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Nintendo Switch Launch Thread: Now you're playing with power; HYBRID POWER!

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jblank83

Member
So, I had this new Switch machine and only Zelda. I loaded up the eShop and noticed Shovel Knight. I backed Shovel Knight way back when. I even wrote a 10/10 review for it awhile back on Cubed 3. Anyway, I had $13 in credit already, so I figured "why not", and bought it again.

God, it looks gorgeous on the Switch screen: bright, vibrant, sharp, big. I miss the 3DS layer effect, but Switch's screen is beautiful. The future of portable indies on Switch is promising, to be honest.

I'm not a big fan of the button style "d-pad" (it's not a d-pad), but hopefully Nintendo releases alternate joycons in the future to rectify that.
 

Tiktaalik

Member
Any case impressions around? There's the official case but also a decent looking Hori one. I didn't pick up anything yesterday but I'll need one eventually..
 

hwy_61

Banned
Loving this thing so far, played lots of docked Zelda last night and found the pro controller to be fantastic. Then this morning I woke up, undocked the Switch, and sat downstairs on the couch with a cup of coffee for a good 2 hours continuing Zelda. Only slight issue so far is the weird way I have to contort my thumb for the right joycon but I'm adapting. All in all, absolutely NO regrets.

Yeah I'm in the same boat with you. I find myself playing undocked with the pro controller 90% of the time.
 

bonesquad

Member
While there are definitely aspects to the Switch I dislike, overall the Switch has the makings of what I want from Nintendo. At this point they need to focus on fleshing out the OS and online infrastructure. If they do that...

I got the official Nintendo case which is nice and looks like it will get the job done. This case should protect the Switch enough in my backpack when I travel, and I can keep all the cords separate. The main criticism I have is the screen protector is garbage. Not surprising for this type of protector. So I just ordered a tempered glass version. The Nintendo will suffice for now.

Now I just need to figure out what other game to grab. Hmm. Snipperclips, Fast RMX, or Shovel Knight...
 

Future

Member
I was going to buy another power charger for the Switch but then I saw the price... £25.

Is there any cheaper alternatives, can we use phone chargers with it or something?

This is what I need to know. After looking around it seemed like some people were warning not to use certain chargers so you don't try the system or some crap
 

Poppyseed

Member
While there are definitely aspects to the Switch I dislike, overall the Switch has the makings of what I want from Nintendo. At this point they need to focus on fleshing out the OS and online infrastructure. If they do that...

I got the official Nintendo case which is nice and looks like it will get the job done. This case should protect the Switch enough in my backpack when I travel, and I can keep all the cords separate. The main criticism I have is the screen protector is garbage. Not surprising for this type of protector. So I just ordered a tempered glass version. The Nintendo will suffice for now.

Now I just need to figure out what other game to grab. Hmm. Snipperclips, Fast RMX, or Shovel Knight...

I grabbed all 3 of those. All excellent. Do it. Do it now.
 

mrback

Member
I got the hori tough case. Better than the official case. Feels a bit more robust, the padding is much stiffer on the hori.
 

Durden77

Member
So my girlfriend is thinking about picking one up today (if she can find any in stock). I will be getting my own, but I can't until my tax return comes in. If I start playing Zelda on her's, when I get mine I can't tranfer that data right?
 

Nerrel

Member
Best Buy only had 1 loose Neon for the midnight launch and I managed to snag it. Not sure how many gray units they had, but it was probably a disproportionately huge number. Here are my hot takes:

The left joycon issue is worse than I expected. It wasn't even a matter of desyncing, it wouldn't work at all when I tried docked mode for the first time. I was sitting only 2.5 feet away my TV, since I use it as a PC monitor as well, but the dock was slightly behind the TV screen and that was enough to kill the connection. How many more pennies would it have cost to give both joycons competent antennas?

The joycons kind of suck. They work fine in handheld mode, where some compromises are expected, but as home console controllers they're really awkward. I didn't find them comfortable to hold for long, and the slide on grips made them less comfortable by making them too wide. I preferred holding them loose on their own over the straps and the grip attachment. The analogs are also a big compromise; they work fine for running around in Zelda, but using these things to actually aim or perform any precise task is not going to work well. They just don't have a good range of motion. Luckily gyro can pick up the slack for that.

The Switch Pro is the best controller that Nintendo has ever made. I was a big fan of the Wii U Pro (sticks on top and all), but this one feels better in almost every way. The buttons and sticks are all improved, especially the ZL/ZR triggers- they've got a great chunkiness to them and beat the shit out of the narrow ones on the U Pro. I think the L/R bumpers are slightly harder to hit than on the U Pro due to being smaller, but it's a slight difference. The only other thing I would complain about is the right analog being less comfortable to use now that it's not in the primary spot, but the buttons being so much more comfortable to reach makes that a fair trade. Especially for Nintendo's typically button-heavy games.

Being able to use the headphone jack while docked is great. I do all my listening with headphones and having such a simple solution works for me.

It's a neat system, but they clearly need to fix a lot of things with a revision down the road. I'm pretty much only using it docked with the Pro controller, and that lets me bypass most of my complaints completely.
 

DKL

Member
Can I actually use the pro controller with handheld mode?

I assume no since there's no USB ports in the thing ;_;

Also, is the flap in the back where the micro SD card used to stand the thing up? Doesn't it seem flimsy?
 
I just can't believe I'm playing a full 3D open world Zelda game on an HD Nintendo handheld. Is this real life? This game is so beautiful. And I really love the Switch hardware, after being so disappointed with the 3DS (hardware wise, games were great). I have so much faith in the Switch and its potential. Hope it won't let me down.
 
I really want to know how the NeoGeo ports are still. I'm this close to getting Metal Slug 3, but if its a shoddy port I'll just be sad.
 

Kudo

Member
Is there some way I can view my Switch profile online or something and save my avatar from account so that I can use it for Youtube or other sites?
 

HeeHo

Member
I know the catalog is really small right now, but is there anything besides that RMX racing game, 1-2 Switch and Bomberman that would make for some fun co op? I know I'm leaving the best examples out but none of those games really interest me. Bomber man potentially but I don't want to pay 50 bucks for it.

I have a friend who works until pretty late and we usually hang out in his car after work and I was kinda hoping to bring the Switch in the car and play something with the joy cons.
 
I know the catalog is really small right now, but is there anything besides that RMX racing game, 1-2 Switch and Bomberman that would make for some fun co op? I know I'm leaving the best examples out but none of those games really interest me. Bomber man potentially but I don't want to pay 50 bucks for it.

I have a friend who works until pretty late and we usually hang out in his car after work and I was kinda hoping to bring the Switch in the car and play something with the joy cons.

Snipperclips is getting rave reviews and is co op focused. Shovel Knight has co op as well.
 

jts

...hate me...
I know the catalog is really small right now, but is there anything besides that RMX racing game, 1-2 Switch and Bomberman that would make for some fun co op? I know I'm leaving the best examples out but none of those games really interest me. Bomber man potentially but I don't want to pay 50 bucks for it.

I have a friend who works until pretty late and we usually hang out in his car after work and I was kinda hoping to bring the Switch in the car and play something with the joy cons.
Considered Snipperclips?
Does Switch have any drawing game/apps on it or planned? And does it work with stylus?

Watching people play BotW makes me want one. :(
Apps not to my knowing, but the screen should work fine with a capacitive stylus.

Those are shit compared to the accurate resistive ones on the previous consoles though. RIP Art Academy :(
 

Chorazin

Member
Can I actually use the pro controller with handheld mode?

I assume no since there's no USB ports in the thing ;_;

Also, is the flap in the back where the micro SD card used to stand the thing up? Doesn't it seem flimsy?

The Pro Controller is Bluetooth....
 

ColdPizza

Banned
Seamless install for me. No wifi issues. Dock process scared me. Mine is a tight fit. Will leave it in until my tempered glass arrives.

Zelda is amazing. Wow this franchise has come a long way. I'm particularly impressed by the menus and sound, lol

Joycon grip isn't my favorite. Will try with just joy cons and then eventually my pro controller.
 

wwm0nkey

Member
So 2 days in, here are my impressions

Games:

Zelda - I mean I don't know what to say that hasn't been said, its one of the best Zelda games ever

Bomberman - Its Bomberman, got it for $20 and I would only get it at that price, but I am having fun with it, easy to play with friends online.

Fast RMX - VERY good racing game, looks fantastic and it plays just as well, hopefully they add the ability to easily play online with friends.

Snipperclips - If you have someone you play games with a lot, GET THIS. Its very fun and the 4 player modes are also as fun, but its just a very nice simple co-op game and I really enjoyed playing this with last night.

1, 2, Switch: So me and my friends split the cost of this so it wasn't as expensive, Its actually pretty fun but don't get it if you don't go to parties often, totally not work it then

Hardware:

Switch: I am really enjoying it right now, only major complaint I have is the stand; like its not the worst thing ever and it works...just its not that good. Other than that the battery life is fine for what I do. My Type C battery pack also charges it pretty fast so I don't think I'll ever have an issue with battery. I also bought a 128GB card, I don't think I'll be needing to replace it for awhile but I still wish the system had more memory. I also think the screen looks super nice even though its 720p, its all kinda crammed in there so it just looks real sharp.

Dock: This is the part that I love/hate. Hate because of the plastic holding the switch in, I bought some fleece and that makes things a lot better but its annoying I had to do that. Other than that I love it, its so nice to just plug it into my TV and now my game is running on my TV and charging, when I wake up its ready to take on the go.

Joy-con: So I bought a Pro-controller because I didn't like the way the controllers looked attached and detached.....man I was super wrong about that, these things feel really good to hold and right now my favorite way to play is by detaching both and just having my arms on the side while just playing video games, its just really comfortable and would love for all systems to have something like this.

Pro-controller: Its really good, great battery life and more of a standard controller for those who need it, wouldn't say its exactly worth the price just to have it, but if you want a new controller on PC and don't like the joy-cons or the grip, go buy it asap.
 

GeNoMe

Member
Not sure if anyone has mentioned this before? But is anyone else's switch making a lot of fan noise? It seems to happen right after waking it up from sleep mode, or right after switching it on after it has been off for a little while.
 

DKL

Member
The Pro Controller is Bluetooth....

I guess I was a bit confused as to whether or not you could do this setup based on that one Zelda thread, but you do have to actually dock the system to pair your pro controller with the thing, which was a bit annoying because I was being lazy.

That said, I need a setup where I'm playing with the screen propped up, but still charging... I may need a peripheral for this since the AC thing is at the bottom of the console.
 
Apps not to my knowing, but the screen should work fine with a capacitive stylus.

Those are shit compared to the accurate resistive ones on the previous consoles though. RIP Art Academy :(

Aw, that's kind of a bummer. I actually had a new Art Academy on my wishlist.
 
So, got my hands on the last copy of Breath of the Wild at the Meijer near me, but no Switch. Any idea how often consoles usually get restocked?
 

blado

Member
For some reason Switch won't recognize the cartridge if I take it out and put it back in while the switch is powered on, but if I restart it the switch now recognizes the cartridge as being inserted. Has anyone else had this issue?
 

Zedark

Member
I have had the Switch for about 31 hours now, and I am really liking what it offers.

The Switching mechanism works brilliantly, and I feel that I will be making a lot of use of this concept in the coming months/years (hell, I already have used it quite a bit!). A gripe I do have with the concept is the joy-cons. In the grip they are quite uncomfortable, to the point where I have had my first ever hand cramp from a gaming controller (after playing for four hours straight). On the handheld it feels more up to par, though I think the same can occur on the handheld (I just think I won't use handheld for such long times in one go). I am going to get a pro controller whenever they become available again in my country. I haven't been able to replicate the joy-con connectivity issues with my grey joy-cons: standing 20 feet away and tucking it behind my back and in my hands still gave no problems. Guess I am lucky in this regard.

In my subjective personal experience, the lineup of games for launch is fine for me (though more broadly speaking I do think it is lacking). I have bought Zelda and FAST RMX, and may get I am Setsuna sometime later. FAST is a really good game, have played a few courses and the gameplay is pure fun. At the risk of becoming just another voice in the crowd, I will say that Zelda is absolutely stunning: I haven't felt this captivated by a game world since Oblivion, and Zelda handles the gameplay quite a bit better. I also love the aesthetic of the game, although it would look better with some anti-aliasing solution I think. The organic way in which I get lured from one part to another (and there always being some kind of reward waiting for you when you take the time and risk to explore) is really masterfully crafted. It could legitimately be my favourite game ever, though I will reserve final judgment for later, since I have played 'only' 11 hours up to now.

The WIFI works well for me, it gets download speeds that rival my phone and laptop and absolutely demolish the PS3/4 wifi reception at my house. Headphone sound is good, at least with my cheap (3 euros) set of earphones. The UI definitely looks blurry on the TV, though the general lay-out is very nice in my opinion: I like a Spartan and gaming-focused UI and Switch delivers that if nothing else with its UI. The eShop functions well for me, but it wouldn't suffer from having more filtering options for when the library grows.

I really like the news feature too. It is not aggressive in any way: new items are indicated by a very understated blue circle, nothing at all bothersome. The articles inside are very to the point, and especially the system features articles are a fun read (at least the Dutch articles are). Neat feature for the system imo. I don't play online, so I have no opinions on that front.

So, I think I have covered all there is for me to cover at the moment. Very pleased with the system, and it will only get better when more titles start coming in.
 

dafodeu

Member
I just got a Neon switch played some zelda for a few hours then was playing bomberman on the tv with joycons in as I'm using a pro controller. I went upstairs for 30 minutes to eat came back down and the tv is black and I can't get the switch to turn on in or outside of the dock.

Was it not charging? Doesn't help there is no charging indicator light. I have it plugged in via usb c now but still it won't go on. Any ideas?
 
I need a game to play besides BotW and was leaning towards Fast Racing Neo but I'm not a big fan of F Zero or Wipeout type games. How similar is it to those beyond looks?
 

--R

Banned
Is it true that there are Switch with TN panels and Switch with IPS panels? Is there any way of identifying them if it's true?
 

spock

Member
Hardware has some issues but nothing major at least for me. I personally dont like the way the joy cons connect and disconnect to things. Seems to take some time for one to feel secure and know how to snap in and snap out the various components. Its clear we are mass testing the first iteration of the switch concept. But the portability has a HUGE benefit for me. Might be a game changer.

Even with that said , I feel completely satisfied with my purchase, but thats because I never owned a wiliU and I'm looking forward to mario kart and splatoon (and arms!) since they will be new to me.

Without Zelda however, I dont know if I'd feel as justified at least being this early of an adopter. But since Zelda is here and a launch title, its so damn good that I genuinely feel happy about owning the game and console, which surprises me, since I was on the fence with about my preorder till launch week.
 

Buggy Loop

Gold Member
Since my Zelda shipping was not as efficient as my switch one ( -_-) I've been playing RMX and Shovel knight yesterday and all afternoon today. Specter of torment is AMAZING, kudos to Yacht club for this gem, i really like the fighting style of the specter over the other knights.
RMX is just insane, i think my eyes hurt from playing it so much, in the fastest championship you can't even blink in some course at the risk of crashing or missing a boosting stretch of road

tumblr_m1yqhuL3IA1qdb9v0.jpg
 
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