We've known that the Nintendo Switch comes with a rechargeable battery which cannot be accessed by the end user for a while, in keeping with the vast majority of mobile consumer technology these days.
However, Nintendo has today stated - via a Specifications page - that it will be offering a paid-for replacement service for batteries when the console launches, via Nintendo Customer Support.
While this isn't unusual in itself - Apple offers a similar service for its iPhone and iPad range - what is surprising is that Nintendo has drawn attention to this service early on, which bodes well for those who intend to hold onto their consoles for a long time.
Unlike its forerunner the 3DS - which has a replaceable battery - the long-term viability of the Switch will be impacted by the fact that once the power cell dies, it's effectively useless. Given how collectable Nintendo consoles are, this could present problems for fans in years to come. At least with Nintendo offering an official replacement option, you'll be able to bring your Switch back to life in 2020, or whenever its battery fails, prolonging its active lifespan.
Comments 273
i still dont get how a 4300 mamp battery is supposed to die in 3 hours
Nintendo wants to be Apple I see!
What makes it different to the 3DS? If my 3DS battery dies it's useless isn't it?
One hundred billion dollars
@Baker1000 Someone didn't read the article... haha
@kamikazilucas do you mean you think it should last longer or you think that's not big enough?
I'm personally surprised it's so small, it's similar to most high end smartphone releases coming out now. I'd have thought that a switch would have way bigger power demands than a smartphone!?!
My GBA SP battery is still going like a beast! I can hope it ages as gracefully
Flipped another way, anticipate the battery to not last any longer than a few years, hence the replacement service...
I put this on another post as well but it seems Argos are still taking pre-orders for delivery on the 3rd when in actual fact their quota is fulfilled and subsequent order are becoming back orders. I found this out in time to secure a neon unit elsewhere but would have been very annoyed otherwise!
I just hope all our data remains intact, as there's still no mention of save syncing or even a proper account system to redownload purchased games!
Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They are umcommonly kind these days - they could have made the switch a one time only - when they battery is dead, then just buy another switch!
But no, they are so consumer friendly as to offer paid battery replacement. So kind of them.
Another hidden cost, not to mention, if you cant do it by yourself you have to send it in - pay the shipment - pay for the battery, pay for the replacement - pay for the shipment.
Wonder what that will amount to?
Another hidden cost, just when I thought I knew it all
I was wondering about this. At least I can get a new battery. Certainly better than buying a new Switch for a battery. Of course I'd much prefer to able to access the battery and replace it myself.
The Switch should come with an expiration date because it will die eventually seeing as we can't change the battery. We can still play the NES after 30 years. This won't last that long, it's all great Nintendo saying they'll replace it at a "cost", what happens when it goes out of production? It's their first home console that comes with this problem.
As long as they don't overcharge for this service, it's no problem.
Ugh. Just release the thing before we hear anymore bad news. Also heads up US people, GameStop has the pro controller up for preorder. Stand-alone it's sold out (lol) but still available with bundles.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE You really don't like Switch do you? if you do when are you gonna get one if at all?
Good news, as long as it doesn't go like my Iphone, that is it dies when the battery is 30% and when it's 1 or 2% it's fine to use for a short time period and my 6s needs to be charged every day.... Doh.
Another Switch article?
Time to complain!
This could cost £50 or £70 or even £100 but the true cost is the time spent apart!
And we are sure that you will be able to change the battery in 2025 or something?
I don't like the ramifications on keeping active history logs of games.
we are still able to play NES games from 30 years ago, and have an actively working archive of games from that era.
30 years from now, will we still have an archive of Switch games that people can play working copies of?
probably not.
and that's sad.
Man, I hope it's cheap but I can see them charging at least $60. FFS, Apple charges $80 for replacing the iPod Touch's battery.
@ULTRA-64 i mean like my phone has a 3000 mamp battery and that lasts like 6 hours in 1440p
Its funny
All of this seems as if they sat down and discussed how they can make the most money possible, the most consumer unfriendly decisions apparently won. Fanboys will be definitely fine with it!
If the Switch battery dies, it's not "effectively useless". You just put it in the dock and, voila, you play on the tv!
In Switzerland, I can't change my Iphone 4's battery in an Apple Store. Because it's too old and they stopped making the parts.
So... Yeah.
Let's hope you can still access the battery, garanty void and all.
@Ralizah
Yes it is! And rightly so!
Or maybe make a decision to opt out before this madness starts?
@DoctorWily
Not necessarily - some systems need a working battery to run. Wouldnt be surprised if thats the case with the switch. More money for nintendo in the long run - could be vital.
@Pj1 Possibly by the end of the year. It depends on the games available and its price by then.
@Andrzej777 What madness? That Nintendo is offering to replace people's batteries? You people are completely ridiculous.
@ottospooky lol Nintendo are just covering YOU the consumer if your battery happens to fail. Would you rather they said nibelsnarf you buy a new switch?
This console is DOA (dead on arrival) good job nintendo....
As if there are no third party accessories/spare parts.
Come on, years ago I changed my PSP analog stick by myself, you really think no one will sell batteries you can easily replace? Nintendo consoles are usually easy to take apart
@Issi
I agree but then again - what if they had a battery replacing service for my NES and SNES games??? Now THAT WOULD BE SWEET.
@Yorumi maybe it's a custom battery?
Man, they are doing everything in their power to make the Switch look bad. I'll be kind and say that maybe it's someone internally sabotaging Nintendo instead of saying it's the backwards fossils at the top who have no clue what they're doing. Not being able to change batteries is a pretty bad thing in the long run.
@Ralizah
that consumer milking madness
deep down you know what I mean, but wont admit
I replaced my sp battery last year. Was easy. It died because I didn't touch it for 2 years.
Hopefully easy to replace if you have the right equipment
@Andrzej777 Seeing as how my 3ds xl was brought back to life, with everything digital intact, after being wrecked when our house flooded for £60 including postage I imagine it will be a reasonably cheap cost
@kamikazilucas Which demanding open world games do you play on your phone?
@Yorumi who knows. I can't see it being a problem though. If it's dies just order a new one from Nintendo. No big deal
Another thing maybe they are looking at long term is future VC sales. I don't buy some of the older games because I still have the systems and the games. I know with the Switch when the battery dies that it can still be played at home but as a portable it'll be dead. Nintendo may be looking at it as an added bonus for themselves that people possibly will have to buy a future system to play them on the go.
@Yorumi You don't need component cables to play the GameCube. I assume it's just a US issue, as we never had component for GameCube over here in Europe. SCART works fine too, at least mine does. Not sure what other options there even are.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE Well, we don't know if you can still play in TV mode, some devices can't bypass the battery, meaning that if the battery dies, the entire thing is useless, even if it's connected to an AC adapter.
@Octane True.
How do they dare to release a console that won't be playable in 2025?
Ahhh, now I understand Nintendos strategy.
Dont try to get everyone in on Switch, just bleed the existing fans dry.
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: nintendo switch pro controllers are available for pre order in the US at bestbuy and Gamestop on their respective websites.
It's disappointing. I've replaced phone and laptop batteries before since they were no longer keeping a charge for very long. That 3 hours of Zelda playtime will gradually decrease over time.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE Overreacting as usual I see. Someone like iFixit or another party will show you how to tear this down. I am sure the battery will die after the warranty. I am sure there will be bigger batteries you can replace it with on your own. People have been replacing their own batteries in iPhones without apple support this won't be any different. Just like NES pad and parts you can buy from third parties. you can order this too. I am sure there will be better batteries a few months after launch. I won't be doing this till after the warranty is over. The point is if you are intelligent to follow a video tutorial you can replace your battery.
Can you have 2 switches hooked up to 1 TV? Of course I mean on different HDMIs and not using both at same time, just wondering because I want one for me and then for someone else but we have 1 tv
If only the Switch could be charged via non-proprietary connectors, right?
@Yorumi forgot that the 3ds can't bypass the battery. I was initially thinking that years down the road if the battery quit working you could either keep it plugged in or on the dock but now I don't know
@Yorumi prob be playing a different console by then to be honest
@Andrzej777 Offering to replace dead batteries in a tablet without replaceable batteries (which is pretty common) isn't "milking the consumer," it's a basic service that should be offered.
Urgh This is really annoying, especially has a handheld device. I know Nintendo will charge a fortune for this service and although I could probably replace it myself I'd be too scared to mess up the innards of the machine.
Ah well heres to another 5 years of worrying about overcharging
@Baker1000 You can easily replace the battery on your 3DS.
@DoctorWily Or play it connected to power. Or to an external battery pack. AND that's when that battery does eventually die, my original launch DS Lite's battery still plays well enough.
I don't know, for me this is a non-issue (specially at this point pre-launch) which as usual people are making a big deal out of. Using the "I can still play my NES without this problem" argument is invalid, technology advances and so do its functioning requirements.
@Yorumi it doesn't have a battery so what's your point?
Least they are offering this as a thing. My Wii U is like 3 years old and I've thought of buying a new game pad but they're just so expensive.
@ottospooky That's definitely the possibility that I was trying to ignore. I'm hoping that's not what this means.
@Yorumi They bypass the battery if plugged into the wall, right? Also, nice pic.
I hope they keep this service going for years to come then. Or perhaps batteries will have come far enough to be improved upon in the distant future, in the event of a replacement.
@DonkeyKongBigBoy Again, watch the language please...next time you'll be dealing with Lz.
While the portability aspect of the Switch will be render useless by the battery dying, the console itself would still be viable as a home console. So not a total loss.
But can't you just charge it if it dies?
Or does it mean perma dead?
That also means that the lithium-ion battery used is also going to be proprietary. Having it being replaceable through a service is okay but I like the option of us replacing it ourselves better, my reason for that is that many years down the line once Nintendo end support for the Switch, there won't be any service to replace the battery if it does indeed ran out of juice by then. So basically once the battery died, you might as well treat it as a home console by powering it through the AC adapter. Well another reason why the 3DS needs to stick around then.
@Joeynator3000 what is Lz just to clarify? And it doesn't say no swearing in the community rules.
@DonkeyKongBigBoy No offensive content allowed to be posted on here.
Profanity = Offensive.
And Lz = Admin of this site.
@Joeynator3000 didn't realize it was kindergarten. Sorry for offending everyone with a word
@DonkeyKongBigBoy It's a Nintendo-related site, kids use this place. -.-
If it becomes a nightmare 20 years later when it's retro somebody will mod a fix. Someone always does.
Or ya know, maybe stick to the home console part?
@Ralizah
I have a better idea! Offer replaceable batteries! Make a system where its easy for a consumer to replace the battery with little effort. Everything else is scam
@Vegaphil
thats good.
Remember that the 3ds was more or less affordable. I would be surprised if you will get away with that amount in regard to the switch
Not great news to hear, as I would hope I wouldn't need a battery replacement in the lifetime of my console.
(I ordered a few GBA SP/original DS batteries from Nintendo years ago, well past the life of the GBA.) Sadly my original DS has since nearly fallen in two but the battery wasn't a problem.
I've been playing my 3DS pretty regularly since launch (okay maybe not as much that first year) and it's still working with no sign of trouble.
@Yorumi Ah, now I see what you were saying. Yes, that was my point too (although at least you can still play the GameCube without those cables). They can't keep this service up for ever, so eventually all Switch consoles will become unusable. I've had so many batteries die on me before, from phones, to laptops and various other devices, and it will happen with the Switch battery sooner than later. That's why I'm glad that emulation is a thing, it keeps the old systems alive when they become unusable.
@Andrzej777 I mean, I'd prefer that as well, but many smartphones and tablets also have non-replaceable batteries. It's not ideal for me, but it's far from a "scam." You're simply acting childish about this. Complaining for the sake of complaining.
I'm not complaining. Great that they'll offer a replacement service.
@Ralizah
No I am not complaining for the sake of complaining. Certain policies exist because people are complacent and accept things for granted. Products only sell if people will buy them. If people were in general more clever products and services would be better. Thats all there is to it. People like you who accept and defend it will not make it better, just give more power to greedy companies to continue with there schemes, scams, and money milking. Its sad, but thats the way its going. Otherwise microtransactions, which I have never taken part in, wouldnt have been possible. But companies can rely on people buying everything without reason.
@Spoony_Tech I would say nintendo has been the apple of games for some time now. Not that I enjoy apple products, I actually hate them for the most part, but in the way that like apple they just ignore the obvious route and common demands and end up always doing their own weird thing.
I'm not sure why people are mad. Would it be easier to have replaceable batteries? Yup. But in this day and age of Apple, did anyone expect otherwise?
Now the discussion about the Switch bricking on a dead battery even if docked is valid. But personally, I think Apple changed the game like it or not. Mid-gen semi upgrades and factory only replacement batteries are what is going to be the standard unfortunately.
@kamikazilucas Is that an average of 6 hours a day of standard use or of game time? And I'm talking an actual graphics intensive game, not candy crush.
@DoctorWily I was thinking that. Docking the Switch doesn't use the battery does it? If the battery dies you should be able to use it as a home console, just not as a portable.
@Joeynator3000 agreed but kids swear too, they don't have their heads buried in the sand at school. And nobody was complaining. But for you , Joey, I'll refrain from bad language if it makes you happier.
@DonkeyKongBigBoy It's the rules....
Simple design choice, user replaceable batteries makes the internal design more complex & typically take up more space. Nintendo chose to go for a sleek design instead. Anyway, if Nintendo can replace them at their workshop then other electronic repairers will do it too, like your local phone repair shop, and there will be YouTube videos and aftermarket supplies for a long time if you fancy dong it yourself.
Unless the Switch is waterproof and shockproof (to a degree), which some smartphones still accomplish with a removable battery, I don't see a real reason why the Switch doesn't have a removable battery.
I hope this wasn't an intentional decision so they can charge for maintenance, like Apple does.
@DarkKirby Have you seen the battery-to-device size ratio on devices like this? Having it removable is not a good idea, as convenient as that would be in the event of disaster
@Ralizah
Just btw, saying somebody is childish because they realize that money milking is involved? Whats the relation here? Its rather foolish to accept everything for granted! Saying somebody is childish? What does it mean? Like I am a child, whose opinion doesnt need to be heeded because I am childish and not defending a corporation? , yeah right.
Complaining for the sake of complaining? Are you implying I am making this whole thing up because I have nothing else to do?
I am complaing because there is a lot to complain about!
Look there is a lot of people who dont have an own opinion. By complaining I am speaking about reasonable reason of why this whole nintendo policy is not consumer friendly. So people who have no opinion of their own, will see arguments of reason and might veer one way or another. You are doing the same thing be defending it. Thats it. One person defends, another objects!
From what I can see, there is no real reason behind defending it, besides, its quality, joy cons are robust, yeah... its cool, its worth.
You know what I am talking about!
No really, please do not insult peoples intelligence with those kind of arguments. Childish and stuff...
Do you think it will make a point if I say, people who buy a switch at the current conditions are foolish? Its obvious, but you have to provide arguments. And nintendo has been giving lots of grounds for arguments against buying it. Its like an orgy of milking its fanbase.
I hold nintendo fans in high regard. To me, nintendo fans are something special. Its about people who value games, which are what they are. They are not full of gore and violence, they are not mainstream, they are familiy friendly. It takes a good person to appreciate things like that IMHO. And in this regard I think these people are being taken advantage of with the switch. And I think thats not right! Thats why I am speaking my mind. Its not about complaining for the sake of complaining. I was praising nintendo when it came to the wii u for the above reasons. But I cannot say that its ok whay they are doing right now, because its not ok.
@nab1
I have, the battery in things like tablets are often almost as big as the tablet itself, but in the past Nintendo has kept the battery secure and prevented the battery from falling out with a screwed on back plate, I don't see why that couldn't have been done again.
Given, while still not ideal, I would trade a removable battery for water and shock proofing, but I don't think the Switch will have either.
@ruinez Rolls eyes Uh huh.
Does this mean that it can't be docked and plugged in after the battery life is gone?
I know its not possible for everything but more things nowadays should run on standard AA or AAAs. After buying some Eneloops I sort of wish I could use them for everything. I'm not saying they would work in this instance with how slim they had to make the tablet but with how unslim the Wii U gamepad is they could have saved some cost and maybe improved the standard batterylife as well by using standard AAs. Id prefer that over them cheaping out on the included battery only to sell an extended one for $40.
A few years back I read about an e reader that was supposed to come outfor ~$20 that had a round grippy part on one side that AAs slotted into. A pair of alkalines were supposed last a year which makes rechargables almost overkill at that point IMO. I don't think it was ever released at least in America probably due to the dominance of the Kindle over here but I thought the idea was great and was the Exact right way to make a lower cost device.
I don't understand why people complain about the XBone controller using AAs. I think its great that I'll never have to worry about replacing a proprietary battery. Then again Eneloops are way better than the non low discharge rechargables most people have used. I recommend them for any wii remotes or other devices. And they last forever in my $8 electric razor.
@Ralizah it's not 'offering to replace'. It's charging you for the privilege when, like many have said here, they could just have made it possible to change the battery yourself at home. Nintendo have gone full Apple here.
@Aslanmagic
Thats unknown. Still it has to be taken into account, the battery will eventually die and money will have to be paid in order to get it running again, at least in portable mode. And since it apparently wont be possible in the do it yourself way, well, money will have to be paid, for the battery, for the service, for the shipping, and that will amount to something, that might not necessarily be close to buying a new switch but still its gonna cost.
Interesting, my HTC M8 is getting on for 4 years old, has a non-removable battery & still runs for just as long as when it was purchased... batteries in mobile devices are infinitely more reliable than they have been in the past.
As for why a company would go for a non-removable battery instead of one you can replace yourself? That's simple size and robustness... for an internal battery you can effectively remove most of the shell that goes around a removable one & make the battery MUCH larger. Also it allows you to design the handheld around the battery with is much more efficient.
Plus with the portable's chassis designed closed, you can make it much more robust against damage from drops etc.
One thing a lot of people don't seem to grasp (and this isn't calling anyone stupid at all), is that you are STILL covered by your warranty for at least a year... meaning if your battery is defective you can have your Switch/Switch battery replaced for free under yoru basic consumer rights. If it's not defective... the battery will likely outlast it's the console.
The general message of the switch is, you invest into a system which may or may not succeed it. Either way, you will have to pay a lot of money, short term and long term. And you are getting less bang for the buck compared to the competition (this might have been true in the past, but right now its more obvious and downright insolent).
@Yorumi Buy a mobile charger, some are cheaper than a pack of good quality batteries & are double the battery capacity of the phone itself. I carry one for my phone that cost me £5... it's 3x the capacity of the phone & it can charge my 3DS as well.
@Andrzej777 thanks for answering. I HOPE it's usable after, but we'll see.
@Yorumi Yes, one more thing you have to buy... like the AA batteries you'd buy for any other portable device that you've mentioned.
:/
I've never had to replace my 3DS battery. I know the Switch will use a different kind, and although Nintendo offer a service to replace it, it's probably just precautionary. Only because it can't be easily accessed. The battery like those that came with other consoles before should be very long lasting.
Good news - makes me feel a bit more secure. Especially combined with games being tied to accounts.
No point really complaining about this until they announce the cost to replace the battery...that's if you need to replace it.
At least the service is there.
In 5 years the switch 2 will probably play switch 1 games too if it is another hybrid and if the account system links then all is good... and no doubt we will all jump on board again.
@kamikazilucas While your phone might have a 1440p screen, the games are likely rendered in 720p or less than... it's basically the same trick the 3DS uses. While the games look good on a tiny screen, if you were to scale them up to an actual HDTV size they'd be pretty horrific compared to anything the Switch has to display.
Basically, not everything on a 1440p screen is rendered in 1440p.
@SirRandall How is it an overreaction? @SLIGEACH_EIRE Has a legitimate point. I shouldn't have to rely on my tech savvy in order to enjoy something. Most of the people Nintendo is trying to attract aren't looking to buy something that eventually turns into a DIY project. Its a potential flaw, costs of the replacement service should stated since they obviously made a point to mention it two weeks after its reveal.
@Andrzej777 Hit a nerve, huh? Anyway, there's a big difference between saying that this may or may not be a smart choice on Nintendo's part for reasons x, y, and z, and calling it a "scam" or melodramatically declaring it to be "madness." Give me a break. I've criticized some of Nintendo's decisions with the Switch myself, but I do think a lot of this negativity is extreme, reflexive, and, yes, to some degree, childish.
Ill say it here also, cancel you pre-orders if it bother you that much so I can get a second Switch.
@SirRandall I came down here to say the same thing. I am actually quite looking forward to the iFixit teardown!
I've come late to this latest "Switch is a scam" argument, what have I missed?
The problem here is Nintendo confirmed it was a non replaceable battery (which is pretty much industry standard in these type of devices) and people who have already said they won't be buying a Switch kicked off. Why? Most CE these days have a non replaceable battery, it's 2017 people.
Nintendo reads this negativety and says "hey, don't worry peeps. We have a battery replacement service". Same people kick off again saying it's a scam. How is it a scam? You don't even know how much it costs? Why are we even talking about this, it isn't even out yet!
Guys - come on, this is like a gamespot quality article on a slow news day.
Anyway this isn't a really big deal. Reputable 3rd party vendors will sell the battery for $15 to $20....the scam Chinese vendors will sell them for $5 at risk of immolating. There will be a procedure to replace the battery, even if it involve using a plastic spudger tool or a security torx.
@nobboysbro: I don't see why not. Both systems could also connect to each other, via(through) bluetooth, &/or wireless internet. The issue would be, if the Nintendo Switch needs to be plugged in to an electrical outlet, while docked. It probably does. So, in that case, you would need 2 outlets, each outlet individually would need to be able to produce enough power to safely use the Nintendo Switch. Keep in mind, that if both available outlets are on the same electrical circuit, that particular electrical outlet will be needing twice the power available, of just one Nintendo Switch. That shouldn't be too much of a problem, based on modern home electrical standards.
Not sure how this would be "another hidden cost" as some are complaining. Batteries die. If you weren't paying Nintendo to replace it (an amount we don't yet know) you'd be paying for a new battery elsewhere anyway. Until we know the cost of this service the only difference is that one way you'd have to do it yourself. It's not hidden at all.
I'm sure if it's in warranty they'll replace it for free anyway. My original 3DS had to go back in for fixing a few times but each time it was free, including postage, and the warranty renewed.
Didn't the GamePad have that same issue on WiiU where the battery replacement had to be done by Nintendo? I honestly don't recall.
If the pricing trend of the accessories is to hold, then count on a Switch replacement battery to cost about $/€80,-
Also, if they already talk about battery replacement before the Switch is even out, then this doesn't convey much confidence in their battery supplier.
Sorry to see this in a negative way, but as of lately Nintendo is getting on my bad side.
The fact that Nintendo can replace it is good news. That means it isn't completely integrated. Sometimes the game community confuses me. You could hand them silver and they would whine it's not gold.
@Vriess I think someone earlier had a good point... a lot of people have already been raising the issue of dead batteries. Nintendo responds to those fears & then people get even more concerned. It's a never ending cycle.
There are a lot of devices out there with non-replaceable batteries, and the technology is very reliable. In mobile phone circles there isn't much debate about dead batteries. Some people just prefer to have two batteries so their phones last longer (which again shows how tough batteries can be now).
@Baker1000 No - it can be replaced.
I understand if all gadgets have their lifespan. Nothing is eternal. I have older 3DS XL for more than 3 years and still okay even without battery replacement. My Wii U is almost 1 year. I hope my Nintendo machines can entertain me for many years, until they die by naturally, and I will aging into grandpa stage, preparing for retirement because we can't keep our beloved things into our graveyard. We have to let them go when we are dying. But before we're dying, I want Nintendo machines can deliver Unforgettable moments and experiences when we're still young & can play their machines. After we have to retire from video games, the memories are still remaining in our heart. That will become an Unforgetable sweet memories. And we can say "Thank You Nintendo for entertaining my life" despite of so many controversies of their policy.
@ottospooky Lol, when has a Nintendo system not lasted through a nuclear winter? Cartridges' inherent flaws aside? I started with the Gamecube — a Gamecube I still have that works flawlessly. The only Nintendo systems that have ever broken on my are my DS and DS Lite hinges, when I dropped them.
Public: "We hate non-removable batteries! What happens if the battery stops working?!?"
Nintendo: "Don't worry, we'll have a battery replacement service, so you can get your battery replaced without having to buy a new Switch."
Public: "We hate battery-replacement services!"
@DanteSolablood Phones are a bit different than gaming devices though. I replace my phone every two years, my previous phone becomes useless at that point, couldn't care less what happens to it, because I'm probably never going to use it again. Don't know about you, but I still use and play on gaming systems that are well over 20 years old at this point. I also spend a lot of money on games, so a guarantee that I'll be able to play them for longer than five years or whenever this service ends is a bigger deal for me than the battery in my phone.
@Mellor2000
It's being talked about because Ninty mentioned it.
Same would happen for my phone or tablet so it doesnt bother me much.
People are saying "trying to be Apple" but most tech has adopted this for the sake of space and heat control.
@Yorumi I share your concerns about this and have been against these sealed batteries since they became a thing. I've been amazed at some iphone users I've known in the past who insisted that their batteries were replaceable, unaware that Apple changed what had once been a standard practice. Anyway, I can tell you that the GB Micro can't bypass the battery. It's required to funcion. I don't have a GBA SP to test, but I suspect it is the same. It's a non issue for the GBA original model since there is no internal battery and because AC adapters for it use the battery compartment to provide power.
Convenient how Nintendo neglected to mention a price for this service. That's the one bit of info I wanted to know.
So many gadgets are being treated as disposable, in my opinion, by their manufacturers. I'm not going to change how they do business, but I only pay disposable-level prices for those gadgets these days.
@Octane Oh I certainly see where you're coming from, I also replace my phones every couple of years... in fact I mainly have my M8 as the Note 4 doesn't have a radio. The main reason for mentioning them was partially to explain what benefits non-removable batteries have & to point out that after 4 years there has been no decline in it's battery life.
Oh... and that it's not just Apple that use non-removable batteries, more trusted brands like Samsung, HTC, Sony, LG, Hauwei and possibly more.
However, I agree that gaming systems are different from phones.. when parts decay, stop working and need repairing after their lifetime there is a strong community that create third party solutions. Tape drive repairs for ZX Spectrums, connector components and spring mechanisms for the NES, replacement internal batteries for carts with battery based memory/clocks (E.G. later Megadrive & GBA carts).You could say any console not designed to be easily opened & repaired are just as guilty.
Depending on the quality of the battery inside it, it could be getting towards a decade before battery degradation becomes particularly noticeable (obviously this is with regular use, just leaving it to settle for 2 years will damage the battery) & while the battery is functional at all... you can always play it in the dock. Possibly even when the battery is dead.
And this is not even taking into consideration Switch games being playable on the next iteration of Switch or a future console that Nintendo releases or possible emulation.
@Yorumi This was about power adapters, and being able to turn on the console, so, while this isn't a component cable, it's a GameCube Power Adapter being sold in the online Nintendo Store: https://store.nintendo.com/ng3/us/po/browse/productDetailColorSizePicker.jsp?categoryNav=false&navAction=jump&navCount=0&atg.multisite.remap=false&productId=prod10278&categoryId=cat490463
They also still sell battery packs for Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP, DS Lite, DSi and DSi XL:
https://store.nintendo.com/ng3/browse/subcategory.jsp?categoryId=cat490463
@NinChocolate Mine too! My 15 year old son is currently playing through Pokemon Blue ver. on my GBA SP and it goes for days!
How much preash?
@Yorumi The wii u doesn't exactly become a brick if the gamepad stops working or if the battery dies and can't be replaced. There are many games that can be played on the wiiu that don't need the gamepad at all, and the gamepad isn't needed to navigate the menu. As long as you have other controllers available you'll be able to play most wiiu games even if the gamepad dies.
Aside from off tv play, which is a nice feature, and a few games that use the gamepad as an essential part of the game, it really is somewhat superfluous.
Hopefully, like most phones, the battery is easily replaceable with a little bit of technical skill. I'll wait for the iFixit teardown before I really worry.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE That's what I'd fear of the Switch too. I love knowing that I can take out my SNES anytime and play all those classics I own for it. In thirty years (if I'm alive!) I likely won't be able to do so with the Switch. Not with my basic DIY knowledge.
It's 2017. I'd hope that the battery lasts longer than 3 years.
another battery disappointment if 3 hours playing zelda was not bad enough til its dead for 1 full charge. i think i like might like a mid gen switch with a replaceable battery that i can do it myself for under $50 today. So much as for o its almost dead; saves game, o wait i have to charge it, not do a 5 min switch for the battery. (sarcasm) and snaps. Better go with extended warranty this time i'll need it. (Ponders O this is why no CE Switchs with games included makes perfect choice now ppl have hard time parting with CE items. Glad i'll use external storage for game saves, dlc, game itself, another perfect choice for 32 GB internal memory not much space wasted when u cant get the switch to switch on. another expanse for consumer. Well now i can't complain about internal storage Hoping 3 to 4 years at the b4 its used up and i'll miss it. Also ponders why they call it a home console, $60 games, battery can't play on the go onces its gone, expansive accessory's, lets add paid online service while we at it.
This sounds worse than the wii u right now til they name a price from a profitable range. Switch is all about switch your money, money, and more money .Name makes total sense now.
ps my ds still works fine without charging in 5-6 years ago
I suspect I'll still be playing my NES in 20 years, but that the Switch will be a paperweight. Nice job, Nintendo.
I am mesmerized by Reggie's suit jacket in that picture. It looks like some kind of fake suit that doubles as a nightgown.
I guess no one should really buy a used Switch in the near future then...considering that the more you play and charge it, the faster the battery life will end. Other than that, I'm sure some company will make a battery that will work for it, and I'm sure the main user will be able to get to it eventually (or at least find a way) to be able to change it themselves. If none of this ends up happening, order replacement batteries from nintendo through mail, and ask them for directions on how to change it...eventually...about 10-20 years down the line, they won't fix the system, so it's always good to be prepared. This kind of thing is what worries me about the PS3 and PS4 controllers though...actually, any console system that uses wireless controllers...will we be able to change them. If someone actually knows that you can change the PS3 and PS4's controller battery by yourself, please let me know!
@Ps4all sold out already! Ugh Crazy. I got mine at Amazon.de for $77.91 total shipped to the US.
C'mon people, third party batteries will be made and possibly larger capacity ones. Years down the road, there will be tons of videos on YouTube on how we can all replace our switch batteries after buying a replacement from amazon. This is not the end of the world, its simply modern portable electronics. They make it slimmer and lighter by not putting it in a user accessible area. It doesn't mean in 5-10 years you won't be able to get it replaced or replace it yourself. Look up all the older phone and tablet videos from YouTube or ifixit. If they made it user replaceable it could make the device much thicker and then people would complain that its not iPad thin. The way people complain about every little decision on the switch, I really don't get it. Let Nintendo innovate and try the thing yourself before you crucify the company as idiots. If it fails in 2-4 years then they will learn from it, but from looking at the preorder sellouts, it seems like they really made some good decisions as people are ordering every one they have to ship. I could go on and one, hut no you aren't getting a 4k handheld with a 1tb ssd, 8gb of gddr5, and a 10,000mah user replaceable battery in a console the size of a large phone. Think about it before you start crying about every desist n you make. They have a ton of engineers and vast experience in portables. I'm sure they know what they are doing.
...well, they can charge you again for another battery..because it's re chargeable..ah ha...let's just hope it's an Energizer, cause that rabbit's still going..
...and going...
External battery pack will be used a lot with mine. Conserve the internal battery and my 28,000mAh battery will last a while
@NewAdvent Indeed, the joycons seem to be built with a VR-ready Switch 2 in mind
@DanteSolablood Plus, who cares what PHONE games look like. It's not like there's huge open world epics at 1440p on a PHONE. I really couldn't give a crap if Puzzle Quest and Angry Birds are in super high res....
@jimi
Can you blame them? They've been working too closely together on Super Mario Run. As a result, Nintendo has now been infected with the Apple virus. Soon, they will slowly be sucked into the company to become an App Store exclusive developer.
Nintendoomed 2017.
air horns
I have utterly hated non-replaceable batteries since inception. I held out some hope that Switch's would be replaceable, but I'm not actually surprised by the result. Disappointed, but not surprised.
The non-removable batter is now, thanks to Apple, the industry standard for all electronics. They cite the ability to keep it thinner and lighter by soldering the power to the mobo, but mostly it's just intentionally planned obsolescence to make the items disposable. Still, everyone wanted Nintendo to "get with the times" and complained that Iwata was stuck in the past. Well, now they got with the times and adapted to the downward spiral that is industry standard. Enjoy!
In fact, other than Nintendo products, I can't actually remember the last portable electronics item I bought that DID have a replaceable battery. They were spoiling us compared to the industry. I haven't had a phone since the S5 that had one,
the Vita doesn't, none of the handful of tablets I bought had one, none of my laptops for the past several generations have had one...the only thing I can think of that has one is my giant 17" mobile workstation laptop....it's a brick of a machine with a bigger brick of an old-school removable battery, that barely has runtime given the power consumption of that machine. That and the ThinkPad T series.
Though not all "non replaceable" batteries are truly non-replaceable. iPhones etc. aside that involve prying the screen off the device and melting the adhesive, some of the ThinkPads that are "thin and light" have a non-replaceable battery that is technically not difficult to access at all with the removal of some screws and the battery just plugs in, no soldering. But getting a replacement battery pack is a challenge. Same with the Bose Soundlink III (Mini II has a use replaceable battery, SLIII doesn't, but it's just 5 screws and the bottom comes right off. Again, it's obtaining the battery that's a challenge but replacing it is no different than a WiiU battery.) I think mostly these companies just want to avoid liability and consumer action from people messing with the inside of the device. 99% of the time stupid things are done in the consumer realm: blame the lawyers. A lot of it has to do with transportation regulations and making sure you don't poke your eye out, make bombs, or anything else out of them. First they sell us endless tech that relies on lithium, then they determine lithium is dangerous and we shouldn't be allowed near the batteries. (Then the Note 7 explodes everywhere proving it makes no difference.)
OTOH, even with removable batteries, each model of my 3DS's still keeps at least most of its charge, unlike my Samsung phones that the battery becomes useless after 2 years. My launch day Vita still has battery life pretty par with when I got it. Maybe that bodes well for Switch? For long term console use it might prevent collecting a Switch for many years like older consoles, but only if it doesn't bypass the battery for running on the dock. The handhelds don't bypass the battery, but since the Switch can draw more power when on the dock, it would make sense that it does (because you wouldn't want to be drawing power from the battery faster than it charges.) If it does bypass it than the Switch could work forever like any console in the dock regardless of if the battery works or not. If it doesn't bypass...that could be troublesome.
Nintendo repair service is just silly, shipping to Nintendo from the east coast US is like $30 in shipping or more and takes a week in transit both ways, plus the time they take to repair it means not having the product about a month or more. But it's very likely that GameStop will also be able to replace them since they already replace tablet/phone batteries at many locations for a nominal fee.
@jbrewer99
But the Wii U failed in 4 years, and they're showing now that they didn't really learn why it failed. Elaborate.
@NEStalgia Agree with everything you wrote. Thinkpads, at least the T(non s model), X2XX (x240, x250 and x260 etc) series and P models have dual batteries. One battery can be replaced from the outside and the other battery can be replaced by unscrewing 8 or so screws from the underside to remove bottom panel from the chassis.
@DonkeyKongBigBoy While I understand that we swear in our daily lives, the site rules here forbids the use of certain words. If you don't like our rules, you are certainly free to take your opinions elsewhere.
@NEStalgia
Nice explanation about irreplaceable internal battery.
So, I don't have to worry about Switch internal battery, right ?
Soon or later there will be Youtuber explain how to replace died Switch battery with new one. I will appreciate those helpful tutorial.
I just love how we're complaining about a service that we don't know the full details yet.
Narrative before facts!
@Andrzej777 Thanks for pointing that out, that didn't occur to me. The more that is shared about this console, the easier it makes my decision to wait a number of years to get one. Too many post purchase prices to make me question its value.
This is something that shouldn't be a problem for years to come (hopefully). I'm sure some crafty people will come up with a way to DIY, and some third party batteries will pop up.
@Tiredman
I hope we will not have to wait too long g ☺
In fact I am quite content with waiting a little longer.
The only game that makes real sense is zelda whi h should be roughly the same on wii u. I have a huge backlog of games and there is still 3ds games coming out.
Mk8 and splatoon will still be supported, so there is actually no real incentive for me to rush.
When they finally drop prices there will be a greater game library available to choose from. So in the end I should win in all regards. Its a liitle bit sad cause this would have been otherwise a day one purchase for me.
Oh my God, the reactions. After using 3DS for so long this really is a non-issue for me (and every other rational person out there). I'm sure I'll be trading up for a Switch Pro or something or other in 3 - 4 years, so I won't give a poop.
At a cost... I read a comment on YouTube that said Nintendo was "greedy and manipulative". I'm beginning to agree with the former.
@DanteSolablood
Mobile phones are replaced on average every 18 to 24 months and by this time the capacity is noticeably lower. The Switch is supposed to last at least 4 to 5 years before new hardware will be released. If people do a lot of gaming on the go, then you can be sure that the battery capacity degrades rather quickly. Ok, Nintendo will replace dead batteries at cost price, but also the batteries with proven diminished capacities? I think it's normal to stay skeptic.
@TheLZdragon I agree, but I don't like being harassed by one of your moderators. Maybe he should use a less threatening tone in future and it's not necessarily the best way to communicate
@Iggy-Koopa
Its a natural reaction to a less consumer friendly trend. I think none of us would complain about a single issue but the whole is bigger than the sum of its parts and this whole can get quite expensive which might be an issue to many people who would like to play nintendo but cannot afford to support nintendos outspoken greediness.
But thats just one way to look at it. Some people might care about this and all other issues as well and just buy it if they feel so inclined.
However, the commercial failure of the wii u has caused nintendo to abandon it without any honor. There could have been many more games released but it wasnt profitable for nintendo. Games like stretchmo world being scrapped and development moved elsewhere like wii u tl 3ds ports. Just because the console didnt sell. They could have ar least provided some more games. But this strategy of no more games is probably meant as a motivation for wii u owners to buy the switch quite soon.
So mass market appeal is important for a console to be successful and pricing is a huge part of it. Imagine people investing lots of money into the switch but due to nintendos missteps it fails like the wii u and ends up being abandoned again.
Nintendos pricing policy is risky both for nintendo and the people who buy the switch.
Many people, me included, who might have bought it day one or in the launch window will just wait and see.
@Yorumi
"I mean fine offer the service but why not add an access panel to the battery so people can change their own?"
Because the Switch is relatively power-hungry for a portable and the battery needed to be considerably smaller OR the device considerably bigger for that to work.
But apparently the majority of people commenting on this site prefer to make sneaky remarks towards "greedy Nintendo", instead of thinking about the issue for one second.
@Andrzej777 They provided the Wii U for four years with some of the best games Nintendo ever made and it still didn't sell. Compare that to the kind of support Sony gave to Vita owners from the beginning.
Nintendo is a business that has to make money. If you honestly complain you didn't get more games from Nintendo on Wii U after all they were offering you're just an entitled consumer.
@Stubi Do you honestly expect them to say "The battery is not replaceable." and nothing else? What do you think how the internet would react to that?
That they are addressing this issue early on DOESN'T mean the battery will die after one and a half years. It's simply something they have to address.
The real reason why they did this is that they can check the system to see if its hacked if say a person that does not know better, sends in one that is hacked. Because if they won't sell Switch batteries online then you damn well know why now.
@G-Boy Or maybe there is an actual physical reason batteries are non-replaceable (like, don't know, the switch being a small, power-hungry device, with not a lot of free space in it). Nah, can't be that /s
@CGSasuke They already can see that, if you are using their online services Mr. Tin Foil Hat.
@scamander
They started the wii u unprepared. Probably thought it would sell like the wii and third parties would support it until its very end. Support was shifted to the switch and the 3ds. I cant really say it was that awesome. Business is business but if you buy a console you generally would like to see more support. When they launched the switch many people complained for obvious reasons and they were right. Now people complain for obvious reasons and they are right.
@scamander If a hacker does it right they can't see them when using the right software. I've seen so many hackers on MK8, MH, & many others & still they are online. The careless ones are the ones that get caught.
Hm... speaking about hacking, I think there will be illegal things like R4, Gateaway, etc. Pirated things as usual. And I think Switch is so complex machine because to prevent illegal copies to be played.
@CGSasuke They are still online, because Nintendo simply doesn't care.
@Yorumi - I hear you Yomuri. I bought a gamecube/PS2/Xbox universal component and s-video cable set a few years back but my real issue is that my Gamecube no longer has the Gameboy adapter disc and people are gouging for them online.
At the same time, some of these demands are a little... entitled? Unrealistic?
Even car manufacturers stop making parts for their older models eventually (often third parties will still make some parts like headlight bulbs or wiring brackets), and try getting parts for your 2006 flip phone ordered new at retail.
I'm actually not defending Nintendo here, or the switch because it's looking more and more like I don't want one, but you have to realize it's not economically viable for manufacturers to support older products and tech indefinitely.
Apple and Nintendo shouldn't be allowed to play together. All this iOS fuss has turned Nintendo from a family company to a money-hogging Scrooge, with all these paid "bonus" features and DLC that should be free by standard. (No, Nintendo shouldn't replace batteries for free, but they should allow consumers to do it themselves.)
@Ralizah
Scam or madness might have been the best words to describe their strategy. Greedy milking of its userbase lies within legal bounds and its up to the individual to decide if they want get milked or not.
Actually one might simply not buy it and call it quits, but thats not what I want. I want the switch to become more affordable and I believe that consumers have a voice. The more people get their eyes opened and not buy it at the current conditions the sooner we get better deals and nintendo will take us more seriously, they might just start respecting us and provide more of what we actually want. Not too many people are aware of this, so its always good to provide counterarguments to make people realize. If everyone says, great job nintendo things wont get better any time soon. If nobody claims about the pricing nintendo might get the impression they should have set a higher price. Calling people cheap because they think its an unfair deal and voice their opinion is insulting imho. Nintendo is not doing a great job right now. Nobody complains for the sake of complaining. I would complain if everything was 20% cheaper, everything. Besides I believe, given the current launch line up and upcoming game schedules waiting for a price drop shouldnt be too hard. I will and I hope more people will do that. Its for the best.
@Yhdekskymmenen
Exactly, family friendly shouldnt just refer to some games and parental controls it should refer to everything and especially pricing. Cant wait until it launches just to see how many people filled nintendos greed.
Maybe they should start licensing games. You buy zelda for 60£ and acquire the game with the right to use it for one year. After that you should pay another 30£ for another year. Thats actually a great idea considering how much money nintendo loses each and every time a game is sold second hand. By doing so it would make almost no sense to buy a game in used condition. More money for nintendo they should give this alternative milking method some thought.
@Andrzej777
But I need some second handed Nintendo games. To tell the truth, some of my Nintendo games are Used condition from Very Good until Like New. I really need them because some of my targeted titles was sold out long time ago (I start my experience by buying original games only 3 years ago). And of course, I was missed so many Most Wanted titles because I haven't think about to buy original games before. When I want those titles right now, it was not available in Sealed anymore. So, I depend on Ebay for hunting old titles.
Btw, you don't have to be negative about Nintendo that will be milking us so crazily.
I've a Motorola phone with a built in battery. Motorola are getting like Nintendo. Too big for their boots.
Half the people complaining here won't even be buying a Switch.
I know it's different elsewhere, but here in the UK Nintendo are basically doing the same thing with the 3DS already.
They don't offer replacement batteries for purchase separately, and as you to send your console to them if you do want the battery to be replaced (I ended up importing a replacement battery and doing it myself as it worked out much cheaper).
Chances are it will technically be possible to replace the battery yourself, just difficult... getting hold of a replacement would be tricky to begin with, and replacing it would likely require the entire console to be disassembled... do-able, but probably better to get them to do it for you either way.
@DragonEleven
Thanks for the info. I havent thought about stocking up on batteries. which batteries did you buy? Any recommendations?
Are 2ds and new 3ds batteries the same?
@Andrzej777 "I would complain if everything was 20% cheaper, everything."
Well, that small moment of honesty was refreshing.
Hopefully the next version allows user access to the battery as nothing like that should ever be user blocked in any device.
If anything, there probably be a way to do it yourself anyway.
@CashGunsChaos actually I did. I misunderstood that they mean you can replace the battery yourself without sending it away. I didn't know you could buy your own battery.
@Ralizah
Actually I meant that I wouldnt complain
Well, here's hoping most people get something like ten years of use out of the installed battery before it dies a death—in an ideal scenario and as long as they treat the system right. But, you really wanna have the option to replace this kind of stuff yourself with least amount of hassle and cost imo.
What is the rumored price of battery replacement for Switch? Hopefully it isn't TOO unreasonable.
@Andrzej777 That sounds a lot more reasonable.
$300 isn't a bad price for the Switch at launch. Not GREAT, but definitely not excessive. It's actually one of the cheaper console launches. Of course, I think it should have a pack-in to show off the various features, but it's not like I'm going to buy a Switch and just play 1, 2, Switch for any length of time anyway. The only sad thing is that, since nobody in their right mind is going to pay $50 for 1, 2, Switch, a lot of the neat features on the system will go unnoticed by Switch owners. And what's the point in investing money in expensive controller tech if you don't have a showcase for it? Hopefully Super Mario Odyssey or something else rectifies this later in the year.
As to peripheral pricing... some of it I understand, some I don't. The controllers have a LOT of tech in them, so the elevated price tags do make sense, even if they're a bit painful. The pricing of the dock is, of course, utterly insane considering it doesn't appear to do that much.
Either way, none of the peripherals are really necessary to enjoy the system, so I'll wait and get them on sale rather than pay elevated prices for them.
As to the battery replacement... let's wait and see how long the batteries last and how much it costs to replace them before we starting complaining about it, yes? Even if it's not ideal, with the right pricing, Nintendo could still make this a very minor inconvenience.
Most annoying part about this would be having to send it away. The WiFi in my Wii U Game Pad crapped out at one point...wouldn't connect unless the Game Pad was within two feet of the console. Didn't mind paying $80 to get it fixed, but I did mind sending it away for two weeks.
@Ralizah
Actually I could deal with the laumch price and the lack of a pack in game if it werent for the greater picture and nintendos obvious reasoning behind it. Be that as it may I have made up my mind to wait and see how this whole thing developes.1
I never knew this was such a big issue but if Nintendo is mentioning a replace-service this early, does this mean the battery is of very bad quality? Hopefully not.
I think as long as the battery isn't 100 dead, you can still use it in handheld-mode with the ac-adapter attached. I will play that way most of the time anyway.
@Andrzej777 Well, if you're not excited for the Switch, then that's a valid strategy. I'd be waiting as well if it wasn't a hybrid. This thing is what I've always wanted, though: a portable device powerful enough to play even full home console games.
If battery dies it will be a home console only i guess.
@Vriess Hey, I did address your issues further down in the comments. They are valid issues, but my comments were more to do with battery degradation etc. rather than the replaceability of the hardware.
Interesting to note some people have been bringing up their GBA SPs with original batteries still having close to their full battery life.
I once tried to replace one of the side buttons on my iPhone. Bought all the tools off eBay and followed a you tube video step by step. Result... One completely ruined iPhone and bruised knuckles when I punched the wall. If the battery does fail in my switch I think I'll stick with Nintendos official replacement service thank you.
@Ralizah
Truth be told I am actually very excited ☺
And like I said before if it werent for a couple of issues it might have been a day one pre-order no brainer. - I would have done that in order to support nintendo and not because of this amazing launch line up. I am basically interested in first party titles and these should be available at any time during the first two years so I am not risking to miss out on some titles. 2017 just has two major titles for me zelda and mario with mario coming out late this year. So its not that hard to wait. Actually I think playing zelda during the holidays season will be more fub than in march but thats pretty irrelevant. Moreover theres a couple of 3ds titles coming out from march until may.
Eventually I will buy it regardless of how much I complain or if the system is gonna successful or not. Its just that I would feel stupid to support nintendo right away.
@Henmii
I dont think theres quality issues involved. Its just they have made known about the irreplaceable bartery and just in case people wonder if they have to buy a new switch once the battery dies.
If the battery dies can it still be played when docked?
Fair enough. Saying up front that your customer service is prepared for the worst is good PR, as long as the general service costs are reasonable.
For comparison: My PS4 is out of warranty but died again (second time the disc drive died). Sony is asking full price for a repair...PLUS shipping costs...
I have really good experiences with Nintendos CS, back in the day, they repaired my Wii (Unhinged disc drive) for free even.
With batteries, it is inevitable that they die sooner or later, so you cant quite set up a free replacement plan there to be fair or anyone will be sending in their device once their battery loses 5mins of power storage...
@mr_nihilism Probably. I see no reason why you couldn't, unless the system automatically shuts down when the battery has low power no matter what (which is pretty unlikely).
@Baker1000 New batteries can be purchased and replaced for all 3DS models. Very cheap and easy, compared to being required to send it in to Nintendo. Costs half as much or less, and you don't have as long of a waiting period.
@Andrzej777 Can't remember where I got my replacement battery from off the top of my head (it was a couple of years ago now)... I think I'd just done a search on ebay and picked one which looked reliable.
Can't say about the compatibility... if I had to guess, I'd say they probably use different batteries, but they'd probably say which models a battery is compatible with in it's listing if you're unsure.
@Anti-Matter
Well I always worry about non-replaceable parts that are guaranteed to have a certain lifespan, but that's me But yeah, I think those of us who remember the horrors of early Li-Ion tech remember the days when the battery starts having terrible life within a year and is useless within two....it's a lot better than that now but once you get used to that you always have that mentality.
In all likelihood, a launch day Switch will have perfectly usable battery life for most of the Switch lifespan on the stock battery for those using it portably, and primarly docked users will probably never have an issue. The bigger concern is probably those that like to keep their old consoles well past the end of that console cycle.
Whether or not YouTube replacement is easy or not will depend on how the frame is assembled and if the battery is soldered down or plugs in. If there's just some screws and retainer clips to break away and the battery pack just plugs in, the difficulty will just be in finding the replacement part online...somewhere. If on the other hand you need to pry off the screen adhesive like most tablets and/or if you have to unsolder/resolder the battery...that makes it a fairly difficult task meant for only existing electronics hobbyists.
I always keep my eyes glued to iFixit's breakdown of new hardware whenever I'm going to buy something. I like knowing what's inside my machines and how it all goes together!
@WiiHawk
Agreed, for me the problem with RMA is always the downtime. That's why I'm hoping GameStop becomes a viable repair service, you probably just have to leave it there a few days tops. Ninty won't sell batteries to just anyone, but I'm sure they would to GS since they're one of their top retail partners, and also happens to be a battery replacement shop for other products.
@Ralizah I swear you and I are the only two around here who are actually hyped BECAUSE it's a hybrid and not in spite of it I started on NES, had an original Game Boy, wished it played my NES games, went PC, went back to console, and condescended to handhelds with 3DS to have a portable unit, tried to get into gaming laptops for portability, that ended badly, tried to Remote Play with Vita...that plays terribly. Looked into original Shield until I found out it needed an $800 (at the time) GeForce Titan, looked at a Kickstarted portable Linux based console that cost a fortune, sounded promising, and then never went anywhere.
The Switch is the device my childhood brain imagined my GameBoy being, the machine I've been waiting and waiting for since tablets became a thing, and the machine I dreamed of when Cafe (WiiU) was rumored. If there's two of us, there's certainly more (like everyone that bought into Remote Play )
@Malakai jI think I got it backward actually, the X series definitely does NOT have removable batteries, the T series has the standard single removeable battery, and I think it's the Ts (or a discontinued series, I'm not seeing it now) with the dual removable battery thing. W & P series workstations do have giant removable batteries (that last a whopping 45-120 minutes...) The Yoga, E, non-lettered, and all other series (along with all Lenovo consumer laptops/ultrabooks) do not have removable batteries. Which is, honestly, unforgivable. But the above are virtually the only removable battery laptops still on the market. "Don't dispose of lithium, don't dispose of lithium. Here's a bunch of things you should buy loaded with lithum that are to be disposed of." Thanks, Apple (and your mindless fans!)
@maggerbee That's not bad. Mine was 74 after tax from Best Buy.
Great. So what's going to happen 15-20 years from now, when Nintendo has stopped servicing the NS and has moved on to the next big thing, and most all of those batteries have died, short of third party services?
No more official NS play, unless they make a successor with backwards compatibility. It's all going to have to be emulated. And this... is why we need emulation. Rail against piracy all that one might, emulators have become a necessity to preserve gaming libraries throughout history. So it has to be done at least once, lest the NS fade into history in the coming decades.
@mr_nihilism We don't know yet. 50/50 for now. Nintendo hardware historically doesn't bypass the battery (it always uses the battery as it charges.) Arguably, that's actually good for maintaining battery longevity (but bad for using the device after the battery shorts on failure.) OTOH some devices don't do that, particularly higher current devices, and since Switch is designed to pull more power when docked, it's certainly reasonable to consider that it might bypass the battery when docked. If it does, then a Switch would still play all its games 30 years from now in its dock like any old home console. If it doesn't then Switch games are gone once battery replacement isn't possible.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE "It's their first home console that comes with this problem."
Maybe this means it's not really a home console? I mean, the NS core uses mobile tech, it's built like a mobile device, it has an irreplaceable (without great effort) battery, it has a dock like a mobile device can have, it needs another mobile device to access certain functions while out and about...
I mean, if it looks like a duck, waddles like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it's probably a duck and not a goose or anything else, right? Nintendo can claim it's a golden goose all they want, it's still a duck.
@Baker1000 with the 3ds, you can buy a replacement battery and put it in the system yourself. With the Switch, if the battery dies, you need to phone support line, send it to Nintendo, they replace it themselves, and send the system back. Truly a big pain in the butt.
I'm not a prude and appreciate whatever click bait company provides the 'from the web' bit probably pays the bills but I feel I've got to speak out at the top post having Jimmy Saville in.
Not really appropriate for a site that is likely to be browsed by minors.
@PlywoodStick
Gosh...
15 years from now kinda crazy to imagine about my Nintendo machines. (I will turn into 47 years old)
Probably my 3DS XL battery will dies.
Switch will become history. Probably will play Switch games on next successor. If my Nintendo machines still can long lived for at least 30 years from now, that's more than enough for me. I dunno if I can live until what age but before I passed away, I hope Nintendo machines can entertain me until they dies by naturally.
@NEStalgia I'm honestly intrigued by the hybrid console concept, but the more we learn about the NS, the more it seems that Nintendo has designed it as more of a "mobile console" than a "home console that can be taken on the go"... So it's a hybrid, but not in the way we originally thought.
@Anti-Matter True, it seems like a long time from now, and not all that important a consideration. But then again, I used to think that about every Nintendo console in my youth, as each new one released.
My NES, SNES, N64, GCN, Wii, and Wii U all function, even today. (Had to replace the cartridge slot for the NES, though.) My GB, Pocket, GBC, GBA, DS, and 3DS all still function as well. (Although the GBC speaker fizzled and had to be taken out, and my O3DS has had various repairs and a battery replacement needed over time.)
When I get an NS, I can't expect it to have the physical longevity of any previous Nintendo system. There will still be replacement 3DS batteries in existence, 20 years from now. But unless a third party starts manufacturing replacement batteries, and individuals start learning how to open the sealed NS core, we better hope an NS version with a replaceable battery is made, or that it's successor has backwards compatibility...
@Hikingguy I think the Nintendo Maintenance Service has offered repair services on most of their consoles for at least 10 years. (Except for the NES, which was more like 15 years.) After that, it's typically ended. So we probably can't expect any NS battery replacement services after 2030.
@PlywoodStick Just being aware of the state of the technology etc, it's really a hybrid in the same sense that I always thought a hybrid would have to be, a "mobile console". I guess it depends on how you'd define a "console you can take with you" as something different than the handheld that can be docked as a console, but considering how close it gets to current-gen home console power in its form factor, I'm not sure you could get more hybrid without really having two different consoles that share an ecosystem (like a separate base unit and handheld unit (a worse idea, from a consumer price perspective, that would have to be a lot more expensive for the bundle) or something that really needs more power than is viable to be portable. I look at gaming laptops for the latter. Sure, they have batteries...but can you USE them, is the question?
@Hikingguy
Yeah.
About Repair service, what if Mr. Reggie retired from Nintendo, replaced by new President of NoA ? Will the new president keep the same policy or suddenly big switchover ?
@NEStalgia Personally, I feel that "gaming laptops" are an oxymoron. Laptops aren't as nifty as mobile devices or portable consoles, and desktop PC performance stresses out that form factor way too heavily for it to last very long.
The Snapdragon and Tegra SoC's have completely turned around the idea of a contemporary stationary system's performance being available in a truly portable format. That kind of device was thought to be impossible to create, not so long ago. So I'm not against the concept of a mobile console, I'm just not sure why Nintendo is so hesitant to refer to it as such. (Although some aspects of mobile devices, like the tough to replace battery, could stand to be left well enough alone...)
@PlywoodStick Even if the battery died, you would still be able to play it in TV mode.
@NEStalgia I can see the appeal of a hybrid idea back in the days of the NES and Gameboy since the GB was designed to provide a NES-like experience. For me, the appeal of a hybrid kind of went away when I realized that gaming was going in a direction that I found less appealing as 3D game design evolved. I finally got nearly everything I wanted in a game system in my favorite Nintendo machine, the GBA. Too bad it lacked a TV out. That's just me though. I understand the appeal of a hybrid and now is the time since the jumps between console generations make less of a difference than in the past.
Also, I wouldn't fret too much about which Lenovo lines are which. From what I saw recently, it looks like the T series Thinkpads will have the dual-battery system, if they haven't had that already. I'd look at the L series as perhaps a more traditional option as I haven't seen the dual-battery feature mentioned in the articles I've read. I have a couple of old L series Thinkpads that I like a lot.
@PlywoodStick sadly, I think product longevity was a consideration back in the 8-bit and 16-bit days as opposed to now. Not that they intended the platforms to last 10-15 years, but I think many of the old game consoles were designed to be durable and last a long time.
@Hikingguy it's definitely not waterproof. Such a feature would have made it into the "specs", plus we already know it has a fan inside and the case ventilation that goes with it and whatever exposed ports.
Best thing would be if the successor to the switch would be backwards compatible... hope nintendo has got long term plans for the switch game cards and doesnt change formats with their next console
@PlywoodStick Yeah, gaming laptops are really just very very compact desktop machines in a clamshell. They're portable from desk to desk, building to building, but really need to be plugged in. So they're really more like a traditional console than a portable anything, except they CAN run on batteries, sort of. I think that's what some people were hoping the Switch would be.
I'm intrigued though, what concept do you have in mind for the hybird that you would have preferred to have seen?
I'm right there with you in terms of being curious why Nintendo refuses to refer to it as such. Their stressing of "home console" just makes no sense from a lot of perspectives. I'm curious to see how they're promoting it in Japan. I wouldn't doubt that calling it a home console is just a method of tailoring it for the western markets since "handhelds" have a generally lackluster impression with the public, and Nintendo, being synonymous with the handheld, wants to ensure the public recognizes it's a very different type of device from what they typically associate with a Nintendo portable console. I'm not sure I think the way they're going about doing it is a very good one, but I can see some of the reason they're trying to do anything to emphasize it's not a "Nintendo portable console" the way the public is used to seeing them. And lets face it, the public is very, very, very dense with this sort of thing. Saying endlessly it's a "Home console you can take with you" really short changes the real appeal of the device, but I guess they're assuming it's worth the risk so long as the public figures out it's about playing console style games, not portable style games. Maybe.
@sdelfin I can see the lack of interest in 3D games versus 2D design. Personally I'm a big fan of both, but I do hope the Switch doesn't mean an end to the types of games that were made on the previous handhelds. So far, I think the resurgence of games like Setsuna from Square show that the industry isn't ready to give up on 2D and isometric formats. I for one enjoy them as much as the big 3D games. I'm less a fan of what most Western AAA's put out, it all feels so same-y and too much trying to be Hollywood films, but there certainly are enough unique experiences to sift through the bin of generic junk (and more of those experiences on Nintendo hardware.... ) But, yeah, I can see where if 2D games are your sweet spot, something like Switch would be a downgrade. SNES was my favorite console of all time until 3DS managed to surpass it. I'm optimistic about Switch, but I know 3DS and it's quirky games will be hard to replicate.
Lenovo's getting weird with their series names. They keep shuffling things around. If they make too many changes with the venerable T series, they'll probably regret it (they've already walked back enough odd design decisions over the past 5 years. "lets get rid of the F-row! Lets make an all in one integrated touchpad with no buttons, because it's not like our customers are loyal due to button confuration or anything! Let's install Chinese spyware!" Who knows Still a big fan of the hardware though....both my replaceable battery P and my sortofmaybekinda replaceable TP Yoga
@NEStalgia The Nintendo Switch feels like the full realization of what the Wii U and PS Vita were going for but fell short of. The promise of Remote Play (a cool idea I could never get to work right), Off-TV play, and console games on the go are being brought to complete fruition with the Nintendo Switch.
And yeah, I think that the full portability could be a game changer for Nintendo. It's certainly the most exciting development in console gaming since the switch to full 3D games with the N64 and PS1.
The list of reasons why I have zero interest in this system just keeps getting more gigantic by the moment. In fact, the only almost reason I ever had for maybe wanting this thing somewhere years down the road, was to play puyo puyo tetris on it. But, yeah, on second thought - it's totally not worth it. In my opinion this Switch is just ridiculous. A tablet with controllers that snap on to it is about all I see in this. Why not just buy an actual tablet and download the thousands of free games you can get from app stores?!
@CheezIt "Why not just buy an actual tablet and download the thousands of free games you can get from app stores?!"
Why buy a proper dinner when thousands of free meals can be scavenged from dumpsters for free?
Does the MacBook Air have a replaceable battery? No. Do you see people complaining about it? I think non-replaceable batteries are pretty much the norm these days for electronic equipment, particularly at consumer level.
I plan to use the Switch docked most of the time; it's too expensive to risk carrying around everywhere. At home, I'll always be in range of a mains outlet if the battery runs low!
@Ralizah
Exactly! Vita really missed the mark. The "console in a handheld form factor" was never really close, and Remote Play, unfortunately, was both finnicky to get running, and even when you did, had dismal framerates and the screen res was unsuited for HD designed game UIs. It was never going to work well, in retrospect (and they really added that last minute after the WiiU details were released just in case they were missing the "next big thing.") I'd suggested to someone else in another thread in another context that I have this feeling that WiiU was supposed to be Switch, but the tech wasn't there yet and they couldn't get it out in time and price point and hastily retro-fitted it into WiiU to have "something" to replace the fading Wii with. Combined with Miyamoto's comment about "WiiU was a necessary step to get to Switch" it really makes me think that's the way it went, meaning this overall product has been something they've been working on and planning for a very long time.
It just amazes me how much negative impact there is on the internet for it (yeah, I know, it's the internet, nobody goes on the internet if they're not upset about something and want the world to know it.) I always knew there was that sub-group that just wanted a Nintendo-branded XBox that was never going to happen, and the implementation isn't flawless...the battery life is something of a downer, but I'm really amazed at the volume of negativity around what is a device that every company has toyed with, teased, nodded to, but never fully realized the way the Switch is doing. "It's too mobile!" "It's not mobile enough!" "It's the same as mobile devices in K-Mart for $99! but with controllers, and a proper GPU and licensing deals with games that aren't displaying ads, and sticks that track accurately with smooth movement in a controller that's sturdy enough not to flex, I'm not paying more than that!"
@CheezIt Because most of the games announced, and those that are likely to come in the years ahead are much much bigger and complex games that are not the types of content available on tablets, and generally tablet hardware is not well optimized to be able to produce that kind of content (Apple won't even allow games of that size on their store, for that matter.) The Tegra X platform is pretty different from typical tablet architecture. There's a difference between a purpose built device that accomplishes a specific task thoroughly, and a generic swiss army knife device that accomplishes many many tasks, but none in an ideal way. And, honestly, if you were familiar with the games in the various app stores and thought they were wonderful, you'd probably not be following a Nintendo site to begin with
I'd prefer that Nintendo just sell replacement batteries, so people can get however many they need at once. I don't like the idea of the Switch suddenly being obsolete in five or ten years, due to the batteries no longer being produced.
@NEStalgia Yeah, the torrent of irrational negativity is ridiculous, and is a testament to how much of a hivemind mentality still dominates large portions of the internet. Most of these people hysterically squealing about the downfall of Nintendo can barely even sputter out a coherent justification for their toxic behavior beyond something about the price of it, as if $300 for a brand new console filled with innovative tech is somehow unreasonable.
Pretty much everyone who has gone hands-on with the thing absolutely adores it, so I feel like this insanity will probably simmer down sometime after launch and people will move on to a new thing to incessantly complain about.
If Nintendo markets this right and top shelf brand s like Pokemon and Monster Hunter start releasing on it, I could really see this revitalizing the console gaming market in Japan. As for the West, I'm pretty sure the portability will be an extremely popular feature with the mainstream if Nintendo gets it out there in the public sphere. If Nintendo is smart, it'll plaster Breath of the Wild ads on the most popular TV stations.
As for the hardware... yeah, it's not perfectly designed, and I have my niggles, but the console as a whole is just elegant and remarkable. Battery life isn't that much worse than a launch 3DS, and I'll be able to charge it anywhere thanks to USB-C, so that's not an issue for me. My biggest problem is the lack of a D-Pad on the left joycon: seems like Nintendo could have found a way to design a D-Pad that also functions as a set of buttons.
@Ps4all Assuming the battery hasn't inflated/bursted yet. I've seen what happens to lithium ion batteries that have met their end. My O3DS battery was no different. At the end of it's life, it gradually inflated like a balloon, even when not in use. This is a susceptibility of mobile lithium ion batteries compared to those in laptops and such. Eventually, perhaps even before the point where it is forced to remain on a charger to function, the same will happen to the NS battery. Since it's sealed in there... let's just say it won't be a pretty sight.
Haunted by the ghost of Steve Jobs
This is absolutely terrible as one day Nintendo will no longer support the console and will not replace the battery for you.
@NEStalgia Yes, it is only the X240, X250, X260 and X270 the traditional X models. The X1 models (X1 tablet and the X1 Carbon) don't have the removable battery. The traditional X models do have removable batteries. I own a x250. It has two batteries. One is removable from the outside and the other battery is on the inside of the chassis. The battery that is inside the chassis is user replaceable. I removed the underside panel from the chassis to upgrade my hard drive to a SSD and upgrade the ram module.
so this place tends to attract people that have the worst luck with electronics. namely nintendo ones...
"help!
my dog swallowed my gamecube.
my cat peed on my n64.
why does my wii u smell like cheese?
my 3ds exploded in my childs face and my snes burnt my house down to the ground."
...within the first day of the switch release masterminds will arrive here asking us why their switch doesnt work.
and we will have to dumb ourselves down and ask if they charged the thing when they took it out of the box.
and all this will be our fault because everyone thinks each and everyone of us here work for nintendo.
@Ralizah
I think the reason D-pad for Left Joy Con is separated button because when you share your Right Joy Con to other people, the Left Joy Con will be played Horizontally. Being Horizontal position, the Analog button will act like D-Pad while separated D-Pad buttons will act like ABXY command buttons. I think Nintendo is pretty smart to design Joy Cons.
I'm confused. People are making it sound like if the battery dies, there's no way it can be recharged and can't come back to life. Is that true? If not, why are people freaking out? It's not like Nintendo is saying "The Switch will die day-one so you have to send it back to us". I remember when Wii U's were dying and people were FREAKING out when they couldn't send them in for a replacement. Now people are calling Nintendo "evil" for having a service for that reason.
@Anti-Matter That's the reason, but I think the concern some have is that some game genres, like 2D platformers (mario) and fighting games (super street fighter II....ESPECIALLY SSF2) will have a compromised control scheme without a Pro Controller due to the design. Those genres (and 2D grid games like Fire Emblem) tend to play best with D-Pad. The 4-way buttons mean you can't slide your finger from forward to backward (or do diagonals at all) like a D-Pad, which could be doom in a platformer (and makes fast controls in fighters very awkward.) That's a serious design issue in that they sacrificed proper controls for some genres to facilitate the built-in 2 player capability.
DKC: Tropical Freeze proves an analong stick CAN do platforming well for a new game designed for it, but that won't help virtual console games and such.
@Malakai Proving that the only way to be even MORE confusing in how you name and market your products than Nintendo is to be Lenovo. (Runner up prize goes to Microsoft for naming the XBox 3: "XBox One")
@Tom41 my 2011 Macbook Pro (which I'm typing this on) has a non-replaceable battery. Does it bother me? Was it a deal breaker? Not in the slightest. I think people just want to nitpick.
Money, money, money.
Nintendo gonna get all your money...
Switch is literally going to burn holes in Nintendo fanboys' pockets.
Can the battery life be extended by just keeping the system docked and playing on the tv rather than using it as a handheld system? Or will it last, say, ten years either way?
It's not like anyone will need to replace the battery for a good 5+ years at least. Billions of people own smartphones, laptops and tablets with non-removable battery and it's not an issue. Sony's game controllers use non-removable battery as well.
If this annoys you, sorry, you're completely oblivious to the times we are currently in, where this is quite normal for modern electronic devices.
@PlywoodStick
Battery swell is not what happens at the end of an Li-Ion's life. It's what happens as a result of a variety of problems DURING the battery's life. Proper EOL should involve a thermal buildup followed by an intended short circuit that neutralizes the charge flow in the battery permanently. The swelling is the lithium matrix expanding in the solid substrate while it still has a charge, but not producing enough thermal output to trip the short. Swollen batteries can end VERY badly. But that's in the time before the battery should be dead at all. I've dealt with too many of those. Fortunately, none that have gone really bad.
@Ralizah Yeah, I don't get it at all. I mean, it's the internet. And it's Nintendo. And it's the gaming community. And it's a hardware release. When you add all those up I expected a wave of negativity. But when I'm seeing is beyond expectation with everyone seemingly finding an excuse to dislike it, and few of those reasons making little sense. The too expensive argument makes zero sense on its own considering Nintendo and competing console prices, so then it becomes "too expensive for what it is" which doesn't sync with the price of all other mobile tech.
I just don't get it other than that it seems more of the western audience online has zero interest in mobility than I even imagined. Fortunately I don't think that applies to the offline audience. Then again it didn't show up in the poll here on NL either....just the comments. But still, I really don't get that mentality at all.
As for Nintendo marketing....I won't hold my breath for them to market it right. I'm still waiting for them to market the SNES right I do think mobility will be much more popular with the general audience than the PS4 audience. Lets face it, half the PS4 audience never leaves the basement. It's unsurprising that the "core gamer on the internet" doesn't see the point of mobility from that angle I guess. But there's a much bigger audience than the self important netizens.
Hardware: It definitely is elegant. The issues I have with it remain the battery life (original 3DS battery life was very poor, and I'd hoped they'd have considered early complaints from the 3DS in this design. It would increase weight and size, so I see why they didn't, but I do think a bigger battery really was important here and I'll rit my teeth when "New Switch" comes out in 3 years and has a much better battery.) External chargers help a lot for that, but it would still be cleaner all-in-one. The non-removable battery is an annoyance, but was fully expected for mobile tech in 2017. The D-Pad is dissappointing. I see why they did it but I"m not sure it was the best choice. And I believe the NL review mentioned the sticks being a little under full size on the Joycon which seems like an odd tradeoff since even Vita's sticks are too big to really be pocketable. I may have a few other minor quibbles, like if BT audio isn't supported in mobile mode despite having the radio or if suspend isn't implemented. But overall, the thing is a remarkable machine.
I'm not sure when "hardcore gamer" started to mean you don't want to take your games with you wherever you go? It sounds more like hardcore home theater enthusiast more than hardcore gamer
Triwing screwdriver. 'nuff said.
@NEStalgia @Ralizah with all due respect, I actually discredit everything you just said. I've been playing and "following" Nintendo since the 80s. I was a computer programmer and writer of video game code in the 70s-90s. And I'm fully aware of the power of the better tablets, specifically the newer iPads. They can run very high quality games with depth I've yet to see on recent Nintendo systems. The App Store has a vast array of games and applications that Nintendo can't even come close to replicating. So, I'm sorry but I have to say that you actually don't know what you're talking about.
@Andrzej777 Polish, I assume? ;D Regarding your first comment... Imagine shipping the thing outside the country ('cuz ya know, we don't have any official service here (and don't get me started on CQE...))!
Hah! That will be double costly!
@Yorumi I'm not sure (about the GC cables), but there's a chance you will get some on Ebay perhaps?
@Baker1000 as @hYdeks said, that's the difference. Purchasing a battery is easier and cheaper than calling for the service, sending the device somewhere else and wait untill you get it back.
Note, that many countries don't have any official support. They have to ship it outside the country (and you pay for the international call, ofc). It wouldn't be that a deal if you could just walk to a store and get it replaced in no time.
@KTT
☺
Havent thought about that. Yes, its gona be expensive.
@CheezIt
Pcs, tablets and powerful mobiles are a different world. Its alwas unfair to compare those two worlds. Even the scorpio will soon be underpowered compared to a high class gaming pc. The switch is a special design,
underpowered - check
Overpriced - check
Limited - check
But still it will run games that you cannot find anywhere else☺
If it werent for the first party games I couldnt actually care less about the switch. Thays another bothersome idea, I would be fine with a straight home console. In this regard I wouldnt have never bought a portable console like the 3ds if it werent for nintendos games.
I think you dont buy a nintendo console for the technology. Another point why pricing matters
@Andrzej777 you pretty much nailed my point. Nintendo is trying to make this thing too much like a tablet (and as you know they are also desperate to make mobile games as well), so I was saying, why buy this thing when one can get/use a tablet? The grand selling point of Nintendo hardware all these decades has not been power, it's been innovation. That, in regards to being affordable, accessible, unique, entertaining game systems that appeal to gamers of all ages, presenting them with a platform to play games on that retains the feel of a dedicated game system. They are losing sight of that in making this system too much like a tablet. What other Nintendo system has been so close to being a generic everyday product that everyone already has or could have elsewhere?
@CheezIt
Hmmm, I dont really know if I nailed it☺
Well, basically I am not a fan of nintendo consoles. I dont care about gimmicks, they cost a lot and dont really enhance the gaming experience, sometimes even spoil it and have people complain. Due to a costly gimmick like the wii u gamepad we had a comparably expensive console that was way underpowered for its time, like years underpowered.
I am more of a console gamer that likes to play on a proper controller.
The only selling point for me are nintendos first party titles. They are amazing. Playing with a smile on your face etc. I like that.
If nintendo would stop producing games I wouldnt buy anymore consoles. If they ever go multiplatform I hope they wint make any console exclusives.
Thats my idea about gaming and why I buy nintendo consoles. The lack of third parties doesnt bother me at all, especially when it comes to ea, ubi or activision.
What I am more concerned with is the pricing of the console and how it will help to achieve mass market succes. Nintendos recent policies are a little bit in your face imo. If parents checks out how much money needs to be invested they might rather give their kids a tablet pc and go on a vacayion with the saved money. ☺
I will definitely buy it. I do have the money but cant bring myself to support that milking thing, at least not right away.
☺
However, there is a good side about it being pricy. Today I was thinking that I am paying lots of money for cigarettes eacg month, get nothing from it and might actually shorten my life (and there is so many games in backlog to be played).
So today I made a plan to cut down on smoking systematically for 6 months and hopefully stop it completely during summer vacation. Now for each day that I manage to stick to this plan I want to set aside 3 Eur. That would be 540 Eur total -optimistically. For that money I could easily afford to buy the switch with a pro controller, zelda and mk8 and will do that as a reward.
Of course its not that easy to make plans when it comes to smoking but still this incentive might work as an accompanying mind game ☺
It's the future bois! no longer that primitive technology like replacing your own batteries, next we aim for pre-installed games that cannot be changed with any other games!
@CheezIt No, the iPad hardware is not as as performant as the Tegra platform. That aside, please provide some examples of games that in your opinion have more depth than anything on Nintendo platforms?
For that matter, Switch is not far from X1, PS4 performance. Your argument generally applies broadly that all consoles are obsolete as tablets can do it too. Which is, ironically, the argument the Switch is trying to make as well.
@CheezIt I just wanted to update that your second post on the matter is a bit more sensible. And also that I don't mean to knock the Apple platform but it's a different platform built for a different purpose: Light, thin, power sipping, little heat generation, while Tegra intentionally is designed as more of a bridge between mobile and stationary platforms and as such accepts a model of bulkier machines that are less power efficient, and product more heat. And I was referring specifically to graphics performance in the Tegra systems.
The assertions of a tablet device, others of us have been debating for a while, but I still think the comparisons to being a tablet exist in the realm of internet keyboard wars where people "have seen a picture of the machine" and decided that if you strip off half the machine it looks like a tablet (I still say it looks much more like a GPS...), but that ignores the fact that, how do you make a compact portable device that contains a screen and have it not look like a tablet? It doesn't do much of what tablets do, and tablets don't have the solid input system the Switch has, and no, tablets just don't have the game ecosystem that Switch has, nor the same pricing models.
Aside all that, even if we could agree on it being a tablet (we can agree on tablet-like aspects but no one in good faith can call a machine that only plays games a tablet) we're back to the 80's all over again. "Dedicated video game systems that are physically similar to general purpose computing mobile devices shouldn't exist because general purpose machines are superior!" isn't far from "Dedicated video game systems that are physically similar to general purpose computers shouldn't exist because general purpose machines are superior!" Yet consoles are still here 30+ years later, despite that they're just a compact desktop PC that only plays games. There's obviously demand for a dedicated ecosystem and purpose built hardware, and there's no reason not to assume that same interest applies in the mobile general purpose market for the 21st century as much as it did on stationary equipment in the 20th.
@Andrzej777
Yeah man that whole Switch thing looks really wonderfull...
Works for me. As long as I can count on that solid Nintendo customer service (not being sarcastic, I have only had great experiences on the RARE occasions I have needed to call. Can't say the same for Sony or MS) then I have no issues with making a Switch purchase. The battery replacing doesn't bother me.
If techs at Nintendo can replace the battery, then we can. It'll probably just need a special screwdriver, a spudger, and a steady nerve. Expect to see vids on YouTube and step-by-step guides on sites like ifixit.com within hours of launch...
@Undead_terror
Looks amazing man!...
Not an issue, modern devices all have non-removable batteries and you realistically won't have to replace it for many years.
@DonkeyKongBigBoy there are many companies that just make custom batteries, for many odd gadgets, no longer available.
I imagine if you are collecting it for years to come you will still be able to use it docked right ? or using an ac adaptor so that power is constantly hitting the unit. Cant see me taking this thing on the bus in 10 years time, but be nice to plug in every now and then at home etc
Also surely you could plug in a USB C expandable battery and keep the thing running that way. If in that many years it is just a collectors item
@Andrzej777,
Hmm, maybe.
@Vriess I totally agree with you. Plus, they are vision is always in th eshort side.. great if you are from America or Japan, but what happens to people that is in a Country not supported by them.. anyways.. I´m pretty sure that you dont need a mechanical engeneering degree to open the console and change the battery yourself.. even more, it is probably like the Wii U gamepad, a big space with a small battery in there so 3rd parties for sure will make bigger batteries... its so sad.. its like I was dying to love the Switch.. but its like I get 1 good news vs 4 bad ones...
@DanteSolablood
Mobile phones tend to be used about 18 to 24 months on average before being replaced. You hardly notice the difference if the performance drops about 25% during this period. With a console/handheld that is used 4-5 years on average, you do, and the performance drops even further during this time.
When I bought my Wii U, I immediately bought the bigger battery and installed it. I could play for about 5 hour on it. Now it's even less than half that, but I can replace it myself if I want. With the Switch that won't be possible and sending it in for servicing is going to cost us a lot of $€£¥
@FreakFerrett
No doubt some Youtuber is going to dissect the Switch as soon as it becomes available. I'm curious if we're able to replace the battery ourselves too. As soon as the warranty runs out of course...
@Vriess I believe their replacement program is for when your warranty runs out, otherwise it would be a poopy battery to last less than a year..
@Vriess It also depends on the quality of the battery, I have a GBA SP from 2003/2005 with it's original battery and it's still got well over half it's battery life left. That's what, 12 years minimum? And that's with decade old battery technology.
I think the only way they could have made the battery removable is to have cut the battery size or made the Switch much thicker & less portable. Neither of which are great options either.
@FreakFerrett
Do you really think that Nintendo would do that for free? Placing the battery maybe, but you have to pay for shipping and for the battery itself. I have a decent amount of experience with electronic repairs. I'd rather find a reputable battery manufacturer which sells compatible batteries online and replace it myself.
@vriess For free while you are on the warranty period makes sense. But its ok for them to charge after that.
@FreakFerrett
Not ok if you only have half the charge left after 3 years for example. I just hope that the battery quality is top notch.
I think that is what they are providing after warranty battery replacement and that is at least a good thing. I highly doubt you can find the NS battery on the market currently right now. I rather be able to replace the battery then getting some 3rd party battery that isn't tested nor proven to work in the NS. Your putting a $300 device to the test and I doubt most would want to do that.
@ULTRA-64 Actually I think most high-end smartphones are better than current gen consoles, especially since every year a new one is out……. Not sure about PS4 Pro or Xbox One X tho.
charge and play break batteries.
Every battery technology have a max of recharging moments.
recharging halfway at say 50% loses a half recharging moment.
Now lithium technology have thousands of recharging moments(depend on brand)
so its way cheaper then buying seperate AA batteries, and safes the envirement. so i'm with this technology.
the best way to safe your battery is to switch OFF at its lowest point(5%)
recharge it all the way to 100% before turning ON
,to make te best use of its recharging moments.
keep in mind, that using all its power can take some time to reboot again. lithium batteries have a chip that is monitoring, a chip that needs some power.
thats why some smartphones refuse to recharge(so it seems) and take a while to display 1%
even is you are a hardcore gamer who plays 12 hours a day, you still can play 5 year if you use your battery the right way.
most people don't have to replace anyway.
it's only valuable for collectors who don't want to sell their switch.
but its always wise to return you switch for maintance, not only for the battery but also for cleaning.
Where there's a demand, there's a person/company willing to provide, as you can see with most Apple products, there are butt-loads of 3rd party people who do nothing but battery replacement, so don't do Nintendo, besides, you can usually buy better batteries (longer playtime) for the same price as the OEM part
"Unlike its forerunner the 3DS - which has a replaceable battery"
What 3DS has a removable battery??? I guess if one unscrewed the bottom they might find the battery but seriously which one?? You have a unicorn haha
People in the comments forgetting that NES, Gameboy and SNES games have an internal battery that eventually dies.
@Spoony_Tech I hope not. They are on my short list of companies I wish that would go away. Apple is the worst.
It shouldn't even be a question. The battery should be user serviceable.
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