Entertainment Nintendo Switch

[Luka S.J.]

So I thought to maybe bring up a discussion about the Switch as a concept, console, piece of tech, etc. Would like to hear some opinions of you Switch owners out there. I have had mine for about 2 weeks now and have mixed feelings about it. While I think the concept around it is really cool, and the modularity of it brings a lot of potential to the longevity of the console; I have some hands-on problems with it:

• It is seriously underpowered; even in docked mode. I had segments of Zelda completely freeze at certain instances because the game couldn't handle it in real time.
• It is highly unergonomic in undocked mode. The awkward, vertically aligned, positioning of the buttons and joysticks; as well as the offset joysticks, make holding the tablet for extended gaming periods really bad. I have pretty durable hands (they've been through plenty physical abuse), and I still get sore after an hour of play.
• The joycons. They're just bad. I have my Switch docked on my desk, hooked up to my monitor. I'm sitting about 30 cm away from that thing - and the Joycons still keep desyncing. The power throughput (to save battery presumably) is so low, that mild interference with your body can break your connection. Even having the Joycons railed to the grip, and gripping the controller tightly with your hands can cause your connection to break. By themselves they are not usable imo. There is just not enough surface to grip, and it feels really flimsy trying to properly control anything with them like that.
• The battery is incredibly lousy. My Joycons constantly run dry, and I get about 2.5 hours of play in the undocked mode (without speaker sound and at medium brightness).
• The kickstand feels like a last minute tacked on feature. I had my Switch fall over twice because I dared to adjust the volume while it was standing on that kickstand.
• The game library is not worth the large price tag yet. I'm hoping this changes in the near future, but right now for the 2-3 games that are worth playing ... I don't think it's a good investment.

What are some of your experiences with the Switch?

 

[Vendily]

Oh thank god I'm not the only one who had a problem with desyncing controllers. My left joycon would always desyncs or just generally f's-up the joystick. Though not to the same extent you have. I can sit a good metre and a bit away from the docked Switch before it gets funky. (Perhaps another electronic device is interfering?)

I don't really have the same problem you have with the Joysticks feeling off in your hands, but that might just be because I've played half a dozen consoles, each with their own control set, so maybe I adapt well? 'Course I've had mine for a month to the day and I usually play docked with the grip, so I don't know.

I have to agree with you on the game library though. I only have Zelda, because the rest of the games don't really get my attention yet. (I do want to get Mario Odyssey when it comes out, it influenced my decision to get the Switch more than BOTW did because I assumed it was a system exclusive.)

The Switch is a lot smaller than I thought it would be, about the same size as my tablet. My reaction when I unboxed it was pretty funny though.

EDIT: I just remembered that the Switch doesn't report its battery level outside of the home screen. The DS and its counterparts all had an LED so cou can get an idea, the Switch just goes into sleep mode with no warning.

 

[Luka S.J.]

I just remembered that the Switch doesn't report its battery level outside of the home screen. The DS and its counterparts all had an LED so cou can get an idea, the Switch just goes into sleep mode with no warning.

Maybe you're on an outdated firmware. I always get a "Low Battery" warning while playing the game whenever the battery starts running dry. Both for the console itself, and the individual Joycons.

 

[Shgeldz]

I'm in love with this System.

It makes me very happy to own one and I'm excited for it's future.

All I can say is that last weekend, I went back home to visit some friends and decided to bring it with me. I offhandedly said "Let's play Mario Kart" and they were confused. I took it out, set it up, and I kid you not their minds were blown when I detached the Joycon and gave it to them. We spent 2 hours playing in tabletop mode and both my friends left asking where they could get one.

As a lover of "couch multiplayer" games, this was great for me. I haven't had that much fun playing a multiplayer game in over a year.

Despite it's flaws, I think the concept is amazing and performs like magic, insofar as it "just works."

 

[Luka S.J.]

I'm thinking getting MK8 and possibly 2 Pro Controllers would be great for when my brothers come over to play. I prefer all my multiplayer experiences where I play with people right next to me. True, the ease of transporting it around, and setting it up is a huge bonus. And I'd like to see the following announced for the Switch at E3:

• New Metroid game by Retro Studios
• A mainline Pokemon game for the Switch :'O
• Smash Bros for Switch
• Maybe some new dock peripherals, or even a better dock (with proper padding to protect the screen this time around)

As I've mentioned before, with the modularity of the system, even hardware issues can be addressed down the road (external embedded GPU in the dock for additional power, new iterations of the Joycons, etc) which makes me really excited about it.

 

[moca]

I don't own a Switch but a friend from school brings his from home and we play Mario Kart 8 during lunch within our circle of friends. Damn. It's really good. I can't say much about the system itself but MK8 is definitely worth it.