Nintendo Switch - Happy Switchmas Everyone!

[liger05]

This was never mentioned. Plenty of tech in this device. Why Nintendo are not mentioning this I don't know. A direct on the horizon where they will discuss stuff like this?

 

TouchSense, a haptic technology, will be implemented in the Switch's touchscreen

 

http://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/...ech-to-switch/

 

"Immersion announced on Friday that it signed a multi-year deal with Nintendo to bring its patented technology to the Switch. The technology, once adapted to the Nintendo Switch console, will assist design efforts by giving developers access to the TouchSense software suite. According to the press release, “Immersion’s TouchSense software will help developers provide immersive touch-based gaming controls to players around the world.”

 

"TouchSense technology makes touchscreen controls come alive, giving users the sense that they are touching physical buttons. It can be expected that when Switch developers gain greater control over touchscreen development with TouchSense technology, gameplay experiences on the Switch will become more refined and imemersive."

Edited January 15, 2017 by liger05

[Ronnie]

Nice one, another tick for the device itself.

 

I guess they really didn't want to confuse things by throwing in touchscreen chat. Sure it'll come out in the next few weeks.

[liger05]

So this is why the touch screens were disabled at the Switch events?

 

Senran Kagura please. Haptic feedback and HD rumble, hell yeah.

[dazzybee]

So this is why the touch screens were disabled at the Switch events?

 

Senran Kagura please. Haptic feedback and HD rumble, hell yeah.

 

There's no rumble in the screen itself though is there?

[Kav]

They throw in these features that more than likely won't be taken advantage of in meaningful ways, but won't put basic online/social features on the system itself!

[Mike]

Just come back from the Switch event, and echo the positive impressions from others who went. The Switch console itself and the JoyCons feel like really nice pieces of kit, and pretty comfortable to hold. The grip controller, which I used for Zelda, felt a little strange, what with its square shape, but it wasn't uncomfortable and is certainly something I'll be able to get used to. Buttons all feel nice, and I was pleasantly surprised how I didn't mind the buttons instead of D pad.

 

Zelda was the first game I tried, after an hour queue. Though I enjoyed it and am keen to try more, I left feeling a bit disappointed because the 20 minutes I was allowed on it barely let me scratch the surface, especially as I had go through the whole 'Open your eyes' beginning scene.

 

ARMS was next - what a fun little game! I'd need a bit more time to get used to th controls, but I could feel myself getting better as the 15 minutes or so I got with the game went on. So much better than Wii Sports Boxing, and the gyros on the JoyCons allowed for some really subtle adjustments to your punches. As long as there are a variety of modes (including a decent single player campaign), this is definitely worth picking up.

 

Of the 1,2,Switch games on display, I was able to try the Strike A Pose, Safe Cracker and Ball Count mini games. The first two really did feel like something you might get on the Wii, but the Ball Count one was seriously impressive, thanks to the HD rumble. What people are saying about the feedback you get from the rumble is true - it honestly felt like the balls were rolling about inside the controller. I just get the feeling that ultimately, it'll largely just be used for gimmicky mini games, and I'm yet to be convinced that it's worth the extra expense it's added to the system.

 

Splatoon 2 felt pretty much like the first one, though that's no bad thing. I tried out the new Dualies weapon and got on well with it, and the Jetpack special that came with it was fun. The level in the demo was very reminiscent of Urchin Underpass - nothing to write home about, but I'm sure there'll be more creative levels in the final game. I was relieved to see that the SuperJump worked just fine without the touchscreen. Choosing which teammate to jump to with the dpad buttons was quick and easy, and you could select where you wanted to go as soon as you got splatted, so you'd jump there immediately after respawning. This was the only game I tried in handheld mode, and like everyone else is saying, the screen quality - the colours and the resolution - was superb.

 

The last big game I tried was battle mode in Mario Kart. I tried this one in split screen tabletop mode, and although it worked well enough, the screen was a bit too small to make this setup something I'd want to use unless I really had to. Battle mode was fine - I played as Inkling Boy in Bomb Blast mode. Fun enough, but if there aren't any new actual racing tracks, I can't see myself double dipping on this title.

 

Sadly, I didn't get to have a go on Snipperclips as the line was too long and the event was ending, but it seemed popular with the people playing it. I did have one race on Fast Racing RMX, though, and it looked and felt as lovely as the Wii U version.

 

And that's it! A fun morning, even if I could have done with another hour or so there. Made me all the more excited about March 3rd!

[Aneres11]

Hype... once again... building...

Must... resist... stupidly priced... accessories...

[Ronnie]

Thanks for the report, all sounds good.

 

Is Fast RMX the same thing as Fast Racing Neo? I never played the latter but from reports it seemed a good game.

[Pestneb]

It's annoyihng, but I literally can't remember the last time I used analogue triggers...

 

Burnout on the gamecube. And I loved it. the precision control is fantastic. I can see the switch having pressure sensitive shoulder pads rather than regular analogue shoulder pads because as a portable it's something that sticks out less so is less vulnerable to damage etc. a bit like 3ds analogue stick vs the Wii U ones. So I am hopeful, although pressure sensitive < analogue shoulders. with analogue shoulders you can feel how far you have pushed them in, it's a more natural control method for me than pressure... you know when you are at 100%, with pressure you could be at 500% of what they will read and be no wiser.

[dazzybee]

Thanks for the report, all sounds good.

 

Is Fast RMX the same thing as Fast Racing Neo? I never played the latter but from reports it seemed a good game.

 

Yep, but with 30 new tracks. 60 in total. I have neo, it's very very good, still tempted by this.

[Dcubed]

Thanks for the report, all sounds good.

 

Is Fast RMX the same thing as Fast Racing Neo? I never played the latter but from reports it seemed a good game.

 

Yeah, it's a port of the Wii U game with the DLC included as standard; now running in 1080p.

[Julius]

In case it hasn't been mentioned, apparently the reason for the pretty crazily priced Pro Controller (currently listed for ~£60 everywhere) is that it has a gyroscope and possibly HD Rumble. If so, the pricing certainly makes more sense.

 

I was planning on getting a Switch anyway, but I've come around on the pricing, simply because I think Nintendo are making the smart move. £60 for a game is expensive, as is £280 for a Nintendo console, but compare that to what I imagine the Scorpio will cost itself and it's games? Not to mention that around that time Ninty will probably have the wit to put their prices down £10 or so across all tiers; suddenly, it'll be by far the cheapest new console for 2017 (Scorpio is likely, very likely, going to be in excess of £400, and new games specialised for it will likely claim £60) and have the reasonably priced games once again.

 

And all around the same time that the price will likely drop (late autumn/early holiday window), so more units will likely be sold anyway. Smart move Big N, smart move.

[EEVILMURRAY]

I'd rather they show off a nice little feature like the IR camera than spend time on a meaningless bit of information like where the games go. For the record, there's a slot on the top of the device for the game cards.

 

Game cards? So no discs anymore?

[Retro_Link]

Yeah the pro controller does have HD rumble as well as a more traditional rumble.

 

It's going to be interesting to see how much HD rumble is used in the pro controller, because when developing a game, surely you'd have to develop the rumble with either the JoyCons OR pro controller in mind, because of how different their shapes are. You couldn't simply map rumble from one to the other.

Edited January 15, 2017 by Retro_Link

[Dcubed]

Game cards? So no discs anymore?

 

Yeah, no discs. Uses 3DS style Game Cards (though even smaller!) that can store up to 32GB-64GB.

 

Loading times are much faster than discs, so no need to install games like on PS4/Xbone. Just plug and play.

[Ronnie]

If the Pro controller does have HD rumble then yes the high price is more understandable. I imagine the technology is just going to be used to enhance the rumble feedback with nifty effects based on what's happening on screen rather than gameplay mechanics designed around it. Things like firing an arrow in BOTW and having the rumble quickly go from the bottom of the joycons to the top as it fires, something like that maybe? (not saying that actually happens in the game, just an example)

[killthenet]

I don't get the argument that HD Rumble won't be utilised, its not like developers will have to think of ways to shoegorn it in like they did with motion controls, it will just be a more sensitive version of rumble and developers already implement rumble in their games anyway. Many developers already employ Rumble Artists so this will just make their jobs more worthwhile.

[Julius]

The Switch will support microSD SDXC cards of up 512 GB capacity at launch, and will support microSD SDXC cards up to, and including, 2 TB capacity (when they are inevitably released), reports GameInformer.

[S.C.G]

The Switch will support microSD SDXC cards of up 512 GB capacity at launch, and will support microSD SDXC cards up to, and including, 2 TB capacity (when they are inevitably released), reports GameInformer.

 

I've been doing some research on micro SDXC cards and it seems that 512GB cards aren't even commonplace in the UK yet and even when you can buy them, it seems that they are around £300 + which is more than the console.

 

So I think the best option if you want to be sure of having at least some space at a semi-reasonable price would be this 200GB card for just over £50 surely?

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/222315739151?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

[Retro_Link]

If the Pro controller does have HD rumble then yes the high price is more understandable. I imagine the technology is just going to be used to enhance the rumble feedback with nifty effects based on what's happening on screen rather than gameplay mechanics designed around it. Things like firing an arrow in BOTW and having the rumble quickly go from the bottom of the joycons to the top as it fires, something like that maybe? (not saying that actually happens in the game, just an example)

I still think it's something Nintendo need to take a hit on. It's an absurd amount of money to ask for a controller no matter the tech inside. Price is what Nintendo should have at the forefront when considering what they put into the thing.

 

I like the idea of the rumble acting as enemy impact. So if your shield/armour takes a heavy impact from the right for example the rumble will thud hard on the right and dissipate left.

Edited January 15, 2017 by Retro_Link

[EEVILMURRAY]

Yeah, no discs. Uses 3DS style Game Cards (though even smaller!) that can store up to 32GB-64GB.

 

Loading times are much faster than discs, so no need to install games like on PS4/Xbone. Just plug and play.

 

That would've been good to have heard during their presentation.

[liger05]

I still think it's something Nintendo need to take a hit on. It's an absurd amount of money to ask for a controller no matter the tech inside. Price is what Nintendo should have at the forefront when considering what they put into the thing.

 

I like the idea of the rumble acting as enemy impact. So if your shield/armour takes a heavy impact from the right for example the rumble will thud hard on the right and dissipate left.

 

Yes it's very expensive.. All controllers are over priced. The game companies make huge margins on peripherals and none of them should be as expensive as they are.. This just looks real bad as controllers are already expensive and now Nintendo have the most expensive of them all.

[Ronnie]

That would've been good to have heard during their presentation.

 

We knew about it in October, when they released this image, among many.

 

[nekunando]

I've been doing some research on micro SDXC cards and it seems that 512GB cards aren't even commonplace in the UK yet and even when you can buy them, it seems that they are around £300 + which is more than the console.

 

So I think the best option if you want to be sure of having at least some space at a semi-reasonable price would be this 200GB card for just over £50 surely?

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/222315739151?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

 

That would've been good to have heard during their presentation.

 

Nintendo seem to have a serious problem in getting important information across, unfortunately. The presentation was a bit of a mess that didn't highlight anywhere near enough of the features that we want, and need, to hear about

 

Having had time to consider things since Friday morning, I think I really like the Switch.. a lot I don't feel deflated any more at this moment.. I feel inflated I'm hopeful of seeing exciting games appear out of the woodwork in the months to come and be ready to jump in with both feet later in the year.

 

My fear of waiting to purchase, though, is that I'll probably be jealous of everyone else enjoying some fun software but also that joining in later means there's a collection of games available that it may be more difficult to give them the time they deserve.

 

I'm really happy that the pro controller is an unnecessary extra I'd much rather have multiple Joy-Cons with grips for all of the versatility and functionality they will provide. I also like the colours and that it would be possible to buy the Joy-Cons in the opposite colours to have complete blue and red sets if desired

[Falcon_BlizZACK]

I also like the colours and that it would be possible to buy the Joy-Cons in the opposite colours to have complete blue and red sets if desired

 

Ooh, smart, never thought of that - and its such an easier way to change the colour of your console, as opposed to being lured into buying a new console for its 'limited edition' colour.