Topic: Nintendo Switch --OT--

@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.

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.