I finally got around to play Xenoblade Chronicles 2 finally, my first Switch game. My impressions are not that good but it may be the console's fault.
I am already tired of putting out the joy cons and putting them back to charge. For some reason you connect it to a piece of plastic that you cannot charge them from. Also this "controller" is very uncomfortable. Moreover the dock undock transitions take some seconds, it is not as instant as it shows in the trailers. Moreover for some strange reason you have to go to the menu to see the remaining joy con battery!!! It should be shown on top!
The game takes a huge blow in performance in open areas in portable mode making it like a pixelated mess resembling 3ds games.
I know that buying a pro controller (assuming that you can use both it and the joy cons in the same time if you undock) solves some of those issues but it is unresonable expensive.
XC2 is very good though. I wanted the flow of battle to be a little bit faster but I enjoy the story and the characters so far.
@belmont XBC2 does take a big graphical hit in handheld mode. I didn't mind it myself, but rest assured that isn't what you should expect from most other software.
As for the other issues, the "Switch" time being 2-3 seconds is..err not much of an issue to be honest, it's about the same amount of time as it takes for the TV to change display between any HDMI input. The joycons don't charge off the included dock but you can get one that does provide this option. Could be worth getting a USB-C cable so you can charge the Switch and Joycons together while still playing in handheld. Or bite the bullet and get the Pro controller, as I did. Now my joycons stay on the Switch and are always at 100% and ready for handheld mode 👍🏻
All in all it's a great bit of kit IMO. Bit pricey though, especially with the extras.
@kyleforrester87 Don't the joy cons charge from the tablet battery when playing with them attached in handheld mode though?
The ideal situation would be the pro controller. So if I play with the pro on my TV or in the Charge Stand I can easily continue playing with the atteched joy cons immediately?
As for the delay I don't mind it but it is a little bit of "false advertising" since it is instant in all the trailers I have seen.
@belmont No the joycons don't charge while plugged into the tablet when in handheld mode as far as I know. That would be an unnecessary drain on the Switch's main battery that already only lasts 2-3 hours versus the Joycons batteries (which I believe are rated to last 10+ hours on full a full charge?) Once you dock though both the Switch and Joycons all charge through the dock.
Yeah the best bet is get a Pro controller and keep your joycons on the tablet (docked) and they'll always be charged. Honestly I never think about Joycon battery life now because they will always outlast the Switchs main battery.
Or cheaper option, to replace the stock Joycon cradle you could get the below, which you charge up and then plug Joycons into to charge while you use them:
Pull the Switch out of the dock and it comes to life immediately. When putting it "into" the TV it has to register the input, but that delay is down to the TV and not the Switch. Maybe some TVs will be able to do it quicker than others? It's the same delay as changing between PS4 and Netflix, Spotify etc on my TV.
@kyleforrester87@Octane Thanks for the info!
The ideal for me is to get the Pro Controller. I may save and go directly for this since I want to have the console always ready for portable mode.
Just reached ch.3 on XC2. I really like this game.
The Pro Controller is probably the best controller Nintendo has ever made and the Joy-Cons absolutely suck so I would recommend investing in a pro, ASAP.
@johncalmc In all seriousness though I know you only used the Joycons for a short period before transferring over to the Pro controller, never looking back, but I used the Joycons for about 2 months and I really quite liked them.
But this is probably the 10th time we've had this debate in this thread :')
Alternate take: the joycon controllers are comfy and allow you to play in whatever stupid position you want if you use them outside of the grip. The Pro Controller is a mediocre Xbox controller rip-off with an inferior D-Pad (seriously, try playing a game like PPT that makes you commit to your inputs with that thing) that also costs $70 extra.
But, you know, different strokes for different folks.
@kyleforrester87 All cockmockery aside, I didn't use the Joy Cons much. I tried them twice in handheld mode - once for Zelda, once for Mario - and didn't like it. I used them a bit individually, as in I had one in one hand and one in the other so I could slob about on the couch without having to make the dubious effort of moving my hands closer to each other. It was okay, but the buttons are too small and the shoulder buttons are absolute cack. They're controllers that have been designed with another function - i.e. being able to snap on and off of the console - as the primary concern, rather than, you know, control.
I mainly only use them once the Pro runs out of battery and needs charging and my heart kinda sinks whenever that happens. Although I haven't actually played on my Switch since November so it's not exactly a problem.
@Rudy_Manchego On the plus side, most of the colours are fairly garish, so it might be a blessing in disguise.
@Ralizah A worse d-pad than the Xbox one? I refuse to believe such a thing exists.
@Ralizah Oh wow. Incredible. I don't think I've actually used the d-pad on the Pro Controller, thinking about it. I think something is mapped to it for Zelda but I can't remember. I've certainly never used it extensively so I never noticed how awful it was.
@johncalmc They just allow you to access weapons, armor, and runes in BotW, as I recall.
For whatever reason, the way they're designed, unless you press on the very end of the D-Pad, it's super easy to trigger unwanted inputs. Now, pair this with something like PPT and Celeste where inputs very much need to be intentional 100% of the time, and hilarity ensues.
It's a really well-known issue in the Nintendo community. Apparently the Xenoblade 2 Pro Controller does this less, but there have still been complaints about that model, too.
I have no idea how Nintendo, the creator of the D-Pad, managed to be the one company this gen to not provide their customers with a decent D-Pad. The D-Buttons work well enough, but they're still inferior to a proper D-Pad, which is why so many people are modding them.
@Ralizah I can't even remember what the d-pad on the controller looks like. I'll have to have a look when I get home. It's crazy that they can't get a d-pad right, but consoles often come with teething problems. Once they're onto their third hardware iteration of the Switch I'm sure they'll have ironed out all of the wrinkles.
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