Just got a Switch and I am surprised

It feels more premium than previous Nintendo systems though, specially compared to the Wii-u. Not as durable, but that's not saying much, they could make it titanium and the original Gameboy would still be more durable.

Sticks are shit, rails for controllers are not great and ergonomics are crap. But it's well built for what it is.

Also, it's serviceable if needed which is saying a lot for the form factor they went with.
 
I used a switch for the first time last month, my friend got it. It seemed smaller than what I was expecting, it was an OLED and now I wonder how much more smaller Lite is. Most weird thing for me was that joycons felt a bit filmsy and rocked a bit when attached to the main tablet.
 
It has the games I want to play which is why about the system same reason I buy any system, as long as the system doesn't break down then I'm happy.
 
Kacho said:
The HORI split pad pro was a game changer for me in portable play. Can't use the joycons for more than 10 minutes before my hands start cramping up.

hori-nintendo-switch-split-pad-pro-daemon-x-machina-edition.jpeg
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This is the way,i have the same in red.
 
amigastar said:
I've owned the SNES, N64 and Gamecube and DS, 3DS at some point. Probably gonna jump on the Switch 2 when it comes out, skipped the Wii, Wii U and Switch console. That being said i really like the design of the Switch. It looks really nice.
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Looks =/= build quality
 
Probably should've just gone with Switch Lite if you were gonna be handheld only anyway. At then you's have a proper D-Pad.
 
I just bought an OLED Switch a few days ago. I am actually impressed with the build quality of the device itself. It's nice and solid. Sure the Joy Cons' quality kinda suck, but that's been a thing since day one. Same applies to the dock. I picked up a Terios controller with Hall Effect sticks for 30.99€ on Amazon and I'm receiving it tomorrow.
 
Yeah, the Switch (the Joycon in particular) has the worst build quality of any console I've ever owned (I've owned two of them, an OG and my current OLED). Still a great little machine though.
 
Bernardougf said:
The switch will be my last Nintendo hardware untill they choose to comeback to the premium space since they charge exactly that PREMIUM .. its a pos hardware with ugly as fuck games (with good art direction) that survives on drooling nintendo fans that will defend this shit to the death and at the same time wet their paints with passion everytime a ludicrous rumor about top of the line hardware comes around for the Switch 2 showing all their hypocrisy.

I can live without playing their 5 to 6 exclusive new games they will launch for switch 2. But will not give them money for something outdated since the getgo.

I know your nints are going to be very angry with this.. but it is MHO so dont @me.
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troll 1986 GIF by absurdnoise
 
Rygar of Argus said:
I just bought an OLED Switch a few days ago. I am actually impressed with the build quality of the device itself. It's nice and solid. Sure the Joy Cons' quality kinda suck, but that's been a thing since day one. Same applies to the dock. I picked up a Terios controller with Hall Effect sticks for 30.99€ on Amazon and I'm receiving it tomorrow.
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Update: I got the Terios controller today. It is HORRENDOUS. Avoid at all cost. It has the worst input lag out there. Like .25 seconds.
 
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I feel like "build quality" here is getting mixed up with some other stylistic preferences.

Other than the stick drift problem (...and my Quest 2 has the same damn thing, plus both of our PS5 controllers have issues, one with the headphone jack breaking almost at launch and the other a misbehaving shoulder trigger) the overall quality and design of the product feels excellent.

But it aims for a very different style than something like the PS5, and perhaps you don't associate this more playful device design with quality.
 
lostinblue said:
It feels more premium than previous Nintendo systems though, specially compared to the Wii-u.
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I disagree with this. Wii U was simply better built, designed better. Gamepad and Pro Controller had good ergonomics and worked well, good sticks, good d-pads, the charging stand for the Gamepad fits perfectly, Pro Controller has excellent battery etc...

Outside from the main tablet which is okay on Switch, everything is cheap and prone to issues. The stand is garbage, the console wiggles inside it. The rails to put the joycons will get loose after enough use. Sticks will drift. Joycons will disconnect. Joycon quality is bad, with super cheap plastic. The button layout on the joycons is abysmal because they wanted to have them usable as individual controllers. D-Pad is a complete joke. Pro Controller d-pad is awful as well. The piece of plastic for tabletop mode is ridiculously small. HDMI cable is super short too.

Unboxing a black Wii U really felt like having a good quality product, with everything that was well thought out. The Gamepad doesn't have the best quality screen of course and really that's the only thing were Switch feels better, but being a handheld at heart, it was the least it could do. Gamepad was still good enough as a secondary screen, and really nice to play all the retro games from the eShop. GBA games look very good on it. Unboxing a Switch feels like opening a toy. I was there day one for both systems.
 
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cireza said:
I disagree with this. Wii U was simply better built, designed better. Gamepad and Pro Controller had good ergonomics and worked well, good sticks, good d-pads, the charging stand for the Gamepad fits perfectly, Pro Controller has excellent battery etc...

Outside from the main tablet which is okay on Switch, everything is cheap and prone to issues. The stand is garbage, the console wiggles inside it. The rails to put the joycons will get loose after enough use. Sticks will drift. Joycons will disconnect. Joycon quality is bad, with super cheap plastic. The button layout on the joycons is abysmal because they wanted to have them usable as individual controllers. D-Pad is a complete joke. Pro Controller d-pad is awful as well. The piece of plastic for tabletop mode is ridiculously small. HDMI cable is super short too.

Unboxing a black Wii U really felt like having a good quality product, with everything that was well thought out. The Gamepad doesn't have the best quality screen of course and really that's the only thing were Switch feels better, but being a handheld at heart, it was the least it could do. Gamepad was still good enough as a secondary screen, and really nice to play all the retro games from the eShop. GBA games look very good on it.
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I agree.


The only console I've owned that has malfunctioned is a Switch OLED that lost all bluetooth and wifi functionality (not even the joycoins work unplugged) literally13 months into it's lifetime, Nintendo wanted $200 to fix so I just shelved it and will install a mod chip on it eventually for homebrew. I also had to send my original launch joycons to Nintendo for a swap due to drift.
 
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cireza said:
I disagree with this. Wii U was simply better built, designed better. Gamepad and Pro Controller had good ergonomics and worked well, good sticks, good d-pads, the charging stand for the Gamepad fits perfectly, Pro Controller has excellent battery etc...

Outside from the main tablet which is okay on Switch, everything is cheap and prone to issues. The stand is garbage, the console wiggles inside it. The rails to put the joycons will get loose after enough use. Sticks will drift. Joycons will disconnect. Joycon quality is bad, with super cheap plastic. The button layout on the joycons is abysmal because they wanted to have them usable as individual controllers. D-Pad is a complete joke. Pro Controller d-pad is awful as well. The piece of plastic for tabletop mode is ridiculously small. HDMI cable is super short too.

Unboxing a black Wii U really felt like having a good quality product, with everything that was well thought out. The Gamepad doesn't have the best quality screen of course and really that's the only thing were Switch feels better, but being a handheld at heart, it was the least it could do. Gamepad was still good enough as a secondary screen, and really nice to play all the retro games from the eShop. GBA games look very good on it. Unboxing a Switch feels like opening a toy. I was there day one for both systems.
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Gmepad had the full sized controls. But it wouldn't work for them as a pure handheld. IT's too big and a bit clunky. It also had the luxury of not having to run games natively so it weighed much less than it would if it were a true handheld.

You really need to compare Switch to 3ds I think. Handheld to handheld. That's really where it was much improved including controls.

And I like a lot about the joycons. The buttons are super clicky and my thumb covers all 4 so I can easily hit any button without lifting my thumb. I like the speed that gives with minimal effort.

The joycon sticks... also are more responsive/quick in practice because they have a shorter throw to full throttle. The downside is they are less accurate/precise. If you're walking on a ledge ...it's much more iffy with a joycon than the Pro controller.

I don't like the joycons as mini-gamepads. Too tiny. And the 2 buttons in the front when sideways are too mushy with the straps or too hard to press without.

I was bugged by no dpad but I haven't thought about it at least in recent memory. I guess it does the job good enough.

The bumper buttons seem a little sensitive on the joycons. They seem to activate accidentally for me too often. Maybe just due to the small size (of the controls) that I accidentally can't help hitting them sometimes.

As far as the rails, yes the whole thing is less rigid due to them. Tradeoff to having detachable controllers. We have a Switch Lite too and the one piece (rigid) controls and the dpad are 2 of the positives over the Switch.



But there's room for improvement next gen. I don't know if they can go full sized controls or not. Maybe they can do multiple skus. Gets expensive to have to buy a Pro controller too. I don't know if they can get away with that tax again so soon. lol.
 
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Sleepwalker said:
I agree.


The only console I've owned that has malfunctioned is a Switch OLED that lost all bluetooth and wifi functionality (not even the joycoins work unplugged) literally13 months into it's lifetime, Nintendo wanted $200 to fix so I just shelved it and will install a mod chip on it eventually for homebrew. I also had to send my original launch joycons to Nintendo for a swap due to drift.
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I've sent in pretty much all my Nintendo platforms for repair in recent memory ...2DS, Wii, Wii U, 3ds, Switch, ...

Haven't paid anything ...knock on wood.
 
I've heard the Hori Joycons are the way to go. We have a Switch in the house (son's) and the joycons make it unplayable for me. Haven't broke down and bought the Hori's for it because he left the zelda cartridge at his friend's house. It's a cool console though. If the OLED version had man sized Joycons of decent quality I'd buy it tonight. Hopefully Switch 2 meets my controller needs. I'll be there early if it does and has full BC.

TBH, any console maker who announced "all future consoles will have BC" would get a lot of money from me.
 
Feel Like I'm On 42 said:
Switch Oled fixed all the problem of Switch build quality except for the joy con's. It doesn't feel cheap like the OP says.
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Agreed. I had both the original Switch and the revision. I was nervous taking it outside the house and even just playing in handheld mode. With the OLED, it feels solid, so I have no qualms about carrying it around.
 
I will absolutely concede the dock feels like a cheap piece of fucking plastic (which it is honestly), but I don't feel like anything else feels cheap, especially if you held the Wii U gamepad. As much as I enjoyed the Wii U the lightness of that gamepad did feel cheaply made, but I don't feel the same at all holding a switch. Hope you enjoy the console! Loads of great stuff to play!
 
I own a Switch Lite and the OLED model. Both are flimsy, feel fragile and cheaply made, glorified mobile tablets. The Wii U Gamepad feels like a tank compared to this. I had to buy the Hori controllers because the included Joycons were made for hamster hands. The only thing saving this platform is its software. Proving once again software is king.
 
tr1p1ex said:
was bugged by no dpad but I haven't thought about it at least in recent memory. I guess it does the job good enough.
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This point I really disagree with. It depends on the games you play I suppose. For 2D fighting games, shmups or for example Streets of Rage 4, it's simply not good enough.
 
It can't be any worse than PSVR2, though. It's nice that it's lightweight so it doesn't put a strain on my neck like Quest 2, but that plastic casing is just the worst. It feels like it would just creak and shatter if I squeezed it hard enough.

I don't know if anyone but European bros will remember this, but back in the 90s we used to have these cheap-ass handhelds called Brick Game that had Tetris on them and sometimes a bunch of other monochrome games too. Let me tell ya, even those cheap pieces of shit felt more sturdy than the majority of "premium" gaming electronics coming out today.
 
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kittoo said:
At how poor the build quality is of everything in here (apart from the OLED screen). Every single thing (controllers, dock, sensors) feels made of cheap plastic. Compared to PS5 I was really taken aback when I opened the box and held these things.

I dont mind it much though, just surprised. I bought it mainly for portable games as I will be away from home for a couple of months or so. Got both Zeldas for now so pretty excited about playing those. Will go through exclusives and sell it again, or thats the plan.

Also, on a big TV Breath of the wild looks really bad (kinda expected though). I am not planning on playing it on TV much so thats not a big issue for me. Even in handheld mode on that small screen there is aliasing.

Still plenty excited. This thing will be my companion when I am away from home. Never thought I would own a Nintendo console but here we are!
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Great pick up. Some absolute bangers on the Switch. Mind you I mostly use it as a co-op console with the Wife and kids. Had some great times playing together. Can't wait for co-op Mario wonder. I have been pretty disappointed with the joy-con drift, which has been apparent on all versions I've purchased. Mind you I'm also less than impressed with the Series controller build quality as well. Enjoy!

Edit: pro controller is god like and has a battery life that never quits.
 
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_Ex_ said:
Both are flimsy, feel fragile and cheaply made, glorified mobile tablets.
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That's exactly what they are, so the comparison makes perfect sense. You can buy a brand-new Switch Lite for less than $200, meaning that the production costs are WAY lower to ensure that Nintendo makes a profit with each device sold.
 
First time i touched the dock and the joycons i suffered a charlon heston cowboy laugh seizure for half a day.
 
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Banjo64 said:
Have to say I have no idea what you mean - PS5 is made with recycled crisp packet plastic and comes in a flimsy box tied up in elastic bands. The Oled is a premium device all over.
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I also don't understand, the PS5 has really a poor quality build, worst Sony machine since PS3 slim. The consoles is too big just because the architecture, design and built was not well thought, so they just made it as big as possible to put as much heatsink and a fan as big as possible. The PS5 screams laziness when we talk about build quality.

Well I guess after the PS4 Pro having a lot of problem with temperatures and fans noise they went pretty extreme with the PS5 to not take any risk about it but... That is a bit stupid.

The controller is awesome, the haptic feedback is great but the build quality is also quite average (better than the console though), a controller with 4 to 5 hours of battery life is ridiculous, I know people always say "huh anyway I can't play more than that in a day, I've a life bro".

I love the Switch build quality, the screen is obviously marvelous but the joycons are pretty solid imo (I know about drifts but I haven't experienced any drifts on any joycons in 7 years, and I've just had 4, 2 pairs), I've had drifts on PS4 controllers and Dualsenses too, got them replaces fast though. Never had any drift with an Xbox controller.
 
cireza said:
I disagree with this. Wii U was simply better built, designed better. Gamepad and Pro Controller had good ergonomics and worked well, good sticks, good d-pads, the charging stand for the Gamepad fits perfectly, Pro Controller has excellent battery etc...

Outside from the main tablet which is okay on Switch, everything is cheap and prone to issues. The stand is garbage, the console wiggles inside it. The rails to put the joycons will get loose after enough use. Sticks will drift. Joycons will disconnect. Joycon quality is bad, with super cheap plastic. The button layout on the joycons is abysmal because they wanted to have them usable as individual controllers. D-Pad is a complete joke. Pro Controller d-pad is awful as well. The piece of plastic for tabletop mode is ridiculously small. HDMI cable is super short too.

Unboxing a black Wii U really felt like having a good quality product, with everything that was well thought out. The Gamepad doesn't have the best quality screen of course and really that's the only thing were Switch feels better, but being a handheld at heart, it was the least it could do. Gamepad was still good enough as a secondary screen, and really nice to play all the retro games from the eShop. GBA games look very good on it. Unboxing a Switch feels like opening a toy. I was there day one for both systems.
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I respect your opinion, but I still feel Switch is more premium.

I tried to outline the difference between sturdy and premium on my post, the main point is that yeah... I don't think "premium" these days is that sturdy.

And certainly no company is designing sturdy over thin.

So you are never going to get something durable like the Wii U again. But I still feel the "build" is more intricate and modern, and has more "material feels" either due to material differences (metal next to plastic) or texture, if that makes sense.

I don't necessarily value those things. (I still use a Wii U pro controller with my switch over anything sold for it)
 
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I thought my splatoon 3 oled edition looks brilliant, maybe can understand the lite looking cheap, for me my ps5 looks cheap and sounds it with the clickerty fan , although do agree on the dock looking cheap, hopefully on the next one they dont have the front of the dock there
 
Rygar of Argus said:
That's exactly what they are, so the comparison makes perfect sense. You can buy a brand-new Switch Lite for less than $200, meaning that the production costs are WAY lower to ensure that Nintendo makes a profit with each device sold.
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And just like a cheap mobile device, the battery design isn't made to be consumer replaceable. Not ideal for a portable one might like to play for many years, for it to have a continuously capacity-diminishing lithium-ion battery, that's not consumer-friendly to replace.
 
GHG said:
Allow me to remind everyone of how my PS5 arrived:

U4NPKPe.jpg


The packaging on that thing was an absolute joke.
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Did they change the packaging? I got mine in early 2022 and it was in a premium box, it was disc version and in USA though so maybe that is the difference. Very sturdy box, Its up in the attic with my ps3 and ps4 boxes.

The box you got looks like shit. I wonder if they changed it do to esg pressure.. Wouldn't surprise me. That shit ruins everything.
 
Shadowstar39 said:
Did they change the packaging? I got mine in early 2022 and it was in a premium box, it was disc version and in USA though so maybe that is the difference. Very sturdy box, Its up in the attic with my ps3 and ps4 boxes.

The box you got looks like shit. I wonder if they changed it do to esg pressure.. Wouldn't surprise me. That shit ruins everything.
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I got mine on launch day via amazon, that was how it arrived.

No idea if they've changed the packaging since. ESG isn't really an excuse, you can still have high quality packaging using recyclable materials. Apple are very good when it comes to that sort of thing.
 
blacktout said:
Yeah, I've had my Switch since June 2017 and the only build-quality problem I've had with it is joycon drift. Everything else has held up well to hundreds and hundreds of hours of use, both docked and undocked.

That said, stick drift is a fucking nightmare. I have two pairs of joycons and have sent both back for repair. It's a must-fix issue for the next Nintendo system.
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Thankfully Nintendo fixes them for free, they even pay for shipping. I had 1 replaced for drift and 2 replaced for broken l3 buttons. They replace them for free. Now they were standard colored joycons, and instead of repairing they just gave new ones. don't know what they do with limited edition cons like the monster hunter or totk cons.

They are fragile though, at least they protect the switch if dropped and can be replaced. It would suck if they were attached to the switch and non removable. I can't imagine having to ship back my switch every time the joycon has issues. I bet Nintendo would have a class action suit if that were the case.
 
justiceiro said:
That's why I say switch is just a Wii u over hyped. Yes, it does looks better, yes does it cost more, but everything else is the same one prettier package.
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Says someone who never used a Wii U in their life and must have compared them by looking at a photo
 
Had no built quality problems with my OLED model so far. Now the DualSense on the other hand, is a badly build piece of shit (especially for the money they want for it), very much like its predecessor controller (DualShock 3, 2 and 1 were pretty good, though). But the PSVR2 is very nicely built indeed. Maybe even the best HMD from a build quality point of view on the market.
Can't say anything about the XSX or the PS5 (I think the PS5 is ridiculously massive)

The best built controller I have ever owned was the original Xbox Duke controller. I got into a physical fight at a Xbox-Link LAN party (we played Halo and Halo 2) and used that thing to defend myself. And to this very day, the controller still works.
 
BlackTron said:
Says someone who never used a Wii U in their life and must have compared them by looking at a photo
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Where the fuck did that came from? I literally played some Botw yesterday on mine. That's why I made such claim. I looked at prices and looked at the games. I won't get a entire new console just to play games double the price because they added 5% more content. I don't play consoles because they look "sleek", I play because the games are worth it.
 
You should probably get your hands on the system before you buy it.

Just walk into a major retailer and see if you can touch the console you want. Don't ever purchase a major system like that blind.

Consider it a lesson learned.
 
justiceiro said:
Where the fuck did that came from? I literally played some Botw yesterday on mine. That's why I made such claim. I looked at prices and looked at the games. I won't get a entire new console just to play games double the price because they added 5% more content. I don't play consoles because they look "sleek", I play because the games are worth it.
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Ok, ok. I assumed you were a Switch player who never played Wii U. Usually a safer assumption than a Wii U player who hasn't played Switch.

It's true that Switch has Wii U to thank for many of its hardest hitting games, but it's also true that the two systems are extremely different. Wii U is a DS for your TV and Switch...isn't.

A big part of the draw in Switch is in the name (it switches). Having that ability to undock it to turn it into a handheld seamlessly turned out to be overall more useful than having to switch looking between the TV and a screen in your hands during gameplay.

Even if it had half the same games, this change is not only beyond the scope of "looking sleek", it's a fundamentally different console that both adds and subtracts features from Wii U that changes how games are played. For better or for worse, the same they ain't.
 
I got a switch this summer and am totally loving it. I usually buy systems early on, but the wii kind of killed me for Nintendo for a bit. I'm currently playing on series X and PC (3080) so I thought the graphics would suck, but I'm liking them. I was concerned buying so late in the cycle, but this was a great purchase, with lots of great games to play and quite a few more on the way.
 
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