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Topic: Need help - questions for Switch Xmas gift

Posts 1 to 16 of 16

wesden

Hello,
Buying my kids a Switch for Xmas, and the bundle I have comes with the following:
-Switch console
-Switch dock
-1 set Joy-Cons
-two Joy-Con strap accessories
-a Joy-Con grip
-1 Pro controller
-AD adapter
-HDMI cable
and three games that are randomly chosen by manufacturer based upon availability

I bought a case that houses the dock along with everything else, but wanted to know:

  • if I want to play 3 players, is the Pro controller ok to use?
  • I want to play 4 players, can I get another pro controller? Or do I need to invest in another set of Joycons?
  • Best games for 8 year olds that are addicted to Minecraft on their ipads (no shooter games)?
  • Any other accessories/tips to have everything ready to go Xmas morning?
  • How many games will a 32MB console hold?
  • Better to download games or purchase cards?
  • any other general words of encouragement/caution

Sorry for so many questions - this is all new to me! Thank you.

wesden

ThanosReXXX

I'll answer your questions in the same order that you asked them in:

  • It depends on the game. Some games support it, others only support multiple JoyCon. I suppose you could check the games online, to see what controllers/mix of controllers they support for multi-player.
  • Same answer applies here. Of course, one extra set of JoyCon and you're sorted, seeing as these are always sold in pairs.
  • Not really my genre, so I don't know everything about it, but some games that I do know, that are similar are Dragon Quest Builders 1 & 2 and Portal Knights, so you might want to look into those. I've played the Dragon Quest Builders demos myself, and they're pretty good, actually.
  • Extra accessories: screen protector is a must-have. Let the people in the shop put it on there for you, unless you're okay with and have experience with doing that yourself. And a carrying case or pouch is also a must-have in my opinion. I've got the Steel Play soft-pouch, that can also hold 12 cartridges and an extra set of JoyCon, but there's also larger cases, that can also hold a dock and Pro Controllers, so it all depends on personal preference and/or needs.
  • The console without added memory won't hold that many games, but it also depends on how many you'd want to download and/or how large the games are. For example: if you'd download Zelda Breath of the Wild, then you've already filled up almost half of that internal memory (which isn't even 32GB to begin with, because some space is reserved for the Operating System), so another game that same size and you're already done filling up the internal memory. And some third party games are considerably bigger than that, so you might also want to pick up a Micro SD card, and don't go lower than 64GB. Come to think of it, put that with the extra accessories that you may definitely want to consider...
  • Digital or cartridge depends on personal preference, and/or availability. In some cases, games are only available digitally, so you'll have no other choice, but at least with cartridges for all the big, first party games, you don't have to waste precious space, so a good mix might be the way to go. But again: it depends on what you yourself would prefer. There's really no bad choice here.
  • Words of caution... hmmm.... Depending on if you already bought and own the bundle, I'd make sure that you have the latest model Switch, and the newer edition JoyCon, which are less prone to JoyCon drift. Mind you: even though the problem is definitely there, I haven't fallen victim to it personally, and I've already owned my Switch for over a year, so it doesn't necessarily HAVE to happen, but keep in mind that it CAN happen, in which case, Nintendo will take care of it at no extra cost, so all that would happen in that case, is that you're out of a pair of JoyCon for a while. So, that extra pair of JoyCon that you will want to buy had better also be the second edition ones...

Well, that's all questions answered, hope that helps.

Edited on by ThanosReXXX

'The console wars are like boobs: Sony and Microsoft fight over which ones look the nicest and Nintendo's are the most fun to play with.'

Nintendo Network ID: ThanosReXX

ThanosReXXX

@wesden Extra tip: be sure to visit the Nintendo eShop's demo download section, as well as the free games section, once you've made a Nintendo account and NNID (Nintendo Network ID) on the Switch. There's actually quite a few demos that you can try out before actually buying the full games, so that's a perfect way to find out what your kids like to play or not, before you invest the cash into something that they'll only ever try once and then never touch again...

EDIT:
You might also want to bookmark this page, for future reference and/or support:
https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/

Edited on by ThanosReXXX

'The console wars are like boobs: Sony and Microsoft fight over which ones look the nicest and Nintendo's are the most fun to play with.'

Nintendo Network ID: ThanosReXX

wesden

Thanks, @ThanosReXXX. Great tips! I planned to get a Micro SD, but good to know minimum size. Seems like if I want the flexibility of playing up to 4 players I will need another set of both types of controllers. Geez, that a money suck. But glad I can test out some games before buying.

And screen protector - that's a good one. Didn't even think of that but seems like a no brainer!

I'm an Atari 2600 gal myself (still have my original system and 100+ games) so it will be interesting to see what games I like and end up buying. Switch - It's not just for kids! lol

wesden

Anti-Matter

@wesden
"Best games for 8 year olds that are addicted to Minecraft on their ipads"

Try Dragon Quest Builders 2 & Portal Knights
Both of them have same Minecraft vibes but with much better graphics.
The video gameplay for references.

Dragon Quest Builders 2

Portal Knights

Anti-Matter

BruceCM

Well, if you &/or children are going to play docked a lot, @wesden, it'd be worth getting the charging joy-con grip SD card is pretty much guaranteed to be needed, sooner or later, even if you do try to get physical games, assuming you'll be getting quite a few
The various arcade classics & retro revivals games are pretty much all digital only Many of those might well appeal to an Atari girl! Along with plenty of platformers & modern arcade style stuff

SW-4357-9287-0699
Steam: Bruce_CM

ThanosReXXX

@Anti-Matter Erm... I already mentioned those...

@wesden Well, you're more than welcome. Be sure to visit the general Switch thread once you've got the console up and running. We discuss all kinds of Switch-related things there.

As for the retro games: just look for ACA (which stands for Arcade Archives) titles in the eShop, or for Sega Genesis classics. And later on, you might eventually also want to consider investing in an online subscription, which will cost you 20 bucks a year, and that'll give you access to an online library of Nintendo's own 8 and 16 bit library, so NES and SNES (or Famicom and Super Famicom, depending on the region), and besides those, there's also there's also other games that either support or require an online subscription, specially for multiplayer. (not for local multiplayer, obviously, to be clear)

You can also check out the games page over here, and filter out any category, to find what you might want:
https://www.nintendo.com/games/

Oh, and I forgot to link to the account sign-up page earlier, so here you go:
https://my.nintendo.com/

And be sure to link the account to your Nintendo Network ID (NNID), which is basically your user name on your console. And with that, you can also link your credit card or PayPal account to your Nintendo account, so you can more easily purchase games from the eShop. Multiple accounts on the Switch are also a must, with several players, and you can make yours the main account, restricting the others from making "accidental" purchases and such...

Edited on by ThanosReXXX

'The console wars are like boobs: Sony and Microsoft fight over which ones look the nicest and Nintendo's are the most fun to play with.'

Nintendo Network ID: ThanosReXX

judaspete

My niece is really into Minecraft, so I got her Mario Maker 2 for her birthday. She loves it. You build your own Mario levels and then play through them. It's just 2D, not 3D like Minecraft, but still lets your kids create something then explore it.

judaspete

My Nintendo: judaspete | Nintendo Network ID: judaspete

wesden

@baller98 So my bundle came in today and it came with Mario and Sonic at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games (yay!), Ice Age (meh) and Super Monkey Ball (not sure how long they will last with this one). Thanks for the tips on the other games! Seems like a lot I will like!

wesden

wesden

@judaspete I think both my kids (age 8) will love Mario Maker 2. I checked it out and looks very cool!

wesden

wesden

@ThanosReXXX so re: the link my account to your Nintendo Network ID (NNID)....when making the NNID should it be more "me" than them, or more generic? How does the NNID get referenced (players looking to play look for NNID or player/account name?) I then create a main my.nintendo account and add 2 additional accounts for my kids? Sorry this is so basic....even working in tech for 25 years I feel out of it when it comes to this stuff Thanks!

wesden

ThanosReXXX

@wesden Never be sorry if you're asking about something that you really don't know, but need an answer to. In that respect, there are no dumb questions, and people that don't want to help someone with a genuine question generally aren't worth anyone's time, far as I'm concerned...

So, without further ado (although: this is assuming that you've already created a user profile on the console. If not, do so first): an NNID is for the primary player. As I mentioned before, think of your NNID as your user name for the eShop and other online affairs. It can be your own name, or it could simply be the same name that you use on here. Your account is obviously just one that you tie to your e-mail account, with that e-mail address and a password. First follow these instructions to make a Nintendo Network ID/NNID on the Switch. Make yours first, make that the primary one, so that it is protected from all other users (because they'd need a password to enter the eShop):
https://www.imore.com/how-create-new-nintendo-account-switch

Once that's done go to the MyNintendo site on your PC, go into account options, and somewhere in one of the various options, there should be an option to link your NNID to your account. And that's it.

These steps are basically a means to tie your e-mail and username to your console, so that Nintendo knows that they belong together and that no one else can use either your e-mail or username.

You don't need to create accounts for your kids, just user profiles on the console. Unless they're old enough and you are okay with them buying games online, in which case you just repeat the steps for every user, linking accounts to user profiles. But if not, then just make one for yourself as the primary user, and in that way, you've also got a partial parental control. (more settings for that are found in the system menu of the console itself, if need be)

Well, that's all for creating and linking accounts. Don't hesitate if you have any other questions. If not me, then I'm pretty sure that there's dozens of others on here that'll be more than willing to help you out.

Good luck, and don't forget to also have some fun with it. Sure, there's some steps to be taken, as evident from this explanation, but it's just a one time thing, and after that, you're good to go.

'The console wars are like boobs: Sony and Microsoft fight over which ones look the nicest and Nintendo's are the most fun to play with.'

Nintendo Network ID: ThanosReXX

ThanosReXXX

@wesden Okay, last minute addition: you probably don't need to link an NNID to an account. I forgot that the Switch is your first Nintendo console in ages, so you don't have any previous logins or usernames, such as you might have had on the 3DS or 2DS handheld, or on the Wii U.

Just follow all the steps mentioned in my previous comment, and if there's no option or need to link an account, then you're already set after simply having created that account. Once you've used the activation link in the e-mail that you'll receive when having made an account, you should then be able to enter the eShop on the Nintendo Switch with them, so if that works after you've done all that, then that's that, and you're done.

'The console wars are like boobs: Sony and Microsoft fight over which ones look the nicest and Nintendo's are the most fun to play with.'

Nintendo Network ID: ThanosReXX

wesden

@ThanosReXXX I guess I need to do this before Xmas so it's plug and play Xmas morning. I am hesitant to unbox the Switch - my son really enjoys that whole experience, but it looks like I can at least charge the controllers ahead of time without ruining the seals. I'll try to create a my.nintendo account this week and go as far as can without a NNID. But at least I have the steps to mitigate the time to play Xmas morning!! Thanks again!

wesden

ThanosReXXX

@wesden You're very welcome.
Be sure to let us know if it all worked out, and if there's anything else, again: don't hesitate to ask.

'The console wars are like boobs: Sony and Microsoft fight over which ones look the nicest and Nintendo's are the most fun to play with.'

Nintendo Network ID: ThanosReXX

ThanosReXXX

@wesden P.S.

You can always pack it all up again, once you've charged the controllers and made the user profiles and Nintendo account. The Nintendo account can be made without the console: that's done on the MyNintendo site. All you need to do from the console, is confirm the account, like mentioned in the steps in that link I sent you earlier. Shouldn't take more than 5 to 10 minutes, unless you can't think of a user name or account name.

A final tip for now: if asked to come up with a user name for the MyNintendo site (not sure exactly how that goes for a new Nintendo user, since I personally just ported over/linked my old Wii U account, so it was different for me), don't pick the exact same one as the user name on the console. That would make it too easy for people (such as your children) to make use of your account online. Although obviously, they would also need to guess your password.

But still, better safe than sorry, right?

'The console wars are like boobs: Sony and Microsoft fight over which ones look the nicest and Nintendo's are the most fun to play with.'

Nintendo Network ID: ThanosReXX

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