Nintendo Switch

[Mchart]

I wouldn't consider it the best game ever.. But it's a really good game. Good enough that as more people hear about it and see it in action it's going to move a lot of Switch consoles.

 

[RanceJustice]

Public service announcement - Dbrand, one of the leading manufacturers of "skins" for devices and whatnot put out a long post on Reddit today, citing that the Switch - including the back of the console itself and the front of the JoyCons - has a "soft touch"finish that is very, very sensitive and easily marred. They even went so far as to say that they will likely not offer any skins for Switch items at all because the adhesive causes so much damage to it. (The link keeps getting messed up here by the board trying to load it as "media", so you may have to copy/paste it - reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitch/comments/5xc5si/warning_do_not_skin_your_nintendo_switch/ - Lets see if that works )

Pretty ethical of a company like Dbrand to actually make a statement like this early on, when they could have profited by ignoring or downplaying the issue. So do not use ANY, even "official/licensed" skins , like the PDP Zelda ones, until there has been a lot more investigation. Other manufactures may claim their skins are okay, but there have been reports of users to the contrary so better safe than sorry at this point.

Issue number 2 - Apparently, people are noticing scratches on their Switch, including on the screen, when it comes to placing it into the Dock! Its really asinine it should scratch so easily! Some suggest using some of the "softest" including packaging material (the cushy opaque stuff) to cover the screen and perhaps back of your Switch while plugging it into the Dock, at least until you have a screen protector! Some thought this may cause possible heat issues, but there's no proof of it now, but just keep checking it out. Edit: Some discussions on the issue and people using mini furniture pads to cushion the dock - reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitch/comments/5xgs2r/protect_your_switch_my_solution/ .

I have to admit I am rather disappointed with the finish on the Switch - fingerprints/oil marks from hands are present on the back of the casing with very little handling and the display seems to smudge easily, which is odd for something supposed to have 10 point multitouch; I don't see any actual scratches yet but I've babied the thing. Others have reported some dry skin collecting on the thumbsticks in a way it doesn't typically happen with other controllers. How could Nintendo think this was a good idea? Especially if they wanted to focus on kids, and people generally taking it everywhere as a portable system, this seems a MAJOR oversight. Usually Nintendo hardware is made very durable but perhaps the "Nintendium" mines have been running dry! Pretty much everywhere the "soft touch" material is found seems to be an issue. I can't see how Nintendo thought this would be a good choice, when in the past nearly all of their controllers and devices had durable finishes unlikely to be marred or easily collect fingerprints and even displays - like on the 3DS - were not easily scratched.

 

[Mchart]

Public service announcement - Dbrand, one of the leading manufacturers of "skins" for devices and whatnot put out a long post on Reddit today, citing that the Switch - including the back of the console itself and the front of the JoyCons - has a "soft touch"finish that is very, very sensitive and easily marred. They even went so far as to say that they will likely not offer any skins for Switch items at all because the adhesive causes so much damage to it. . Pretty ethical of a company like Dbrand to actually make a statement like this early on, when they could have profited by ignoring or downplaying the issue. So do not use ANY, even "official/licensed" skins , like the PDP Zelda ones, until there has been a lot more investigation.

Issue number 2 - Apparently, people are noticing scratches on their Switch, including on the screen, when it comes to placing it into the Dock! Its really asinine it should scratch so easily! Some suggest using some of the "softest" including packaging material (the cushy opaque stuff) to cover the screen and perhaps back of your Switch while plugging it into the Dock, at least until you have a screen protector! Some thought this may cause possible heat issues, but there's no proof of it now, but just keep checking it out.

I have to admit I am rather disappointed with the finish on the Switch - fingerprints/oil marks from hands are present on the back of the casing with very little handling and the display seems to smudge easily, which is odd for something supposed to have 10 point multitouch; I don't see any actual scratches yet but I've babied the thing. How could Nintendo think this was a good idea? Especially if they wanted to focus on kids, and people generally taking it everywhere as a portable system, this seems a MAJOR oversight. Usually Nintendo hardware is made very durable but perhaps the "Nintendium" mines have been running dry! Pretty much everywhere the "soft touch" material is found seems to be an issue. I can't see how Nintendo thought this was an issue, when in the past nearly all of their controllers and devices had durable chassis unlikely to be marred or easily collect fingerprints and even displays - like on the 3DS - were not easily scratched.

I have a Wii U and a number of 3DS's. The material on the switch is way more durable. It's not just glossy brittle plastic. Is it perfect? Is it an aluminum shell like a phone? No, but I frankly don't know how much better Nintendo could have made it unless they made it like a Toughbook or something with 1 inch of plastic on all sides.

I don't know how you could possibly say the 3DS wasn't easily scratched. Anyone who has owned a 3DS knows that the glossy plastic on most of the models is complete shit.

 

[RanceJustice]

I have a Wii U and a number of 3DS's. The material on the switch is way more durable. It's not just glossy brittle plastic. Is it perfect? Is it an aluminum shell like a phone? No, but I frankly don't know how much better Nintendo could have made it unless they made it like a Toughbook or something with 1 inch of plastic on all sides.

I don't know how you could possibly say the 3DS wasn't easily scratched. Anyone who has owned a 3DS knows that the glossy plastic on most of the models is complete shit.

I have a matte 3DS (Zelda model, Old 3DS XL) and it holds up rather well, doesn't seem to scratch with normal use or collect fiingerprints on day 1, and even if it did they could easily be wiped away - something that is not the case on most "soft touch" materials. I don't have a WiiU so I can't make that comparison. I didn't expect it to be aluminum, but I didn't expect it to be "soft touch" material either which can open it up to further issues. I was expecting it to be the kind of durable, matte polycarbonate one would expect from high quality (non-metal) smartphone chassis, or something similar to XboxOne/PS4/Steam controller (especially on the JoyCons). Those controllers and most phones can easily accept a high quality skin/protector etc.. without breaking down, so yeah... I think its notable that that doesn't seem to be the case with the Switch by these reports. Likewise, if the thing seems to be 'messy', easily smudged or scratched with average adult handling, especially related to core feature such as inserting it into and removing it from the Dock which is supposed to happen frequently, again it seems to be noteworthy.

Many people are reporting issues with the finish of one kind or another, so I urge people to be careful; its just surprising.

 

[Blackstone]

I jammed on that pro controller until 4:30 am. Super comfy. This thing is really interfering with my relationship with Battlefield 1 and my PC.

The word is there should be plenty of stock. I doubt there's going to be a shortage anyone who wants one of these things is probably going to be able to have one within a few weeks.

 

[Domingo]

Mine finally showed up last night at 8PM. I actually think UPS planned on skipping out on delivering it, but I called around 7 and pestered them about it since this is a regular occurance. Never seen a delivery truck in my neighborhood after 6 before and whoever delivered mine apparently did so via a personal vehicle.

Something about the entire UI on my television looks very upscaled. As in everything looks like it's actually 720p and scaled up to be 1080p...on a 4K television. It has that foggy/hazy look that heavily upscaled images do. I think the handheld version looks way better and sharper. That isn't shocking, but it's decidedly so. Audio is PCM again, so 5.1 streaming video is out the window again. For gaming that's irrelevant, though. 5.1 is as far as it goes, though.
You apparently can't choose to move data around once it's on your machine. It just chooses at random where downloaded games will go. In my case, Zelda is on the system storage.
Older Ethernet adapters still work, but mine claims that the download speeds are awful using it. Wireless was about 3x as fast per the connection status screen, so I guess that's what I'm sticking with for the moment.
I kinda like the simple UI and it's easy to operate. I was totally up and running in about 5 minutes. The system itself feels sturdy and nice, although the TV dock is a little light/cheap feeling by comparison.

Zelda's pretty impressive, but that foggy/upscaled look is a bit annoying. Graphics still feel like a distant 3rd behind the other consoles.

I'd say that it's pretty close to what I expected so far. Some good things, some bad. It does feel like a massive beta test a the moment, especially with the return of friend codes and how sparse everything is.

 

[Derangel]

Mine finally showed up last night at 8PM. I actually think UPS planned on skipping out on delivering it, but I called around 7 and pestered them about it since this is a regular occurance. Never seen a delivery truck in my neighborhood after 6 before and whoever delivered mine apparently did so via a personal vehicle.

Something about the entire UI on my television looks very upscaled. As in everything looks like it's actually 720p and scaled up to be 1080p...on a 4K television. It has that foggy/hazy look that heavily upscaled images do. I think the handheld version looks way better and sharper. That isn't shocking, but it's decidedly so. Audio is PCM again, so 5.1 streaming video is out the window again. For gaming that's irrelevant, though. 5.1 is as far as it goes, though.
You apparently can't choose to move data around once it's on your machine. It just chooses at random where downloaded games will go. In my case, Zelda is on the system storage.
Older Ethernet adapters still work, but mine claims that the download speeds are awful using it. Wireless was about 3x as fast per the connection status screen, so I guess that's what I'm sticking with for the moment.
I kinda like the simple UI and it's easy to operate. I was totally up and running in about 5 minutes. The system itself feels sturdy and nice, although the TV dock is a little light/cheap feeling by comparison.

Zelda's pretty impressive, but that foggy/upscaled look is a bit annoying. Graphics still feel like a distant 3rd behind the other consoles.

I'd say that it's pretty close to what I expected so far. Some good things, some bad. It does feel like a massive beta test a the moment, especially with the return of friend codes and how sparse everything is.

You'd be right about the UI upscaling. The Switch's UI is only 720p whether or not it'd docked.

 

[atom]

720p UI? This is why I dropped my fanboy status from Nintendo a long time ago. They just won't do shit the logical way. I have heard you have to pair it with a smart phone for online play.

 

[Damar]

As a note, you cannot back up the game saves off the unit. Though Nintendo's comment of "at this time", does mean they could add the ability later on. But for now, if the unit dies... so do your saves.

http://kotaku.com/nintendo-confirms-switch-save-data-cant-be-transferred-1792972788

Sometimes shit happens, like accidentally deleting a save file you’ve invested lots of blood, sweat, and tears into. Unfortunately, there’s no way to backup the save files for Nintendo Switch games. It seems hard to believe but Nintendo has confirmed that’s the case.

 

[Mchart]

Give it a couple months and a few OS updates and a lot of this stuff is sure to be patched in. Both the WiiU and 3DS received significant feature additions throughout their life and the Switch will be no different.

 

[pendragon1]

 

[Damar]

Give it a couple months and a few OS updates and a lot of this stuff is sure to be patched in. Both the WiiU and 3DS received significant feature additions throughout their life and the Switch will be no different.

I'd hope so. Was more just a note to those who are obsessed with making sure things are backed up. My best friends wife is that way and something like this would drive her insane.

I'll wait and see how things go before I snag one, as much as I'd love it for Mario Kart if nothing else.

 

[bpizzle1]

Going to have to cave and get a pro controller. My left joycon won't stay connected from my couch (maybe 7ft only) for more than a few minutes. Even when it connected, it has significant delay where it will continue your previous input. I'm shocked something this widespread and gamebreaking made it to launch. Hopefully it's a firmware fixable thing. Worst thing would be Nintendo having to give out a ton of free left joycons.

 

[Wrench]

Played Zelda on a 75" 1080p Vizio LCD. Looked fine to me. Played it out and about today as a handheld. Loved it, IMO this is where it shines. I'm pretty happy with it.

 

[jeremyshaw]

Yeah, even indoors, the Switch handles what I loved the Vita for: the ability to play wherever, whenever I wanted. No need to commit to the couch/TV or the PC.

Only, with Nintendo/Nvidia support (and both companies finally realizing they cannot continue down their existing paths), I hope this console will have legs the Vita never could and the 3DS never aspired to.

I'll see if I can pickup a Pro controller tomorrow.

 

[Slade]

I walked into a best buy and for some reason I left with a switch and zelda game. I feel mixed so far. In the early going, both the wife and I noticed some oddity with the left joycon. At least in a few instances did the control continue on with the last input direction. Ie Link walked to a ledge and started climbing and while in combat I was stuck backing up instead of trying to circle an enemy.

 

[Blackstone]

There is a known issue with the left joycon. Just use the pro controller for docked play. The pro controller is the way to go. Zelda + pro controller = bliss.

 

[Verge]

I find Zelda hard to play handheld, the right joycon is very uncomfortable. I'm hoping a company releases a grip or something to add extra volume too it.

 

[Domingo]

I ended up deleting Zelda and re-downloading it to see if it would install on my memory card...which it did this time.

My pro controller should be here today. No issues with the normal controller dropping inputs but it isn't particularly comfortable. The way I hold it makes me not really want to use the shoulder buttons or triggers. I can't explain it, but I think my grip just makes those buttons inconvenient or something.

The fact that full RGB is supported (unlike the WiiU) makes me want to reconfigure my setup to use full RGB again. If only the stupid ass Xbox One didn't have broken RGB it would be pretty easy now.

 

[Slade]

I relocated the Switch to be on top of my subwoofer instead of behind the tv and surrounded by my other consoles. The line of sight to my switch is now 6ft and not obstructed and it felt like I had no problems moving around and fighting compared to before. Comfort wise, the joycon is pretty much dependent on the person using it. I don't think I'll find myself dropping the coin for the pro at this point nor do I think I will find myself in a situation playing 20hrs straight without putting them in the charger on the switch itself. Since I plan on the local multiplayer later, I'm thinking of waiting to get the 4 controller charger stand and an extra set of controllers is a better investment.

Zelda played handheld is a mixed bag. It's weird to go from 60 inch to a tiny screen. It also is a bit weird to feel the fluidity of the game get better on the small screen (due to the res output drop). You're in an odd situation that you like how smooth it feels versus the big screen but find that the small size kinda off putting. I can't imagine how 4 player mario kart would feel played on a small screen.

 

[Domingo]

Performance with handheld Zelda is definitely better. While the docked version is 30fps maybe 80% of the time, there are moments where the framerate seems to plummet into the teens. I haven't seen that when it's portable.

 

[SeymourGore]

I wonder if they will add big screen 720p support at some point. I'd play it at a lower results for increased fps stability.

I'm curious how the wii u version plays. I believe it's at 720p.

 

[Mchart]

You can adjust the Switch to output at 720p and it does resolve the performance issues w/ dock mode, but the quality hit is noticeable.

The performance drops themselves are actually quite weird, and I feel like there is room for them to be patched out as they seem less related to the hardware hitting limitations and more related to weird software optimization issues.

 

[Blackstone]

Don't forget you can play undocked with the pro controller!

 

[jeremyshaw]

I ended up deleting Zelda and re-downloading it to see if it would install on my memory card...which it did this time.

My pro controller should be here today. No issues with the normal controller dropping inputs but it isn't particularly comfortable. The way I hold it makes me not really want to use the shoulder buttons or triggers. I can't explain it, but I think my grip just makes those buttons inconvenient or something.

The fact that full RGB is supported (unlike the WiiU) makes me want to reconfigure my setup to use full RGB again. If only the stupid ass Xbox One didn't have broken RGB it would be pretty easy now.

Ohhhh.... The Xbox one RGB out. Just use the reverse settings. TV/Standard range. Confirming with http://www.lagom.nl via the built in browser, this is the correct full color space (and no black crush) range for my monitor (which supports PC RGB via HDMI and 100% Adobe RGB color space...). Otherwise, blacks were so crushed as to make many games unviewable in many scenes.

Xbox color output settings have been broken since xbox 360.

 

[darkhunter139]

Mine shipped but it's not going to get here until Friday. One day before my wedding so I won't even have time to play until I get back from my honeymoon.

Should I bail?

 

[pendragon1]

zelda vs honeymoon...
thats an even tougher choice than zelda vs ryzen!

 

[Slade]

Randomly walked into a walmart and luck was on my side. They had a special edition Breath of the Wild on hand. So to recap: walk into best buy; walk out with a switch. Walk into a walmart next door to the bb the next night and get a special edition Zelda game.

 

[atom]

I just ordered a used 32gb Wii U instead. Can still get Zelda, and the thing comes with Mario Kart and Nintendoland as well. With the game will total $280. No joycon issues, no scratching issues, just stuck with 720p. Let's hope it's not busted when it arrives.

 

[Domingo]

Ohhhh.... The Xbox one RGB out. Just use the reverse settings. TV/Standard range. Confirming with http://www.lagom.nl via the built in browser, this is the correct full color space (and no black crush) range for my monitor (which supports PC RGB via HDMI and 100% Adobe RGB color space...). Otherwise, blacks were so crushed as to make many games unviewable in many scenes.

Xbox color output settings have been broken since xbox 360.

Yeah, with my Xbox One, no matter what I try - full RGB is busted. If I enable it on my TV, either the Xbox One crushes the blacks or it's so bright I have to reconfigure all of my visual settings on my TV for that single system. At this point I'm okay with just using RGB limited. It's what just about everything defaults to and I can see all of the different black boxes in the various RGB tests.

Been playing a lot of Zelda today. I have to say that it's a fine game, but the graphics really are pretty damn awful. I get that they're going for the pseudo-cell shaded thing, but it just comes off as blotchy. Lots of pop-in and FPS issues, too. Luckily it's a great game hiding in there. It's actually pretty challenging, too. Not sure if I like having my weapons break every 10 seconds, but I've come to grips with it. Hopefully the whole game doesn't end up as a massive micromanagement battle thanks to my stuff constantly breaking.

Anyone tried limiting your res to 720p to keep the FPS drop outs from happening? The tablet mode doesn't have them. Is that an option?

Oh yeah, the Pro Controller is fantastic. It's the only way to go when you're docked.

 

[vegeta535]

I actually saw some Switches in my local Walmart earlier yesterday while doing a little shopping. Was tempted to pick one up but meh it too much money atm for one game. I would probably play Zelda and give it to my nieces like I did with the Wii U.

 

[kirbyrj]

Randomly walked into a walmart and luck was on my side. They had a special edition Breath of the Wild on hand. So to recap: walk into best buy; walk out with a switch. Walk into a walmart next door to the bb the next night and get a special edition Zelda game.

I was not that lucky.

 

[atom]

Probably was display boxes, bro.

 

[Slade]

I tried playing at 720p on the TV. I had the same slowdown in the open fields as 1080p. I'm going to do more testing but when panning the camera on a hill near the temple of time, everytime I got death mountain into view, it had some fps loss.

 

[Domingo]

A combination of thick grass and really long view distances (especially death mountain) seem to be the FPS drop triggers for me. Occasionally it'll just be random, though. Luckily haven't had anything in a battle of any sort yet. I'd say they aren't a huge deal, but for a AAA title ported to a new system it's disconcerting.

 

[[L]imey]

I managed to snag one at the Target restock yesterday morning. Bought Zelda physical copy while I was there, bought 12Switch as a digital download when I got home (my 3 year old loves it).

So far, I really enjoy playing on my TV while using the joycons split so I can lay around and put my arms wherever it's comfortable. I did do a little portable mode last night while putting the baby to sleep, it works well enough, but the right thumbstick is a touch out of place for me (not unusable, just not quite as comfortable as my xb1 controllers I use for all pc gaming that requires controllers)

While yes, right now it's mostly a "Zelda Only" machine, some of my non-gamer friends have expressed interest in 12Switch for drinking events and I'm sure once we get Mario Kart in 6 weeks, they'll want to play that too. I'm also really looking forward to Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth. I was hoping we'd eventually get it for the 3ds, but I'll settle for the switch too. It's one of those games I love to play while on the go.

Between Zelda, BOI:A in 2 weeks, and then MK8, Splatoon, and Mario Odyssey at the end of the year, I'm quite pleased with the game lineup we'll have soonish. Not to mention if we get a proper FIFA, NHL, Madden and/or a new Monster Hunter, then yeah, take my money please.

So far, so good for a few day old toy. Hopefully tonight I can get some more Zelda time.

 

[Tyrsis]

Anyone buy a carrying case for their Switch? Waiting to see if there are any particular good ones before I make the plunge. It's not like a 3DS - I can't just toss it in my bag. It definitely needs a case.

 

[Domingo]

Anyone buy a carrying case for their Switch? Waiting to see if there are any particular good ones before I make the plunge. It's not like a 3DS - I can't just toss it in my bag. It definitely needs a case.

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Something compact but can still hold at least 1 set of L/R controls and an AC adapter. I don't see a ton of options yet, so I'm going to wait a few weeks. At my local stores they don't have much of anything at the moment. Amazon is showing a few items that look promising, but they aren't in stock yet.

 

[Wrench]

Anyone try using USB Ethernet adapters? Curious as to which ones work.

 

[Nytegard]

I think that's the main problem I have with the Switch to be honest. It's too small to really be a console, and too big to be a handheld. I've never really been a fan of tablets, and that's what the Switch is. (I still have one though.)