Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

@JaxonH I can certainly identify with the spending fatigue that Switch has imposed upon those of us that committed to supporting the ever-growing library the platform offers.

I'm inclined to think that Switch is a 'once in a lifetime' type convergence of console-portable hybrid, HD resolution, first and third party support, and consumer appetite for the all-you-can eat buffet that's been presented to us. You and I have over-indulged and our appetites are naturally waning.

I wish the Switch generation would never end, but at the same time I know the relief I will feel after my final indulgence will be welcome.

@FishyS
Oh, trust me, I only do sales and mostly pre-owned discounted from Gamestop (as long as it comes with the case!), but I just can't fathom spending thousands on games a year. I would need a different career lol

If only there were more sales to get games in. I missed the Black Friday sales, and then I also missed the cyber Monday sales as well as the Boxing Day/Christmas sales but luckily there are the New Year sales now but if I miss them I will have to wait util the Spring sales!

@jump Don't worry, I'm sure there will be some Valentine sales in February also.

@gcunit
Well put.

It's been fun, as they say. But my shelf is full, my bank account is drained and I'm ready to move on to the next phase of this hobby. The digital era, and without games on a shelf, there's no temptation to buy anything except the ones I'm 100% in love with.

SteamDeck OLED has helped me accept and prepare for this major transition I'll be making. I've been double dipping on Switch games physical and digital, but with Deck it's all digital. And I'm ready to do the same with Switch 2.

I'm glad we got to experience the rush of this generation, like kids in a candy store. Especially after Wii U when I got into gaming, this was truly an all you can eat buffet. But I'm stuffed, you're stuffed, it's time to ask the cashier for the check and move along.

Perfect timing too, with 1.5 TB micro SD out for $150 (I grabbed 3 on sale for $129/ea) and Kioxia's 2 TB micro SD releasing within the next 90 days. When Switch dropped, 256 GB was as large as you could find. And it wasn't enough.

It's nice going into the Switch 2/Deck era equipped with incoming 2 TB microSD. We're gonna need it.

I just hope Switch 2 runs on SSD, and offers expandable 2232 NVMe like Deck so I can toss in a 2 TB like I did on the Deck OLED, then add a 2 TB microSD on top of that. Even if Switch 2 games must run on ssd and the microSD is only for BC Switch games, that's perfectly fine. 2TB for Switch catalog and 2TB for Switch 2 catalog.

Unfortunately I don't think they're going ssd. And even if they do, I doubt it'll be expandable. They'll just ensure games can run on ssd or microSD instead.

I'm so glad SteamDeck OLED exists man. It's already my 2nd favorite gaming device I've ever owned, behind Switch OLED. It's so nice having a backup device where, if a game by chance skips Switch 2, I know I can just grab it on Steam for Deck OLED.

Like Monster Hunter Wilds. I'm 95% confident once Switch 2 drops, we're gonna see virtually all multiplats announced for it as well. Since it'll be able to run them without insane optimization, excessive manhours and extreme compromises. With Rise on Switch matching if not outselling World on PS4, they'll be keen to ensure all MH games moving forward release on all platforms. No more split releases for console and handheld. Couldn't do that with Switch, but with Switch 2, it'll finally be feasible. SteamDeck alongside Switch 2 helps ensure all games will be designed to scale to run on that level of hardware. Might not offer raytracing or 4k or 120fps or ultra graphics settings. But a solid 30fps at 720p handheld, 1080p docked on low-medium settings? All day long. Bonus points if Switch 2 has DLSS and can upscale to 4k at 30fps, or offer 1080p 60fps docked, 720p 60fps handheld modes.

I've said many times this is a golden era of gaming. But the diamond era is about to begin when Switch 2 drops. That's when we truly ascend. Switch 2 + Deck = the promised land

Heavy Steam users are infamous for buying tons of random digital games they never actually play. 😝 On Switch I feel like the terrible eShop actually helps a little, but the temptation is still there. During my own transition from physical to digital with both games and books, for a while it was new enough I did only buy what I truly needed, but eventually the 'collect everything' temptation came back just as hard (for me at least) as it was in the pre-digital days.

As for a display shelf? I spend a lot of time organizing my icons and directories to look perfect. 😆

Also, it just occured to me....Nintendo has played enough with augmented reality, maybe someday your digital directories can be displayed as a real (visual) shelf in your home.

(moving this reply from resolutions thread so that thread doesn't get off topic - https://www.nintendolife.com/forums/nintendo-switch/your_2024... )

Decent point... If my OG Switch weren't getting a bit worn out, I wouldn't be as serious about getting the next console day 1. There will certainly be some big exclusive game to start with (e.g 3D Mario) but there won't be many at the start. I have enough Switch games I haven't finished to play for several years without running out so part of my goal is to get new shiny hardware just to keep playing games I already own.

My personal hardware spending has been fairly low — OG Switch in 2017, a slowly growing collection of controllers (I think I've bought 5 during the Switch life cycle?) and.... 3 micro SD cards of increasing sizes. If the new console ends up requiring me to get a new SD card and new controllers, it will be a lot more for me. It will be very interesting to see what degree of controller compatibility there is. I spent more money on games in 2023 than I usually do, so I will have to be a bit careful in 2024.

I always buy day 1.

Why deprive myself for years and years over a few hundred bucks. Gaming is my one hobby, and new systems don't come around every weekend. It'll have been nearly 8 years from Switch launch by the time Switch 2 drops. I could never pass that up.

If there were zero exclusives for the first 3 years, and no BC so Switch 1 games didn't run better, maybe I'd wait. But if even 1 exclusive is on Switch 2, I see no logical reason to deprive myself. It's too exciting to watch my favorite console of all time get a successor, and just turn away and try to ignore it day after day for years.

I just preorder and that's that.

Love the switch. Sold away Xbox,ps and pc.. its just distracting me from playing on my favourite system 24/7. Having multiple systems made my gaming life fragmental, got so much better when i decided to focus 100% on One system.
Will keep and use the switch for many years. Bought 3 new games today alone, and backlog is huge. Switch 2 will be bought day 1, will be Nintendo for the rest of my gaming life.
Hopefully Nintendo will keep on inviting indie games and coop with Microsoft

@DennisNOR
I understand that. I own every console and yet only ever play Switch, and now, Switch OLED and SteamDeck OLED.

I don't think I'll ever be buying a PS console again. Or an Xbox console. Or a gaming PC. Deck OLED and Switch OLED covers it all. Switch exclusives. PS exclusives. Xbox exclusives. Valve exclusives. Multiplats. Gyro aiming. Portable play. TV play. It's all there.

I used to feel I was missing out so I always got PS day one and even Xbox. Got PS5 and XSX day one, with years and years of Gamepass stacked. And yet.... never use it. Never use any of them.

There just isn't enough time for them all, but more importantly, portables have degraded my desire to play on systems chained to the tv. Especially when those very same games release on a handheld that can be connected to the TV or played portably. With PS and Xbox now putting games on Steam, and the Steamdeck OLED offering hybrid play for them... there just isn't any reason to buy those consoles in the future.

Gaming has rapidly changed this generation. I went in a multiconsole gamer who owned everything. Exiting this gen I'm a Switch/Deck only gamer that has access to 99.9% of every game worth playing, with gyro aiming, portable and tv play and no desire to have it any other way moving forward.

I may also sell my PS5 and Xbox Series X. Not my gaming PC, just cause it's useful as a PC also. But ya, there comes a point you recognize your preferences and realize you don't need every single gaming console ever conceived. Keep what you actually play, get rid of the rest.

I do foresee SteamDeck becoming a little less useful once Switch 2 drops, as I expect most multiplats will then start releasing on Switch 2. Still, there'll always be some games it misses, so it'll always have some utility for me regardless, even after Switch 2 drops.

Woah, I had no idea Wonderful 101 After School Hero was on Switch!!

I thought it only released on Steam. So I just grabbed it, and it's incredibly fun! You guys gotta try it. It's only a few bucks I think. I got it free by kickstarting but ya, it's super good.

@DennisNOR @JaxonH Yeah, ever since I got the Switch in 2017, I've been focusing almost exclusively on that. Though for me personally, it was a continuation of me just sticking with Nintendo. I've been like that since the 3DS and Wii U era. I didn't get a PS4 or an Xbox One because there wasn't a lot of compelling games for me on either system, and I've always had the most fun with Nintendo's games anyway. So I don't need a PS5 or a Series X/S... it makes more sense to stick with the Switch, and then whatever the next Nintendo console will be when I get that.

@MarioLover92
Nothing wrong with that. Everyone has different taste, and with Nintendo providing a very distinct flavor of games in their catalog, some ppl just won't find other platforms attractive. As there are some who don't really find Nintendo platforms attractive. It's just games. Recreation in spare time. Do whatever entertains you best.

I was same way 10 years ago. Didn't have much interest in games on other platforms. And to be fair, I largely still don't. Though nowadays I have developed a taste for a certain subset of other games. Many come to Switch with quality ports but some don't. Steamdeck covers those.

It took many years of gradually exploring various other games to see what I liked. Batman Arkham Asylum and City that just came to Switch, that's a good example of what I like. Baldur's Gate 3 as well, though that isn't on Switch. It'll likely get ported to Switch 2. Divinity Original Sin 2 is on Switch though and it'll scratch that same itch if you're curious about Baldur's Gate 3 and why it won GotY. Divinity Original Sin 2 sits around a 92-94 on Metacritic itself and is a spectacular game to play in the absence of BG3. Or, Baldurs Gate 1 and 2 are on Switch. But they're very dated. Like 25 years. Still fun but Divinity is the better bet imo.

With Switch 2 though you'll likely have access to most everything, save Xbox and PS exclusives. So any game you do wanna play that's not on Switch, if you just wait, there's a good chance it'll get a Switch 2 release. Like, I can almost guarantee all the Final Fantasy VII Remake games will release on Switch 2. Same for Dragons Dogma 2 and Monster Hunter Wilds. Some will be day and date, some won't, but they'll almost all come at some point.

Just a few games I saw browsing Deku Deals new app. $150 could go a LOOOONG ways with these prices. You could get every game I listed minus Red Dead and Batman Arkham for around that amount.

Portal 1/2 $6.79
Borderlands 1 + 2 + Pre-Sequel $9.99
Valkyria Chronicles $4.99
Valkyria Chronicles 4 $7.49
Ori Blind Forest $6.59
Ori Will of the Wisps $9.89
Dragon's Dogma $4.99
Monster Hunter Generations Ult. $9.99
Unravel Two $3.99
X-COM 2 $7.49
Pillars of Eternity $12.49
Monkey Ball Banana Blitz $5.99
Metro 2033 $3.99
Dying Light $9.99
South Park Stick of Truth $8.99
South Park Fractured But Whole Gold Edition (includes season pass) $17.99
Lumines Remastered $4.49
Resident Evil Revelations $7.99
Resident Evil Revelations 2 $7.99
Batman Arkham Trilogy $41.99
Persona 4 Golden $12.99
Red Dead Redemption $34.99

Man, all this talk of going digital is depressing!

I can say with utter certainty: I will always buy physical. Always. Until the day Nintendo puts out a console without a physical drive, of course lol (honestly, at that point I'll still play Nintendo's new games, but I'll probably just become a retro gamer for the most part)

For me, it's not displaying things on a shelf or even collecting to sell stuff at higher prices in the future. It's never been about that for me. Honestly, it's just the basic fact of actually HAVING the games. As long as I have the cartridge and a working Switch, the game's gonna work. No internet needed. No accounts needed. Just the cartridge and the system.

I'm glad that Nintendo at least seems committed to sticking with physical for their next console. We'll see where the world stands in another 8ish years, but I'm staying physical.

I think there's a place for physical gaming. Especially with how sketchy consumer rights are in this area, and how some people still struggle with not having access to high-speed internet where they live (not at all uncommon out here in the country, for example).

That said, my default preference now is to download games, and when the Switch 3 and PS6 are digital only consoles, it won't make a bit of difference to me in terms of appreciation for the devices.

@Ralizah
For sure.

There will always be a subset of gamers who prefer physical. As for myself, I had just gone so many years without owning anything, ever since a teenager, that when I finally got my life together in my late 20's and started gaming, physical games were appealing as something to own and touch, with resale value (even if it declines and is not an investment). Like, after not having ANYTHING worth more than $2 since age 17 due to selling it off to support my habits of the time, physical games made me feel like I actually owned possessions again.

But now that phase has passed, and I realize the fears I once had of, "what if my system dies and I lose my games" (which WAS an issue for 3DS/Wii U before account based purchases) are no longer a concern since I can re-download on any other system. And in 20-30 years, even if you can no longer re-download, truth is I won't have any interest in doing so anyways. Just as I rarely if ever play any of my games from 20-30 years ago, in 20-30 years I'm not gonna care about playing Switch games. And any select masterpiece I do wanna replay will easily be running on emulators at that point like Metroid Prime Trilogy is now on Deck, or will have received a superior remake/remaster on more current hardware. And, worst case scenario, I just fire up my Switch OLED and play on that.

Had this hoarder mentality of accumulate physical goods to make up for all the years I wasted. But now I'm just sick of it. Portable console especially benefit from digital as your entire library comes with yoy everywhere. I love that. And getting up to find the game you want to play on this shelf, putting the previous game away, and doing that over and over... that gets VERY tiresome.

Partial downloads for Switch physical releases also helped accelerate my acceptance of transitioning to full digital. As did SteamDeck. As did dumping all my physical 3DS games to my modded 3DS and realizing the convenience of a full digital library.

I hope physical sticks around as long as possible for those that really insist on it being the only way they'll play, but I'm so far beyond being over it.

We're gonna need a successor to the micro SD though. Kioxia's 2TB releases within 90 days and that's the limit of SDXC. And we need higher read speeds moving forward. Either SD Xpress or straight 2232 NVMe SSD. But it needs to be expandable for consumers.

@JaxonH I'm just starting to get my life together now. Granted, the context surrounding that is ENTIRELY different than yours. I'm thankful I've never suffered from a substance dependence problem. I respect you immensely for tackling that, talking about that struggle without shame, and building a life for yourself that is grounded in self-respect.

While I get preferences for physical media, and agree we need additional consumers protections for purchasers of digital licenses, I see a lot of deeply rooted anxiety in much of the discourse on this issue online. I think building collections can be a fun hobby, and I get why people would like actual products instead of just downloading licenses, but at the end of the day, I think it makes sense to interrogate why you're in this hobby in the first place, and what you really want to get out of it. Because the bitter, angry attitude about this from an increasingly greying minority of the core market seems unhealthy.

Switch 2 NEEDS to ship with an SSD out of the box, IMO. Maybe a small one, but that's the place the industry is in right now. Even handheld PCs are rocking SSDs now.

@Ralizah
Ya, the level of emotional distress I see sometimes comes across as a bit over the top. At the same time, I can relate because I used to feel that way. I think my thought process was that collecting was as much fun as playing the games, so taking that from me felt like a huge blow. But now I just wanna play games. I guess each individual will have to get past that on their own time and terms. I can say, once you take inventory of what you're in the hobby for as you said, and realize playing games is really what matters, it's so much easier to let the physical aspect go. Much of the fears cited can make for reasonable arguments on paper but, I think in the long run they don't really have much bite. But being honest about that fact with yourself isnt easy when youre still caught up in that mentality. Once you get over it you realize all those reasons you had were more excuses than legitimate concerns, convenient to justify what ultimately boils down to a desire to collect more than a desire to game. And there's nothing wrong with that. I just personally reached a point where actually playing the games is my primary focus. Of course, I do still prefer owning digital as opposed to say, a Gamepass subscription. But that's because I'm not good about playing games right away, and sometimes games sit in backlog a long time before I get back to them. Sub models put a time limit on getting through games and I don't like that pressure.

As for an SSD, I'm of two minds. One, I agree Switch 2 needs an SSD. On the other hand, unless they relegate the microSD to BC games only, and include an expandable 2232 NVMe slot, and mandate cartridge games install onto the SSD, I don't think it'll do us much good as games won't be designed around it. It'll more be a convenient limited storage area with faster loads. Which is cool, but I'd prefer to see games designed with it in mind. If games run on microSD and cartridges, then skipping the SSD won't bother me as much. I'd still like one but, I'd like to see a complete switch over. Extra expandable 2232 slot so storage can be upgraded with up to an extra 2TB, and the microSD is only for videos, screenshots, and Switch games via BC.

But Steamdeck games run pretty well off microSD still so it won't be the end of the world if it doesn't use one. And I honestly think it won't just because Nintendo takes incremental steps. Idk. Maybe it'll have one but 128gb or 256gb. I want the expandable slot though for a full 2TB.

analystis dr Sekan Toto, predict the Nintendo Switch sucessor will be a interative console rather then revolucionary, also Andy Robison founder of VGC, compare Nintendo Switch to it sucessor, as DS to 3DS, this analystis also expect for Nintendo to price it next consoles games at $70

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/switch-2-likely-to-b...