Comments 766

Re: Feature: Every Switch 2 Launch Game, Ranked

OrtadragoonX

@larryisaman

It’s got a lot of what I like to call Euro-jank in both the story presentation and the game play. I happen to like Euro-Jank story presentation so I like how it’s told. But some who are more used to how Japanese and American developers present their stories might find it more obtuse than it needs to be. As for the Euro Jank gameplay… Stalker taught me a long time ago how to put up with it. Although I admit it’s the one game I own on Switch 2 where I just can’t comfortably use it in pure handheld mode. I got to table top it with my pro controller.

Re: Feature: Every Switch 2 Launch Game, Ranked

OrtadragoonX

@PharoneTheGnome

It’s one of the few examples of a game that completely repaired its first time image. Most of the time a game that launches that bad stays that bad in reception for ever. But Cyberpunk is an example of a great game that was buried under a mountain of technical problems. Once that was fixed and they fleshed it out a bit more with content updates over the years, the great foundation came shining out. It’s gaming’s best redemption story.

Re: Poll: Have You Won Knockout Tour Online In Mario Kart World Yet?

OrtadragoonX

I’ve cam in first on Knockout online once. Just once. I got insanely lucky honestly. I was in second but the item box gave me a gold mushroom. So I was able to blast by the 1st place player at the last possible second.

I’ve had a few podium finishers though. One thing I learned playing it is that being in first is detrimental to your success until arguably the last cycle. You really want to stay in 2nd or 3rd for most of the race just to how many blue shells are gunning for the #1 spot most of the time.

Re: Smash Bros. Pro Loses 11-Year Sponsorship After "Inappropriate Conduct" At Mario Kart World Tournament

OrtadragoonX

@nessisonett

Some people are just insanely stupid. I don’t even cuss around my kid. And he’s only a year and half old. And I have the mouth of sailor. But I can control myself around him. It’s crazy seeing people who just act like total animals in front of their kids. Especially when their kids are at influential ages and will think that sort of behavior is normal and perfectly acceptable.

Re: Digital Foundry Delivers Its Tech Review For Pokémon Scarlet & Violet On Switch 2

OrtadragoonX

Yeah I tested Scarlet out. It runs a ton better. But the update really brings out the early PS3 era textures (at best) that the game was saddled with. And the open world elements look arguably worse than GTA San Andreas on PS2. That’s not a joke. And this is one ugly ass game. The new resolution bump switch 2 brings really hurts it. But it does run like a hot knife through butter now.

Re: Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade Scores Switch 2 Release Window

OrtadragoonX

Played the hell out of it on PS5. So I won’t be getting it.

Now if they release Part 2 on Switch 2 I’ll double dip on that one. Because I never finished it (only got to chapter 3) before life got so hectic unpacked up my PS5 and I’m trying to sell it at the moment. Something plugged in all the time doesn’t fit my lifestyle anymore.

Re: Xbox Officially Enters The Handheld Space, But Nintendo Won't Be Worried

OrtadragoonX

It’s cool. But it’s not exactly the same kind of device. I suspect the Switch 2 is much easier to live with. And unless they’ve learned the dark arts, these things will have battery lives measured in 40 minute increments on demanding games. Cause that’s how the Rog Ally currently is. Switch 2 already has bad battery life (I know, I have one) so I suspect these devices, which have dramatically more powerful components, will be a lot worse.

Re: Digital Foundry Delivers Its Mario Kart World Tech Review - "Nintendo's Artistry Stands Out The Most Here"

OrtadragoonX

@Automated_Unit_4937

It’s chaotic and addictive in the best ways. Highest I’ve gotten so far is 4th on a few races. On Knockout online I’ve survived one total race to the end in 3rd out of a few dozen races.

Like all Mario Karts you tend to get screwed right before the end of a race by something dumb. But it’s so fun you don’t feel bad about it. It’s just hella chaotic with 24 people though.

Re: Poll: Switch 2 Battery Reportedly Lasting Under Two Hours With Mario Kart - How Is Yours Holding Up?

OrtadragoonX

@Peach64

Yeah I don’t think OLED Switch users will be extra happy with things other than the power increase. But those of us coming from OG Switches or Mariko Switches (like I did) it’s a gigantic update.

I was afraid to even use the kickstand on my Mariko model. I only used it once to insert an SD card. Other than that I never popped it out in the six years I owned it. Whereas I find the kickstand on this Switch 2 perfectly useable and safe.

Re: Poll: Switch 2 Battery Reportedly Lasting Under Two Hours With Mario Kart - How Is Yours Holding Up?

OrtadragoonX

@Darthmoogle

Yeah I hope so. That said, I hope they add an option to only charge for 80%. In terms of temperature variations and max battery longevity before they degrade, 20-80% capacity is the sweet spot. Charging above 80 usually raises the temperature, which is why all devices dramatically throttle down from the charger from 80-100%.

For my use case, 20 to 80 would serve fine for my daily use case, which is normally docked during the day and handheld at night next to a charger. And I could always charge to 100% in those rare times (like long car rides where I’m not driving, which is rare) to max my life off the charger.

Re: Switch 2 eShop "Top-Selling" Games At Launch Revealed

OrtadragoonX

Mine came with MKWT. And I have the NSO Expansion Pass so I downloaded the upgrade for Tears of the Kingdom.

But I haven’t bought any native software for the system yet. Plan is to wait for the first games to go on sell and then get a few. I’m playing alot of Switch OG games I never finished right now in addition to Mario Kart.

Re: Poll: Switch 2 Battery Reportedly Lasting Under Two Hours With Mario Kart - How Is Yours Holding Up?

OrtadragoonX

@7h0r

Yeah people don’t understand that you haven’t needed to calibrate lithium batteries since like 2006.

This thing just has bad battery life. It isn’t the end of the world for those who lived with the OG Phat PSP or even the Game Gear back in the day.

As for why it’s bad, I suspect the APU is the main culprit. The T239 is a bit of a power hog compared to the Tegra X1 the OG Switch had, considering it was originally designed for car infotainment systems where power draw wasn’t a real concern. And it’s using an 8 nanometer production process so it’s going to draw more power than a brand new 4 nanometer chip anyway.

Re: Poll: Switch 2 Battery Reportedly Lasting Under Two Hours With Mario Kart - How Is Yours Holding Up?

OrtadragoonX

@GravyThief

The APU is the combined CPU/GPU. Unlike older consoles (like the 360 and PS3) that had a separate CPU/GPU on the board, modern consoles have them integrated into one unit.

Nanometer refers to the production scale and transistor density of the die. A lower number means that more transistors are fitted into a smaller space and are more efficient. The PS5 Pro, for example, is about a 5 nanometer process for its APU. The Switch 2, according to reports (not confirmed by Nintendo, but strongly hinted at by nVidia) is using an 8 nanometer process for its APU. Basically it’s cheaper and generally more reliable since 8NM chip dies have been in production for a long time now so all the kinks have been worked out. But it’s less efficient and draws more power.

Re: Hardware Review (In Progress): Nintendo Switch 2 - A Faster, Slicker, Sexier Switch

OrtadragoonX

Alright now that I’ve had a day with it I’ll give my summary points.

Positives
1. The build quality is fantastic. It’s not quite Apple good, but it’s a huge improvement over the OG Switch build quality. Feels like a premium electronic instead of a toy.
2. The screen is fantastic for an LCD. It’s not an OLED no. But for those of us who never owned a Switch OLED it’s a giant leap forward.
3. The Joy Con 2 is a giant improvement in terms of comfort and usability. Wish the left one had a DPAD but I know why they set up like they did. The analog sticks are actually useable this time.
4. The kick stand is great and I finally feel comfortable using table top mode (which is important for one of the negatives I’ll mention)
5. The magnetic connection is a giant improvement over the rail system. It’s super solid.
6. OS allows you to manipulate the battery behavior. Should increase its longevity.
7. The resolution improvements is a godsend for 4K TVs, even on games that don’t run at native 4K.
8. I only tried Soul Calibur II on the GameCube NSO app, but it looks and runs great.

Cons
1. The battery life is pretty whack. Mario Kart only lasted about two hours before the low battery warning came on from a near full charge. And even playing the Game Boy Advance NSO app (started a playthrough of Sacred Stones, one of my favorite GBA games from back in the day) drains the battery surprisingly fast. I’ll definitely need to invest in another portable battery for this thing. Playing in table top with the top USB-C port is a god send.
2. The OS feels super samey as Switch OG. Even with the resolution bump. They didn’t really add anything to it.
3. You can’t turn it on with an OG Pro Controller. And that just screams laziness on Nintendo’s part. It wouldn’t have been that hard to update the firmware on the controller so it would work.

Overall, I really like this thing. The only big complaint I have is the battery life. But I also owned a Phat PSP back in the day and it’s about the same as that handheld was.

Re: Hardware Review (In Progress): Nintendo Switch 2 - A Faster, Slicker, Sexier Switch

OrtadragoonX

@AllBLK

It’s not great at all in terms of battery life.

But if you owned a Phat PSP like I did, it’s shockingly similar when you compare it to the PSP on its original small battery and playing UMD games or movies. Only time that thing got decent battery life for me was when I was listening to music on it with the screen turned off. If I played a game like Untold HLegends or Burnout on it, it would last maybe 2 and a half hours. Same with Switch 2 and Mario Kart.