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[xxracerxx]

Well, I do think it kinda sucks that I would have to go handheld to charge the joy cons as I would mostly be playing from home (although I love the portability factor), most consoles don't really come with stuff to charge your controllers while your console is not on or you're away from it.

But if it's true that you have to go handheld to charge the joy con, that is a bit annoying but not the end of the world. If people are just complaining that there is not an extra accessory packed in well, that seems less legitimate. I guess it's the price of the thing too.

Unless you have the Switch plugged in while in handheld mode, it will not be charging the Joy-Cons (my speculation since why drain the handheld Switch battery further and reduce playtime?).

Also, not sure about what you constitute as consoles coming with ways to charge the controller away from the console, but both Playstation 3 & 4 came with USB cables and the XBO allows you to swap out batteries.

 

[sechsterangriff]

This makes no sense. Nintendo is trying to sell the Switch as a home console but out of the box it forces the user to stop playing on the TV to charge the controllers. I can see me forgetting to plug the joy-cons if I just use it as a console. Usually all my controllers are wired to the consoles.
My guess is they didn't know how they were going to sell it (as a home console or handheld) until somewhat recently.

 

[BadWolf]

This makes no sense. Nintendo is trying to sell the Switch as a home console but out of the box it forces the user to stop playing on the TV to charge the controllers.
My guess is they didn't know how they were going to sell it (as a home console or handheld) until somewhat recently.

...or they are just nickle and diming their fans.

 

[HeeHo]

Unless you have the Switch plugged in while in handheld mode, it will not be charging the Joy-Cons.

Also, not sure about what you constitute as consoles coming with ways to charge the controller away from the console, but both Playstation 3 & 4 came with USB cables and the XBO allows you to swap out batteries.

Yeah, I phrased that wrong. You can also charge your 360 controller while it's not on, but I just meant most consoles don't come with a dock-type thing to charge your controllers that is separate from the console. That is something that is different though, I realize.

 

[Dreamwriter]

Unless you have the Switch plugged in while in handheld mode, it will not be charging the Joy-Cons.

Do you have a source for this? Because it kinda goes against what they said during the Treehouse presentation.

 

[Deleted member 752119]

Do you have a source for this? Because it kinda goes against what they said during the Treehouse presentation.

We don't really know yet. The joycons will certainly work when attached and the tablet isn't plugged into power, but we don't know if they'll charge or just stay at 0-1% or whatever until plugged in to minimize tablet battery drain.

 

[xxracerxx]

Yeah, I phrased that wrong. You can also charge your 360 controller while it's not on, but I just meant most consoles don't come with a dock-type thing to charge your controllers that is separate from the console. That is something that is different though, I realize.

What? How is that different than a USB cable?

Really it all boils down to the Grip that is included in the box does not include the single USB port that the Charging Grip has and costs an additional $30 to the consumer.

It is such a weird decision to manufacture a non-charging grip.

Do you have a source for this? Because it kinda goes against what they said during the Treehouse presentation.

Sorry, I should have said that was my speculation, I fully expect it to be the case though because why would you want to syphon off the battery power to charge the Joy-Cons when you only have 6 hours of portable gaming available?

We don't really know yet. The joycons will certainly work when attached and the tablet isn't plugged into power, but we don't know if they'll charge or just stay at 0-1% or whatever until plugged in to minimize tablet battery drain.

This. Thanks for putting it better than I could.

 

[Deleted member 752119]

Yeah, I phrased that wrong. You can also charge your 360 controller while it's not on, but I just meant most consoles don't come with a dock-type thing to charge your controllers that is separate from the console. That is something that is different though, I realize.

The charger grip isn't a dock type thing either though. It's just like the grip that comes with the system that you slide the joy cons onto to make a trational controller. It just has a USB c port and charger connections in the rail so you can plug it in and charge the joycons instead of having to attach them to the docked/plugged in tablet to charge.

That's what has some people annoyed. How much can adding the USB C port, internal wiring and charger contacts in the rail cost over the simple plastic grip it comes with?

 

[Frankfurter]

What? How is that different than a USB cable?

Really it all boils down to the Grip that is included in the box does not include the single USB port that the Charging Grip has and costs an additional $30 to the consumer.

It is such a weird decision to manufacture a non-charging grip.



Sorry, I should have said that was my speculation, I fully expect it to be the case though because why would you want to syphon off the battery power to charge the Joy-Cons when you only have 6 hours of portable gaming available?



This. Thanks for putting it better than I could.

Saving money is weird?

 

[brad-t]

Sorry, I should have said that was my speculation, I fully expect it to be the case though because why would you want to syphon off the battery power to charge the Joy-Cons when you only have 6 hours of portable gaming available?

What does it matter if the tablet still has battery life if the Joy-Cons are dead? Also, their battery capacity and power usage is way lower than the main tablet.

 

[xxracerxx]

Saving money is weird?

To have a whole other manufacturing line for a product that is not sold alone is weird to me. Just knowing that the Charging Grip was in the box would help people digest the price of the console.

What does it matter if the tablet still has battery life if the Joy-Cons are dead? Also, their battery capacity and power usage is way lower than the main tablet.

dmaul put it best:

We don't really know yet. The joycons will certainly work when attached and the tablet isn't plugged into power, but we don't know if they'll charge or just stay at 0-1% or whatever until plugged in to minimize tablet battery drain.

 

[Deleted member 752119]

Saving money is weird?

Seriously, how much money can the USB port, wiring and charger contacts add?

Certainly not the $30 it costs consumers to buy a charger grip if they aren't happy with having to attach the joycons to a docked/plugged in tablet to charge them.

What does it matter if the tablet still has battery life if the Joy-Cons are dead? Also, their battery capacity and power usage is way lower than the main tablet.

Of course. But it still doesn't have to CHARGE them. It could just trickle enough power to them to keep them working until the tablet battery ties rather than depleting the battery even faster by actively filling charge in the joy con batteries.

 

[brad-t]

dmaul put it best:

This doesn't really make sense to me. Are you saying they would charge the Joy-Con batteries just enough to maintain their existing power level? It's not like it's going to feed power to them directly — any power coming from the main unit into the Joy-Cons is going into the battery.

 

[HeeHo]

What? How is that different than a USB cable?

It's different because a charging dock holds the controller and charges it regardless if your console is powered on. I didn't mean the fundamentals of what a charging dock does and usb cables do to charge is different. For some reason I thought we were talking about charging docks instead of the grips.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to spin anything, it does seem pretty poopy, but it doesn't actually bother me too much.

 

[Deleted member 752119]

This doesn't really make sense to me. Are you saying they would charge the Joy-Con batteries just enough to maintain their existing power level? It's not like it's going to feed power to them directly — any power coming from the main unit into the Joy-Cons is going into the battery.

Yes. That could be the case. It could give the joycons just enough power to keep working as long as the tablet battery has juice. Having it actively charge them would drain the battery faster presumably. Charging requires extra power output BEYOND what's required for a device to keep working as it has to have enough power to both do that AND restore charge in the battery.

But we don't know which is the case. I personally don't care as I have little use for portable mode which is why all this annoys me a bit. I'm already paying way extra for an underpowered console due to the screen and portability I don't want. Stuff like needing an extra charger grip to not have to hassle with moving joy cons back and forth is just a bit more salt in the wound. As is the $70 price of the Pro Controller to both solve that problem an get a real d pad for VC games, SFII etc.

But I'm a big fan of Nintendo games so I'll bend over and take it just like the even more overpriced Wii U with Off TV play that I had no use for, SD graphics in the HD era with Wii, motion controls on this and Wii that I don't care for etc.

 

[Oppo]

I feel like Nintendo "paid" a lot to have those detachable joy-cons. in components, battery time, tech overhead, even consumer confusion. hope it was worth it.

the fact that the thing has 3 separate batteries in it in handheld or tabletop mode is a bit insane.

 

[NotSmartEnough]

I'm surprised that Nintendo have done this.

I suspect that the original concept for the grip would have included the charging capability.

Producing a cheap version to pack in can only be due to a desire to reduce manufacturing costs and get some extra profit from the sale of the charging version.

Users who want to play on TV and charge their controller while doing so cannot without buying something extra. The battery life may mitigate this, depending on whether 20 hours is realistic or aspirational, but it doesn't eliminate the problem.

The clarity of their communication leaves a lot to be desired; as is evidenced by the locked threads and many of the posts in them.

 

[drotahorror]

Didn't read through all the pages but I would assume most people are going to hang their joycons up on the console when they're done playing and it'll charge (while the console is off I reckon?).

But I can see younger people forgetting to do it and finding it pretty frustrating that you can't play while it's charging.

The Switch is a pretty big investment though if you want the convenience that other consoles provide (charging while playing, a normal controller ds4/xb1-like). Might as well say the thing cost $400 and be done with it.

 

[Lom1lo]

Well on every pic here: http://www.nintendo.de/Nintendo-Switch/Nintendo-Switch-1148779.html

The grip has an usb-c port. I dont think this is okay, maybe Im overreacting but the whole messaging is a bit off imo

 

[KratosEnergyDrink]

Oh boy.
If you had any doubts Nintendo failed its communication. These threads aren't the multiple OPs faults. Its Nintendo's

Most of this threads exists because people see a tiny bit of information and jump to wild conclusions and feel the need to post them.

 

[manueldelalas]

Didn't read through all the pages but I would assume most people are going to hang their joycons up on the console when they're done playing and it'll charge (while the console is off I reckon?).

But I can see younger people forgetting to do it and finding it pretty frustrating that you can't play while it's charging.

The Switch is a pretty big investment though if you want the convenience that other consoles provide (charging while playing, a normal controller ds4/xb1-like). Might as well say the thing cost $400 and be done with it.

1. Younger people not hanging their controllers is not solved by having a charging grip.

2. You can still play with your Switch, just use portable mode.

3. A 20 hour battery life will last you for several days without charging.

4. The small battery in the joy cons will make charging super fast.

 

[Skyzard]

If I get one I'd play it like my WiiU most of the time - gamepad only, so I don't care all that much but that sucks for everyone else really.

 

[Deleted member 752119]

1. Younger people not hanging their controllers is not solved by having a charging grip.

2. You can still play with your Switch, just use portable mode.

3. A 20 hour battery life will last you for several days without charging.

4. The small battery in the joy cons will make charging super fast.

These are why it's not a big issue. But that doesn't invalidate that it is still an annoyance for some.

If one only wants to game on the big screen, portable mode is a no go. Such people also will probably stick their dock/tablet in their TV stand/cabinet where it may not be that easy to get to for regularly attaching/detaching joycons for charging.

That describes me. I'll nut up and get a pro controller, but it would have been nice to have the charging grip in the box. Especially if the pro controller ends up hard to find for a while--which kind of seems likely given it hasn't gone up for preorder anywhere in NA yet.

 

[VanWinkle]

1. Younger people not hanging their controllers is not solved by having a charging grip.

2. You can still play with your Switch, just use portable mode.

3. A 20 hour battery life will last you for several days without charging.

4. The small battery in the joy cons will make charging super fast.

Why are you defending it? Seriously. Yeah, it's not a huge deal. But it IS an inconvenience and is honestly kind of bizarre. I mean, literally not being able to play the console on the TV while the Joy-Con batteries are dead? That's dumb. You don't have to defend this.

 

[SystemUser]

It's different because a charging dock holds the controller and charges it regardless if your console is powered on. I didn't mean the fundamentals of what a charging dock does and usb cables do to charge is different. For some reason I thought we were talking about charging docks instead of the grips.

The USB cables for the PS4 and Xbox 360 can charge the controllers when the system is turned off. You plug in the controller and then turn off the system and the controller keeps charging. The Xbox 360 did not include the battery and cable, but the PS4 did.


The PS4 can charge a Dualshock 4 while powered off using the supplied USB cable. Also I can plug my DS4 into any smartphone charger using that same packed in cable and charge it while console is off.


For most use cases I will have the JoyCons charged and ready to go (they have 20 hour battery life and I have rarely played a game for 20 hours without a major break.) But I am picturing that first night. I get the Switch setup in the dock and I slide the JoyCons off to begin to play. Now my JoyCons are dead (Nintendo probably won't ship fully charged controllers) and I have to wait 3 hours to play on my TV again or I have to play in portable mode, but plugged into the wall. Sadtrombone.mp3


Also then I get Mario Kart. I get home put the cartridge in the Switch and open my new JoyCons. Sorry players 3 and 4 there is no way to charge the half JoyCons while playing. Players 3 and 4 wait for three hours while their controllers charge. Sadtrombone.mp3 The charging grip wouldn't even help in this scenario unless I buy the extra controllers and charge them the day before Mario Kart comes out.

 

[ekim]

More confusion.

https://youtu.be/9YoHCUOQdHQ?t=3m45s

German magazine hands-on and he says that the grip has an USB-C connector to charge the joycons.

 

[UnemployedVillain]

More confusion.

https://youtu.be/9YoHCUOQdHQ?t=3m45s

German magazine hands-on and he says that the grip has an USB-C connector to charge the joycons.

I don't think the confusion was whether there were grips that could be used for charging, but whether there were those that couldn't and whether that was the one packed in with the system

 

[Nerazar]

This makes no sense. Nintendo is trying to sell the Switch as a home console but out of the box it forces the user to stop playing on the TV to charge the controllers. I can see me forgetting to plug the joy-cons if I just use it as a console. Usually all my controllers are wired to the consoles.
My guess is they didn't know how they were going to sell it (as a home console or handheld) until somewhat recently.

Since the battery life of the Joycons is 20 hours (!), I don't see the problem here. I mean, sure, if your standard mode of play is 20+ hour sessions on the TV, but my guess is that most people are fine with charging the device and the controller overnight.

It shouldn't be too difficult to put the controllers on the Switch after play... you'll lose them if you don't anyway (since they are so small).

 

[manueldelalas]

Why are you defending it? Seriously. Yeah, it's not a huge deal. But it IS an inconvenience and is honestly kind of bizarre. I mean, literally not being able to play the console on the TV while the Joy-Con batteries are dead? That's dumb. You don't have to defend this.

Because no one has managed to give us a real life scenario where this would be an issue.

The most is someone saying that little kids don't put the controllers back on the console, something that is not solved by having a charging grip, LOL.

Even if you game at night, and leave the controllers on the bedside table, at 20 hours, you have like a week to put them back on the console before the batteries run out, which is just logical, why wouldn't you put them back?

It's completely ridiculous. You'll loose the little joy cons before running out of battery. Had Nintendo not included any grip, no one would be complaining. They just included it because it looks like a puppy dog, wanted to separate from the Wii and to justify the outrageous price.

 

[Starwolf_UK]

I don't think the confusion was whether there were grips that could be used for charging, but whether there were those that couldn't and whether that was the one packed in with the system

There is another possibility. What comes in the box is not the same for all regions. Take the 3DS XL for example. An American system comes with an AC adapter, all others do not.

So we could have a strange situation where some regions (including Japan which is the only subsidiary with useful information with regards to this) have a Nintendo switch bundled without a Joy-con charging grip but other regions get the charging grip.

 

[Rixa]

If one buys that charging usb-c grip. Can you charge joycons while playing?

 

[marc^o^]

Even if you game at night, and leave the controllers on the bedside table, at 20 hours, you have like a week to put them back on the console before the batteries run out, which is just logical, why wouldn't you put them back?

And we won't be taken by surprise, there will be an indicator telling us it's time to recharge batteries.

 

[Volotaire]

Now that the debate has moved to the joycon battery, the issue I see here is the battery degradation of the joycon battery capacity.

How long will the battery last after 1 - 2 years?

 

[Bulbasaur]

20 hours per Joy-Con doesn't really make it a huge deal for me. I'll Just charge it before bed. I just hope the Dog-face is comfy because I'm going to stick with it rather than go for a pro controller.

 

[sammex]

Well on every pic here: http://www.nintendo.de/Nintendo-Switch/Nintendo-Switch-1148779.html

The grip has an usb-c port. I dont think this is okay, maybe Im overreacting but the whole messaging is a bit off imo

Just to save everyone time having to wait for the slideshow:

 

[spekkeh]

Because no one has managed to give us a real life scenario where this would be an issue.

The most is someone saying that little kids don't put the controllers back on the console, something that is not solved by having a charging grip, LOL.

Even if you game at night, and leave the controllers on the bedside table, at 20 hours, you have like a week to put them back on the console before the batteries run out, which is just logical, why wouldn't you put them back?

It's completely ridiculous. You'll loose the little joy cons before running out of battery. Had Nintendo not included any grip, no one would be complaining. They just included it because it looks like a puppy dog, wanted to separate from the Wii and to justify the outrageous price.

In addition, it can only ever be an issue if you specifically use the Switch in a way that it was not designed to be used. Namely if you never 'switch'.

 

[-shadow-]

I'm actually curious how exactly the charging of the joy-cons works. There doesn't seem to be pins or something like that.

 

[Lom1lo]

In addition, it can only ever be an issue if you specifically use the Switch in a way that it was not designed to be used. Namely if you never 'switch'.

Of course there are scenarios. Buying additional joycons. Have fun switching (ha!) the joy cons that everything gets charged.

 

[Movalpolos]

Why are you defending it? Seriously. Yeah, it's not a huge deal. But it IS an inconvenience and is honestly kind of bizarre. I mean, literally not being able to play the console on the TV while the Joy-Con batteries are dead? That's dumb. You don't have to defend this.

To some people Nintendo can do no wrong. This whole reveal has just brought out the worst of their fanbase.

 

[Skronk]

To some people Nintendo can do no wrong. This whole reveal has just brought out the worst of their fanbase.

I just don't think it's that different than what Sony does for PS4 and yet people are reacting way more intensely.

They give you a 1 foot cable that's no good for a living room (probably okay if you're a kid stuck in a bedroom) and on top of that the controllers only last for around 4-6 hours so you can be forced to stop playing to charge in one session.

 

[hatchx]

It's completely ridiculous. You'll loose the little joy cons before running out of battery. Had Nintendo not included any grip, no one would be complaining. They just included it because it looks like a puppy dog, wanted to separate from the Wii and to justify the outrageous price.

This. Honestly. This whole thing is overblown.

Just to save everyone time having to wait for the slideshow:

Wait....what?! Is that the charging grip or the included non-charging grip?

 

[Okami Haundo]

This makes no sense. Nintendo is trying to sell the Switch as a home console but out of the box it forces the user to stop playing on the TV to charge the controllers. I can see me forgetting to plug the joy-cons if I just use it as a console. Usually all my controllers are wired to the consoles.
My guess is they didn't know how they were going to sell it (as a home console or handheld) until somewhat recently.

I really don't think this is a case of Nintendo not knowing what they're doing here. The joycons have a supposed 20-hour battery which should be more than enough for the vast majority of users. The average user playing a "traditional" game like Zelda will not be "forced" to stop playing unless they're forgetful or having a gaming marathon.

I'd argue that the bigger disappointment is having no way to charge the controllers while playing games that require motion controls. If you run out of juice while playing a game like 1 2 Switch, you're just done playing until the controllers charge back up. There's no optional accessory you can buy that will help in that scenario.

Wait....what?! this is the first I've heard of this. I thought the main complaint was the included non-charging grip didn't have a USB-C connector?

So WTF is the problem?

The product "specs" for the Joycon comfort Grip do not include a USB-C port. It's likely that the Grip shown in the commercial is not what's provided in the box. That wouldn't be too surprising as they also show the Pro Controller, but it definitely is a bit misleading.

 

[zoukka]

...or they are just nickle and diming their fans.

Both. They had to develop Switch in panic mode and they are still bold enough to nickle and dime.

 

[Movalpolos]

I really don't think this is a case of Nintendo not knowing what they're doing here. The joycons have a supposed 20-hour battery which should be more than enough for the vast majority of users. The average user playing a "traditional" game like Zelda will not be "forced" to stop playing unless they're forgetful or having a gaming marathon.

I'd argue that the bigger disappointment is having no way to charge the controllers while playing games that require motion controls. If you run out of juice while playing a game like 1 2 Switch, you're just done playing until the controllers charge back up. There's no optional accessory you can buy that will help in that scenario.



The product "specs" for the Joycon comfort Grip do not include a USB-C port. It's likely that the Grip shown in the commercial is not what's provided in the box. That wouldn't be too surprising as they also show the Pro Controller, but it definitely is a bit misleading.

It's totally fucking misleading.

 

[MrChowderClams]

Wait....what?! Is that the charging grip or the included non-charging grip?

Based on the spec sheets posted in this thread, that would be the charging grip that is supposedly not included with the console.

 

[hatchx]

Based on the spec sheets posted in this thread, that would be the charging grip that is supposedly not included with the console.

Ah. I think a simply USB-C port on the non-charging grip would have alleviated this issue.

However, seeing as the Joy Cons have an incredibly amount of battery, I don't see this as a problem.

 

[Movalpolos]

Ah. I think a simply USB-C port on the non-charging grip would have alleviated this issue.

However, seeing as the Joy Cons have an incredibly amount of battery, I don't see this as a problem.

Not for you. But to the majority of people it will be a problem.

 

[JoeFu]

Not for you. But to the majority of people it will be a problem.

The majority of people play video games 20 hours straight? Dang I'm a filthy casual.

 

[Okami Haundo]

It's totally fucking misleading.

It seems that this issue is exclusive to Nintendo's German website. The U.S. site appears to show the non-charging Grip in all of their product images. I wonder if that's a flub on NoE's part or if they explain it somewhere on the page? I don't speak/read German so I can't check.

Not for you. But to the majority of people it will be a problem.

*Sigh* Let's not use words like "majority" without any information that backs up your use. If you think it will be an issue for you personally, feel free to state as much. You are not the "majority" unless you're the only person buying a Switch in the entire world.

 

[mrchampipi]

Of course there are scenarios. Buying additional joycons. Have fun switching (ha!) the joy cons that everything gets charged.

Exactly. In the end:

It is such a weird decision to manufacture a non-charging grip.

/thread