Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

@Dezzy This is what it looks like with the back panel removed:

Yeah you still need to unscrew the metal part, and remove some other things to access the battery.

What switch games are people playing online, besides the usual ones by usual I mean Mario kart, smash bros, fortnite, does anyone use the cheap ones for around €2-€5

I'd gladly take non-removable battery over that Xbox controller nonsense. Seriously, it's 2020 and Elite Series 2 is the only Xbox controller with an internal battery.

@Grumblevolcano How is that an issue? At least your Xbox controller will work perfectly fine in 10 years from now, because all you have to do is replace the batteries. Any Sony or Nintendo controller is a brick. And even unused controllers will have dead batteries at that point.

@Octane Damn it is good to see some rational posts here instead of the console war hate towards other products.

@Octane I prefer internal battery controllers a lot more, internal battery controller life per charge is generally a lot better than using normal batteries and have to spend less money on batteries. Also while it's true it becomes a brick after a certain time whereas controllers that use normal batteries can theoretically last longer, by the time that comes the controller will be useless anyway due to stuff like extreme stick drift or buttons not functioning properly. Controller build quality will need to become a lot better for internal batteries to not have the advantage.

@Octane 10 years seems a little out there. My GBA SP's battery still works fine and it's been ages.

Anyways, as long as the battery is easily replaceable and mass produced, I'd probably prefer internal battery to replaceable ones. The convenience is just so nice, and I wouldn't mind unscrewing the shell to replace the battery if need be. Not sure how many controllers actually meet those requirements though. I know I've replaced my Wii U tablets battery, but I'm p sure most people did that considering they provided space for a much larger battery.

EDIT: GBA SP is 17 years old now btw so...

@Grumblevolcano My GameCube controller still works perfectly fine after nearly 20 years. An internal battery would've never lasted that long. Heck, even my N64 is in a good state compared to what I often find on the used market. People always talk about broken controllers, but mine still work great. Never had an issue with my PS4 controller, have yet to encounter the drift issue on Switch, etc. So I fear that the battery will be the thing that's going to brick my controllers, because that's inevitable, whether you're using it or not.

@link3710 I don't own an SP unfortunately. But it would be interesting to test what it's battery life is today. Any Li-ion battery is going to degrade over time; depending on how it's stored. But I'd wager that after 17 years it's definitely below 50% of it's original capacity; it simply has to be.

My original Wii Remotes and Nunchucks started coughing loudly when they read this. Still working like they did the day they left the box roughly 12-13 years ago, thanks to trusty AA batteries.

Hm. Funnily enough I've never thought about Switch battery replacement, probably because I'm new to the bandwagon. The fact that you can't easily swap it kind of stinks, but this has been an unfortunate IT industry trend in the last few years.

I can vouch for 3DS systems having swappable batteries; I changed out the battery on my red OG 3DS a couple years ago. Not sure about the 2DS and 2DS XL.

I'm pretty sure my GBA SP needs a battery replacement at this point. I haven't used it in over a year, so it hasn't been much of a priority. It still holds a charge, but how long is kind of a roulette. I generally take pretty good care of my stuff, but kid me took that thing almost everywhere. Plus, it doesn't help that I've had a lifelong "dropsy" problem....

If the battery dies, you can usually just run then by wiring them up to a USB, so they run directly off that power.

I bought one of the cheap generic pro controllers for the Wii U and the battery died in like 1 year. Still works just fine if you wire it up though.

There are quite a few free-to-play online games on the eShop.

@Octane That sounds pretty accurate. I can tell you mine lasts about 4-6 hours depending on the game and the brightness setting, which is still more than enough for my purposes.

EDIT: Oh, for F2P online, Warframe's the most interesting one I've tried. Though I still want to check out Dauntless too.

@Octane I've had the same experience. I've got controllers going back to the NES and not a problem with the vast majority if them (and I've been the original owner of almost all of them). These include pretty well all Nintendo systems, various Sega systems, a couple Sony and Microsoft systems and a couple other oddball systems.
I had a GBA SP that had a lunchbox accident and was submerged in coffee cream that still works fine after some cleaning (it had to be opened for this, it was nasty). Two sets of Switch Joycons that are pushing 2 years old and neither has had drift.
The only ones that are giving me problems now are the n64 ones with the analog being worn down so they're a bit wonky, but still usable. I have 1 n64 controller that still works perfectly (and thankfully it's the Nintendo Power gold version that has survived).

@Grumblevolcano you can buy rechargeable batteries for xbox controllers to make them work identically to other controllers.

You can also alternatively just plug it into a source of power without anything in the battery compartment and it will works just fine.

They're extremelly versatile, and I appreciate the options. Though I will agree they should come with the battery by default.

What is Nintendo doing with this maintence at the moment? There has been a lot of it.

@Dezzy The problem is ''usually''. I distinctly remember my phone's battery dying, but hooking it up to a power source didn't help, because it had to pass the battery, which didn't work anymore. So it really depends on how it's wired up, and whether it can bypass the battery or not.

@DannyBoi As far as I know the maintenance at the moment only affects Pokemon games and is in preparation for Pokemon Home's launch.

I’m in the rechargeable battery camp. I love the fact that my Wii-motes and my wavebird is always ready to play as I have rechargeable batteries everywhere. I’d recommend eneloop batteries.

I love the Wii u and switch pro controllers but I always forget to charge them