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by LordKeren 482 days ago
No, not even close. Nintendo is not a VC funded startup fighting for their survival. The Nintendo switch 2 is right around the corner and looks like it is going to sell extremely well, after the massive success of the switch 1

Patents are not that expensive to file. They are not diverting any meaningful amount of cash flow to this. This is a side activity of a few employees
3 comments
Hamuko 482 days ago
The success of the Switch 1 might be a reason why the Switch 2 won't be, since game publishers will see that massive Switch 1 install base, still make versions of their games for the Switch 1 if at all feasible and give your average consumer less of a reason to go get one.
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LordKeren 482 days ago
Sure, but that is the norm for any given game system. Early adopters are enthusiasts who want the latest and greatest and accept that there are few exclusive experiences on the new console. Most hold on to their older system as the catalog of games exclusive to the new system becomes more enticing.

There are already a significant amount of mainstream games that do not release on the switch due to hardware limitations. More robust hardware means that many of those games will be able to be ported to the switch 2.

I suspect the switch 2 will sell well, but it always hinges on game support over the long term

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portaouflop 482 days ago
You can play switch 1 games on 2 so even if that might happen it won’t impact the success of switch 2
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Hamuko 482 days ago
You know what you can also play Switch 1 games on? The Switch 1 that you already own.
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portaouflop 482 days ago
You assume too much, last console I bought was PS 2 - I might get the next switch though.
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Hamuko 482 days ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generic_you
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TeaBrain 482 days ago
I highly doubt this was just filed as a side project of some developers. They probably have patent lawyers on staff or on retainer whom someone in the organization requested to file this. Especially since this seems related to the legal action they started against Palworld in 2024.
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cadamsdotcom 482 days ago
The sentence as written was “this is a side activity of a few employees”.

It appears to have been misread - and then interpreted as - “this is a side project of a few developers”.

The activity vs. project distinction is about whether it’s a companywide priority or just the job of a few folks.

And using the word employees instead of developers allows it to be an entirely independent activity from developers.

My read of what OP said is that this is the full time job of a very small number of people whose mandate was probably one utterance from the CEO. Executing on that is mostly common sense, thus requiring very little mindshare from anyone senior - thus, a side activity for the company as a whole.

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TeaBrain 482 days ago
No, I didn't misread it. I originally thought about making it more general, in reference to "employees", but who other than developers are going to write the wording of a software patent as a side project? Certainly not accountants or HR. However, I was a little kind, as the suggestion that it was possibly a side project is completely absurd. I was a little too passive in my response in this respect, as there is zero chance that patent lawyers, either on staff or on retainer, were not explicitly asked to file the patent.

>the full time job of a very small number of people whose mandate was probably one utterance from the CEO

If this were the case it would be a team of patent lawyers as I said. However, the wording of their comment didn't imply this in saying "a side activity of a few employees", as the implication of the phrasing is that employees are doing it on the side, not that there is a side activity of the company that happens to have employees. In any case, Nintendo is notoriously litigious. Their legal team is likely sizable, and nothing they take action on would just be considered a side activity.

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bakugo 482 days ago
> The Nintendo switch 2 is right around the corner and looks like it is going to sell extremely well, after the massive success of the switch 1

Just like the Wii U sold extremely well after the massive success of the Wii.

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LordKeren 482 days ago
One would hope they learned from the mistakes of the Wii U - and based on their first release about it, and supporting backwards compatibility, it seems they have.

The switch 2, as shown so far is much closer to the original switch’s design ethos than the Wii U was to the original Wii. In a clear marketing mishandling, many people didn’t even know the Wii U was something separate from the Wii. A lot of people thought I was an accessory

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