Topic: Nintendo Switch --OT--

For me, my isse with playing docked is I have the dock in a bedroom because I can hide it away from where my young kids can't get it. If I had it in the main room where I do most of my gaming, that dock would be covered in porridge and snot in 2 minutes. So, unless I specifically go upstairs to game, I'll normally be in handheld. For me, the novelty of playing AAA games on the go still hasn't worn off for me and it fits in with my lifestyle .

For me, without little kiddies running around and ruining everything, and with a girlfriend that games as much as me, and with two TVs in the living room, and with a hatred of the outside world, I have literally no reason to play in handheld, ever.

I tried it once for the novelty, and once when I was grinding on Final Fantasy IX on PS4. I was running around fighting things on the TV, and playing Zelda on the handheld. Other than that I can't ever imagine using it again.

@johncalmc The little kids do ruin everything. I still haven't worked out where they came from.

@Rudy_Manchego From what I learned at Catholic school, a magical being in the sky puts them into a woman's tummy and then you spend the next eighteen years telling them they'll be sent to hell if they listen to Marilyn Manson.

@johncalmc Marilyn Manson? How old are you John. That was like 15 years ago.

These days its keeping them away from pretty much every youtuber.

For the poll;

Its my sons switch so I have used it plugged in to the dock / tv when we have enough time to game together. Weird thing is hes gravitating back to his tablet, which is pretty frustrating.

Handheld modes great though.

@themcnoisy I left school sixteen years ago. Weird to think Marilyn Manson was once the most dangerous man in rock music. And now he's like a chubby panda.

@johncalmc Times change, hes now embraced by parents as a unique icon who did things his own way.

Ridge Racer
Is one of my favourite series of games, I still listen to rare hero or grip over the internet whilst doing the dishes from RR1 and have almost every car in RR type 4 on my vita. If anyones ever tried to get them all its a tall order. I loved Ridge Racer 6 and put so much time into it.

I even liked the Gran Turismo rip off game namco made R Racing or something.

Anyway all Namoco needs to do is a greatest hits game of its top 20 tracks and include 25 cars and its a win. Put the career mode / mission mode in from RR6 and it will be a big hit for sure.

@Ralizah Thanks! Yes, that’s what I was wondering.

@johncalmc Yeah, that’s part of what spurred my curiosity. Not about where babies come from ... although it sounds like an interesting question for google, but whether the success of the Switch lies with its portability and the novelty of switching modes, or with the strength of its first party games. As with most of these types of questions, there is no one single answer ...Such as with where babies come from. I know for example my parents told me that I sprang from the baby garden in the back yard. So clearly there is not always just a single explanation for why a particular phenomenon occurs.

To further explain my rambling thoughts— When I got my PS4, I had my Vita already and I initially played around with remote play and was fascinated by the ability to play Dragon Age Inquisition or Metal Gear Solid V on my Vita. I thought it would open a whole new world. Well, after the novelty wore off, I found playing a large AAA action games was not nearly as enjoyable on the handheld. Granted, a large part of that was fighting with the streaming hiccups from the PS4 and the cumbersome process of connecting, etc. And I also realize the Vita screen and control are not as advanced for AAA gaming as the Switch, but I now use my Vita for the games like you mentioned - Persona, Danganronpa, Undertale, Severed, Zero Escape, Sound Shapes, etc. which are not visually or mechanically demanding. Usually if the game is available cross-buy, I think it is better suited for handheld use because it was designed that way. The Vita port of Borderlands 2 would be an example, although I thoroughly enjoyed it on Vita and played 80% of the game portable and about 20% on my PS3, I know the Vita port was not well received and most people didn’t enjoy it on the handheld.
So it had me wondering, at the end of the day, if the experience for a game is sacrificed by playing it one way or another, how does that translate into not only sales, but overall enjoyment and utilization of a system. If PS5 adopts a switch type of system, do I want to play Death Stranding on the small screen? I would think not. But I don’t know. I feel like some games are just meant for the big screen. And the Switch can do both, of course, but I don’t know if it sacrifices a little bit in the process. Believe me, I’m not trolling here, honestly. I probably just need to buy a Switch and be done with it, but my money tree doesn’t seem to be producing any better of a harvest than my baby garden.

I wonder why people associate portability with outdoors and not also around the house.

@YummyHappyPills Because they can't imagine not playing on a bigger screen if you're in the house.

@Ralizah Then I ask, does anyone herr own a 3DS or Vita? Portable consoles right?

Thats true rven if you use them just around the house. Its still portability.

The notion (and I see it more on NL from the trolls) is that portability means exclusively outside

I'm too scared to take my Switch out of the house. Someone might nick it or I might break it. I've taken it away to relatives houses but not on trains/planes etc.

I do travel a fair bit for work and I'll normally take my Vita or now 2DS with me for gaming on the go since they are small, light and I am slightly less precious about them. However, I do most of my portable gaming, including the Switch, in the house. Sometimes it might be a quick fifteen minutes while one of the kids is napping or I am cooking. Any moments I get to play are precious and portables fit in nicely.

@YummyHappyPills I've seen a lot of people say that they just don't like portable consoles. They find them small and uncomfortable. If they do own them, it's to play exclusive games like Pokemon that aren't available on home consoles (before the Switch, anyway).

I'm the opposite. I find it incredibly comfortable to curl up on the couch or in bed and play my games. Also, they don't demand you cut out big swaths of time from your daily schedule to sit in one place and play them for hours.

Which is why my Switch and 3DS see a lot more use than my PS4, even though the PS4 is developing a fantastic library.

@Rudy_Manchego Thats exactly it. Using it indoors is still portability.

Some of the trolls have this weird notion that using it indoors isnt portability. Like...cool I guess everyones GameBoy is a home console then. shrug

On that note gotta say I am enjoying the preload feature, as it getsme games immediately on launch.

Shame it sits there on the screen taunting you

I've put a total of 500 or so hours into playing on the switch and I'd say 80% has been undocked. Unless I'm playing a multiplayer game with my kids I play undocked. I have a big beautiful 65" 4k TV but I just prefer to play in handheld mode. Great system

@YummyHappyPills When I had a portable console - whether that was the original gameboy, gameboy colour or the DSi (my last handheld), I never once used these in the house. They were used only for going to Doctors/hospital appointments and even when I had to spend time in hospital but I never used them in the house. That was also whilst my kids were young and when I had family responsibility and parental duties too - if they were on the TV, I could use the PC. Now my kids are older and I am separated, I have no situation where I cannot game on a TV because of others wanting access.

When I go to bed, I don't want to game but switch off my brain and watch TV so I don't even take my laptop to bed. I wouldn't take a tablet device either. As I said, during the day, I have access to my TV at all times - I even have a base PS4/XB1s connected up to my 'bedroom' TV so there is no situation that occurs that having a 'portable' gaming device would be needed.

I know that I am maybe not typical but my kids also had their own TV and Console in their bedroom and they never used their 'portable' consoles for gaming in the house. If they wanted to game, it was always on a TV with their home console. Maybe if they had a Switch, things would be different as the games are much more akin to the home console experience.

The reason that a lot of people don't see the portability as a 'bonus' for around the home is that they may not have an occasion where they would use it in this way. Maybe they too have permanent access to a TV?

I can use my TV pretty much whenever I want, but sometimes I just like to play undocked for the extra privacy it offers. Not that I mind other people seeing what I'm playing but sometimes it's nice to be in your own head. The same reason you wouldn't read a book out loud to other people who are in the room.

Soon...

@YummyHappyPills very excited for that! Having skipped the Wii U I can't wait to play it!

Apparently Bandai Namco Signapore is developing Metroid Prime 4, with staff who worked on that canned Star Wars 1313 game.

Count me in.

I love how people are freaking out saying theyll ruin it (because Nintendo fans lets be honest) forgetting thst was the same response to Retro back in 2000.

Plus Bandai has shown skill with Mario Kart, Star Fox and then freaking Smash, let em do this.

Past work is not always indicative of quality...especially when Nintendo is pulling strings.