Q&A Would buying a Switch be worth it in the future in terms of console games (for me at least)

[YourFriendMaynard]

I've been kinda thinking about saving up for a switch and save up again for PC parts

but I want the Switch because I want to Smash Bros/TWEWY/Doom 2016/Resident Evil 4/Turok 2 from my couch (lmao comfy couch gaming jokes aside pls.) and it would probably be something to have when Super Metroid/Demon's Crest/Super Mario World SNES game get on VC eventually

But I wanted to hear from this community

would buying a switch first be worth it first?

 

[fsdood]

If you have more then 5 games you want on the Switch and you really like the portability aspect, then why not? Every year or two we'll have new PC parts announced so you can save for those in the future.

 

[Kvik]

I bought a Switch on a whim on Black Friday because it was in a Lightning Deal on Amazon. I'm just getting it for the exclusives and nothing else. There are at least 5 exclusives that I'm planning to get that I know of, and if I can get at least 10 to 15 exclusives by the end of the console's lifetime, I still consider it money well spent.

I've been playing Xenoblade 2 on and off for the past couple of weeks on it and while it's inherently a good game, it was shackled by the limitation of the hardware since every time I use fast travel, there will be texture pop-in every single time! Even after overclocking the CPU/GPU. But I digress.

On the plus side, I got lucky because my unit is a hackable one so I'm set to rip the cartridges and whenever Yuzu reached maturity, I can play the games on PC instead, the way they meant to be played. I don't care about portability and I leave it docked 100% of the time. It is a nice piece of equipment though. I can see why people are so enamoured by it.

If you're considering buying one, my advice is to look for a hackable unit on the cheap. Games too, since they're fucking expensive. There are extra costs associated with it as well such as MicroSD card, a Pro Controller (I can't stand these joy-cons) and a screen protector (the official dock WILL scuff your screen even if you're extra careful with it)

 

[KenOD]

Outside of some bundle deals Switch isn't going to go down in price any time soon I believe, Nintendo will keep it the same for a long time. So really only reason to get it first is if you want to play something now (like Smash Bros while online is active).

I don't think you would be unhappy if you got it now though, I'm certainly happy with it as I save up for new parts.

 

[Lain]

Depends what you expect to spend more time with.

I have a Switch. It's nice to play some games around the house like Diablo 3 and Xenoblade 2, but I have been neglecting it for a few months now (because I'm playing gacha on a phone).
I don't regret buying it tho. I have some issues with it, like the battery life (I swear playing Diablo 3 on it drains the battery in a couple hours, but the game performs really well) but it's overall a fine system if a bit too bulky.

Are there PC games you're looking forward to that would require you to upgrade? Are they more or less compared to the games you're looking forward to play on the Switch?
Do you plan your comfy couch gaming time with the switch to be the portable kind, or the home console type? I find the Switch to be a better purchase if you're planning to play it more like a portable than a home console, since it's not all that powerful of a console vs other home consoles (leaving aside what it manages to do as a portable one).

These are some of the questions I can offer to mull over to see if they help you come to a decision about which priorities you value more.

 

[YourFriendMaynard]

Depends what you expect to spend more time with.

I have a Switch. It's nice to play some games around the house like Diablo 3 and Xenoblade 2, but I have been neglecting it for a few months now (because I'm playing gacha on a phone).
I don't regret buying it tho. I have some issues with it, like the battery life (I swear playing Diablo 3 on it drains the battery in a couple hours, but the game performs really well) but it's overall a fine system if a bit too bulky.

Are there PC games you're looking forward to that would require you to upgrade? Are they more or less compared to the games you're looking forward to play on the Switch?
Do you plan your comfy couch gaming time with the switch to be the portable kind, or the home console type? I find the Switch to be a better purchase if you're planning to play it more like a portable than a home console, since it's not all that powerful of a console vs other home consoles (leaving aside what it manages to do as a portable one).

These are some of the questions I can offer to mull over to see if they help you come to a decision about which priorities you value more.

I would love to play PUBG or Fortnite or any other graphical powerhouse

 

[MonthOLDpickle]

Remember never buy something for one thing. As you already have a list of games you will play that is greater then one, I say go for it. Then make your PC. You will realize that a PC & Switch combo is great anyways.

Though I typically only play my switch portable, as in never at the house.

 

[Guilty of Being]

I only enjoyed mine for exclusives and playing in handheld mode. I ended up selling it because I prefer playing on PC. I think it’s a great system for exclusives, indies, and playing anywhere.

 

[Ge0force]

I'll probably buy a Switch later this year to replace my Vita and to play Link's Awakening remake, one of my favorite games ever. I hope to find a used Switch for cheap when/if Nintendo announces a new model.

 

[guek]

It's the best console for indie games since the Vita but if there's nothing you HAVE to play immediately, I'd recommend waiting at least until E3 to see if there's a hardware refresh coming this year.

 

[TubaZef]

Got one on Christmas and it's perfect for small indie games. I wish I could buy them all on Switch but they're so much cheaper on Steam to me :/
Also, the Nintendo exclusives are great and since I never had a WiiU, there's plenty of them!

 

[Alextended]

If you want to play its games, sure, if not then no. Only you can answer that. I would say go by what's already released and announced, not a nebulous future. I think it has plenty great games, it's just too expensive for me to maintain a library on both PC and Switch, that's the only reason I don't have it. I want it badly.

 

[Ex-User (307)]

You've gotten mostly positive responses, so I'll chime in with a much more negative take.

I bought one last January to play Mario Odyssey, and after I finished, I basically never played it for the rest of the year. Looking at my activity log via the app, March-December, I only used the thing on 22 days, a number of which I think were me turning the thing on briefly to browse through the new demos.

I'll summarize some of my problems with the system:

• I owned a Wii U (ugh), so I've played/owned most of the games the got ported. If you didn't, and most new Switch owners didn't, you'll get decidedly more value out of the ports than I did.
• I don't have a need for a portable system right now, nor do I find the form factor actually convenient for anything other than portability around the house (poop play is great, if not a little gross). If I was still a college student with a huge backpack and tons of time to waste in a student union, or a commuter that spent tons of time on public transportation, I could see the value, but that's not my life.
• Arguably the best games on the system are the indies. Which is fine, except for the fact that I can get those games at better prices on platforms where they both look and run better. Couch play for Stardew Valley would be nice, but to me, portability isn't worth paying more for the game (AFAIK, in the last year it has yet to have a Switch sale, but has been as low as $9 on PSN and $11 on Steam).
• I find the current exclusives list to be fairly barebones. Last year the major releases were probably Smash, which I hate playing; Pokemon Let's Go which was not what I was looking for from Pokemon; and maybe Octopath Traveler? If you like Smash and have a group to play it with, that alone might justify the price though.
• The online system is a dumpster fire. I don't love paying for PS+ on my PS4, but I'm fairly confident I get my money's worth every year. Based on the PS+ exclusive discounts I used in sales, I saved around $40, which is a significant part of my $60 sub fee accounted for. Which means I basically paid $20 to access their online network, and to get "free" games. Counting only the "free" games that I actually wanted to play, I got around $430 worth of games. Even if you generously assume I could have gotten all of those games for 1/2 off, we're still looking at PS+ giving me $215 worth of stuff to play. Meanwhile, NSO is making me pay to access their games with terrible netcode, and to access their barebones NES library. Gradius might be one of the greatest side-scrollers of all time, but playing it for the 400th time isn't really a selling point. The price might be cheaper than XBLG or PS+ at $20, but what I get for the $20 feels awful.
• As a kind of aside, I'm pretty upset that their legacy games have basically been restricted to that horrible NSO library, and that no VC support seems to be on the horizon, and no support at all for those of us that wasted money amassing VC collections on the Wii U and 3DS.

It's very possible that most of these complaints don't apply to you. Like I said, the Wii U ports may actually be new to you, you might care about the big exclusives of 2018 like Smash, and the portability might matter a lot to you. If those things matter, it might be worth your time and money.

 

[beep boop]

I find many of the third party AAA ports unplayable on Switch because the resolution and frame rate are painfully low (i.e. sub-native and under 30fps), but at least the first party stuff is usually fine. I've stopped buying anything 3D or otherwise demanding from third party devs. Too much of a hassle to check whether something runs and looks decently and I've gotten burned by people claiming a game plays well but then I find it doesn't at all (Rocket League, Snake Pass, etc).

If this type of stuff doesn't bother you, it's a good all-around purchase. Depending on how much you like Nintendo's first party output, it can still be totally worth it too. It certainly was for me. Hell, I'd have paid €300 just for the Zelda games and been content. But first party Nintendo games are also stupidly expensive and don't drop in price. I had completely forgotten about that when I got a Switch. Definitely not a great system for the more price sensitive people among us.

 

[Alextended]

Maybe wait a bit

Wall Street Journal: Nintendo to release two new Switch models as early as summer

Nintendo will release two new versions of Switch as early as summer, according to a Wall Street Journal report citing “people familiar with the matter,” which follows up on a report fro…

gematsu.com

Sounds like a 2DS and a New 3DS type deal at once. I'm curious.

I doubt I'd buy the more powerful variant as it's bound to cost more than 300. Unless the original gets discounted and the new one costs that. But then if the original can already be discounted to say 250 why would they need the cheaper variant and how much cheaper can that be on the same chip? Hmm...

Edit: I forgot the dock thing, I guess the cheaper one can be a lot cheaper if it comes without a dock. And the same could go for the more expensive variant, it could cost more and also come without a dock which means you're paying more for the system on its own. But they might wanna force you to get and pay for a dock too with that so. Or maybe it needs no dock and has TV out. I guess we'll have to wait and see what kind of bundles are offered when it's announced.