Support NeoGAF

[FalconPunch]

As we come to the end of the Switch generation, it’s time to reflect on the Switch as a whole. For me, it’s a flawed device that did many things well and many things poorly.

It provided a new innovative way to play. New innovative features like hd rumble, detachable controllers, and the ability to take your whole library on the opened up a new niche for Nintendo. However, it has its flaws….. For starters, we have the dreaded joycons drift… To make matters worse, the play in the joycons rails when attached made the device feel flimsy. Finally, the ergonomics were awful.

There were many highs with the switch and many lows. The introduction of new franchises like arms or the introduction of Nintendo online…

Now all of these things are great but for me, it’s an absolutely awful handheld. It’s not awful because of the awful ergonomics but instead of what the switch did. The best thing the switch did was unify Nintendo’s software offerings so that the developers could focus on one platform. The downside of this is that it left the games in some sort of no man’s land as it relates to game design.


Using the switch in the go really highlighted to me how much handheld game design has suffered. Most of the time, it feels like the magic of handheld game design has been lost. This is one of the main problems with pc handhelds like the Steam Deck for example. Maybe some enjoy full console game experiences on the go but I miss the gameplay focused design of handheld games. The design of games meant to be played in short bursts.

This is not to say that those experiences don’t exist on the switch but they are rarer nowadays. It truly is unfortunate but with the switch 2, it looks like Nintendo is doubling down on the “home console that you can carry around” concept. The switch 2 is bigger, less portable, and with similar ergonomics to the original switch. That does not inspire confidence for the creation of handheld specific software.

 

[RoboFu]

 

[Spukc]

Switch lite

 

[MayauMiao]

Your comparison to Steam Deck is flawed because you did not take account that Switch can separate its controllers.

 

[Sooner]

I agree with everything you said, except everything you said.

 

[Kamina]

 

[DeathGuise]

Everyone deserves help. Please go get yours

 

[Sgt. Pinback]

Yes, yes. I am sure that Nintendo are truly regretting the choices they made with the Switch this generation.

 

[CrustyBritches]

Joycons are an abomination. Probably most uncomfortable controls ever.

 

[DownLikeBCPowder]

Yes, to some extent you are right. The death of the two separate ecosystems is something that both has real repercussions and that I lament about often. I am not a big fan of the merging of these two.

 

[Zacfoldor]

I knew this wasn’t a real article, by how ridiculous premise is.

Nintendo impregnated the mother of that promise and made you a steam deck.

 

[AZRoboto]

I can't vote in polls yet but this OP can make threads? Ok

 

[Codes 208]

The “home console you can carry around” Is exactly why I love my switch, and I’m glad theyre doubling down on that with the switch 2

 

[Knightime_X]

Damn, if only there was a way to swap out new joycons if old ones started to drift..

 

[Chiggs]

 

[kunonabi]

Handheld style experiences dying out is unfortunate but would have been acceptable had Nintendo's bullshit about about consolidation resulting in more games been even remotely true.

Personally, Ive hated the Switch as a handheld from the beginning and kept using my N3DS for my portable needs. I know some concessions were expected due to its hybrid nature but Jesus christ it's like Nintendo forgot everything they learned about making handheld consoles.

 

[bigdad2007]

I literally have played it 90% handheld since buying my own to use apart from the family unit two years ago. It is an amazing handheld.

 

[MiguelItUp]

That's fine, but plenty disagree considering, you know, it's sales.

 

[onQ123]

As we come to the end of the Switch generation, it’s time to reflect on the Switch as a whole. For me, it’s a flawed device that did many things well and many things poorly.

It provided a new innovative way to play. New innovative features like hd rumble, detachable controllers, and the ability to take your whole library on the opened up a new niche for Nintendo. However, it has its flaws….. For starters, we have the dreaded joycons drift… To make matters worse, the play in the joycons rails when attached made the device feel flimsy. Finally, the ergonomics were awful.

There were many highs with the switch and many lows. The introduction of new franchises like arms or the introduction of Nintendo online…

Now all of these things are great but for me, it’s an absolutely awful handheld. It’s not awful because of the awful ergonomics but instead of what the switch did. The best thing the switch did was unify Nintendo’s software offerings so that the developers could focus on one platform. The downside of this is that it left the games in some sort of no man’s land as it relates to game design.


Using the switch in the go really highlighted to me how much handheld game design has suffered. Most of the time, it feels like the magic of handheld game design has been lost. This is one of the main problems with pc handhelds like the Steam Deck for example. Maybe some enjoy full console game experiences on the go but I miss the gameplay focused design of handheld games. The design of games meant to be played in short bursts.

This is not to say that those experiences don’t exist on the switch but they are rarer nowadays. It truly is unfortunate but with the switch 2, it looks like Nintendo is doubling down on the “home console that you can carry around” concept. The switch 2 is bigger, less portable, and with similar ergonomics to the original switch. That does not inspire confidence for the creation of handheld specific software.

I'm sure there will be a Switch Lite 2 or Switch 2 Lite or whatever they will call it.

 

[chakadave]

You are complaining about better technology.

Quick save and save states destroyed the need to have "handheld" designed games.

Instead for example we have 100s or maybe 1000s of Vampire Survivors like games and iterations of that genre and blending with other genres. Honestly I think this is way better than the "designed for handheld" games we were getting with the DS and PSP. Even mobile phone games have sort of shifted to away from "mobile" like games.

I remember everyone complaining about portables having just ports that didn't work. Now it really doesn't matter. Instant saving is a thing and "playing" at short bursts isn't a constraint of the hardware but now a concious design.

 

[chakadave]

I literally have played it 90% handheld since buying my own to use apart from the family unit two years ago. It is an amazing handheld.

I honestly like my OG as a table top. Wife in the same room on the couch and me in the kitchen with a pro controller. Can't wait to get a little better screen on the next one. I'll wait for the OLED though.

 

[Metnut]

My Switch has been a constant companion on business trips over the past 5 years. Have played all sorts of great games in airports and on airplanes. Two open world Zelda’s, Mario odyssey, Mario rpgs, ff 1-6 pixel remaster.

It’s been great for me. Not sure what point OP is trying to make.

 

[Unknown?]

The “home console you can carry around” Is exactly why I love my switch, and I’m glad theyre doubling down on that with the switch 2

Funny. With PSP and Vita everyone complained about that, saying they're just ports and not original games made for handheld.

 

[Chechack]

Skill issue

 

[Kabelly]

the games you want are free to play mobile games now with a million microtranscations that people would rather have than pay for a full priced game

It truly is unfortunate but with the switch 2, it looks like Nintendo is doubling down on the “home console that you can carry around” concept.

That was always the case the first day Nintendo first showed this thing. BOTW was a Wii U game turned "full home console game" you can take anywhere and then they showed Skyrim. Nintendo's "handheld" game design was always constrained around the power of their consoles.

The reason Mario Odyssey has a million moons scattered around is exactly because of the handheld design. Nintendo felt like players could get a couple of moons here and there on the go.

You have games like Metroid: Dread, Bowser's Fury, all those 2D Zelda games, etc and somehow say they've lost their handheld game design? When these games could easily and do work on smaller form facters.

Get a Switch lite if you want to feel more immersive.

 

[I collect VHS tapes]

I love my OLED switch but I do find it very uncomfortable in handheld

it isn't a huge deal for me. if I'm traveling I just bring that little plastic adapter for the joy cons and I find that controller comfortable

other than that, I will use it in handheld sometimes if I'm doing something brainless in bed while watching tv, live farming Pokemon or farming in Stardew Valley

I feel like a big part of the comfort issue for me is, funny enough, due to it being so thin. which otherwise is a huge bonus, because it makes it very light which is what you want for a portable.

 

[Codes 208]

Funny. With PSP and Vita everyone complained about that, saying they're just ports and not original games made for handheld.

The psp and vita essentially got the scraps of their home consoles (the vita in particular got it worse) so that part is still true. Especially when it came to third party games and the tv show/movie tie-ins of the 00’s

The switch being the dedicated hardware meant we werent going back and forth between a handheld and home console for major releases, thats whats so advantageous

 

[Robb]

There’s definitely some give and take having a hybrid system. I do sometimes miss how easy it was to just thrown my DS/3DS in a pocket and leave the house, not to mention handheld specific stuff like StreetPass.

But at the end of the day I much prefer the hybrid approach of the Switch personally. I’d say I played my past Nintendo handhelds at home about 70% of the time anyway, so little has changed for me.

 

[Jinxed]

Would prefer if they go back to just a home console. This handheld schtick is completely useless as an adult for me. I can understand the younger people who commute but there's like zero occasions I could use this mode

 

[Parazels]

Maybe some enjoy full console game experiences on the go...

....it looks like Nintendo is doubling down on the “home console that you can carry around” concept.

Wasn't playing big games on the go a holy grail for several generations of gamers?

Even today people are going crazy, when Capcom announces another Resident Evil for an iPhone.

 

[kevboard]

The downside of this is that it left the games in some sort of no man’s land as it relates to game design.

that's just not true.
they clearly still make games that work well as handheld titles, and games that work well as console titles.

the top down Zelda games are perfect handheld fodder, while the 3D Zelda games are perfect console fodder.
Mario Odyssey works perfectly as both. the quick and numerous Moons to find makes it possible to play a few minutes at a time, but it also works as a console title due to its sheer size.

Animal Crossing also always worked well on both. N64/Gamecube, DS... it just works, you don't have to change much there.

on top of that, the evolution of handheld games becoming more and more home-console-like has been a thing all the way back during the GBA days.
Doom, Mario World, Donkey Kong Country, F-Zero, Mario Kart... all these are direct ports or sequels that are close to their original home-console counterparts from the SNES era.

the PSP then brought GTA games in full 3D onto Handhelds, and ports of PS2 games and PS2-esque sequels to PS2 era games, many of which were then ported over to the PS2 as well.
it was one of the reasons the PSP was so successful I think. this promise of console games on the go.


the rise of Indy games also blurs the line extremely. as Indy games are often 2D and often smaller scale, perfect for handhelds. even the 3D titles are often games you could have easily expected to see on PSP.

 

[Banjo64]

Lots of Switch games replicate the classic ‘handheld feel’ that was present on their older handhelds. Maybe not as much from Nintendo but games like Hades and Minecraft spring to mind.

 

[Cyberpunkd]

Trauma Center.

 

[daxgame]

Made the mistake of reading the post. complaining about the lenght of the sessions in a world where you can suspend state at any time. 'Aight...

 

[cireza]

Proper handheld game design died with the 3DS. It is never coming back.

It provided a new innovative way to play. New innovative features like hd rumble, detachable controllers, and the ability to take your whole library on the opened up a new niche for Nintendo.

I don't find any of this innovative in any way.

The Switch at least still feels like a proper video-game console, and not a PC in disguise. No install, very quick and infrequent updates, put your cartridge and you are good to play in a few seconds. A proper console experience.

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

Dedicated handheld gaming is dead. The smartphone killed it.

Some handheld games used to be great because we could understand and accept the limitations of handhelds. But let’s face it, A Link Between Worlds wouldn’t get a tenth of the praise if it came out on the Switch. The caveat of a hybrid system is that it must also look decent on a big screen. You can’t make a game for it that only shines in handheld mode, even if the game was originally made for smartphones. And this is why the Switch is a living-room system that’s also portable, and not a handheld you can also connect to your TV. The big brains on the internet somehow failed to understand that all this time. The Switch Lite is the Switch equivalent of the 2DS - a gimped version of the original that sacrifices its main features in order to offer a cheaper Pokemon machine.

In handheld mode, the Switch is a total compromise. It’s too thin and uncomfortable, battery life is ridiculous, and the Joycons are bad. I’ve never been fully satisfied playing it, but at the same time, I never was with any handheld, Nintendo-made or not. Whether it was non-backlit screens, pixel blur, lack of controls or features (‘member the lack of a headphone jack on the GBA SP?), bad ergonomics, or pitiful battery life, not a single one was ever without its issues. It’s the games that count.

 

[cartman414]

Dedicated handheld gaming is dead. The smartphone killed it.

Some handheld games used to be great because we could understand and accept the limitations of handhelds. But let’s face it, A Link Between Worlds wouldn’t get a tenth of the praise if it came out on the Switch. The caveat of a hybrid system is that it must also look decent on a big screen. You can’t make a game for it that only shines in handheld mode, even if the game was originally made for smartphones. And this is why the Switch is a living-room system that’s also portable, and not a handheld you can also connect to your TV. The big brains on the internet somehow failed to understand that all this time. The Switch Lite is the Switch equivalent of the 2DS - a gimped version of the original that sacrifices its main features in order to offer a cheaper Pokemon machine.

In handheld mode, the Switch is a total compromise. It’s too thin and uncomfortable, battery life is ridiculous, and the Joycons are bad. I’ve never been fully satisfied playing it, but at the same time, I never was with any handheld, Nintendo-made or not. Whether it was non-backlit screens, pixel blur, lack of controls or features (‘member the lack of a headphone jack on the GBA SP?), bad ergonomics, or pitiful battery life, not a single one was ever without its issues. It’s the games that count.

I disagree. There were lots of games like Donkey Kong '94, Pokemon and Wario Ware Twisted that took advantage of the pick up and play nature of handhelds.

Switch games, being more on the full length side, more often require you to stick with them lest you lose track should you put them on the backburner. Not to mention that the GB/DS/3ds carryovers (Pokemon, etc.) that didn't keep their lower price tags.

 

[hemo memo]

I can't put it in my pocket. That's the only advantage previous Nintendo handhelds had over the Switch. The Switch is better than them in every other comparison, though.

 

[Same ol G]

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

I disagree. There were lots of games like Donkey Kong '94, Pokemon and Wario Ware Twisted that took advantage of the pick up and play nature of handhelds.

Switch games, being more on the full length side, more often require you to stick with them lest you lose track should you put them on the backburner. Not to mention that the GB/DS/3ds carryovers (Pokemon, etc.) that didn't keep their lower price tags.

I don’t understand what you’re disagreeing with me on?
I said that some handheld-borne games were considered great because we understood and accepted the limitations of handhelds, and we would happily make without the cutting-edge graphics of home systems if the games were good.
This also meant to say that those games played to the strengths of those systems. One of those being their portable-only nature.
But when you have a system that can also be played on a TV by default, games like those would look and feel very poor, regardless of gameplay quality.

Anyway, the convergence of handheld systems with home gaming was a long time in the making. A good chunk of the GBA library was SNES ports and NES classics. We can thank whoever came up with the idea of dual screens on the DS if Nintendo didn’t also pull a PSP and a Vita and kept unique on-the-go gaming alive for a decade longer before surrendering to the rise of mobile gaming.

 

[Goalus]

To me it fully delivered on its promise.
I bought it in February 2018, and it has been sitting in the closet ever since.

That's what usually happens if I buy a handheld system, and consequently it has to be one.

 

[Jack Videogames]

I have a regular OG switch and a lite. 90% of the time I used the lite in bed or outdoors. I only used the big one in the TV when it was some sort of multiplayer game. For me, the Switch was a handheld machine though and through

The Switch 2 will likely follow suit. I'll get the normal version to play the Marios and then it will become my kids' switch and the party machine. I'll get a Switch 2 Lite as soon as I can for regular use.

 

[Woopah]

What kind of handheld experiences from previous Nintendo handhelds did you feel were missing on Switch?

 

[GametimeUK]

I'd argue a majority of Nintendo IP's on the Switch work perfectly fine as portable games as do a load of indie games released for the system. You can have new games like Mario Wonder, old console games like Paper Mario TTYD, games like Pokemon that were primarily handheld or games like Monster Hunter that have done both. Heck you even have remakes of actual handheld games like Links Awakening.

 

[Duchess]

 

[Buggy Loop]

A typical falconpunch post, nonsense

 

[Spiral1407]

The only thing I agree with here is the drift issue

 

[Skeptical]

Some questions for F FalconPunch :

1) The Game Boy Advance launched with a remake of Super Mario Bros 2 (US). The DS launched with a remake of Super Mario 64. If these games are handheld experiences, why did Nintendo originally release them on consoles? And if they aren't handheld experiences, why did Nintendo want everyone's first experience with those handhelds be a console experience?

2) What, exactly, makes Minish Cap a handheld experience but not Link to the Past? What makes Metroid Zero Mission a handheld experience but not Super Metroid? What makes Fire Emblem a handheld experience but not Three Houses? What makes Aria of Sorrow a handheld experience but not Symphony of the Night? What makes Mega Man Zero a handheld experience but not Mega Man X? What makes Golden Sun a handheld experience but not Final Fantasy?

3) Let's flip it around. Why is Pokemon Sword NOT a handheld experience while Pokemon Red is? In fact, one of the things people complain about (the super simplistic caves) sure sounds more handheld-y to me than the complicated boulder puzzles of victory road in Red.

4) If the key element of a "handheld experience" is splitting the gameplay loop into bite sized chunks, how big should those chunks be to be a handheld experience? 1 minute? 5 minutes? 10 minutes? What if I have 5 minutes to play at one time and 45 minutes to play at another time? Will one of those times not be a handheld experience?

5) The Switch has an instant save and close feature, the GBA (at least original, don't know about SP) didn't. Which is more suitable for a handheld in which you need to stop at any moment?

See, personally, this "handheld experience" concept is a pet peeve of mine. I hated the handheld ghetto of the 00s. 2D games like Metroidvanias weren't cool, so let's just dump them to the handhelds where people won't care about them. And this despite the fact that the 160 x 240 pixel screen of the GBA was wholly unsuited for sidescrollers. The tiny size of the screen negatively impacted the design of Metroid Fusion and Zero Mission. "Handheld experience" meant inferior experience. Not because of the type of games, but because they were often pale imitations of what they could be. It seems people had that problem with the Vita. It wasn't the type of games, it was the "B-team" nature of the games.

What I love about the Switch (and the rise of excellent Indie teams), and more people are joining me with the Steam Deck and the like, is that there is no longer a "B team" effect. Great games can be played anywhere, at any time.

This also meant to say that those games played to the strengths of those systems. One of those being their portable-only nature.
But when you have a system that can also be played on a TV by default, games like those would look and feel very poor, regardless of gameplay quality.

Why? DK 94 was mentioned particularly. I first played that on a Super Game Boy and adored it. Better than DKC in my opinion. How can that be if playing it on a console was supposed to make it look and feel very poor? Yes, graphics are worse. And the jump mechanics are simplified. But besides that, what makes the game poor? It's level design was fantastic!

 

[Three]

I somewhat see your point. The games aren't designed for short burst gameplay anymore but it's often bigger longer experiences on the go that were initially designed to be played at home. No disagreeing there, but I don't think short burst gameplay was ever promised as the reason to own a switch. Often the short burst stuff you're asking for can be found on mobile.

 

[DenchDeckard]

I loved the 3ds but I think its the best handheld they've made. Not as world changing as the gameboy but it's pretty amazing imo.