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Comment by Waterluvian | Hacker News Reader

It’s true. But the actual hardware doesn’t offer anything particularly unique (which is a win for me: Nintendo is settling down with the gimmicks.)

This game would be an objectively better experience if it ran on a PS4/5 or Xbox if you don’t care for the handheld mode.

The game is an absolute masterpiece despite hardware, not because of it.

I think Nintendo should be lauded for experimenting with hardware, but ultimately they’re a games company and I almost wish they’d get out of the hardware business. I gave my kid my 3DS last week and showed him how the 3D worked. It took him no more than 30 seconds to ask me to turn the 3D off.

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Well the Switch has a big gimmick: it is a desktop & mobile console at the same time. It's in the name. This is why they had to compromise on GPU power and basically skip 2 generations compared to the PS5.

Yes. And it’s one of the most useful gimmicks from Nintendo.

But imagine if the game was also sold on other consoles.

What I’m saying is that the game doesn’t directly benefit from console lock-in. It’s not like that yielded any special opportunities, like, say, how the Wiimote provides an entirely different experience from what a PS3 could offer.

The latest Zelda games have all used motion controls, while not all contemporary consoles have the hardware for it. Sure, it could be argued that not everyone requires/enjoys motion controls, but Nintendo has never been the kind of company that designs gameplay experiences for the lowest common denominator.

Part of what makes Nintendo, Nintendo is that their games target their hardware, and vice versa (Their game roadmap influences hardware design).

I played 200 hours of BOTW and 100% of my time with TOTK using a PS4 controller. Using the controller’s motion controls to aim my bow is possibly my favourite non-mouse style for aiming ever.

Yeah Zelda's motion controls are great for what they're used for — but that's kind of my point. Even without using a first party controller, you're still enjoying controls that were designed for their own hardware.

If TotK was released for the "Big 3" consoles + PC, motion controls couldn't be relied on, as not all platforms have the hardware for it. I'm not saying that they couldn't make it work without motion controls, but just pointing out that what makes Nintendo special is that their software is made for their hardware, and both are better for it.

Wow. TIL that the Xbox One controller doesn’t have motion controls. I thought that was just standard these days. Even the PS3 had them.

So in conclusion we have found a way to blame this all on Microsoft. :)

The Xbox controller is completely stagnant. It's also the standard controller for PC gaming.

It's the IE6 of controllers.

Yes, and seeing the Steam Deck makes me excited for whenever or if ever they finally make a Switch 2. Surely 6 years and multiple GPU generations is enough to let me play the Zelda games in 4k.

Don’t get your hopes up. Nintendo is probably not going to tolerate the low battery life the Steam Deck has, which means they’re probably looking at a device far less powerful than the Deck.

I feel like all they would have to do is make it have Switch-level performance on handheld, then go to 4k only when docked.

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