Topic: No apps? Who cares.

@Operative2-0

Not advocating. If and when the apps become available that's all fine, but I think it's silly to list it as a con for not having them in a review, and to actively complain about it as a missed feature when it takes little to no effort to utilize these apps they way people were two months ago.

Also I'm betting the reason we don't have a browser on it is because the browser can be used to run exploits on the system. Someone already found a way to run a jailbreak via the internal browser with a usb c exploit.

If taking these things away keeps the device from being compromised, it will help to keep 3rd parties on board, increasing the chances of longevity on the system. Every device that comes out with a browser ends up with an exploit or something along those lines.

@Dokkaebi
I don't know, you kinda went out of your way to argue that the Switch would be a horrible device for this sort of thing. You literally said that you'd rather watch videos on your phone. Now I'm not going out of my way to say that the Switch needs these apps for it to be decent. I'm just saying that it would be nice if it did have them because if it did? It'd be one of the best devices on the market for it.

The PS4 and XBOne are not the best media playback devices on the market for under your TV. Not by a long shot and especially not for the money you pay. The Switch however could be, with some apps, one of the best portable video consumption devices on the market and probably the cheapest. By a large margin. Netflix and Youtube, that's all it'd need and I probably wouldn't watch videos on my phone again if I had the Switch with me.

My guess is that Nintendo could really care less about the apps. Their core audience of Japan would much rather play a game on the run instead of watching a movie. This is the same reason why Bluetooth support was neglected. No one uses hands free tech in Japan when I go there. It is rude to talk in most public places on your devices and when they do they like tethered headsets and to keep their phone very close to their mouth to talk quietly.

I kinda wish they would fix the eshop first too. That is a big mess.

Well if you have more money than sense then go for it I guess. But from where I'm sitting a decent set of headphones with a 320kbps mp3 is more than good enough. And I'm talking double-blind test and you probably wouldn't notice the difference good enough. And BTW the non-free versions of these music streaming services all effectively run at 320kbps. At risk of creating an Audiophile grade screaming match? You gave us a link to snake oil.....

But either way, you're yet to give an argument for why the Switch wouldn't be one of the better devices for portable video streaming. That was the point you're making. If you could link to a device that does the job better then feel free to. I'm not sure that you'll be able to because I've actually wanted a device like that for a while. Most devices fall short, rear facing speakers and no kickstand being the two most frequent miss-steps from contenders. The Switch however is pretty spot on.

Netflix and iPlayer would be better on the go on my Switch rather than my mobile because of the larger screen I suppose. And regardless of what people say about the Switches battery life, it's much better than my smart phone too.

@Lethal 1) I don't get hurt when people say bad things about Nintendo. I can't care less
2) I'm not a kid, especially a crying one. Do you know me personally?
3) I did not talk about what your kids needs, i don't care
4) I talked about what i want, not what this device needs or anything else. It was a personal consideration
5) Again: do we know each other?? Or what??

@Operative2-0 I did not ask for less. I just said that i don't care about it

Probably better than even some of the flagship phones when it comes to a light task like video playback. But I think the bigger issue is that with a phone I wouldn't want to watch an entire movie holding the thing up anyways. On the Switch with its kickstand and front facing speakers? I could see myself doing that. If I was in a position where I had decent WiFi, no TV to use and a couple of hours to burn.

That analogy is kinda broken. For one you're comparing a device used for capturing media vs one used for reproducing it. Much easier to reproduce accurately than it is to capture accurately. And in any case, if you want a fair comparison? I'd argue that this sort of audiophile grade gear would be equivalent to asking for a display that can output colours outside of the range of human sight. If it's literally outside of the range of what you can physically perceive what's the point.

I thought you said the whole point was to get the best piece of tech for the job. Now you're saying that instead of using the device I already have I buy a cheaper device that will likely do a worse job at that task. As I said, how many other devices are better suited to the task than the Switch? After a bit of googling I could only find a Microsoft Surface ($900AU+) or the Lenovo Yoga ($300AU+). In that same space the Switch ($470AU) seems like a decent option, especially given I already have one. You said:

"Cramming any function to a any device where it does not belong means making compromises"

So I asked, what devices do it better? What compromises am I making wanting to use the Switch in this scenario? Your response is to tell me to get something in addition to what I have that wouldn't do a better job. Something that would have more compromises involved than using the Switch would. In other words, you can't think of a better device for this. The Switch is the right tool for this particular task so I look forward to the day when they inevitably release some of these apps.

Just going off the replies you leave sir. I think I know enough about you from those.

@Lethal no you don't. And you're really mannerless saying so

I won't complain about not having them but, it would be nice.

I have noticed the lack of them due to the fact I like to play in bed at night after the wife has gone to sleep. A lot of times when I'm done playing I'll watch something for a bit before I turn in. On my switch this would involve digging out another device, changing the headphones over and the like.

That's a lot of moving around and noise. With my other devices it's just a simple matter of closing one app and opening another. Not a complaint but I will be happy when they finaly put them on there.

The main reason would be not to have to carry a separate tablet. My phone is a phone, it's a cheapo and while it can technically have Netflix, it doesn't run it well and doesn't have enough internal storage for the app really anyway.... because it's a phone and it's screen is too tiny for Netflix.

So in theory if Switch had a web browser and a few apps like Netflix, You could take that in place of a tablet. It's screen is larger and it doesn't have to be constantly replaced every year to keep up with the apps like expensive phones. That would make it only one device (the Switch) instead of 2 (the Switch and a tablet).

As it is now, If I had a Switch and I were going on a trip, I would take the tablet and leave the Switch at home because I don't want to carry so many devices and the tablet is more useful. This defeats the whole point of the switch.

Dang, you can produce wholesale judgment of character based off a few posts on an internet message board?

I hope you're working for the CIA or something. Put those super-human mind powers to work!

And from one family man to another: I hope you don't pass this sort of behavior to your kids.

Speaking personally I travel a lot for work and use the train so space is limited. Having apps I can use in one device would be great. Just icing on top of a great device. I don't need it but it would guarantee the switch becomes my one stop for media. Zelda followed by Netflix? Yes please!

It's a gift........

Here's how I look at the Switch when it comes to having apps.

Apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime and perhaps YouTube would be ideal for use when the system is docked and I can watch them on the big screen. However, I think the Switch screen is too small to really be any use to me when on the go. I have an iPad which is has a better screen size and resolution.

I would personally never use a web browser on the Switch at home or on the go. Consoles are always bad for these experiences in my opinion. I have a laptop, phone and iPad which can do that much better.

However I totally understand a lot of people aren't in that same position I'm in so I can see where having such apps would be beneficial.

@skywake
Well right, that's what I was saying. I can kinda tell the difference between 720p and 1080p but absolutely cannot distinguish 1080p from 1440p.

Now, don't get me wrong, 4K Netflix at home on my 55" TV looks spectacular. Exponentially better than 1080p streaming. Heck it outclasses Full HD Bluray easily. Which is why I'll never use Switch for Netflix at home. I'd rather watch in 4K directly from my TV app.

But on the go? I'd use Switch every time. Even if I could tell the difference between it at 720p and a phone at 1080p, I'd still choose Switch simply because it looks close enough and has a much bigger screen and a built in kickstand. Which speaks volumes of the appeal of Switch for Netflix on the go.

@Dokkaebi
"If taking these things away keeps the device from being compromised, it will help to keep 3rd parties on board, increasing the chances of longevity on the system"

And that is why I don't care if it ever gets a browser. That I completely understand. Because browsers are much more susceptible to hacks and can direct the system to sites which run exploits. The Wii U through Loadline used the browser.

But Netflix and YouTube are no more susceptible than any other game or system feature. Those should not be lumped in with the browser. And they won't be. Nintendo already said apps are coming. So, it's gonna happen. Just a question of when.

No, I was saying that image capture is inherently more difficult than image reproduction. With image capture the physical signal between the sensor and the CPU isn't the issue. The issue is the size of the sensor and the size of the lens. So yeah, capture is harder than reproduction given that the chain these days is digital.

Going back to audio though because that's the thing that got you all worked up. The standard for digital audio is to have a sample rate of 44khz. So in theory a digital file will be able to record every frequency from 0hz to 44,000hz and every one of them treated equally. The problem is human ears are only capable of hearing from 20-20,000hz. A good set of headphones? The frequency response will be something like 16-22,000hz.

Now for a start? FLAC does a thing where they compress the audio file also. What it does is remove any redundant information from the file. For an average bit of music this will get you down to about 900kbps. What something like an mp3 then does is take that kind of compression and then starts deleting bits of information starting with the stuff you can't hear. Because higher frequencies can hold more information? In theory you should be able to cut out more than half of the information before you start impacting frequencies within the range of human hearing.

Again, there's no equivalent to 4K for audio. What we're talking about with audio would be the equivalent to colour depth. And even compressed audio can cover the full range of human hearing. Going beyond that? Unless your goal is to edit the audio and slow it down while still maintaining all that information? You don't need those higher frequencies. You can't hear them. And even if you could your speakers and headphones probably aren't designed to respond to those frequencies anyways.

Now if you want to talk about how important a good set of headphones or a good DAC/AMP are? Then sure. Go ahead. That stuff does actually matter to a degree. But please don't buy into or promote this $600 mp3 player nonsense.

The lack of basic standard apps on Switch means I'm using my Wii U more.

I will take my phone, but if you make me choose between the switch and a tablet, the switch will sometimes lose.