Great article! I really enjoyed what I played of Plucky Squire, haven’t finished it but will get back to it!
Whenever I’ve got Nintendo or Switch games, I never even consider the idea of online play just because it’s never been great but also like you said the advertising is never aimed towards that - especially compared to PS and Xbox!
But then the other thing is - do they need to? You mentioned the cost of having servers and then being the cheapest online, maybe they’ve decided that’s not why people buy their consoles and choose not to invest in that area?
However, I think that's changing (somewhat). Titles like Smash and Mario Kart would likely be more successful today with a more supported online component -- especially Smash, it's rubbish right now.
I think back in 2016 when the Switch came out, it wasn't a priority. Using your console like as a focal point for in-person play was a key point of difference. But then we had a global pandemic, and that's changed player habits for sure.
They may not need to do servers -- they are expensive to maintain. But I'd say the Switch 2 will look at online play (and the e-shop) a little more closely.
That's interesting. I don't know much about networks and servers, but hosting that many players is not a small feat. That says something about the Switch 2 and its netcode. I wonder if other developers have access to whatever Nintendo is doing to achieve this?
Yeah, I don't know enough about networking here. But there must be some rule around if you are hosting over a certain amount to one console its better off being hosted by a server!
But yes, this is the limits of my knowledge. I'd have to ask an expert from here.
Another great piece and love the deep dive into the mechanics of server side functionality! Nintendo has an opportunity to finally come into a new era with Switch 2. Let’s see if they are able to fully arrive.
Great article! I really enjoyed what I played of Plucky Squire, haven’t finished it but will get back to it!
Whenever I’ve got Nintendo or Switch games, I never even consider the idea of online play just because it’s never been great but also like you said the advertising is never aimed towards that - especially compared to PS and Xbox!
But then the other thing is - do they need to? You mentioned the cost of having servers and then being the cheapest online, maybe they’ve decided that’s not why people buy their consoles and choose not to invest in that area?
I think that's it exactly.
However, I think that's changing (somewhat). Titles like Smash and Mario Kart would likely be more successful today with a more supported online component -- especially Smash, it's rubbish right now.
I think back in 2016 when the Switch came out, it wasn't a priority. Using your console like as a focal point for in-person play was a key point of difference. But then we had a global pandemic, and that's changed player habits for sure.
They may not need to do servers -- they are expensive to maintain. But I'd say the Switch 2 will look at online play (and the e-shop) a little more closely.
That's interesting. I don't know much about networks and servers, but hosting that many players is not a small feat. That says something about the Switch 2 and its netcode. I wonder if other developers have access to whatever Nintendo is doing to achieve this?
Yeah, I'm not sure how it's all going to work! 24-player mode could be offline only?
But either way, I think it would be a major mishap for Nintendo to put online play off to one side this time around.
I'm not sure if that would make a difference. Whether you host 24 players online or on a local network, it's the same pressure on whoever is the host.
Yeah, I don't know enough about networking here. But there must be some rule around if you are hosting over a certain amount to one console its better off being hosted by a server!
But yes, this is the limits of my knowledge. I'd have to ask an expert from here.
Another great piece and love the deep dive into the mechanics of server side functionality! Nintendo has an opportunity to finally come into a new era with Switch 2. Let’s see if they are able to fully arrive.
Cheers! Look, honestly, I’m glad if people just get what I wrote.
Would have like to have gone deeper, (ping, shared bandwidth in your household, distance to server) but it gets kinda technical and dense to write.