Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

1-2-Switch and the Switch has just been advertised during one of the biggest UK shows the Brits on ITV. Good to see it's being advertised!

The article has a point, but not one that should be used to criticize Nintendo. Because that's the case with every hardware launch. PS4 and xbox included. Want more than 1 controller? That's an additional 60, another game brings that up to 120 extra dollars on top of the hardware. Online play subscription should be factored in as well.

At the very least Nintendo comes with 2 rather basic controllers out of box. And thanks to Nintendos usually simplistic games (don't start quoting me telling me why I'm wrong and blowing up my email , I'm strictly speaking on control wise), many of their games will come with multiplayer without needing an extra purchase. That's a pretty cool prospect

@Operative2-0 This is very true. The total I spent on getting my PS4 set up, even a good while ago in October 2015, was £340 for the system (1TB), £55 for a controller, £40 for MKX just to play something, £20 for a short-ish subscription to try it out, and £40 for some indie and download games to fill out initial library.

Switch has cost me £339.99 including Zelda. It's costing me as much as my PS4 on its own did not even 2 years ago.

@BLP_Software I'm glad I bought my PS4 during a flash sale on Amazon DE. I got the 1TB for €299. Thinking about it, I don't really know if it was a flash sale or just a mistake..

@Captain_Toad preach.

@Octane yeah. It cost as much as Switch (Console, two controllers) and a game, for the PS4 and one controller...near 18 months ago. This is cheap.

@BLP_Software Well, I won't compare it to my PS4 purchase, because the Switch is more expensive than that. It's €330 over here, and it only comes with 32GB of flash storage instead of a 1TB hard drive.

There is also the factor of the versatility of the system. You're basically getting a console and a handheld for the price of one. That won't appeal to everyone, since some people will use this primarily as either a console or a handheld, but it's still pretty great value for people who will use it both ways, not to mention other aspects like a set of JoyCon doubling as two controllers.

I'm surprised how many people, even on these forums, don't get the appeal of a portable console.

I think and hope a lot of people are going to realise what they've been missing out on if they just give Switch a chance. Portables become a part of your life and you develop a bond with them because they become something you routinely take with you everywhere 'just in case'.

As someone who truly loves their Wii U gamepad off-tv functionality, the prospect of having a system that runs games even better than the Wii U gamepad when fully portable was too much for me to resist.

32GB for Switch is more comparable to 500GB for XB1 and PS4 than 1TB. That's pretty generous too as there's not a single game that'll fill up XB1 or PS4 on its own whereas 32GB isn't even enough for DQ1+2 (I'm assuming you can't download each separately for Switch?).

I agree though that you need to include online subscription so that'll be for the options in my previous post:
Switch + Pro Controller + Game + 12 months online ~ £405 (exact online price hasn't been confirmed so it'll probably be £15-£20 judging by range provided)
500GB XB1 S with free game + Game + 12 months Xbox Live Gold = £320
500GB PS4 Slim with free game + Game + 12 months Playstation Plus = £340

As time goes on I really wonder how many people treat portable consoles as portables and not as handheld consoles that see most of their playtime at home rather than the marketed scenarios of "quick Mario Kart match whole standing in line".

@Operative2-0 Playing at home? Sure probably will get more play time than away from home. Most people who probably spend more of their lives at home than away from home, so it stands to reason. But playing on the main TV, fixed like a traditional console? Not a chance.

I'm not a gym bunny, but if I was, Switch would be my number 1 workout accessory: do a set of benchpresses, recover on the Switch; 20 minutes on the treadmill, recover on the Switch.

I love this magical world gamers live in where inflation and other market realities don't exist. I'm being honest - it's mind blowingly awesome that I still only pay 60 dollars for a AAA game, which was the price I paid for AAA games 10 years ago. Any other hobby, that's unheard of.

Edit: Dang, sorry. I forgot to complain about something. Erm... Bomberman R, am I right? Something about the price, something something... not a real game. Rabble rabble.

@gcunit are you referring to how many people will spend most of their time with the switch in docked mode? I think I'm misunderstanding something

@Operative2-0 Maybe I misunderstood you. Handheld console / Portable... what's the actual difference?

Scratch what I said about recovering on the Switch after running on the treadmill. With detachable joy cons you could actually play while running on the treadmill.

@gcunit You'd have some sweaty joycons after a while, lol.

The price of the extras is excessive, but the system itself is - to my mind - far from extortionate given the technology.

I had a good look at the 'slimmer' offerings from Sony and Microsoft the other day. They've shaved a decent chunk of both of them, but they're still so many times bigger than the Switch I don't even dare estimate, not to mention the Switch is running a very impressive (touch) screen to boot. Those who don't care for the portable aspect will perhaps be unimpressed by this, but it the Apple-esque wizardry shouldn't simply discounted.

The fact that the Switch also comes with multiplayer out of the box is also worth something (as had been mentioned). Two player Mario Kart should simply cost the price of the Switch plus the game, which is looking at about £320-325.

The Pro Controller, as with all the accessories, comes in at a very uncomfortable price point for me, which is why I'm not planning on getting one for a while at least, but I don't think it needs to be counted as a necessity. Yes, including it would bring comparisons more in line with with the other two consoles' controllers, but having played through several games of Splatoon using the JC Grip, it makes the case for itself very well. And if we're going to try 'bringing the consoles in line with each other' the two other consoles have got an awful lot of work to do to on their ends.

From my experience, the console comes with two fun size controllers or one standard one straight out of the box. The Pro Controller is a premium controller (albeit still an offputtingly expensive one), rather than a necessary inclusion. And even if you do include it, your previous calculations allow for up to three person local multiplayer player on the Switch, and only solo play on the other two consoles.

For all these reasons, things are difficult to compare, but depending on what you class as necessary, you can end up with quite different answers.

@gcunit I would pay to see you play while on a treadmill. I'd suggest being safer and be on a stationary bike and play.

@brettwayne I already do play on a stationary bike, but you don't need detached joy-cons to do that. But I wouldn't want to run and try to use a traditional two-handed control pad.