Nintendo NX is now Switch (Official thread) (1 Viewer)

[Morgan Jolley]

Honestly, how many games will you need to have with you at any time? How frequently on a flight would you switch between multiple titles?

You can probably go with physical cartridges and just leave one in your Switch for however long and then download some smaller indie games (which typically don't get physical releases, anyway).

 

[DaveF]

"Cyber Deals - Nintendo Holiday Gift Guide 2018" (https://happyholidays.nintendo.com/cyber-deals/#nintendo-switch)
Cyber Deals - Nintendo Holiday Gift Guide 2018

 

[DaveF]

Honestly, how many games will you need to have with you at any time? How frequently on a flight would you switch between multiple titles?

You can probably go with physical cartridges and just leave one in your Switch for however long and then download some smaller indie games (which typically don't get physical releases, anyway).

That’s a fair point. I don’t know if I’d change games.

But resale aside, I prefer downloads. It’s easier. I’ve been trained by iOS that past several years: games are onboard and don’t require cartridge swapping.

 

[DaveF]

Switch Mario Kart 8 bundle ordered.

Slim case

USB C to A cables

Bluetooth USB C adapter

I’ll take a look at the online game sale this weekend.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

I grabbed digital copies of Undertale, Inside, Doom, and Wolfenstein II over the weekend. Total was $85 for what would normally be like $150+. Sure, I could have gotten them all for possibly less on PS4 but the portability is just so great. I am a few levels into Doom and it looks surprisingly good. The only thing that I'd guess is a massive change from the PS4/XBO versions is that the framerate is only 30 fps whereas the better ones are 60 fps. Panic Button (the company that did the port) did a fantastic job and I've read that Wolfenstein II is even better. The next Doom is even coming to Switch day one from the same guys, so I'm looking forward to that.

 

[DaveF]

I’ll miss the digital sale. I can’t buy without a Switch and it doesn’t arrive until after the sale ends.

 

[DaveF]

My Switch arrived yesterday. Got it all setup and logged in. Made sure I could charge it with my USB cables and iPad charger. Downloaded Mario Kart 8 (about an hour) and Zelda (about two hours). Paid the $20 for the Switch Online service. Don’t know if it’s useful, but...$20.

Played MK8 for two Grand Prixes. Its a fine diversion. And I’m hoping it will get more interesting when I learn how to use the power slides and weapons.

I really miss my Beetle Adventure Racing from the N64. I feel like MK8 should be like that, but it’s not. Is there a racing game like BAR on the Switch? Are there any N64 games for the Switch? I’d probably buy Wetrix in a heartbeat.

Zelda I’ll start this Sunday on my upcoming trip.

Alas, I missed the online sale, so didn’t get Celeste or Shovel Knight. I wish I could have bought the games from outside the Switch. Hopefully there will be another sale Christmas week.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Never played BAR so can't comment on that. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is great but, as always, more fun with other players.

There are no N64 games on the Switch. There's the 26ish NES games through the NES app that you get with your Switch Online subscription and a few old arcade ports on the eShop. Nintendo will probably release SNES games through a similar manner in the future but who knows.

 

[DaveF]

I’m playing the NES games — finally playing Super Mario 3 after missing it back in college.

I have friends with a Switch, so I’m going to see if we can play 4 player MK8 at some point. I haven’t played multi player MK in maybe 30 years. (Wow, I’m old )

As for BAR, here’s a review:


BAR was delightful, with tracks that told a story environmentally, changing slightly each lap, and filled with discoverable alternate routes and shortcuts. Like MK, it is accessible to the occasional player, while rewarding repeat play and learning the tracks and nuances of the cars. It was a delightfully surprising, fun, but also challenging arcade racer.

I’m a little bummed there’s no N64 games for the Switch. I’d enjoy be able to play games that I loved (1080) or missed (Mario 64). NES is historic, but it’s not a system of particular note for me. Even getting to SNES would be nice.

Tomorrow, I’ll figure out how to pack this up for travel. Looking forward to starting Zelda on Sunday.

 

[Clinton McClure]

I thought Zelda was pretty close to the best Nintendo game I’ve ever played except for the easily breakable weapons and shields. That was a stupid design choice that made an otherwise perfect game an exercise in frustration quite often.

 

[Bryan^H]

I really miss my Beetle Adventure Racing from the N64. I feel like MK8 should be like that, but it’s not. Is there a racing game like BAR on the Switch?

Well this is about as arcade a racer as you will find on the Switch, just released a few days ago. $20, and so worth it. Trust me.

BTW, the Youtuber(RGT 85) above covers many Switch games in depth, so I find his channel useful for that reason.

 

[DaveF]

Thanks! I'll check that out!

 

[DaveF]

Ok, another dumb newb question: is there a way to add games to a wishlist from the Nintendo website? I wanted to flag that game for future purchase on the Switch. Not a big deal, bookmarked in my browser. But still, like Apple, Nintendo is adopting a device-only app store, which isn't awesome.

 

[Clinton McClure]

I don’t remember being able to add Switch games to a wishlist on Nintendo’s website.

 

[DaveF]

Just landed from a cross country flight. Played about three hours total. It was great getting lost in video games for half the flight!

The battery lasted about 2.5 hrs, an hour of MK8 and 1.5 hrs Zelda. Not impressive, but I guess that’s how it is.

The real problem was my seat outlet wouldn’t hold the AC adapter and I couldn’t power anything. I have a lipstick charger, that too the Switch back from 15% to 45% and have me another 30 min at the end of the flight.

So I’ll probably need a new, larger travel battery. And a shorter USB C cable. The 6ft cable I bought is just too long for travel.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Each game eats up the battery differently. Zelda and Mario Odyssey go faster than most. I think the minimum time to eat it entirely is about 2.5-3 hours, max is around 7-9 hours.

How is the bluetooth adapter working out?

 

[DaveF]

Each game eats up the battery differently. Zelda and Mario Odyssey go faster than most. I think the minimum time to eat it entirely is about 2.5-3 hours, max is around 7-9 hours.

How is the bluetooth adapter working out?

It’s good. It has a pass through USB C input for charging, so I can play while plugged in. And I don’t perceive the audio lag in MK8 or Zelda. The Bose app (on my iPhone) makes it easy to toggle the connection between the devices, which helps a lot.

What I told my wife was, it was a lot of fun, made the flight go much faster. I was relieved that my $450 splurge is working out, and not a total bust.

I need to figure out in-flight charging, maybe a new, bigger battery pack. And I need a 1’ usb cable. The 6’ cables were the wrong choice.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Glad to hear you're enjoying it! You will get a ton of time out of Zelda, but if you ever want to look into some of the downloadable indie games you will find a lot there, too.

I've flown a few times with my Switch and I have an Anker battery. It's good for charging the Switch (slowly) or making the battery drain just a little slower, but I wouldn't recommend it. I haven't done the research but I'm sure there's a better battery solution out there. I also know there's a lot of concern in the fan community about the voltages and amperages coming through cables/chargers/batteries not playing nice with the USB-C port on the Switch, so I'm hesitant to look for anything different than what I have.

That said, the USB-C power cable for the dock can be used with the Switch by itself for travel, which is a good option on planes that have full-sized outlets and can be reached. That was your issue on your flight, right? Maybe a cheap extension cable from Amazon so that the Switch power cable could plug in? Or is that a bit much?

 

[DaveF]

I’ll buy an external battery pack probably, since in flight charging appears inconsistent.

I will just trust Nintendo built a competent device, because I’m charging with USB hubs and battery packs. The Nintendo wall wart is too big to be portable / carry on.

 

[LeoA]

A 2.5D Link's Awakening remake was announced today. Looks very nice and will make a Switch a tempting proposition for me when it hits. Reminds me a lot visually of A Link Between Worlds, which remains my favorite 3DS game.

The inevitable Super Mario Maker 2 was also officially announced. Really figured this one was going to be happening relatively early in the life of the Switch, after a straight port of Super Mario Maker essentially was confirmed as not happening when it was instead ported and released on the aged 3DS just weeks before the launch of the Switch.