hammers1man

@Fartsniffer69 They crucified Jedi Survivor Unreal Engine performance and I mean they really did big time. It was Unreal 4 engine, so hardly any Epic bias I feel.

@Filthy You have highlighted the parts of the game I though I wouldn't like about. I will wait for a sale that will never come. Bloody hell is Nintendo Store really charging £50 for Donkey Kong Returns, a game that came out on the Wii. Games are so expensive. I actually like the look of Tropical Freeze more than this but again £50. Games for this Switch are just too expensive.

Where in the review does it say they dropped a point because of performance issues. I keep reading this in the comments here but can't see it in the actual review. I have never seen so many complaints for a 9/10 from people who haven't played the game start to finish. 9 out of 10 is a great score, too many 10 out of 10 are thrown out there especially for Nintendo first party games.

@OldGamer999 Yes it's such a shame that 120Hz VRR isn't an option when docked. Would be a much smoother experience if the game drops below 60fps.

I have probably jinxed myself but I have never had stick drift including on my Switch Joy Cons or it's Pro controller or any other controller over the years going back to the early consoles. So it's not something I worry about. The Switch 2 Pro controller is a fantastic controller with great battery life, I have yet to charge it a second time, so I expect the battery to last a few years because of less battery charge cycles.

@jsty3105 @jsty3105 I never have had problem with even the Ally X weight.It is funny you say extended playtime as the joycon controllers are way too uncomfortable for me to play the device for longer playtimes as they are terribly designed in my opinion, where the new pro controller is absolutely fantastic and one of my favourite controllers. The new Xbox handheld designed handgrips is what all handhelds should be looking at. You just wouldn't buy a really uncomfortable controller so why settle for one in a handheld.

@RasandeRose The OG ROG Ally weighs 670g, not massively heavier than the Switch 2 with double the battery capacity.
Are bezels a huge problem if you have good battery life and let's face it battery life is the most important thing in a handheld.
I sold my Ally purely because of poor battery life and got the X version which more than doubled the OG Ally battery life.
I am extremely disappointed with the battery life of the Switch 2 which kinda kills it as a portable handheld for me.
I am happy with it as a huge improvement over the Switch docked though.

@jsty3105 The best thing about the Switch 2 is that it is a VRR 120Hz panel. The poor response time is really disappointing as I was expecting a gaming LCD screen with VRR to not have ghosting like a cheaper LCD monitor from 10 years ago. But the positives for me is that I can play games at 60fps and higher that I couldn't on my Switch, I just can't do 30fps gaming no matter how I try. My original Switch has not been used for 4 years, so picking up BOTW and enjoying the experience so much now is so refreshing. I never bothered about a Switch OLED because 30hz on an OLED is worse than on an LCD because of an OLED's super fast response times.

@jsty3105 The best thing about my ROG Ally X is VRR, it makes a huge difference. The ROG Ally's VRR range is 48hz to 120hz but if your frames drop down to even 24fps it uses LFC which duplicates frames to sit inside that VRR range. I love OLED my TV in the lounge is OLED as is my TV I use for my desktop PC.
I have been using Gsync monitors since 2015 and now my TV's are also Gsync. I just wouldn't drop VRR as I have been using it on all my displays and I mean that even for OLED.

@jsty3105 OLED VRR draws way too much power and that's why you don't see it in any handhelds.
Yeah it's a big thing in gaming laptops but gaming laptops have rubbish battery life.
I have a laptop with 250hz mini LED VRR and the HDR on it is wonderful. The next best thing to OLED, Mini LED tends to be brighter than OLED but apparently Mini LED VRR draws a lot of power also and the battery life on my laptop is shockingly bad.
Until we have OLED VRR panels that are more power efficient we won't be seeing the technology in any handhelds even ones with large batteries.

@jsty3105 The reason Asus and Microsoft have not gone VRR OLED is that it uses 2.5 times the power of VRR LCD and they see it as a gaming device so weren't prepared to drop VRR for an OLED panel similar to the Steam Deck.

@TromboneGamer Honestly 540p or less upscaled to 1080p is horrid. The target should be minimum 720p to 1080p for a decent image. I use DLSS all the time on my RTX 4080 desktop and RTX 4080 laptop. The upscaling is great on higher resolution but lower resolution DLSS can't produce miracles. 540p upscaled to 1080p will look rough.

@TromboneGamer You will find a lot of games will be 720p unscaled to 1080p with DLSS going forward. This would give a better image on an 8 inch screen without the overhead of 1080p.

@sixrings I think they wanted VRR as that is the Switch 2's crutch when it is struggling with framerates in handheld mode. Personally I would always pick VRR over OLED, obviously both would be perfect but VRR is a game changer for lower spec handheld devices.

@RasandeRose A 7 inch screen and a 40W hour battery would of been the way to go and would of given it more than double it's current battery life and be more compact to boot. Surprised they went 8 inch really.

@RasandeRose That's why you have to go bigger for better battery life because the Switch 2 is the best power efficient device out there, way better than the Steam Deck.
.A 19.7 W hour is half the size of the launch ROG Ally and a quarter of the size of the 80w hour in the Ally X. If Nintendo putt in a 40W hour battery we would be looking at double the battery life and nobody would be complaining about the battery life. Tbh how much larger would it make the device to go 40W hr, a little bit thicker I think but not too much. The Switch 2 is so thin to the point that I wouldn't like to drop it without a case.
But weight is the main thing they were worried about because the device can't be too heavy for children as that is a big part of their market.
I was disappointed we didn't have a minimum 40W hour battery
If the Switch 2 had an 80W hr battery we would be getting minimum 8 hours on Switch 2 games.. That would add a lot of weight. It is just incredible how small the Rog Ally X is with such a large battery.

@Jeronan Power draw optimization is absolutely fantastic on the Switch 2. Battery optimisation isn't the problem I just think the battery is way too small for the device with it's larger screen. Would a thicker heavier device just be too much for younger players, I think that's why they put in a smaller battery.
Personally I like the fact that a lot of games are targeting 60fps at 120hz VRR rather than 30hz but higher frame rates draw more power.
I would rather 120hz with less battery life but there should be options in upcoming games for 30hz modes for greater battery life on the device.

@RasandeRose I am assuming you have tried the ROG Ally and Switch 2 then to confirm that the screens are the same? As I said I think the Ally has the better screen even though it doesn't support HDR, it has a better response time without any noticeable ghosting like the Switch 2 screen has. As I have the Ally X and a Switch 2 .I can confirm the Ally X display does not support HDR for desktop, apps or games.
I don't know where you get your info on the Ally's display supporting HDR but this is what I read about the display.
Asus' marketing explicitly made mention of Dolby Vision alongside Dolby Atmos. The former caused confusion because the display doesn't actually have HDR support and peaks at ~500 nits brightness. The ROG Dev team, via the official Discord server, later confirmed that the mention of "Dolby Vision" was in reference to the Ally supporting Dolby Vision passthrough via display-out on the USB-C port when connected to a display that supports Dolby Vision natively. Simply put, you won't get Dolby Vision (or even basic HDR) on the Ally's display panel, but in the event that you connect a higher-end external display, you'll be able to take advantage of Dolby Vision.

@RasandeRose I will also point out that you are wrong, the Ally and Ally X do not support HDR gaming with their screens. Windows 11 even tells you that the display does not support HDR for gaming or desktop or apps. So if there is no option in Windows to turn on HDR for desktop, apps and games so you are certainly not playing games in any form of even basic bare minimum HDR like the Switch 2 screen has.
I think where you are confused is that the Ally screen supports HDR for streaming video but so does my portable 15 inch 144hz monitor that I use when traveling. But like the Ally that was never advertised as a HDR screen.

@KoopaTheGamer Asus explained to the YouTuber The Phawx that VRR on an OLED uses 2.5 times more power than on an LCD VRR screen. It is more to do with the controller of the screen than the actual screen. Mini LED with VRR also uses too much power. So this is the main reason we don't have any OLED VRR handhelds yet, it is not about price as there would still be expensive PC handhelds with VRR OLED screens if this was the case.

@jojobar I think it is down to the individual, some notice it more than others. Tbh it is pointless that it is a HDR screen without local dimming , it should of just been a great SDR panel. I would of been happy with the same panel as the ROG Ally which is a really good 120hz SDR 1080p VRR screen.

@RasandeRose The Rog ally screen has a better response time and doesn't have that motion ghosting that the Switch 2 clearly has. The Switch 2 to me is comparable to those cheaper monitors with motion ghosting because of poor response times. The Ally's smaller screen gives it better pixel density so it also looks sharper than the Switch 2 screen and yes I prefer that 7 inch form factor. We obviously won't have OLED response rates on LCD but would of been nice to have had a better screen with less motion smearing. There are negatives to OLED also, 30hz capped 30ps I just can't played on an OLED, it's horrid. I stopped playing Breath of The Wild because of this. Crazy picking a game up 5 years later and tbh now it plays wonderfully on the Switch 2 docked on an OLED TV upscaled to 4K 60hz. For me it is probably gonna stay docked 90% of the time and my Ally X which has fantastic battery life is my traveling handheld.

@RasandeRose I have a ROG Ally X and the Ally and Ally X do not support HDR for games. I have a Switch 2 also and the Ally has a smaller but superior LCD screen.
Tbh unless you have mini LED or OLED it just isn't proper HDR in my book.
Not a deal breaker as HDR on a handheld is not massively important to me but on an OLED TV/monitor with great implementation it is a game changer.

@KasperDG That has more to do with your Skullcandys. I had a pair of Bose with dreadful latency. With my Sony WF-1000M3 and WH-1000M3 the latency is barely noticeable with Switch BT audio and I mean most people not looking for it would not even notice it and I am one of this people that can't watch TV with even a slight lip sync issue.
I did have a BT adapter for switch and was not happy with the latency so I am pleased to say it is much better than that.

@JaxonH That's my thought tbh I have had a GTX 1080 for 5 years and managed to get £450 for it .
Video cards here in the UK are much higher in price than the US so the £1400 price of the Gigibyte Gaming OC is not actually much higher than its msrp. The RTX 3080's were going for more than that and it was the card I was waiting since last October to get but would not pay double the price for one.
AS I game in 3440x1440 Utrawide with G-Sync, I think this card should last me longer than my previous one now DLSS is becoming mainstream, checked it out and it is impressive as is Ray Tracing.
The 2080ti is an great card which I did think about getting about 8 months before the 30 series came out.
Yes VRR is a godsend and I have been using G-Sync monitors since they first came out.

@JaxonH I am not sure I'd pay £200 for a cable but I am really pleased as he made one for me for helping him out. I did just buy a RTX 3080ti which is the most I've ever spent on any gaming don't regret it and will have to put in some overtime to help pay it off in a year 😟
Check out these reviews on his cables, a lot does go over my head. But nice he is doing well as he has a massive passion for headphones, like yourself.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cosmic-cables-impressions-and-discussion-thread.919770/

@JaxonH I am not quite the audiophile you are but I did feel the cable he made me gave a nicer sound for bass and especially snare drums. I also found the more you wear in the headphones the better they sound. Google cosmic cables and check out his custom made headphone cable site.
I do have a Sennheiser GSP 500 open back gaming headset if I play online with a mic. Actually quite a good sound but like the 660S they need a powerful headphone amp.

@JaxonH Yes we won't have audiophile quality with bluetooth quite as it can't match up to Hi Res quality. Bluetooth active noise cancelling headphones do have place for me in certain situations like gardening for example as well as a good pair of wired open backs for gaming and music.
Yes I wish I did take those 800S as they did sound amazing, the 660s have a nice sound with really good detail. Maybe not bass heavy but I don't really like bass heavy anyway. I listen to music through direct mode on my Soundblaster AE-7 card.
I didn't think Sony's own playstation headphones were Bluetooth, The 2.0 's I own are not. I think the DS4 controller uses BT audio, this also works on PC with the BT adapter I own which is annoying because It keeps switching audio to the controller when I connects it to PC . Also remember the Vita has bluetooth audio.

@JaxonH At least we are on the same page with Senneisser and Soundblaster then .
I listened to most music and PC games wired, open back headphones can't be beat for gaming and soundstage. My friend tried to sell me his pair of 800S he wanted £600 for them but already just bought the 660s. He owns so many headphones and has his own company making headphone cables, made me a custom claret and blue cable with pure silver wiring that he would sell for £200 on his site for helping him with his tax returns.
I have just tried my Sony's on bluetooth on the Switch and the latency is actually quite good. Much better than the bluetooth usb I had but never really used because of delay.
Also talking about bluetooth latency, the Amazon firestick has none that I can tell,I think it uses software to delay the picture. My Samsung TV which must use bluetooth SBC codec is unwatchable with bluetooth. I have also tried LDAC and AAC on my Sony Ultra HD Blu Ray player and AAC has very minimal latency.
Also latency also depends on the headphone some are worse than others.

@JaxonH As you obviously have never tried LDAC and seem to think all bluetooth audio is rubbish I'll explain . I only listen to flac files and Hi Res audio. My Sony WH-1000XM3 using Sony's connect headphone app on my Experia 5ii to the highest quality sound setting and I only use these headphones at home so no dropping the bit rate for connectivity problems. The sound quality is superb over bluetooth, as good as plugging into my phone's jack with the same headphones for CD quality sound. It's not like the Switch's DAC produces fantastic sound anyway. But I agree with you on latency for gaming.
I also have a pair of open back Senneisser HD660s which do show up the limits of the Switch's DAC anyway which is average at best but better than the Oculus Quest 2's which is just awful. Now if I plug those Senneissers into my £300 DAC in my PC they sound incredible. Shadow of The Tomb Raider in Dolby Atmos for headphones sounds as immersive as it gets in gaming.

@JaxonH LDAC 's 990kbps and 660kbps bit rate is as good as CD quality but still falls quite short of Hi Res audio quality.
https://www.soundguys.com/ldac-ultimate-bluetooth-guide-20026/

@JaxonH You obviously haven't heard of LDAC or aptx HD. Bluetooth can transmit CD quality audio with the right codec. Not quite up there with Hi Res music quality but Sony's LDAC codec comes very close to it

@Danrenfroe2016 You're right competition is great, it benefits the customer most. One of the reason PC gaming is such good value, you have stores competing against each other.
Steam Deck can be a great thing for Nintendo customers as maybe we might even see some realistic sales for Switch games. I have seen Witcher 3 on Steam for £6, has it ever been sold on Switch lower than £30.

@Heavyarms55 Massively expensive Steam Deck? 50 dollars more than a Switch OLED which is massively expensive for 6 year old tech. Nintendo are the scalpers with that machine, pure money grab as is the 10 year old slightly tweaked Wii Zelda game for $60.
On the subject of massively expensive, try some research of the price of Steam Deck games to Switch games.
To moan about the price of SLIGHTLY more expensive hardware and then pay extortionate software prices is not rational.
Put this into perspective the AYA NEO 512 GB version is $925 and the Steam Deck was running Doom at 58 fps compared to the Aya Neo's 38 fps.
Steam Deck is amazing value for the tech, I do think the cheapest model is selling at a loss for Valve.
I am not a Nintendo hater( I don't think much of the company's practices but they do produce some good games) I have about 50 games on Switch and BOTW is one of my favourite games, but I do think that Nintendo store is so expensive for older games with lackluster 3rd party ports.If you like indie games again much much cheaper on PC. I will only buy a few more games for my Switch now as I don't need to double dip anymore just for portability, and pay more than twice the price for a Switch version of the game.

@bobbypaycheque It's a handheld that is limited to a battery and small form factor, to compared it to a gaming desktop, gaming laptop or next gen consoles is crazy.
Even valve said they view this as a portable gaming device primarily, it will play games the same docked or from the battery. Though I am sure gamers can tweak the TDP to get more power out of it.
Actually comparing it to the PS4 or Xbox One is more accurate.

Here we go again 10 million is not niche and you don't need to install Windows to play Humble Bundle games.
Comparing a portable device to desktops and consoles is not realistic. We are talking about portable gaming and flexibility. It might not be for you but the Steam Deck is very exciting for many handheld gaming fans and maybe those that thought a Switch with an upgraded screen was alluring.

@Wexter Also I don't think Nintendo games are mediocre. I love BOTW one of the best game I have played. I just think that 3rd party games just feel really poor on the Switch. I have totally given up on Trials Rising because it is just crap on Switch, Trine games also. I was told the metro games were great on Switch, I can't see it at all. Not in my experience.I am done with 3rd party port on Switch as every game is such a downgrade.

@Wexter No niche is a minority, so if a system doesn't sell at a mass level does not make it niche. 10 million units does not MAKE it niche.
Yes the Switch sold well and it is great in your eyes . But to me it is locked in a bog standard eco system. You are basically stuck with 2015 mobile phone tech and it just feels so limited.
Not here to knock Switch but I am not paying crazy prices for absolute mediocrity. Outer Worlds, are we serious the game is an embarrassment on Switch. The Switch can't even run Serious Sam for Christ sake.

@Wexter Humble Choice monthly bundle is Steam games so not sure why you think you need Windows to play Steam games on the Steam Deck. Humble Choice monthly is the best deal in any gaming. You could build up over a hundred game for Steam deck for under a hundred pounds before you get your hands on your Steam Deck pre order.
Unlike other services like Game Pass you own the game's.
Epic Store might actually be come to Steam OS so no need to install Windows.

@Wexter So was the Wii U niche then, just because a device is not mass market doesn't make it niche. There are quite a few PC portable on the market that you would call niche. The Steam Deck is going to be far from that. It will sell as many as they can produce, unfortunately they won't keep up with the demand.
Does a device have to be mass market for it to be a really good piece of hardware, innovation and competition is great for the market, which really benefits us all. Switch domination Is terrible for handheld marketing because of the extortion of prices for mediocre ports. Why are games so expensive on Switch just because they are on a portable platform. Why do people just accept that but moan that the Steam deck is more expensive than the Switch OLED. The Switch OLED is way too expensive for what you are getting.
I will also point out why get so excited about how great the Switch has sold and there is no competition. Surely competition is good, why this crazy fanboyism for a company that wants your money and can see that Nintendo fans will buy tweaked 11 year old games at full retail price without question. That is ripping off it's loyal customers, do you guys really thinks that Nintendo cares about you. All they care about is money and to me they are a big rip off company probably the greediest of all the console platforms.

10 million devices is hardly niche in my eyes. Steam Deck is going to change up PC gaming a bit and being in line with a console experience. Profile graphic settings etc will be automatically made for SD. Unless you are looking at much higher priced PC handhelds the Steam Deck is chokka bloc full of AAA exclusives. It is a new handheld with thousands of great games at great prices. Switch has nothing like humble choice monthly which is just insane value. Epic Store give 1 to 2 games away every week. Switch is the most expensive console for me as the game prices are so expensive, just not worth the prices they are charging
I bought a Switch for handheld gaming and tbh it is crap at 3rd parting ports, no it is just awful.
The thing is everything that is great about PC gaming is on this handheld, mods customablility etc . Exciting times for fans of portable gaming.

@galaxidion I actually don't think this is niche at all unless you think portable gaming is niche.
Alot of people bought Switch for portability and were totally let down by really under performing third party ports. Come on is The Witcher, Outer Worlds,Borderlands or even the Trine games not really sub par ports? or even playable. Mask of the Ninja is a joke on Switch, a basic 2D game, they can't get right.This is the most exciting hardware that has come out in years. PC gaming is also so much cheaper than the overpriced Switch Store which totally put me off buying games for my Switch.
Nintendo release so few first party titles I just can't see myself purchasing more than a handful of Switch titles for it's remaining life span.
I really enjoy Nintendo games but they are the only game I have any interest in playing on the Switch now, so Nintendo won't be getting my 30% Nintendo tax anymore.
Sorry guys but Nintendo store is way overpriced, so forget the slight increase in price for Steam Deck, PC gaming is probably half the price on average than the Nintendo store. The Steam Deck is much more affordable as a portable gaming machine, so hardly a niche machine.

Was getting excited for the future Switch release of Outer Wilds then realised that I payed about £6 for this game on PC.

@Ventilator Cheers👍 I do have prime and didn't know about the free games. Just picked up Battlefield 1.

Even the biggest Nintendo fanboy can't deny this video is funny 😅
https://youtu.be/B5xkRAj-rPg

Didn't Nintendo miss the boat on the their big retro online experience. The Switch is 4 years old. Why not release new platforms each year. Handhelds, N64 etc. Maybe they don't need to because it is worth £18 for their amazing cloud save and online gaming experience.
Nintendo made about 10 games worth getting a Switch for the rest of it is mediocrity.
It seems to be an overpriced Wii HD machine right now.

@johnvboy It is a very nice product but it could be a bit large and heavy for some, battery life is not massively worse than launch Switch.
There will be a problem of non PC Steam users getting their hands on one till Q3/4 2022. But at least it stops some scalpers getting their hand on them as you have to have bought Steam games before July and are limited to one to pre order early. Not to say it is full proof but at least Valve are making some effort. I think the focus for Valve is bringing non PC gamers to their store because like the XBox and PS5 they are making nothing in hardware profits with this, I don't think many realise how hard it is to make a low profile sized PC for under $400, it's crazy.

@johnvboy It is not just the fact that they are PC titles. This Steam Deck is very inviting for those that love handheld gaming and have a look at the amount of quality titles available.
Also the price of games is a massive selling point, you pay high prices for Switch games just because they are portable. PC competitive pricing compared to the overly expensive nature of the Nintento e store swings massively in the Steam Deck attractiveness. That is a massive selling point and why would I buy the inferior Switch versions of cross platform titles at more expensive prices if I own both machines. I love the Guacamelee games, I could hook the Steam Deck up to my TV and play the game in 4k as opposed to my Switch version that will be limited to 1080p for example.
It is a competitive machine in price to the Switch with way better hardware specs and game software prices it just blows the Switch away. It is a cheaper handheld gaming machine when you put everything into perspective.
You can stream Xbox game Pass titles through this with it's Chrome browser also even if you didn't want to install Windows.
Again hardly a niche product no matter what you think.
I will not buy 3rd party Switch games anymore, why would I if could buy it much cheaper and if it is a bit demanding it will run way better on the Steam Deck.

@johnvboy So PC gaming is niche to you then.
You have PC desktop and maybe some laptop owners interested in the devices portability to play their library on the go. Or hook it up to a TV in a hotel and play games from their PC library which is all synced with cloud saves
Now you also have people that love portable gaming that can get their hands on a very powerful handheld that will play games that the Switch just simple can't.
A massive library with amazing value for newcomers who want value for money for their games. More options ,you can connect Bluetooth mouse and keyboard even earbuds.
Now if this was a super expensive product you could probably call it niche because it would just be too expensive for most even though it would still be much cheaper to buy your games than any other console.
This is mainstream competitive pricing, unbelievably as this is cutting edge portable gaming hardware.
If this is niche so is the Nintendo Switch which clearly it isn't. I think hybrid gaming systems are going to become more mainstream. A lot of Switch owners who did have their wallets ready for the OLED may well buy this instead, many on this site have said that are going to.
I think Valve will find it hard to keep up the production with the demand for the Steam Deck which is the main problem I see for it's future. It is going to be a while before non Steam users can purchase it.
Many people own two consoles or a console PC combination. Owning a Switch and a Steam Deck will massively open up the portable library of great games available. This is certainly not a niche product.

@shgamer Remember green man gaming, CD keys and Humble Bundle all sell Steam keys so don't just limit yourself to Steam when you're looking for certain games at cheaper prices.
I am not sure if we will be able to play Epic Store games without installing Windows but I'm sure that will come up in the future. You will be able to stream Xbox Game Pass games though as the Steam Deck has a Chrome browser.