Topic: Nintendo Switch --OT--

The only time I really use the Joy Cons is when they are attached to the Switch in hand held mode. I have the Zelda Wired Pro Controller but I haven't used it yet, I am sure though it will get plenty of use here once Bayonetta comes out here in a week or so.

Picked up a Pro controller today. I feel a bit silly for spending £60 on a controller that I’m only planning to use for the Bayonetta games, but oh well. I was prepared to buy a Wii U for Bayo2 once.

Might finally dock up the Switch after work today & get a feel for the Pro controller. I’ve had it for 4 months now & never got around to it 😂.
Something always seems to come up, but I’ll do it today...unless Shadow of The Collossus turns up in the mail.

@Fight_Teza_Fight Enjoy!

I only use it for one game....and PC...but its damn comfy. About as big as I can go with controllers

@Fight_Teza_Fight
I bought a Pro controller last May for Ultra SF II and have ended up using it for almost everything. One of the most comfortable controllers I've ever held. Great for fighters, I'm sure it'll be the ideal way to play the Bayo games also. It's also a great controller for racing games if Nintendo can land some of those. Hoping the Ridge Racer 8 rumors are true.

@Gamer83 "Hoping the Ridge Racer 8 rumors are true."

Wooo whhhh what?

I don’t have a Switch. Just out of curiosity, for those that do — what percentage of your Switch gameplay time is handheld vs. docked?

@Th3solution 90% docked. I sometimes play a bit in handheld more before I go to bed.

@themcnoisy A LinkedIn profile from a known Bandai Namco Singapore director (Or producer, one of the two, someone senior) listed:

"An unannounced IP (First Person Shooter/Adventure title exclusive for Nintendo Switch)"
"Ridge Racer 8 (Drift based car racing title exclusively for Nintendo Switch)".

Make of that what you will

@Th3solution 50/50. I use it undocked downstairs or when I'm travelling (Via public transportation before anyone gets snarky) or when I was having surgery (Really.).

Docked in my room, when recording, streaming, whatever else.

@Th3solution 70% handheld and 30% docked for me.

@Th3solution Depends on the game, honestly. Some games I play primarily on the dock (Games like Super Mario Odyssey and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 are just flat out better on the TV, for a variety of reasons). Some games I've never played docked more than once (Puyo Puyo Tetris was this way for me, as well as Stardew Valley). Some games are perfect in either mode (I played Breath of the Wild every which way, and it was fully enjoyable no matter what mode it was in).

If I had to come up with a number, I'd say 60% of my Switch playtime is spent in handheld mode.

@Th3solution Right now I play mostly in handheld mode simply because the Switch is the console I play when the tv is in use. I have played Mario Odyssey both in handheld and docked but I prefer to play that one docked. Lately though I have been playing Mighty Gunvolt Burst and Skyrim, which both run really well in handheld mode.

@Th3solution
Vast majority of the time I play in docked mode. I feel like most games look better. With Super Mario Odyssey and especially Xenoblade Chronicles 2 I felt like there was a significant difference visually. And in XC 2 the performance is also better docked.

@Th3solution I played Mario Odyssey mainly on the TV because it looked nicer and I could use the joy-cons (the game felt like it was designed to be played with one in each hand because of the motion controls) but I'm playing Zelda in handheld mode. For one horrid gyroscope puzzle shrine I ended up doing it on the TV because the detached joy-con made it much easier to control.

I suppose going forward it'll depend on the game or the mood I'm in. No way am I playing something that expensive on the train haha.

@mookysam @Gamer83 @Tasuki @Ralizah @Rudy_Manchego @YummyHappyPills @Octane
Thanks for the info. As a non-Switch user I find it interesting that there is quite the variety in usage. Also, I did not realize that the game being played had that much influence on how the Switch would be used. I guess it makes sense, but I just hadn’t thought about it. It’s probably hard for developers to try to strike a balance in a game to make it equally attractive to experience on the big screen and on the go.

@Th3solution It fits into your life to be used as you see fit.

Unlike a PC or typical console, that is stuck on a TV, if you see fit you can use your Switch entirely away from a TV where you have time to, or entirely on your TV if thats your thing. Or a mix of both as and when your life demands, even if handheld mode is only for those once a month bus rides.

Id be more concerned if it WASNT used in multiple ways to be honest.

@YummyHappyPills Yes, I agree. I think the intent of the device is to be flexible. So I expected people would be close to 50-50. But we have (in our very small survey of n=7 😜) everything from 50-50 to nearly exclusive docking to nearly exclusive portable. But everyone pretty much mixes it up and so people seem to get both uses from it. I’m not necessarily making any conclusions from it, just satisfying my curiosity about what people use it for. Clearly it has a rabid fan base and I was curious what the average Switch user would look like, so to speak. Problem is, the average Switch user is probably not on here on a PlayStation forum, but I’m not that curious enough to go lurk around at NL.

@Th3solution The average user also isn't on NintendoLife. Just like the average PS4 user isn't here.

@YummyHappyPills Another true statement. The sampling on any enthusiast website or forum will be heavily skewed. But still, it gives me a rough idea.

@Th3solution https://nintendoeverything.com/kimishima-on-how-people-are-pl...

This seems more like what you're looking for. From the usage stats, most people use it in both modes, but, of the groups that use it exclusively in one mode or the other, more people opt for portable-only versus docked-only.

I think it depends entirely on what games you play as to whether you use it more in handheld or docked mode. I've only played Zelda and Mario for Switch and they were both dreadful in handheld mode because the screen isn't big enough and the Joy Cons are fiddly. But if it was something slower, and less precise, like say, Persona 5, then I could easily have seen myself playing it in handheld if I ever played video games away from my TV.

Like the Vita, indie games and smaller or slower games, or games more traditionally suited to handheld will be great in handheld mode. Bigger, faster, action games not so much.