I haven’t had a proper game console since the PS3.
I would like to get one, mostly to play with my family (wife, 7yo kid). I had been waiting for the Switch 2 for a while now (I really resisted the urge to get a Switch OLED back when it was released…).
On the plus side:
it’s really geared towards family/party gaming
it’s Nintendo, so you get the whole usual games (Mario Kart, Zelda, etc.)
like most consoles, it’s plug and play and can be enjoyed in the living room (I kind of gave up trying to set up a proper gaming experience with my Linux PCs, given that I don’t have the hardware for it)
On the minus side:
the battery life is not great to say the least (2.5 hours takes me back of the Game Gear in early 90s!)
the screen seems to be pretty bad too (at least it’s a step back from the OLED one of the Switch)
the joycons are still not using a Hall effect sensor, meaning they might still be prone to drifting
most of the games will not be sold as proper cartridges but as download codes
the whole thing (console, additional gamepads, games) is quite pricey
it’s Nintendo, famous for their anti-everything (anti-homebrew, anti-emulation, anti-piracy)
Should I still go with it, or is there a better option? (I hope the better option is not to wait 4 more years for Nintendo to release a newer Switch 2 that would fix the shitty hardware).
You vote with your wallet. Look at all the cons you listed and think if you really want to support that. Do you want to tell Nintendo that this is ok, and you’ll pay the high price for it?
Have you looked at a Steam deck, or any other alternative like a regular laptop? You can run way more games, including emulating Nintendo games.
Thinking about it, I don’t think the fact that the Switch 2 is a handheld console matters much to me. Especially to play multiplayer games, I assume docked to a TV is the way to go.
or any other alternative like a regular laptop? You can run way more games, including emulating Nintendo games.
So this is what I’ve been doing, but I always end up spending hours configuring the emulators, the shaders, everything… and then not playing that much! That’s why I was talking about the “plug and play” nature of game consoles (even though it’s less true now that you have to create an account and stuff like that).
As for PC games, I never have the proper hardware to play in good conditions. Again, the “plug and play” nature of game consoles is appealing. A game you buy for a given console is working fine out of the box.
Genki ac adapter is pretty cheap to do this. Can use with pretty much anything instead of getting something specialized. I use mine for steam deck and switch.
So this is what I’ve been doing, but I always end up spending hours configuring the emulators, the shaders, everything… and then not playing that much! That’s why I was talking about the “plug and play” nature of game consoles (even though it’s less true now that you have to create an account and stuff like that).
Simple solution: don’t do that. Are you trying to game with your family, or force them to watch you tinker? I’ve encountered ONE game where I had to adjust a setting in the emulator to make it playable. And occasionally adjust input mapping when it gets wonky or doesn’t handle the way I want, usually N64 emulation because of those pesky C buttons. Never had a problem with Steam games using an Xbox controller or third party controller (8BitDo Ultimate 2C with hall effect sticks and triggers, $30). They are plug and play.
As for PC games, I never have the proper hardware to play in good conditions.
Well, not yet you haven’t. But you’re prepared to drop $700 on a Switch 2? And $100 per game? You can get a laptop or pre-built PC for the same or less that’s capable of playing most games. Some newer games with intense graphics will have high demands for specs, you might have to turn down graphics quality for those, but there are thousands of games that can run on a bare minimum consumer-grade computer.
Again, the “plug and play” nature of game consoles is appealing. A game you buy for a given console is working fine out of the box.
Every one of my Steam games is working fine out of the box. You said you like to tinker, but you also don’t want to tinker. Wouldn’t you prefer to have the option? Besides that, PC gaming is virtually plug and play. Install Steam. Plug in a controller. Plug HDMI into the TV. Same number of steps to connect the Switch 2 to a TV.
I really think you should do more research on PC gaming before writing it off, and especially before giving Nintendo more money.
A steamos device should be very much plug and play. I don’t know how good this would be in practice, but with a few clicks, non-steamos linux can be set to boot straight into steam’s tv interface, which has the necessary ui for power off, system updates, etc.
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You vote with your wallet. Look at all the cons you listed and think if you really want to support that. Do you want to tell Nintendo that this is ok, and you’ll pay the high price for it?
Have you looked at a Steam deck, or any other alternative like a regular laptop? You can run way more games, including emulating Nintendo games.
Thinking about it, I don’t think the fact that the Switch 2 is a handheld console matters much to me. Especially to play multiplayer games, I assume docked to a TV is the way to go.
So this is what I’ve been doing, but I always end up spending hours configuring the emulators, the shaders, everything… and then not playing that much! That’s why I was talking about the “plug and play” nature of game consoles (even though it’s less true now that you have to create an account and stuff like that).
As for PC games, I never have the proper hardware to play in good conditions. Again, the “plug and play” nature of game consoles is appealing. A game you buy for a given console is working fine out of the box.
You can dock the Steam Deck as well.
Genki ac adapter is pretty cheap to do this. Can use with pretty much anything instead of getting something specialized. I use mine for steam deck and switch.
Games on Steam that are “Verified” also give you that plug-and-play experience on a Deck
Simple solution: don’t do that. Are you trying to game with your family, or force them to watch you tinker? I’ve encountered ONE game where I had to adjust a setting in the emulator to make it playable. And occasionally adjust input mapping when it gets wonky or doesn’t handle the way I want, usually N64 emulation because of those pesky C buttons. Never had a problem with Steam games using an Xbox controller or third party controller (8BitDo Ultimate 2C with hall effect sticks and triggers, $30). They are plug and play.
Well, not yet you haven’t. But you’re prepared to drop $700 on a Switch 2? And $100 per game? You can get a laptop or pre-built PC for the same or less that’s capable of playing most games. Some newer games with intense graphics will have high demands for specs, you might have to turn down graphics quality for those, but there are thousands of games that can run on a bare minimum consumer-grade computer.
Every one of my Steam games is working fine out of the box. You said you like to tinker, but you also don’t want to tinker. Wouldn’t you prefer to have the option? Besides that, PC gaming is virtually plug and play. Install Steam. Plug in a controller. Plug HDMI into the TV. Same number of steps to connect the Switch 2 to a TV.
I really think you should do more research on PC gaming before writing it off, and especially before giving Nintendo more money.
A steamos device should be very much plug and play. I don’t know how good this would be in practice, but with a few clicks, non-steamos linux can be set to boot straight into steam’s tv interface, which has the necessary ui for power off, system updates, etc.
And you can get a whole collection of games for the piece of one Nintendo game. They have a lot of kids’ games too.