Topic: Nintendo Switch --OT--

@KratosMD The system LOOKS fragile, but it's actually quite durable. Much more so than the 3DS. It's sort of like the Vita in that regard.

My first impression of the Switch was that, in handheld mode, it was quite long. I'm glad it's as big as it is, though, because I love being able to play home console quality games on it anywhere.

The joycons are the cutest things ever. I never attach the wrist straps to mine, though, as I find that, sans wrist straps, the things nestle comfortably into my palms and I can play games in pretty much any position I like. I haven't used my grip in months.

I hadn't even noticed that they removed the Octopath demo! Now I'm kind of sad that I didn't keep it on my system, as that's a version of the game that'll never exist again.

Oh well. Really looking forward to the new demo! Also, there's a demo for Shining Resonance Refrain, if you're interested.

@Rudy_Manchego I'm not sure why someone would deliberately inflict a horrible bitter apple taste on themselves? I have never licked a cartridge. But, by all means, go for it and report your experience.

@KratosMD @Ralizah It was the first thing I did when I got my first cartridge (think it was MK8 as I bought Zelda digital). I only had a quick taste and it wasn't that bad. Interesting how they did it though.

But I mean, c'mon was no one else curious?

@Rudy_Manchego I've tasted bitter apple. It's almost impossible to avoid if you've ever owned a dog who liked chewing on doorframes or furniture (as so many large breed pups do at first).

It was a clever way to keep small children from swallowing these tiny things.

@KratosMD Glad you're enjoying it.

The joycons have a battery life of... 20 hours, I believe. Just make sure to reattach them to the Switch at night to keep them topped off.

By the way, battery drain for the tablet is variable. Mario Odyssey and Fast RMX will drain your battery pretty quickly, but you can get 5 or 6 hours out of games like Stardew Valley or Disgaea.

My big problem with Odyssey in handheld mode was there not being a work-around for the motion gestures. I don't like trying to jerk my Switch around when playing undocked.

But, yes, the whole seamless docking/undocking process is magical when you first get it. While the "Wow!" factor definitely wears off eventually, it never becomes any less useful. Particularly if you're like me and take video games with you on vacations.

@KratosMD yeah for those reasons (plus low fan noise) you'll find yourself holding off on certain games for PS4 while you wait for the Switch release!

Glad you like it.

@Tasuki That makes sense but this E3 has highlighted my one fear.

That third party support will never come.

@Knuckles-Fajita That's pretty much a given with Nintendo systems though. The best we can hope for is incremental improvements with every new console, and while it's not great, it's still better support than the Wii U had. Certainly a ton of indies come to the system constantly.

Japanese AA support is definitely building.

I never expect much in the way of Western support, though, beyond indies.

Nintendo's lineup is crap. It's not the lack of third party stuff that bothers me, because I'll get that on the PS4 anyway, more their own sluggish release cycle and continued insistence on funding 3DS games that will be commercially received about as well as a whore in the Vatican. It's true they can't materialise games overnight, but after those lean Wii U years it doesn't feel like a lot has changed.

@KratosMD Super Mario Odyssey is lovely. Glad you like it! It did feel that the game was primarily designed to be played on the TV because of the various joy con motions needed for certain things. I mostly played it on the TV and as I have quite small hands found holding the joy cons extremely comfortable. It reminded me of playing the Mario Galaxy's in that regard. In handheld mode there were points where I had to detach the joycons, which wasn't ideal!

Motion aiming, on the other hand, is pretty great in handheld mode. Which makes Splatoon surprisingly comfortable to play undocked.

This could be the first year I won't buy any new games for a Nintendo system. There's not a whole lot to look forward too unfortunately

@KratosMD Nice to see a fellow fan of detached Joy-Con! It's super comfortable for me with my screwed right hand, since the right stick sites just beneath my thumb so I use my joint to move it. No pain or movement of the thumb required (Thank God!)

@Octane any surprises (HAAAAAA) exempt, the only two not-re-release first party titles this year I will be getting are Kirby and Smash. Everything else is third party, second party, or a re-release.

Which means...we have the opposite problem of the Wii U...

@Knuckles-Fajita Kirby is a €30 game to me, I don't see it dropping in price anytime soon. Same applies to Smash. Not something I'm in a hurry for to get, I've got four other entries in the franchise if I want to play some Smash.

Now that I have used the Switch for a while there are some things that are not well designed hardware-wise.

The biggest problem is that the whole putting the cons out becomes tiring real fast. Moreover you cannot charge them while playing out of the box. This is remedied if you buy a controller those things are Vita memory card level expensive and have technical issues. I ended up buying the Hori wired one and I find it very good.

Another problem is that the device (or at least mine) becomes hot real fast regardless of how I play. Moreover the whole console feels "loose", in portable mode the cons are not steady. Also the memory cards add to the expense for the system.

On the plus side the Switch is the handheld I always wanted. Almost "console" like games on both the go and on the TV out of the box without extra hardware as happened in the past (Vita TV, Game Boy Played, Nomad etc).

Also for some bizarre reason if you have two consoles you have to buy digital games AGAIN (!) and you cannot transfer them if you break the console without calling Nintendo and in my country there is no official representative so I just use the UK store.

As far as games are concerned if you have a Wii U and a PS4 there isn't really much to play yet however I have bought some older games that I find really enjoyable in this device. I really liked Xenoblade 2 (although the story ended being lame) besides the technical issues. I like how Doom and Skyrim play. Fifa 18 and Ultra Street Fighter 2 are great ports. I also have some indie games but nothing is really exclusive but Celeste, the OPUS series, Owlboy all are enjoyable. The feature is somewhat of a mixed bag though. From the stuff that has already been announced only Octopath feats my tastes. We will see though.

@belmont Youre complaining you cant charge the 20 hour battery inside the Joy-Con?

You know if they are attached to your Switch in handheld mode, they charge, right?

Or that if they are left on the Switch while docked, even overnight, they charge, right?

Yes it gets hot. So does the PS4 (Ever touched one?). Hence it has a fan. This, by the laws of physics, is what happens when a processes does games on this level. Yes it does feel loose, but I have also yet to hear a story of the Switch falling out of the Joy-Con. Maybe it'll happen who knows.

I get the games complaint though. If you have any other system, this isn't worth it unless you really want portable games. But even if you dont have another current generation system, the other, better supported and better performing systems are cheaper.

Don't own a Switch but the new Fire Emblem game looks like it could be fun.

@Knuckles-Fajita As I said those were more minor issues, the biggest issue I have is that the whole removing - attaching the cons becomes tiring so most invest in an extra controller for convenience that adds cost.

You don't touch the PS4 while playing! The Switch sometimes is way hot in portable mode. I know that the Vita has less power so it does not have this issue but I think it is something worth mentioning.

As I invested in the Switch game library I often looked for "console exclusives" or indies that may have fallen under the radar ("hidden gems") because I have already most of the big hitters like Zelda however I ended up playing hybrid versions of some of the games I somehow missed like Doom. To be honest I may ever get Wolfenstein 2 for the portable aspect if they announce the game's dlc.

@belmont My Switch almost never feels hot to the touch, and I play it in handheld mode A LOT. Maybe there's something wrong with yours, or it's in a hot environment, or something like that?

I'm also not a fan of the way the system wiggles slightly in handheld mode where it feels like the joycons might come off, but now that I use a grip in handheld mode it has become a non-issue.

@Ralizah I may have to check it. It is somewhat hot here ... But behind the screen it is somewhat hot sometimes.

You use a third party grip on the cons? Any suggestions?

@belmont I use this: http://a.co/6PHSPT5

The JETech Switch grip case. It's a basic grip for the Switch. You can't dock the Switch with it on, so I'd save it for times when you're going to not be docking it for a while, but the grip really does make it a lot more comfortable to play for long periods.

Another option, one that has received a lot more attention, is the Skull & Co. GripCase. It comes with a few different types of grips, in different colors, a nice looking travel case, and promises to allow you to dock the system when the grip is applied. A lot of the Amazon reviews and comments on the Kickstarter are telling a different story about that last point, however: http://a.co/jffDZAT