@JasonH If the eventual Switch Pro/2/whatever does not come with anything resembling the clamshell design of the DS/3DS, I'm definitely getting one of those as soon as I can. Aside from having access to a TV, the exposed screen and buttons are the main reason I rarely play it undocked.
@BrazillianCara
JaxonH with an X, btw A lot of people mistake Jaxon for Jason.
Anyways, I don’t think Nintendo is ever going back to clamshell, because I don’t think they’re going back to dual screen. The Switch form factor seems to be the way forward here on out. Which is great, but it does have the downside of exposed analogs which makes pocketability a problem, as the analogs snag and aren’t protected.
The magnetic flip case for Switch Lite is such an essential piece of kit I can’t imagine owning one without it. It essentially transforms the Nintendo Switch into a pocket friendly handheld that’s actually better protected than 3DS ever was. I slip it in my back jeans pocket and I can sit on it the entire drive to work for 40 minutes every day with no problem, whereas 3DS would get scratches on the top screen from the proud border around the bottom screen if any pressure was applied with the lid closed. Definitely wasn’t a system you wanted to sit on.
I’m not sure if the larger Switch can still fit in my pocket, even with this case, but I’m certainly going to try. It’s only $20. And if it works, the longer battery life of the Switch plus kickstand and removable controllers would make it the ultimate pocketable handheld. And if not, the Switch Lite is still a feather light, super pocket friendly handheld we can always rely on.
Psalms 22:16 (1,000 yrs before Christ)
They pierced My hands and feet
Isaiah 53:5 (700 yrs before Christ)
He was pierced for our transgressions
@JaxonH I can actually see Nintendo revisiting the clam shell design. There’s no need for a clam shell system to have 2 screens - the GBA SP didn’t and that was an exceptional handheld. There’s also no reason that a Switch variant couldn’t have analog sliders instead of sticks (even if we all agree that sticks are better for play).
A “Switch Micro” with a Lite sized screen (OLED?) and a clamshell would be easy, more portable than the Lite and with incredible battery life. I’ve always kind of thought that system variant might be more likely than a “Switch Pro”.
@StuTwo
They can't shrink it any smaller due to battery limitations. The Switch Lite already pushes battery life closer to the OG Switch because it's smaller and thus uses a smaller battery than Switch. A smaller system than that would require an even smaller battery. That's one reason it won't happen.
Another reason it won't happen is the analog sticks would have to be circle pads.
Another reason is there isn't much to gain. Clamshell without another screen doesn't have much appeal as it offers nothing the current Lite can't already offer with the magnetic flip case.
Psalms 22:16 (1,000 yrs before Christ)
They pierced My hands and feet
Isaiah 53:5 (700 yrs before Christ)
He was pierced for our transgressions
Watching the Tokyo Olympics ceremony… there’s a bunch of video games songs being played during the Parade of Nations. I spotted the Dragon Quest Overture, the Final Fantasy victory theme, and some Kingdom Hearts.
@TheJGG really odd Nintendo did not participate while during the Rio 2016 the president of Japan close the cerimonies by getting out a pipe with a Mario hat...
@HotGoomba that’s a cool idea that I’d never have considered.
@JaxonH it wouldn’t necessarily have to be “shrunk” any further (let’s face it we’re talking about the company that produced the “Wii Mini” - they’ll have no shame in calling a console that’s about 1cm smaller “mini”). A clamshell design though is more compact and much more “pocketable” - even if it’s overall volume is hardly smaller - because it doesn’t have to be as wide.
Battery life wise an OLED screen would offset usage further.
I think that - if nothing else - it gives an opportunity to push an otherwise minor internal hardware revision more strongly (especially if you want to maintain a premium for it). This is kind of what Nintendo did with the GBA Micro - in theory that model offered nothing that the later AS 101 GBA SP models already did (& actually took away OG GB compatibility and introduced a less ergonomic form factor) but it was much more visible in the market than the AS 101 silent revision.
I can absolutely see them doing it at some point - even if (especially if?) many of us would see it as a downgrade in some ways.
But I don't think there's even the slightest chance it'll happen. Nintendo has moved on from clamshell. I'll gladly eat my words if I'm wrong, but I don't think I am.
Psalms 22:16 (1,000 yrs before Christ)
They pierced My hands and feet
Isaiah 53:5 (700 yrs before Christ)
He was pierced for our transgressions
@JaxonH Nintendo has a habit of making us eat our words... or at least a habit of making us choke on our food as we open the internet and splutter "they're doing WHAT?! Are they INSANE?!" O_o
The thing is with Nintendo they almost always seem to return to ideas they like internally for inspiration. Be that things like the GameCube's 3d screen, the idea of a second screen/off screen play by connecting a GameBoy to an N64 (or a GBA to the GC) or casual friendly motion controls. Over and over and over again we see them going backwards to find inspiration.
That's why I just don't see them being forever finished with a clamshell design. It's the format of some of their most successful ever devices going back to the Game & Watch and it's the format that gave the GBA a kick of adrenaline.
Whether they do it with a Switch Lite 2.0 or not is anyone's guess (I personally think there's more than just a marginable chance given that they've already dropped the requirement for the Switch Lite to be dockable. I do however think it might come at a point when the Switch is a zombie console living on borrowed time).
Then again I thought we'd have seen retro themed joy-cons by now and they've played that completely straight. Nintendo are nearly impossible to predict - which is what makes it fun to watch what they do.
@Balta666 It's gotta be a copyright issue or something. But it was still very fun picking them out. Maybe it was because Shinzō Abe was a fan of Mario?
Used to be 100% BestBuy when the 20% off GCU discount existed.
But once that expired I moved to Amazon. Reason being, 9 out of 10 games shipped from BestBuy have crinkles and tears on the cover art along the spine. I don’t know why, but it’s the one thing I can consistently count on happening every single time I order a switch game from them.
9 out of 10 games ordered from Amazon do not have wrinkles and tear marks along the spine.
I got my magnetic flip case for normal sized Switch and I love it. The full sized Switch just became pocketable. It's not as small or lightweight as the Lite, but pocketable is pocketable.
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