Antares Complex

So the switch has been shown, it’s had games been shown and played in person on real hardware and as I figured there’s problems with it, which I’d all happily ignore if it wasn’t for one glaring fault, but I’ll get to that after I talk about the Switch a bit.

I’m going to be going through the negatives I have on this device, so if bringing up flaws of a device gets you angry enough to send death threats, spare us the drama and go read IGNs preview then. I do want the device regardless of these negatives but I’m not going to ignore them either. I have plenty of negatives for the other consoles before you go shouting bias.

If you want a TL:DR of things that are wrong:
-Crap battery life.-Accessories are even more expensive than the pricey competition.
-Storage space is the abysmal.
-Pay to play Online
-It doesn’t have a real dpad.

The Switch is a lot of things I was looking for in a handheld, I hated that handhelds forgot they should be able to be put on a big screen. The PSP was the last one to do this but that was fairly janky since you had to go to the main menu and even then it only took up a fraction of the screen. DS and 3DS just didn’t even try, and at their resolutions? Probably best they didn’t bother as, if you looked up any screenshot taken from the device it’s small and VERY blocky. BUT ANYWAY It’s a feature I really wanted on my device since it could bring some more usability.

Problem is when you make things nice and pretty on a portable it tends to kill the battery fast, the estimated battery life is 2-6 hours which frankly is pretty bad. I’m already annoyed at fans defending this short battery life by stating “you can use a backup battery like with a phone” that’s a bandaid there dear, that doesn’t remove a negative. Thankfully they moved away from proprietary chargers and it works via USB-C which is nice and much easier than ..well NOT including a charger at all (New 3DS XL).

Also, the joycons also have their own individual batteries, and there’s no word on how long they last…agh.

The other major issue is accessories are comically costly, a Pro Controller will set you back $70 bucks, that’s the most expensive controller now. Likely because they want to justify their JoyCons (the 2 slide in controllers) costing $80 for a pair! Really hope 3rd party take up the gap here because those prices are really stupid. A dock will apparently set you back $90 bucks if you lose it, confusing since it’s pretty much a connector, maybe a fan and something to hold the unit in.

Also, the LOVELY and amazing WiiU Pro controller ..isn’t compatible with the Switch…which is immensely frustrating since I love that controller and it’s perfect analog sticks and pretty nice dpad and STELLAR battery life (crushes the PS4 & XB1 battery life that’s for sure)

The biggest glaring flaw is the 32GB of storage, which before you shout “it’s EXPANDABLE” give me a minute. 32GB isn’t enough frankly, not for digital purchases and not for physicals with installs and updates, nevermind system updates. A micro SD card can be used (again, a bandaid much like replacing the HDD or using an external on a PS4 or XB1) but that’s costly as well. At current time of writing microSD cards at the 128GB size go for $60-100 and those fancy pro models are SLOWER than a 5400rpm hdd, that which is in the competition’s storage.

So even a bandaid here is not only costly but not a very good solution.

Now Nintendo, like the others, want you to pay for online. Which doesn’t make sense since 99% of games are local hosted. In otherwords if you’re playing Splatoon or Gears of War or whatever online? Your game is likely being hosted on one of the players consoles. Match making is the only thing going on their end. Some of you may say it’s justified by the included (NOT FREE) games you get. And, okay fine that’s cool…but with Nintendo’s new plan, you aren’t getting free games, you’re getting rentals. You lose the NES/SNES title after a month. That’s ….I …have no words for how BAD this is. Again, paying for online I think is stupid regardless of the console but Nintendo offers the objectively worst benefits for paying for online but asks you to pay the same amount. I don’t play for PS+ and I sure as hell have no interest in spending the cost of a entire game on Nintendo’s online service.

Other problem is any of you with Virtual Console titles, Nintendo is going to expect you to pay AGAIN or pay a fee after migrating your user data off your WiiU or something. The competition however save these games to your file with them and you can install your purchased titles on your other machines.

My biggest personal gripe is it doesn’t have a freaking dpad, Nintendo, the guys who for ages made some of the best ones have entirely neglected putting one in because they wanted the joycons to be able to do 2player in some gimmicky mode. There is technically a dpad, but it’s 4 face buttons which frankly sucks, this has been tried on the SNES (Smash TV), the 64 for camera, the DS and 3DS for camera controls and it’s just NOT a good substitute. The gap between the buttons and the lack of linked dpad-y goodness doesn’t work. Please just crowbar a SNES dpad in there and call it a day!

Yes maybe some will get use out of it, and that’s fine. But me personally with games like Sonic Mania hitting the device and maybe Freedom Planet 2 I would LOVE to have these games easily accessible on the go and  I’m not into using analogsticks for games like that.

I’m excited for the multi-functional/multi-role abilities it has, I like that Nintendo is ignoring the stupid 4k hype and going for 60fps since that enhances gamesplay over just visuals! I like how the joycons can be separate and away from the device, or in a controller thing, I like that they’re embracing options for many tastes.

I think the switch is an important device, it could be that stepping stone that pulls the other two idiots out of 30 or less FPS being acceptable in games and focus on more …versatile fun and enjoyment. … I mean it’s doubtful because…That’s what they’ve been pushing for the last 2 gens and it’s annoying.

 

So, Mike is obviously some kinda Nintendo hating Sony/MS fanboy. Sorry to disappoint but I have all their consoles from the SNES to the WiiU, sans the 64, I’ve had every handheld they’ve made (GG,GBP,GBC,GBA, GBASP, GBASP+,DS Lite, 3DS XL & n3DSXL) and the 3DS is my primary handheld ! So, no I’m just very critical of the things I buy, maybe for you the dpad thing isn’t a big deal, but for me it’s almost a deal breaker… I LOVE 2D platformers and I want a dpad with them on the go. The over priced pro controller is a bandaid I will not buy either.

I have one preordered but I may wind up holding off till more stuff is out/announced because as is, I’m thinking I may have more milage with my primary art device the Surface Pro 4 and my 8BitDo: FC30 controller, which will do Freedom Planet, Sonic Mania, Skyrim etc…I wonder if it’ll run Dragon Quest Heroes….ahem, anyway, that said, I really am eagerly looking forward to what they have going for this.

I WANT the Switch to be good, Monster Hunter, Kirby….maybe a new 7th Dragon ( wink wink! ) among other jRPGs on the go with a nice large 720p display? Or on my TV?! Yes, PLEASE. But there’s flaws with this device, AS THERE ARE WITH THE OTHER CONSOLES and I wanted to get my thoughts out.