Topic: Nintendo Switch --OT--

@Ralizah I like it a lot. But level design is hard though, and quite time consuming. I made a level and I know it’s not it great, but I uploaded it and only one guy has tried it. He died at the first Goomba and gave up. Back to the drawing board I guess, but this level design stuff is going to be a slow burn.

@Wesker I'm amazed there isn't some sort of auto-fill option in the maker portion of the game.

What's your level ID, btw?

@Ralizah yeah for sure! It’s weird that you have to fill in ground. I don’t know if I want to post the level because i’m not strong enough to take any criticism at the moment. Also, I left my Switch in the car!

So I opened my Switch to see if they patched Bloodsteined (they haven't).

However I encountered a strange glitch. I used the left analogue stick and when I stopped Miriam she randomly continued to walk. The d-pad does not have this issue.

I then tried Xenoblade, same thing, sometimes Rex runs randomly.

Has anyone seen something similar? You think the left joycon is done?

@belmont It's called Joycon drift, and it's a reasonably wide-spread phenomenon. I recommend shooting compressed air around the base of the stick and under the rubber flaps on the left joycon and recalibrating it.

Here's a video if you need clarification.

@Ralizah Thank you very much for it!

I had no idea this was a somewhat wide-spread problem. I will use compressed air, I have a bottle always somewhere around for my old cartridge games!

@belmont By the way, a good way to test to see how much drift you're currently dealing with is to just go to the recalibration menu and leave it. In really bad cases, the stick will register movement even when you're not touching it.

I don't know if it's possible to completely eliminate drift once it starts happening, but I reduced its occurrence to the point where I rarely notice it.

I have a launch Switch, so I don't know if Nintendo has perhaps addressed whatever manufacturing issue is causing this over time like it did with the Pro Controller and its D-Pad issues. Either way, if you can help the issue, the joycon itself should be perfectly fine otherwise.

@Ralizah Mario Maker 2 really is an awesome game. Though every single time I play it, I think of how amazing a Zelda Maker would be!!

@Ralizah I got the console close to launch so I guess I have the launch model. I will try the compressed air and if it fails I have an extended warranty that covers the joycon.

I was going to post this on the “Unpopular Gaming Opinions” thread’s current Nintendo-centric discussion but thought better of it as it’s prone to derail things even further —

I went to Gamestop today to browse, as I do on occasion when I’m in the area, and even though I’ve not been a Nintendo gamer, I’ve often thought I should get a Switch so I can be more well-rounded.... but I was shocked how expensive the games are, comparatively speaking. They are 2-4 times (or more) the cost of PlayStation games. Yikes! For example, I saw the game Doom for the Switch is $55 for pre-owned (the game came out on PS4 in 2016)! It’s around $15 on PS4 pre-owned and $19 for a new copy. Other ports of multi platform games appeared to be similarly priced at or near the same price they were at launch. Even for games 3-4 years old?! Dark Souls Remastered is $38 used vs $19 on PS4 for a new copy. Even first party games are really expensive — A pre-owned copy of Breath of the Wild is still $55. Add the DLC and that’s an extra $20, so $75 for the full experience. Compare to the Complete Edition of Horizon Zero Dawn with its DLC (which came out at roughly the same time in 2017) is $20 for a new copy. I’ll be honest, that’s a real turn-off for me as a possible adopter of the console. I could afford the console but for the cost of 1-2 games, I could get 5-10 games on my PS4 for the same money. Granted, I can’t play them mobile, but sheesh... how do you all afford all these Switch games? I think I honestly would consider getting into the Switch, but it’s still too expensive and, at least in my case, is a significant barrier to entry.
Don’t get me wrong, I am more than willing to pay $60 for a game at launch when I really want it, and have done so so many PlayStation games over the years. But if the game is over a year old, I find it hard to pay full price.

@Th3solution If I'm being honest, though, the fact that Nintendo-published games tend to maintain their value over time makes me way less hesitant to buy them at or close to launch. If I buy a PS4 game and then it drops in price by 60% or so within the year, which also affects my ability to resell the game later on, I feel like I've wasted money, so I tend to wait until they drop in price pretty significantly before jumping. There's no point in waiting for Nintendo games, though. They cost what they cost, and people will still be happily paying almost full price for something like Breath of the Wild a decade from now, so waiting for the publisher to completely devalue them doesn't make any sense. I don't feel like I'm being punished for buying close to the release date of a game.

I also feel like the shocking price drops and constant sales feeds into a cultural devaluation of games as a whole. Indie devs are definitely feeling the effects of this on PC and PS4, which is likely a big reason why they report massively higher day one sales on Nintendo's platform, where the player base doesn't see their games as PS+, humble bundle, or flash sale fodder to be ignored.

And, you know... Nintendo just makes games compelling enough that they can get away with it. Rockstar's games tends to do the same sort of thing, and it took a long time for the price of GTA V to really come down. And that's because the publisher knows that demand for the game will stay high for years to come. I do have to wonder what the pricing schemes of Sony exclusives would be like if they continued to sell incredibly well years after release.

Don't get me wrong: the benefits to Sony's approach are obvious, especially if you're coming in late to the console gen. But I also think, for people like me who tend to buy a limited number of games every year primarily at or near launch, the Nintendo approach makes sense as well.

@Ralizah Yeah, I guess I’ve become conditioned by Sony’s approach to cut the prices so it is an unrealistic expectation that all game prices should drop. Xbox and PC games tend to have the same devaluation, if not more so. But the second hand market should function on supply and demand economics though, I would think. Which I guess means that people don’t tend to sell back their Switch games nearly as often, which is maybe a good sign for someone considering buying. 🤔
And that’s part of my central issue - as an outsider looking in, I am completely unsure about the majority of first party Nintendo games. It is an enormous leap of faith for me to get into a world where I have no previous experience or preferences on the majority of games I’m looking at. I tried reading some reviews and such, but am still very hesitant to spend more money on taking a chance with a game when the alternative is a Sony game that I am almost certain I’ll enjoy. For example, if I get Super Mario Odyssey, Mario Cart, or Pokémon, I am very unsure I’ll really like the game but I’ll have to drop $60 for it and it may end up being a dud for me. (I’m thinking about my recent experience with Sonic Mania as an example where I just never was able to get into it) Contrast to a game like Death Stranding which I am considering paying $60 for at launch and I feel reasonably good with that decision because there is an slimmer chance I’ll not like it, based on my prior history with the Sony exclusives. It’s just less risk for me.
This is crossing over with the discussion we were having on another thread about pre-ordering, where I don’t mind paying a little more to get my favorite properties at launch. But with the Switch, I have no favorite properties on Nintendo yet. Right now I think the only gambles I’d take would be on Breath of the Wild, Octopath Traveler, and maybe Valkyria Chronicles 4 since the PS4 price isn’t dropping much on that yet. Mario Odyssey/Mario Maker 2, Splatoon 2, Super Smash Bros, or Mario Kart would be games I’d roll the dice on if they were $20 or so because of my uncertainty. Unfortunately they cost nearly three times that.

And I’m not sure what my tipping point is going to be on number of compelling games required in order to dive into the console cost... Maybe 3-4 ‘must-have’ games is enough to sell me on the entry fee of buying the unit. So $300 and then another $100 for a couple games means $400 is my entry cost and I just have to be completely compelled that I’ll like the games and system before I can invest that. So are Breath of the Wild and Octopath Traveler worth $400? I’m not sure. Especially with PS5 looming, and a PS4 backlog that can sink a battleship, it’s an even tougher decision to make. So every time I look at the Switch and start to toy with the idea of joining the Switch family, I chicken out. One of these days I need to just make an impulse buy. 😛

So...

You won't jump in to a Switch because you have no attachment to Nintendo properties but are willing to buy a new IP in Death Stranding just because "Sony"?

This also begs the question if you are unwilling to buy a Switch because you have no connection to Nintendo IP, what made you buy a PlayStation? Surely back then you would have been the same right? In fact I could argue buying a PS5 is more of a gamble as Sony loves to consistently cycle existing IP for new ones after only a generation or so. I'll likely have no connection to anything on PS5 when it launches, so would I buy that if there is a risk of a dud as is the case with every game?

Now as for the pre-owned prices, here in the UK Switch games are rather high albeit I put that down to it being Nintendo in the UK and who owns one of those right?

I think even when Nintendo isn't profiting, companies know they'll still fetch relatively Hugh prices.

Heck I remember some places sell pre owned Switch units for a higher price than new.

Oh, but if you want a cheaper Switch try Nintendo's Online US store for refurbs. They tend to be near perfect.

As for multiplayer games, yeah sure DOOM came out in 2016 and was full price on Switch in 2017. But Octopath came out in 2018 and is full price on PC now. In fact these days I'd say late ports will come at a premium regardless of system.

Now as for the sales, that's on the publisher. Sure you'll can argue Nintendo's first party titles don't drop far, but neither do many third parties, especially Western ones.

I imagine for them it's the old mentality of "This won't sell much, keep it high to make SOME cash".

Of course if it's feature complete why wouldn't it be full price?

Except EA. What they do with FIFA on Switch is horrible.

I say save up, as most do, then jump in. A new ecosystem is no easy commitment but also with PS5 next year maybe it's not worth it.

@Th3solution Or buy a Nintendo Switch Lite if you dont want TV play.

@Knuckles-Fajita Thanks for the advice and I wasn’t aware of the Lite. I think I would prefer the option to play on the TV also, however. Refurbished might be an option though.
But yes — as illogical as it sounds, I have more faith in Death Stranding than in Octopath because of the repeated enjoyment I have of the Sony published games and also of my experience with Kojima’s work. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a gamble. That’s why I haven’t pre-ordered, despite the wonderfully creepy option of having an infant-in-a-bottle to place on my desk. 😂 But, yeah.... waiting for reviews and seeing more gameplay is what I’ll do there.
But the point is one of familiarity and risk/reward. Every purchase a person makes is a risk/reward proposition. The burger from Joe’s burger shack may be horrible, but at $1.99 the barrier to try it is low. The Switch price isn’t terrible, it’s a competitive price at $300. But it’s the games afterward that seem out of proportion for my presonal risk/reward. I wish I had a friend with a Switch I could borrow so I could get hands on play.
And yes, PS5 is an uncertainty as well, but backwards compatibility has made it less of a risk to purchase that since the library carries over and I might sell the PS4 then.
Back when I adopted the PlayStation platform it was a gamble, but through the years I have stayed in the ecosystem and have a good feel for what I like in that ecosystem.

If things were reversed, and I was thinking about a PS4 and had no prior knowledge of what games it has to offer, I know I could come on here and easily get a recommendation of 20 games that are must-play for under $20 each. The recommendation thread is full of such instances.
Fact is, I don’t think there are any Switch games less than $30 or so, and the highest quality ones are $50-60, apparently.
By the way, it’s not a knock at the Switch, it’s just a revelation to me when I was shopping yesterday that it makes getting on board the Switch train a little tougher, that’s all.

@Th3solution You can find games significantly discounted on Switch. You just need to know where to look. Sales don't happen as often as they do for PS4 games.

https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitchDeals/ is a great resource if you want to snag games on sale. For used games, I'd opt for Ebay over Gamestop, personally. Find an auction sniper, input your maximum price for a game, and you'll probably be able to get a significant discount on something like Zelda.

Nintendo also does digital sales for its big games at least a couple of times a year. Usually for $20 off MSRP.

It sounds to me like you're more interested in the concept of owning a Switch than you are actually owning one, though. I have no idea what a "well-rounded gamer" is, but it doesn't sound like it's worth spending $300 on a console you don't really want.

@Th3solution I wasn't aware of the Lite either when I wrote that post. It was announced about 20 minutes later!

Yeah I've seen official Nintendo refurbs of 3DS and older, its damn good stuff.

If you look on the eShop you'll find loads of Switch games for under $30 though. Snipperclips, Tetris 99, BoxBoy + BoxGirl, and those are all Nintendo published.

There's pros and cons to both approaches. I rarely sell my games, actually, I never do, despite wanting to get rid of Star Fox Zero with a burning passion, it's still on my shelf. So I don't mind if games drop in price. I do like it when you can pick up a couple of ''old'' (relatively speaking; 3+ years) games for €15-20 each. So I'm much more inclined to buy stuff on PS4 than on Switch. I get the big Nintendo releases, but any third party game is PS4, and any B-tier Nintendo game (Mario Tennis, Kirby, etc.) I'll skip. Unless they come down in price, but I doubt it.

@Ralizah “It sounds to me like you're more interested in the concept of owning a Switch than you are actually owning one, though”
That could be true. I think part of my interest comes from the slow and painful death of the Vita and how any new releases are now completely dried up. I have some Vita backlog, but days are definitely numbered for the little guy.
And I guess the well-rounded part is being able to be in the conversation for all the different genre’s and play styles out there. Switch being the king of mobile play and many Japanese-centric series. PlayStation has a decent Japanese developed library, actually probably more in total than Switch, but the Nintendo properties are a segment of gaming that seems to me to be their own thing. Maybe as you say it’s the idea of it that I’m attracted to rather than the actual games and experience. If I really wanted to be in the ecosystem, a few dollars wouldn’t stop me — And it may not. We’ll see.

While I do like the hybrid functionality of the Switch, more often than not, I usually find myself playing in handheld mode. So I'm going to be gifting my launch Switch to my nephew and (hopefully) picking up a Pokemon special edition of the Switch Lite in November. I love the smaller size, D-Pad, and longer battery life.

I'll just chime in and say that refurb systems from Nintendo are a great deal. I snagged a Wii U for $200 in 2014 refurbished from Nintendo, and the thing has always worked like it's new.