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

[LeoA]

I wish they'd go a step further and provide a console option. I'd love a small PSTV style device that's bundled with a Pro Controller.

Perhaps down the road if this one is embraced like Nintendo is expecting it will be.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

I'm honestly a little surprised that the Lite can't connect to a TV at all, but it seems Nintendo is pushing this as a kid-focused console (to replace the 3DS, essentially) or as a second Switch that you could bring around.

That said, I don't see Nintendo fracturing their market by having the hybrid, the portable, AND a home unit all at the same time. At the very least, none of the rumor are suggesting they'll do that (and the rumors have been surprisingly spot-on for the last few years). Maybe their next console could do that, but for now I think they prefer to market the Switch as the one-and-only platform.

I mean...if you want a home console then just get the regular Switch.

 

[Bryan^H]

Nintendo confirms smaller, portable-er Switch coming for $200.

"Nintendo confirms portable-only, $200 “Switch Lite” for September [Updated] | Ars Technica" (https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2019...-portable-only-200-switch-lite-for-september/)

proper D-Pad, and longer battery life but no TV connectivity. Tempting, but my Switch still stays docked nearly all the time, so pass!

 

[Bryan^H]

I mean...if you want a home console then just get the regular Switch.

And if you want the best of both worlds docked, and portable, you're screwed!

 

[LeoA]

To clarify my post, I wasn't speculating what Nintendo might do. I was just talking about what would be my ideal setup as one that would be using it as a console only.

But I'm always up for Nintendo speculation. If a lot of consumers embrace this Switch that can't be "switched", I'm not so sure it's that crazy of an idea. If not this generation, than like Morgan says, maybe the next since I have little doubt the Switch will be succeeded by a Switch 2 in a few years (rather than going back to dedicated handheld and console lines that are separate from each other).

Especially if Nintendo's data that I'm sure tracks a lot of details about how their customers are using their system shows a significant number people that rarely if ever undock their Switch (I really don't know one way or another, and wouldn't even want to venture a guess), I imagine it has to be a thought that's at least on their radar.

 

[DaveF]

I like that they're coming out with a lower cost portable-only model. I think that will help people enjoy it who otherwise balk at $300 cost. I've got a coworker that I might be enticed but a $200 version for business travel.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

I actually think the data Nintendo has is suggesting that most of their customers use their Switch both docked and undocked on a relatively regular basis, and many more use it almost exclusively undocked than docked. We are in a world where people like the ability to do things on the go, which is why Sony and MS are pushing streaming even more in the next gen.

I still don't understand what about the current Switch model makes it a bad home console. I see Nintendo wanting to maintain a sort of all-in-one platform going forward, so they will always be limited by their lowest common denominator (the portable unit/mode). They most likely won't make a console-only model that has more significantly more power than the portable models because then you fracture the market, which undermines their main all-in-one strategy. If there is a new, "better" Switch coming in the next year, I imagine it will probably have superficial changes like a bigger/better screen, more internal memory, and maybe a better processor to speed up load times, but I fully expect Nintendo would put a big emphasis on all Switch games playing basically the same on every model.

 

[DaveF]

I'm probably 90% undocked use for my Switch. It's raison d'être is portable, literal travel play for me. Even at home, it's probably 50% portable, playing in bed. A little bit of use on the living room set, docked. I appreciate the dock, but had I the choice I might have saved $100 and given that up.

 

[Clinton McClure]

When I had a Switch, I played 99% docked. I tried taking my Switch to work to play during lunch but that rarely panned out since my lunch is an hour of constant interruptions. Such is the life of a service technician.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Sometimes I'll play 100% on the dock for months on end, then I'll play 90% undocked for good month or two. It depends on what I'm playing and what else is going on in my life. A lot of the undocked time is usually sitting on the couch in a room separate from the dock while my wife is watching TV. I actually played the Wii U and PS4-through-Vita like that a lot, too.

 

[DaveF]

How do I know when my Gold Points will expire? I’ve got 600, which mostly go back to last Black Fridays 2018 purchase.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

IIRC, gold points expire 1 year after you get them.

If you buy anything digital at all, there's really no reason to not just use them immediately.

 

[DaveF]

But is there a Nintendo account page that tells you how many will expire on what date? It’s user hostile to expect people to manually track all their points expiration.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Google is your friend: https://en-americas-support.nintend...-to-view-my-nintendo-point-and-reward-history

 

[LeoA]

Anyone pick up the Link's Awakening remake?

 

[Steve Y]

Anyone pick up the Link's Awakening remake?

I did, Leo. I don't have the nostalgic affection for Link's Awakening many others seem to have, but it's still a classic of the Zelda series, and I think the remake, with one glaring exception, is marvelous. The music in particular is a standout, and I'm in the camp of people who like the tilt-shifted toybox effect, even with the blur on the edges of the screen.

Digital Foundry's analysis goes in-depth for the game's biggest issue: its wildly inconsistent frame rate. The game frequently moves from 60 to 30 fps (and back again) extremely quickly. This creates a distracting "stuttering" effect when transitioning between areas, and sometimes within the same area. It's not at all what I would expect from a first-party published Nintendo game. (The game was developed by Grezzo, but Nintendo often provides close developer support for flagship titles.)

The new "dungeon builder" wasn't a disappointment to me because I wasn't expecting much out of it. It's a very pointless addition, for sure, and not very fun, but those who expected a full-fledged Mario Maker-style dungeon builder were let down a lot harder.

 

[DaveF]

Is there any easy way to get screenshots from the Switch to myself? I know about pulling the card out and reading it from a computer. And I see I can connect to Facebook or Twitter to post the shots. But I was hoping there was something more direct and not lossy, an email system or web hosting system?

 

[Morgan Jolley]

You outlined the 2 main ways (SD card or social media). That's really it. IIRC, the PS4 and XBO are similar.

 

[Sam Posten]

It's 2020 and Nintendo does not understand the Internet.

 

[DaveF]

Ok. Worth a check.