Support NeoGAF

[Kuni]

Had a quick read of IGN and Kotaku's reviews there and as I feared the lack of attention to detail polish is rearing its head again

Damn, what a shame. Things like not being able to use headphones, charge the joycons in the grip or charge the switch in tabletop mode are just a bit disappointing. Add it all up and it reminds me of the Wii U and all of its little shortcomings. Death by a thousand cuts.

Thankfully they can address a few things easily. Put the charging grip in the box, update to support Bluetooth headphones, fix the joycons sync issue and so on but things such as the Switch draining the battery by 12% in the dock? Gah, disappointing.

 

[LordOcidax]

Reviews looks good. Cant wait.

 

[ckaneo]

Looks about what I expected. Also the amount of people canceling pretty orders is probably 0.

 

[Fess]

GameXplain's review was fantastic, very level-headed reviewer, genuinely hyped about the good but still concerned about the bad stuff. Everybody should watch it!

 

[iFirez]

IGN Review in Progress. - 6.7 (not final)

I do think this is a bit harsh. I've used a Switch for 2 hours before and while that is considerably less time than these reviewers, I think it is a much better piece of hardware than a 6.7. It's a million miles better than the build quality of the Wii and Wii U. It feels premium, comfortable and unique. It's not quite Xbox One Elite Controller levels of quality but it's on par with that of the Xbox One standard and Dual Shock 4. It's got grippy sticks, clicky buttons and firm triggers. The Pro Controller is probably one of my favourite controllers ever too.

I wonder if this reviewer dislikes the portability of the system or the console portability of the system and can't see how magical of a marriage the two are in the Switch.

The only thing I can't comment on is the OS, which should improve with the Day One update.

 

[GregLombardi]

Most reviews seem very positive and hopeful, and also note the challenges in the system and what it brings to the table. About what I'd expect at this point.

 

[JB2448]

wow so in general ppl are saying the hardware is straight up amazing .....

Posts like this are just as vapid and non-constructive as posts like this:

oh wow, that's disappointing.

I see both types more and more often and these threads and it's just really frustrating.

The negative aspects of these reviews all highlighting the lack of online access makes sense and is 100% on Nintendo, doubly so because of the lack of effective communication about what the day 1 update entails. You can't go on Nintendo.com or any of its official press or social media channels in order to find out what to expect from it. Outside of this Nintendo Everything article, they haven't seemed to communicate about it whatsoever. This lack of communication being reflected in evaluating the Switch is accurate to what journalists received.

That being said, the praising of the hardware all pertains to its primarily advertised function. It performs just as it needs to. That's pretty exciting in relation to the play style possibilities.

 

[Rodin]

Digital Foundry's review is absolutely fantastic in highlighting both the strenghts and the drawbacks of the console, everyone should watch it. It's one of their best videos yet.

I'm still in absolutely fucking disbelief about the UI being rendered in 720p on the TV. What in the actual fuck were they thinking, this may be the most stupid thing they've ever done (which is saying a lot) if they don't address it with a system update. There's just no reason for this to happen other than them being fucking lazy as fuck.

 

[Vena]

Let me tell you about a thing called "personal agenda"

It has far more to do with confirmation bias than sinister agendas. People just want to hear what they believe and seek it out, parrot it, and then chain the confirmation bias further onto the next person looking for confirmation of their opinion.

 

[GODREALMS]

None of these reviews told me anything I didn't already know.

Switch is a day one purchase for me, and I will have no regrets. Zelda: BotW is amazing and the Nintendo Direct we saw yesterday was exciting.

It seems to me that the negative comments ignore the vast potential the Switch has and is on track to fulfill.

 

[KevinG]

Stephen Totilo posted his view as a comment in the Kotaku review.

http://kotaku.com/my-experience-with-the-switch-is-a-little-different-tha-1792850780

This is awesome, and this is me.

I'd love to play on the TV, but as a dad with a toddler and a 7 month old, I know I'll spend most of my time using it as a handheld.

 

[Magypsy]

The 720p main menu in docked mode is a little strange, but nothing that can't be fixed with a patch. I'm fairly positive Nintendo would do that at some point.

 

[ckaneo]

Had a quick read of IGN and Kotaku's reviews there and as I feared the lack of attention to detail polish is rearing its head again

Damn, what a shame. Things like not being able to use headphones, charge the joycons in the grip or charge the switch in tabletop mode are just a bit disappointing. Add it all up and it reminds me of the Wii U and all of its little shortcomings. Death by a thousand cuts.

Thankfully they can address a few things easily. Put the charging grip in the box, update to support Bluetooth headphones, fix the joycons sync issue and so on but things such as the Switch draining the battery by 12% in the dock? Gah, disappointing.

Is the 12% thing a problem? I'm pretty sure battery's last longer if you don't let them fully cycle to 100

 

[Schnozberry]

None of these reviews told me anything I didn't already know.

Switch is a day one purchase for me, and I will have no regrets. Zelda: BotW is amazing and the Nintendo Direct we saw yesterday was exciting.

It seems to me that the negative comments ignore the vast potential the Switch has and is on track to fulfill.

While I think some of the criticisms are valid and should be addressed, I think the positives outweigh the negatives. Everyone has to make that calculation for themselves, but you're right about the potential of the hardware. Once the full suite of features and more software is announced, I think Switch will carve out an audience.

 

[Vanillalite]

Stephen Totilo posted his view as a comment in the Kotaku review.

http://kotaku.com/my-experience-with-the-switch-is-a-little-different-tha-1792850780

Yep. Not surprised at all what Totilo posted.


Other than battery tech not being where we need it in 2017 and no BT headphones it's basically the GOAT handheld. Move over to console mode and you dock a few points. What is a 9/10 in handheld mode is sort like hmmm OK? 6(7)/10 in console mode.

 

[Rodin]

The 720p main menu in docked mode is a little strange, but nothing that can't be fixed with a patch. I'm fairly positive Nintendo would do that at some point.

If they don't address it with the D1 patch it would still be too late considering how easy this would be. It's true that it doesn't change your enjoyment of games, but a 720p UI is really not something that we should consider acceptable these days, especially when it's so well designed.

 

[BumRush]

Damn, sounds great. IGN's review seems to be basura and completely out of line with the average excitement though. Oh well, I remember IGN being good.

I'm confused by this. They gave it a score...others didn't. But that doesn't mean they were the only ones expressing concerns and telling consumers to wait (they weren't).

 

[Schnozberry]

Had a quick read of IGN and Kotaku's reviews there and as I feared the lack of attention to detail polish is rearing its head again

Damn, what a shame. Things like not being able to use headphones, charge the joycons in the grip or charge the switch in tabletop mode are just a bit disappointing. Add it all up and it reminds me of the Wii U and all of its little shortcomings. Death by a thousand cuts.

Thankfully they can address a few things easily. Put the charging grip in the box, update to support Bluetooth headphones, fix the joycons sync issue and so on but things such as the Switch draining the battery by 12% in the dock? Gah, disappointing.

Have you ever played a demanding game while having your other mobile devices are plugged in? The battery generally drains on those as well. There's only so much wattage you can safely push through USB without damaging devices.

 

[papercan55]

Digital Foundry's review is absolutely fantastic in highlighting both the strenghts and the drawbacks of the console, everyone should watch it. It's one of their best videos yet.

I'm still in absolutely fucking disbelief about the UI being rendered in 720p on the TV. What in the actual fuck were they thinking, this may be the most stupid thing they've ever done (which is saying a lot) if they don't address it with a system update. There's just no reason for this to happen other than them being fucking lazy as fuck.

Never change nintendo...
I'll take 720p UI if you keep making pikmin, zelda,donkey kong....and 2d metroid

 

[ReitStuff]

It's disappointing to me to read that so many of the reviewers and other industry commentators are planning on using the Switch strictly as a handheld due to it's lack of power as a home console. To me, the Switch will be almost exclusively a home console. I just don't get it because I know that many of these same people were perfectly fine with the Wii U level of graphics, but now when something comes along that's like 3-4x the power of the Wii U when docked and suddenly the reaction is "well it can't do HDR or 4K so I'm not interested in using it as a home console!" It's also strange because most games actually run at a higher resolution on the TV than when in handheld mode.

 

[Ansatz]

But I don't want the waggle. :/ Actually, I would be really curious if the Joy-Cons could pull off what the Wiimotes did.

In the case of Metroid I'm willing to accept that compromise because pointer controls leads to a far superior experience overall. Mario Galaxy would be perfect if you had the option to map the spin attack to a button, but I don't see a way around using the pointer to collect star bits. Some games on Wii just aren't viable purely using standard controls.

 

[Zedark]

According to DF, the latching mechanism is robust, so we can put that rumour to rest I think.

 

[The Big N]

A lot of fair points. Much like all consoles at launch there are things that could be improved and unexpected bugs. The most alarming thing is that left joycon issue, but I know Nintendo's PR team has already mentioned they are aware of it and looking into a fix. In a nutshell its a high powered portable that can serve as a home console. I think every person buying one at launch knows this, so I'm excited.

Just remember guys and gals, a review is only someone's opinion. One person may love something, others may hate it. From retrospective I thought my 360 was a waste of money at launch. The UI was slow, the console was limited, it had a very meh launch line up of games, and the best new feature was private chat (which was limited to 1 person and could not be used while playing original Xbox games). My console also sounded like a jet engine firing up and would really "rev up it engines" whenever it began loading a game disc. Nowadays I view my 360 as my favorite home console of all time. The console was vastly improved with updates and new features and ended up with an amazing library of games.

 

[Omnistalgic]

None of these reviews told me anything I didn't already know.

Switch is a day one purchase for me, and I will have no regrets. Zelda: BotW is amazing and the Nintendo Direct we saw yesterday was exciting.

It seems to me that the negative comments ignore the vast potential the Switch has and is on track to fulfill.

nah, even the negative ones mention the potential of the system. It's a review of what's your experience going to be like in March 2017. No Fall or next year.

Me personally I play PS4 at home so this was mostly a portable machine for me, but I was planning to play in tablet mode and the screen size looks to be an issue.

Dammit, if they offer some XL version with a 8 in screen next year I'll be pissed I even bought this.

Thinking about just waiting for E3, Zelda may just have to wait man...disappointing reviews really even though I saw this coming. Just a weak launch outside of an amazing game.

 

[calc84maniac]

The 720p main menu in docked mode is a little strange, but nothing that can't be fixed with a patch. I'm fairly positive Nintendo would do that at some point.

Maybe it has to do with lowering the OS RAM usage? It's all in 2D anyway, that means they either need to store different resolutions of all the assets, downscale in handheld mode, or upscale in docked mode. Guess they chose the last one, at least for now.

 

[notaskwid]

Seems about what I thought, a plenty of positive and plenty of negative, mixed reaction.

 

[daman824]

Launch hardware reviews have been pretty critical this generation. I remember seeing a lot of "wait and see" reviews during the launch of the PS4 and xb1.

 

[Irminsul]

Btw., some actual numbers to fill a hardware review thread, courtesy of German computer mag c't:

Brightness: up to 312 cd/m² (which is a bit on the dim side)
Contrast: 1123:1 (which is really good for a 300 $ tablet)

Also, apparently it doesn't make any audible noise in portable and barely audible noise in docked mode (≤0.1 sone in tablet and 0.2 sone in docked mode; PS4 Pro is at 1.7 sone while playing a game).

 

[Rodin]

A lot of fair points. Much like all consoles at launch there are things that could be improved and unexpected bugs. The most alarming thing is that left joycon issue, but I know Nintendo's PR team has already mentioned they are aware of it and looking into a fix. In a nutshell its a high powered portable that can serve as a home console. I think every person buying one at launch knows this, so I'm excited.

To be fair, Tom from DF said that the JoyCon work fine even from 8 meters (26 feet) if the signal is clear. If you cover them with your hands or if you put them behind your back, that's when they lose signal, but all in all it's not that big of a deal. Personally i'm not worried, i play from 2.5m and there's nothing between my chair and the TV, but i still see other people mentioning the issue in other reviews which means that it's something that may happen in certain rooms, so i certainly hope that they improve the signal.

Btw., some actual numbers to fill a hardware review thread, courtesy of German computer mag c't:

Brightness: up to 312 cd/m² (which is a bit on the dim side)
Contrast: 1123:1 (which is really good for a 300 $ tablet)

Also, apparently it doesn't make any audible noise in portable and barely audible noise in docked mode (≤0.1 sone in tablet and 0.2 sone in docked mode; PS4 Pro is at 1.7 sone while playing a game).

Tom gave glowing impressions about the screen (contrast, color accuracy, pixel response time, brightness).

 

[vareon]

The Wii U/3DS menu is super sluggish, but I liked how playful it was. Seeing the Miis running to the plaza in Wii U, just the joy of finding someone in Streetpass in 3DS, or just looking at the row of Miis in Streetpass Plaza. It was something that feels like only Nintendo devices would have.

Switch's menu looks very slick and quick by comparison, at the expense of those fluff, if you might say so. Usability-wise it's definitely better, but I'm feeling nostalgic already. Have a rest, Nikki

 

[WordsintheWater]

The more I read the more these little annoyances are disappointing to me when it comes to how I will primarily use it, as a console attached to a TV. Pretty dumb that I can't charge the joycons without me having to remove them from the grip.

So much potential with the system though, I just hope that it comes to fruition. Either way I'm excited to tinker with it this Friday.

 

[Zombie James]

Launch hardware reviews have been pretty critical this generation. I remember seeing a lot of "wait and see" reviews during the launch of the PS4 and xb1.

Don't read too much into it.

 

[Jacobson]

Since I'll be playing mostly in handheld mode (no TV here), I'm ok with this. The biggest issue it seems is the joycon connectivity, and I won't be affected by that.

 

[Mawile]

Let me tell you about a thing called "personal agenda"

People do, but I've seen you post in various threads regarding stuff like this so there might be some "agenda" on your part as well.

 

[Kureransu]

I just watched Digital Foundry's video review (almost 18 minutes).

It's a very well presented review. Watch it guys.

It's because it actually focuses on reviewing the hardware as it is on it's own for what it's attempting to accomplish. No biases, just facts.

 

[ITSMILNER]

The only thing that concerns me is this left joycon issue, I'm planning to play mostly docked using the Joycon grip so it might be an issue if Ninty can't fix it via patch

 

[Omnistalgic]

It's disappointing to me to read that so many of the reviewers and other industry commentators are planning on using the Switch strictly as a handheld due to it's lack of power as a home console. To me, the Switch will be almost exclusively a home console. I just don't get it because I know that many of these same people were perfectly fine with the Wii U level of graphics, but now when something comes along that's like 3-4x the power of the Wii U when docked and suddenly the reaction is "well it can't do HDR or 4K so I'm not interested in using it as a home console!" It's also strange because most games actually run at a higher resolution on the TV than when in handheld mode.

Have you played a game on a 4K set with HDR though? It's easy to be underwhelmed playing a game at 900p after you've experienced higher fidelity hardware.

Talking general here, but this mindset is kinda annoying of "if you care a lot about graphics, you're a shallow gamer or something" they greatly enhance the experience and adds to gameplay significantly. I play Nintendo games because they are fun, and I'm fine with having fun whether that's on the go or on the screen. But it's also easy for me to look at Switch graphical display and be underwhelmed after spending so much time on higher end machines, just the nature of tech...

 

[Effect]

So the IGN review claims the power gap between the Switch and the Xbox One is the same as the original Wii and the 360

That's impossible to judge without seeing specific games. They admit they don't know the specs so that's just a dumb statement for him to make.

 

[XandBosch]

A lot of reviews seem to sort of be missing the point. They're treating it either like a handheld or a console, when in reality it's both. Docking points because it's not a powerful console doesn't make any sense to me, BECAUSE you can take it with you. Try bringing your PS4 with you in your backpack and playing it on the bus.

The reality is, this is a brand new type of system from one of the big three console manufacturers and reviewers don't know how to go about reviewing it. The proof is in the pudding every time you see them compare it to another device. The only device they should be comparing it to is the fuckin' Shield, and even that doesn't have anything remotely like Joy Cons or anything like that.

 

[daman824]

Don't read too much into it.

Just saying that mixed reviews are common for launch hardware

 

[spekkeh]

IGN's extremely specific hardware scores will never not be hilarious.

I think Nintendo should be getting a lot more stick for not addressing the joycon issues.
They've got millions of terrified customers with no idea if their £280 brand new system will even work as advertised. If I wasn't a Nintendo fanboy I would have cancelled my pre-order at this point.

Lolll

Maybe you should cancel your preorder™

How are so many people just hoping over the positive reviews and just reading the negative ones? Everyone makes it sound like doom and gloom in here.

You will see the same tomorrow at the Zelda review thread. People are so committed to Nintendo being doomed / going third party, a large part of Gaf really wants this thing to fail.

 

[The Elite]

Since I'll be playing mostly in handheld mode (no TV here), I'm ok with this. The biggest issue it seems is the joycon connectivity, and I won't be affected by that.

My concern is that if it becomes a wide spread problem it will affect the overall success of the hardware, which will still affect me in the long term.

 

[Schnozberry]

It's disappointing to me to read that so many of the reviewers and other industry commentators are planning on using the Switch strictly as a handheld due to it's lack of power as a home console. To me, the Switch will be almost exclusively a home console. I just don't get it because I know that many of these same people were perfectly fine with the Wii U level of graphics, but now when something comes along that's like 3-4x the power of the Wii U when docked and suddenly the reaction is "well it can't do HDR or 4K so I'm not interested in using it as a home console!" It's also strange because most games actually run at a higher resolution on the TV than when in handheld mode.

I don't think Nintendo cares, they get money either way.

Personally, I think it's pretty silly, but people can use their shit however they want. I stopped being blown away by graphics a long time ago. As long as Nintendo keeps putting out great art and delivering solid performance (they release a lot of 60fps games) I'll be happy to put them on the big screen.

 

[Rodin]

So the IGN review claims the power gap between the Switch and the Xbox One is the same as the original Wii and the 360

That's absolutely asinine and ignorant. Not even with the Scorpio's rumored specs there's that kind of gap.

 

[Yautja_Warrior]

I do think this is a bit harsh. I've used a Switch for 2 hours before and while that is considerably less time than these reviewers, I think it is a much better piece of hardware than a 6.7. It's a million miles better than the build quality of the Wii and Wii U. It feels premium, comfortable and unique. It's not quite Xbox One Elite Controller levels of quality but it's on par with that of the Xbox One standard and Dual Shock 4. It's got grippy sticks, clicky buttons and firm triggers. The Pro Controller is probably one of my favourite controllers ever too.

I wonder if this reviewer dislikes the portability of the system or the console portability of the system and can't see how magical of a marriage the two are in the Switch.

The only thing I can't comment on is the OS, which should improve with the Day One update.

I think most are saying it's a well built bit of kit, but they are judging it on the missing or not ready features.

Best advice seems to be get Zelda, buy a Powerbank batter pack (if you plan to go handheld mode) and play it for months. There will be more improvements and more games by then lol.

Personally, I think it has a lot of potential if they can get the games out without a lot of big delays and sort out the network and OS features. I'm looking forward to getting mine on Friday.

 

[marc^o^]

I just watched Digital Foundry's video review (almost 18 minutes).

It's a very well presented review. Watch it guys.

The most informative, bravo. Vooks' review made me happy too

 

[NotLiquid]

Launch hardware reviews have been pretty critical this generation. I remember seeing a lot of "wait and see" reviews during the launch of the PS4 and xb1.

To be fair, those were very "wait and see" launches as well. PS4's two flagship first party titles that launched with the console were okay at best and the consoles themselves had yet to fully take advantage of the upgrades that felt more conservative than previous gens.

Switch arguably fits a wait and see launch as well, though personally I'm a little bit too excited about the console's prospects and what it is, as well as playing Zelda and Bomberman on it. And with the drove of indies announced the other day I'm just way too excited for the first few months.

 

[BumRush]

A lot of reviews seem to sort of be missing the point. They're treating it either like a handheld or a console, when in reality it's both. Docking points because it's not a powerful console doesn't make any sense to me, BECAUSE you can take it with you. Try bringing your PS4 with you in your backpack and playing it on the bus.

But it's Nintendo's new home console, and as such, people will purchase it for that...

 

[The Big N]

To be fair, Tom from DF said that the JoyCon work fine even from 8 meters (26 feet) if the signal is clear. If you cover them with your hands or if you put them behind your back, that's when they lose signal, but all in all it's not that big of a deal. Personally i'm not worried, i play from 2.5m and there's nothing between my chair and the TV, but i still see other people mentioning the issue in other reviews which means that it's something that may happen in certain rooms, so i certainly hope that they improve the signal.

I watched the GameXplain video and thought the same thing. I'm hoping they can just increase the wireless range/signal strength with a update. Overall, it doesn't bug me cause I preorder a pro controller. The joy cons will most likely only be used to co-op and portable mode.

 

[Inspectah_Deck]

Btw., some actual numbers to fill a hardware review thread, courtesy of German computer mag c't:

Brightness: up to 312 cd/m² (which is a bit on the dim side)
Contrast: 1123:1 (which is really good for a 300 $ tablet)

Also, apparently it doesn't make any audible noise in portable and barely audible noise in docked mode (≤0.1 sone in tablet and 0.2 sone in docked mode; PS4 Pro is at 1.7 sone while playing a game).

Finally something useful.

Contrast is nice!
I won't play this thing in bright sunlight, so brightness isn't very important imo.

I wonder if they plan to raise clockspeeds later on, because the cooling solution ist clearly overkill for the current heatdissipation.