Happenstance Posted July 19, 2017 Posted July 19, 2017 To be honest I'm just not going to even bother downloading it. I would most likely have taken my multiplayer gaming elsewhere anyway so I can play with friends but on the few occasions the portability of the Switch sways me as it does sometimes with single player titles I might have wanted to play multiplayer on the Switch but its just a big no for me now. I'm not going to support Nintendo with their crappy online services.
dazzybee Posted July 19, 2017 Posted July 19, 2017 It's as horrific as we all feared when we first heard. Complete with absolutely no messaging functionality, how do Nintendo expect us to actually organise these matches?
khilafah Posted July 19, 2017 Posted July 19, 2017 (edited) You can't use the app in the background for voice chat and the phone display has to always be on when using the app. What an absolute joke! Edited July 19, 2017 by khilafah
drahkon Posted July 19, 2017 Posted July 19, 2017 2 minutes ago, khilafah said: You can't use the app in the background for voice chat and the phone display has to always be on when using the app. To be fair, the latter part I only assumed. It could also work when the phone's locked. But to be honest, I'd be very surprised if that's the case.
Helmsly Posted July 19, 2017 Posted July 19, 2017 (edited) 17 minutes ago, dazzybee said: It's as horrific as we all feared when we first heard. Complete with absolutely no messaging functionality, how do Nintendo expect us to actually organise these matches? Not being able to send someone a message through the console itself seems baffling to me. It's kind of a basic feature that even the Wii U has. I should be able to see my friends list, see who's online and then send someone a message asking if they want a game of Splatoon/Mario Kart or whatever. I really don't understand why something like that isn't on the console when they already have two online games out. Hopefully it'll come in a future firmware update and not be something on their app. Edited July 19, 2017 by Helmsly
khilafah Posted July 19, 2017 Posted July 19, 2017 52 minutes ago, drahkon said: To be fair, the latter part I only assumed. It could also work when the phone's locked. But to be honest, I'd be very surprised if that's the case. Someone on gaf has said it disconnects once phone display turns off 1
Dcubed Posted July 19, 2017 Posted July 19, 2017 Sounds like the app still has a long way to go before it's really ready for prime time... Guess that's why they said it was a "basic" version. The final version had better fix these issues... I don't think it's a bad idea in theory, but the practice still has a lot of ground to cover before it catches up with the theory.
Serebii Posted July 19, 2017 Posted July 19, 2017 Yeah don't forget that this is a limited simple version of the app and the full service will come next year
Shorty Posted July 19, 2017 Posted July 19, 2017 If you've got your smartphone out and you've opened your app store, you might as well use a proper, fully fledged app at this point right? One that can be locked, switched with other apps, make calls, send messages and work when the game is closed, like... whatsapp, discord, google hangouts, your phone's built in software... 3
Sheikah Posted July 19, 2017 Posted July 19, 2017 32 minutes ago, Serebii said: Yeah don't forget that this is a limited simple version of the app and the full service will come next year It's quite bad to launch the game alongside such a basic app though.
Serebii Posted July 19, 2017 Posted July 19, 2017 21 minutes ago, Sheikah said: It's quite bad to launch the game alongside such a basic app though. Well thankfully the app isn't a necessity for the game. You could easily play the game without ever knowing it exists
Sheikah Posted July 19, 2017 Posted July 19, 2017 Well thankfully the app isn't a necessity for the game. You could easily play the game without ever knowing it existsThat might be the attitude to have if your system had an OS-level voice chat solution. Otherwise, no.
Kav Posted July 19, 2017 Posted July 19, 2017 (edited) 52 minutes ago, drahkon said: @Kav What's your opinion on this? Let's face it, it's both utterly infuriating and completely hilarious. It really is shit, there's no way of dressing it up (although I've no doubt at all that some will try). They're going to be charging for this service too! Haha I could go into a long rant but I'll not bother... so to sum up: Nintendon't do online. Edited July 19, 2017 by Kav
liger05 Posted July 19, 2017 Posted July 19, 2017 (edited) This sounds like a complete clusterfuck but one shouldn't be surprised. As soon as they get said a phone app was needed most people questioned the logic in that. Phone screen can't be be on, app can't run in the background lol. What are they thinking? Plenty of other app developers manage to develop apps that communicate with others not requiring such nonsense to work. This is once again Nintendo showing that they just don't get it. Nobody asked for this solution but again they feel the need to come up with their own answer to the question that wasn't asked. We didn't ask for a new way to play with friends, we just wanted what you see on the competition and that would of been fine. I hope the gaming media and community do not stop letting Nintendo know just what a joke this is and they get all the criticism they deserve. As always with Nintendo its one step forward two steps back. https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/07/early-tests-show-bizarre-issues-with-nintendo-switch-voice-chat-app/ You really must just laugh at a tech company thinking this mess was viable. Quote As Nintendo points out in the app's official FAQ, voice chat cannot run in the background while using your phone for other purposes such as "texts, social media, etc.": "The voice chat will disconnect while you're talking on the phone or using another application, but your voice chat will restart in the same room once you open the Nintendo Switch Online application again as long as the game session is still ongoing."What's more, early testing confirms that the app won't work if your phone goes into power-saving "sleep mode," with the screen inactive. And don't bother trying to use the app to chat with your Switch friends while away from the system, either: you can only join chat rooms with people when you're actively playing a specific, supported game with them. This is all in sharp contrast to Sony and Microsoft, which have allowed simple party chat directly on their consoles—across games and at the system level—for years. Practical impact aside, the design decision is simply baffling when you compare the Switch voice chat app to other phone-based chat solutions. Everything from Skype to Discord to the built-in phone app on your smartphone lets you continue talking to others while doing other things with the phone. For Nintendo to require its app to run in the foreground when other apps prove it's not necessary is just strange. Edited July 19, 2017 by liger05 1
dazzybee Posted July 19, 2017 Posted July 19, 2017 It isn't great, but surely this will change for next year, just the first version - it working in the background is an easy fix. I presume this is why it's free until next year, they realised it wasn't going to be ready. Personally I wonder if it would've been better not to have it at all.... Splatnet 2 sounds great though and hope all games do this, including Arms and Mario kart!
liger05 Posted July 19, 2017 Posted July 19, 2017 I would not for one minute assume it would be any better next year. Nintendo are totally clueless with these type of things. Early version or not it not acceptable that the app can not work with the phone in sleep mode or while other apps are open. That should never of been an option. 1
Julius Posted July 19, 2017 Posted July 19, 2017 (edited) Quote Yeah don't forget that this is a limited simple version of the app and the full service will come next year Well, I mean, it can't be ignored that it's still representative of the service which comes next year, so, though I think it's a step too far to be screaming that it's doomed, I think there is a valid reason for concern, perhaps especially because Switch production has been ramped up in the last few months quite considerably. If I were a casual gamer/parent and saw the state of Switch Online this Christmas (paid for or not, and regardless of the knowledge that a more complete version is coming next year) the same as it is now, if searching for a new console and hadn't already picked up the PS4 or XBO, my opinion would be short and simple: the other basic models of rival consoles are cheaper and already have a huge catalogue of games, as well as a complete online infrastructure, I'll just buy a Switch next year - and purchase the XBO/PS4 now. I think we often forget that we're all avid gamers who keep our ears close to the ground for such news. Do we really think that the casual potential Switch customer is going to figure out the current service is incomplete compared to the more complete one due for launch next year? 6 hours ago, Serebii said: Well thankfully the app isn't a necessity for the game. You could easily play the game without ever knowing it exists Of all the major and exclusive Switch games to launch this year, I'd argue that Splatoon 2 is the one most dependent on a strong online infrastructure. Sure, I could use Skype/Discord, etc., but should I really find myself searching for an alternative to Nintendo's own app/service? Edited July 19, 2017 by Julius Caesar 1
Ashley Posted July 19, 2017 Author Posted July 19, 2017 Did any updates for Nintendo's mobile apps ever fix their battery-killing tendencies?
khilafah Posted July 19, 2017 Posted July 19, 2017 (edited) Is it true that leaving phone displays on for long periods of time can cause image burn? Honestly what the hell was Nintendo thinking. Quote GameXplain said you can't even pull down the notification tray on your phone while using the app and voice chat. You immediately get cut off. Truly embarrassing Edited July 19, 2017 by khilafah
Jamba Posted July 19, 2017 Posted July 19, 2017 I'm not of the opinion that the app is doomed but I do think that Nintendo have released this too early. The feature set being so small and constrained gives such a bad image of what the service might be, which is even worse when they want to be charging for it in the future. This is like making the first level in Mario Run so rubbish that no one wants to buy the full game.
Aneres11 Posted July 19, 2017 Posted July 19, 2017 I think I'd rather just use my 'phone' app within my phone and physically call someone if I want voice chat. At least then we don't have to be in the same lobby. Also, when I call someone with my phone, I can turn my screen off AND I can do other things whilst chatting! Fancy that, Nintendo! It's a complete mess.
liger05 Posted July 19, 2017 Posted July 19, 2017 (edited) 45 minutes ago, Ashley said: *snorts* All the cables is just ridiculous. Try using that sitting a decent distance away from the tv. im truly baffled how someone at Nintendo didn't come to the conclusion that this is plain stupid. This is the same company which said it didn't like bulky headsets. Remember that. Oh and I just wanna say fcuk DeNa. I thought those guys were supposed to make things better. Idiots!!! Edited July 19, 2017 by liger05 1
Recommended Posts