PSA: Nintendo Switch Sports Local Multiplayer Won't Work On Switch Lite Or In Tabletop Mode

Excuse me? Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has split screen multiplayer on tabletop. I mean, I guess it's such a tiny screen that playing sports is a little dangerous, but why remove the option entirely instead of throwing an advisory?

@ModdedInkling because this is a sports game that recquires you to move around?

This is one of those weird Nintendo decisions. Game could absolutely run in tabletop, but because it’s not the “ideal” way to play, Nintendo blocks it entirely rather than just let people work it out for themselves. Not the end of the world but also an unnecessary restriction.

@Xiovanni
I literally said that lol...

@Arkay Refer to my response above

@MJL
I agree. There's really no real reason unless people suddenly wanted to sue Nintendo for doing something they could've avoided themselves.

Kind of weird. Probably not very comfortable to play with another person, both looking at a small screen and moving around. But in my opinion it should still be possible, even if it is not an ideal way to play.

I wonder if this applies to bowling and upcoming golf where people take turns anyway...

there's plenty of other games for the switch that involve swinging your arms around, i mean i know we've all forgotten it by now but... 1-2 switch anyone? the game literally designed to advertise table-top mode? there was quite a few games in there that you could accidentally smack someone in the head over

I see where this is going… Switch Sports Battle Royale - two or more people flail around a tiny screen while playing sports to be the last one standing, no holds bar.

Can someone please clarify if local multiplayer means split screen multiplayer? Because local multiplayer in Nintendo terms usually means when you connect to another console

you can actually "dock" the Switch Lite to play on TV if you know what your doing

I remember Mario Tennis Aces imposing similar limitations, such as not being able to play with two people in tabletop mode (with motion controls anyway).

It’s understandable, but nevertheless annoying. I guess Nintendo thinks it’s better for PR not to risk silly children knocking their Switch across the room, akin to how countless silly billies destroyed their TVs with Wii Remotes back in the day.

And even though you think it would never happen, and despite one’s delusions of diligence, I did end up unintentionally throwing my Wii Remote across the room once or twice (fortunately missing the plasma screen).

Nintendo had the choice to risk bad PR with motion-destroyed Switches or impose precautionary measures. They’re damned if they do and damned if they don’t, but the latter seems the most prudent and consumer-conscious.

@JazzyPone : But the games that require the flailing of limbs do not require players to look at the screen, which is quite different to Switch Sports, where you would need to view a relatively tiny screen from a distance while throwing your arm about.

Seems like a very pointless restriction. Guess its cus motion controls, but... I fail to see how that it worse when playing tabletop mode anyways. And besides, have you played any games in local multiplayer in tabletop mode? Its AWFUL in almost every way. If you can get use out of it then I don't really see why this should be restricted per game. Just odd to me.

@Zulzar : I strongly disagree with handheld mode being a “gimmick”. I and many others use our Switch as a handheld console the overwhelming majority of the time, but the beauty of the console’s flexibility is that it still allows for games like Switch Sports, Mario Golf, and ARMS with motion controls (whether exclusively or optionally).

I rarely play games via a TV, but I nevertheless love the option to do so when friends/family are over or if I go to a friend’s place. The Switch is almost everything that I’ve ever wanted from a video game console, and it’s great to be able to play the latest and greatest with minimal compromise (as I rarely played my Wii U as I preferred gaming on the 3DS).

And I guess for those who don’t care for couch multiplayer and want what is essentially a new generation Game Boy can opt for the Lite, but for the money, I agree that it’s a poor value proposition when the original Switch can be had for only marginally more, but ultimately it’s up to the customer to decide what is best for them, and it’s obviously selling in decent quantities considering that they’re still on shelves alongside the more feature-rich alternatives.

@Zulzar Given that "30% of players used the Switch almost exclusively in handheld mode versus 20% who played in docked mode only, while the remaining 50% play in both a significant chunk of the time" (per Nintendo's publically released statistics), I don't think it can be called a gimmick.

This tells me Lite is heading for RETIREMENT.

It's baffling to me that people still complain, despite even knowing that the game is not going to be compatible with Switch Lite, and they knew that Switch Lite doesn't support TV mode. The fact that the Switch Lite was released about 3 years ago, and everyone on the Internet know about it not supporting TV mode. But yeah, let's complain about something because there's nothing else to complain.

To clear up, I'm not defending Nintendo, but some people need to do some research before deciding.

You can also only unlock 2 items a week if you aren’t subscribed to Switch Online. If you bought the game without subscribing then it’s literally a scam.

Not a fan of the joycons, or flailing my arms around like when playing Wii and Wii-U games. I was hoping Nintendo would offer multiple ways of playing Switch Sports, like implementing non-motion controls that could be used with the Pro Controller. Oh well, Pass.

@nessisonett
Isn't that done to prevent people from just unlocking everything by playing against CPUs?

I’m nopeing harder on this game by the day.

@Zulzar The Switch being a hybrid is it's biggest selling point next to the games and the reason it's so successful. The versatility and flexibility it offers are why many people bought it and like it at all.
Btw I've put several hundred hours into BotW in handheld and in docked mode each and it runs exactly the same in both modes.

@nessisonett what seriously??

@MJL People will probably ***** on Nintendo anyways

@link3710 Out of the people who did the survey. Just because it's popular doesn't mean it isn't a gimmick. Which it is.

It annoyed me when I first sw this message, but honestly I get it. This is the kinda game nintendo want to avoid as many injuries and TV breaks from. It's obviously inevitable, but I get why theye would restrict kids and even adults scrunching by a switch to play wide angle motion controls

@Azooooz agreed, you pay less for more limitations with the switch lite, that's its schick. The device isn't meant to be owned by everyone or play every game conveniently. Its honesltly more comfy being the system parents by multiples of for their kids that all want switches, not the avid Nintendo fan who wants to play every game out there

@Zulzar I'm pretty sure what the dude was referring to with the data wasn't a survey but data that Nintendo gathered. Now, as you said just because something is popular doesn't mean it's not a gimmick. Likewise, just because something is a gimmick doesn't mean that it's bad.

Edit: I will add that I don't give a rats bottom if you personally dislike playing in handheld. You do what is right for you. It's the talking down of "most people" and the attitude that you know something they don't that is urging people to tell you how wrong you are.

This game is a f***ing mess, absolute disgrace to a once great series, could have fooled me that it was made by Nintendo

Classic Nintendo two fingers to the customer.

This isn't Nintendo at its best, but it certainly is Nintendo at its most.

This is done because people will wave their hands around close to each other, hit each other & then sue Nintendo. Sounds stupid but people have sued Pop Tarts as there isn't enough "real strawberry" in a strawberry Pop Tart. Worst thing is that even if Nintendo wins, in places like America they wouldn't necessarily get their court costs back.. they just lose thousands of dollars per case.

Bet this was Nintendo's way of not getting sued for people being too close and swinging at each other

@Zulzar People having made the Switch a hybrid was a mistake since long before its a release.. I remember tonnes of long since missing posters claiming it was "Nintendoomed". However, the Switch is ridiculously successful & outselling its competitors when there's stock and its certainly not down to its power.

Even if we call the hybrid aspect of the Switch a gimmick (personally disagree but respect your opinion), it allowed Nintendo to merge its handheld & console divisions for a more regular stream of output and marketing. That in itself makes it worthwhile as lack of output & poor marketing killed the WiiU.

For honesty's it's sake, I mostly play docked but do take my Switch out and about occasionally or play in the kitchen when my rooms hot. Personally appreciate the versatility.

@Zulzar No it's not.

@BTB20 @Zulzar

Well, technically, BotW running exactly the same in both modes IS wrong, because it runs demonstrably better in handheld mode.

There are several tests out there confirming this and was a fairly hot topic of discussion when the game released, because you would expect the opposite.
The game tends to stutter in random locations, but only in docked mode.
Though docked mode got a bit better with patches. Handheld mode pretty much has rock solid 30fps.

Also: Calling handheld mode a gimmick is kinda strange.
Is the 3DS being a handheld also a gimmick then? By that logic it should be.
What if I call docked mode a gimmick? What in the world even is a gimmick at that point?

@Kirgo Well I noticed stuttering in Korok forest for instance and when there's a lot of explosions and stuff going on in both handheld and docked. Just my experience.

Yeah this makes sense, for purely motion controlled games, 2 players right next to each other, focusing on a small screen while getting physical is a recipe for disaster.

At this rate breath of the wild 2 I wont-work while playing docked. Only handheld

@BTB20
That is possible, Korok Forest especially is infamous for performance issues after all.

But in docked mode, you already had performanc issues even on the great plateau directly at the games beginning, at seemingly random spots without that much happening. In handheld mode, you got rock solid 30fps in the same situations.
The performance in docked mode got better with patches, as mentioned, but I don't remember it getting to quite the same level as handheld mode...
But maybe I am wrong on that, and it is solved entirely at this point.

@SwitchForce You mean Re-lite-ment

The dream of switch-advert-core rooftop Wii sports is dead.

@Zulzar That's based on diagnostic data from Nintendo, not a survey. So it's much more representative, since it includes everyone who connects their switch to the internet at all (I.E. the overwhelming majority of owners since you can't patch without doing that). It's not some random survey.

Also, having played through BotW several times swapping between modes, I can agree: It doesn't have any more performance issues in handheld than docked, other than the obvious and expected drop in target resolution.

Someone may have already mentioned this, but the switch lite really should've been able to connect to a dock. It can be an additional accesory, literally anything it's just really dumb

Thats an easy non sale from me nintendo... i thought we were past this

@Zulzar

Absolute nonsense.

99.9% of the games work just fine on handheld. This is the equivalent of some games needing a superscope or some kind of extra peripheral to play the game except if you have a regular Switch you already got it.

Nintendo made clear on the eshop that this game was not compatible with tabletop mode or handheld mode from the start so if people still bought it expecting it to be fully functional in those modes then more fool them.

@ModdedInkling That's the majority of lawsuits, these days...

@tseliot
Yeah, I can definitely see where those come from.

@Zulzar Yes dude. A 103.54 million units sold MiZtake.

Right.

Whoever bought a Lite won't care to play this one. And whoever cares to play this one with friends will, logically, play it docked. As it should be.

No big science or conspiracy here. No one (except Nintendo "fans" that want Nintendo to be bought by Microsoft or something) will care or make a big deal about it.

This is just another tweet being replicated by the media trying to make a controversy from nothing.

@KindofaBigDeal Nintendo made clear on the eshop that this game was not compatible with tabletop mode or handheld mode from the start so if people still bought it expecting it to be fully functional in those modes then more fool them.

How people don't do their homework is their own fault.

This is ridiculous. Ever since the Switch was announced, i thought table top bowling was an amazing way to sell the system to casuals. You could bring it to the office and play a game on break

@SwitchForce i mean it’s buying a video game, doesn’t seem like homework is needed. For a game to lack the systems standard functions is ridiculous. When you buy the Switch, you should expect the games to use the systems features. Its as dumb as a DS game with 1 screen or a smart phone that doesn’t allow earbuds when making certain calls

@theGamerPad It's trivially easy to do some basic reading on the store page or back of the box. If the end user can't even be trusted to do that, then whatever they end up with is on them.

seems like a weird limit, but also playing 2 player or more on that little screen doesn't seem ideal for most of the sports. And as was mentioned, people would be hitting each other because they'd have to be close to each other to look at that little screen. Lots of people would be injured or worse, and Nintendo would get tons of lawsuits over something like that. I'm sure their many lawyers made sure to nip this in the bud before it became a problem.