The Nintendo Switch Console Thread

[blesscheese]

the first thing I noticed is those joy cons are tiny little things(my girlfriend loves them because they fit her hands perfectly) I have big hands so I'm going to have to get the pro controller

Yeah the joy con tininess took me by surprise too.

My hands and wrists started aching when I first saw them on the videos a couple of months back. I really like the size of the Wii U pro controller. I'm a cheapskate, so I'm trying to learn to love the joy-con joypad (and save shelling out $70+ for *another* joypad).

The idea of actually using one of those tiny things by itself makes me fear for my wrists...although I did see someone say that (counterintuitively) using the R joy-con was more comfortable, as it actually gave your left thumb something to rest on (if you are a right hander).

 

[Jovian9]

So I'm all setup after a long day of work. Needless to say my work day was long and not as productive as it could have been thanks to Nintendo

It was like another Christmas here today. I bought an NES Classic from a fellow MacRumors user this week and it also arrived today.

It was tough reorganizing my basement setup but now I'm looking at:

Hisense 4K 50" HDR tv
Xbox One S
Nintendo Switch (neon)
NES Classic
PS4 Slim and PSVR
Steam Link
Apple TV 4th Gen

My wife and kids have all joined in tonight and we went from NES Classic, to Switch, to PSVR. 27 degrees outside so that kind of family fun is well worth having all these video games. Everyone was excited and my wife was surprised with the capability of the Switch as she had read nothing about it.

______________

My review

I picked up Zelda on cartridge and Fast RMX via the eshop.

System update was fast as was the Zelda game update. Fast RMX took a little bit longer than those combined, but all three were done before I finished unwrapping everything. Maybe 6-7 minutes tops for all three downloads/installs.

Out of the box the system feels great. The one weakness for the Wii and Wii U (IMO) is that they felt kind of cheap. Not the case with the Switch.

No issues setting up, getting going, linking my Nintendo ID, or anything of that nature. Everything worked and went smoothly.

The joy-cons are a bit small for me. One of the reasons I'm not a big PS fan is the shape of the controllers. I have long hands (basketball palming size hands) and they have never been comfortable. I could probably use them but not for marathon gaming. I'm glad I picked up the pro-controller.

Speaking of the pro-controller; fantastic. What a great controller. I've always like the Wii U pro controller, love the Xbox One and 360 controllers as well. But this might already be my favorite.

Fast RMX; maybe only about 15 minutes of playing it so far. Looks great on the TV and the Switch screen.

Zelda. #%^@ing A -- I am in love with this game already. I've played it for about two hours now and am hooked. I haven't taken it out for mobile mode yet, but am loving it on my tv. The gameplay feels great. The story is good so far. Just wow.

All in all; I feel great about this purchase.



And I hope that they do a Metroid game!!!!!

 

[blesscheese]

Finished the first shrine, then bummed around a little bit, and it just started sinking in for me just how BIG the world is in BotW. I love exploring every nook and cranny, so this will definitely take me quite a while to work my way through!

 

[44267547]

The Switch isn't for me. But I will say this, it is absolutely on fire right now and sold out everywhere in my area. Hope you all are enjoying yours. It looks very promising for future titles and the initial reviews are very good.

Edit: These are selling for three times the face value on eBay. Wow.

 

[Fernandez21]

Finished the first shrine, then bummed around a little bit, and it just started sinking in for me just how BIG the world is in BotW. I love exploring every nook and cranny, so this will definitely take me quite a while to work my way through!

Yup, this is becoming one my favorite games, and it's the one I've gotten most into since Uncharted.

Last night there were about 100 in line at my local best buy, with about 40 or so preordered. I know they sold out because as I was leaving I saw them start turning away people because they didn't have enough for everyone in line.

I love the feel of the controllers, it's like this soft coated hard plastic and the clicklyness of the buttons. Nintendo really knows how to nail controllers. Don't have a pro controller yet, but do plan on getting one eventually.

 

[0098386]

Picking mine up later ended up having to cancel my original order, fought to get another one cancelled but didn't blah blah. Basically I'll end up with 2 of them come Monday . I know all I'm going to play is Zelda and Street Fighter for a very long time.

 

[MRU]

Picking mine up later ended up having to cancel my original order, fought to get another one cancelled but didn't blah blah. Basically I'll end up with 2 of them come Monday . I know all I'm going to play is Zelda and Street Fighter for a very long time.

No street fighter just yet, I think it's May ...

 

[iosuser]

The one I've been waiting to see, watching these guys split hair. Switch is noticeably sharper at 900p vs Wii U at 720p. There I justified my Switch purchase

Just to be clear, I love watching the DF guys split hair. They're more gearheads than gamers.
[doublepost=1488635177][/doublepost]

I love exploring every nook and cranny, so this will definitely take me quite a while to work my way through!

Yeah that is me. BOTW will probably be the first that I won't get to reach every nook and cranny.

I only played 45 minutes last night after hooking up the dock to my AV receiver (used the last HDMI port, receiver upgrade in the near future? ) Wandered into a cold area instead of going to where there's a blinking dot on the map Going into the menu while there, it shows Link teeth chattering. I really love Nintendo's attention to details.

I complained of the wifi issue earlier. It seems the Switch doesn't like my 2.4GHz band. Testing the 2.4 connection, it showed 500K download and 2.1M download, wth... I have a high end router, Asus RT-AC88U, and all my other devices on the 2.4 band maxes out my ISP speed (50 down/30 up). I usually only connect devices to the 5GHz band on devices that need max throughput on my local network.

 

[Eggtastic]

Hey everyone, hope you all are enjoying their new consoles. I am still on the fence about picking one up, only because I want to see what games come for it, and am waiting for the Nintendo store where you can buy older games.

With that said, to those who are playing Zelda BOTW, how is the game compared to Ocarina of Time and Majoras Mask? I never played TP or SS because I strayed away from Nintendo after the gamecube (no clue why), and OOT and MM were my all time favorites.

So, how does BOTW hold up with OOT and MM? Any shred of nostalgia from the old games put into this? Will I appreciate this game?

 

[gkarris]

I complained of the wifi issue earlier. It seems the Switch doesn't like my 2.4GHz band. Testing the 2.4 connection, it showed 500K download and 2.1M download, wth... I have a high end router, Asus RT-AC88U, and all my other devices on the 2.4 band maxes out my ISP speed (50 down/30 up). I usually only connect devices to the 5GHz band on devices that need max throughput on my local network.

FYI - when I "upgraded" to an Asus router, I had problems connecting my Wii and Wii U to it. It would be on and off and eventually, not at all.

The problem is gone now only because I had to upgrade from an old DSL line to AT&T U-Verse and the Arris modem/router now works fine with them...

AFA Switch Launch:

I work at a big "appliance and electronics" retailer and I happened to work at yesterday's opening. We didn't have a midnight launch since I'm at an older, smaller store.

They handed out tickets earlier for what they had and people came back right before opening to pick theirs up. Then a wave of people came after to pick up their on-line "to be picked up at a local store" orders.

A few people walked away empty-handed, but then the mid-day delivery truck dropped off a bunch. People who were there in the afternoon looking for one got one.

It looks like Nintendo will be making sure to get these into the hands of people.

According to this article, this is their last "home console" if it doesn't fly:

https://arstechnica.co.uk/gaming/2016/10/nintendo-switch-console-shares/

(yeah, I know, "shareholders" )

I have unfortunately been unable to see one first hand (other than in-box).

I don't know if I'd actually hook this up to my system (yes, I've got 8 systems on my home theater already, 9 if you count the latest AppleTV .. ). I may just use the Switch in mobile mode.

I'm there if they provide a "core unit" bundle with just the unit, joycons, and ac adapter, for $199. It will become a run-away!

I think and hope this will be a hit for Nintendo

 

[Jovian9]

Looks like the dock is now being sold by itself for $89.99. I think I'll wait a little bit before getting one to see if I can get it cheaper but being able to dock this in another room quickly and start playing on a different TV would be great.

 

[twietee]

@iosuser no worries, Zelda is way better on the switch. I love it so far but the lack of anti-aliasing really shows in the grass areas - looks great on the touchpad.

Great game though! Love the ability to absolutely minimize the hud. The 'intro' scene isn't for me but the pure exploration afterwards is awesome.

 

[blesscheese]

With that said, to those who are playing Zelda BOTW, how is the game compared to Ocarina of Time and Majoras Mask? I never played TP or SS because I strayed away from Nintendo after the gamecube (no clue why), and OOT and MM were my all time favorites.

So, how does BOTW hold up with OOT and MM? Any shred of nostalgia from the old games put into this? Will I appreciate this game?

Ok, so with the understanding I'm only about 2 hours in, but that OoT is my *favorite*...it is just as good, but in a completely different way. It feels like they took some of the best from OoT (like great puzzles, having to figure stuff out) and married it up with the best from recent open world games (like Skyrim (love Skyrim!) and Witcher 3), in that you have a whole outside world to explore that is filled with enemies, mysteries, and (haven't gotten to any yet) towns.

I give Nintendo a lot of credit, every Zelda game they really seem to shake up the formula completely. Sometimes they win, sometimes they screw up, usually some segment of gamers is upset that anything was changed, but people willing to give it a shot wind up liking and appreciating what they did/what they tried to do.

It definitely is *not* linear. Within 90 minutes, I had a sword, bow, and some other cool things (vs. OoT, where you had to go to certain temples/dungeons, in a certain order, to get these things).

It also has an emphasis on just surviving, which isn't like any Zelda before. This may be more of a throwback to the first Zelda? Where you really had to work to figure stuff out, and explore.

What are other's thoughts?

 

[Cnasty]

Looks like the dock is now being sold by itself for $89.99. I think I'll wait a little bit before getting one to see if I can get it cheaper but being able to dock this in another room quickly and start playing on a different TV would be great.

With you on this.

I need a total of 3.

Living room
bedroom
Media room

Absolutely love that plug and play quick dock availability aspect of it.
Quite amazing.

 

[blesscheese]

Two great things about the system & Zelda game:
1. When I stopped playing last night, I just slept it...then when I started today, I was back exactly where I left off, really quickly, &
2. Zelda has a really great auto-save feature, it frequently saves your progress. I know because I died, thought "aw crap when was the last time I saved?" and when I started back again, it had me right at the start of the encounter that killed me. Phew!

 

[Jovian9]

Two great things about the system & Zelda game:
1. When I stopped playing last night, I just slept it...then when I started today, I was back exactly where I left off, really quickly, &
2. Zelda has a really great auto-save feature, it frequently saves your progress. I know because I died, thought "aw crap when was the last time I saved?" and when I started back again, it had me right at the start of the encounter that killed me. Phew!

Yep. Man this thing starts fast. For years it seems as if all the systems out had absolutely zero ability for me to start playing a game quickly. Boot up, auto-logins, selecting games, loading games, etc.

Not the Switch. It feels like an old school system in this aspect. I can literally be playing a game within 10 seconds of grabbing the controller.

With you on this.

I need a total of 3.

Living room
bedroom
Media room

Absolutely love that plug and play quick dock availability aspect of it.
Quite amazing.

Same here. I've got one in the basement. I want one in the living room (where my Wii U is) and one in the bedroom. Possibly one on my kids playroom TV as well as we have the Atari/Coleco flashbacks in use there.

 

[44267547]

Yep. Man this thing starts fast. For years it seems as if all the systems out had absolutely zero ability for me to start playing a game quickly. Boot up, auto-logins, selecting games, loading games, etc.

Not the Switch. It feels like an old school system in this aspect. I can literally be playing a game within 10 seconds of grabbing the controller.







Same here. I've got one in the basement. I want one in the living room (where my Wii U is) and one in the bedroom. Possibly one on my kids playroom TV as well as we have the Atari/Coleco flashbacks in use there.

When you play from the TV, can you charge the controller while your playing?

 

[MRU]

Some folks are starting to report scratching the screens whilst docking. Be careful peeps if you haven't already put on a screen protector.

 

[blesscheese]

Haven't noticed any framerate issues on TV at 900p so far.

I've been on the lookout for framerate stutter...on the TV, if I have the camera view at eye level or so it is ok, and same for having the camera far overhead. It is at some in-between angles (say, 45% relative to the ground) that I can get it to stutter.

So, the solution is obvious, don't hold a camera angle like that that will make it stutter.

In other news, BotW continues to surprise and delight...I don't want to say much and give anything away, but I'm following the wall around the Great Plateau and venturing in to look at stuff that seems interesting.
[doublepost=1488656837][/doublepost]

Some folks are starting to report scratching the screens whilst docking. Be careful peeps if you haven't already put on a screen protector.

Any recommendations for a screen protector?

 

[MRU]

I've been on the lookout for framerate stutter...on the TV, if I have the camera view at eye level or so it is ok, and same for having the camera far overhead. It is at some in-between angles (say, 45% relative to the ground) that I can get it to stutter.

So, the solution is obvious, don't hold a camera angle like that that will make it stutter.

In other news, BotW continues to surprise and delight...I don't want to say much and give anything away, but I'm following the wall around the Great Plateau and venturing in to look at stuff that seems interesting.
[doublepost=1488656837][/doublepost]

Any recommendations for a screen protector?

I bought the Nintendo official one but frankly it's a bit poo. It's perfunctory at best, and it will keep it safe until I can get my tempered glass ones.

I've ordered Orzly Tempered Glass which is a pack of 2 from Amazon now.

It's a shame Nintendo skimped a little on the padding strips in the dock which would have protected against scratches.

I wish they had also gone for Gorrilla glass, but it appears the screen is just hard plastic not glass at all as it scratches too easily for it to be glass. (MOH's level of hardness)

 

[Cnasty]

Any recommendations for a screen protector?

I went with this one after high reviews on amazon and suggested multiple times on Reddit

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01N...r=sr-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=amFilm

 

[Fernandez21]

I just order this one.
Nintendo Switch Screen Protector, Caseology [Tempered Glass] Transparent HD Clear Anti-Scratch Glass Screen Protector [2 Pack] for Nintendo Switch (2017) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XD36Q18/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_2ZXUybHMSY6NW

 

[MRU]

It's a sign of the times when all of us ordered from Amazon ... Lol

 

[blesscheese]

I went with this one after high reviews on amazon and suggested multiple times on Reddit

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01N...r=sr-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=amFilm

I bought the Nintendo official one but frankly it's a bit poo. It's perfunctory at best, and it will keep it safe until I can get my tempered glass ones.

I've ordered Orzly Tempered Glass which is a pack of 2 from Amazon now.

Thanks for the recommendations! I went with the Orzly, since the other ones were already sold out. Normally I would go with an Hori product, but they have gotten awful reviews for their Switch screen protector...people are complaining that the heat while docked is making them come off.
[doublepost=1488657869][/doublepost]

It's a sign of the times when all of us ordered from Amazon ... Lol

? There is someplace else to order all this cheap stuff from China ?

It will really be a sign of the times when the delivery drone just bombs your package on top of you to your front door

 

[MRU]

Thanks for the recommendations! I went with the Orzly, since the other ones were already sold out. Normally I would go with an Hori product, but they have gotten awful reviews for their Switch screen protector...people are complaining that the heat while docked is making them come off.
[doublepost=1488657869][/doublepost]

? There is someplace else to order all this cheap stuff from China ?

It will really be a sign of the times when the delivery drone just bombs your package on top of you to your front door

Yeah the Nintendo one I have is officially licensed from Hori and yep can confirm it pooness factor