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Comment by amimetic | Hacker News Reader

Does anyone else find the overwhelmingly positive coverage of Switch and its games a little puzzling?

From a consumer's perspective I just don't get it. The Switch costs more than a vastly more powerful PS4 or Xbox One S. It (particularly) versus a PS4 has a tiny library of games. And the PS4 has actual VR. But even more remarkable is comparing the prices of games on the systems: often you will pay 2-3x as much for a (probably inferior) version of a game (compared to PS4/Xbox/iOS/Android).

I bought a Switch a few months ago. Played (and loved) the nostalgia of Mario. Played and dropped (as it seemed frustrating/grind-y) Zelda. And as far as I can tell that is basically the two games worth getting it for it. So I sold it. As I have a dozen great games ready to go on my PS4, and seems like more excellent stuff on the way, I just don't get the point of the Switch. If I want to play games on the move I can use my iPhone.

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Does anyone else find the overwhelmingly positive coverage of Switch and its games a little puzzling?

No, not really. When it comes to videogames, most people don't care about specs, they care about having fun. Yeah, "fun" is subjective, and it's OK that you didn't find the Switch fun after playing two games. Of course, on the other side of that coin, it means you can't discount that other people enjoy the Switch more than you did.

Also, this isn't a zero sum game. The Switch and PS4 can both earn positive coverage.

Nintendo's weakness, for a long time, has been the lack of quality third-party titles, and I think they're fully aware of this.

I think a lot of people buy a Nintendo console because they want to play Nintendo games. For a lot of people, the cost of a Nintendo console is worth it for Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Smash Bros, and maybe a handful of other games.

So far, the only games I have on the Switch are Zelda, Mario, and Sonic Mania. I've had a ton of fun with all three, but like with my Wii my Switch is probably going to gather dust until the next game I really want to play comes out. Most of my gaming is done on my PS4, and I think a lot of people are similar in that they'll buy two machines - a flagship gaming device, and a fun Nintendo system.

It would be great to see Nintendo try to compete with Sony and Microsoft on hardware, but I think the flagship side of gaming has left Nintendo behind. Their online serving is over a decade behind their competitors, and I simply don't think Nintendo can execute in that market.

With the Switch you are playing for mobility. And for us parents, it's a kind of brand safety thing, too. Nintendo really makes an effort to keep their platform pretty kid focused. Not that there aren't killing/shooting games for it, but there's always a really good library of family friendly titles for it, and the system and its OS is very approachable for young kids.

oops, too late to edit, but meant to say 'paying' for mobility :-)

All those 'indie'/smaller titles out on PC? Most are out/coming out on switch and it's a delightful way of portable gaming.

Right now I'm away from home, but have my switch with me so I can play them, and also enjoy the 'console' level games too, on the move, with a reasonable controller.

The Switch is portable, so most of its appeal is for people who have a commute but don't drive. The nvidia Tegra chip is powerful and efficient enough to play ports of games that previously would only have been playable on a home console like DOOM (2016) that you will never play on an iPhone unless you're streaming through the new Steam app. Nearly every game worth playing will end up on Switch.

The first party games have the same appeal as they always did -- stellar platforming in Mario, a mainline Zelda, etc. Whether those interest people is more or less a known quantity at this point (they didn't make the WiiU nearly as successful).

Doom could EASILY run on the iPhone, Fortnight Pubg Ark: SE and many other high quality AAA games run natively on iOS and Android right now. In fact the iOS version performs better than the switch version of Fortnight, though both are excellent

A ps4 you can't play on the coach while your family is watching TV and get up and lay down in bed playing the same game and same system. The switch is by Far the best mobile game system ever built. Sure it doesn't compete with the ps4's graphics but my PC is way better at high end graphics and I rarely play that anymore. I'm at a desk all day long, I want a game system that goes with me to where I want to play. The switch is head and shoulders above all the other systems for that.

> that is basically the two games worth getting it for it

Splatoon 2, Bayonetta 2, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, ARMS.

Also homebrew and Linux :)

> Splatoon 2

I'd argue that this is the essential game for the Switch. Most fun I've had in 30+ years of gaming.

It's just so sad that they aren't exactly friendly towards homebrew. It would be a perfect gaming device I would buy with no hesitation - instead, I have no idea now if they'll ban me from using their services for using GNU/Linux if I decide to buy it.

GNU/Linux is not detectable though?? You boot an entirely separate OS from the Tegra RCM mode, basically zero bytes of Nintendo code run in that boot.

Modifications to the Horizon OS (like Atmosphere) can be detected, but I wouldn't worry about bans if you don't pirate or cheat.

Yeah, as a developer I do find iOS and Android compelling: there are such low barriers to entry I can (and have) released games for both.

As a developer, I believe it's a mixed bag.

I've made plenty of small, silly games that I could release on Android, iOS and recently also on Steam. That's great, I wouldn't be able to do so on Switch.

However, I'm now also working on a bigger game that takes two years to make, and when releasing on Android, iOS and Steam it will just drown in the sea of crap, which means I will have to rely only on my own marketing efforts. It might also get a Switch port, and it's more than likely that it will be much easier to sell there.

For me at least I went with the switch because it's one of the few consoles that manages to be more than a handicapped desktop pc. The seamless switching between docked and undocked is great.

I want to be able to play Skyrim on the toilet.

You should eat more roughage :)

You may have different tastes and preferences to those who love it.

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