Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

@skywake
I agree. I think Nintendo has, for now, hit on the type of console they want to continue making for quite some time. I think the next "gen" for Nintendo will just be kind of what Xbox is doing now, a more fluid spillover into more powerful hardware, but with the older hardware still running the same games for a good chunk of time.

The future seems to be keeping the ecosystem as intact as possible. Even Sony is sort of doing the same thing with many "PS5" games also being playable on the PS4 so far. We all thought this was going to happen for the last generational change, but instead it seems to be happening this time.

the Zonai might have a important role in Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild 2

Switch OLED likely means we’re closer to the next gen system than we would be if a Pro released. Which is a good thing. And that means when it does come, it’ll be a proper leap rather than a half measure.

In the meantime, just do your best to avoid games with performance issues. As much as I hate to say this, and it’s taken a bit to sink in, I won’t be playing Monster Hunter Stories 2 on Switch. Not unless they patch it. And I won’t be playing Ys IX on Switch, either.

I’m not a framerate hawk. I’m perfectly ok with 30 on a handheld hybrid device. I’m even OK with a few dropped frames from 30 here and there (Zelda BotW is a perfect example- it had a few blemishes but overall it was fine). That’s ok too. But when a large part of the game consistently drops frames below 20… even I draw the line.

And so, I started a new save for MH Stories 2 on PC. Did the same for Ys IX. And if I have to wait until next generation for a more powerful Switch 2.0 that can actually run these games properly… so be it. Until that day comes, any game with severe performance issues, I’ll be playing on PC instead. Sucks I won’t have them hybrid- I really prefer playing games on Switch, but I have a full terabyte of other games on Switch that do run well I can play instead.

I’m out of space on my Switch, so I went ahead and archived all games with severe performance issues (notably MH Stories 2 and Ys IX, as well as Ninja Gaiden Razor’s Edge) and redownloaded Resident Evil Revelations 2. I needed some high quality Switch games that look and run great to cleanse my pallate. Plus, the Steam version sucks, as enabling gyro causes a message to flash across the screen “input method has changed” every time I press a button. Apparently there’s a mod to fix it but I couldn’t find it. The game is 24 GB on Switch, and space is precious, so I was trying to find a way to play it elsewhere with Gyro. But that’s just one of those games best played on Switch, no matter the file size cost. Plus is had HD rumble and gesture reloading which is quite well done and very immersive, at least when playing docked.

And I gotta say… it feels liberating just writing off bad performing games and accepting playing them on PC. It removes the frustration of some games not measuring up on Switch. Just let go and accept it, and embrace the games that do play well on Switch. The Mario Rabbids, Resident Evils, Monster Hunter Rise and Gen Ultimate, Tony Hawk, Mario Golf, Neo TWEWY, Zelda Skyward Sword, etc. There’s too many quality Switch games to lose sleep over the ones that aren’t.

Unless Stories 2's performance bombs after that first part of the game, I'm cool with playing the Switch version. It'd run a lot better on my PC, but I'm just... not going to play it on there, lol.

@Ralizah
It’s playable, but I have just run out of patience for playing games that constantly stutter. You know me- I’m usually the last person to give up the hybrid advantage. I’m ok with 30. Even ok with 30 and occasional dips (rarely are games perfectly flawless). But I feel like there’s a line being crossed with games recently that are really pushing the limits of acceptability.

I also have the problem of not sticking with games on TV-only platforms. But I’m going to make a conscious effort to do just that moving forward, and play other games on Switch that don’t have issues.

I will say, MH Stories 2 seems to do a little better in handheld mode, and it’s less noticeable too. But docked… man. Capcom needs to put some of their core MH team on this and get it fixed up.

@JaxonH It all seems to add up to around holiday 2020 being the original planned release for the proper new Switch revision but got delayed or cancelled due to the chip shortage caused by the pandemic resulting in the Switch OLED edition recently announced. Age of Calamity framerate is really rough in general, Bowser's Fury framerate massively tanks when Bowser appears, etc.

Very sudden and loud "I cant put up with the poor performance of Switch games anymore" across the web.

I wonder why :thinking:

As much as I'd jump on a Switch Pro the second it's announced, I'm more than happy with my Switch as it is.

I remember pre-E3 people saying that a Pro needs to be revealed in order for the Switch to continue to get third party support in the age of PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

What are these big third party titles shown at E3 that Switch is missing out on? I honestly can't think of any.

@Haruki_NLI
Probably the recent string of games, hype release after hype release, that consistently stutter and/ dip into the teens.

@Snaplocket
Ya, that’s what I thought too. Until I got the full game and progressed to the Wyvern town and the open areas on the way.

Ys may not be that much better than PS4, but I’m not playing on PS4 either. It’s rough as heck in towns.

@Grumblevolcano
Age of Calamity was borderline. I archived it also, but it wasn’t as bad as these recent releases. And Bowser’s Fury was fine as far as Im concerned. Imperfection is fine. Severe drops are even fine, Provided they are far and few between. But consistent severe drops, that’s another category of its own.

And that's a good thing. People should not put up with anything like this regardless of their affinity for a series. These Switch games aren't Red Dead Redemption or BattleField. No excuse for poor performance ( dips from time to time are fine, no game is perfect).

Customers should always ask for better, not less.

I think that I'll get a Switch OLED, give my normal Switch to a family member, and if a Switch Pro is announced ever, I'll probably just wait a bit to get it, but once I get it, I'd have to think about what to do with my Switch OLED. Perhaps either trade it in, or keep it downstairs for party games.

I just hope nintendo lets all all their (new) have an option to hide the HUD. Like only botw has it, and you still see your hearts…

@Snaplocket
Definitely more impactful for gameplay, that's for sure, but the drops weren't as noticeable. My issue isn't that it interferes with gameplay, but rather, that's its incredibly annoying, regardless of whether it impacts gameplay or not. And the drops in Hyrule Warriors weren't nearly as severe, nor as frequent.

@JaxonH @MsJubilee It's funny. These complaints got really loud around the same hour the Switch OLED was revealed.

I also must say I enjoy the constant revising down of the figures. First people hated Nintendo first party titles running at 30fps. Later that day it was largely regarded as 25fps. Then 20. It'll be 15 by Monday

I mean I get it, sure demand more. Also demand more within a reason. A 4K system running on a battery at a consumer grade price while also being profitable per unit sold, as Nintendo likes to do it, is unlikely.

Even more so with the production issues currently plaguing....everything, from car chips to consoles to PCs.

This is likely Nintendo saying we want to, we have the screens, but we cant make these chips at a good quantity at a good price. Remember that inflated cost would be passed on to the consumers, and lower quantities means scalping hard.

I'm glad they have either waited to release whatever enhancements they wanted to do as reports stated, for what is now likely a new system outright.

Further, sure some third party games wont work well on the current Switch. I imagine it's preferable that Nintendo doesnt tell 85m+ users to go do one and upgrade for two years just to satisfy some third parties. I mean sure, the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X didnt become the defacto console developers were targeting right away, but by 2019 it was obvious what developers were doing were absolutely not keeping base consoles in mind.

With how companies treat the Switch NOW, an upgraded model would just become the only system almost immediately to them. And then we end up with no one wanting to support it because it hasnt sold any units yet. And as an upgrade, there is no chance it will.

On the FPS debate, as long as its above 20fps consistently, I dont care. Stable is better than going from 30 to 60 on a whim a lot.

But less than 20? Yeah thats why I dont play N64 games. You wanna talk about games running like absolute crap, that was an entire 5 years of it from start to finish, especially in Europe. Enjoy Zelda at 15fps. Its a struggle.

@Haruki_NLI
Not sure who has been revising figures. Nobody I’ve seen in this thread. Most 1st party games run fine, with a few notable exceptions.

We don’t need 4k. That’s ridiculously overboard. We just need games that don’t visibly stutter for the majority of the time you play it. I don’t care if it’s 4k, 1080p or even 720p. Just keep the games running smooth.

I can’t speak for others, but I’m not “blaming” Nintendo for anything. They made the best system they could for the price point they’re offering and that’s totally fine. That still doesn’t change the fact that more and more games are releasing that have performance so bad it’s even turning me off, someone who has notoriously been resilient against frame rate issues.

I don’t care if they overclock to switch a bit at the expense of battery life (that’s something they could do right now without any new chip), increase memory bandwidth and RAM by even 2 GB (again, something very easy and relatively inexpensive to do), or just work with third-party developers to help them get their games running smoothly.

At the end of the day I don’t care how it gets done, I just want to see games that don’t stutter constantly. And if they can’t do that then I just won’t play them on Switch. I don’t say that with resentment or spite, but as a declaration of intent.

@Buizel that’s exactly what I said. All the leakers and insiders said third parties had games which they wanted to show on the pro. I can’t think of any third party game which demanded a switch pro which made me doubt a pro was coming. And sure enough all we got was an upgraded switch.

I haven't been frustrated with any of my Switch games and fps, and I've played most of what you guys are talking about (Calamity, Bowser's Fury, etc.)

Maybe my eyes are just getting old like the rest of me lol

If the OLED Switch is the stop-gap item due to the pandemic (which I totally understand and it's still a great buy for a lot of people), I almost wonder if Nintendo will go old-school and release some kind of RAM "pack" that can be easily installed at home. Even a tiny smidge more of RAM in a system that's already pushed to its limits by many games would go a long way. Just thinking back to the Expansion Pack or whatever it was called on the N64 lol

Would certainly bring back memories!

@JaxonH I feel like MH Stories 2 is a good illustration of why so many developers are choosing to target lower resolutions on the Switch. This feels like the developers chose to prioritize image quality to the exclusion of performance, since I believe it runs native res in handheld and dynamic 900p when docked. Which explains why, when you look at comparison footage with the PC version, there's barely a difference.

I have to imagine it'd be quite a bit more stable if it targeted 540p/720p like most other demanding Switch games do.

Hopefully they patch in an option to run the game in a performance mode that lowers the resolution or something. Then patch in the option to cap the framerate at 30fps and you'll have a mighty respectable version of the game.

@Ralizah
Exactly right. I admire Capcom’s commitment to resolution, but it’s pointless if it comes at the cost of a smooth experience.

Contrary to internet myth, 720p docked looks good enough in most cases (sure, you can tell it’s not full HD, but it’s only a bit soft- nothing to get worked up over) and 540p handheld looks good enough in most cases (again, you can usually tell it’s not quite as crisp, but for the most part 540p games look great in handheld).

I’d take that in a heartbeat with a capped 30. That would pretty much address the issue. Throw in a dynamic res as well if you have to. Not that I like the resolution dropping below 720 docked/540p handheld, because I don’t, but a brief momentary drop here and there is far better than a game that stutters.

I'm glad I'm not the only one weirded out by the FPS complaints online lately. Yes, enough of the handful of PS4 era ports and maybe two or three other big games have had issues normal people will notice. Considering how some of those games already have issues on other platforms (or in the case of Hyrule Warriors: AOC, is from a developer that has issues with this in their games fairly regularly).

This is normal. I do agree a Switch Pro would be a good thing to have with that in mind, but it feels like we're at a fairly normal amount of FPS issues, especially for a handheld. It's not like its the N64.

That being said, I have noticed that Nintendo's kinda walked back its serious 60 FPS focus it kept trying and succeeding to reach for so many of its Wii U games. That's a bit of a shame. Understandable for some games, but I hope they don't abandon it just to tryhard prove its games can have pretty enough graphics.