Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

@IceClimbers Yet if the numbers come out, I'm sure we'll see 90% of people use it as handheld, if not handheld exclusively, and we'll probably see favouritism come out at that point. The sad thing is, I know for sure Nintendo will never make another real home-console for as long as the Switch lives.

@UmniKnight What's killing your argument is that I see more people using it TV only than Handheld only, very few handheld only, with handheld as a supplement to the home console experience.

@BLP_Software But then why do I see nearly everyone on every site I ever visit (that being, I've done my fair share of reading) that they all use it handheld. Arguments like "Haven't even unpacked my dock" come to mind.

@UmniKnight I'm sure people do use it more in handheld just looking at the difference in install base between the Wii U and 3DS.

Switch is a point of no return I think. Now that they've gone the hybrid route they'd get major backlash and disappointment from fans if they went back on it

@DarthNocturnal And you are aware that things like cartridges and the Switch's weaker specs are all to accommodate the fact that it's a handheld?

So am I, but I've red that argument only few times, and the entirety of Japan is 100% certain to be handheld, and there's a 1 million Switches sold there so far.

In fact, I'm certain the only reason it sells there, is because it's handheld capable.

@IceClimbers I'd say it's a true hybrid, if the dock does more than just be a overpriced plastic connectivity hub. If it added actual power, so that frame-drops and the likes would be a thing of the past on Switch, yes, I would agree it's a hybrid. But it doesn't.

Switch is neither a console nor a handheld: it's a hybrid. The fact that the GPU runs faster while docked pretty much confirms this. Doesn't change that fact if you decide not to make use of its full functionality and just treat it like a pure home console or handheld.

@UmniKnight Let's hope Nintendo never makes another pure home console again. This level of hardware versatility is too good to give up.

Anyway, they're charging console prices for the games because they're HD, console-quality games, as opposed to games designed for a system with a piddly 240p display that wasn't even cutting edge in 2011. Your argument is that they should charge less for games because the Switch is fully portable, even though the games it's running are more advanced than what was possible on the Wii U. I'm sorry, but that makes no sense whatsoever.

Also, polls I've seen asking people about how much they use the machine in handheld/docked form reveal an almost 50/50 split.

@UmniKnight If you feel you've bought something you weren't expecting, then that's on you.

How can you expect something that equals a PS4 in performance but is also a hybrid, and less than £300? Your fixation on the word 'home console' is your problem. Nobody's tricked you into anything.

I don't care what it's called, but there are no two games I'd rather own than BotW and MK8D.

This statement is never going to be fully representative of the population and as a further notice: Yes, they say they all use it handheld. What they haven't said, as you have failed to clarify upon it, is that all use EXCLUSIVELY handheld.

I use it handheld too. I also use it on my TV. Stating its EXCLUSIVELY handheld, would back up your point. But you didn't do that. People just said they use one half of the functionality without denying they use the other.

I suggest you do some extra reading around here. Most don't take it out of the dock or use it in both forms.

And the dock DOES help the Switch run better. When the system is docked it identifies and only runs at full capacity when a HDMI connection to a TV (To push more than 1080p and thus use the extra oomph not needed for 720p in handheld mode) and when a power supply is connected, so that it doesn't use the battery and has a full power supply to draw from to fuel the full capacity of the system.

In fact, if it doesn't detect that power supply, it wont do it. The dock does in fact help the Switch run at a higher clock speed and thus get superior performance, simply because the dock gives the signals and components necessary to do so, the components just aren't computational, rather technical.

@Ralizah Versatility sacrifices to miss many multiplat games, have lesser specs, and be stuck with cartridges. A devil's due that is already haunting it by every game that confirms skipping the system.

Or a 1080 display that clips with one's TV, like Fate/Extella does with mine. Also you can't call it a hybrid, because it doesn't stack up to other home-consoles in that department, yet beats every other handheld out there. Ergo handheld.

@BLP_Software @UmniKnight @Octane Personal experience can be skewed. Let's look at some polls.

This poll on GameFAQs is pretty even between handheld, docked, and those who do a mixture of both, but just slightly leans towards handheld users.

This other GameFAQ's poll, however, leans slightly toward docked.

This Nintendolife poll also leaned slightly toward handheld users.

This poll at the zeldainformer forums (Which I am a member of) leans slightly toward handheld, but it also only had an 11-user poll size.

That's all I was able to find, really. NoA released a poll that said 83% of Switch owners play at home, but not only was that poll skewed by lack of options, it doesn't count the number of people (like me) who play at home exclusively in handheld.

My opinion is that it's a pretty even split. Every half-decent poll I found was almost even within a roughly 10% margin.

@gcunit Hey, Nintendo tagged it a home-console, that wasn't on me. If they'd have tagged it handheld, it would've been far more honest, and I probably wouldn't have bought it. That said, I do agree on BotW (Less so MK8D, but that's because I've played that to death on Wii-U)

@BLP_Software I did forget that part didn't I? But yes, I did see mostly people who argued they'd play it handheld always, if not most of the time. My fear is that we shall see handheld mode receive favouritism later down the line (I bet Game Freak would make Switch Pokemon handheld only if given the choice)

Also if that is true about the dock having things run better, then why was BotW running better in handheld vs docked?

I see the Switch for what it is, a hybrid console. It was never going to be a portable PS4. I would say I have a 60/40 split between playing in docked mode and handheld. I would say games like Splatoon are best suited being played docked as I cannot get on with the controls in handheld mode.
To be honest if the Switch is a roaring success, I cannot see Nintendo making a dedicated home console again.

@DarthNocturnal But for now, they're a crutch that is more in the Switch's way, than doing it any favours. I've had many a technical discussion on our local Discord with people who do programming and the likes, and they frequently mention the cartridge as a reason why multiplats ain't making the jump.

@Nicolai I believe the numbers of which mode is used more should be privy to Nintendo alone. If they become public, then I fear developers will act on them, and the message of the Switch will be messed over hard. If games like Severed and Voez didn't have a solid reason to be handheld only, they'd be doing that already.

@UmniKnight

"It tends to run better in handheld"

What games does this actually apply to? Breath of the Wild was patched. Everything I've got (20-oddgames) runs better docked, even if it's just a resolution boost.

@Nicolai Why did you reply to me? I don't care how people use their Switch, that's up to them!

@Farmboy74

"To be honest if the Switch is a roaring success, I cannot see Nintendo making a dedicated home console again".

I agree, and it makes total sense. Their most successful machines have been handhelds, their handhelds outsell their home Consoles, there's very strong competition in the home Console market but none in the handheld market.

The hybrid concept makes perfect sense too. Switch is the list powerful handheld around and Nintendo's most powerful home Console. Sweet spot.

@electrolite77 I never take my Switch out of it's dock, so I haven't been able to test BotW, but I frequently encounter frame-drops at particular places, and I see them when playing Fate/Extella as well.

Does it frequently drop frames in handheld mode as well then?