Submitted 7 months ago by sleepybisexual@beehaw.org to gaming@beehaw.org
Have you ever held a switch? Its long, flat and the controllers suck. Awful dpad and bad sticks.
Its almost comical, for a small stick the 3ds stick is better than any joycon stick.
And also, internal storage being only 32 GB, and cart games being downloaded in full to the system.
The switch is a mess. At least the games emulate well
It’s definitely not as comfortable as something like the Steam Deck, but played so much Switch while commuting on the train since it came out. It’s been a real joy to have. It’s also WAY smaller than any of the current-gen handhelds.
What do you mean by “cart games being downloaded in full to the system?”
I never owned a Switch, but I would say it was instrumental in the Deck’s conception. If the popularity of the Switch had never happened, I wonder if Gabe would have taken the chance.
Nintendo cuts all kinds of corners and usually doesn’t bother competing as a “performance” console, but people generally loved that thing when it first came out. I’m sure people will have gripes about Steam Deck v1 when v2+ comes out, too.
Its not about power, its about its horrendous controls. Its like trying to game on a comically long phone
So, let’s take botw, about 10 GB.
If you put the cart in, it downloads, you get hose 10 GB on the system. And you’ll also need the CSRT for DRM reasons or shit
It doesn’t download the game though? I just checked my switch and my physical copy of botw is using 0 mb of storage.
The AYANEO AIR 1S is smaller than a regular Nintendo Switch, being closer to a Switch Lite.
Well you have to consider it’s 7 years old. It was incredible in 2016.
My 3dsxl is even older and a lot comfier
Do you have very small hands? The 3DSXL aches my hands if I play for too long but I’ve never had any problems with the Switch, or even a GBA.
Not a hot take at all. It was revolutionary for the first year it was released and then was quickly surpassed on everyone front by any company that put slightly more effort (and more cost) into any part of the switch: graphics, sensors, controllers, expandability, etc. Pretty stock for any Nintendo product, because they only focus on hardware that be produced mass-market and get good profit margins on. Which means it’s often made with current-to-dated components that can get overlooked because it’s the only platform you can play Nintendo games on. Also, not sure why they are so allergic to ergonomics, all the way back to the NES controller, the least comfortable controller of its peers
The OLED dock has an Ethernet port. They’ll work with non-OLED switches so you could buy one if you need the port.
The two USB’s on the side of the case seem sufficient for most use cases. Might be able to add a tiny usb hub if need be, there’s a few tiny ones fore less than $9.
Ergonomics are a bit odd, but the 3DS had similar issues as well. I ended up 3d printing ergonomics grips for my 3ds and I know they have something similar for the switch. I feel like they were towing a line between OTG usability and being able to hold the joycons in multiple orientations (think just dance, 1-2 switch, Mario party, 51 games, etc), or in different accessories (not sure how well an ergo one would work in a leg strap with the ring fit).
Mine has a SD too. Also not sending that much cash on a dock. I has a dongle,
One small thing but I’m surprised nobody points it out - the charging port location. I like using my switch/steam deck in bed or otherwise laying down, and the fact that the charging lead is at the bottom of the console rather than the top sucks. It just gets in the way and stops you resting the console on you. Whereas the Steam Deck just has it on top where you can just plug it in while playing.
I know the technical reasons behind it because of the dock and all that, but it’s annoying.
In general, I think the steam deck is better than the switch in almost every way - The switch is just an expensive ticket for the right to play Nintendo games nowadays.
Yup. I’ve always loved having a handheld device as a companion to my PC. The first few months with the Switch were great, but as time went on I just wanted a better designed Switch that’s also just a PC, particularly after getting hardware-banned for trying to fix some of the issues myself with homebrew apps.
I never would’ve thought that we’d actually get to see a device that’s real so quickly (anyone remember the Smach Z?), is actually pretty good and how quickly it’s now becoming its own market segment.
I game on my bed too, and use a flat right-angled USB adapter. Basically, something like this: www.amazon.com/…/B0C244K2HC/
For 2024 especially it’s pretty fucking bad yeah. I’m really not a handheld guy but in 2016 it didn’t seem as terrible
Yea, I never noticed how bad it was till I held a good handheld
Yes, I didn’t and still don’t understand why they didn’t make the joycon buttons and “d-pad” more comfortable. It’s Nintendo’s least comfortable controller and it’s the biggest reason I hate using the Switch portable mode.
Everyone’s saying it’s old here - the Game Boy was more comfortable to hold and had better buttons. It’s not about age.
The 3ds has a good dpad too. Has Nintendo forgotten how dpads work
This is something I think a lot, how portable gaming kind died. I don’t mean the devices itself, yes the switch and the deck are amazing devices, but I miss games designed and meant to be playable on small devices, like the games we got until the 3DS, games that fit the portable device if that makes sense.
It’s amazing but I simply can’t play a game like Elden Ring on a portable device the same way I used to play my DS.
Portable gaming died because of smartphone gaming, unfortunately
This is part of what I love about the Playdate.
ever since i got the steam deck i hate using my switch
Me but with my rp4 pro
I preferred the switch lite with a protective case that gave the grips a little more body, made it way more comfortable to hold. At least until I picked up a Steam Deck, which ended up being pretty much everything I wanted out of portable gaming, and waaaay easier to emulate on.
Nice :3
Caused me hand pains playing handheld with the switch that it became absolutely necessary for me to get grips to make it usable. Terrible ergonomics.
Yea, I keep mine in my dock. My 8 euro aliexpress controller works better than the joycons ever did
Well it’s the only handheld that hasn’t given me cramp after 20 minutes, so at least there’s that. DS and 3DS were limited to stylus games for me.
The Joycons were an absolute disaster and ruined the portable experience. I got 4 of them repaired. When they inevitably broke again, I gave up and bought a pro controller. Precariously balancing the Switch on your lap or setting it on furniture so you can use a pro controller is not a handheld. Still had lots of fun with the games on it, but the experience should have been better. Nintendo has building controllers for decades, you would think they could at least begin to approach competency.
I completely agree that the switch is genuinely painful to hold on handheld mode for more than ten minutes. The controllers and buttons are too small, it’s flat, and generally not ergonomic. It’s definitely designed for child sized hands in mind and not adults. I do my best to avoid using it in handheld mode.
Meanwhile, my steam deck is a much superior design. The ergonomics are excellent, it fits my hands, the buttons are spaced apart well, and are adequately sized, and I can play for hours with no hand cramps.
However…
The switch absolutely trounces the deck on portability. The fact that it’s flat and small means that, even while in a case, it’s extremely easy to slip into a backpack and take on the go. The deck while in a case, however, is bulky and doesn’t fit in a backpack if I want to put anything else in there (like a book and my laptop).
They were each designed with different goals in mind. I hate the ergonomics of the switch, but really do appreciate how easy it is to take on the go. I love the ergonomics of the deck, but hate how cumbersome it is to take anywhere. Nintendo made the choice to sacrifice ergonomics, and valve made the choice to sacrifice portability. Unfortunately, no solution will be perfect, and I accept that.
Good point, tho my switch only left my house like once for a smash tourney
I find I very rarely use it as a handheld. I find it kind of heavy and awkward to hold after longer periods of time. I kinda wish Nintendo made another 3ds lol
I’d go even farther back - make another GBA
I want both a new GBA and a new 3ds.
That would be really interesting. Heck I would even just take people making more games with the gba’s restrictions. I’ve always thought it’s super interesting. As developers get used to working with a console or system, we end up rolling into the next generation.
I sometimes wonder what we would see if older consoles had another 7 years of life added to them. I try not to think about it too hard or I get kinda sad about the games we’ll never see lol
Yeah, it is basically impossible for me to use the stock switch for anything more than an hour handheld with my hands cramping up. I ended up having to get some rubber grips with a palm bumpout in order for it to be remotely comfortable.
The steam deck is a huge upgrade in that regard. Significantly more comfortable to hold. Plus, the steam deck is capable of emulating pretty much anything on the switch full speed :). On top of all of that is barely even costs more lol.
Back in the day I was drifting in Mario Kart DS on the Dpad until my thumbs hurt before the Wii version (with Nunchuk) and later.
The switch was fine, of course in handheld mode its inferior to the larger/heavier, newer and more ergonomically designed Steam Deck. These days at my friends house I bring a Pro controller around which works and feels just fine.
Oh and yeah the best Switch gaming experience is via emulation of the games you own and using nicer controllers.
Yea. Wish I could emualate some of the nicer switch games. But my retroid shits itself on star allies, 3houses would make it blow up
I honestly wish for a vita sized steam deck. I love the PS vita 1000. It was small and portable but thick enough to hold. Still would be uncomfortable after many hours but honestly that just means it’s time to take a break
The problem is that the Steam Deck plays PC games, that were designed for a big screen. You can’t make the screen much smaller than the current Deck while keeping it legible.
GPD Win 4?
I agree. The hardware was out of date before it was released. The controls were poorly placed to make the joycon gimmick work. It was designed for little kids hands and didn’t offer a solution for adults. The steamdeck really highlighted all these problems by doing it better day one. But for the target demo of the switch, very little of that mattered, and it was a great success. I just hope the Switch 2 learns from these mistakes and doesn’t repeat them.
Lil kid hands? Have you seen how large a joycon is?
The hardware is fine, I’d say weak hardware is a positive tbh (all hail emulation)
Wow many people seem to own both a switch and a steamdeck. Do y’all just buy everything?
The crazy one is when you see someone who owns both a PlayStation and an Xbox!
Lmao
Handheld mode is really not great for extended periods.
I got it for (business) trips, so I appreciate that I can easily connect it to a hotel room TV, or put it upright on a train or plane table.
One disconnected joycon in each hand IS pretty comfortable, since I can avoid the static “controller in front of you” arm pose.
It’s meant for children so, yeah, as an adult it fucking sucks to hold. But that is still the case when it’s docked and you’re using the joycons. The joycons are just incredibly small.
Yea. But also, I have pretty normal hands, joycon are somehow too long for me.
The Joy Cons are the worst controllers Nintendo has ever made. If Switch 2 is anything even remotely similar, it’s seeing zero use as a handheld from me (if I even buy one).
It would have killed nintendo to add an ethernet port. As someone who bought the dongle, having a wired connection will NOT save you from nintendo online being the worst gaming networking service ever devised. No game benefits from it, least of all actual nintendo titles like splatoon or smash. It’s not even a problem of speed, it’s wholesale reliability issues, constant loss of connection errors. If an ethernet port was available included rather than needing to be a seperate purchase, more people would realize sooner just how truly awful the paid nintendo online service is.
I’m just still mad that I could play phantasy star online for ten hours uninterrupted on my gamecube, but now there’s not a single nintendo title that has stable online. Pokémon might let you get a raid or two before needing to reconnect. Splatoon might get a match or three before needing to reconnect completely. Smash won’t stay stable for even one full match. It’s a complete tragedy.
Online sucks, its all p2p with network speed of my ancient laptop
I think the switch did pretty well actually and I get why they made the decisions they made. As much as I love my steam deck, the thing takes up like twice as much space as my switch, for example. There is definitely room for improvement though.
Yup. I got a grip accessory for mine to mitigate it.
It’s no Gameboy, that’s for sure. I use it resting on a pillow on my lap, so I don’t actually have to hold it up. Works very well that way actually
Interesting, I adore my switch. I love my deck for its capabilities (e.g., modding) but I’ll usually buy a game on the switch if I have the option. For me, it’s much more comfortable to use for extended time whereas the deck is heavy enough that it’ll give me wrist pain for long sessions. The battery difference is underrated here too. It’s nice traveling or hell even on the couch to not have to worry about battery on the switch after 1-2 hours.
Wait, the games in the cartridge need to be installed in the main memory as well? Effectively just a drm gimmick?
They can’t read the resources they need from the cart like in the past?
I don’t think that’s the case at all. They run from the carts just fine.
From the tests I have done, the cart is a DRM gimmick
We need big carts with enhancement chips to return, digital only and DRM can get fucked
luciole@beehaw.org 7 months ago
To be fair when it came out seven years ago it really shook up the portable gaming scene. Every portable console coming out since is an iteration on that design. The joycons can go to hell though. And those weird ass online plans.
sleepybisexual@beehaw.org 7 months ago
Yea, you have a point. But in terms of feel, my n3dsxl is a lot comfier
luciole@beehaw.org 7 months ago
I really liked the original 2DS personally. The announcement left everyone incredulous as the device sounded and looked like a dumb downgrade. I mean, it was hard to tell if it was joke or not. In the end though it’s light, cheap, tough and surprisingly comfortable.
cordlesslamp@lemmy.today 7 months ago
Hey, is it too late to buy a couple of n3dsxl in 2024? Is it unusable now as all online services are shut down? Can you still find game cartridges to buy?
I just want something simple to play co-op game with the wife and kids on camping trip or on-the-go sometimes. Last month I dug out my old DSLite from the attic and it’s still boot. My candy-crush-4-life wife love the Mario kart and couldn’t stop playing LOL. But we can’t justify to buy 2-4 Switch.
Because fuck Nintendo and their predatory anti consumer business model.
t3rmit3@beehaw.org 7 months ago
Isn’t the switch itself just an iteration on the GameGear, or close to ‘home’, the GBA?
It’s not the first chunky, horizontal handheld. The only thing that was new about it was the joycons, and they ditched those immediately for the Lite.
erwan@lemmy.ml 7 months ago
The Game gear and GBA played games that were nothing like the home console games of their time.
This is what the Switch brought to the table. Breadth of the Wild was a great home console title, and you could play it handheld on the go.
Instigate@aussie.zone 7 months ago
The Switch design is an evolution of the Wii U controller, which itself was evolved from the the lower screen design of the DS, which itself was modelled on the old Vertical Multi Screen Game and Watches from the 1980s.
Have a look through all of Nintendo’s consoles and you’ll see the lines of inspiration drawn from generation to generation.
BruceTwarzen@kbin.social 7 months ago
When it came out it was just slightly better than a phone
frezik@midwest.social 7 months ago
But without an app store full of shit that games the recommendation system.
luciole@beehaw.org 7 months ago
Cheaper than many phones as well.