[vachina]

I think they’re trying to prevent people from developing hardware alternatives to Nintendo Switch, next logical step after stable emulators.

Which basically proves Nintendo has little to no moat apart from laws preventing their executables from being run elsewhere.

[ronsor]

So what you're saying is someone should grab a high-end SBC and 3D printer, and build a hardware alternative to the Nintendo Switch.

[benoau]

There's already a ton of options ranging from extremely powerful + expensive ROG Ally ~$800 to the Steam Deck ~$400 and much smaller/weaker Android and Linux handhelds like Retroid's products from ~$100 - $300. The PC handhelds actually run Switch games better than the Switch does.

We're actually at a point where some Switch games will even run on smartphones.

[ronsor]

I wonder if Switch games could be run in a WINE-like environment.

[benoau]

That would be fascinating!

[surgical_fire]

> Which basically proves Nintendo has little to no moat apart from laws preventing their executables from being run elsewhere.

"They have little to no moat apart from copyright law protecting their IPs"

There, I rephrased it for you. It is actually one hell of a moat.

[komali2]

Right but all you're doing is demonstrating how silly it really is.

For something like 20,000 years we were all shared owners of our legends and stories, and recently that's changed. It doesn't make sense to me that the kids that grew up on pokemon are prevented by law from making their own stories, art, and games about this shared cultural history.

This idea that the corporation that spawned the thing "owns" the idea is absurd. The creation is borne of the input of our culture, the output belongs to the culture. If you wanna do a capitalism in there 20 years should be more than enough time to do so. 70 years or whatever the USA is at now is absurd, madness.

Public domain "IP" had lead to phenomenal art that's been capitalistically profitable. Sherlock Holmes, multiple profitable movies, tv shows, and videogames. Greek mythology, multiple award winning videogames and movies, same for Norse mythology.

[surgical_fire]

Yes. I, too, hate copyright laws as they are. They are anathema to human creativity, which always thrived on reimagining and adapting existing things into new things.

Those laws still exist irrespective of how recent they are in relation to human existence however, and they are very much enforced by the powers that be, to the benefit of capital holders. Saying that it gives Nintendo "little to no moat" is a ridiculous statement.

[FMecha]

>I think they’re trying to prevent people from developing hardware alternatives to Nintendo Switch, next logical step after stable emulators.

They waged war against Famiclones in the past - see NTDEC (which had trademarks involved, since NTDEC stands for "Nintendo Electronic Company") and Power Player Super Joy III cases. However, they did lose the PocketFami case (in Japan, mind you) due to patents expiring and the fact it does not come with built-in games.

[moomin]

“apart from” doing a lot of work here. That’s a big moat.