Topic: Nintendo Switch 2

Curious if the Nintendo Life brains trust have a better idea/experience with this. Currently there's a deal in Australia that if you subscribe to 12 months of NSO before the end of September you get a bonus 2 months. However my current yearly NSO subscription renews automatically at the end of October

So brains trust, the question. Can I renew early and if I do what will happen? I am assuming that if I renew early the remainder of my year gets added to the end of my new renewed subscription. And that because I renewed before the end of September I then get an additional 2 months at the end..... but perhaps someone else has done this kind of thing already and can confirm or tell me otherwise

@skywake I just renewed myself. So long as it doesn't take your membership over three years, which is the maximum allowed, you will indeed get the extra months.

@darkfenrir
Thank you. That's a little better, for sure.

@skywake
Ya like they said, you can stack up to 3 years. Might I suggest, however, joining a group with 7 others for the $80 (USD) NSO+ Expansion Pack family plan, splitting 8-ways for just $10 (USD) each? Thats what I do. I let Eel be the "admin" so the rest of us (got my brother to jump in too) paypal him $10 every October. I just sent $30 to pay up through Oct 2028.

$10/yr for NSO+ with GBA and GameCube added in feels so cheap I cant believe more people aren't doing this. And Eel isnt even in my country lol. Im in US and they're in Mexico. So you really can do it with anyone. Just find a member here you trust to be admin and post a thread looking for members. Or, offer to be the admin yourself and let 7 others who trust you join in

Just a thought.

@skywake Was the same for me. I simply renewed early and they added the two months on top. 😁👍

@JaxonH
Sharing a family subscription is definitely the play, which is why I already do it. Although in my case literally with family, friends, colleagues. Technically I guess we don't share the cost, because I pay for it, but I also don't pay for Disney+ or Spotify so it kinda evens out

@FishyS @Hapless @darkfenrir thank you for answers! I plan use 15W one when I need play a little longer then it can handle full charged aka to extend life, because for 15W one I have 3 meters cable, so I can easier use in bed.
PS: I can charge trough either of holes with those 15W and 65W chargers aka maybe one of holes can't handle one or both chargers power?!

@SViper I believe they are identical usb-C ports so either should work. Note that Switch 2 itself regulates the charge rate so if you plug in a relatively standard usb cord, it's not going to burst into fire; the worst that could happen is it simply doesn't charge or charges slowly.

@FishyS thank you again for answers!

Persona 3 Reload is great. Took about 1 hour of playtime for the story to really kick off. That first hour sets the stage, introduces the characters and sets the table for the conflict. Gets you accustomed to the calendar and school, partaking in an after school activity and coming home and going to bed each night.

But then it kicks off and man, it really dials things up to 11 after that! Now its got its hooks in me. Though Im tempted to return to Trails In The Sky since it releases Friday, if I recall correctly.

Just got my 2nd 1TB micro SD Express. Im using one for strictly NSW2 games, the other strictly for NSW1 games that benefit running on NSW2 and dont have a better experience on an overclocked OLED (like Immortals Fenyx Rising which really benefits from that 720p docked image in handheld). Though I did also download all the Trails of games with Tokyo Xanadu because I want them all together and they had performance issues on NSW1. Overclocking fixes it but... they're just so much more enjoyable on an 8" screen. And with Trails In the Sky dropping a NSW2 version its nice to keep them consolidated.

Same for Batman Arkham Asylum and City, and Ni No Kuni 2 which yes, can do 720p on OC NSW1 but only at 30fps locked. Which is fine but I find it better at 60fps on NSW2. Astral Chain and W101 also because I want access to Platinum on this bigger screen. Nier has crashes on NSW2 so Im holding off on that. And Bayo can do 720p 60fps on OC NSW1 so that can stay put. Both Portal games, Prince of Persia, both Metroids, Paper Mario TTYD and Mario RPG, I just want access to them on my current system. Also both Fire Emblems and FE Warriors Three Hopes which runs 60fps locked on NSW2. Crisis Core since it ties in with the upcoming FFVII Remake. Darksiders 3 because it runs 720p 60fps handheld and Ghostrunner which also looks WAAAAY sharper in handheld on NSW2. Among others not mentioned.

Keep the spare in this cartridge that goes in the cart slot so I can swap anytime between NSW1 and NSW2 games.

This frees up space for NSW2 games on my original micro SD Express

@JaxonH
Does Astral Chain get a bump on Switch 2? I liked it, but I fell off it maybe halfway through and have been meaning to go back.

@rallydefault
It holds 30fps rock solid without any dynamic resolution drops. Admittedly it already ran pretty well on NSW1 so the difference isn't night and day like it is with Wonderful 101 (which dropped into the 30's and 40's but is now a locked 60fps), but it's still the best way to play it and, because it utilizes split joycon controlling 2 characters I prefer the larger, more ergonomic Joycon 2, especially using the Jsaux grips for them (i bought and tried 4 different grips- the Jsaux ones that come with their plastic dockable case are the best I've found to date.

And it has gyro aiming (albeit the sensitivity isn't high enough for my liking) but even so, I do use it snd NSW2 gyro is much more accurate than NSW1 gyro. Less drift and judder. Feels very smooth, stable and accurate. So that's a plus.

But it's really Wonderful 101 running at 60fps that's the big winner. I just like keeping all Platinum titles together. I'd download Bayonetta 2-3 also but eh, they can run 720p/60fps on NSW1 overclocked so, may as well save the space, especially having beaten them already (I beat W101 twice but that game is one of my faves, and genuinely sees a huge improvement.

Once Nier Automata gets patched to not crash I'll download that on NSW2 also. But it looks great in 720p with stable 30fps in handheld mode on the OC OLED..

I also fell off halfway through. Only P* game I never beat (unless you count Nier Automata's 2nd playthrough, as I only rolled credits once). Cruise N Blast is a great one on NSW2 as it locks 60fps.

Crysis 1-3 also all run at stable 30fps on NSW2, with serious frame drops on NSW1. Ni No Kuni 2 and Monster Hunter Stories 1 and 2 all locked at 60fps on NSW2. Darksiders 3 runs 720p 60fps. All the Trails of and Ys games run with perfectly stable, locked framerates and ya, chipped OLED can do that but with Ys X Nordics and Trails of the Sky 1st getting NSW2 Editions it's nice to just group the series all together ya know? And they run terrific. No more stuttering in the city squares. Even Ys IX Monstrum Nox runs stable and doesnt drop dynamic resolution. Though it does look better on OC OLED with 720p docked image.

I feel like despite Persona 5 Royal being 540p 30fps handheld, its good on NSW2 since Persona 3 Reload is releasing and they'll be grouped together. But its notable that P5R can output 720p 60fps in handheld on an OC OLED. I just hate series being split across my NSW1 OLED and NSW2.

Id say Resident Evil Revelations, Resident Evil Revelations 2 and Resident Evil 5 are best on NSW2, as they all hit 60fps and run at stable 720p resolution in handheld mode, with the more stable gyro aiming of Joycon 2.

Hmmm... what else... Id say Batman Arkham Asylum and City, while they can run flawlessly with a chipped OLED, are great on NSW2 being the current console and having a rock solid framerate is terrific because having these games as an option to play really enriches the library.

Romancing Saga 2 is great since it's 540p on NSW1 handheld, though OC OLED can do 720p locked 30fps. On NSW2 its 1080p handheld at 60fps. A notable jump, but if you wanna save 25GB and have a chipped OLED, that 720p locked 30fps experience is sufficient.

I'd argue It Takes Two is best on NSW2 because of Gamechat. And the actual gameplay visuals are good. Its just cutscenes that are pared back. Alongside Split Fiction it makes a really solid alternative for co-op. Since many have prior commitments playing Split Fiction with their spouse.

I havent tried it but I bet Skyrim is great on NSW2. I heard it had some frame drops on NSW1 after the creator mods update, so the improved gyro and guaranteed locked frameate seem reasonably compelling.

Mario Rabbids Kingdom Battle runs at 60fps on NSW2 so thats a no-brainer.

Trials Rising is definitely a game to play on NSW2. 720p handheld with rock solid framerate in handheld. Only viable portable version of the game that exists. Cant run on Steamdeck. And NSO+ GC controller analog triggers work if so desired.

@JaxonH
Oh, nice, think I will give Kingdom Battle another run.

I have Trails in the Sky coming on Friday, which I’m stoked for after 10 hours in the demo.

Also finally got LEGO Horizon for cheap. That will be a chill game. And Yooka Replaylee in… October I think?

Just finished another complete run of Bowser’s Fury. What a fantastic little game.

@rallydefault
They just teased Trails In the Sky 2nd Remake! Which means we'll be getting the whole trilogy much faster than I expected.

https://imgur.com/t6bCAlX

I downloaded it and uploaded to YT. Sorry for not having higher resolution. That's just what the video was.

(waits patiently for an Astral Chain 2)

@skywake
Idk if we'll ever see an Astral Chain 2 unfortunately. It barely sold a million copies. Like Bayonetta 2 and 3. Wonderful 101 did even worse. And those are 4 of the absolute finest.

I'm just greatful we have hybrid handheld versions of Bayonetta 1-3, Astral Chain, Wonderful 101 and Nier Automata. Ninja Gaiden 4 was leaked also. And Switch 2 ensures they all look and run as good as possible (Bayo 3 does look better outputting docked on a chipped OLED screen but Idk if it can hold 60 that way. It does for lighter sections but I haven't really stress tested it yet. Just not having dynamic resolution drops alone makes it look acceptable on NSW2.

But ya, too many Nintendo fans that just want Mario, Zelda, Pokemon, Animal Crossing, MarioKart and Smash, Mario Party and Splatoon. The 15m sellers and up. If it sells single digit millions they snub their nose at it.

Even Metroid, Fire Emblem and Xenoblade draws ire from these Mario casuals, as I call them (not that Mario isn't amazing but I can't stand fans who only focus on the big double digit selling mega franchises). Such games get ridiculed and results in long sighs of disappointment. Paper Mario Thousand Year Door, one of the best games on the GameCube, and its barely sold 2 million copies. Mario Rabbids games were insanely good- don't think they did much better. What's wrong with these Nintendo fans? Bayonetta and Astral Chain should be sitting at 5 million copies sold. But nope. Gonna stay inside that mega-mainstream box and never dip your toes into anything that doesnt have a recognizable Nintendo IP representing it, and even when it does, it better not be turn based or require strategy, or try anything outside the established mainstream series, cause that's just not how mainstream Mario casuals roll.

Its frustrating. Because we should be getting a sequel to Astral Chain. But because the fan base of mainstream Mario casuals doesnt support action games, even when they're GotY caliber, such new IP die off. 3x more people bought 1-2 Switch than Astral Chain. Think about that. Actually don't. It'll just get you upset.

Its like the PS fans that only buy 200-300 million dollar AAAA games with Hollywood actors and realism, but ignore games like Astrobot (which I hear only sold around 1-2 million?). Like... seriously? That game's better than any of the stuff they've been churning out over the last decade, yet nobody buys it. Resogun was amazing. Poor sales. Returnal wasn't my thing but I acknowledge its a great game. Not even sure it cracked 1 million sold. PS has its mainstream Naughty Dog casuals just like Nintendo's mainstream Mario casuals. Same for Xbox. If it ain't Halo, Forza or Gears they're not interested. Games like Lost Odyssey or Ori... meh. Who cares.

Or the 3rd party mainstream Fortnite casuals. All they play is live service and F2P crap. Those people exist everywhere. Seems all 3 platforms suffer from the same symptoms, the same type of majority that never tries anything new, never plays anything that isn't mainstream, and has no interest in exploring new genres and experiences.

Where's Switch 2 updates for the Xenoblade games? I'd love to be able to replay these at higher resolutions handheld.

@OmnitronVariant
Who knows. Its only been 3 months. NSW2 updates will be spread out over the generation so it could be 2026, or 2030, we just have no way of knowing.

Xenoblade X and Xenoblade 3 look good in handheld (good enough anyways). But the first two I recommend waiting for an upgrade (don't hold your breath though- it could be years away) or playing on a chipped NSW1 OLED and outputting the 720p docked image on the handheld screen. I can confirm they look insanely good that way. As does Immortals Fenyx Rising.

In the meantime I recommend Trails In The Sky 1st remake. Even the NSW1 version of the demo looks terrific- I can only imagine how much better itll be with the NSW2 version upgrade for $1. That and Persona 3 Reload via the demo. Both let you transfer your save into the full game BTW. I hear Trails demo is 7+ hours of content and Persona 3 is like 3 hours of content. That's a lot. With Trails releasing Fri you could get the Prologue knocked out before the game releases.
.
Its also the perfect starting point for the Trails series. But Persona 3 Reload is also very good. You clearly like JRPGs so Im trying to come up with recommendations in the genre.

Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core looks amazing on NSW2 and ties into FFVII Remake which drops in a few months. There's a good option, if you haven't played it before. Ni No Kuni 2 is really good and runs at 60fps on NSW2. So does Monster Hunter Stories 1 and 2. Might be good to play before MH Stories 3 drops in March. Not that I think it's required because I'm pretty sure it has a separate story. Unicorn Overlord is a unique recommendation. Very few have played it. Or dig into the bag of classics with Valkyria Chronicles 1 and 4.

@JaxonH I'm not talking about upgrades or changes to the games, I just mean an update that increases the resolution ceiling, maybe uncaps fps up to 60. The kind many games already have, like Mario Odyssey, Pokemon Violet etc. This should not take a lot of time.

@OmnitronVariant
Im not arguing itll take a lot of time to do, Im saying it may not be priority. They like to space these things out. So, even if it took five minutes, that doesn't mean it's going to release tomorrow. It could happen years from now. Because they want their improved games to be spread out over time.

But my guess is, they're not just going to increase resolution, they're going to increase framerate also. Maybe they release as NSW2 Editions for $10 upgrade, maybe they release as free upfrades in a 2nd batch. Point is, none of us know. If it's a free upgrade, it could happen within the next twelve months. If it's a NSW2 Edition it could be years away.

I would think if the Xenoblade S1 games get updates, it'll probably be right before the first Xenoblade S2 game comes out.

These huge RPG franchises like to release/re-release their back catalog games right before the newest one comes out. Like we all have hundreds and hundreds of hours to sit down and play back through Xenoblades 1-3 a month before 4 comes out lol