The Nintendo NX Thread - The Nintendo Switch Revealed!

Started by L___E___T, October 20, 2016, 05:07:28 am

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adori_12

Quote from: Yelir on July 24, 2019, 05:55:45 pm
Quote from: P on July 24, 2019, 04:00:32 pm
Now it sounds like Nintendo has finally admitted the problem and are going to fix it for free for everyone. Good to hear.

If this were true, I wonder if there would be fine print to repairs. I have 6-8 Joycons and unfortunately they all have this issue at some point in gameplay...  :-\

I believe they know they'll have to repair tons of Joycons, so I don't think there will be a limit on how many can you send for repair, as long as you bought them and have the warranty, it should be fine (or you could send them using different names and addresses in order to bypass the limit, in case there's one) :P
De todo un poco es el sabor de la vida, ida y vuelta en lo de siempre, empobrece y deja roto.

adori_12

Okay, here we go again. A new Nintendo Switch has been revealed, this time around, it's the so-called "Switch Pro"! :o
Kinda. Its major selling points are a bigger, OLED screen, better audio and kickstand and a LAN port on the dock, all for $350, 50 dollars more than the base Switch model. What do you think?

For me it's a cool upgrade, although certainly not worth losing sleep on. All changes they made are definitely for the better, and it will be the definitive way to play Switch games from now on. All these changes were cosmetical and/or functional, better specs are pretty much out of the question, I wish we had gotten something a bit more powerful and up-to-date with next gen systems, but it's Nintendo being Nintendo I guess.
De todo un poco es el sabor de la vida, ida y vuelta en lo de siempre, empobrece y deja roto.

P

This is good news to me. I was worried that we would see a new DSi or New 3DS type of upgrade, but the only potentially software-affecting change here is the doubled storage memory, which probably won't affect software at all. So there is no risk of new Switch games not working with or having missing features on the old Switch. I have a late launch year model which I think will probably be the ideal model in the future since it has the unpatchable hardware exploit yet is possibly more stable than launch models (just guessing though).

We never know if a a real Switch Pro with 4K might come some time later though.


OLED technology seems to me to be very flawed with its burn-in problems. I know people who paid lots of money for an OLED TV which only lasted about a year. Not very good on a video game system. Better speakers is nice though and the stand is very poor on the original Switch so that is also a welcome update (but it sounds like it probably still can't charge while standing). An ethernet port on the dock is not bad either. I wonder if the dock can be used with the original Switch as well.

adori_12

Quote from: P on July 06, 2021, 01:02:44 pmThis is good news to me. I was worried that we would see a new DSi or New 3DS type of upgrade, but the only potentially software-affecting change here is the doubled storage memory, which probably won't affect software at all. So there is no risk of new Switch games not working with or having missing features on the old Switch.
Exactly! This is what I liked the most about the new system, no "Switch OLED game exclusives" or stuff like that, just a functional update. I know some people are furious for not having a more powerful system but for me it's the wisest decision they could've made.
Quote from: P on July 06, 2021, 01:02:44 pmWe never know if a a real Switch Pro with 4K might come some time later though.
For me it's very unlikely, mostly due to the price. 4K handhelds (which are basically miniature PCs) are two or three times the price of a regular Switch, years must pass until something affordable can be done.
Quote from: P on July 06, 2021, 01:02:44 pmOLED technology seems to me to be very flawed with its burn-in problems. I know people who paid lots of money for an OLED TV which only lasted about a year. Not very good on a video game system. Better speakers is nice though and the stand is very poor on the original Switch so that is also a welcome update (but it sounds like it probably still can't charge while standing). An ethernet port on the dock is not bad either. I wonder if the dock can be used with the original Switch as well.
Really? I thought OLED screens were pretty much as durable as LCD ones, and for a system you're supposed to use constantly, I hope people don't start complaining in some years their screens are having dead areas or flat out stopped working.
As for the dock compatibility, Nintendo just confirmed the docks are interchangeable and will work with either the regular or the OLED model, same goes for Joy-Cons.
De todo un poco es el sabor de la vida, ida y vuelta en lo de siempre, empobrece y deja roto.

P

The Japanese version is named the 有機ELモデル (Yuuki-EL Model) but 有機EL just means Organic-EL (Organic ElectroLuminescence) which is another term for OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode).

Yeah there have been talk about making OLED better for years, as it ages faster than any other display technology including CRT, LCD, plasma and non-organic LED-displays. But evidentially it's still pretty bad as the case of my friends with OLED TV-sets shows. In many games you often have a static HUD, and in single screen games like Pacman the whole screen may be static for hours without a screen-saver activating which can cause a burn-in on any type of display (one of my friends got a burn-in on his OLED from a HUD in a game he played a lot).

We can hope that OLED has advanced since and Nintendo is using a type that lasts longer. I would be happy to be wrong about this.


Edit: It sounds like the OLED model is compatible with the old dock, so I guess there is no reason the old Switch couldn't be used with the new dock with the ethernet port (unless they deliberately locked it out). Nintendo says the OLED model won't fit in all Nintendo Labo constructions due to the slightly different size. I'd guess things like Joy-Con are identical and fully compatible.

Yeah I guess 4K would be too expensive even if it's only for TV Mode. I only have a 15 kHz CRT and an LCD HDTV that only goes up to 720p and 1080i at most with no plan to buy a new flatscreen TV anytime soon, so I have little use for 4K myself (I can't even use the current Switch's 1080p feature).

P

So after a little over 4 years of owning a Switch, I finally ran out of space and bought an SD-card for it. I have over 10 cartridges and all my downloaded programs are download exclusives (including the Switch online emulators and all the Smash Bros DLC which is at 7+ GB). So in hindsight I can now say that the Switch lasts a good while with just the 32 GB internal storage memory, but you will most likely eventually need more space even if you don't buy the DL-versions of games that can also be found on cartridge.

I had been planning to pick up a 128 GB card all this time, but thankfully SD-card prices has fallen greatly since 2017, and now a 256 GB card is not too much more expensive per GB than a 128 GB card which in turn isn't too much more than a 64 GB card per GB. That little extra expense is really worth it if it allows me to avoid using multiple SD-cards, so I went ahead and bought a 256 GB card. :D

I learned that the Switch don't come with exFAT drivers (because Nintendo would have to pay a fee for including them) so they are instead installed with an update only prompted the first time you insert an exFAT-formatted SD-card. Even if using FAT32, I suppose it's a good idea to insert an exFAT-formatted card at least once just to nab the drivers sometime before Nintendo ends the Switch internet service one day.

I heard that Nintendo's exFAT drivers are buggy though and might corrupt the SD-card, maybe I should go with FAT32 after all...

adori_12

4 years for constant use is quite a good statistic tbh. I've heard some people say 32GB will only last you about 6 months, but they don't seem to realize games and updates on Switch are smaller in file size.
As you say SD Cards are indeed coming down in price and are still cheaper than buying HDDs for typical consoles so I guess that's certainly an advantage of going all-digital on the system. It's something I wouldn't really do as I prefer cartridges but the option is there.
De todo un poco es el sabor de la vida, ida y vuelta en lo de siempre, empobrece y deja roto.

P

I suppose 6 months are for people that are going all digital which I didn't do. Cartridges are just more convinient and cheaper since you don't have to pay as much for SD-cards, even 256 GB would probably not last very long if I had downloaded all my 10+ cartridge games.

I do have one concern of cartridges however, as I learned that they supposedly don't use mask-ROM technology anymore but write-protected NAND flash-ROM in the 3DS, Switch and possibly even in some DS cartridges. Flash-ROM is susceptible to bit rot because of electron leakage, so the 3DS refreshes the cartridge and repairs any rotten bits using advanced error-correction when power is on to prevent this. Not much can happen with mask-ROM other than the metal or silicon itself deteriorating, because the data is stored in its architectural design rather than in electron charge.

Now I hear that they don't use flash for Switch cartridges after all so I'm not really sure.

adori_12

Oh wow, I didn't know that, but I did hear some people were afraid of their 3DS cartridges getting corrupt and I didn't know why.
Whether Switch carts are flash ROM or not I don't think it's that of an issue to completely move to digital, they still represent the superior option storage wise, and if the console repairs the rotten bits as you said then it's just a matter of inserting the game onto the system from time to time.
De todo un poco es el sabor de la vida, ida y vuelta en lo de siempre, empobrece y deja roto.

P

Yeah well I think the main problem is that they have shorter life than mask-ROM. Programmable ROM (like EPROM, EEPROM and flash-ROM) are typically only guaranteed to not leak for around 10 to 20 years while mask-ROM should probably last at least 50 years (my own wild guess) unless stored in bad conditions (exposed to humidity, dust, static electricity etc).

SD-cards and the internal storage memory of course both use NAND flash-ROM technology and has similar problems as 3DS cartridges.
Thankfully these systems are hacked, ways to dump the internal ROM and encryption keys are found out, and cartridges and DL-exclusives are preserved by pirates and preservists. Hopefully DLC, updates and firmware versions are also preserved.

adori_12

Oh I see, I thought they had the same working life. Always thought flash ROM was superior in every way to mask ROM. And as for preservation, yeah the Switch has been hacked in numerous ways so games aren't lost in any way, hope the same applies for DLCs, as I don't see the same interest in preserving those as
saving the full game.
De todo un poco es el sabor de la vida, ida y vuelta en lo de siempre, empobrece y deja roto.

P

Yeah and especially as there are so many updates and DLC everywhere for every game. Like those 3DS Fire Emblem DLC that requires certain, now discontinued, trading cards only sold in Japan.

It certainly were easier in the good old days when games could not be released if they were not complete and thoroughly tested (well in most cases), expansions were rare and mainly for disk-based systems, and any updates and bugfixes would require a second cartridge release.

adori_12

That's ceirtanly something that was better back in the day, incomplete games were pretty uncommon, unlike today where there's no real incentive to 100% finish developing of a game if the missing content can be adder later, and even sold for an extra price. Al least some rereleases help preserve the DLC content if it gets included in the base game, making it easier to access.
De todo un poco es el sabor de la vida, ida y vuelta en lo de siempre, empobrece y deja roto.

FamicomRetroGamer

The Switch has run its course for the five year length, so next year or so we should see an announcement of its successor.

That said, the Switch is a great Nintendo console, but the games no longer feel complete because there's either updates, dlc, or whatever that needs to be downloaded or else you're stuck with a version just somewhat playable.

Mario Strikers for example is a very barebones game and Nintendo intends on making it better with online updates... Um, okay.