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It seems that a lot of views on hacking are pretty black and white here. Hacking by itself isn’t cheating, isn’t unethical, and isn’t illegal. Unless it is used for cheating or stealing (as it often is), there is nothing wrong with innovating electronics that you own. Otherwise all of us who added d-pads to joycons, or for that matter anyone who put a piece duct tape over a cheap battery compartment that doesn’t close well are also unethical cheaters. What it does amount to sometimes, though is rulebreaking. And as long as Nintendo discloses how continued access to their services could be denied by specific rules being broken, he really doesn’t have much of a defense. And look, I realize the hacks in question here probably did have to do cheating or stealing. So, though I admit comparing a controller or shell mod to adding hombrew to system is an exaggerated comparison, I won’t agree with the sentiment that all hardware hacking is equal to cheating or stealing.

One of my most played psp and vita titles. I still wish this was a compliation that included at least the second game. I really liked puzzle mode. Since it’s been so long since I played the psp version, many of the puzzles might be like brand new puzzles to me.

Looks neat. Probably won’t be too expensive. I’m sure I’ll end up getting it if it isn’t.

Cool. I’m glad I waited now. Didn’t want to get until I finished Azran legacy. Now putting it off means I get to play it on the Switch with bonus content. I hope they’re quick about localizing.

I wasn’t imagining this would be more than $20. I might get it for $15, because the original was a very fun little tower defense. But $40 and up are only for special games. There are still plenty of other games that I want in my collection more than this one.

No. Do an F-zero and Starfox separately. I want a flying Starfox. I feel like I’m the only one who kind of liked the control scheme in Starfox Zero. It had a hard learning curve, but once you got used to it it worked. But given how unpopular it was, and the fact that you can’t play Switch split screen, we would probably get more traditional controls for it. Please, just be a flight game, not a racer.

If this is exclusive to Japan, why is it English text? And not just some limited English like Gundam Unicorn, but entirely English even though they’re reviewing the game in Japanese. Good for us, I guess, if we decide to buy from the Japanese eshop.

There are more than enough differences in the joycons and these in form and fuction alone to obliterate this lawsuit. Then bring in the fact that joycons are not meant for tablets or phones, but for Nintendo’s own console, so there was never any direct competition anyway. If they could claim a patent on something as stupidly general as attachable controllers, then we wouldn’t all be using wireless gamepads, because the first maker of wireless controller would still have a patent on a now obsolete product from the 90’s, and we’d still be tethered to our consoles in 2018. (If we wanted to play on any other consoles besides what the wireless controllers play on). That would become a monopoly on progress. Who would want that. I mean other thsn the patent trolls themselves.

@Nincompoop
The gameplay itself may be simple. But you can’t get the higher scores by playing mindlessly. There’s some strategy to where and how you place each block, and that combined with procedural learning helping you decide faster each time. Then of course there was the increasingly difficult puzzle mode in lumines 2. I wish we could get that mode in this version.

@Roam85
No way. Meteos is an ok puzzle game, equal to many others. Lumines is the best.

Aw man, I was really hoping this would be out this month. I was checking the eshop every other day for a release date. Now I have to wait all the way till the end of June?
All well, at least we finally get a release date. The silence was killing me.

I’m going try this later. I like how flat and compact they are. They would slide right in to my switch case. Some of those switch card cases that carry more than 6 cards are pretty bulky for some reason.

@thiz Sounds like you just shouldn’t have pets at all, or ever go out into nature. They’re animals, not people. And animals of almost every variety can be observed doing far more horrific things than not showing respecful sentiment for the dead. Cats and dogs are both predators. Thousands of years of domestication won’t change that. Besides, humans do pretty bad things too.

As much as I want Mario Maker Switch, this could be pretty good. I’ll wait to hear more.

I saw the American version of one these years ago. I can admit that I was a bit tempted, and I really do see the appeal for people that already have an SNES game collection. But I already have a portable way to play some SNES classics on either a 3ds or a GBA micro. I actually keep the two systems stored together along with games, and they still take up way less space than this bulky thing does by itself without games. All this article does for me is remind me how much I want virtual console on my Switch.

I know nsmb2 wasn’t the best of the nsmb games, and getting 1ups was pretty pointless, but I still really enjoyed the game and it seems out of place included with all these others. Even though I haven’t played Hotel Mario or Atari Mario Bros., I think I would have given 1st place to the Atari Mario port. Hotel Mario, may have been weird and boring, but I would still rather play 10 minutes of it that terrible looking Atari Mario.

I think card amiibos would be alot more practical for there limited usefulness. Toys to life was a neat concept when it was new, especially when they unlocked an actual game character, but they’re really just statues, not actual toys, a collection takes up alot of space and is extremely expensive. I only have 2 amiibos, blue yarn Yoshi, and an Animal Crossing amiibo. Both were on sale. I might eventually get Megaman if I can find it. Cards would be way better, because not only could they produce and sell them cheaply, but you could keep your entire collection with you in your Switch case. I don’t like the idea of blind packs, though. I’m much more likely to try to collect something when I know what I’m getting. I’d probably end up looking for the ones I want on ebay.

I use an adonit jot pen for my touch screens. It’s the kind that just has a small metal tip. It’s way more precise that those aweful sponge tip styless pens. I’ve tried those disk tip types also, like the one featured here, and I didn’t like it much. It only worked well sometimes, and didn’t slide across my screen smoothly. The metal tip pens work really well, especially on a glass screen, and never scratches. It doesn’t have pressure sensitivity, though, so in drawing apps, you have to change your brush type in the menus. I’ve tried it on my Switch, and it works, but I haven’t seen too many uses for it on there, and I don’t have Splatoon 2 yet.

@SonOfVon
I have an older pro controller, so they may have fixed this in later models, but sometimes it registers the wrong input. It doesn’t feel like you can push a direction solidly, and that can affect games where precision and timing are important.
That being said, I highly recommend the pro controller for 3d games. It’s actually the most comfortable controller I’ve ever owned, and there is no better way to play Zelda in docked mode. For 2-d games that I prefer using the d-pad with, I use an 8bitdo in docked, or just portable since I have a d-pad on my joycons.

@Azathoth
You’re right that it doesn’t have a raised pivot point, but it has a slightly concave shape, so unless you’re really not paying attention or deliberately jabbing the center, it feels just as functional as some of the best d-pads I’ve used. As far as I can remember, I’ve never hit the wrong direction. With that concave shape, you’re thumbs just know where to go. I can’t say the same about using joycon buttons, or the horrible pro controller d-pad.

@roadrunner343 Yeah they’re Basstop, and they come in several colors. I’ve seen them mostly in translucent colors and clear, but I think they might have opaque colors too. It feels really good, better than the 3ds d-pad, mostly I think because the placement is more natural. You kind of have to curl your hand akwardly to use the 3ds d-pad, which can be painful after a couple of hours. Closest thing I can compare it with is the Wiiu d-pad. It has a similar size, placement and feel.

@retro_player_22
Hey, those are mine! I think these look way better than the Hori controllers. They match my old game boy color, too.

I still think the shell mod with d-pad is the best option. You use actual nintendo joycons, so no compromise in wireless or gyro, and you can have matching joycons. But you do have to risk opening your joycons. Considering how expensive they are, I can see why some would be hesitant. I have no regrets

The people who don’t understand the desire for a proper d-pad are most likely not playing the types of games where one would be necessary. Analogue sticks are hard to use with 2-d games that require precision and speed. The buttons are fine if you’re playing something that doesn’t reqiure diagnal motion, like tetris. It takes more time and mental effort to cover the right combination of buttons, instead of just tilting the d-pad. It’s quicker and more intuitive. I don’t think games like Megaman are even going to be playable in portable mode without a d-pad. As for those arguing that we can just use the pro instead, 1) the pro d-pad is miserable. It makes incorrect inputs, it’s tiny, and it’s located akwardly.2) Defeats the purpose of having a Switch. I like portable mode the best.

Something definitely needs to be done. Games disappear into a long unorganized list after just a few weeks, unless it’s a top seller. It’s not even alphabetized. Bad for gamers, really bad for developers. One positive to that arrangement for gamers, however, is that it could be a strong motivator for developers to put their games on sale. The sale category make games much more discoverable. I knew nothing about Heart snd Slash until I found it in the sale category in the eshop. I’m glad I did. It’s a fantastic game.

I’ll wait to hear and see more, but so far looks like a game I’d probably eventually get. One of three indies that got me interested.

I am really excited for this one. Probably my all time favorite puzzle game. Way better than both Tetris and Mateos, in my opinion. I have every version of this game including the older mobile version. One of the newer moble versions was just terrible and I deleted it. I still keep the older one on my phone. One thing I wish, though was that they gave us both psp games. The second one has a puzzle mode that makes you complete increasingly elaborate shapes. It gets pretty hard towards the end, and it’s so addictive.

@wazlon @Knuckles And actually I’m not even sure if a newer nes30 pro will do it anymore. I have an older fc30 pro that takes all of the older firmware updates. Later on I decided to get an nes30 pro, and it worked great but wouldn’t accept the firmware for ps3 or wiiu. Because my fc30 pro still took the firmware, I thought it was a problem with the hardware. But after two exchanges, they all did the same. They worked fine, just wouldn’t accept firmware for the older systems. So now I just keep the wiiu firmware on my old fc30 pro, and the nes30 pro is for Switch and Steam.

@aaronsullivan I’m really happy with my d-pad. It doesn’t feel like a rocker d-pad. It feels just like the d-pad on the wiiu gamepad. Even though we don’t have virtual console, alot of interesting 2-d indie games like Celeste have been coming to switch. You can play some of them like vvvv with an analogue stick, but it forces you to play slower. I don’t think I could even play a game like megaman without a d-pad.

I can see now looking at it on a larger screen, the joycons don’t have d-pads after all. Which make these even more pointless than I thought they were at this price. So I stick to my recommendation of finding some unique custom shells with the added functionality of a d-pad, for a fraction of the price.

@Magrane And no, the shell replacement can be a little difficult. Watch some youtube videos and take your time with it. If it’s possible, try to keep the original triwing screws in tact. Sometimes the replacement screws they send might be inferior quality, and even break while installing, which isn’t good. So either order some good phillips screws or try to not strip the triwings.

@Magrane Yeah, you might think it would feel wonky but it doesn’t. It feels and controls almost exactly like the Wiiu d-pad. I use it for any 2-d games. Mighty gunvolt burst, puyo puyo tetris, Master blaster all work great with a d-pad. I’m mostly looking forward to using it on all the megaman collections. And also Kirby and Yoshi and whatever we get as a virtual console. I also want to get Celeste. I think the d-pad would be better than the analogue stick on that one, too.

@Magrane They’re sold through Basstop, but you can buy from them through amazon. Just type in joycon d-pad. They are just shells, though, so you do have to take apart your joycons. It is worth it, though. And if you don’t care about having a matching pair, I think you can just buy the left one by itself for around $15.

If you want a d-pad though I actually really recomend the shells on amazon that you can get for $30, if you’re ok with opening up you’re joycons. I made my joycons look like a translucent purple gameboy color. And having a d-pad on my Switch is a dream come true.

I can’t be certain, but given that the hardware layout is the same as Nintendo, I I’m pretty sure these aren’t generic controllers, people. They are Nintendo controllers with custom shells put on them. So if that’s the case, you’re paying for Nintendo controllers, and the customized shells, and the labor of switching shells. While the price may be high, you can buy other shells for Nintendo controllers for around $30 and put them on. And it’s not just a simple matter of unscrewing the shells. There lots of little tiny things that come apart, that you have reattatch to the new shells. And those triwing screws are really easy to strip. So, still really expensive for these, but gives more context to the price.

@Thisismycomment
The button layout for the pro controller appears the same. I’m pretty sure these are just shells they put on Nintendo controllers. As for the joycons, it looks like they added the d-pad onto the retro style, but it’s hard to tell in the one sideways view picture of the left joycon. Which is odd. If that thing has a d-pad, it should be one of the most important selling points.

Why wasn’t Fe on the list? After Fe, I might get Celeste.

I really wanted this game before the reviews. But now I’m in the middle if a few others with even more on my future wishlist. If it really is better, I’ll definitely get it, just later.

Fe for me. Probably will get it even if the review isn’t great. I really want that game. It looks amazing.

Are there any games on switch that allow you to use the joycons like lightguns? One thing I miss about the Wii is playing lightgun type games like Elebits. I used to play that with one of those nerf guns molded for Wiimotes. I wish Spatoon 2 had those kind of controls.

I’d like to have a Nano-assault game on Switch. Preferably a new one since I beat the other 2. But at the right price, I’d take the WiiU version.

@NEStalgia Oh yeah, I just tested it to confirm. I think the r2 button gets triggered when I pull it out of the zipper case that I keep it in. I don’t touch it, but the button is slightly on the back of the system and gets triggered by moving in the case.

@NEStalgia They do turn on when you pick them up. I have the clear purple shell on my mine, and I get to see the cool little green lights flashing on through the shell whenever I pick up my Switch.

@chardir Correction. On second viewing, the objects are string triggers, just like the feet. I don’t know, I think gyro punching would have been neat.

@chardir But then what are the other 2 small objects the kid is holding. It looks like he would need them for gyro input for punching. I mean, they could be activating buttons on the other joycons, like the feet do, possibly. But I think for a more immersive experience, “Arms style” gyro controls would be more fun. But then would, of course, require 4 joycons. I’m not certain, because they weren’t shown up close, but it did look like the objects he was holding were about the size of joycons.

I’ll think I’ll wait for the second variety kit. Hopefully it contains the camera, the gun, and the aviation game. But I definitely want to see what those games look like first.

@NovaCam
If the design patterns can be downloaded for free, then $80 seems really high for a model that doesn’t even have the game. I mean if the variety set contains all games for every peripheral they intend to make, I would be very motivated to try and make all the others myself instead of buying them. Also, it looks like the robot requires 4 joycons. Just an observation.

@Pizzashapes I was thinking the exact same thing. Even when I played the original, I wished for a camera peripheral.

I wonder what the price is for the game by itself. None of the accessories from the variety set interest me much. The piano is cute, but I can’t see myself playing with it for very long. The camera looks interesting. So does the light gun and possible flight game. Is the variety kit the price of the game and the accessories? And if the game includes a lot more variety than just the basic set, then I think the price may be pretty reasonable. If you can print up plans for the cardboard accessories, and especially knowing the schematics, can make your own out of whatever materials you want, this game could actually be kind of neat. I could even see some people 3d printing some of the accessory parts. Not everyone, obviously will want to put that much work into a game, but this is clearly trying to appeal people and especially kids who like Maker projects. The biggest consideration for me will be the quality of the games. Are the games themselves fun to play and replay? Or is the focus mostly on building the toys?

It would likely only slow down the cpu if you downloaded every app mentioned, which of course would be a personal choice that is entirely optional. I doubt that adding one or two streaming or voicechat apps would do much of anything.

And Nintendo don’t have to expend any time or energy whatsoever on a Netflix app. The just have to give Netflix the ok, like they did with hulu. It would be almost no effort on their part. And it would’t be any compromise for Switch owners who don’t want Netflix. It’s not like Nintendo is sitting there debating whether to develop their next AAA game or allow the creation of a Netflix app.