morlac
1905
Hmm this might be a sequel as there is also just plain Even Horizon which looks similar…for $.38. So why not :).
Trailer for Shiren 5, which is also coming to Steam:
Also English translation of Ys IX next year, on Switch, PS4, and PC:
YooOOOOOO I GOT A SWITCH!
I am stoked, you guys. Been looking for months, and a friendly neighborhood QT3 superhero happened to have one to sell to me. Yay!
a) omg Odyssey is great of course we knew this
b) yes BotW yes you are amazing put it in my VEINS
c) if you think there are cuter things than my 6yo figuring out how to Animal Crossing all by her onesie you are mistaken and I weep for the pain you cause your ancestors
Okay, so that out of the way: Are there things I need to know or tips/warnings that are non-obvious to the seasoned console owner? I believe I have navigated the Nintendo Accounts and the Parental Controls and the Digital Purchasing, but if y’all have wisdom to share I am here for it.
(why they gotta force me into the JP paradigm of accept/cancel buttons tho, this is a hate crime)
Admittedly, some (all?) of these are obvious:
The Switch pro controller is excellent and worth the money if you play it docked. You can also usually find cheap, wired pro-style controllers for sale for around $20 on Amazon, which work well if you have multiple people playing something like Mario Kart. That said, some grumble about the analogue dpad on the Pro controller, so if you do a lot of retro gaming, you might need an alternative. Though, with my occasional retro gaming, I haven’t had too much of a problem.
A screen protector is a must.
Could just be a me thing, but I find that the Switch works better for streaming (Hulu, Netflix) than my smart TV does.
I actually prefer the Japanese-style accept/cancel buttons now, but it was an adjustment at first.
Do not lick Switch cartridges.
The dumbest thing about the Switch is how it handles save data, so I guess make sure you understand that.
Your save data is always in the built in system memory. Games do not save to the cart and you don’t have the option to transfer your save data to an SD card. This means there’s no way for you to back up your saves without a hack.
If you sign up for Nintendo Online you can turn on cloud saving for most games. I don’t know if this is still true but when I first signed up for online I had to go and manually set each game to allow cloud saving. New games I play have it turned on by default.
Some games don’t allow cloud saving. Pokémon, Splatoon, Dark Souls and currently Animal Crossing (AC may get a way to cloud save eventually).
Also important: it doesn’t matter if it’s two major versions behind PC, playing Slay the Spire on anything but a Switch is dumb.
Why do you say a screen protector is a must?
How does one even Netflix on a Switch? Not that it matters all that much, we generally use the PS4 or Chromecast because our hurr smart TV is a complete joke.
I don’t think there’s anything specific about the Switch that would make a screen protector more necessary than, say, a cell phone or a tablet, but I certainly wouldn’t feel comfortable having small children playing it (or myself, honestly) in handheld more without one. I remember reading some people mentioning that the screen can get scratched when you enter/remove it from the dock, but have not experienced that personally. But, I’ve always had a screen protector on it so I probably wouldn’t have noticed if it did happen.
There’s an app download for it from the estore. I don’t have any other console, so I do sometimes use the Switch as a primary streaming device, mostly for Hulu which seems to cause more problems for me that Amazon or Netflix. If you use Chromecast, this probably doesn’t apply.
On the topic of screen protectors, I get along fine without one but I have no kids, I’m the only one in the house who’s ever touching the Switch, and my iPhones are never dropped or scratched and I don’t keep them in a case or protect their screens either.
If you’re a generally careful person, I don’t think screen protectors are essential, but I’d probably use one if I had kids.
Thraeg
1913
You can actually go into the System Settings -> Controllers and Sensors, and swap buttons around to match the Xbox layout if you want. Though it might wind up being a bit confusing when in-game prompts don’t agree.
The screen protector is less than $10 for a good one. It’s not in any way a detriment to playing or the touch screen use. So not putting one on seems silly.
The pro controller is awesome! I didn’t have one for a couple of years and thought there is no way it’s a great as everyone says. But when I finally broke down and got it I was amazed. Such a great controller.
Pro Controller is great. Nintendo Online comes with a bunch of emulated NES and SNES games in a way that’s substantially worse than the old Virtual Console, but which is still a nice bonus for the online save backup and multiplayer. Big ass SD is nice if you buy even a couple of games digitally.
You can redeem physical games for gold (rebate currency on the eShop), but only if you choose the option to do so within one year of the game’s original release date. But still, free money for physical games people.
Animal Crossing’s save system is the dumbest thing. If multiple people in the household will play, make sure they are very good at cooperating and that the person most bought in and invested is the first to create a character, cuz they’re the only one who can progress the island’s development forward during multiple story gated events in the first month or two of play.
BeatEmUps on YouTube is a super cheerful and nice guy who does EXCELLENT indie game roundups every month that are very dangerous to your wallet.
The Qt3 Animal Crossing thread is best thread.
GregB
1916
So what’s the verdict on those Event Horizon games?
I picked up Railway Empire for Switch on a whim. I gotta say, it’s pretty solid. Some stuttering here and there when you zoom in and out, but otherwise it runs smoothly enough. Controls took a bit of time to get used to mostly because I kept accidentally hitting “B” and cancelling out, but after finishing the first part of the campaign, I would say it works well. The thing that bugged me the most is all the icons on the City Warehouse screen made no sense. I dug through the built in manual and discovered you can hold down ZL on these screen to bring up a cursor to scroll around and see the tool tips. Nice.
I grabbed the Event Horizons just a day or so ago due to being almost free. Tinkered with them. They are pretty enjoyable pew-pew with what appears to be plenty of customization. They seem like a nice game to play handheld. Maybe not for hours at a time, but certainly an enjoyable way to spend some time.
I’m still debating about Railway Empire. If I hear more positive feedback I’ll prob pick up on sale sometime.
If you are really committed to blaspheming the proper button layout, you can do Switch A/B like this, then grab a button replacement kit like this:
It has the tools to disassemble the pro controller and actually swap the buttons. I think it can open up joy cons as well.
Seems like a bit much, I never actually look at the button labels. But hey, options.
@inactive_user - If you go all digital you’ll need a big microSD card. Even if you don’t many “physical” games are just a code in a box. So buy a big microSD card. Really.
Otherwise I’ll echo some of the things already said. Nintendo Online is worthwhile for the save backups and retro games. Pro controller is great, but you can get adapters to allow your Xbox or PS4 or whatever controller to work for less.
https://www.brookaccessory.com/detail/94841368/
https://www.brookaccessory.com/detail/66392028/
I like this one best because it lets me use my Xbox Elite controller wirelessly with the Switch:
https://www.brookaccessory.com/X%20one/list.html
Yep, I have a pro controller. That was a no brainer.
I’m sure I’ll pick up an SD card at some point. Right now I just have Mario and Zelda so I can put it off for a while.
For me, the battery life of my pro controller dwarfs my PS4 controllers so much that I would always recommend getting at least one pro controller.
hey, apologies for asking a geo-specific question, but does anyone have a recommendation for a repair shop in San Francisco? My kid put a game card in backwards and fixed it with a kitchen knife and now we need a new card reader, and I know I could do this myself but I’m busy enough right now.
rowe33
1923
Great point here - my Switch ran out of space very quickly! I picked up a 256gb card so I wouldn’t have to worry about it anymore.
I also forgot to mention that any patches for cartridge based games end up on the microSD card.
