

On the other hand, I am perfectly fine with a console that just plays games, because that's what I buy it for.

There were plenty consoles that came with a plethora of features but had no good games at launch - if Nintendo does it the other way around, I don't have a problem with that.

Also, if you look at it from Nintendo's perspective: If Netflix is everywhere, it certainly won't be the feature that actually sells their product.

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Re:Nintendo Switch review: pure potential by brandon272 on Wednesday March 01, 2017 @05:30PM (#13769194)

Nintendo seems strongest when they are focusing purely on the gaming experience. Adding web browsers and Netflix because you can is just a distraction and not where their core competencies and interests are.

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Re:Nintendo Switch review: pure potential by Retric on Wednesday March 01, 2017 @02:14PM (#13767164)

Adding UI for a Netflix account that's never setup is a waste. I would much rather they focus on something people would actually want to use.

It's the same basic problem as smart TV's. I don't care if it only adds 1$ in manufacturing costs focusing on making the best TV/console/car is much better reason to buy something than adding yet another so so entertainment features.

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Re:Nintendo Switch review: pure potential by u801e on Wednesday March 01, 2017 @09:09PM (#13770808)

> Something only 60s/70s kids will remember is the bubble in digital LCD clocks

Even Nintendo was in on the action back then: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kj1iVgrpX4Y/maxresdefault.jpg

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Re:Nintendo Switch review: pure potential by nihonde on Thursday March 02, 2017 @12:21AM (#13771632)

Also, every time Netflix releases an app on a new platform, their UI gets collectively slightly worse on all platforms. It's probably the sheer burden of building and supporting and synchronizing so many client apps.

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