Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

@skywake Things need classification in order to know what do with them. How will you make a recipe, without knowing what kind of ingredients you need? How will you be able to tell flavours apart, if they never had a classification? It's in the same way that publishers and developers throw "casual" audience around, or how speed-runners use "casual" to denote someone playing a game normally, as opposed to running it. What is a casual even? The only way the Switch gets the hybrid moniker, is because it's the first in the field. But the term "hybrid" means 50% of one thing, and 50% of the other. Is that the Switch? Because if I take it from it's dock, then the dock won't do anything any-more. I'd say it was, if the dock was it's own system, kinda like how you used to connect your DS to your Wii for Pokemon Battle Revolution, but fully integrated and able to give each-other a real hand.

And the real funny part is that it doesn't even use that moniker, it uses "home-console". The definition for it, as per Wikipedia: "A home video game console, or simply home console, is a video game device that is primarily used for home gamers, as opposed to in arcades or some other commercial establishment. Home consoles are one type of video game consoles, in contrast to the handheld game consoles which are smaller and portable, allowing people to carry them and play them at any time or place, along with microconsoles and dedicated consoles."

So it is a problem because you can't filter it out?

@Haru17 Your point was that you don't like that the Switch turns on when you dock it to charge it. In only does so to let you know its actually charging then it returns to sleep mode.

As for your comments about having to dock it and do everything via the TV just to turn it off, no. Just hold the power button down if you want to full turn it off. You don't need to dock it and do all these things for it to be in sleep mode while charging. Just put it in sleep mode, dock it, it says its charging, and it goes back to sleep. Simple.

@GrumbleVolcano XCX was also their only holiday game that year after Super Mario Maker. They didn't really get a choice. Looking at how it sold, and how this country lovingly reacts to things, I think it is wise of them to push the games that will move the system here.

@UmniKnight The things with classification is that new ones pop up all the time, as classifications become outdated as more evidence and new things come to light. Therefore, nothing can really be classified by what we thought way back when.

Heck, the PS4 and Xbox One are Multimedia boxes. Their primary sales pitch is that of a games console, but in truth, they are multimedia boxes capable of doing a lot of what your PC can do, or your TV.

*noun
noun: hybrid; plural noun: hybrids
1.
Biology
the offspring of two plants or animals of different species or varieties, such as a mule.
"the bird was a hybrid of a goose and a swan"
synonyms:
cross, cross-breed, mixed-breed; More
mixture, blend, meld, amalgam, amalgamation, combination, composite, compound, conglomerate, fusion, synthesis;
informalmash-up
"this is a hybrid between a brown and albino mouse"
2.
a thing made by combining two different elements.
"jungle is a hybrid of reggae and house music"
a word formed from elements taken from different languages, for example television ( tele- from Greek, vision from Latin).
a car with a petrol engine and an electric motor, each of which can propel it.
noun: hybrid car; plural noun: hybrid cars
adjective
adjective: hybrid
1.
of mixed character; composed of different elements.
"hybrid diesel-electric buses"

By the definition of *Hybrid, the Nintendo Switch, as a product, as sold, does in fact fit that of a Hybrid in that it's SKU, marketing, product presentation, and function revolves around the combination of elements from a home console and a handheld.

@BLP_Software Referring you to my edit by the explanation of what a "home-console" entails. Also alright, I'll give you that it fits as a hybrid, but that isn't what NINTENDO is selling it as.

Eh, it's a portable to me. A console is either portable (in the literal sense that you can carry it around without the need of an external power supply or a screen), or it's a home console, not portable and thus tethered to your TV. Being both sounds like a paradox to me, because something can't be both portable and not portable at the same time. The Switch is always portable, since there's nothing stopping you from picking it up and taking it anywhere.

But I also know that some get a bit worked up if I say I think it's a portable, and I really don't understand why.

If it had the same design as the Switch (including the GPU running at a lower clock speed in handheld mode)? Sure. But the 3DS clearly wasn't designed to be used either as a home console or as a handheld, what with its clamshell design, permanently attached controls, and much lower specs.

@UmniKnight It is what they are selling it as. Because that's what it shows on the box. They aren't neglecting to ever show one or the other. All the ads show both being utilised. They show the full of range of features. Even Japan mentions its on a TV, though that holds far less importance there.

They aren't false advertising anything. They tell you its both. A hybrid. The only reason they said it was a home console initially is for investors. You know what they would do if they said no more of those.

@Octane I've no problems with it being a portable, just that it was sold to me as a home-console.

@BLP_Software An investors thing again huh? Figures.

What are you afraid of? Are you afraid there only will be touchscreen games going forward? Because that is the only feature not present in docked mode. Basically every game we have seen so far has been played with buttons.

@Therad What am I afraid of? That my preferred way to play will be out the window if it proves not to be popular enough, since Nintendo's strength lies in handheld, that's what I'm afraid of. Polls and such may show that it's roughly equal, or that both modes get used quite a bit, but the general consensus I get, is that people buy it because of it's handheld part, so it can slot into their busy lives. The part of it docking on the TV is a nice bit of "extra" and "extra" can also be removed if deigned no longer necessary.

Yes, yes paranoid all that yada yada throw it all out, I'm waiting.

Edit: Before you point me to the PS4/Xbox One, they don't play Nintendo games, and I have a very deep attachment/history with those. When push comes to shove, I'll play whatever device those games are on, but I'd also very much like a good third-party line-up with that, the best of both worlds.

@UmniKnight But the thing about connecting your Switch to a TV is very easy as @skywake already pointed out. There's no reason for Nintendo to remove that part. Even if a new SKU or a Switch 2 only comes with a simple USB-C to HDMI/USB/AC adapter, the end result is still the same. Getting it to display on your TV is the last thing I'd worry about.

Ah, the eternal debate rages on. People have a hard time dealing with a device that doesn't fit in a comfortable box. The Switch is a versatile piece of hardware that can function in a variety of modes, depending on how you use it. That's it. "Hybrid" is just the easiest description to try and define that level of versatility, but, in reality, it doesn't necessarily even fit into that box depending on how you use it. It's just the Switch, and you can play it when and how you like. That's the beauty of the system.

@UmniKnight Nobody is taking TV mode away from you, I promise. There would be no reason to. The Switch is a versatile device: why make it worse for no good reason?

@Octane We shall see what the future brings in that regard. You don't see a reason to worry, but there may be a moment in the future where production of the dock (You know, that thing that costs us a ridiculous 99 dollar or I think it's about 100 euros) costs more than it generates, and such, they'll see it more efficient/lucrative to discontinue it's creation, and TV mode along with it.

@Ralizah Ah, a nice bit of mockery right there. I can at least appreciate the subtlety that you're using it with. Again, we shall see.

Worse, is but perception. For me, it'd be worse, for some others, also, but for those heaps of people that go handheld only? They couldn't give less of a rat's right toenail.

@Ralizah Nice to see you chime in. Yup, this has been going on for weeks and I don't think itll stop until the Switch is long dead and even then people will look back and try and decide what it was.

Basically, we are in the same situation of "What is it?" that we were with the Wii U. Except this time it isn't because of inept marketing.

How can they throw out the dock that is in your home? If they would say, make a mandatory update that removed hdmi out, they would get sued in a flash and they would lose. Why would they do something like that? Even if 99% of people used the switch in handheld mode, it wouldn't cost them a dime to leave docked mode as it is for current customers.

And I have a hard time believing you missed that it could be played handheld before you bought it. It is an integral feature of the console. So what has changed since then?

@BLP_Software Need for classification goes way back when though. You have to be able to tell someone with gluten-intolerance if there are gluten in certain pieces of food, right? If those weren't identified and classified as gluten, those people would be in a real bind right now.

@Therad I meant for the Switch's future, you know, it's inevitable next-in-line. And yes, the Switch's very name would lose a piece of sense without the dock, as you can only "Switch" to tabletop mode then.