Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

The PS5 and XSX have spoiled me. The load times are nice. But I question how much the Nintendo fandom would care...whether or not the NG Switch will come packaged with an SSD? If Nintendo are still going with physical releases, wouldn't they just package the NG Switch with 256GB (I would hope that's the minimum) of flash memory and call it a day?

@Magician
I mean, I do think most people care and certainly want that. I know I do

I just don't think it'd a deal breaker is all. Steamdeck runs games off microSD and it works just dandy. Granted, it does also have an SSD in the higher priced models but, half my games are on my 1.5 TB microSD.

I hope we get an SSD and I imagine most of the fanbase who is aware of the benefits also wants one. So ya I think ppl care. I just think if it doesn't have one, its not the end of the world. Loads will take a bit longer, bit that's hardly something to get emotionally enraged over imo.

Hope for it but I'm prepared to accept it won't.

I haven't experienced XSX's ability to make multiple game states immediately playable, but I can't deny the idea of that appeals. Animal Crossing is the sort of game that I'd happily throw 15 minutes a day playing in-between playing other games, but the load times on AC:NH aren't great for hopping in and out of it, so if I could just hold it paused in the system memory while simultaneously playing something else, that would be something I think I'd make regular use of.

OK, I'm on the hunt for a microSD card for my Switch OLED, but I've been having trouble finding the right one. I looked up the microSD card FAQ on Nintendo's support site, and they recommend a card that's UHS-I compatible, and this...

Transfer speed 60 - 95 MB/sec (the higher the transfer speed, the better gameplay experience on Nintendo Switch)

I've seen cards with a higher speed than 95 MB/sec, however... because of that, would those screw up my digital games somehow while I play them? If they do, I want to have the highest speed that Nintendo themselves recommend, but I'm not having much luck finding a card with exactly that speed. I do want a good amount of storage too, of course. I have a lot of digital games from the eShop, including some games that are also on retail. I did hear that the Mario/Zelda-branded cards are a bit overpriced, too... any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance!

@MarioLover92 Switch is such a big consumer of micro sd cards that usually they will specify if they work for Switch. Extra speed won't harm anything, the main goal is simply to get a high quality one since the very cheapest cards tend to be a bit scammy.

Personally I have a SanDisk 1TB Ultra microSDXC UHS-I 120MB/s and it works great. I see no gameplay difference whether a game is on the card or internal memory. That one is a bit pricey currently at $80, but they also have 512 GB at $40 and 256 GB at around $20. There are other companies of course, I'm just used to sandisk and they are one of the very reliable brands. There are plenty of reviews and comparisons for cards used specifically for Switch. Even NintendoLife has an article like that: https://www.nintendolife.com/guides/best-nintendo-switch-micr... That article has a 1TB Lexar card for $70 which seems like a pretty good deal and I assume it works fine since NintendoLife is advertising it.

@FishyS All right, awesome. Thanks for your help! Yeah I agree, I would rather have a card that's from a reliable company like SanDisk, they seem to know their stuff when it comes to SD cards. I think I'll have most of my digital games on my microSD card, and the update data/DLC for my physical games on my Switch's internal storage. Thanks again!

@NeonPizza
Can relate to that 😊👍

@Ralizah @JaxonH
I think you're not being fair to people who just like to buy their games physical. Not everything is rooted in an emotional problem, and not everyone has something to "get past."

There are very real examples of digital goods going away. That's just a fact. And yea, some people take it over the top and seem to critique those who prefer digital, but there are tons of us who just collect in the way we like to collect and go about our lives.

@rallydefault Sure. Which is why I said a preference for physical is fine. Also: "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)."

I said much of the discourse online is reflective of anxiety. Not that everyone who buys physical games has problems.

Both Jax and I also have extensive physical gaming collections.

My only issue with digital gaming is size of games. My xbox and ps5 are always running out of space and sadly 1TB isn't really that great for variety. I have less than 10 ps5 games and still without a second hard drive I'd be out of space. I've finally gotten to the point that I have steady highspeed internet (in other words I moved) so that isn't an issue anymore but yeah, the spacing thing is horrible. Nintendo games are smaller so even with the switch's internal spacing I got more bang for my buck so it doesn't bother me as much plus having a 1TB micros sd holds way more for switch than the twins. As such even though I'd like to go pure digital....it isn't quite worth it. so I am still about 60 percent digital 40 percent physical. But after having a mostly physical collection for 3 decades...yeah I really want to go digital. Moving (and furniture buying) is a nightmare.

@Ralizah
<thumbs up>

I do think much of the conversation online, as usual, is at either end of the extremes.

In reality, I would think most people just buy in their preferred way or whatever is most convenient for them (I have a GameStop down the street). Or, of course, in whatever way must happen - I have tons of eShop games that launched exclusively digital, and I generally don't go back to re-buy the physical copies if/when they come out.

And when Nintendo inevitably introduces a machine that is only digital, I'll just have to go that direction for the stuff I want to play on it.

Retro gaming is a whole other thing, in my opinion. So many games that have never been made available (officially) again, so it does become a sort of preservation.

@rallydefault As much as I've embraced digital, I probably won't go FULL digital until I'm forced to. If only because of costs on consoles. Because you can generally find enough cheap physical games if you don't buy day one that it justifies the expense of getting the more expensive model that can run discs/cartridges.

On PS4, barring some insane deals (HZD Complete Edition for $10, for example), I typically go physical with all of my purchases, since the immediacy of digital isn't as important to me with home consoles.

Some games I go back and forth on which I'd prefer (World of Horror, for example, is significantly cheaper digitally, but the physical version has cool extras).

I think it's best when both formats exist, tbh, but it won't be the end of the world for me when games go primary digital on console like they have on PC.

It's also a fact that physical games can be lost or damaged and you can't just redownload them. Personally I can still play all my digital Wii games but because of a combination of theft and damage, most of my old physical games are gone. I also have plenty of ebooks that are almost 20 years old I can still read. There is an argument both ways, but I currently trust my electronic games more than my physical.

I feel like the other concerns people have brought up are much bigger. People not having Internet access, people wanting to share games (which is technically possible now with the eshop but very inconvenient) or sell games. People just liking the physical games to display or whatever is also very valid even though it's not really in the same category of losing an ability.

One thing that worries me is that even if physical stays around, a combination of day-1 updates and potential future DMCA/antipiracy rules might end up requiring internet even if you buy physical.

@FishyS
I think you're splitting hairs a little there lol I mean, yea, literally anything physical can get lost or damaged. Your actual console can get lost or damaged.

You need your console to play either way, but you can't 'lose' digital games because you can just redownload them. You were implying that it is a risk having digital games which could be 'taken away'. All I was saying is that I personally think digital is more reliable to still have a game in e.g. 20 years than physical so I think of that as a positive of digital rather than the negative you stated it as.

But, yeah, whether digital or physical, having the old console break or not having the right type of cord or controller anymore or just not bothering to ever plug it in is the way most old games stop being played so I do mostly think physical versus digital is a moot point in most cases in terms of longevity.

@FishyS
Yea, I'm just saying it's a redundant argument to point out that physical things can be lost or stolen. It's a given.

And technically, digital games can be lost, too. Account theft does happen. It can normally be reversed, but in some cases can take a lot of time and energy to get that restoration, and I would think the number of people who have well and truly lost access to a digital account is significant.

@JaxonH How is silent hope? Saw the CE on your shelf pic. Also Happy New Year!

@rallydefault I wasn't trying to point it out because it's surprising, just as an example of why I trust digital more than physical. I am strongly biased by my personal experience, but your point about accounts is valid, so let's just say physical versus digital is a bit of a wash in terms of ownership longevity of a game. At least on Nintendo and PC... I wouldn't count on ownership of a mobile game farther than I could throw it. 😛

@FishyS
Yea, and this whole thing got me to thinking... like, I have maybe 30ish games in my Steam library, but I hardly play anything other than WoW on my PC. I think the last time I actually played one of my Steam games was in the summer with Baldur's Gate 3. If my Steam account would ever get stolen, I honestly don't know if I would put much of an effort into recovering it.