So back in June I posted about my new PS4, but still did want a switch (nintendo, I mean nintendo who does not want one) I got it back in July, so here are my thoughts.
First nintendo needs to fix their attitudes about artificial scarcity. Mind you I got it in July 5 months after it came out. So I found out when the store got their shipments in (Friday after they close) so I was up and at the store at 7:30am Saturday (the store opens at 8am) I was the FIRST person in the store, the FIRST person to the electronics section, the FIRST person to buy a switch after they got their last shipment, and I got the LAST switch. So nintendo in their wisdom figured Baltimore area stores only need 1 switch in shipments. Ok I don’t like Baltimore as much as the next person (My home is Pittsburgh, I just reside in Baltimore for now) But even with my dislike of Baltimore I admit it is a major city, a BIG MAJOR city. So why are the stores (as of July) only getting 1 switch in their shipments?
Along with the switch I dropped the money for Zelda BotW. Let me say I WANTED to love this game, I DESIRED to love this game, I NEEDED to love this game, I LOVE Zelda. I HATE BotW, 10 hours into the game (according to the switch timer 10 hours played) I just stopped I HATED the game. That hurt me as I wanted to love the game. My biggest beefs with the game are the breakable weapons and you can not climb while it is raining. I had a simple work around for this, I would put the game down for 30 minutes and do something else while the game would continue to run, and time passes in game. But think about that, a strategy to a game is NOT TO PLAY IT, that yells of bad design. I understand wanting to make a game a bit harder. But these things are not making a game harder, it making a game annoying. I seen and read people try to defend the breakable weapons of it, with how else is nintendo going to give you a reward for progressing though the game, it is open world so you could just skip things and get the best weapons right a way and go right to the end. I have a novel idea!!! Give me a good story that I want to play. Lets take my FAVORITE PS4 game, Horizon Zero Dawn. I loved that game, it is open world and you can ignore the whole thing and rush the story quest and go right to the end, but a lot of people don’t do that. I did not do that, I am not a completionist either, why did I take my time and poke into the world more. The story was compelling, I was excited to play and learn about the story, when I finished the main story I continued to explore HZD to find out more, pick up more data points to learn even more, I was pulled though the game not by the reward of weapons or more power, but pulled through by a compelling story. Zelda story you wake up forgot everything and need to kill gannon (that the whole story of BotW) there was no thought that went into BotW story, just wake up and kill gannon. HZD on the other hand, at the start you don’t even know who the enemy is, you get to learn the story as you go through it. HZD I am very excited about the DLC coming (heck the first day you could pre order it, I dropped the $15 for it on the PSN store without a second thought), and when I heard rumors that it going to be the first and last, I felt myself starting to be a bit depressed as HZD is a great story, it deserves more than 1 DLS. BotW on the other hand I hear there is DLC for it, but I have 0 desire to even think about it, will not be getting it.
Another issue with the switch, the lack of a built in party system, and on console voice chat. I will admit I am not a big online player. I play 2 game that has online playing (Borderlands 2 and Diablo 3) and rarely do I play those online. BUT…. I have a few IRL friends I have friended on the PS4, and at times when my buddy Charlie is on at the same time I am, we will create a party on the PS4 and just BS while playing games, we might not even be playing the same game, but I enjoy talking with my friend, because he is my friend I would not be friends with him if I did not like him. And this also leads me to another issue with nintendo’s online network, friend codes. friend codes, I remember the last time I had to deal with those, that was back in the mid 90’s when I tried out one of the first IM clients out there ICQ. a little bit more then 20 years ago. why do I have to use (what I assume is the DB UID) a long string of gibberish numbers that has no meaning to me or my friends to add a friend. I been using the same variation of the tag mpop online since 1999, and when I sign up for things and need a name/username I try to use that or a variation of that. and it is easier for people to remember (not going to reveal my real PSN network name here, but I will say the first 4 characters are mpop, and then I added something meaningful after that, if I told my older brother, or father, hell any of my friends they would instantly know what the second 4 characters mean, so they could even recreate my PSN name if they forgot what it was, but unlikely as it would stick in their minds, heck I could just tell them mpop and what the second 4 characters represent and they would know what it is) I will not be signing up for the nintendo online gaming service when it goes to the pay version unless they fix those 2 issues right there, let us use peoples tags to add them not friend codes. And let us have on console voice chat.
Right now my switch is gathering dust, I am just not playing it. When I think about playing a game, I look to my PS4 (and I am not talking about the lack of games, as since the switch is new, the game issue will solve it self) why the PS4, I have friends on there, it is easier to add friends there, and I can talk with them though the console, no need to pull out a second device just to do voice chat.
Also I still say the controls on the switch are WAY to small I have small hands and I still have trouble with the tiny buttons.
Yet another issue I have is the WiFi connectivity. When I bring my switch into the same room with the WiFi router, I get 2 bars (only 2) all my other devices (including a 2DS) can get a full 4 bars (I only have a 850 sq ft apartment), in my living room, with 2 walls between them and the WiFi router. The switch can not even get 2 bars in my computer lab. True I have a lot of devices in my apartment that generate RF signals, but ONLY the switch appears to have issues with WiFi connectivity.
So my verdict, I regret buying the switch, I regret buying BotW. My switch is not getting used, I just own it. It is no fun for me. My PS4, well wow, I LOVE it I use it every day. Even when not playing games, it has taken over as my TV’s entertainment system, watching YOUTUBE and other video streaming services on it also. This is another issue with the switch, this is something the switch could really capitalize on. it has an OK portable screen AND it has a built in kickstand. If they would get a set of Video Streaming apps on it, the switch could just dominate the portable video playback area, going to a hotel, take your switch and you have all your internet streaming services on it. Tablets are fine, but they lack the kickstand. I will be taking a few trips in the next half year, and if the switch had the video streaming apps, it would be a no brainer to take the switch, but as there are no games I enjoy on the switch at this time, I have no use for the switch when traveling, so I will probably leave it at home, as I do not want the added weight of it when traveling if I will not use it. Come on nintendo, get Netflix, Funimation, CrunchyRoll, YouTube, Amazon Video, Hulu, and the other ones that people use. (I only use 3 of those, Netflix, Funimation, and YouTube, but you want to spread a wide net for everyone.)
