Nintendo Switch

[toptenmaterial]

 

I had the Junior, but I respect the wood grain version, first proper games console, you can see Nintendo's approach to the Switch is still the same as this, fun

My favorite look personally is the light sixer, followed by the Jr. Edited January 26, 2017 by toptenmaterial

[+frankodragon]

I thought this was funny:

 

Mario Theft Auto

[Skippy B. Coyote]

For those curious, Nintendo has released the majority of the technical specs on the Switch: http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2017/01/official_nintendo_switch_technical_specifications_have_been_shared

 

The only things that really stood out to me were the non-replaceable battery and the rather massive 14 ounce weight, as well as the confirmation that the battery life with Zelda: Breath of the Wild (and presumably other similarly graphically intensive Switch games) will be roughly 3 hours.

[Atariboy]

14 ounces? The Wii U gamepad with the same size screen was over 17.

 

I'd say that if this weighs just 80% of what the Wii U gamepad weighed in at, it's incredibly light.

Edited January 28, 2017 by Atariboy

[Punisher5.0]

Still no RAM or processor specs. Dissapointing to say the least.

[KidGameR186496]

Still no RAM or processor specs. Dissapointing to say the least.

They could show it to us before release or you'll see people opening the system with the malicious purpose of misinforming the tech specs. of the Switch due to their agendas with making Nintendo a 3rd party.

[Flojomojo]

For those curious, Nintendo has released the majority of the technical specs on the Switch: http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2017/01/official_nintendo_switch_technical_specifications_have_been_shared

 

The only things that really stood out to me were the non-replaceable battery and the rather massive 14 ounce weight, as well as the confirmation that the battery life with Zelda: Breath of the Wild (and presumably other similarly graphically intensive Switch games) will be roughly 3 hours.

 

I like how the microSD card is under the kickstand. I hope that kickstand is sturdy. The non-replaceable battery shouldn't be a surprise, tablets are usually glued not screwed together, so it's just as well they're not trying to make it "user serviceable." My 2010 iPad's battery is still going like a champ, so hopefully this thing will last a long time too. The weight is a little lighter than I expected -- the Nvidia Shield portable is 579 grams (20z) and it's got a reassuring heft.

 

Still no RAM or processor specs. Dissapointing to say the least.

 

So everyone can make bullshit comparison matrices, complaining that this unique thing that plays bespoke Nintendo games is somehow inferior to the Android phone of the week? With a Nintendo console, hardware specs don't matter nearly as much as what you do with it. They're doing us a favor by going the Rolls Royce way. Horsepower? "Ample."

[D.Daniels]

Still no RAM or processor specs. Dissapointing to say the least.

 

The reason and answer is Genesis does what Nintendon't

Edited January 28, 2017 by D.Daniels

[Punisher5.0]

I like how the microSD card is under the kickstand. I hope that kickstand is sturdy. The non-replaceable battery shouldn't be a surprise, tablets are usually glued not screwed together, so it's just as well they're not trying to make it "user serviceable." My 2010 iPad's battery is still going like a champ, so hopefully this thing will last a long time too. The weight is a little lighter than I expected -- the Nvidia Shield portable is 579 grams (20z) and it's got a reassuring heft.

 

 

 

So everyone can make bullshit comparison matrices, complaining that this unique thing that plays bespoke Nintendo games is somehow inferior to the Android phone of the week? With a Nintendo console, hardware specs don't matter nearly as much as what you do with it. They're doing us a favor by going the Rolls Royce way. Horsepower? "Ample."

Good point. Sometimes I forget how unreasonable people can be.

[Atariboy]

Just went through a list of confirmed Switch projects and counted 15 titles of interest.

 

So at least it looks safe that I won't lack interesting games when I make the jump.

[D.Daniels]

Just went through a list of confirmed Switch projects and counted 15 titles of interest.

 

So at least it looks safe that I won't lack interesting games when I make the jump.

 

Games like Zelda and Mario are exclusive and unique just to the Switch, where as Xbox/PS4 tend to share a lot of games, even with their exclusive titles, GT/Forza, Halo/Gears of war their basically a clone, so when you make the jump at least you have a unique gaming experience

Edited January 28, 2017 by D.Daniels

[BillLoguidice]

 

Games like Zelda and Mario are exclusive and unique just to the Switch, where as Xbox/PS4 tend to share a lot of games, even with their exclusive titles, GT/Forza, Halo/Gears of war their basically a clone, so when you make the jump at least you have a unique gaming experience

 

We already know that, at least for now, most Nintendo games can only be played on Nintendo systems. The way you wrote the second part seems like you're trying to say that the exclusives on Xbox One and PS4 are somehow shared between the systems because they're sometimes in the same overarching genre. That's not exactly a fair characterization. It's like when people say there are only violent or FPS or whatever-stereotype games on PS4 and Xbox One. That's another ridiculous generalization that shows a distinct lack of familiarity with the breadth and depth of the respective libraries.

Edited January 28, 2017 by BillLoguidice

[D.Daniels]

 

We already know that, at least for now, most Nintendo games can only be played on Nintendo systems. The way you wrote the second part seems like you're trying to say that the exclusives on Xbox One and PS4 are somehow shared between the systems because they're sometimes in the same overarching genre. That's not exactly a fair characterization. It's like when people say there are only violent or FPS or whatever-stereotype games on PS4 and Xbox One. That's another ridiculous generalization that shows a distinct lack of familiarity with the breadth and depth of the respective libraries.

 

sorry I really didn't mean to generalize, or put down those games, I was just trying to speak of a games style, like there's no Mario maker or Super Mario 3D World I can think of on the PS4/Xbox, and so just pointing out that it gives owning a Switch/Wii U a uniqueness, where as if your a PS4 owner or Xbox 1, you have a similar type of game to play, and yeah that annoys me as a 80's/90's gamer, as I do want more variety, I'm sure PS4 and Xbox games that are similar do greatly differ and are worthy of their development, but I'm a bit tired of the same genre of games to choose from, maybe it is a generation thing with us oldies, from the 80's to the 90's there were so many changes it was always exciting

Edited January 28, 2017 by D.Daniels

[BillLoguidice]

 

sorry I really didn't mean to generalize, or put down those games, I was just trying to speak of a games style, like there's no Mario maker or Super Mario 3D World I can think of on the PS4/Xbox, and so just pointing out that it gives owning a Switch/Wii U a uniqueness, where as if your a PS4 owner or Xbox 1, you have a similar type of game to play, and yeah that annoys me as a 80's/90's gamer, as I do want more variety, I'm sure PS4 and Xbox games that are similar do greatly differ and are worthy of their development, but I'm a bit tired of the same genre of games to choose from, maybe it is a generation thing with us oldies, from the 80's to the 90's there were so many changes it was always exciting

 

Mario Maker is pretty specific, but isn't Little Big Planet 3 on PS4 and the now defunct Project Spark on Xbox One close enough for purposes of this discussion? Super Mario 3D World is also neat, but it's not like there aren't plenty of good platformer games on the other two platforms.

 

Anyway, I respectfully reject your premise. While I 100% get behind the idea that some of the Nintendo first party titles offer elements not found anywhere else, and we'll no doubt get more of the same on the Switch (along with the usual Nintendo rehashes), there's literally every genre and every game, big or small, to choose from on Xbox One and PS4. Both have tons of indie content to go along with the usual big budget first and third party stuff.

[D.Daniels]

 

Mario Maker is pretty specific, but isn't Little Big Planet 3 on PS4 and the now defunct Project Spark on Xbox One close enough for purposes of this discussion? Super Mario 3D World is also neat, but it's not like there aren't plenty of good platformer games on the other two platforms.

 

Anyway, I respectfully reject your premise. While I 100% get behind the idea that some of the Nintendo first party titles offer elements not found anywhere else, and we'll no doubt get more of the same on the Switch (along with the usual Nintendo rehashes), there's literally every genre and every game, big or small, to choose from on Xbox One and PS4. Both have tons of indie content to go along with the usual big budget first and third party stuff.

 

fair enough dude, I respect your point too

thanks for using "I respectfully reject your premise", made me laugh as I do speak bullocks a lot of the time (some may say all the time lol)

Edited January 28, 2017 by D.Daniels

[Andromeda Stardust]

For those curious, Nintendo has released the majority of the technical specs on the Switch: http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2017/01/official_nintendo_switch_technical_specifications_have_been_shared

 

The only things that really stood out to me were the non-replaceable battery and the rather massive 14 ounce weight, as well as the confirmation that the battery life with Zelda: Breath of the Wild (and presumably other similarly graphically intensive Switch games) will be roughly 3 hours.

Yeah I was a bit bummed too out that the battery is non-replaceable. My only hope is that it can be removed using a security bit with some standard form factor replacement.

 

I had a detailed look at the specs page the other night, and I looked very closely at the Joycon sliding edge. I did not see where the Joycon had metallic contacts where it could be charged, but it appears the pictures are high quality renders representative of the final product, and not actual photos. I assume that the Joycons will charge if left connected to the tablet in the charging cradle.

 

I did manage to secure a Pro controller preorder yesterday through the Best Buy Website during the couple hours it was available (my apologies to anyone who missed out), though in store pickup is not available on this item. I also got a voicemail from Gamestop telling me that the Pro controller was available for preorder. My local Gamestop had a whopping 26 Swtich units for preorder but only one Pro controller allotment. That is not good IMO, and I imagine the demand will vastly outstrip the supply for a while. If anyone recalls the Wii, Classic Controllers were nearly impossible to find after launch as well, but not quite as hard as picking up an actual system.

 

It is a thing of beauty, which ironically has no mention on the specs page. Best Buy has a lovely photo of it on their sales page.

 

I wonder if the Pro controller uses a USB-B (Mini or Micro) or a USB-C port for charging. A traditional 5V cable would make it easy to charge one off the dock.

 

One other question I have for the Switch which hasn't been covered anywhere, is whether or not we will be able to get analog audio output from the headphone jack while in docked mode. I use a DVI monitor in conjunction with old school HIFI stereo speakers, and it would be nice to have analog audio through the stereo without splitting it off of the HDMI feed. I assume this will be possible as disabling the headphone output when docked wouldn't serve much purpose IMO.

 

I also bought a 200Gb Samsung Micro SDXC memory card from Amazon which arrived today. It has a whopping 200Gb listed file size and unfortunately crashed Windows Explorer when I tried to access it. So I used SD Foundation Formatter to reformat the card to the full capacity, 183Gb according to Windows. It appears the new "200Gb" cards are 192 binary Gb internally, with a small percentage of space utilized for formatting and housekeeping like most traditionally sized cards. I think she should last quite a while in the Switch before I fill her up.

[Flojomojo]

The top surface is interesting. Translucent plastic?

 

If I were them, I'd make everything with USB-C, because it fits in either side up and feels more modern. Once we get more stuff with the new connector, anything with older connectors will seem archaic.

 

As a total guess, I would expect the analog audio out to be disabled when the Switch is docked and passing AV to HDMI.

[D.Daniels]

Yeah I was a bit bummed too out that the battery is non-replaceable. My only hope is that it can be removed using a security bit with some standard form factor replacement.

 

I had a detailed look at the specs page the other night, and I looked very closely at the Joycon sliding edge. I did not see where the Joycon had metallic contacts where it could be charged, but it appears the pictures are high quality renders representative of the final product, and not actual photos. I assume that the Joycons will charge if left connected to the tablet in the charging cradle.

 

I did manage to secure a Pro controller preorder yesterday through the Best Buy Website during the couple hours it was available (my apologies to anyone who missed out), though in store pickup is not available on this item. I also got a voicemail from Gamestop telling me that the Pro controller was available for preorder. My local Gamestop had a whopping 26 Swtich units for preorder but only one Pro controller allotment. That is not good IMO, and I imagine the demand will vastly outstrip the supply for a while. If anyone recalls the Wii, Classic Controllers were nearly impossible to find after launch as well, but not quite as hard as picking up an actual system.

 

It is a thing of beauty, which ironically has no mention on the specs page. Best Buy has a lovely photo of it on their sales page.

 

I wonder if the Pro controller uses a USB-B (Mini or Micro) or a USB-C port for charging. A traditional 5V cable would make it easy to charge one off the dock.

 

One other question I have for the Switch which hasn't been covered anywhere, is whether or not we will be able to get analog audio output from the headphone jack while in docked mode. I use a DVI monitor in conjunction with old school HIFI stereo speakers, and it would be nice to have analog audio through the stereo without splitting it off of the HDMI feed. I assume this will be possible as disabling the headphone output when docked wouldn't serve much purpose IMO.

 

I also bought a 200Gb Samsung Micro SDXC memory card from Amazon which arrived today. It has a whopping 200Gb listed file size and unfortunately crashed Windows Explorer when I tried to access it. So I used SD Foundation Formatter to reformat the card to the full capacity, 183Gb according to Windows. It appears the new "200Gb" cards are 192 binary Gb internally, with a small percentage of space utilized for formatting and housekeeping like most traditionally sized cards. I think she should last quite a while in the Switch before I fill her up.

 

Its a shame they couldn't bundle a pro controller with it

that d pad looks really comfortable

[Osgeld]

I use a DVI monitor in conjunction with old school HIFI stereo speakers, and it would be nice to have analog audio through the stereo without splitting it off of the HDMI feed.

 

god yes, one of my pet peeves is HDMI audio, just cause if I want to route it though something other than the 2 pissant laptop speakers in my TV it automatically means I want a THX DOLBY GOLDEN THROAT whaever buzzwords have been out there in the last 30 something years

 

note to people who make modern sound systems, I dont want the local news in epic glory 19.10 surround sound at 7500 watts, and I want a choice tween super mario screaming "yippie" at me every 2 seconds and mega awesome epic game of the year making me crap my pants when a new megathreat comes on screen

 

analog makes this fairly easy as I can hit magic button combinations, HDMI audio its all piped though the firehose direct to my face

 

 

today the mayor decreed today jimbob appreciation day cause he saved a kitten

 

 

 

and thanks to hdmi if that firehose is off I get silence, with analog if I want the firehose I turn on the amp, if I dont I ... dont simple easy

Edited January 29, 2017 by Osgeld

[Punisher5.0]

Linus tech tips did a hands on video:

 

[D.Daniels]

Linus tech tips did a hands on video:

 

 

Thanks for the video, I'm pretty impressed with the size, its like Nintendo looked at some of the best features of the vita and took elements from that, because in the past Nintendo handhelds have always been small, but the screen size on the switch is perfect and its not so small for people with big hands like me, nor do I need to get a switch xl

Edited January 30, 2017 by D.Daniels

[godslabrat]

The translucent plastic reminds me of the N64 and GBA. That's a very subtle bit of nostalgia to stimulate :-)

[RARusk]

They had it at PAX South that just wrapped up. That area was super packed the whole weekend. I'll try to get some pictures up later.

[Osgeld]

 

Thanks for the video, I'm pretty impressed

 

i am not impressed by mainatining 3 batteries to play a wii U game for a simplistic game

[Andromeda Stardust]

Linus tech tips did a hands on video:

 

Amazing! I certainly hope that the "training wheels" mode is optional (and preferably I would have it disabled in online matches), because a self driving racer that would let even a drunk and half passed out player win a cup without even trying just doesn't sound like my cup of tea.