Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

@JaxonH Versatility is right. Brand new shiny tv, ps5/series x, pop in a game and…remember why I drifted away from the twins in the first place. “What do you mean I can’t play as soon as I toss the game in? It’s gonna take how long to load?!” In the meantime I find my dock, connect it and start playing in 10 minutes (had to connect the mclassic). Series x is still rumbling away. I’d forgotten how inconvenient the other systems are and quick resume fails so much (one of the pros of the series x for me…wasted).

I don’t dislike the other systems but they don’t agree with my lifestyle. I have no free time.

@Ralizah I have seen the movie six times now and bawled like a baby each time. Commander Alisha Hawthorne is the superheroine I have longed for all my life. For her to be a part of my favorite Disney franchise is a double win for me. I’m trying to figure out if I buy a standee of her where the heck will I put it. I’m going to miss the perfume avatars (they are still my page banner) but this one is permanent.

@Magician Not sure if I will buy all of them (I am done for the year) but I am curious about these.
December 1: Papetura (Switch)
December 1: Railbound (Switch)
December 1: River City Girls 1 & 2 (PS5, PS4, Switch)
December 1: Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song Remastered (PS5, PS4, Switch, PC)
December 1: Sword of the Vagrant (PS5, PS4, XBO, Switch)
December 8: Chained Echoes (PS5, PS4, XBX/S, XBO, Switch, PC)
December 8: Mech Armada (Switch)
December 8: The Rumble Fish 2 (PS5, PS4, XBX/S, XBO, Switch, PC)
December 8: Samurai Maiden (PS5, PS4, Switch, PC)
December 9: Dragon Quest Treasures (Switch)
December 9: Jitsu Squad (Switch)
December 13: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion (PS5, PS4, XBX/S, XBO, Switch, PC)
December 13: Operation Wolf Returns: First Mission (PS5, PS4, Switch)
December 15: Aery - Path of Corruption (XBO, Switch, PC)
December 15: Aka (Switch, PC)

@Ryu_Niiyama
My brother really likes quick resume. 10 years ago he was hard-core into 3DS, then GPD Win, then PS, then he built his own PC and got hard into that, now he's all about Xbox and gamepass. Always going on about quick resume. And I'm like ya, it's great... if you're playing different games every day. Whereas I tend to stick with a game for weeks on end (I try new games when they release so there's that). But in principle ya, it's the removal of barriers. I've been preaching to him about why I play Switch all the time, and it boils down to how few barriers are between me and playing. This is the microwave generation. I don't have time for all that nonsense. I like insta-wake, insta-sleep, taking Switch out of dock and it instantly transfers to handheld, drop in dock and it instantly turns tv on, switches input and is on the big screen. Low barrier of entry matters.

Give me a choice of the exact same game on Switch, PS5, XSX on Gamepass, PC and Steamdeck, and I'm going with Switch OLED every time. The value isn't in games being "exclusive", the value is in games being "exclusively hybrid on one device". You could take every Switch exclusive in existence and port to every other platform and it wouldn't change a single thing for me.

The only unfortunate downside is, ya, some games just don't run well on Switch, but like I said before- enough do that it's easy to ignore the ones that don't. In theory I like having access to all consoles (hence why I own every console), but in practice I just never use them. Idk why I keep buying them when I've never really liked Sony or MS 1st party exclusives (and even if I did they're releasing on Steam now anyways so).

But history repeats itself. PS6 and Xbox5 will release and I'll say nah, I'm good, then a preorder will go live and I'll be like, eh, better lock one in just in case, and the cycle repeats itself 😀

@Ralizah
"In practice, even owning a ton of different platforms, nine times out of ten, when I want to play something, I reach for my Switch. Even when it means playing a Switch game I'm less excited for over a PS4/PC game I would otherwise be more excited for."

I'm the opposite currently.
I have more hype with my PS4 games I bought recently and I rarely played my Switch games during this year.
The last time I have bad experience with downgraded quality of 3rd party multi console games, it was the last time I pick 3rd party multi console games on Switch.

@Anti-Matter
So why are you hanging out in the Switch thread if all you ever wanna talk about is repeating how you hate playing games on Switch?

You do you, nothing wrong with having preferences, but it seems to me you'd get more conversation from like minded people in the PushSquare thread, as opposed to coming to the Switch thread to repeat ad nauseum how you don't like playing on Switch

@JaxonH
I still like my Nintendo Switch but I rarely play my Switch games currently as every year my hype switched depend on what machines I want to play.
I didn't say I hate my Switch.
This year my hype is really high on PS4 games so I build my PS4 games quickly during this year, even I bought some Switch games during this year too. Last year and last two years ago I rarely bought Switch games for your information.
But at some point in my honest opinion, I can't sugar coat anymore the downgraded quality from 3rd party multi console games I found on Switch version compared with PS4 / PS5 version. Some peoples maybe don't really mind but for me after certain points, I cannot accept the downgraded quality like that if I can get better version on PS4 / PS5 version even I have to sacrifice the portability. That's fine as I also played other non portable games such as PS2, PS3, Wii, Wii U, etc. But, I still give the chance for my Switch games library to grow so I made a different approach.
From now on, my Switch games will only consist 1st party + 3rd party exclusives + 1st / 3rd party remastered from other Nintendo consoles.
And 3rd party multi console games will be for my PS4 / PS5 since they are really depend on 3rd party games. I only like Ratchet & Clank games on PS4 & PS5 for 1st party from Sony.
And that's win win solution for me so I still able to build my PS4 / PS5 games and at the same time I still keep playing Switch games whenever I'm in the mood.

@JaxonH For me it's about that every year has had very surprising 3rd party ports whether on a technical level or an exclusivity ending level and those ones have generally gotten more surprising as time has gone on. The Playstation exclusive Final Fantasy blowout announcement in the September 2018 Direct I'd say is still the most surprising of them all but following that would be a bunch of 2022 announcements.

@Grumblevolcano
At the time it was pretty hype. Final Fantasy X was my first ever JRPG I played through and beat. Thought it was never gonna leave PS. I used to think it would be so cool having those games on Switch, but didn't think it would actually happen. So when it did, I was bouncing off the walls. Seeing Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core come day and date was just as hype though.

Persona 5 Royal is another. Everyone said it was never gonna happen, but I always believed it would get ported eventually.

There's been a lot. Ori and the Blind Forest followed by Will of the Wisps. That was massive. 13 Sentinels.

Switch has gotten so much more than I ever expected. It's changed the game. But Switch 2 is when I think we see the seismic shift occur. Now that 3rd parties know Switch consistently gives them best selling versions of their games, and once they have a platform that can run all their games adequately, they're gonna blow it up.

Switch 2 will likely become the best console of all time (not necessarily best selling). If it has BC with all Switch games and irons many of them out, and gets blown up with twice as many games as Switch did... the real golden era is still ahead of us. The Switch is just a foreshadowing.

@JaxonH I will have to research why quick resume doesn’t seem to work on my system. It just breaks.

@Ryu_Niiyama
That's weird. Could be a specific game that's not compatible. I know there are some exceptions

I started a new job earlier this month, and increased my hours, so have had very little time for this site and any gaming, so got some catching up to do.

@Ryu_Niiyama I initiated a conversation with you here, weeks ago, in which you'd given me a reasonably lengthy response. I've been meaning ever since to reply but just lacked the energy/time to do so properly. Apologies, never intended to ghost you. Fwiw, you've not done anything to particularly indicate you had an issue with me, but you tend to make it clear you don't suffer fools, and I've wondered previously if I've occasionally skirted to close to the 'Jerk' line for your patience. Anyway, just know that I'm glad not to have crossed that line significantly (to date) cos I enjoy the opportunity to read your posts and interact. Any time you wanna throw any specific philosophy or tech book recommendations my way, I'm here 🙂

Oh really? You just realised something...? More like you've been crawling through my post history looking for some of my nuggets to dig up and claim as your own... 😜

I'm still on the fence too, though. Breath of the Wild went 'Boom!' because it reinvented the Zelda series in a fantastic way and coincided with the release of an exciting piece of new, portable, hardware. The perfect storm for a console launch.

Unless Nintendo has outdone themselves though, I am not expecting Tears of The Kingdom to be able to reach the heights of 'reinvention'; it just can't possibly hit with the same impact BotW had - it's just a sequel, with the same art style, the same/similar version of Link (I assume), Zelda etc. and as such it's not necessarily going to be the best software to release with a new console. A new console launch ideally needs some new software that has something distinctly new and different about it - is ToTK going to be distinctive enough to fulfil that role?

More Splatoon 3 icons are December's NSO rewards.

@gcunit I like that... "I don't suffer fools"...as for the ghosting I never am bothered by that as I work so much that I am not online consistently. So I catch convos when I can and move on when I can't. No biggie to me. I usually give a three strikes rule unless a person is obviously a jerk or is unhinged. Then I gotta go ASAP. If I engage, I enjoy speaking with you/I have something to say is my rule.

Not sure your level, but I re read Morris Kline's Mathematics for the Nonmathematician often, as it is a lovely foray into the history and culture of the craft. I feel like I learn something new every time I read it. If you are more advanced, I have a few books on Quantum Field Theory I can suggest. I also like to reread Hyperspace by Dr. Michio Kaku when I feel adrift. (That book put me on my path and I corresponded with him when I was a teenager). Philosophy wise I am reading an inquiry into the good by Nishida Kitaro and doing my monthly read of Ki in Daily Life by Koichi Tohei-sensei and history wise I am reading the half has never been told by Edward Baptist (looks at the american slave trade and its impact on bedrocking the american economy).

I still say TotK will have a limited edition OLED rather than switch 2/whatever. Congrats on the job!

Man, it looks like XC3 is going to get knocked out in the second round of voting in TGA "Player's Voice" award

Only the top 5 games advance to the final round, and right now Sonic Frontiers is in 1st(!), followed by Genshin Impact, Elden Ring, GOW: Ragnarok, & Stray.

XC3 is in 7th, which also places it behind Minecraft in 6th, so it has a chance but it's an uphill battle.

@gcunit
I'm not sure I fully buy into a launch game needing to do all that. If it does that's a bonus, but ultimately the only thing I think it needs to do is be really really good.

People just want a super fun game to play on their new system. It'll have some wacky NintendoLand for demonstrating the hardware capabilities. Aside from that, it just needs to have a really great game beside it day one so ppl have something meaty to play.

If Switch 2 drops with Zelda, it'll be a cross gen release, so nothing about it would be "special" on Switch 2. The selling point is what everyone has been begging for- just better graphics and performance. Those who aren't early adopters can play it on Switch. But there will be plenty of ppl willing to preorder a new Switch if it runs games better.

I think we can put a huge * on the statement "Moore's Law is Dead", at least in terms of the side effects of it and how they relate to gaming. Especially portable gaming. All Moore's Law is is an observation that about every 2 years the number of transistors you can fit on a die doubles. Which as a side effect means either exponentially smaller, cheaper and more power efficient products at the same performance or exponentially more power at the same size, price and power consumption. And these side effects are still happening

I mean for one thing, the core observation of Moore's Law itself is still going

But more importantly for gaming performance and mobile performance we're kinda in a bit of a renascence for new techniques and software tricks. Everyone here is probably sick of people talking about DLSS but DLSS is certainly one of those tricks. And there are similar tricks around AI trickery going on as well as new kinds of tricks relating to the different kinds of hardware needed for AI trickery. While that's going on? VR needed huge framerates in low powered devices so Asynchronous Reprojection suddenly needed to become a thing

Then there are the changes from other advancements in the industry. SSDs becoming affordable has meant developers can shuffle around the GPU's relationship with mass storage. The smartphone explosion has meant there was suddenly an interest in reducing idle power consumption and thermal management. The smartphone and more recently the EV industry has meant rapidly improved battery tech. And the display industry is bringing faster response times, higher contrast ratio, higher peak brightness all of which give a perceived better image

I'd argue we're right in the middle of the most rapid advancement in improvements for mobile gaming we have ever seen. I mean sure, there are diminishing returns in terms of the visible differences in the image you get out of it at the end after a certain point. But that fact doesn't stop the march, it just accelerates the closing of the gap between mobile and non-mobile hardware

@skywake
I won't get into whether Moore's Law is dead or not, because I don't actually think it's relevant.

What's relevant is the resulting correlation with perceived graphical fidelity. And that is most certainly no longer correlated with Moore's Law. So even if Moore's Law continues on, the perceived impact of it does not. Though Moores Law certainly continues on in the mobile sector, which helps close the gap further each generation.

One only need compare the graphics of a GBA game to GameCube, then a DS game to Wii, then 3DS to Wii U, Vita to PS3, and now, Switch to PS4. The perceived visual gap has grown ever smaller, particularly since the mobile boom around the time Switch released.

I think I shared the screenshot comparison of Hellblade on Switch vs X1 vs XSX, and how little of a difference there is beside resolution and fine granular details.

That perceived visual gap is going to shrink even more substantially when Switch 2 releases. To the point I don't think you're going to be able to tell Switch 2 games apart from PS5/XSX games without a 4X zoom or combing over with a technical analysis. It'll be running at lower resolution in handheld but on a smaller screen which hides artifacts.

It's just like SteamDeck now. Spiderman on SteamDeck looks identical to Spiderman on PS5. Unless you do a side by side analysis, to the naked eye it looks the same. I expect that will be the case for Switch 2 as that gap shrinks smaller than its ever been before.

This is due to diminishing returns. Even if Moore's Law is alive and well, you get ever diminishing returns for perceived graphical fidelity.

@JaxonH
TBH I think my post basically agrees with what you're saying. My point was more that not only is Moore's Law not dead yet but that recent developments have meant gaming "performance", and especially for mobile hardware, have outpaced it. That combined with what's almost a logarithmic relationship between "performance" and perceived fidelity? That diminishing returns thing. And you get this accelerated closing of the gap in perceived fidelity

That was a word salad.... what I mean to say is that the raw power increases? That's still growing exponentially due to Moore's Law. But it's accelerating FASTER for power limited devices due to better thermal/power management and improved battery tech. Which means the gap between the Switch and even a PS5 is smaller than the gap between the DS and PS3 was. Then ontop of that neat tricks like AI Upscaling, VRR, Frame Interpolation are allowing you to "magic" perceived smoothness for "free". Which mostly helps lower powered devices, closing the gap even faster. And ontop of that? Something like an OLED screen or even a higher contrast LCD with HDR, that'll improve the visuals far more than increased shadow resolution

And all of this BEFORE we talk about the diminishing returns of higher and higher fidelity games. Something which just compounds the effect even more

But even so, this will all happen much slower if Moore's Law stopped doing its thing. But thankfully it is still going. I suspect you're right, we'll hit the point where the difference between portable and non-portable for games is basically negligible well before Moore's Law actually dies. And I'd agree with you, we're not that far off the point where they're basically the same already. The Switch as it is.... isn't quite there yet. We're probably another 5-10 years off it

@skywake
Preach. Agree 100%

Switch 2 will get us 95% of the way there. For all practical purposes it'll be close enough. But Switch 3, that'll be the system where buying anything else that can't also play handheld will be like flushing money down the toilet. Because the games will essentially be the same. Just one version gives you 3 modes of play, while the others give 1 mode of play. By the end of this decade that's where we'll be. It's exciting to think about.

@JaxonH What if, hear me out, we have 5 modes of play by the end of the decade.

@Kermit1Pineapple
What are you thinking. TV, handheld, tabletop, VR and projector screen all in one device? Maybe it could come with a Keurig built in by the cartridge slot?