The Switch Thread

[Keyrock]

So the rumored "Switch Pro" wound up being the Nintendo Switch OLED. Same processor as the vanilla Switch but double the internal storage (64 GB vs 32 GB), better audio (not sure if that means better DAC, speakers, or both), and a larger 7" OLED screen.

https://www.nintendo.com/switch/oled-model

I will undoubtedly cave and buy this since Nintendo has me by the balls with Shin Megami Tensei V. I'm also pretty excited for Metroid Dread and Bayonetta 3, assuming it's still happening, so it's not like I'll be getting it for just 1 game... Only mostly for 1 game. 

[Bartimaeus]

I really need to do some investigation and figure out some like good pre-10-appropriate games for my nieces. If anyone has any good ideas for games around that age range, please let me know, because I don't know crap about Switch games outside of Zelda and Mario (no, really: Cadence of Hyrule, Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, Super Mario 3D All Stars, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury, Super Mario Maker 2, Super Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening...and Umihara Kawase Fresh - so literally exactly one non-Mario/Zelda game, ).

Edited July 11, 2021 by Bartimaeus

[Keyrock]

@Bartimaeus There's Splatoon, which is about the most kid-friendly competitive shooter imaginable and Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, which is in the Mario Universe, but doesn't star Mario, and is an adorable puzzle game. That's all I got off the top of my head.

Back on the hardware side of things, I see a lot of people are disappointed by the Switch OLED, and I get it. I imagine they fell hook, line, and sinker for the rumors of a powerful new processor that would output at 4K. I never believed it; I thought it might have a slightly more powerful processor to help with a few of the games that struggle to maintain a steady framerate, but not a 4K-capable processor. It's certainly not worth upgrading from a vanilla Switch, but then mid-cycle upgrades never are IMHO, unless you can sell your old unit for enough to recoup most of its initial cost. For someone like me, though, who doesn't have a Switch yet, I might as well get the new model with the bigger and better screen, especially since I'll probably use it in handheld mode at least half the time.

[majestic]

I'll probably get one, as I'm suspecting hardware issues to be at the core of some of my less than stellar experiences. If nothing else, I can have my Switch for myself then, and give my old one permanently to my nephew. Who is 8 right now, and really into playing Hollow Knight, but I'm not sure I'd recommend that as age appropriate.

He's also really bad at it. The other thing he's constantly running around in is The Lost Ember, which is an animal based walking simulator that people either seemed to love or hate. I backed that as a Kickstarter project, but never got to play it (well, yet). He sure does have fun taking the form of various animals and run around in the game world, but from the looks of it other than following a storyline he's not interested in the game is nothing else than that.

I've also heard good things about Yoshi's Crafted World, but only second hand. It sure looks good.

Edited July 11, 2021 by majestic

[Keyrock]

If nothing else, hopefully the OLED model doesn't have the joycon drift issues some vanilla Switches had. I mean, I would hope more recently manufactured vanilla Switches as well as Switch Lites also have the drift issues solved.

[Bartimaeus]

1 hour ago, majestic said:

I've also heard good things about Yoshi's Crafted World, but only second hand. It sure looks good.

Yoshi games are basically like taking most of Yoshi's Island from the SNES, but then stripping everything that's even slightly difficulty from it. I kind of forgot about them because my experience with playing the one on the Wii U about put me in the grave because of how dull it is, but it'd be good for that age group for when they want something less challenging.

43 minutes ago, Keyrock said:

If nothing else, hopefully the OLED model doesn't have the joycon drift issues some vanilla Switches had. I mean, I would hope more recently manufactured vanilla Switches as well as Switch Lites also have the drift issues solved.

Seems like ever since the Xbox One came out, all my controllers have started to go bad in a very short time. It's super annoying.

Edited July 12, 2021 by Bartimaeus

[Jozape]

I don't care about the OLED but those white joy-cons look nice. Nintendo please sell them separately?

[Bokishi]

Yeah just preordered the dumb thing (been on a console binge lately). Walmart was out of white so I got the blue red one 

[Bokishi]

Also just got the new Zelda Skyward Sword. The button controls are not that good

[Bartimaeus]

1 hour ago, Bokishi said:

Also just got the new Zelda Skyward Sword. The button controls are not that good

They're not fantastic by any means, but they're way more efficient and effective than the Wii controls. And I can tell you as someone that tried to play the original on an actual Wii that not having to use motion controls to try to select things in menus is already a godsend and makes the game significantly less frustrating. Being able to skip cutscenes and speed up dialogue, not having to shake the Wiimote to do basic crap like go faster, being able to manually turn the camera instead of it always being auto-controlled...yes indeed, it's like the game is actually semi-playable now without a million different pointless annoyances that should've never made it past initial playtesting. You know what I really love, though? The sound of Link breathing heavily because that's what he does every time you hold down the A button to run for more than one second. And all these close-ups of characters' faces is enough to send shivers down my spine...

Spoiler

I, uh, don't know where I was going with this.

 

[Keyrock]

I just pre-ordered the white joycon model. I'm anti-pre-ordering when it comes to digital goods, but for physcal goods it's a whole different ball game because there is a legitimate availability question, especially given The Great Silicon Shortage of 2020. I'm 100% getting Shin Megami Tensei V (it's the reason I'm getting this handheld in the first place) and Metroid Dread.

[Pidesco]

I used to be a Cisco specialist but nowadays I use mostly HP Aruba. They can support PoE if you pay extra, but not Deadfire. 

[majestic]

26 minutes ago, Pidesco said:

I used to be a Cisco specialist but nowadays I use mostly HP Aruba. They can support PoE if you pay extra, but not Deadfire. 

That joke ain't half bad. Well done sir.

[Bokishi]

Should be getting my Switch OLED this week. It will sit nicely next to my PS5 and Xbox Series X. Too bad still no 4K output on the switch

[Keyrock]

1 hour ago, Bokishi said:

Should be getting my Switch OLED this week. It will sit nicely next to my PS5 and Xbox Series X. Too bad still no 4K output on the switch

I'm supposedly getting my Switch OLED "by Tuesday". I don't, however, have a PS5 nor a xXxBOxXx to put it next to, nor do I plan to possibly get one until a mid-cycle upgrade ala PS4 Pro. If nothing else, I'm curious to see how many more Xs Microsoft can cram into the name.

[Bokishi]

51 minutes ago, Keyrock said:

I'm supposedly getting my Switch OLED "by Tuesday". I don't, however, have a PS5 nor a xXxBOxXx to put it next to, nor do I plan to possibly get one until a mid-cycle upgrade ala PS4 Pro. If nothing else, I'm curious to see how many more Xs Microsoft can cram into the name.

Yeah the running theme right now for these new gen consoles is "your old games but in 60-120fps, fast loading, and raytraced shadows!" and I'm like bruh those shadows look no different to me

[Bokishi]

Hope you all enjoying your oled Switch! Mine is still held up on a freight boat in the LA Harbor…

[Keyrock]

10 hours ago, Bokishi said:

Hope you all enjoying your oled Switch! Mine is still held up on a freight boat in the LA Harbor…

I don't know if anyone is enjoying a Switch OLED right now outside of hardware reviewers that got sent one free for review. Mine is "delayed" that's as much information as is available to me. 

I'm done with buying hardware until this shortage and scalper bull**** blows over, assuming it ever does. I mean, look at PS5 and xXxBOxXx, nearly year old systems STILL virtually impossible to buy at retail price. We need some kind of cyber ninja to go around murdering scalpers, preferably slowly and painfully. 

Edited October 15, 2021 by Keyrock

[Keyrock]

My Switch OLED "shipped" today (I imagine labels were made and applied today and it will physically ship Monday). Supposedly it should arrive mid to late next week. Doesn't much matter since I'm on the road, so I won't be able to pick it up until a week later. Oh well, I should still have enough time to play Metroid Dread (I wish I was playing it now, but what are you gonna do?) before Shin Megami Tensei V comes out.

[Bokishi]

Yeah I got mine yesterday. I’m really liking the screen so far, it’s a bigger upgrade than I thought it would be. Just wish it got a gpu upgrade

[Keyrock]

My Switch OLED arrived a couple of days ago and fortune smiled on me today as my route naturally took me up I-85 through the Charlotte area with enough time cushion to drop the trailer at the tank wash (it's less than 8 miles from where I live), bobtail home, grab the package, and bobtail back. 

Anyway, I got the white variant, as opposed to Bokishi's red & blue variant. I don't have an OG Switch nor a Switch Lite to compare against but I can tell you that the OLED screen looks great; colors are vibrant and almost pop off the screen.

[Keyrock]

I usually play in handheld mode, but I decided to try the Switch docked (works great). I don't have a pro controller so I just used the joycons in the shell that turns them into a standard-ish controller. I'm sure the pro controller is better but I have no issues with the joycon controller; button are a bit small but it's perfectly comfortable in my hands. I'm pretty lenient with controllers, there have been very very few I've hated *cough* Wiimote *cough*. What really surprised me is how long the battery lasted. It went at least twice as long before the low battery alarm came up than my PS4 dualshock typically does (and did even when brand new). This is both praise for Nintendo and condemnation for Sony (seriously, splurge for a better battery next time, folks).

Edited October 24, 2021 by Keyrock

[Sarex]

45 minutes ago, Keyrock said:

condemnation for Sony (seriously, splurge for a better battery next time, folks).

It's even worse for the PS5 if you use their fancy vibrations.

[Keyrock]

1 hour ago, Sarex said:

It's even worse for the PS5 if you use their fancy vibrations.

Is it worth it? Is the haptic feedback life altering?

[Bokishi]

PS5 haptic vibrations are pretty crazy, letting you feel wind, rain, and grass. Also the triggers simulate recoil and resistance when you fire guns and arrows