Nintendo Switch | Hardware Review Thread

Maybe it's mentioned in one the reviews but I'm STILL not clear on the headphones/headset situation when playing on a TV

As far as I know it doesn't support Bluetooth headsets...and there's no headphone jack on the controllers. So when Mario Tennis Switch or whatever comes out, how exactly do I use a headset to play the game and chat with my friends?
 
Salty Rice said:
Only in this thread you gonna see people defend Call Of Duty Ghosts.
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Honestly, I think there's a difference being asserted here between a game being a dissapointment in retrospect (which you're absolutely right about), and the support of that game that sold well actually being there in the first place as an option. The game was there, the game sold well. It's about the options available.
 
The lack of scope when it comes to AAA 3rd parties contributions to a consoles perception in this thread is funny. If you really think that Zelda is more important than Cod, AC, BF, Sports, etc, then I got a bridge to sell you.
 
darkazcura said:
Since when the heck did anyone ever compare a launching console to mid cycle consoles? We're we comparing the PS4 launch to 360's lineup games? Absolutely not.

I've seen this line of reasoning for a few weeks now, and it's pretty shocking anyone thinks it's reasonable.

It's all subjective anyway. I'm interested in more games at Switch's 'anemic' launch than I was for the entire first 6-8 months of the PS4's life.
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I don't think it should be compared to existing libraries when media outlets review it, but consumers will naturally compare it to existing libraries when considering a purchase.
 
Nice reviews. Basically confirms my personal thinking of: the hardware is definitely on point. And the hybrid nature is intriguing. Just needs some more games out (not in the near future, as we know they're coming).

Looking forward to some gaffers getting their hands on it and sharing their impressions!
 
bananafactory said:
Maybe it's mentioned in one the reviews but I'm STILL not clear on the headphones/headset situation when playing on a TV

As far as I know it doesn't support Bluetooth headsets...and there's no headphone jack on the controllers. So when Mario Tennis Switch or whatever comes out, how exactly do I use a headset to play the game and chat with my friends?
Click to expand...

This is probably where the phone app comes into play :(
 
Hoo-doo said:
When big gaming sites like Kotaku, Eurogamer, IGN, Polygon, CNET are all going 'yeah, you might want to wait this one out for a bit', i'd say that Nintendo certainly didn't hit a home-run in terms of day-one excitement and value. It certainly isn't blowing reviewers away.

That doesn't mean that it isn't going to sell great or be great when the games come out, but let's at least be honest in saying that most of the gaming press is pretty middle-of-the-road on the thing right now.
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But they're mostly saying that with regards to the games, not the hardware. I mean we all know the lineup so that part of the review is not really aimed at us. Outside of the left joy con issues, which, I believe DF/EG more here (you can call that bias, but you can also see my post history of stanning for EG), seems to not really be an issue. Outside of that and waiting for more games to appear the actual hardware is reviewing really positively.
 
Hoo-doo said:
When big gaming sites like Kotaku, Eurogamer, IGN, Polygon, CNET are all going 'yeah, you might want to wait this one out for a bit', i'd say that Nintendo certainly didn't hit a home-run in terms of day-one excitement and value. It certainly isn't blowing reviewers away.

That doesn't mean that it isn't going to sell great or be great when the games come out, but let's at least be honest in saying that most of the gaming press is pretty middle-of-the-road on the thing right now.
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They're writing from a neutral, average-consumer perspective, which is both necessary and understandable. Switch isn't a tried-and-tested value proposition like the PS4 was. And even at PS4's launch many outlets told consumers to wait and see.

That isn't to say that day one excitement or value isn't there; it just depends on your perspective. I think there's plenty to enjoy if you like indie games and you're eager to play Zelda BOTW.
 
Lifeline said:
I think a quick skim of the OP should give you an idea.
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I did a skim, but I'm still kinda confused what the consensus is tbh. Not meaning to be entirely lazy. ^^ There are a lot of reviews and I'm not sure I got a good sense of consensus since I didn't have time to read them in detail.
 
If the hardware is solid then surely you're left with whether you think the potential of the software is good. And as this will get decent support from Nintendo then that should be solid too (assuming you like Nintendo games)
 
VeteranGamer said:
but a problem nonetheless, no? why hasnt nintendo responded to potential solutions yet?
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VeteranGamer said:
from eurogamer.net



sounds bad enough to me...
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wait and see - the first batch of 3DS were a bomb too with the terrible battery problems. i was a part of that issue and the ambassador program. I've got Zelda on the WiiU to keep me busy to see how this all plays out i guess. Hoping for the best. We've seen hours and hours of Switch hands on events and the issue did not seem to be prevalent.
 
Hoo-doo said:
When big gaming sites like Kotaku, Eurogamer, IGN, Polygon, CNET are all going 'yeah, you might want to wait this one out for a bit', i'd say that Nintendo certainly didn't hit a home-run in terms of day-one excitement and value. It certainly isn't blowing reviewers away.
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To be fair, no console has really been worth buying at launch unless you're a hardcore fan. As an example, here are Kotaku's PS4 and Xbox One reviews from their launch dates:

PS4 (http://kotaku.com/the-playstation-4-the-kotaku-review-in-progress-1463521231)
I think you'll want one eventually. But, cool as the PS4 is, a lack of a must-play game means you can afford to wait. Do you need to have a PS4? Not yet.
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Xbox One (http://kotaku.com/the-xbox-one-the-kotaku-review-1467960010)
The Xbox One is trying some very cool new things, and it's launching alongside some very fun games. But there are so many rough edges, and the software feels incomplete. Do you need to have an Xbox One? Not yet.
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I wonder how many people are going to cancel their preorder based on the Wired and IGN review, only to completely regret it tomorrow when we get Zelda reviews?
 
Hoo-doo said:
When big gaming sites like Kotaku, Eurogamer, IGN, Polygon, CNET are all going 'yeah, you might want to wait this one out for a bit', i'd say that Nintendo certainly didn't hit a home-run in terms of day-one excitement and value. It certainly isn't blowing reviewers away.

That doesn't mean that it isn't going to sell great or be great when the games come out, but let's at least be honest in saying that most of the gaming press is pretty middle-of-the-road on the thing right now.
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this is what the big gaming sites say about EVERY console launch.

and what all fans say about every console launch.

and what pretty much everyone except for the retailers say about every console launch.

honestly, people (myself included) who participate in console launches are gluttons for punishment. Early hardware issues, the most expensive the console will ever be, poor launch titles, slow trickle of new games, and for modern consoles, poor online/system features..

I mean EVERYONE is better off waiting for EVERY console. But myself and others will still happily plunk down brand new MSRP to get the latest and greatest.
 
bananafactory said:
Maybe it's mentioned in one the reviews but I'm STILL not clear on the headphones/headset situation when playing on a TV

As far as I know it doesn't support Bluetooth headsets...and there's no headphone jack on the controllers. So when Mario Tennis Switch or whatever comes out, how exactly do I use a headset to play the game and chat with my friends?
Click to expand...

How do you feel about poorly defined workaround apps for your smartphone? Yours for an undisclosed price point at some point in the future.
 
Instro said:
How do you feel about poorly defined workaround apps for your smartphone?
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I know about the phone app but can you actually route the game audio through that too? I'm trying to imagine how you hear the game as well as the party chat when they have 2 different audio sources

Since I haven't seen an answer yet I'll just assume no one has any idea how this stuff will work and we have to wait
 
Hoo-doo said:
When big gaming sites like Kotaku, Eurogamer, IGN, Polygon, CNET are all going 'yeah, you might want to wait this one out for a bit', i'd say that Nintendo certainly didn't hit a home-run in terms of day-one excitement and value. It certainly isn't blowing reviewers away.

That doesn't mean that it isn't going to sell great or be great when the games come out, but let's at least be honest in saying that most of the gaming press is pretty middle-of-the-road on the thing right now.
Click to expand...

I've been around for console launches since the NES and I can't think of a single one were the consensus wasn't that people were better off waiting. You are always better off waiting to buy into a mature platform rather than one in it's infancy.

Hell, expand it from consoles and I can't think of any platforms at all were waiting wasn't the commonly prescribed move. Everything from Personal Computers to iPods to Facebook, all of them took time to build enough value to create a consensus that they are worth buying into.
 
koss424 said:
wait and see - the first batch of 3DS were a bomb too with the terrible battery problems. i was a part of that issue and the ambassador program. I've got Zelda on the WiiU to keep me busy to see how this all plays out i guess. Hoping for the best. We've seen hours and hours of Switch hands on events and the issue did not seem to be prevalent.
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Again I don't think those tell the whole story especially since it is an controlled environments plus I did see a couple posts that did say the issue seemed to pop up but nobody knew what caused it. With the small number of systems in journalist hands, it does seem to be a bigger issue.

Is it going to effect everyone? I doubt it but once it has launched is the determining factor of how widespread it is.

bananafactory said:
I know about the phone app but can you actually route the game audio through that too? I'm trying to imagine how you hear the game as well as the party chat when they have 2 different audio sources

Since I haven't seen an answer yet I'll just assume no one has any idea how this stuff will work and we have to wait
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I don't know if anyone has an answer for that, It might be something that has to be found out once the system has launched.
 
borghe said:
Thus the comparison to the PS4 is 100% valid, as the strongest PS4 games at launch were largely 3rd party multi-gen titles.
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So what? Battlefield, Assassin's Creed, Call of Duty and FIFA are huge. This attitude I've seen come from Nintendo fans since even the Wii U launched that somehow, a huge game like Battlefield is somehow invalid because it's multiplatform and third party is what's asinine.

Using the PS4 and Xbox One as justification for Switch's poor launch is absurd. They launched with some of the biggest titles of the year. The titles that the wider market buys these consoles for, all juggernaughts compared to Zelda. I mean, I'm a huge Zelda fan, but perspective is a wonderful thing.
 
BumRush said:
I don't think it should be compared to existing libraries when media outlets review it, but consumers will naturally compare it to existing libraries when considering a purchase.
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This is how I look at it too. Ps4 and xb1 are already more powerful systems with both having established online infastructure and a plethora of exclusives and third party games. Sure at launch the systems didn't have a lot of games, although the third party games that were out were pretty good, but consumers won't look at that. I think what Nintendo needs to do still is lower the price of the system and sell bundies this holidays to be somewhat successful against the big hitters.
 
BlastProcessing said:
I've been around for console launches since the NES and I can't think of a single one were the consensus wasn't that people were better off waiting. You are always better off waiting to buy into a mature platform rather than one in it's infancy.

Hell, expand it from consoles and I can't think of any platforms at all were waiting wasn't the commonly prescribed move. Everything from Personal Computers to iPods to Facebook, all of them took time to build enough value to create a consensus that they are worth buying into.
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exactly. the closest thing I can think of to "you must buy this" was OG iPhone (2007), and even THAT came with an asterisk that basically said "as long as you can afford it"

MatrixMan.EXE said:
So what? Battlefield, Assassin's Creed, Call of Duty and FIFA are huge. This attitude I've seen come from Nintendo fans since even the Wii U launched that somehow, a huge game like Battlefield is somehow invalid because it's multiplatform and third party is what's asinine.

Using the PS4 and Xbox One as justification for Switch's poor launch is absurd. They launched with some of the biggest titles of the year. The titles that the wider market buys these consoles for, all juggernaughts compared to Zelda. I mean, I'm a huge Zelda fan, but perspective is a wonderful thing.
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Go back and check the threads, this is NOT a Nintendo fan mentality. This was XBONE and PS4 launch threads saying this. I owned a PS4 day one, and the launch threads were something around

First party lineup is terrible
Top games are all multi-gen titles (which actually carried over to Holiday 2014 a little as well)
too many indies, not enough AAA
etc

There are some seriously rose tinted glasses in this thread on the PS4 launch. I don't own an XBONE, but I remember a ton of the same criticisms being launched against that also.

and hardware?? We don't need to look any further than the "DS4 might have some quality issues" thread that occasionally makes its way to the GAF front page at times. Or the infamous "stability" (stupidity).
 
borghe said:
this is what the big gaming sites say about EVERY console launch.

and what all fans say about every console launch.

and what pretty much everyone except for the retailers say about every console launch.

honestly, people (myself included) who participate in console launches are gluttons for punishment. Early hardware issues, the most expensive the console will ever be, poor launch titles, slow trickle of new games, and for modern consoles, poor online/system features..

I mean EVERYONE is better off waiting for EVERY console. But myself and others will still happily plunk down brand new MSRP to get the latest and greatest.
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This is well said. I bought Wii and WiiU at launch, but will wait on Switch for the reasons you stressed above.
 
BlastProcessing said:
I've been around for console launches since the NES and I can't think of a single one were the consensus wasn't that people were better off waiting. You are always better off waiting to buy into a mature platform rather than one in it's infancy.

Hell, expand it from consoles and I can't think of any platforms at all were waiting wasn't the commonly prescribed move. Everything from Personal Computers to iPods to Facebook, all of them took time to build enough value to create a consensus that they are worth buying into.
Click to expand...

True story, ealry adopters always get burned and are always the hardcore crowd. If you are happy accepting this, fair enough. (Im happy accepting this, 2 days to go!!)
 
Hoo-doo said:
When big gaming sites like Kotaku, Eurogamer, IGN, Polygon, CNET are all going 'yeah, you might want to wait this one out for a bit', i'd say that Nintendo certainly didn't hit a home-run in terms of day-one excitement and value. It certainly isn't blowing reviewers away.

That doesn't mean that it isn't going to sell great or be great when the games come out, but let's at least be honest in saying that most of the gaming press is pretty middle-of-the-road on the thing right now.
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It's like saying GAF isn't blown away by Switch's value, because you wrote this post. Ask me as a GAF representer and I'll tell you otherwise. These sites are made of people with different opinions. I saw the IGN video podcast this week and the staff was positive about the Switch. I saw the eurogamer video with the 2 completely different opinions about the Switch. And then there's all the reviews from Gamerevolution, The Verge, The Time, The Guardian, etc. which are hype.

They only had one game or so to test. No matter how GOTY it is, no matter how many indie games are coming, or 1st parties, it's reasonable for sole to recommend waiting. Wii U was a failure so that makes sense. As Gameblog reviewer said, it "feels" like planets are aligning, and that gamers have the desire to cole back to Nintendo with this system.

The more passionate reviewers want to see that happen. Collectively we can make it happen, the more successful it will be, the more games will come, and it will eventually increase value. So us early adopters are important. Waiting is good, we don't all need to be early adopters, as long as we are enough to initiate the virtuous circle.
 
Lothars said:
Again I don't think those tell the whole story especially since it is an controlled environments plus I did see a couple posts that did say the issue seemed to pop up but nobody knew what caused it. With the small number of systems in journalist hands, it does seem to be a bigger issue.

Is it going to effect everyone? I doubt it but once it has launched is the determining factor of how widespread it is.

I don't know if anyone has an answer for that, It might be something that has to be found out once the system has launched.
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that controlled environment can work both ways. Way more people and activity, way more systems in a room etc. My feeling is that it's not going to be an issue for most owners and that the next batch of Switch coming off the production line will have a stronger BT signal from joycon L
 
bananafactory said:
Maybe it's mentioned in one the reviews but I'm STILL not clear on the headphones/headset situation when playing on a TV

As far as I know it doesn't support Bluetooth headsets...and there's no headphone jack on the controllers. So when Mario Tennis Switch or whatever comes out, how exactly do I use a headset to play the game and chat with my friends?
Click to expand...

Only way right now is if your tv supports Bluetooth audio out.
 
spekkeh said:
No. There's one good systemseller. That's it. After that we have to wait till April/May. If you don't like Zelda there's really no point in getting it. The argument was that there was no systemseller at all for PS4, and this was widely stated at the time which people now want to forget because it doesn't fit their narrative
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Yep. I canceled my PS4 preorder a couple months out from launch for the same reason I canceled my Switch preorder a couple weeks out. There was just not compelling exclusives at launch. With PS4 I didn't care about better looking version of 3rd party games. I waited a few months until I got a good retailer (Costco) bundle deal (extra controller and year of PS+) after Infamous and Bloodborne where out.

Switch has Zelda at launch, but I'm fine playing that on Wii U. I'm undecided on Switch, and fine waiting and seeing how it sells and how the library shapes up for my interests. I likely won't buy it as early as I did PS4 as PS4 was going to be (and has been and will be) my main platform. I can wait longer for a better deal on a secondary platform that I'd rarely play more than 3-5 games a year on given how much stuff I struggle to keep up with on PS4/PC and how western games fit my current tastes more than Nintendo stuff (I won't play much Zelda until after Horizon for instance, hell even ME:A may suck me in and take precendence if I don't get to Zelda before then).
 
Distresssss said:
I want the Pro controller as a traditional controller and as my new PC controller since it works natively and has 40 hour battery life.
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no no, of course you want it. I wouldn't buy a Switch without it, because the JoyCon Grip thing looks completely insane. But the Pro controller is $70, $10 more than the (superior-looking imo) MSRP on PS4/Xbone, both of which routinely sell for $40. Both of which work on PC too fwiw.
 
bananafactory said:
Maybe it's mentioned in one the reviews but I'm STILL not clear on the headphones/headset situation when playing on a TV

As far as I know it doesn't support Bluetooth headsets...and there's no headphone jack on the controllers. So when Mario Tennis Switch or whatever comes out, how exactly do I use a headset to play the game and chat with my friends?
Click to expand...

This sucks,

I guess you're going to have to depend on your AV having headphone out. Not sure...
 
BlastProcessing said:
I've been around for console launches since the NES and I can't think of a single one were the consensus wasn't that people were better off waiting. You are always better off waiting to buy into a mature platform rather than one in it's infancy.

Hell, expand it from consoles and I can't think of any platforms at all were waiting wasn't the commonly prescribed move. Everything from Personal Computers to iPods to Facebook, all of them took time to build enough value to create a consensus that they are worth buying into.
Click to expand...

man... NES and Genesis.... ooof...you know what we had for Genesis? Altered Beast. And Thunderforce 2. Wikipedia says Golden Axe and Revenge of Shinobi, but I'm calling bullshit.... because I remember being at Suncoast Pictures at Christmas and basically seeing Last Battle and Super Hang-On as the only games I didn't have.. and I wouldn't have bought those if I fucking had Revenge of Shinobi and Golden Axe.

dmaul1114 said:
Yep. I canceled my PS4 preorder a couple months out from launch for the same reason I canceled my Switch preorder a couple weeks out. There was just not compelling exclusives at launch. With PS4 I didn't care about better looking version of 3rd party games. I waited a few months until I got a good retailer (Costco) bundle deal (extra controller and year of PS+) after Infamous and Bloodborne where out.
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you didn't wait a couple of months for Bloodborne. Bloodborne was spring 2015. Infamous is correct though.
 
IGN is a site that I have followed for years and I do mean years. There is not a day that goes by when I don't visit their site.

Having said that, I have to disagree with the Switch review. The numbers don't add up and they have become somewhat elitist assholes. Its a shame really, but they ooh and ahh over something and then in my opinion become overly critical on the hardware. Just seems a bit off and typical of what they are becoming. Sad really, of course.... its just their opinion.
 
maxcriden said:
I did a skim, but I'm still kinda confused what the consensus is tbh. Not meaning to be entirely lazy. ^^ There are a lot of reviews and I'm not sure I got a good sense of consensus since I didn't have time to read them in detail.
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Consensus is don't buy now unless you really want to play zelda and don't have a Wii U. Also a lot of these are review in progress, so gotta wait till the patch for a full opinion.
 
Half of these people are missing the point of the 3rd party launch lineup arguments that are the being made.

No one cares about the current quality of call of duty, or assassins creed, or madden, or whatever other big 3rd party game.

The point is that they existed on the other platforms when they launched.

Where is the switch version of For Honor?

Is Mass Effect releasing on Switch in a few weeks?

Those are new games! They didn't have enough time in dev cycle. Alright, let's cut them some slack.

Where are the big games from last fall? Are there any major 3rd party games coming to the switch any time soon?

Of course not, that would be like expected any major 3rd party to run on a shield tv.

Wait...

Edit : Forgive me.... I forgot about Just Dance
 
Hardware seems fine aside from the Joycon issue. I had no problems buying a PS4 at launch and I don't anticipate any problems with the Switch hardware either.
 
You can't bash PS4's launch for having cross-gen titles and then turn around and say Switch's launch is awesome because it has Zelda. That's absolutely a cross-gen port.

PS4 launch had games to appeal to all kinds of genre fans. Sports, shooters, open-world RPGs, classic arcade games... And the cross-gen games had serious visual improvements that really mattered. For a game like Fifa the jump to 1080p really affects the clarity of what you're seeing in a game invovling a small ball. Battlefield had 64 player online for the first time on consoles. And so on...

Switch doesn't have the breadth of choice the other consoles did at launch, doesn't have a killer exclusive and doesn't visually improve the cross-gen games to the level you'd expect a new home console to.

On the other hand, it's an amazing handheld and having played Zelda on Wii U it's an incredible launch title for a system - phenomenal. I just think the comparisons to PS4's launch do it no favours.
 
Lifeline said:
Consensus is don't buy now unless you really want to play zelda and don't have a Wii U. Also a lot of these are review in progress, so gotta wait till the patch for a full opinion.
Click to expand...

Thank you. When is the patch coming? Later today?

Is there a comparison somewhere yet of Zelda on Wii U or Switch? I imagine if it runs much better on SW that's an incentive also.
 
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