Forum - View topicThis Week in Games - Switch 2 Breakdown
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Greed1914
 Posts: 5357 |
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At this stage, the thing that has me waiting on a Switch 2 is the games. I'll play Mario Kart with someone if they ask, but I don't otherwise care about it, so now it's down to improved performance on Switch 1 games, or re-releases of older games that are still better played on those older systems.
I do have to chuckle at the squapes. I just finished up Yakuza 4 Remastered on PS4, which was more of a port than a remaster, and it had it's own version of squapes going on there. Stuff like that reminds you that what you're playing is still mostly a PS3 game. |
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malvarez1
Posts: 3011 |
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I’ve been enjoying my Switch 2, but the only caveat is that Fortnite does not play super well for some reason, the gameplay is really stutter-y. A lot of people on Reddit have had the same problem.
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b-dragon
Posts: 628 |
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Yeah, I'm a "no" for the S2, at least for now. I'll revisit my stance when there are games I actually want to play on it. Probably around the time a new Xenoblade and Fire Emblem are released.
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kaiju3
Posts: 79 |
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THANK YOU for a reasonable take on this.
Yes, Mario Kart World cost $80. Super Mario Kart on the NES cost $90 when adjusted for inflation. AAA games have cost $50-$60 for 20 years. Average movie ticket prices have gone from $6.50 to $16.00 in that time. Yes, the Switch 2 cost $449. The PS4 and XBox One (without Kinect) cost $399 in 2013. That is $550 today. The PS5 launched at $499 in 2020, as did the XBox Series X. No, the Switch 2 doesn't really get you 4K at 60fps, but neither of those are small and portable (quite the opposite). A better comparison? The Steam Deck launched at $399 in 2022 and that gets 720p handheld / 1080p docked that the Wii U gave you back in 2012, plus only 64 GB eMMC storage (the Switch 2 gives you 256 GB) plus an operating system that won't play most games on the platform. The 256 GB version of the Steam Deck was $529!!! Better still: PC handhelds that offer the same 1080p performance as the Switch 2 like the Asus ROG Ally and the Lenovo Legion Go start at $650. The funny thing: the vast majority of people had no problem with paying only slightly more for the Switch 2 than they paid for clearly lesser systems 12 years ago and most people have long accepted that video game prices were one day going to start increasing just like everything else. But I guess that it was the squeaky wheels that got all the attention. |
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wolf10
 Posts: 992 |
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It might be a placebo, but I did notice better framerates in Xenoblade X (a variable 15-30 FPS being closer to an even 30 FPS) and the dynamic resolution holding steady* at 1080p. It also looks great with the system's software HDR enabled, despite reports to the contrary. It seems like most games will experience some degree of the PS4 to PS5 performance bump, with it being overall less noticeable on the games that were capped to execute at 30FPS (which would take a lot more work to undo). There's an easily-Googled spreadsheet floating around that breaks things down by game.
(*All benchmarking performed with a pair of unenhanced and potentially failing human retinas and may not accurately reflect the results of more advanced software and tooling.) Also, I forked over for the Switch 2 upgrade for Guardians of Azuma (which involved a JPY point card for various reasons that start with an "F" and end in "-ubuki.") I have about 50 hours on Switch and another 50 on Switch 2 at this point. I definitely get the feeling this was meant to be a Switch 2 launch title and down-ported to Switch when they couldn't keep waiting for Nintendo to announce the new system. I've seen bellyaching elsewhere about bad framerates in 1440p that may have to do with the game not using DLSS below 4k, but at 4k, with HDR it's quite a sight to behold, with around 1-2 seconds of frame drops (to 30FPS) when switching maps and basically even 60FPS elsewhere, even with the better textures, physics, and draw distance. The paintbrush filter applied to distant objects has to be seen to be believed. Even the sound processing is improved, with virtual surround on NPC voice playback now updating in response to camera movement, as opposed to holding in place. The only nitpicky issue I had between versions is that rather than just animating more smoothly, menus seem to operate at double speed on S2, and that really messed with my muscle memory.
The G1 and G2 buttons on the Pro Controller 2 are a static version of the LB and RB grips on the DualSense Edge, so I mainly use them for "hold to sprint" functionality or any other actions that require long holds on a trigger (which strains the joints pretty bad if kept up for years). They're also probably great for the finger-tangling nonsense that is Metroid Dread... |
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LinkTSwordmaster
 Posts: 816 Location: PA / USA |
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I think there are spots where the mouse function on the Switch 2 might be valuable - particularly if you're playing something that is densely populated on the screen like Civilisation, and you need an accurate click. In that particular case, your finger on a touch screen or a controller pointer at your TV isn't going to be as accurate as a mouse but I have to say....
It really bothers me how fast it seems Nintendo discarded their Wiimote pointer functions as the WiiU winded down and over the Switch's lifetime. There's very bad examples of Wiimote pointer implementation ruining the hell out of stuff - Metroid OtherM comes to mind in particular - but while playing something like Twilight Princess on the Wii, I'd never had my arrows and hookshots land with such 1:1 accuracy outside of pointer controls. Quick snappy menus, flicking quickly to get an incidental item, even using the pointer to aim the camera, if your sensitivity was tuned correctly to your TV, the level of accuracy a Wii pointer had was very impressive. It's such an incidental & instant reflex to be able to point at the TV and just go that slowing up, flipping the joycons on their sides, and then trying to find a surface to slide them around on.... This feels like one of those times where the dev team for your favorite website (or OS, lol) comes out and says "Hey we made the UI more efficient!", and then you go and use it and instead of a couple quick, precise clicks getting you to the part of the site/menu you want, it's now hidden two or three layers deep somewhere completely unexpected. I'd heard over the years that in spite of the fact that I have had my 3DS' stereoscopic slider maxed from day 1, that a majority of people didn't like using its screen like that, and eventually Nintendo did stop making the function mandatory - I wonder if this mouse function on the Switch 2 is going to wind up getting dumped into that same sort of "don't bother with it" category over time if Nintendo doesn't specifically demand its inclusion. |
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AiddonValentine
 Posts: 2952 |
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Funny you get into the Switch 2 this week because I got lucky with a Walmart restock and got mine today. My invite will go to someone else while I race through Mario Kart World. At the end of the day, and this is what a lot of hardware junkies fail to understand, is that the console is basically just a box. It is never the star of the show and never will be, because the only two questions in everyone's minds are "Does it work?" and "Are the games good?" I actually find a lot of the nitpicking kinda wants the launch to be more dramatic than it really is. "Launch is going well, even if there are shortages" is boring to talk about, especially before the heavy hitters arrive.
And that's actually how the news is this week (because summer drought for news!). So best to kick back and see how all my Switch games perform on their new console |
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Dr. Wily
Posts: 864 |
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I've basically already decided to wait to get a Switch 2 until there's either a price drop or Metroid Prime 4 comes out, whichever comes first (probably the latter, though I may also be tempted if they do a better bundle with more games, I remember getting the Switch 1 with like, Breath of the Wild, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and Disgaea 5 for some reason)
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Alphael
Posts: 74 |
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I'm also holding off on getting a Switch 2. I generally wait at least a year before getting a new console for there to be exclusives I want to play for it. I'm not sure what game would make me jump at getting one sooner. Perhaps Mario Maker 3 since I could stream it.
i think some of the misinformation on pricing stems from people confusing American USD and Canadian USD or European Euros. 80$ is still quite a lot to ask for Mario Kart but for all complaints Americans have about prices other markets have it even worse. I hear people don't like the new Mario Kart World update though |
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FishLion
 Crazy Fangirl Posts: 860 |
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The big events are out of the way so now we just have to make it through the summer so some can come out! The Super Mario Odyssey update has been superb, I know that one is an actual update but the music and visuals stand out even more now. Besides that I have been enjoying Borderlands with basically nonexistent load times (though the Switch BL ports have a few bugs built in) |
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Terry Lang
 SubscriberPosts: 91 |
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Does the object load-in rate increase? Xenoblade X runs nice on switch overall. But once the main city fills up, finding some specific npc that is not marked on the map is unpleasant since it takes about half a minute for them to load in. I have spend like 15 minutes searching, several times. Its my reason for wanting a switch 2 now instead of in a few months. Alas, the console is sold out in my country. |
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wolf10
Posts: 992 |
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TsarPlatinum
Posts: 70 |
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Well there's your problem. You're adjusting for inflation and taking it at face value without considering how people's purchasing power, cost of living, and the economy was back then as well. Buying Super Mario Kart for $54.99 back in 92 when you could then go pick up dinner for the family for $5 afterwards is much different than today where you go pay Mario Kart World for $80 and then the same dinner costs you another $30 or $40. That's why people don't like it now and have issues with prices. If video games back then were as expensive as people try to make them out to be then our parents would not have bought us nearly as many as they did. |
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Fluwm
Moderator
 Posts: 1625 |
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The Front Mission 3 revelations have been utterly heartbreaking... but not surprising in the least. Square-Enix games getting remade always seem to wind up in a bit of a Monkey's Paw situation, and the Front Mission remakes didn't exactly start out on much of a high note with FM1, and were a bit of a garbage fire with FM2, so in a way it's fitting to see FM3 shape up to be a complete disaster.
Not sure I'd be willing to bet on there *ever* being a price drop. Way back when, the thing to do was wait a few years for the parts to get cheaper and release a smaller, cheaper, more efficient version of your console at a lower price to broaden the consumer base. Today, the approach is the opposite: the parts still get cheaper, but instead of a slimmer, more energy-efficient model, we get beefier "upgrades," that target existing consumers with slightly enhanced versions of the experiences they're already getting rather than trying to broaden the base. And then there's the fact that we're already seeing consoles get hit with price increases instead. A big part of why I went ahead and picked up a Switch 2 in the first place, despite its lack of games, was my confidence that it won't see a price drop any time soon -- and if I'm gonna be out $500, may as well take that hit now while I'm reasonably confident I'll survive it. Anyway, yeah, the Switch 1 didn't have the strongest openin year, either. But it got a LOT of mileage from Zelda, owing mostly to the fact that no one owned a WiiU. It was nearly a full year before the next big game in the form of Mario Odyssey. Now, MKW may be a far cry from the system seller that was Zelda, but at least the wait for the new Donkey Kong is much, much shorter. (Of course, on the other hand, the NS1 early years were bolstered by WiiU ports that still *felt* new to most people because, again, no one bought WiiUs, but the Switch 2's ports -- Metroid, Pokémon, etc. -- are all gonna be readily playable on the Switch 1. Now, if I thought consumers tended to behave in clearly recognizable, predictable patterns, I might say that suggests a potential problem for the Switch 2 going forward... why buy a new console unless to play new games? But then there's the history of the PS5 staring up at me.)
The Armchair Economists' understanding begins with inflation and comes to a screeching halt at the suggestion they should ever consider there might be more than just one variable at play. I think DYK Gaming even did a whole video on this very subject a month or two, at sheer annoyance for all the corporate apologism going around after the NS2's announcement. And, of course, in addition to to all of the (many) variables affecting purchasing power, there's also the fact that games are cheaper and easier to produce now than at any other point in history, reach a broader audience than at any other point in history, and make more money than at any other point in history. Even if we accept the notion that a game has to be priced at $80, or $100, or $130, or whatever, simply to justify the expenditures it's production incurred (which we really shouldn't accept, for another full host of reasons, but that's an entirely different conversation) that's not the fault of the consumers, who are being asked to shoulder that supposed-burden, but the producers, who could have scaled their product down but chose not to. (A tangentially-related aside: absolutely no one was clamoring or even quietly hopeful for realistic equine festival shrinkage.) Of course, as a corollary the cheapness and ease with which games can and are now produced is the fact that games are also cheaper and easier to acquire and play now than at any other point in history. For all the grousing about Mario Kart World and its $80 pricetag, it's not like there are plenty of other options out there much, much cheaper. Doom is only like $4 right now, and plays beautifully on the Switch. Stardew Valley never sold for more than $15 USD and is generally regarded as one of the best games of its type in recent memory. We have a deluge of so many games flooding the market, daily, that we've long since passed the point where any one human being could even keep track of their names, let alone alone actually play. What we have is a surfeit of choice, catering to appetites of all budgets, well beyond the limits of mortal satiation. |
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AiddonValentine
Posts: 2952 |
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Uh, that's making the exact opposite case. By that layman's math, Mario Kart back then cost eleven meals while today it costs, like, three at most even with tax. So yes, they WERE more of a luxury good back then. And no, our parents didn't buy a lot of our games back then, they rented them from the video store and they usually only bought ones we REALLY liked usually as presents. This was why a lot of purchases I had in grade school were RPGs, I wanted games that lasted. Ultimately I just find it funny Americans are making such an uproar when a lot of other countries are going "Welcome to our world, ya yanks!" |
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