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Pokemon Stars Discussion Thread (Speculation)

Do you think that Stars is real or Fake

  • Real

    Votes: 61 59.8%
  • Fake

    Votes: 41 40.2%

  • Total voters
    102
  • Poll closed .
The Wii is old and outdated now that the Wii U and Switch exist. The 3DS is still being produced and, unlike the Wii U, there's been no confirmation that the 3DS will be replaced.
The Wii came out in November 2006 and its last hurrah was the November 2011 release of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (making the lifespan about 5 years).

The 3DS came out in February 2011, and its 2016 now. The system is about as old as the Wii was when it started to be phased out.
 
Yes. Third versions are usually put off until several years after the original's release. If Stars existed, no one would buy SM because "why buy this 3DS game with lots of graphics problems when there's a better version for the Switch with no problems at all?"
For the record, Sun and Moon had sold 3.7 million in two weeks in America by the 30th of November. And that is just America. Who knows how many has been sold since then? :O

This is an 85% increase over X and Y!
 
1. Even though third versions don't sell as much as the initial pair, they do sell. 7.5 m sales (Black 2/White 2) is in no way a flop.

Whose to say it'll even get 7.5 million? Normal third versions can sell as low as 6 million, and with this not being a normal third version it could sell even lower. Especially when in this case you need to shell out hundreds of dollars to buy a Switch to get it, that's liable to cut into usual third version profits. Plus, how many people would buy Stars that would buy a Switch anyway for other games like 3D Mario, Breath of the Wild, Mario Kart, or Splatoon? For the purposes of bringing in new audiences, it's a definite risk. It's a new generation you want if you want to bring in a huge audience.

2. We do not know anything about the Switch's ability to communicate wirelessly with the 3DS. While this may be an issue, we do not know enough about the Nintendo Switch to fully deem it such.

We do know that the Switch is not backwards compatible with 3DS. That alone is strong evidence that the 3DS cannot communicate wirelessly with the Switch. If it's not similar enough to emulate 3DS software why would it be similar enough to directly communicate data?

Yes. Third versions are usually put off until several years after the original's release. If Stars existed, no one would buy SM because "why buy this 3DS game with lots of graphics problems when there's a better version for the Switch with no problems at all?"

Yeah, the timing couldn't be worse for Stars. It's too soon for people to want to make another trip through Kalos and too far from the original release for them to catch enough of an audience that didn't buy SM. They're not going to have much of an audience for this thing, if they really wanted to draw in an audience for this thing SM should have been a launch title for the Switch, not Stars. Now that would be a compelling, if all of the things that SM did differently like the Trials and Poke Ride and Alola Forms and Ultra Beasts were things that you were experiencing for the first time on a brand new console that would make a strong argument for buying a Switch. But since all of that's been experienced by most of the Pokemon fanbase, it's not as much of a selling point for Stars. This all just leaves me question what was the rush in moving onto 7th gen in the first place? If we were just moving onto the Switch in 2017 in the first place there was no reason to end 6th gen that early, we've had 4 year, 3 game generations before.
 
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Whose to say it'll even get 7.5 million? Normal third versions can sell as low as 6 million, and with this not being a normal third version it could sell even lower. Especially when in this case you need to shell out hundreds of dollars to buy a Switch to get it, that's liable to cut into usual third version profits. Plus, how many people would buy Stars that would buy a Switch anyway for other games like 3D Mario, Breath of the Wild, Mario Kart, or Splatoon? For the purposes of bringing in new audiences, it's a definite risk. It's a new generation you want if you want to bring in a huge audience.
6 million isn't bad sales for a game either. While not great by Pokémon standard, it is still high for games in general.

There's also the fact that using a ported engine from SM would mean that Stars wouldn't have cost as much to make, there really is nothing to lose from putting it on Switch, only some degree in gaining audience for the system. If it flops, which is incredibly unlikely, they still have all the profit from SM (which are the fastest selling games in Nintendo history).
We do know that the Switch is not backwards compatible with 3DS. That alone is strong evidence that the 3DS cannot communicate wirelessly with the Switch. If it's not similar enough to emulate 3DS software why would it be similar enough to directly communicate data?
The Wii U could communicate with the 3DS, even though it can't run 3DS software (see Smash Bros.). The Wii could do the same with the DS (ex. WarioWare DIY). So... not really out of the question just because the system can't run Wii U/3DS software itself due to simple design contradictions.
 
6 million isn't bad sales for a game either. While not great by Pokémon standard, it is still high for games in general.

I don't even think it'll get that much. I'd say 5 million or less.

There's also the fact that using a ported engine from SM would mean that Stars wouldn't have cost as much to make, there really is nothing to lose from putting it on Switch, only some degree in gaining audience for the system. If it flops, which is incredibly unlikely, they still have all the profit from SM (which are the fastest selling games in Nintendo history).

Yes there is something to lose. They'll have lost money making higher-res models and graphics for Stars, as well as some of their install base. Putting it on the 3DS is a safer move because they'll be spending less money on a larger audience.

The Wii U could communicate with the 3DS, even though it can't run 3DS software (see Smash Bros.). The Wii could do the same with the DS (ex. WarioWare DIY). So... not really out of the question just because the system can't run Wii U/3DS software itself due to simple design contradictions.

The 3DS and Wii U were also same generation consoles that were designed to communicate with one another. The Switch was designed much later than the 3DS, and likely with a different system architecture that would make BC impossible (system architecture is cited as one of the reasons why the Wii U didn't get a lot of third party support, so Nintendo has to change this if they want the Switch to get decent third party support).
 
I don't even think it'll get that much. I'd say 5 million or less.



Yes there is something to lose. They'll have lost money making higher-res models and graphics for Stars, as well as some of their install base. Putting it on the 3DS is a safer move because they'll be spending less money on a larger audience.



The 3DS and Wii U were also same generation consoles that were designed to communicate with one another. The Switch was designed much later than the 3DS, and likely with a different system architecture that would make BC impossible (system architecture is cited as one of the reasons why the Wii U didn't get a lot of third party support, so Nintendo has to change this if they want the Switch to get decent third party support).

You're right on all of this. Stars would be a huge risk and keeping all of Gen 7 on the 3DS would be the best option.
 
Stars on the 3DS wouldn't improve Sun and Moon at all. Third versions usually improve upon the initial pair. The 3DS, 3DS XL, N3DS, N3DS XL has already been pushed to the limit with Sun and Moon. Stars would push this limit even further and cause more lag and software issues.

The Switch is the way to go.
 
Stars on the 3DS wouldn't improve Sun and Moon at all. Third versions usually improve upon the initial pair. The 3DS, 3DS XL, N3DS, N3DS XL has already been pushed to the limit with Sun and Moon. Stars would push this limit even further and cause more lag and software issues.

The Switch is the way to go.

Oh please, a slight bump in graphics isn't going to do much for you. Maybe a few extra features, but that's about it, nothing game changing will come out of an engine port. If a 3DS version won't improve on SM it's because there isn't much to improve on to begin with, SM are fairly complete games that don't really need another version.
 
Stars on the 3DS wouldn't improve Sun and Moon at all. Third versions usually improve upon the initial pair. The 3DS, 3DS XL, N3DS, N3DS XL has already been pushed to the limit with Sun and Moon. Stars would push this limit even further and cause more lag and software issues.

The Switch is the way to go.
Disagree. Platinum was an improvement to DP and it was on the same handheld as DP. The 3DS can handle one more gen 7 game before gen 8. It can be either one of the handheld but the 3DS is better in my opinion.
 
Oh please, a slight bump in graphics isn't going to do much for you. Maybe a few extra features, but that's about it, nothing game changing will come out of an engine port. If a 3DS version won't improve on SM it's because there isn't much to improve on to begin with, SM are fairly complete games that don't really need another version.

Considering that we lost triple battles, horde battles, and rotation battles in Sun and Moon which were staples in X and Y as well as the Gen V games, we have most definitely reached the peak of the 3DS. I recall there were times where the game actually slows down to due to the graphic animation of some moves. This is not because of there isn't much to improve on to begin with, but rather because this is as far as Gamefreak could push the hardware of the 3DS.

And if the Switch becomes a runaway smash hit with millions upon millions of them being sold in the same vein as the Wii or 3DS, why on earth would GameFreak consider to not make a Pokémon game that has higher power cacpicty AND is still mobile?
 
Is Stars a good idea? The answer is no. They would have to make hi-res models, which would cause them to lose money. Much of their launch base would be gone, as @Bolt the Cat said, because they can't afford both a Switch and this game. As a result, I expect this game to have 5 million sales or less.
 
Why would the hi-res models make them lose money? They can re-use those assets in future Switch games.
 
Why would the hi-res models make them lose money? They can re-use those assets in future Switch games.
The production of them would eat up development assets that could've gone to other things. Wasting assets on pretty graphics, as we seen before, is never a good idea.
 
Oh please, a slight bump in graphics isn't going to do much for you. Maybe a few extra features, but that's about it, nothing game changing will come out of an engine port. If a 3DS version won't improve on SM it's because there isn't much to improve on to begin with, SM are fairly complete games that don't really need another version.
There lies the fault in your thinking. There is much to improve on:
  • Multi and Double Battle lag
  • A 3DS game not even in 3D
  • Faded text with some NPCs' dialogue
  • Triple and Rotation Battles removed

I am sure there's more that I am missing.
 
The production of them would eat up development assets that could've gone to other things. Wasting assets on pretty graphics, as we seen before, is never a good idea.

I've seen many game companies waste a lot of money on pretty graphics. And usually, those who do it are the ones who a lot of money to spare. Pokémon is a money making machine. Whatever high cost there is for GameFreak is going to be made up by merchandising, the profits made from the previous games, spin-offs, anime, manga, and the appeal of the brand.

If it pays off in the long run, the high cost is worth it.
 
The production of them would eat up development assets that could've gone to other things.

Which is a blanket argument that can be applied to literally anything. But regardless, that doesn't explain how they will lose money. They can easily re-use any visual assets and models again, so to call them a loss goes against precedent.

Wasting assets on pretty graphics, as we seen before, is never a good idea.

Seen before on what? Which Pokémon games had negative reviews due to having "too good" graphics?
 
Considering that we lost triple battles, horde battles, and rotation battles in Sun and Moon which were staples in X and Y as well as the Gen V games, we have most definitely reached the peak of the 3DS. I recall there were times where the game actually slows down to due to the graphic animation of some moves. This is not because of there isn't much to improve on to begin with, but rather because this is as far as Gamefreak could push the hardware of the 3DS.

There lies the fault in your thinking. There is much to improve on:
  • Multi and Double Battle lag
  • A 3DS game not even in 3D
  • Faded text with some NPCs' dialogue
  • Triple and Rotation Battles removed

I am sure there's more that I am missing.

1. Multi and Double Battles lag all of the time, you'll never be able to get that quite right.
2. Does the Switch even have stereoscopic 3D? This is probably something we'll never see again and it was never utilized much to begin with.
3. Never seen any of that.
4. Battle styles get phased out a lot, it's not something we necessarily need back. What kind of demand is there even for these in the first place?

These aren't really selling points for a third version, you need something bigger than this.

And if the Switch becomes a runaway smash hit with millions upon millions of them being sold in the same vein as the Wii or 3DS, why on earth would GameFreak consider to not make a Pokémon game that has higher power cacpicty AND is still mobile?

You're misunderstanding the argument. It's not about whether or not Pokemon should transition to the Switch, that's pretty much an inevitability. It's about whether or not Pokemon should transition to the Switch immediately at launch with a third version. Stars is coming too early to be able to make the call on whether or not it'll be a runaway smash hit.

Why would the hi-res models make them lose money? They can re-use those assets in future Switch games.

Because they're inevitably going to have to improve on them with 8th gen. Do you think a port of a 3DS game is going to be an acceptable long term solution for the Switch? Of course not, for all of the potential Stars has there's much more in an engine designed from the ground up for Switch.
 
Because they're inevitably going to have to improve on them with 8th gen. Do you think a port of a 3DS game is going to be an acceptable long term solution for the Switch? Of course not, for all of the potential Stars has there's much more in an engine designed from the ground up for Switch.

So what you are saying is that they either spend money making hi-res models. Or they spend money making better ones with a different engine.

So again how does hi-res models make them lose money? The games will be profitable anyway.
 
So what you are saying is that they either spend money making hi-res models. Or they spend money making better ones with a different engine.

So again how does hi-res models make them lose money? The games will be profitable anyway.

Because you're making more games with higher-res models, which costs them more money than if they wait a game for the graphics bump.
 
Because you're making more games with higher-res models, which costs them more money than if they wait a game for the graphics bump.

Which isn't true because Stars will make a profit regardless.

Here are the two scenarios:

- Gamefreak make Stars and therefore profit. They then make Gen 8 and profit.

- Gramefreak make Gen 8 and profit.

Stars will not result in a loss. You can argue that they will make less of a profit by hi-res models. But that wasn't Riley's argument as he said they would "lose money".
 
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