The Nintendo Switch has now settled down in a number of homes, though where the hybrid sits is perhaps an interesting reflection of its nature. Does it rest primarily within its dock under the TV with other gadgets and gaming systems, or is it living as a handheld in a case, rather more like a 3DS? Due to its unique form factor either is a perfectly sensible option.
As we've argued before, Switch has an extraordinary opportunity (and predicament at the same time) because it's in a bubble. Remove the Joy-Con and undock the console and you see what it truly is - a tablet, and a pretty nice one at that. It doesn't have social media or streaming apps - yet, hopefully they'll come - but it is basically a very capable and powerful gaming tablet. So it's a hefty gaming portable, but its slim frame and the realities of consumer electronics means it can't offer the raw grunt of dedicated home console boxes. Even if it's theoretically not too far off Xbox One or PS4, it won't get close to PS4 Pro or Xbox Scorpio. That's not a criticism, just an acknowledgement of reality - it isn't easily categorised due to those Joy-Con and the dock, which is a strength and also potentially a weakness.
Nintendo does promote the hybrid nature of the device, particularly with its play anywhere, anytime focus. It still leans towards describing Switch as a 'home gaming system' too, because it is also actively promoting the New 3DS, 2DS and soon New 2DS XL as dedicated portables. Yet company President Tatsumi Kimishima perhaps indicated - just recently - how the system could be pushed harder as a portable in the future in order to chase Wii-level hardware sales. Citing the "home console video game system that you can take with you on the go" angle he saw a future where houses with families would have multiple Switch systems. That sounds awfully like houses with plenty of 3DS / 2DS systems to us, and parents in our team have pointed out that they'd probably buy their child a more rugged and affordable Switch design further down the road. If such a betting line existed that'd be worth a look for 2019.
In any case, we have some thoughts on the nature of Switch's future in the market, but we want to know how you play and regard the system. Some in our team mostly play on TV, others almost exclusively as a handheld, and this writer now divides playtime roughly halfway in each form. We want to know how you use and play the Switch at the moment.
Let us know, as always, in the poll and comments below.
Comments 228
Still no Switch, because they don't exist here...still...bleh.
I'd much rather enjoy games on a big TV than a little screen....that being said, this is the best looking amd sounding portable ever. The GB and DS systems never went loud enough.
TV first and portable second for me. I have yet to play for more than a minute or two in table top mode.
@Equinox But even then, the Switch is going to sell well because of the concept and seeing how Microsoft is handling the Xbox brand (and cancelling exclusives left and right), Scorpio won't be a huge issue if it is going to be priced high
I really hope that Nintendo push the library for the Switch. I loved the Wii U, and I love the Switch even more as a console - but Nintendo always scare me with their very unclear plans for their consoles' futures.
If the Virtual Console gets the kind of library that the Wii U did, I'll be playing the console in portable mode A LOT for those classic releases. The Wii U had a decent selection, and I loved playing the retro titles on the gamepad. Sadly it felt a little lacking when you were anchored within such a short range of the console itself. If they can get GBA, N64 etc and hopefully GameCube/Wii in the long run - I can see myself flipping between docked and portable modes frequently as I go about my life.
Just needing those games. I'm done with Breath of the Wild, and while there are games I want in the works, I really hope Nintendo can make sure to keep other content coming in the mean time.
@JHDK I use table top when I take it to the coffee shop with me. I think table top completely depends on your environment.
I'd use handheld mode more, but I swear my Switch has a faulty battery. It can barely get an hour before it needs recharging. And I don't want to send it to Nintendo to fix it, because all sources tell me that I'll lose my save data in the process...
I plan to own a switch in August 2017
I think it'll shape up to be the perfect blend between a handheld and home console. Personally, I use it more in handheld mode simply because I've always "mained" my handheld consoles in the past. (3DS over Wii U, Vita over PS4 etc.)
On the go or at home, I always play in portable mode.
Even split, but I'm playing MK mostly in handheld mode. Still I see it as a home console due to its line up of games and the 3DS true successor, which I think will happen. Or this is a stretegy of their own and when the 3DS is done the Switch will be the one and only with a more affordable option, say the Switch Mini
I would guess at least 90% of my time with switch is spent playing as a handheld. Use it on my commute to work every day and when I get home I just don't see the need to play through the TV. Feels comfortable in handheld mode and the screen is gorgeous.
Can't remember the last time I played switch on my TV.
@SuperCharlie78
even split for me
I agree with you i think that it will defo succeed the 3ds.
Maybe it will fragment with a switch mini being exclusively hand held only.
Also future wise for the hybrid console which we have now i could see them releasing a proper upgrade dock (which the rumours said initially) which will make it docked more powerful and play more advanced / upgraded games like the and undocked games be same as the mini version (or something like this)
My Switch is kicking my PS4's ass--I have no time in my schedule to play games at home but I find plenty of time while working to pull out my Switch and enjoy instant portable gaming for short blocks of time.
The Switch won't have a good identity unless it succeeds the 3DS as Nintendo's handheld platform...
Docked mode about 80% of the time, but turned off since three weeks now. I finished the games I wanted to play and now I'm waiting for Stardew Valley and Mario Odyssey. Maybe E3 will bring some surprise announcements, like a couple of cool indies but there isn't much else that interests me this year... Yes, VC games will make me happy! When Nintendo delivers...
I love the Switch so far and it works beautifully as a home console and or a portable, I use both equally . I would love to see some apps start popping up like Netflix, Amazon , YouTube and a decent Browser and some new THEMES for the love of gaming Nintendo whats the hold up already ?
As expected and intended, it's handheld/tabletop mode for me 99% of the time so far. Tried it on TV once when I had some time, mostly to test the dock; looks pretty lush on the big screen but since I still had it hooked to a 4G hotspot, watching videos in eShop and newsfeed proved tedious (the system does bump the resolution in TV mode, after all).
Despite that, I'm convinced that Switch is a HYBRID console and will ultimately go down in history as such. It already offers experiences that few if any associated with home consoles before. It already offers experiences that few if any associated with handheld consoles before. Switch is handheld games, mobile games (hi, VOEZ) and home console games on TV screens AND on the go, without streaming or buying cross-save ports. The seamlessness Switch pursues between these realms is in the core of its appeal, and even my purely portable use of it is illustrative of it - because it allows me play so many more games and still have a life.
Switch truly looks like Nintendo's window to the future of video gaming because its hybrid nature is its main conceptual selling point: "you don't have to adjust your lifestyle to video games anymore - here's a console designed to adjust to your lifestyle instead".
I spend most of the time playing it on the TV because I don't spend much time out and about unless I'm at work. When I go visit the mother in law I've always got my Switch to save me from her typical Netflix/Rom-com combo.
Relatively even split, with an asterisk. I haven't really taken it out with me yet because it doesn't fit in my pocket well and I wanted to get a screen protector first (I just got one today though). Right now I've been mainly playing it at home, but I'll usually keep it in portable mode so I can play and watch TV at the same time.
Most of the time it's handled for me. But when once in a while my gal and I sit and plug it into the PC screen for a longer session.
For me it's 85% table top mode, 10% TV, and 5% handheld.
I didn't expect to enjoy table top mode this much. It's awesome to be able to watch movies/tv on my big screen TV while playing Switch in table top mode. I do this a lot. Also I can take breaks from working and play table top mode for quick matches at my desk. And 2 player matches on the go are great fun too. I also played Switch on an airplane in table top mode, just like the commercial, and it was glorious. Table top mode is just fantastic.
When playing on the TV, I get lost in the gameplay and totally forget it's a handheld. Feels like a full console experience on the TV. Handheld mode is the least interesting, but it's still great fun.
Switch is a true hybrid, blending home console and portability seamlessly.
@Equinox the power gap doesn't have much room left for increase. Like I often opine, it's Nintendo who's steadily closing the gap over time - whereas the graphical arms race is nearing the brink of human perception beyond which the hypothetical 20 Gb RAM and 8k will risk proving as much of a long-term wow as 3D effect ultimately did. If anything, I wouldn't put it past PS5 or PS6 to be a hybrid similar to Switch instead - some years down the when PS4 [Pro] horsepower can comfortably fit in a tablet without threatening to fry it.
My kids and wife commandeer the main tv, so mostly handheld for me. I've not tried tabletop mode yet.
Fairly even split for me. I absolutely love the hybrid nature of the Switch. I haven't touched my PS4 since the Switch released and I first got to undock BotW and take it with me. Can't imagine sitting down to play PS4 and be tied to my TV... seems like such an archaic way to play games now.
I play it mostly as a home console, but I'm happy that's played as a hybrid console from the most people. I too sometimes play it in portable mode. This should really mean the end of the 3DS line since this is seen as a 'do everything'.
I play it at home most of the time, docked, but its value is immeasurably increased by the fact that I can play it at work while on break
I've found myself playing the console docked most of the time when I'm at home. Only played handheld a handful of times while waiting for the next class to start and never at home. To be honest, though, I have a hard time actually justifing to myself to take it with me. I usually end up telling myself that I don't even get to play long enough to take this expensive piece of tech with me. Also if I do take it with me, I put myself under pressure of hurrying to university to get these precious few more minutes in. And hurrying is something I absolutely cannot stand no matter its form or its origins. At the end, it's mostly just a psychological thing and not the Switch itself. Though, I was taking my Switch out to the garden one sunny ans beautiful day. Thanks to this natural daylight, however, I couldn't see a thing on my Switch no matter the brightness and took it back in a minute later.
One thing I won't probably ever use, however, is Tabletop Mode. I just don't find it comfortable cramming before such a small screen even playing a lone.
I think I've docked it once since launch day. Lol
@TheHumbleFellow it does I use mine in handheld most of the time and its never run out of battery yet- mind you I'm only playing eshop indie and neo geo games
@Bolt_Strike
I recommend the Butterfox Switch case. Less than $20, solid black color with handle, and enough room for Switch with Joycons, 19 games, huge 26,800mAh Power Delivery battery, USB-C PD wall charger, 6 foot USB-C cable, smartphone tripod (for charging in tabletop without taking up much room in case), earbuds and amiibo coin.
Not only does it protect your Switch, it makes it easy to carry (the handle is crucial), and provides a way to eliminate the issue of running out of battery, and eliminates the issue of charging in tabletop, and ensures you have earbuds with also, and a few amiibo coins if you need to scan 20 Heart Wolf Link in on the go.
I started out in docked mode, but switched to handheld and haven't gone back. I think it's partly out of habit for the 3DS and partly that my vision has been affected by nodular scleritis in my right eye making me psuedo-myopic so I can't see distance very well. Glasses don't correct for it yet because it's constantly changing. Hopefully it will settle. It's a bit weird having one short-sighted eye and one long-sighted eye. Anyway, handheld for me.
@meltendo what the hell do you do for work?
@nhSnork lol. Thanks for the laugh. Clearly you haven't seen what PCs are continuing to do if you think the power gap is closing.
As a handheld I think it will do fine but I do worry about the home console aspect of it. I play mine on the tv about a 50/50 split with my Xbox. I do think for it to last more than a few years there will need to be some kind of power boost dock to power it up to ps/Xbox levels(if that's possible)
@GoldenGamer88 "To be honest, though, I have a hard time actually justifing to myself to take it with me."
You ain't alone, brother. This is the case for pretty any non-NDFer.
I see the Switch as more of a high powered portable. I plan to get one, when they finally get them more available, and when there is more than just a couple games for the system.
My Xbox One is my main console, but I see the Switch as a good secondary console.
@JaxonH I have a carrying case similar to that one, but neither that one nor the one I have fit in my pocket. The problem is that the system itself is too big for that.
@gatorboi352 Ha ha I'm a self-employed graphic artist/illustrator. I usually work at coffee shops. My boss let's me play my Switch whenever I want as long as I make my deadlines. (self-employed....)
@gatorboi352 Good to see trolls don't take the weekend off.
Since I got my Switch it's been about 90% handheld and 10% table top mode. My dock is still in the box lol I haven't used it once. I should probably test the dock to make sure it works but I doubt I'll use it much.
Regardless of your preference-
Playing Breath of the Wild on anything less than a half decent TV with great sound amounts to a criminal offence.
Kids- don't portable play BOTW. It lowers your ranking in human society.
@LegendOfPokemon Yeah, because it is totally struggling to sell right now....
You're wrong! Just plain wrong! ;P
@HappyMaskedGuy Don't tell me how to live my life. BotW in portable mode is the "Ah-Ha!" moment that truly sells whole concept of the Switch.
I use my Switch about 50/50 as a handheld and as a TV console. That said, when I'm using it as a handheld I'm still in the same room, I'm basically using it just like the Wii U for off-screen play when the family is using the main TV.
I don't think the Switch is small enough for me to use as a true portable console in the same way that I could easily carry a GameBoy Colour, GBA SP or DS Lite in my pocket.
If anything the Switch is not powerful enough to be a home console and not small enough to be a portable. Don't get me wrong, I like the system well enough but I'm not sure if maybe it's trying to straddle both markets and therefore failing at both. I'm sure time will tell!
Portable, but tabletop mode because I have my Pro Controller. I should use the dock more so I can capture gameplay video, but it hasn't turned out that way, oddly enough.
For me...its mostly on the tv because I play a lot with my daughters (they are begging me to download Puyo x Tetris now after we played the demo for a couple of ours against each other). Even Zelda we all played together. Sometimes I undock it and take it to work or around the house for portable or table top mode. The whole idea is just brilliant!!!
Quick question for fols though: is anyone having problems with some hdmi cords not workng with the dock? I tried moving my dock to another room and hooked it to the hdmi cable that was already on that tv...but its like it doesn't even detect being hooked up...and the cable works fine with the blue ray player in there.
@Bolt_Strike
Well ya, it won't fit in your pocket... hence the handle. Which is the next best thing and makes it extremely easy to carry around.
I even go one step further and put the case with a handle inside the Waterfield MP Pro Bag, which has handles and a shoulder strap and looks super classy, which also means having multiple controllers for multiplayer, phone charger, sideways Joycon grips, you name it.
This thing is great, especially if you have the kind of job where you want to remain classy
@Joeynator3000 Have you tried looking outside C137?
I mostly play on portable mode lately... But thats only because my cat peed in my personal games room where all my home consoles are kept. It smelt so bad, I couldnt go back in there. But because the Switch can be played literally anywhere, I wasn't confined to just playing my 3DS until I got rid of my sofa. Basically, up until that point, I'd use both portable and tv mode equally.
Gotta say though, the whole ordeal has opened my eyes. Because I couldn't go in that room anymore, my PS4, Wii U, PS3 and Wii (Xbox as well) were all sitting in there collecting dust. Meanwhile my 3DS and Switch got plenty of use in my bedroom. Imagine if the scenario had been much worse though, like a flood or something. All I'd have left is my Switch and 3DS along with several ruined consoles I couldn't save in time. Food for thought, huh?
@tabris95 ...........................took me a moment to realize the joke...HAR HAR. lol
As a portable, during my train commute, lunch breaks and just when lazing about the house.
I mostly play on the TV, but the handheld is great for when I have to travel for work. The only bad thing is I can never get a strong enough Wi-Fi connection to play online.
Has anyone tried using their phone as a hot spot that has 4g LTE to play Mario Kart or other games online? I would have to upgrade my service plan to do that, and don't want to upgrade and it doesn't work.
My opinion is that as long as Ntdo push the device as a home console its identity will be misty and not as strong otherwise simply because of their market position in the home console arena and because the system doesn't yet get the typical top 10 sellers at retail, which is usual for Ntdo and which unavoidably damages their home console appeal
@MyNameIsRandy Cant remember where I heard it but apparently someone played the Splatoon 2 testfire entirely at work. They used their phone as a Wifi hotspot and had a much better connection than they would have at home. And then stated it only used up about 100MB of mobile data the entire time. To me that sounded amazing because I wasn't even sure you could link the Switch to the phone's wifi signal.
It may have been the comments section of a youtube video, it may have been someone here on NintendoLife stating so in the comments of an article. Or it may even have been someone on Google+. I don't exactly recall, but I don't think the person would lie about something like that. Sorry I can't show you concrete proof though.
100% docked mode. Even when I take a trip somewhere, I'll be bringing the dock.
But...but...but...Nintendo said the Switch was a home gaming system that wouldn't replace the 3DS...so why are people using it as a handheld???
Clearly anyone who uses the Switch as a handheld is just a member of the Nintendo Defense Force.
@daveh30 YOU'LL DO WHAT YOU'RE TOLD
I view it as both, I guess. I think it has moved beyond the console/handheld distinction: it's a flexible device that can be appreciated in a variety of form factors. It's whatever I need it to be given my situation, which is something I really appreciate about it.
I used to play 50% handheld and 50% docked, but now it's more like 20% docked, 30% handheld, and 50% tabletop. I really like putting the Switch in a stand and playing it at a desk or table while something else happens on the TV.
Portable all the way, baby. In bed, on the bus, on my lunch break, at my girlfriend's, my Switch goes everywhere with me! Well, it will until Fire Emblem Echoes hits. Then I likely won't touch it until Splatoon 2 launches, unless we get some lovely eShop surprises beforehand.
@JaxonH I told you I have a carrying case already. Please stop trying to push one on me.
@Bolt_Strike Have you tried a carrying case?
Sorry.
I play it mostly on the TV, although if someone's using the TV or something, I'll pull it out of the dock.
Both, probably 60/40 handheld.
@Equinox This is the first time I'm truly not worried about that at all. The Wii and Wii U were drastically underpowered, but they attempted to compete with the others head on. The Switch is also underpowered, but at this point, everyone is already expecting that. Plus, it has the benefit of being portable.
90% Docked and I must say I feel like the wealthiest man on the block with a dock in the living room and a dock in the bedroom.
@Bolt_Strike
???
Woah, just having a friendly conversation. Wasn't trying to "push anything on you", I was just having discussion about easy ways to carry it and what's worked for me.
Apparently friendly discussion in a comment section designed for discourse is offensive around here.
My bad
Turns out, I use it as envisaged. Dad and daughter gaming on tv . Then I lounge on sofa in portable and very occasionally take it to the pub for a quiet hour of me time. Perfect.
Looking forward to seeing how it will do on a plane trip and two week holiday.
So far mostly docked maybe 70/30, but soon it will be about 90/10 handheld/tabletop until October or so. It's the most perfect console form factor for all my uses i could ever have asked for!
@GoldenGamer88 i was wondering how Switchs screen fared in daylight compared to 3ds and vita. 3ds was pretty bad. Via barely better compared to phones and tablets. I'll be using it outdoors a lot soon so that's lousy to hear.
I use it exclusively in handheld mode. I haven't even unpacked the dock from the box yet.
Its interesting seeing how everyone is using their Switch slightly differently, but what's even more interesting, I think, is the fact that most of the people here are using it as a handheld/portable.
Myself, the Switch spends a lot of time in its dock, all comfy and ready to play on the TV, but I am happy to take it around the house when watching TV or to play Mario Kart in bed for a few hours. The battery life is surprisingly good when portable and playing online. 2 hours of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, minimum brightness and headphones lasted over two hours before reaching 50%.
@Highlar i had issues with hdmi cables some not working with the switch
mostly use it docked. Play on 2nd gaming monitor next to pc one. Looks great on a gaming monitor. But looking forward to taking it away with me on next trip.
What are doors?
Are they open or closed? Or a hybrid of both?
Let me know what you think in the comments section below.
@gatorboi352 it's not about what they continue to do, it's about how long "what they continue to do" can be seen with a naked eye, let alone fully appreciated with one. I never discuss the theoretical hardware power ceiling, but the pragmatic one. And the latter is the line Microsoft and Sony simply show all signs of hitting earlier.
@HappyMaskedGuy I will take the superior performance of BOTW in handheld mode.
Look! It's the only console I can meet up with 8 friends in London, book a big hotel room for the weekend and play Mario Kart all night and then take the SWITCH to Wetherspoons for a £5 breakfast and further MarioKArt Mayhem! whilst everyone waits to go and catch their trains, planes and ferries!
@ThatNyteDaez @MyNameIsRandy
I'm pretty sure that was @JaxonH . He said it worked pretty well, you should ask him if you have any questions about using a mobile hotspot with Switch.
@viruskiller77 No Zelda, Mario Kart, Fast RMX or Wonder Boy? There's a pretty good library to choose from for a console that's just launched.
"Yes, I have a Switch": 81%
Looks like most of us who haven't joined the Switch clan have dropped off this site altogether. Well, there's still me, and a certain Irishman I guess (yes some others too to reach that 19%).
@Maxz LOL, my doors are closed like 99% of the time. I only open them for like 30 seconds. Nobody leaves them open often. Any fanboys who think doors are hybrids are deluding themselves!
Despite what people may say in polls, I still have not witnessed even a single person using an NS in public. And I live in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area, regularly taking public transportation. I've seen people buying them and walking out of the store... And they sweep up the shelves when there are consoles to be sold. But how many people are actually taking them out and about?
I'd like to say that I envisage the NS as primarily a portable device during the day, with home usage at night, since that seems to be it's strength... But it feels to me like most people are keeping their NS at home most of the time. I was tempted to vote "I don't think it will ever find it's own identity" for reasons like that. However, I do think it will eventually supplant the 3DS as Nintendo's primary portable console, especially in Japan.
The sales and records have been good, but the system hasn't reached critical mass yet. So most people still don't know what the NS is. There's a lot of potential, but Nintendo has to clear through their "red light, green light" momentum of constant stock shortages first. (They're even spending resources on flying in consoles just to attempt to alleviate the "red light" part of their current momentum...)
I've actually just sold mine because I had nothing to play having finished Zelda and played Mario Kart 8 to death on Wii U, I'll probably pick one up again next year when there's some games that interest me.
As for the usage I played mainly as a handheld at home, when the TV was free I played my PS4 and Switch when the Mrs wanted to watch telly. I see the console primarily as a handheld, I think it's a bit of a missed opportunity with the dock which is no more than an elaborate method of connecting it to the TV. Good console, potentially great and I'll be back when the games come
@viruskiller77 Not being able to buy them is even worse than a console having no games
@MyNameIsRandy that's solely how I have used it so far. Belarusian 4G is a little more than a year old but we're talking the speed that suffices for 3DS and Vita online play (and even for Remote Play in a good environment). I haven't played Switch games online yet, but promo videos run okay in portable modes.
I usually play portable, but my Mario Kart online works better docked so I've been playing more of that lately.
Being able to seamlessly switch between the TV and on the go should be a necessity for gaming from now on.
I have played my Switch exclusively as a handheld. I don't really have any plans to play it on the TV, it is just easier to find playtime with a handheld for me.
@PlywoodStick who in their right mind would take ANYTHING worth 300 bucks out in public in the DC Metro area?? I wouldn't take a dollar store umbrella out in public there.
@PlywoodStick It'll be interesting to see how much use the Switch actually gets in public. In a way, I think it'll depend on where in public you are. From my experience down here in Australia not too many people had their 3DS out and about unless they are at a convention, party, or something like that, although I've seen a few around the university campus. So far its been more or less the same story with the Switch. Once there's more out in the wild though we may really get a better idea of what its going to shape up as.
@PlywoodStick incidentally, I play Switch in public places, even in the subway - and I think I see what Nintendo did there, with the rear panel reading "NINTENDO SWITCH" in big letters. So the awareness might be raised with every single case even if they're still elusive in your area. XD
@NEStalgia LOL exactly! No one in the capital of the USA wants their Switch to switch ownership by way of five finger discount! That's why the portable nature of the console is so much more geared towards Japanese audiences than anywhere else- they have a lot less violent crime than we do. Like, exponentially less. That said, I do think the portable aspect of the console will eventually become dominant. When it's slightly less shiny and theft magnetized.
As for doors... you just don't appreciate the hybrid nature of door flaps for wigwams and gers! They're both open and closed, a scientific marvel!
I primarily use it as a handheld, however, I intend to take the dock with me to friends' houses in the future. Gaming parties are boring with all of my PS3/4-owning friends, who never seem to have any fun multiplayer games, and never seem to be in possession of more than one controller. =P
@MyNameIsRandy @ThatNyteDaez
Ya that was me. I played the Splatoon 2 testfire at work using 4G and I couldn't tell a difference between that and when I played at home on my wifi network. No lag, no hiccups, butter smooth. 1 hr used 0.11gb
There are a few other members here who have also used 4G for Mario Kart online with similar results (although I think it eats a tad more data).
@PlywoodStick
Well keep in mind, there's only 3 million of them in the wild atm, probably 1 million in the US. And people who take theirs with, like myself, probably play once at their destination. I play at work but not on the way. And I'm betting most who take the system with are like that. The poll clearly shows the majority of Switch owners do take their systems out of the home (I'm sure a few just play handheld at home too but still), but I just know I'm far more likely to actually pull it out and play it once I get where I'm going. I don't even see people playing 3DS in the wild, and there's 65 million of those. So I wouldn't expect to see any of the 3 million Switch owners out and about. At work, that's a different story. And several coworkers of mine do bring theirs to work.
@Danpal65 charging time and sleep mode life seem impressive so far, too. I'm not well-versed in batteries and such stuff, but despite the official "3 hours to charge the console completely", I had roughly an hour the other day - and my Switch still went from 17% to 81% in the meantime. Didn't plummet halfway down when so much as looked at funny either (and that used to be the case with my older phone whose worn-down battery would show impressive battery status numbers fast and lose them even faster once unplugged).
@nhSnork I agree. Nintendo's battery estimates seem to actually be on the low end of what the console can do, both in charging and usage, which is a pleasant surprise. I feel like 3-4 hours of portable gameplay is probably within the golden range of play time though. I can't really imagine playing a game for more than that, especially in handheld mode, my wrists would get very sore.
@kobashi100 I disagree- there is far less detail and more noticeable pixelation in handheld mode.
Even when I'm in my living room with my flatscreen 1080p TV right in front of me, I will mostly still play in handheld mode because I like the smaller screen.
I'll wait to get a Switch, preferably if/when there is a hardware revision. I can't believe it doesn't support Bluetooth headsets and some of the workarounds are ridiculous.
@Equinox the more powerful the consoles get the less innovation we see. The cost to develop games keeps going up as systems are capable of higher quality graphics. For me at least, I'm perfectly happy with the quality of graphics the switch is capable of producing. If Nintendo continues to move more units the chances of seeing third party offerings on the system only goes up. For me personally I'd choose the switch version of almost anything at this point. The ability to take my game anywhere has proven to be amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed Zelda and a large reason why was because I was able to fit play time into any part of my schedule due to the flexibility of the system.
@Danpal65 even 2-3 hours would be solid, especially for an unplugged device running HD graphics. Besides, getting bigger windows for gaming on the go than 2-3 hours in a row doesn't seem like an extremely mundane opportunity in itself, at least in my experience. XD
Keeping the game suspended long enough can be more crucial. I never tested it on Switch but my Vita floored me recently when its battery died in sleep mode with a game on... and it still restored the game to be up and running at the same spot when charged! I barely believed my eyes and I'm still not sure if it's a feature or luck so insane it borders on magic - but we're talking a 2009 piece of hardware here! Imagine if Switch can do no less.
@PlywoodStick With less than 3 million out in the wild,I'd say your chances of seeing someone with one out and about are quite small,even in Washington DC.During the DS glory years,I lived in several big city's in The Netherlands and done a lot of travelling to various countries round the world yet I hardly ever saw anyone playing one in public or even at airports.I do recall this one 40 year old plus guy though playing one on a packed bus with the volume up and giving a loud running commentary on his game.I think I was the only one on the bus who found it hilarious rather than annoying.
In the beginning, it was easily portable 65%- tv -35% . I was not home much due to class and work . With school winding down, and overtime no longer mandatory at work(knock on wood), I have more time in the house, and it is about an even split now.
I say even because I still play hand held mostly, so my girlfriends can watch tv. But she is SUPER into Mario Kart, so the dock has been getting a lot of love.
@nhSnork I agree 100%
I think the Switch does something like that when it gets low on battery. It lasts effectively forever in sleep mode (a month from full charge I think?), so if it just puts itself to sleep at low battery it should be able to do what the Vita did (Nintendoes what Sony did to? )
90% of the time its home console, I don't like handheld gaming really not my forte.but it's great to have the option to take on the go, a reason I way perfect Ninty to the others
really surprised at how much i am using and loving the handheld mode
Well the distribution of answers for q2 shows why the Switch has been successful.
@Maxz heh. Yes I could ask the same question of minds
@Equinox
I really don't understand Sony releasing a PS5 next year. The PS4 isn't that old and is still selling like crazy. Why introduce an entirely new platform that undermines a system that's still selling well? The XBox Scorpio won't be a threat, at all, to their dominance and I doubt that Sony could improve on the Scorpio's performance much at this time without a similar, very expensive console.
Now I could see them doing a PS Vita 2 hybrid like the Switch with similar functionality and a more powerful processor, even the next generation of the processor in the Switch. That's something that definitely could be in the offing. But I think rumors of a PS5 in 2018 are silly and untrue.
Interestingly today was the first day I hooked the switch up to the tv. Had a buddy come over and we played a couple rounds of Mario kart. It's cool to have two controllers out of the box, but they really are hand cramp inducing.
Finally played some Zelda on the tv and gotta say the colors didn't seem as vibrant on the tv as they do in handheld mode, but the game still played great.
I do think over time we will see the switch marketed more as a handheld. I think that could happen sooner rather then later depending on the type of 3rd party support. If it is just a Nintendo and indie machine then in my mind it is more a successor to the vita, but with the added benefits of Nintendo games and that's not a bad thing imo.
@Danpal65 Yeah, by the time the holidays come around, I would expect to see more around the local college area as well!
@nhSnork Good, that's what it's meant to do. It'll be until next year until I decide get mine, probably, but I would be using it primarily portable myself.
@BiasedSonyFan I do still see 3DS users here and there. Even original 3DS users. Makes me nostalgic, my original one sits on the computer desk with this awesome battery, and I haven't figured out what to do with it after transferring to the N3DS... It would feel weird to part with it after so many years together in rain and snow storms and other harsh weather...
@Danpal65 come to think of it, yes - I depleted Switch quite low once and it openly warned that it would effectively hybernate. So there's a good chance the functions are similar here!
@JaxonH That's awesome! Hopefully the next place I work will have some people with gaming interests... And that's a good point about stashing the system, I take the 3DS with me everywhere, but I don't necessarily take it out either on every trip.
@PuppyToucher The wheel attachment apparently alleviates the hand cramping. Some people even use it outside of Mario Kart...
@OorWullie I've seen quite a few 3DS users over time here. Not like one would see in Japan, of course, but they're certainly around, even now. I've gotten hundreds of casual Streetpasses from them, too! But yeah, I expect to see more NS users outside by the holidays.
I reckon we're playing about 70% on TV and 30% handheld. I haven't taken it anywhere myself yet, but my girls have brought it lots of places, and I like playing taking it to bed with me and playing handheld while my wife watches TV. It certainly isn't as portable as a 3DS, but I am totally sold on the hybrid concept.
i haven't played tabletop mode at all except on my friend's since we were at a bar. i mostly play mine docked unless someone wants the tv (pretty much like wii u). i think it's more comfortable playing on the tv but i do like the immersion of portable esp. with headphones
I get about 90% of my gaming in at work. At least the games I most want to play. The other 10% is at home and that is about .01% what I am itching to play, 99.99% playing what my kids would like to play 😁
@SuperWeird
I agree. I use it primarily as tabletop to game in kitchen next to my Wife at night as she works on college classes or is on internet. Our TV is downstairs in chilly basement... so it is MUCH more comfortable to be upstairs and together. When she finishes with her work... we have a quick game of mario kart or tetris/puyo before bed.
I never realized how little gaming time I had because I had to isolate myself with the TV on (so it became less and less opportunity to game and relieve stress at night... I am a teacher... so I needs my stress relief).
Playing it on tabletop mode is sooooo COMFY with a pro controller!! I love it!
I play on TV when my Wife is gone at work (and I miraculously catch up on grading) ... and can then pick it up right where I left off in tabletop mode. It is marvelous.
The nice part of the switch.. is how it is NOT isolating like 3DS is... the screen is meant to be shared (unlike 3DS screen which is more isolating). That is why I never liked handheld games.
I LOVE that my console/handheld games are the same now. The Switch truly is a LIFE-CHANGING device.
Every game that I own for Switch, including Zelda, I've played in handheld and TV mode. I will say Puyo Puyo Tetris seems more appropriate in handheld mode than on TV, except for when I play multiplayer with my wife.
Also, off topic, how come NL hasn't reported on the fact that FE probably won't have any more mainline entries on 3DS?
Don't have one yet. Once I do I'll probably keep it docked unless I'm going to some sort of party where I know multiple Switch owners will be there.
Wow heaps of people use it in handheld. I actually play it mostly docked, that's because I like playing Zelda and Fast on a big screen. Though if I'm feeling tired and just wanna lie in bed I'll play it handheld.
I probably use it 80/20 handheld and docked. I think I've done tabletop like three times since I got it at midnight on launch.
I haven't own Switch yet, but judging from my gaming habit, I will treat Switch as Handheld more than a Console.
I don't need to type how many percent of using as portable because sometimes my gaming habit based on my mood. Sometimes, I play 3DS / NDS a lot, Sometimes i'm in the mood with my Wii / Wii U, but sometimes I don't play my games at all for one day due to tired after working day or have something to do & can't play games.
Anyway, when I get the Switch, I don't hesitate to take it anywhere. Of course, my eyes will stay aware with surrounding to anticipate people with bad purpose try to steal my Switch.
@Maxz What do you think of polls? Are they constructive or destructive? Or a hybrid of both? Let us know in the polls and the comments below so we can pad our website!
Before Switch my game time was about 80% 3DS, 10% PC and 10% PS4 so I imagined I'd be playing Switch as a handheld pretty much all the time. But it's been 50/50 which I wasn't expecting.
During the day I use it as a portable, then after work I dock it and pick up on the television where I left off or with some multiplayer with the family.
50/50 but it also depends on the game. Binding of Isaac is mainly portable, Mr shifty TV only, world of goo is touch screen where as FAST RMX is on then telly. 1st party Nintendo games I play either way
@Equinox I agree with you. I think the Switch's future is as a portable with a TV out (but not considered a "home console"), because Sony and Microsoft continue to push for more power.
I think that will hurt Sony and Microsoft since that kind of cutting edge tech will constantly make consoles very expensive, and it will hurt Nintendo because they'll never be perceived as a graphics powerhouse, despite having so many beautiful games.
@JaxonH That's a fantastic carrying case! Something to consider when it's time for me to change my Hori case.
Usually play Zelda on TV, but today I was on a road trip and played Mario Kart 8 deluxe. I also occasionally play it between classes at school. Hybrid for me.
Hasn't been off the dock since 3/3!!
@SomeWriter13 i think "home console" is an early positioning tool to explain what it is as a hybrid and how it fits the current world. Later it will be just "a console" neither sold as "home" or "portable" but simply a console among consoles.....and you can use it however and wherever you want.
@Anti-Matter you don't have your switch yet? Don't you have a lengthy May/June game list you're buying?
@NEStalgia I think portable console is the proper term. It's still portable even when its docked .
@Equinox Nintendo has several options like adding power to the dock, using cloud computing, or upgrading the tablet part with a new processor since they have a partnership with Nvidea.
@NEStalgia
I have a LOT of games to buy during May until August 2017 (Oh my wallet...)
Here is my Shopping list:
1. May 2017 = LEGO CITY Undercover Switch & Cooking Mama Sweet Shop 3DS
2. June 2017 = Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Switch & Puyo Puyo Tetris Switch
3. July 2017 = ARMS Switch & Ever Oasis 3DS
4. August 2017 = Miitopia 3DS & probably FF XII The Zodiac Age PS4
And I still have to save my money to buy Switch on December 2017 or early January 2018 (After my Salary Day on date 28 every month). Hopefully by the end of 2017, there will be at least one Switch bundle with color White and cheaper price (You know, Christmas Sale )
@faint Honestly, do you get any funny looks when you play the Switch in public? I would love to bust out my 3DS in random places but honestly I would feel self conscious as a grown man with a 3DS. Props to you though.
Still can't find a Switch....anywhere.
90% handheld, 10% tabletop. The dock is still in the box.
The tv is always in use by someone else so I have to always play on the table.
@Anti-Matter My shopping list, and general attempt to spread games out over different months, is similar. After a new console, Zelda LE, and 5 amiibo in March I was able to limit April's expenses to $5 for Kamiko (which is a wonderful little gem), but I'm right back at it in May with another LE in Disgaea 5. And at some point there's I Am Setsuna to buy.
But thinking about this has me wondering how it is that so many people seem to complain here every week when there aren't a dozen good games released. Seriously, how many games do people buy every month? How do they find the time to play them?
Multiplayer mostly ends up on the TV. Single player mostly ends up portable
@PanurgeJr LOL i know what you mean. I guess none of these games appeal to them, but yeah people were complaining 2 weeks in that they beat zelda and had nothing to play....meanwhile over 2 months in im b STILL playing zelda daily and haven yet visited Ganon! Finally getting close to having everything done and that still excludes many side quests. How did these folks do all that in weeks then complain there are no games?
@Kanbei You know i tend to feel the same way, and i have no idea why considering everyone starting at their phones frantically tweeting Personally now that Nintendo has phone games, and i have a high end phone that's been working out ok for my "5 min here and there" gaming and blends in with the furious tweeters But if i had a daily hour train ride or something I'd probably go 3ds or switch.
@Anti-Matter ahh, so you're stocking up on the games before you get the console. I get it now! Instant backlog on day one
@roboshort yeah, "portable console" has a nice ring to it, but people could easily think of that as the same thing as handheld had always been. Thats what makes me think they'd eventually just use the word console and be sufficiently ambiguous about pinning it down to a descriptive word. It's whatever anyone wants it to be
@meltendo self employed, say no more! more power to ya.
I mainly play it in handheld mode, simply because that is what feels right to me. I try playing it on the tv screen but when I don't have friends or family over I don't really feel the need to.
I use all modes almost evenly. At home, I play in TV Mode. At school, I play it in Handheld Mode. With friends, I play it in Tabletop Mode. The Switch adaps pretty well in almost every environment!
I don't play the Switch. It's a Wii U: Part Deux, only this time it's a handheld more than anything else. And they're asking us to buy Wii U games again at full price I may add.
The ability to choose how you play it I felt was going to be one of the Switch's strong points and I've been taking advantage of it heavily since. Mainly docked at home but will play handheld in bed or tabletop in the kitchen when cooking.
Of course it goes portable when travelling with a great portable set up on a stand during a recent flight.
Split with a slight lean towards home console. If I'm home I'm on the TV. If I'm away like on lunch at my job or on Vacation I have it in portable. The Switch is an incredibly joyous system to use.
Mostly handheld for now, but watch me go full hybrid once I'm waving arms to the television.
Mine keeps changing the source signal if it's plugged into the TV, so until Nintendo patches the issue, my Switch is a purely handheld device.
Wii U works great as a hybrid, though!
That's the great thing about the Switch... You get to play how you want to when you want to.
@TheHumbleFellow I'd send it in if I were you. It helps to let Nintendo know they are screw ups. I sent in my left joy con because there was no way I paid $300+ and have something wrong with my Switch. And they have a way of getting your save back I'm sure.
@NEStalgia interesting points! I think that's related to Marketing Connotation as a tool to introduce a new product. They would probably have also called it a gaming tablet, but I think gamers look down on anything called a tablet as it evokes the casual crowd.
@Kanbei I'm a grown man and I sometimes play on the 3DS and now the Switch in public (work conventions, casual conventions, cafeterias, and the like) and oddly enough adults don't look at me funny. The kids though, they lose their minds when they notice it's a Nintendo Switch. I dunno, maybe adults are just being courteous, or tablets are just so ubiquitous.
@8itmap_k1d I believe you can fix that in the settings. I can't remember where exactly, but there is a bit that lets the Switch change channels using its HDMI connection. If you turn that off it should fix that problem for you, just means the Switch can't turn your TV on for you if you wake it up.
@Danpal65 You'd think so, wouldn't you? Sadly not. It appears to be a known issue with certain TVs. And I ain't buying a new TV!
Waiting in hopes of a home version without the battery & screen, smaller and at a lower price.
Would still bring my own tv when we'd have lan parties, like I did with the wiiu. So the screen and battery is a waste.
Avid handheld games player here and I gotta say I play in tv mode most of the time now. Zeldas open world needs to be experienced on bigger screen for full enjoyment.
Interesting to see different people's living situations and how they affect Switch usage. I'd say it entirely justified Nintendo's thinking. Not everybody is a teenage boy or still living like a teenage boy.
10% tabletop, 10% handheld and 80% TV.
Its really a mix for me. If I'm at home; it's docked. If someone wants to watch the tv; handheld. Playing a game with my brother; tabletop. I really get a lot of use out of it.
I caved in and got mine on the 27th of April with Bomberman and Mario Kart 8 the next day.
Still haven't got round to opening mine up yet, let alone setting it up or playing it.
When I finally do though, I know that I will use it very much like my Wii U; offscreen/handheld when the TV is in use and it's not something I have any interest in, and then as a proper home console with my Pro Controller on those lightning in a bottle moments when I get the chance to play on the big TV.
I doubt my Switch will ever leave my house though to be used as a handheld.
For me itˋs a split of 70:30 between TV-mode and handheld-mode (and occasionally tabletop-mode in between).
Many here are saying, the Switch is a handheld first and foremost because "it has a screen" and "itˋs a tablet" and "itˋs not as powerful as PS4/XBOne". I also read some people saying, they could connect their PSVita to a TV and it would be the same.
To all that I am saying: I believe, itˋs what you can do with it which determines if itˋs an homeconsole or an handheld. For example, hook up your Vita to TV, invite some friends over and do some multiplayer-action. Canˋt do that? I wonder why?🤔
Mine is mainly used with the TV but I don't leave it docked all the time, so that when time is short and I want to get started with a game ASAP I can just take it out of its case and be playing in 1 minute.
@Maxz
Lol! The Switch: Schrödinger's Console!
I use it exclusively as a handheld unless it's docked at which point I use it as a home console. Sometimes I alternate every two minutes from docked to handheld. The Switch is billed as a hybrid and I like to get my money's worth. I've never used it in tabletop mode as I don't own a table. Yet another expensive accessory Nintendo are forcing us to buy!
Nintendo are probably collecting metadata on usage split between portable and docked mode, logged in the same way as play time. If they are, it would be interesting to see.
I like to use mine strictly as a handheld.
@Kanbei
People playing Flappy Bird on a $700 Android device should be the ones to get funny looks (or concerned ones), and yet...
Enjoying good quality digital entertainment anywhere is nothing to be ashamed of, I think. Not in this day and age. And no, I don't think that playing games (of any sort) is just for kids. Our daily, grown-up lives are drab enough as it is. It's good to have a little color and enjoyment in there every once in a while. We should all allow ourselves to be more "childish" now and then (though I prefer the term "child-like", as in "happy", "imaginative", "appreciative of the smallest things"....). It would make for a happier world. Heck, most people feeling oh so mature and dismissing video games (or Nintendo in particular) as "meh, kid's stuff", don't see the irony of then going crazy like an infant over their favorite sports team's next match, despite the fact that most sports terminoligy makes it very clear what it is: They, too, are only games... and games are for all ages, I say! It keeps us young, and that's a good thing.
So no, I don't have any issues with playing the Switch on the train or on the bus almost every day while commuting. If anything, I feel pride...
I use it as a home console 100%.
1. I haven't bought the case or any extras to take it with me safely and I fear I could scratch the screen easily.
2. I don't have a game that needs to be played in portable mode / don't have a game with extra-features undocked.
3. I bought this as a successor to the Wii U anyway. and I'm not into handheld/mobile/gaming-on-the-go. Even my 3DS I played only at homes and bought only a few games (I have hundreds of games for Wii U and Wii though).
wait! some people actually worried what people will think if they pull out a portable games console on a bus or train. i have never recieved a funny look and even if i did why would i care. how can it be kiddy like to pull out a games console but its cool to play candy crush etc etc on your phone lol
i do believe with the switch being unable to be put in pocket will mean you will see less people travel with it. i use to take my 3DS or VIta literally everywhere with me.
witht the switch yes it comes with me on commute to work as i have my bag which i can put my switch and carry case in. when just going to see friends on weekend or just going shopping etc i dont take switch with me as i dont want to take a bag.
@SKTTR I don't have a Switch but I'm similar to you. Would play it docked pretty much all the time.
Never really got into gaming on the go as there's too much going on around me to enjoy the gaming experience, much better in front of a TV and my 3DS never leaves the house.
@PanurgeJr I've got 14 games on my switch- anyone saying they're aren't enough games is an idiot
I really thought I would be playing portable more but I've only done it one time and I'm really enjoying the TV play so far. All my kids are moved out on their own so nobody needs the TV. I like being able to play portable when I can though. I'm just having trouble keeping up with releases so far. Not enough money , it's coming out so fast. The 3ds was the same way.
I'm getting a Switch when ARMS comes out. Hopefully.
Look, I'm not a complete 'graphics/power', but I almost exclusively play the switch as what it is: The most powerful handheld on the planet (which can be docked to a TV if you choose.) However, I have my Xbox one docked to TV downstairs, my Wii u docked upstairs and a pc. So portable all the way for me and my Switchy lol
@JunkRabbit perfectly said!
@SUBTERRANEANguy
No, itˋs a homeconsole which you can take on the go and play anywhere (if you choose so)! 😉
I fully expected to play it docked as a home console the majority of the time, but I've found that it really is a pretty even split for me. Between playing a little in the bathroom here and there, playing a little as I'm lying in bed, or playing some at work during my lunch break, the split's pretty even. It's truly a brilliant system.
In order: not yet, even split, perfect hybrid.
Even at home, I tend to favour handheld systems, but that's in order to never stop playing (not even when my folks call me downstairs for dinner). If you can see where I'm going with this, it's because I sort of am.
Truth is, I don't know yet what role the console will play, but in all honesty I guess it will become my main console period. The Switch should be the one console to use the "Never stop playing" slogan in its ads, rather than, er, that other one. My current setup has me taking my 3DS and PSP Go on the go (sorry) when I have my huge bag, and only my PSP Go when I have to get out of the house carrying my smaller man-purse (yes, go on, laugh).
So yeah, will I add this spectacularly small and portable home console to my huge bag, or maybe even carry it in my smaller manpurse? Only time will tell. One thing stands, though - I'm looking forward to not having to ask a friend to necessarily come over and try the console.
Because this is how word-of-mouth will succeed this time around, and how this success will in turn make the Switch itself succeed. Given Nintendo doesn't exactly advertise their stuff much as far as I know, word of mouth has been one of the ways the Nintendo fandom has, well, spread. How it got slowly bigger with time, I should say. But now?
Showing someone a Nintendo handheld has always been easy. The friend tries the handheld, plays it a bit, and then he states his "yea" or "nay" verdict. A guy or a girl chooses whether or not to get a new handheld by giving it a whirl. With a home console, however? It depends on whether the friend has enough spare time to come over, and even then, if you don't have your own place, you have to ask your parents if they're okay with it. Not anymore.
Even taking the absurdly high price tag for the Switch dock, you can easily carry that around given how ridiculously small the console is. And meeting outside of either your or your friend's place isn't an issue anymore given, you know, the dock isn't even necessary per se.
The hybrid factor is how this console is going to win. Nintendo is back on track this time around.
@JaxonH - Thank you for taking the time to post those pics. It was very informative. Sharing information like that is why these threads exist. Not sure why anyone would think you're "pushing" anything here.
@PanurgeJr - Let me guess. He wrote, "Everyone that's not me is stooooooopid. Nintendo fanbois play Nintendo games. Idiots. Why does everyone think I'm a troll?!? I never get tired of being wrong. Grumble grumble, snarf snarf."
@BigBadJohn - I can justify the added cost of the table accessory as we're not required to purchase the television accessory this generation. They kind of offset each other. However, I'd finally be slightly less angry if everything was just FREE as it should be. Why should I pay for a Switch when I already bought a NES in '85. Ripoff!
I fond myself playing portable more than I ever thought I would. I travel a lot for work, so I figured I would mainly use portable for that and dock it at home, but I have not really been docking it much. Playing it portable is more fun than I thought it would be.
I've tried all different options with it, tv mode, table top and handheld and I think it's a credit to nintendo for creating something that can do all 3 so effortlessly.
I do predominantly use it in docked mode as a home console though , for me you just can't beat gaming on a large 50" screen, it's cool to play in handheld mode from time to time but I bought it mainly to use as a home console on the tv.
That said I'm going on holiday next month and it will be coming with me on the flight
Best thing is options and the switch gives you options. I really think 2018 will be big for the switch. For people who bought the Wii u and 3ds it's great as now the games will be on that one platform meaning more quality first party games
@JaxonH I dig that case. Wish I'd known about it sooner. I have one of the licensed cases, and it's great, but...no room for a charger.
@BigBadJohn "I've never used it in tabletop mode as I don't own a table. Yet another expensive accessory Nintendo are forcing us to buy!"
I feel your pain lol. "There's those hidden costs AGAIN. So you pay £500 for a Switch, £70 for Zelda, £90 for an extra set of joycons, £80 for a pro controller, and now another £300 for a table just so I can play in tabletop mode? Screw you Nintendo!"
Ninety-nine percent of the time on the dock, but that's partly because my only game for it is Zelda. The moment I get Disgaea 5, portable mode will see a big increase in usage.
@Dr_Corndog
Well, it's only like $16, and if you play your cards right with which charger/battery and cable you buy, and the right tripod, you can fit everything you need to charge quickly via power delivery from an A.C. outlet, charge quickly from a battery via power delivery, charge the battery quickly from an A.C. outlet via power delivery, or charge in tabletop.
The smallest USB-C PD charger that works with Switch (I bought multiples and tested) is the Aukey Amp Duo USB-C PD charger. There's a $10 iVAPO tripod that's super compact (it's the little silver foldup tripod seen in the case next to battery) for tabletop mode, but due to how compact it is, Switch sits low enough you need a right angle USB-C cable. Thankfully there's a CableCreation 6ft USB-C to USB-C cable with a right angle on one end (awesome that it's 6 ft too, nothing worse than a cord that's too short).
Having a huge battery that fits in the case is a must for me. I like the surety of knowing I will NEVER run out of juice. There's only 2 Power Delivery batteries on the market now, but I made sure to grab the new Anker PD battery when it released a few weeks ago. It was $100, but, it came with a PD wall charger (so that's $25 on its own), it's big enough for 5 full recharges (even accounting for 10% loss in efficiency), and the Power Delivery ensures I can charge 0 to 100% in 3 hours while playing Zelda or MK8 on max settings. Normal USB-C chargers can barely even do that when the system is turned completely off.
It is a home console that can be played away from a big screen.
Most adverts are either boring but informative, funny but you can't remember the product two minutes later or over exaggerated but somewhat informative.
Nintendo falls into the last one for Switch advertising. If you want to move away from the big screen that's fine. If you are taking a £300 plus bit of kit out to play with your mates or for a quick game on the bus then you are either niave or rich.
@zool I wouldn't say the advert is exaggerated. I have literally been playing a game on my TV, then undock the thing to go out. Using it as intended hardly qualifies me as naïve...and last time I checked I'm not rich either
@GrailUK Taking it out in a secure case without Nintendo Switch splashed over it and playing it in a secure environment is one thing, but on a bus or train etc while on your own would be questionable.
i use the Switch as both. Sometimes I want to play Zelda or Mario Kart with my surround sound and TV and others I just want to play it for a short time in handheld.
@zool I think playing it on the last train home on a Friday night might make you a target lol
I'm not getting a Switch until I put a good dent in my backlog. I can't let games keep building up with limited time on my hands.
@WiltonRoots And you can guarantee the Official Nintendo Switch Table will cost twice as much as a third party table!
@zool wow! Not everybody is out to rob people. I must be really niave then as mine is out 5 days a week to and from work. Lunch time I play outside in local park near to office also.
Never once have I felt this isn't safe. My god, what's next. Don't get your phone out in public.
I've really come to appreciate tabletop mode. My work place has a lot of downtime, and it feels a bit constrained trying to hold the system in handheld mode for so long.
But when I prop the console on my Charge and Play stand and put the Joy-Cons in the Grip, it feels like I'm playing on a little TV!
So far, I've enjoyed the system on my own, but I'm looking forward to that special opportunity to share one of my two Joy-Cons for on-the-fly multiplayer.
It's kind've like the Switch's power level being less than the other consoles is accepted this time around because of it's portable nature. Wii and U being strictly consoles made the power level difference much more noticeable. Plus, the gap from Switch to PS/Xbox power level is alot smaller than the past gens. As long as good games keep coming, the power level in the Switch is enough to keep most gamers happy. I'm sure some devs will make the hardware sing.
@kobashi100 of course not everybody is out to rob you but some are.
And yes iPhones were a target some years ago and the latest smartphones still are.
I play it just like I play my Wii U. Sitting in bed with the TV off.
80% of the time docked, I love the Pro controller but if I have a side quest to finish or a circuit I take it to bed for a few more minutes of gaming.
This year i won't be buying a Switch. I want to see more games on this console before spending a lot of money on this system. Maybe a pricecut will help as well. I need more than just A+++ games from Nintendo but also a great 3rd party RPG games. Disgaea 5 is a good move and more reason for me to get that system. I'll be patient
Portable at first, when battery is low and I want to play more TV mode
@JaxonH thanks for the recomendation for the Butterfox Switch case I have been looking for a good case I might grab this one
I use it as a portable, but I never take it with me in public. I have no need to. I like watching the news and playing or doing the cooking channel and playing. I have always preferred portables. I hate being restrained and don't get me started with that crapper. My legs fall asleep.
I mostly play on the TV, but unlike any of there dedicated handhelds, I do take the Switch out with me. Been having a lot of fun with it in work, especially with Mario Kart.
I play it as a handheld in my bed and on the train, and as a console title in the living room. About 50/50, as it's designed!
@Kanbei sometimes but mostly people want to know what it is and ask me questions about it.
@Captain_Gonru I find it more comfortable to sit back in my chair and rest my arms across my lap while playing.
For Zelda, I usually play on handheld mode on the comfort of my bed, but for MK8 Deluxe I'm using the TV a lot more
98% of the time it's TV.
So far I have played it about 80/20 docked on my 47' 1080p TV. I think it was important that right out of the gate Nintendo proved Switch can provide a solid home and away experience. Zelda looks and lay still great on big screen with pro controller.
I think where N is connecting is with the fact that ppl have 'mobile' lifestyles now and the ability to Switch formats is disired by gamers. The system makes it easier to make time to game and share games.
@MrBlacky
Ohh those Vita comments so out of line. Vita a 540p system And I have several PSTV. They looked ok on small screen Tvs but no where near Switch power or look....as I am sure you know 😂
I exclusively play it as a portable, around the house, mind you. The benefits to portability outweigh the console mode for me. I can play it anywhere in the house, and the fact that I don't have to tie it down to a television means that I don't have to share it with my younger brother who gets very aggressive when frustrated.
I don't take it outside with me, however.
@BigBadJohn But then if there was a third party table available it probably won't be a western AAA third party table, just some nondescript indie made rubbish.
I use both portable and TV mode. My Switch never really leaves the house, but I usually take it into my room to play before I go to bed or if someone is using the TV in the living room
@Kriven rjejr and i debated that idea a while back. My thinking is that would move their competitors from being sony and ms to being Samsung, Apple, and LG. A very different market, with little hope of competing. Include 3g/4g and you're selling through telecom companies on finance too, including every countries differences, and different SKUs for different countries operating different standards and frequencies.....ugh mobile is quite a mess and personally so different at a business level AND price level. I doubt nintendo could hande entering a general purpose computing market.....and as that becomes commoditized is probably not wise to enter anyway.
@Maxz lol, your comment made my day
I play it on TV as much as I can. But if there's something I want to watch in the background, usually football scores or a match, I'll play portable. This was the big USP for Wii U, at first. Off-TV play, but with Switch you aren't limited to playing it in the same room, nor is there a compromise where you're forced to play on low res screen.
I've played BoTW nearly exclusively as a handheld (but still in the house). Just can't log those type of hours in front of the TV. I play MK8+ however on the TV. It is even more glorious.
The take away from a gamer like me (adult, job and family) is that the Switch's portability allows for more gaming opportunities, which is great.
@Kriven I'll hand you that there's a real threat that one of the mobile companies might try to enter the gaming market with a switch like mobile device. Though id also bet the most likely right now is Microsoft who already has mobile devices and a struggling console division and is watching Nintendo with interest. An XSurface makes sense from that perspective (but would it follow Scorpio's high end price point along with the rest of the Surface line?) Apple is always a threat there as they love dominating content distribution.
But it's still from a business perspective SO different. Ninty simply can't compete in that market, and really I can't think of any company not already in that market that can. Even MS is massively struggling in the phone segment and that's after having bought one of the big phone makers to make it happen. MS isn't struggling with tablets, but they're pushing a $1000 business tablet... Plus would Nintendo just be an Android tablet compatible with Google's store? Or their own ecosystem? And if their own, they'd be competing against Amazon...and Amazon is a major Nintendo dealer....and Amazon is infamous for immediately removing all products from their store associated with competing products. It's one of those things that seems like a logical idea when you see "it's basically a tablet" but when you think of everything involved (cell carrier contracts and numerous skus alone) it doesn't look so good. Then there's the other side. If you sell it to a tablet market as a tablet, and in that market it's been determined games are worth $0-$1, $10 is too much for Mario, and microtransaction gambling is fine.... selling $60+subscription+DLC games (which is where they really make their money) isn't going to go over well. In that regard being king of your own (profitable) niche might be much better than being a (tiny) player going for big numbers in an already saturated market of customers who don't buy your real product.
BUT Switch is one of the few cases where Ninty isn't fully in a bubble. They're really running the bleeding edge of "mobile" tech here from one of the big mobile tech firms. And ultimately it's a whole different product. We can call it a "tablet" but it's a tablet that relies on active cooling. iFixit (I think it was iFixit) commented that the architecture is more similar to a laptop than "mobile" tech. So it's technically more of a keyboardless low power gaming laptop crammed into a tablet form factor with side-mount controllers.
For a Galaxy to catch up to it would mean that their own CPUs (And Snapdragons in the US, so long as they're stuck with that contract) would have to be able to meet or exceed the performance of a Tegra, match the x86 instruction compatibility, do it all with a lower TDP that doesn't require active cooling and a big heavy copper heatsink, AND do it all on a battery significantly smaller than the one in the Switch if it's a phone format. Given that Galaxys are $700 and Switch is $300, even if they pulled it off it would still be a pretty different market...and that's before actually getting games for it. If it's a tablet Galaxy you mean it could do the big battery, active cooling etc, much like the Shield Tablet, but again we're talking a very different price point and a very different game library. Eventually the tech will exceed the X1, sure...but by then this version of Switch will be on it sway out.
Apple could be more of a direct competitor given their knack for lining up content producers. I'm always wary of their big announcements in terms of them announcing an entrance into gaming properly. But it would have to be on some iPad variant more than the phones for a good while to even get close to what Switch is doing. The only reason we've been safe from them so far is likely the problem with the games market: it's actually not as profitable as the stuff they're used to dealing with given the expense that goes into it. Even Microsoft hasn't been able to turn a profit doing it. Only Nintendo and Sony (and the various game publishers obviously) are actually making any money there.
TL;DR Nintendo did REALLY good with their nVidia partnership and Tegra is something that's going to be hard for phones/tablets to beat any time soon in its own space since it, itself is pretty much the performance lead in mobile (short of the X2 version that still costs an absolute fortune per chip and still can't be produced in numbers big enough for the market of Switch let alone Galaxy.) So Nintendo won't be pushed that route soon...but were they to be pushed into "general purpose computing devices" they'd likely be entirely unable to compete.
The machine is a god-send to anyone with kids, a wife, and a job that requires decent amounts of travel. This will be the machine--provided it gets good support--that will finally allow me to conquer Mount Backlog, a dream long beyond the reach--or ken--of anyone with a life beyond their living room.
Never use the docking station. I live without a tv. So the switch is a handheld device only. Joystick are permanently connect to the switch.
I have taken the switch on weekend trips. An to meet friends. But i mainly play at home. I spend half my time on the switch and the other half on the ps vita
Beat 4 out of 5 Ganons on my commute - simply love Switch.
@HappyMaskedGuy in many ways i agree.... however BOTW has made my 3hrs of commuting a day pass like a breeze. When at home i put it through my projector and get lost in the beautiful world.
Since beating Zelda my life/commute has been much less fun. Re running Lego City, which following the most recent update runs really nicely (once loaded) on handheld
all in all - the Switch is something that i've been wanting for years. I can't wait for VC to go through all the SNES/GBA/N64/Wii etc games I missed.... ***sigh***
80/20 for me
Home/on the go
It is very hard for me to just play Zelda on the go as I want to play forever. Bomberman is good for the road and short stops.
When it comes to the Switch I honestly do not have a preferred mode, but within that comment I can add so far with some games I've done far more or entirely one mode over the other. In the 50 plus hours on Zelda every moment was on the TV. I'm not even sure why but it just was that way.
Yet when I played my physical copy of I Am Setsuna I probably put 2/3 of that time in handheld mode. There was no benefit other than I could stretch out on the couch and relax playing it as it's not so intense in an RPG.
Binding of Isaac is more intense kind of, yet that one I did use pretty much exclusively the few hours I've used it just as a portable. Blaster Master 0 I don't think I've used on the TV either other than to see it.
I've not but once or twice used Puyo Puyo Tetris, Mario Kart 8 or Lego City Undercover due to just leaving town and being pretty busy after coming back. I don't dislike them, but I've got stuff going on and too much on my plate so distraction sets in so I can't be fair to say either way on those.
System is a hybrid for me. I take it to work daily and play on my breaks and then play docked on the weekend.
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