Nintendo Switch: From good to bad to worse.

[Anime Psyclone]

When the Nintendo Switch first was revealed, I was shocked and exited. I hoped it would be good... But as we learned that there was absolutely no internet, launch titles, or space on the console, it seemed like we were going to pay 300 bucks for a glorified paperweight. But then, it released. And it only got worse.

I never did preorder it. But for those who did, they spend all their money to find out that pixels are dying, that the dock is scratching their screen, and... This one shocked me when I first saw what happened. A loud and ear-hurting noise was coming from the Switch. Imagine if you were a kid who was scared of the dark and heard a noise like that. You find it’s coming from the device you wanted to play. And you have to pressure your dad to trash the 300 bucks the system was not worth.

Even without glitches, the straps are hard and annoying to disconnect, the battery is short for a console, and there are like 5 games at launch, none of them come with the system. So not only will you have to hunt it down, you will have to obtain one of the games to play. And the Pro Controller is something many people need to actually play games, but that’s an additional 80 dollars. At least with the Wii you could use an old Gamecube controller.

TLDR, the Nintendo Switch seems to have been a sunk boat. Plenty of glitches and problems with it, it begs the question: Should Nintendo stop making consoles and develop as a third-party maker? The Switch seemed good. Then it seemed to be bad with several issues. But the day it came out, all the issues combined with the rarity of anything Switch-related in stores showed that it’s worse.

-Anime Psyclone, the (Not) Nintendo-related essay master.
P.S. Watch this video to see some of the problems.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mS18UFiTrAo

 

[Stratelier]

the battery is short for a console

You mean portable, right? Name any console that can last longer than one second without an AC power source, I dare you.

But more seriously. To paraphrase an open-source adage, many eyes make problems shallow. Some of these isolated reports really are par for the course with any millions-of product release, though some issues may indeed be systemic (e.g. left Joy-con signal problems, dock scratching edges of screen).

I don't think criticizing it for the lack of a pack-in title is warranted. Sony consoles never launched with a pack-in bundle, and neither did Microsoft's. (If you can prove me wrong on this then go cite something, because I couldn't find any.) Granted, many of these consoles also launched with some form of backwards compatibility so even if you didn't purchase any of the new system's games you could still play something.

I don't think the lack of an Internet browser or Internet-based apps (Netflix, etc.) is a problem. First and foremost this is a device to play games. Games. If you want to surf the Internet, you already have other devices to do that more efficiently. (Plus, Nintendo consoles have been hacked specifically via their Internet browsers in the past.)

 

[PkmnTrainerV]

I never did preorder it. But for those who did, they spend all their money to find out that pixels are dying, that the dock is scratching their screen, and... This one shocked me when I first saw what happened. A loud and ear-hurting noise was coming from the Switch. Imagine if you were a kid who was scared of the dark and heard a noise like that. You find it’s coming from the device you wanted to play. And you have to pressure your dad to trash the 300 bucks the system was not worth.

Those problems you list.... only 1-2% of owners experience them. And I think trashing the system is a bit too much. You can return the console to Nintendo. Also, the screeching is only experienced in 1 device out of 2 million.

Even without glitches, the straps are hard and annoying to disconnect,

When the console was first launched, people said that the JoyCons would fling away if they played violently. Now the made the straps difficult to remove, and people are still complaining. And if you cannot read instructions and cannot put on the wrist straps correctly, it isn't the console's fault.

the battery is short for a console,

What are you comparing it with exactly?
Usual consoles are plugged in to TVs, and Switch is the most powerful portable yet.

So not only will you have to hunt it down, you will have to obtain one of the games to play. And the Pro Controller is something many people need to actually play games, but that’s an additional 80 dollars. At least with the Wii you could use an old Gamecube controller.

1.Hunt it down? I can order it now from many sites if I have the money. And some sites are even hosting pre orders for their next shipments.
2. Pro Controller is NOT necessary. It depends on personal taste. Many reviewers have said that the Joycon controller is comfortable. Your point backfires dreadfully- Switchis one of those rare consoles which offers Multi Player out of the box.

TLDR, the Nintendo Switch seems to have been a sunk boat. Plenty of glitches and problems with it, it begs the question: Should Nintendo stop making consoles and develop as a third-party maker? The Switch seemed good. Then it seemed to be bad with several issues. But the day it came out, all the issues combined with the rarity of anything Switch-related in stores showed that it’s worse.

Almost all consoles have Launch problems.
Top 5 Most Reported PlayStation 4 Issues and Problems and How to Fix Them
These issues persisted AFTER launch and are much more severe than the Switch issues.

 

[Beth Pavell]

Name a console that hasn't had glitches and problems on launch. I haven't noticed any problems with mine, and it's not something that really worries me. If something does go wrong it'll be soon and I have a free warranty to cover it.

I don't think I've really played mine long enough to notice any battery issues. I've been playing for maybe two hours at a time, maximum, after which I often put the Joycons on charge. I'm not even sure where the battery life is indicated, which says it all, I suppose. Speaking of the Joycons, I certainly wouldn't shell out for a Pro Controller. It's taken me a few days to get used to the layout, but now I am I really don't see any need to change. I forget that I'm holding it while playing, so to my mind it passes the comfortable test.

That this thing is a games console, for games, is one of the reasons I was prepared to buy it. I have a laptop for the internet, and to a lesser extent, TV. I don't want or need every device I have to duplicate the functions of every other device.

When the console was first launched, people said that the JoyCons would fling away if they played violently.

I never get this complaint. It's not like Nintendo greases them up before shipping. If you drop your iPhone due to your own hamfistedness, does anybody blame Apple? Anyway, I'm not about to draw any big conclusions about the Switch yet. I've had mine for less than a week and played one game. So far I'm entirely happy with it

 

[Anime Psyclone]

You mean portable, right? Name any console that can last longer than one second without an AC power source, I dare you.

Ok. I meant portable. But the 3DS’s battery can last up to 8 hours if playing a DS game.

Those problems you list.... only 1-2% of owners experience them. And I think trashing the system is a bit too much. You can return the console to Nintendo. Also, the screeching is only experienced in 1 device out of 2 million.

1-2%? Ok, maybe I didn’t do enough research. But the biggest problem is the only game people are exited for not only can be on the Wii U, something much easier to obtain then the Switch, but it doesn’t even come with the console, meaning you will have to shell out about 60 dollars for it if you find a place that isn’t sold out.

The new Mario? Late this year and could be pushed back to 2018. I checked and basically every major game coming to the Switch will later this year, so why even buy it now? I’m more comfy purchasing it around December when more games are out. I personally don’t expect Pokemon to be on the Switch unless the sales closer to the end of the year, when more people know of the issues, are just as high. It’s possible that Nintendo could have just made the Switch to make something even greater in 2018, but that is more unlikely then 30 coins all landing on tails 3 times in a row.

 

[PkmnTrainerV]

Ok. I meant portable. But the 3DS’s battery can last up to 8 hours if playing a DS game.

But Switch is much much much more powerful than the 3DS line can ever hope to be.

1-2%? Ok, maybe I didn’t do enough research. But the biggest problem is the only game people are exited for not only can be on the Wii U, something much easier to obtain then the Switch, but it doesn’t even come with the console, meaning you will have to shell out about 60 dollars for it if you find a place that isn’t sold out.

According to me, 'excited for' is subjective since I've heard stories of people enjoying Snipperclips, and 1-2-Switch (there was particularly emotional one about it being playable by the blind).
But I probably cannot understand this too well because-
1. I'm not a fan of Zelda, never heard about it...
2. I didn't get the Wii U

The new Mario? Late this year and could be pushed back to 2018. I checked and basically every major game coming to the Switch will later this year, so why even buy it now? I’m more comfy purchasing it around December when more games are out. I personally don’t expect Pokemon to be on the Switch unless the sales closer to the end of the year, when more people know of the issues, are just as high. It’s possible that Nintendo could have just made the Switch to make something even greater in 2018, but that is more unlikely then 30 coins all landing on tails 3 times in a row.

I think the Switch was launched to become a full-blown console during the holiday season, with Mario, and the rumoured Pokemon Stars then, the chances of Switch selling units will be much more than "30 coins all landing in tails 3 times in a row". Mario+Pokemon is an instant console seller, you know.

 

[Anime Psyclone]

I think the Switch was launched to become a full-blown console during the holiday season, with Mario, and the rumoured Pokemon Stars then, the chances of Switch selling units will be much more than "30 coins all landing in tails 3 times in a row". Mario+Pokemon is an instant console seller, you know.

Then why was it released in March? And again, it would not take much to push SMO back a little. Pokemon Eclipse (That’s what I call it) is only a rumor, and it possibly will be on the N3DS as well. Really, Nintendo seems to be putting all their money in one spot. If it fails Nintendo will fail big time. I never do understand what’s going on with that Nintendo. But really, I want Pokken Tournament with all the DLC to come to the Switch. I will buy it and Pokken Tournament then and there. That is the game I want ported to the Switch the most.

 

[PkmnTrainerV]

Then why was it released in March? And again, it would not take much to push SMO back a little. Pokemon Eclipse (That’s what I call it) is only a rumor, and it possibly will be on the N3DS as well. Really, Nintendo seems to be putting all their money in one spot. If it fails Nintendo will fail big time. I never do understand what’s going on with that Nintendo. But really, I want Pokken Tournament with all the DLC to come to the Switch. I will buy it and Pokken Tournament then and there. That is the game I want ported to the Switch the most.

So that all the bugs could be sorted out in the first time, I guess, and all the Nintendo fans could get them first. When a console is launched in holidays, casuals and hardcore gamers both rush to buy, leading to console shortages and competition in buying consoles. But, now all the 'hard cores ' have got it now, leaving the casuals a safe and Bug free stock for Christmas.

And Pokemon SELE, (Solar and Lunar Eclipse, that is what I call it)rumour was given by Eurogamer, who predicted many of Switch's features so that is why it is considered creditable. Imagine a leak given by the riddler vs any other leak. You get the idea, I guess.

 

[Silktree]

A lot of Nintendo fans seem content with the system and Zelda, so I don't think anyone can seriously argue that the March release date is a mistake.

Splatoon 2 will be pretty big and is 4-5 months away. That isn't that bad.

 

[Hector]

I wasn't going to get a switch because well, I have a Wii U already. And then the reviews came out for Zelda and well... I own a switch now.

As others have said, we're WAY too early in the life cycle to judge. What we do know is that BoTW is one of the best games in the last five years, which alone is helping the launch. As far as I'm concerned, it was worth the hype and the $400 I put down (for the console and the special edition). Granted I've spent most of my time in game exploring and cooking (plot, what's plot?) but to each their own.

The Xbox 360 had the red ring of death (which impacted FAR MORE Xbox owners than these switch problems have so far... including well, me) and I do remember something being off with the PS3 launch but I can't recall from the top of my head. Any insanely complicated device that launches with such hype and such numbers will have reports of broken devices. Happens with every console, every new iPhone... it's just the nature of the business. Return it and get a new one, who cares?

The quality of the launch titles outside of Zelda sucks though. Nobody doubts that. 1-2-Switch is an okay party game I suppose, Bomberman is getting panned and while Shovel Knight is one of my favorite games of the last well... decade... it's also not exactly a new game (considering it's on every console known to man, including two or three that aren't). Yooka-Laylee in a few weeks will be a nice boost to the lineup, Splatoon 2 will be big (if it's half as good as the original) and you've got Mario and the rest of the crew waiting in the wings.

It's way too early to make a judgement on this either way. Ask me again in six months.

 

[ocelotlrama jaguar]

I expect numerous patches and updates like they did for the Wii months after the launch. At first the console was nothing special but patches and updates helped to make it a much better console. They even had to update the straps on the Wiimotes because too many people were hurting themselves or their friends, breaking their TVs, or breaking other things in the house. Those sold out for months after launch, may I add. I guess to fix the numerous problems they had with the Wiimote straps, which became a liability. But after a while the console itself became better with new games, better updates, and better support. So yeah, too early to judge.

 

[Kisu]

Right now the switches biggest obstacle is Nintendo itself, they're horrible with supply and demand.

From the amiibo fiasco till the 3ds still being sold out almost everywhere since last November and it's March now.

I have made a point of looking for the 3ds in every store I go into since Jan and have only seen used ones at one place.

Nintendo said its initial switch run was 2 million,that means they can only sell 2 million.

Pro controllers are sold out as well.

It's easy to just assume they will catch up but in 4 months they haven't caught up with the 3ds.

I've been pretty outspoken about not wanting the switch but....My wife does and we have tax return money.

Talked to my buddy who's a GameStop manager and he told me I'd be lucky to get one by holiday, because of said supply and demand issues and that even tho people are saying new shipments are coming the said shipment are all small.

Think I may have talked my wife out of one tho.

Console $300,new SD card to actually have memory in the switch since it doesn't come with any $100 or so more,no game with it so another $60 minimum.

Think I convinced her it's better to spend $100 to get a couple new ps4 or 3ds games than spend $500 plus for a new system with few games and no guarantee to future suçcess

 

[TheCapsFan]

For the last few weeks, I've been saying that I have these three selling points for the Switch; in which case, if one or more were to occur, I would by the system.

1. If a Pokemon main series game is announced for the console, then I will buy a Switch as soon as I can. Even though I don't mod a Pokemon VG section, I feel like it is somewhat my responsibility as both a fan of the series and a moderator of these forums to keep updated with some part of the series as things fall into place.
2. If a Pokemon Colo/XD sequel/spiritual successor is announced for the console, then I will buy a Switch as soon as I can. This is a purely personal interest, I've been eagerly awaiting something like that with little hope of it ever happening for years, much like a large portion of the Pokemon fandom.
3. If neither of the above two things happen, then I'll probably see wait for the new main-series Fire Emblem. By that time, the Switch will have Xeno 2, Mario Odyssey, and Splatoon, among others, either have footing in the market or not, and I'll be able to make a good assumption about the future of the console.

However, with every review and piece of gameplay I see from Breath of the Wild, it seems that the only things stopping me from running out to my nearest GameStop and camping there until their supply is restocked are lack of funds and the ever-imminent threat of "college is next year and do you really need this system?"

I agree that the system itself seems to have its flaws, but most of the technical aspects will likely be fixed in an upcoming update to the system. I mean, we have patches for games all the time, and like people above me have said, it's not unheard of for a console to have problems right out of the gate. The worst time to buy a new console is launch week. Trust me, I learned that with the 3DS.

$300 isn't too bad for a new console, and it's breaking sales records left and right, but honestly I'd say a good 60%, if not a little more than that, of people that have bought the Switch are hardcore Nintendo/Zelda fanboys who've been waiting for Breath of the Wild for three damn years. (I'll be honest, I fall into that category, even though I don't have one of the systems).

The hype for the system will undoubtedly run out. But I think a big opportunity for Nintendo to fix a lot of the mistakes they've made with the poor launch will present itself with the release of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe at the end of next month. If they're smart, they'll bundle Mario Kart with the console and sell it for about $330, and they'll still probably make a huge profit.

Overall I think the first-week sales for the Switch show good signs, but I think it's running mostly on hype, which, when it dies out, will likely kill the system if they don't capitalize on the first month success.

 

[Anime Psyclone]

I was expecting for this whole post to generate backlash. It’s kinda a controversial topic. So thanks for commenting, I like reading them.

Overall I think the first-week sales for the Switch show good signs, but I think it's running mostly on hype, which, when it dies out, will likely kill the system if they don't capitalize on the first month success.

That was also one of the points that I forgot to mention. Breath Of The Wild has been more belated then a SuperSonicGX video. It was a launch title, but that means that a lot of people will want the console just to play Zelda and nothing else until games like Super Mario Odyssey come out. The large sales have been hyped up, but when it’s more July-ish, the sales should go down since there’s no new major games and it’s in the middle of Summer Vacation, the time when a lot of coaster lovers like me search for good rides. But most normal people will in fact buy the Switch closer to the start of summer to play it more. And it seems like Nintendo won’t make many of the systems. It’s a new Nintendo console that’s not the Wii U, people are going to buy this thing. 2 Million should be the first 2 months, not the whole year.

 

[Stratelier]

Breath Of The Wild has been more belated then a SuperSonicGX video.

But not as belated as Final Fantasy Versus XIII Final Fantasy XV.

Remember, long dev cycle !== belayed.

 

[Kisu]

It's interesting seeing the reaction to Zelda.
It's the highest rated game ever on metacritic and that has alot of people angry, including accusations of paid reviews.
I haven't played the game but I've watched quite a bit on switch and it does look really good.
But referencing the paid reviews I think it's more of a Zelda fans pumping it up higher than it really is.

For instance I'm playing fallout 4 and read the reviews on it,alot of people hated it's graphics saying they're outdated.

One reviewer gave it a 9 saying the graphics kept it from getting a 10.

While the new Zelda has worse graphics but gets perfect scores.

Why? Maybe paid reviews,maybe just because it's a Zelda game.
Maybe even just because of the switch overhype,if the switch wasn't out and it was just a Wii u game I bet it wouldn't be as highly regarded.

 

[Beth Pavell]

Aren't you focusing too much on the graphics here? Even if you're not like me and are interested in photo realism, that's only one aspect to the game.

I really don't play RPGs as a rule, so this is mostly speculation, but I suspect that Breath of the Wild has caught up an awful lot with current trends. It's very different for a Zelda game - still recognisably Zelda, but with a lot of the usual mechanics switched up or just plain absent. On the whole I am finding it to be really good - its tone skirts just on the right side of serious so as not to look idiotically earnest (As, for example, Sun and Moon did), it's full of little details that make the world feel more real and immersive, it's full of cool little tricks you can pull if you have the patience to learn them. Possibly those are all pretty much standard to modern RPGs, I couldn't say. But in any case I'm genuinely surprised that I can't really think of anything I definitively don't like about it yet. Even with Skyward Sword (Which I think I enjoyed more than most) by this many hours in I could easily think of two or three.

With any big franchise the reviews are usually going to be exultant, even discounting the murky world of game reviewing. I don't think you can call a fan review (Something of a vague term, I know, given Youtube and all. Let's say for the sake of argument a review from a fan who doesn't stand to gain any income from their review) an exaggeration - if someone really loves it, even if you don't, that doesn't mean they're exaggerating, it means they like it more than you do

 

[Kisu]

I personally don't care about graphics but it's a huge deal to alot of gamers,not to mention most triple a titles are pushing toward 4k gaming.

What I care about it buying one console to play games and Nintendo makes my favorite games

But Nintendo don't make consoles that can play 4k games,so that means I need a non Nintendo console to play everything I want to.

I was also just referencing how a game like fallout was slammed for its graphics but the same people would overlook that if it's Zelda

 

[Stratelier]

...so that means I need a non Nintendo console to play everything I want to.

How is that relevant to 4K? I've needed a non-Nintendo console to play everything I want to since the 32-bit era. Y'know, other exclusives and stuff.

As for graphics, to me one thing is that photorealism tends to age badly. Cel-shading ages well, pixel art is immortal.

 

[Kisu]

Wow so apparently reports of switch defects are in the 10's of thousands now.

Especially the left joycon not working when in portable or docked mode.

The dock is scratching screens and the led screen has pixels out.

In classic fashion Nintendo says the left joy con is no big deal, refused to admit docking scratches the screen and refuses to admit dead pixels are a defect even tho if you buy a TV with dead pixels you can get an immediate refund or exchange.

But you can't exchange a switch because there are none available.

Article by inquistitr