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Here are some issues I have with the Switch launch for us to politely discuss

stilgar

Member
I know Gaf is not a hivemind, but such a level of negativity around the Switch launch is pretty unique. I've seen it nowhere else.
I don't know what makes some of you so angry, whether it's because you were waiting for perfection or just for shitposting sake, but this is pretty fucking toxic.Not even the ps3 launch,I think , has been so ridiculously dramatic around here.


For a forum of gaming enthusiasts, it does paint a pretty whiny picture.
 

Machina

Banned
I know Gaf is not a hivemind, but such a level of negativity around the Switch launch is pretty unique.
I don't know what makes some of you so angry, whether it's because you were waiting for perfection or just for shitposting sake, but this is pretty fucking toxic.Not even the ps3 launch,I think , has been so ridiculously dramatic around here.


For a forum of gaming enthusiasts, it does paint a pretty whiny picture.

It's cynicism over Nintendo because of the Wii U, and GAF thrives off of cynicism.
 

Formosa

Member
Wow I can't believe how many fanboys are flaming the OP in this thread while everything that OP have said are all facts.
 
Im debating buying one from a friend but the hardware issues make me want to wait until they hopefully fix them. Good news Is both the left joycon and the dock are easily replaceable. My other concern is without third party support, for me to buy it Nintendo would have to consolidate their handheld and console output and they haven't made it seem like they're going to do that. I own a Wii U and aside from a handful of games, I didn't play many games that were a must own for me. Most of their first party played it way too safe. I'd like to see more games like Mario Maker, Splatoon, and BoTW, which aren't the same old formula games they keep making.


Also, Mario Odyssy looks amazing so I'll probably get one around the holidays and hopefully by then the system will have matured
 
Theres plenty of truth in some of your comments, but at the risk of sounding sycophantic, I've actually come around to Nintendo's stance (console wise at least) on achievements. As someone who got caught up in the X360 era achievement rush, the whole impulse to buy games you wouldn't have otherwise for easy achievements, or even simply playing a game with achievements in mind is super toxic. Its a marketing gimmick to get you spend more money and to buy games on a spexific platform holder's console. Would Ocarina of Time have been any sweeter had the N64 HAD achievements? Would Bioshock have been any lesser of a game for NOT having them? I really doubt it.

As for the Miiverse omission, I'll take a whip fast UI to a half baked social network full of Squidward memes any day...

Well, some people just enjoy the challenges that come with trophies/achievements. No one is obligated to care for them, but for those who do, it's nice to have the option. Why does it matter if a minority of people are buying games specifically for those purposes? It has no impact on you.
 

Lanrutcon

Member
Pointless thread.

Switch is in the honeymoon period right now. Any criticism leveled against it will be drowned in "but the new Zelda is awesome!" and "oh lol a nintendoomed thread" by the fandom.

Give it a month or three for the shine to wear off and things to settle. There's a much better quality of discussion to be had once the hype is out of the way.
 
I know Gaf is not a hivemind, but such a level of negativity around the Switch launch is pretty unique. I've seen it nowhere else.
I don't know what makes some of you so angry, whether it's because you were waiting for perfection or just for shitposting sake, but this is pretty fucking toxic.Not even the ps3 launch,I think , has been so ridiculously dramatic around here.


For a forum of gaming enthusiasts, it does paint a pretty whiny picture.

What about the OP is "pretty fucking toxic", "so angry", or qualifies as "shitposting"? Pointing out issues early on, so they get possibly fixed later, doesn't seem like a bad thing. If you're talking just generally that people are negative or cynical, welcome to gaming forums. Get yourself a history lesson.

The more things change: Usenet posts from rec.games.video and more - by EmCeeGramr

Update 2: "Tapes," CDi viral marketing, and complaints about game journalists and graphics
Up. 3: Sexism, Seattle Mariners, EGM sucks, SNES versus Genesis
Up. 4: Super FX chips, Jaguar vs. 3DO
Up. 5: Battle Arena Toshinden > Panzer Dragoon, technology moving too fast, SNES CD
Up. 6: Star Fox, death of fighting games in 1993, SNES CD a hoax, more Sega vs. Nintendo
Up. 7: People are mad at Jeff Gerstmann's opinions
Up. 8: Victor Ireland, Dreamcast hopes and dreams
Up. 9: Conspiracy theories, dark times ahead for Sega
Up. 10: PS2's jaggies, people continue to be mad at Jeff Gerstmann
Up. 11: Really, really mad at Jeff Gerstmann
Up. 12: PS3 will win, PS2/XBOX/GC will all lose
Up. 13: Goodbye, Dreamcast
Up. 14: Game Boy is doomed, Zelda is kiddy, Metroid is being ruined by Americans
Up. 15: Mac and Amiga fans were hardcore
Up. 16: 3DO fans give their modest opinions on all other systems
Up. 17: PC Gaming: Dead Since 1992, and the Nintendo/Sega conspiracy to kill Atari
Up. 18: Atari 2600 reviews, Custer's Revenge
Up. 19: Street Fighter hatemail 1992-style, Sheng Long
Up. 20: Street Fighter is doomed, what on earth is "Mortal Kombat"?
Up. 21: FFVII on PSX, Squaresoft are traitors, how to revive General Leo
Up. 22: Ultra 64 will win because of Squaresoft, Ultra 64 delayed, Ultra 64 will lose because of Squaresoft
Up. 23: StarFox and Sega, Game mags complaints, EA and Nintendo, Sega censorship, Sega CD apologetics
Up. 24: That racist GameFan review, PSX launch impressions, N64 news, PSX won't have JRPGs
Up. 25: Zelda III isn't good, SNES graphics are disappointing, Too many sequels
Up. 26: Saturn vs PSX graphics, PS2 vs. Dreamcast graphics, PC gaming will die in 2001
Up. 27: PS2 speculation from Sega fans, PC Game Feel, Microsoft should make a console
Up. 28: Late 2001 was the worst
Up. 29: IGN is in MS's pocket and the President of Nintendo should step down
Up. 30: Iwata warns about low priced software and chasing advanced tech, cool JPEGs and Quicktime videos, and OoT isn't perfect because of no multiplayer
Up. 31: Death of the 3DO, biased magazines
Up. 32: Slow SNES, early SNES impressions, EGM advertorials, why early 90s games are inferior, fragmented market and HDTVs by the mid-90s
Up. 33: The future, Street Fighter, more slowdown, Japanese vs. American creativity
Up. 34: BLUE SHADOWS
Up. 36: Paid mods
Up. 37: Nintendo delays a console
Up. 38 Part 1: More N64 Delays Part 2: 64DD Delays
Up. 39 Part 1: PSX vs Saturn, Saturn surprise launch is a good idea Part 2
Up. 40: 32X, CES miscellany, Does Sega have an internet address

CES/E3 Special 1
Part 2
Part 3
32-bit Predictions; Part 4
Part 5; Diablo previews


Stumpokapow request: Game Boy launch, Virtual Boy launch



Nintendo has a strangehold (8/5/89)



Psychology of a Good Game (11/10/89)



Nintendo Anti-Trust Investigation Announced



Nintendo vs. SEGA genesis (12/3/1989)





The Absolute WORST games on NES (major update)



Beware all Lynxs owners. (2/8/90)




What happened to the good old games? (11/3/90)




What is with Nintendo? (12/19/90)



NES Hardware and Nintendo's Future (12/20/90)



GameBoy is dead (7/22/93)





There's a shit ton more to look through. Good Lord, it's like looking into a mirror.

(it's funny because in early 1990 it EXPLODES with posts fawning over the glory of the ATARI LYNX, NEXT GENERATION GAMING IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND)
 

MightyKAC

Member
It's gonna suck that, despite having laid out all his points accurately, rationally, and in complete detail, this thread will most likely be locked simply because some folks can't handle criticism against Nintendo and would rather shit up a thread like this with baseless accusation than have an actual discussion about it.
 

groansey

Member
It's cynicism over Nintendo because of the Wii U, and GAF thrives off of cynicism.

Alternatively it's Nintendo fans dismayed by the hardware direction of Nintendo since the Wii.

It's not cynical to point out the facts:

nintendohwandswsales.jpg


GAF wants a new Metroid, new F-Zero, Galaxy etc. to get this we need a strong and successful Nintendo. Nintendo have had two years of barely supporting the Wii U to pull the Switch together and address the problems of the Wii U and the Switch not only falls short of that but has lots of other launch issues. Here's hoping this is a soft launch and Nintendo step up for the big push in the Fall, because if the Switch doesn't achieve big sales in 2017 it won't matter how many 10/10 games they line up for it, the casual market will have moved on to the next thing.
 
It's cynicism over Nintendo because of the Wii U, and GAF thrives off of cynicism.

Yeah. And a lot of people just want a PS4 like console. Anything different is not interesting to them.
That said, Nintendo has given them ammunition with some of their stupid decisions.

I dunno. I'm very happy with the Switch so far. I was able to play while commuting. Zelda is awesome but there are other games that are, Shovel Knight, fast, neo geo games...

We are in an irrational territory. I must say that I am a bit disappointed with GAF.

Even the friend codes sharing thread (Yeah, I know, they're stupid, we get it, we just have to go with that for the moment hoping for some update) is polluted by shitpost that are totally tolerated.

Let's wait a bit, people will calm down I hope.
 

Occam

Member
I know Gaf is not a hivemind, but such a level of negativity around the Switch launch is pretty unique. I've seen it nowhere else.
I don't know what makes some of you so angry, whether it's because you were waiting for perfection or just for shitposting sake, but this is pretty fucking toxic.Not even the ps3 launch,I think , has been so ridiculously dramatic around here.


For a forum of gaming enthusiasts, it does paint a pretty whiny picture.

Pointing out shortcomings in an objective manner is not being dramatic or whining.
Most of Switch's flaws are baffling. It reminds me of this:
XBOX-One.JPG
 
It maybe wasn't the smoothest launch ever and the launch library could have been richer but overall the hardware is solid and one of the launch games might be one of the best games ever. This launch is more for the early adopters and core gamers, the console's mass market appeal test will be this holiday. Nintendo have plenty of time to iron out any issues until then.

As for the general feeling of negativity among GAF, it is understandable but perhaps a bit over the top. The Switch is a different concept and it might not resonate with core gamers who want top-notch visuals and robust third-party support. The Switch won't offer that. That said, it is really a stretch to think of this launch as a failure.
 

Machina

Banned
the casual market will have moved on to the next thing.

The casual market HAVE moved on to the next thing, mobile, and they aren't coming back. I agree in a sense that Nintendo need to play to their strengths, and that's first party games. They will never compete on an equal footing with Sony and MS ever again so that just has to be written off.
 

jurgen

Member
I spent most of my Saturday with my friend and his Switch, playing Zelda. He took a few minutes to show me the OS and other features with the console. I need to re-emphasize the word "few" in that prior sentence.

Removing the awesome experience of playing Zelda from the equation, it feels like there's a lot missing here. As OP stated, the system is extremely barebones at the moment and feels like a Zelda machine and nothing else.

It feels worse than the Wii U did at launch. For me, the Wii U at least had the benefit of backwards compatibility so I could play through the Wii library while I held in the "wait for the next Nintendo franchise release™" stance (I did not own a Wii). The lack of many connectivity features in 2017 makes it feel like an empty machine.

I think people are incorrect in comparing this console to its predecessor. It feels more like the PS3 did at launch. It honestly feels overpriced - not to the degree the PS3 was, but $299 MSRP feels high. "HD Rumble" feels like an easily forgettable feature akin to "Sixaxis" controls. The online functionality feels stripped down completely as well. Trophies and achievements have been mentioned, which the PS3 didn't have for at least the first year of existence.

Can this be improved? Certainly, but Nintendo hasn't had a good track record of improving their products outside of releasing a new SKU to address hardware concerns. I hope this works for them because I did genuinely enjoy my Wii U when I played it and would love to have some of the same experiences on a Switch someday.
 

Nestunt

Member
I can't discuss much about its merits or failures because I am only planning to buy one next year when the library justifies what I think is an overpriced machine.

But I can say that, yesterday, I was shocked to find the console readily available at shelves here in Portugal. Of course Nintendo does not have the same penetration as Sony in this country. But not even 1 day with no stock?

From my experience, that usually is a good metric to extrapolate to worldwide sales and console success all-around. It's clear Nintendo has lost a great amount of goodwill even from the Wii days. Consumers felt burned with the Wii library (attach rate) and the fact that the console stayed in their shelves collecting dust while they wanted to play AAA games on PS360.
 

Nev

Banned
Nintendo fanboys will try to deny and antagonize the OP because they know all of his points are perfectly valid but they don't want their new console from their beloved company to fail. The latter is understandable, albeit delusional.

Whether they want it or not though, when things settle down in a year or so the Switch is indeed going to be one of the biggest failures in gaming history because of completely deranged decision making like the ones listed in the OP.

I'm willing to bet it's going to be a bigger bomb than the Wii U. We'll see.
 

Occam

Member
closeup-1fedcf66-5748-48df-b28d-39469fae0ea1.jpg


"Nintendo in their infinite wisdom decided they didn't need rubberized pads on the ridges that our consoles slide in and out on, and hold our console in place."

...or at least use Gorilla Glass.
 
Alternatively it's Nintendo fans dismayed by the hardware direction of Nintendo since the Wii.

It's not cynical to point out the facts:

nintendohwandswsales.jpg


GAF wants a new Metroid, new F-Zero, Galaxy etc. to get this we need a strong and successful Nintendo. Nintendo have had two years of barely supporting the Wii U to pull the Switch together and address the problems of the Wii U and the Switch not only falls short of that but has lots of other launch issues. Here's hoping this is a soft launch and Nintendo step up for the big push in the Fall, because if the Switch doesn't achieve big sales in 2017 it won't matter how many 10/10 games they line up for it, the casual market will have moved on to the next thing.

Can I have a graph with the handhelds please mate too?
 
I really adore my switch, of course i'd love more games than just this masterpiece. But for now, trust me, it's enough.

Before it came out i just saw this as nintendo's next console i'd put next to my tv and play on my tv. I didn't really think i'd use the portable mode that much seeing as i personally don't really like playing on smaller screens.

But now that i actually have one that's completely different. I love portable mode and i could see myself taking this thing to several locations. The screen is SO crisp and just the right size.

But yeah, as i said some just waiting for more games right now.
 

asagami_

Banned
Nintendo fanboys will try to deny and antagonize the OP because they know all of his points are perfectly valid but they don't want their new console from their beloved company to fail. The latter is understandable, albeit delusional.

Whether they want it or not though, when things settle down in a year or so the Switch is indeed going to be one of the biggest failures in gaming history because of completely deranged decision making like the ones listed in the OP.

I'm willing to bet it's going to be a bigger bomb than the Wii U. We'll see.

Wait, who is the delusional here? lol

I'm a Nintendo fan but the most worrisome aspect from the Switch, the saves, can be corrected in a future. Still, the hardware problems need to be fixed in future batchs, and not to wait to the Holidays sales.
 
OS
Aside from being as barebones as it gets; Miiverse, StreetPass, the Internet Browser and Activity Log are now gone. There's no built-in achievement system or party chat which have become industry standards, nor is there apps of any kind such as Netflix, YouTube, and Spotify. Nintendo publicly stated friend codes were going to be eliminated but that's not the case, they have made a return with even the most basic of messaging features being nonexistent. Save data can't be transferred in any way, shape, or form. External media such as audio, video, and images can't be accessed.

Personally I stopped caring about achievements, most were just there to stretch already thin content and waste time doing the same crap over and over etc. I have lots of Platinumed games, but they were ones I felt compelled to finish and the trophies came naturally.

Netflix/Youtube etc as it's own app, sure why not?

Browser sounds like a good thing but then we stop and think about how much RAM it would use, I will glady just use my phone to browse if it means the switch gives Dev's all the ram they can by having a light O/S. If a browser was added and was able to be "tabbed" to while in game, you know damn well RAM and resources are being held back in games for that function.

Imho all the social/streaming/sharing/recording going on with the PS4 is just bloat, I could do without the system recording playback and chewing up my ssd. I'd rather not have that on the switch. Screenshots are in, good enough.


Accessories
You can debate worth but there's no denying the fact that the accessories are expensive. The feeling is amplified due to competitor items being priced much lower. Everything feels like an additional fee, from Nintendo not including a charging grip or mic with the Switch, the inevitable Joy-Con with a d-pad, needing the HORI Compact Playstand to charge and play your Switch in tabletop mode, a screen protector so your screen doesn't scratch while docked, to being forced to buy a microSDXC card sooner rather than later due to the paltry 25GB of available storage.

Accessories are definitely expensive, I figured I'd have to blow a ton on extras, but after using it I think I am OK without the Pro Controller. The charge grip is a joke, and not needed since the joycons last really long as it is. The SD card isn't even an issue at this point, maybe down the road after tons of updates and saves from cartridge games but nah it's not mandatory. If you want to go full digital, you expect to need to buy whatever size suits your needs, at least we have that option. The Vita was brutal in that aspect, this time we have a choice and cheap micro SD cards and people still get pissed off?!

I never use a screen protector on anything, if I get a few scuffs from years of use, whatever. If you like/feel you need one, that's your call.


Games
Most seem to be either overpriced, compromised in the form of graphical fidelity and performance in comparison to competitors, or just simply a port of an indie game. The few titles that don't fall into this group such as Sonic Mania and Puyo Puyo Tetris are typically handicapped by something such as the the lack of a d-pad. Triple A third-party support is nowhere to be found. The Virtual Console could have helped fill a void but it hasn't been announced as to when it will be available.

Games are basically around the same cost as everywhere else, if Indies want to stay on the map they need to keep prices down to steam levels unless physical (we get it that physical is more to produce) complaints about fidelity uh ya... Zelda is gorgeous and I'm sure the majority are happy with it in handheld form (docked we know has issues sadly)

The lack of d-pad also doesn't matter, it seems fine without, but that's a personal preference


Connectivity
You must use a smartphone app to play and communicate with friends. Bluetooth audio devices are not supported.

ya the App thing is weird, the only reason for me it makes sense is due to docking/undocking, this way if voice is on your phone there's no wires to trip over or other problems. Wireless Bluetooth could have solved this, but maybe including this was taking away too many resources from the system, plus with the joycons using BT they might have started even more hardware conflicts.

Online
The online service now costs money with no real value proposition.

Paid online can die in a fire, it's bullshit especially when the bulk of games are P2P anyways. But hey gotta think of the poor shareholders...

Gimmick
It's touted that the Switch comes with two controllers out of the box. Now that I and many of you have experienced it firsthand, there's no way it's more than a novelty. It's just not very comfortable nor is it practical for games with deep meaningful experiences and it's even more frustrating that this was the reason Nintendo removed the d-pad. No one will ever be able to comfortably play a title like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Splatoon 2, or Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers with a single Joy-Con. HD Rumble will go down as this generations power of the cloud; it's cool but forgettable.

The two controllers are already great for my family, my kids play together without hassles, and it's fun to be able to play games together, I think it works and if you hate them or don't play with others, just keep them on or use the grip, the HD rumble will likely be fine once adopted, the IR camera though ya that's stretching it lol

Hardware Issues
The left Joy-Con is having widespread problems causing it to de-sync at random. Nintendo included a dock that scratches your screen after extended use, they also claim if you have a dead pixel on your Switch, it's not a defect. Wi-Fi has limited range with some being unable to connect to the internet. The kickstand is cheap and flimsy which can cause the Switch to fall over.

I want to love the Switch and tell everyone how great it is. It's a solid piece of hardware and I'm sure their games lineup in terms of first party will turn out great, over time. But I do feel like Nintendo is a company run by stubborn old men who are out of touch with reality that take advantage of their loyal fan base.

The left stick issue isn't as bad as the echos of the Internet make it out to be, if you have one screwing up replace it, 4/5 systems in my family were fine, my brother had a screwy left, but after replacing it (just bought a pack of greys and returned the screwy one as faulty) it's ok now. The kickstand works fine on solid surfaces, it's not up to surface 3 standards but it works and covers the SD slot /shrug. Everything abrasive enough will scratch the screen, but what's worse is scared people putting things on the smooth dock plastic that will collect grains of debris which will scratch in the long run. My kids have had that thing in and out of the dock non-stop and nothing is scratched, now if they hypothetically used a big dirty cotton sock, with sand grit as their carrying case, then ya I could see scratches happening.

Wifi at my place is nuts, I have like 50 networks around me, I had to buy a good router, and periodically do channel scans to try my best to keep my signals on their own channels, this drastically improved my wireless for all my devices which before would always drop out randomly. It's really situational, and we can't really pin that on the switch.

The dead pixel thing is lulz, if you get one with a dead pixel run it until the battery dies and return it as DOA, they will get the hint that it's not normal. That being said, again 5 switches in my family, 0 dead pixels, so hopefully not a problem.

Added comments above, but I mean most of your concerns don't feel like "your concerns" but rather the hyper inflated clickbait "the sky is falling" shit we read or see on YouTube by "famous streamer". With hundreds of thousands of things, sure a few will fuck up, but regurgitating the issue as if it's happening to 99% of the people is just ridiculous.

Imho take a break from the Internet, re-open the box and evaluate your experience not what you are being told to think.
 
What about the OP is "pretty fucking toxic", "so angry", or qualifies as "shitposting"? Pointing out issues early on, so they get possibly fixed later, doesn't seem like a bad thing. If you're talking just generally that people are negative or cynical, welcome to gaming forums. Get yourself a history lesson.

The more things change: Usenet posts from rec.games.video and more - by EmCeeGramr

Thank you for providing hours of enjoyment. That Angry at Jeff Gerstmann usenet letter is amazing


Added comments above, but I mean most of your concerns don't feel like "your concerns" but rather the hyper inflated clickbait "the sky is falling" shit we read or see on YouTube by "famous streamer". With hundreds of thousands of things, sure a few will fuck up, but regurgitating the issue as if it's happening to 99% of the people is just ridiculous.

Imho take a break from the Internet, re-open the box and evaluate your experience not what you are being told to think.

The way you're downplaying it is just as ridiculous. The dock issue appears to be a design flaw and considering even you had a failing left joycon, I'd say the issue is widespread and beyond what would be considered acceptable failure rates. Now please don't equate what I said with "the sky is falling and it's happening to 99% of the poeple"
 

Fantastical

Death Prophet
The only things that really bother me are the hardware issues. That is very disappointing to me... Nintendo used to make really quality hardware.
 

Azerare

Member
Added comments above, but I mean most of your concerns don't feel like "your concerns" but rather the hyper inflated clickbait "the sky is falling" shit we read or see on YouTube by "famous streamer". With hundreds of thousands of things, sure a few will fuck up, but regurgitating the issue as if it's happening to 99% of the people is just ridiculous.

Imho take a break from the Internet, re-open the box and evaluate your experience not what you are being told to think.
Well thought out responses! I feel people as well are just blowing the rare cases up.
 

MEsoJD

Banned
I think in the time they spent trying to reinvent the wheel, they could have developed a decent console with a normal controller and creative games. Yet we get a clusterfuck. I really don't see much value in a hybrid console.
 

groansey

Member
Can I have a graph with the handhelds please mate too?

No, because Switch is a home console that is also portable.

Though if they do a 3DS follow-up that would hurt the Switch as a portable proposition and make it's design even more redundant for some people!

I don't understand how some fans don't get that spending two home console iterations chasing a portable tablet model isn't even innovative in the way Nintendo hardware usually is, and pushes the price way up.
 
OS
Aside from being as barebones as it gets; Miiverse, StreetPass, the Internet Browser and Activity Log are now gone. There's no built-in achievement system or party chat which have become industry standards, nor is there apps of any kind such as Netflix, YouTube, and Spotify. Nintendo publicly stated friend codes were going to be eliminated but that's not the case, they have made a return with even the most basic of messaging features being nonexistent. Save data can't be transferred in any way, shape, or form. External media such as audio, video, and images can't be accessed.

Accessories
You can debate worth but there's no denying the fact that the accessories are expensive. The feeling is amplified due to competitor items being priced much lower. Everything feels like an additional fee, from Nintendo not including a charging grip or mic with the Switch, the inevitable Joy-Con with a d-pad, needing the HORI Compact Playstand to charge and play your Switch in tabletop mode, a screen protector so your screen doesn't scratch while docked, to being forced to buy a microSDXC card sooner rather than later due to the paltry 25GB of available storage.

Games
Most seem to be either overpriced, compromised in the form of graphical fidelity and performance in comparison to competitors, or just simply a port of an indie title. The few games that don't fall into this group such as Sonic Mania and Puyo Puyo Tetris are typically handicapped by something such as the the lack of a d-pad. Triple A third-party support is nowhere to be found. The Virtual Console could have helped fill a void but it hasn't been announced as to when it will be available.

Connectivity
You must use a smartphone app to play and communicate with friends. Bluetooth audio devices are not supported.

Online
The online service now costs money with no real value proposition.

Gimmick
It's touted that the Switch comes with two controllers out of the box. Now that I and many of you have experienced it firsthand, there's no way it's more than a novelty. It's just not very comfortable nor is it practical for games with deep meaningful experiences and it's even more frustrating that this was the reason Nintendo removed the d-pad. No one will ever be able to comfortably play a title like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Splatoon 2, or Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers with a single Joy-Con. HD Rumble will go down as this generations power of the cloud; it's cool but forgettable.

Hardware Issues
The left Joy-Con is having widespread problems causing it to de-sync at random. Nintendo included a dock that scratches your screen after extended use, they also claim if you have a dead pixel on your Switch, it's not a defect. Wi-Fi has limited range with some being unable to connect to the internet. The kickstand is cheap and flimsy which can cause the Switch to fall over.

I want to love the Switch and tell everyone how great it is. It's a solid piece of hardware and I'm sure the game lineup in terms of first party content will turn out great, over time. But I do feel like Nintendo is a company run by stubborn old men who are out of touch with reality that take advantage of their loyal fan base.

Some things can be discussed. Other ones, I'm not so sure if there isn't much exaggeration to some "issues".

Barebone OS and functions: yes, many things that are used on 3DS and WiiU are gone. But this leads to an interesting fact for me. Switch is a very pure and accessible gaming device, that has almost SNES or Gamecube vibes to it.

Accessories: yes, borderline expensive. Can be an issue, if you plan to go mostly digital, if you do not like the Joycons that much or want to charge them separately from the console. Otherwise I think apart from a case and a screen protector for 20 bucks, the console is good to start with (comes with 2 controllers, if you see it that way).

Games: yes, too little to choose from the start. Will soon become much more interesting, but only if you did not own a WiiU before (MK8). Nevertheless, decent Indie lineup.

Connectivity: let's wait how this turns out.

Online: see above.

Gimmick: see above. At least, it is no gimmick centered console that has no right to exist if you strip it of its unique feature (like the WiiU gamepad). Btw, I find playing BotW with Splitcon very comfortable. I have normal sized hands though. Big handed people might have issues.

HW issues: Can it be that the "scratch" thing is hysterical? I put it in and out many times and there seems to be enough space. I even use a screen protector which costs extra space. No scratches. Could it be you have to act clumsily to cause this damage?
The desyncing has not ever happened to me at least, so I cannot tell. Seems you have to provoke it. But why would I want to provoke it?
Kickstand could be more stable, but if you do not cause shocks to the table or push it, it just stands there. No problems so far while playing. Have to try it during turbulences while flying first.


So as far as I can tell from my first intensive days with it, I could not speak of failure. There are issues or reduced functions, but especially the latter I see as a first result of a quite different approach.
 
As a huge Nintendo fan i can't imagine not buying a new Nintendo console on day one.
But here i am. I might buy it in december when there are more games for it that i want to play. However, i'm even considering not buying one at all, to speak with my wallet. Again, i can't imagine being that strong when Mario, Pikmin, etc come out. But right now the Switch seems like a hybrid mistake to me. And, i can't stress this enough, i think by constantly delivering such an underpowered console every time, i think Nintendo is disrespecting a lot of their artists who work on the games, And their games. "Work hard and then you can be proud seeing your art ruined by jaggies and low res textures."

Some of the things you mention are just extra reasons why i also feel they are on the wrong track. But i will certainly follow all the news and if the games are good enough, i guess i will buy one anyway, since my son and girlfriend love the games too.

I want Nintendo to do well. But i can't come up with a company that is more thick-headed.
 

Ushojax

Should probably not trust the 7-11 security cameras quite so much
Actually that seems to be the case with all new consoles though. Promising a lot of features, then when it launches its announced that all the features "will come out soon".

The Switch launch is a typical modern console launch with the usual Nintendo cost-cutting on top. All systems now launch with a half-baked OS, thin launch line ups, expensive peripherals, day one patches etc. It's all par for the course.

For me the Switch is exactly what I expected, a slick piece of hardware that plays Zelda on the TV or on the tablet. Right now that's all it does. If that isn't enough for you then just wait until the summer.
 

Nev

Banned
Wait, who is the delusional here? lol

I'm a Nintendo fan but the most worrisome aspect from the Switch, the saves, can be corrected in a future. Still, the hardware problems need to be fixed in future batchs, and not to wait to the Holidays sales.

Let's ignore the fact that the console is soon going to be two gens behind in terms of power, it has a barebones and outdated OS and online infraestructure –that is going to be behind a paywall to boot–, it lacks and will lack any AAA port whatsoever and it has one real game that is also available on another console.

I'm sorry but thinking the saves is the most worrisome aspect out of that list is kind of delusional.

Be real now, how many years do you think this thing is going to survive with a few Nintendo games? When will they have the next Zelda ready? 2020? What's next after the Mario game? One RPG game?

Mass Effect, AC, Battlefield/front, KH3, RDR2, etc. None of these games will ever be on the Switch. Worst thing is, not even old games like Arkham Knight, FFXV or GTA V will ever be on the system either. What are the users going to play between Nintendo games? This time there's not even old ports of Arkham or CoD to alleviate the drought.

It has nuke bomba writter all over it. All of the OS and pricing problems are nothing compared to the real problem: the ridiculously absurd outdated hardware.

Nintendo had everything to come back strong, all they had to do was making a future proof console with free online as powerful as the Scorpio or at least the PS4 Pro, put Zelda on it, have a lot of enhanced ports of succesful games like The Witcher 3 and GTA 5 and Wii U titles and on top of that, new releases like Mass Effect Andromeda and Nier.

Instead they went the gimmick route again, tried to milk users with overpriced 2012 hardware and accessories and hoped for the best. And the absolute best is going to be 20 million units lifetime.

They learned nothing and dug their own grave.
 

Jubenhimer

Member
As a huge Nintendo fan i can't imagine not buying a new Nintendo console on day one.
But here i am. I might buy it in december when there are more games for it that i want to play. However, i'm even considering not buying one at all, to speak with my wallet. Again, i can't imagine being that strong when Mario, Pikmin, etc come out. But right now the Switch seems like a hybrid mistake to me. And, i can't stress this enough, i think by constantly delivering such an underpowered console every time, i think Nintendo is disrespecting a lot of their artists who work on the games, And their games. "Work hard and then you can be proud seeing your art ruined by jaggies and low res textures."

Nintendo has always believed that art doesn't come from the technology you use, it comes from how you use it. It's been that way since forever.
 

groansey

Member
In my opinion, if this had been a standard console box under your tv that could play BotW at 1080p 60fps, and the marketing had focused on the innovation of the joycons - HD rumble, no sensor bar (with improved ergonomics as they didn't have to attach to a handheld), then this thing could have retailed for £100 less in the UK and would've been a much more attractive proposition as a result.
 
The fact a Switch costs more than a PS4 and a game is the most absurd thing.

It's just too expensive across the board.

For the price of a Switch, BotW, and Pro Controller, you could get a PS4 and most of the best games of the past 3 years. That's a problem.

No, it doesn't, specially since they aren't even using gorilla glass or anything.

Also pretty low resolution by modern standards, what is it 1280x720? That's lower than most smart phones.
 
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