Nintendo General Thread (Switch 2 announced)

[Dr. Zoidberg]

I'll get one later in the year. After the Japan visit. There's no rush, really. It looks like a nice upgrade over the first one, but nothing that exciting.

[Manoel]

Mortal Kombat 11 still has some very low resolution scenes in the NS2. However, they seem to be blocky instead of blurry.
Netherrealm Studios should update their games to match the PC quality on the NS2. Not doing so is dumb as hell.

[Skynet]

[Hawq]

[Hawq]

[Skynet]

And here's similar from James. Even though we have the same name and both live in Adelaide, sadly this is not me

[Dr. Zoidberg]

We will call him James Junior.

JaJu

[Skynet]

We will call him James Junior.

JaJu

That works. Fairly certain he's younger than me, based on how old Dankpods is. Not that you can't be mates with someone older/younger, I assume because they're mates they're similar ages

[melancholy]

So apparently slow speeds isn’t just an Australian problem, as my Switch 2 is also taking for-fucking-ever to download my stuff. So until I can play a game, this is going to be a hardware and system menu review only.

Impressions before turning it on:

-The Switch 2 is clean. Steam Deck and PC handhelds have nothing on the premium build of this Nintendo device. Which isn’t surprising as the original Switch was pretty solid too. But beyond just the bigger size, everything about the 2 just feels a little better. The buttons are a little bit more clicky, the analogs are a little bit more smooth, the edges are a little bit more rounded, the cartridge slot cover is reinforced…and the kickstand is a little bit less shit over the original (though still complete shit compared to the OLED version).

-The dock, however, is fucking dumb. It looks like they cut a 60s toaster in half. I hated the original dock so damn much that I tore the guts out of it and 3D printed my own dock within the first week of unboxing the original. And this dock is somehow WORSE. It’s still got that dumbass removable panel on the back that separates anytime a cable twists the wrong way. And it has a massive Switch 2 logo like it’s a billboard or something. It looks so garbage under my TV that I’ve already ordered a Hori replacement.

-Everything else is fine. I appreciate the new Joycons have big trigger buttons that don’t require the strap attachments that everyone lost within the first 3 days of opening the box. I also appreciate the charging brick has a removable USB-C cable so you can get different length cables for it. I am sad that the Joycons are not colorful, but I suppose they will release colors in the future and make me rebuy them (stupid Nintendo and their stupid smart marketing).

Now let’s turn it on:

-Let me start by saying this is already a 1000% improvement over the Switch because it has SETUP MUSIC! It’s like this Lofi Girl chill music that a little too mellow, but I ain’t even mad about it cause it’s still a bop.

-The setup music also highlights how insanely good the speakers are on this thing. These might just be the best portable device speakers I’ve ever heard. The Spatial Audio is so crisp on these things and the menu does a very good job highlighting this.

-Alright Ian let’s answer your question. I put both the OLED and the 2 side-by-side on the home menu with the same Mario Kart 8 icon on the screen. The Switch 2 has impressive colors and are near impossible to tell the difference between the OLED and the 2 when looking at the same icon. The 2 is just ever-so-slightly cooler than the warm OLED, but not enough to be distracting. The brightness also goes slightly higher than the OLED, which I thought was a surprise. And of course the higher resolution makes the 2 so much more crisp. But the darks…that’s where we lose the battle. The OLED is just straight up more superior at low brightness in dark rooms. The 2 tries, but it can never beat an OLED’s ability to go completely black. It’s still VASTLY better than an OG Switch, and I personally think it’s going to be good enough in most situations. But if dark rooms and deep blacks are your jam, this ain’t it.

-Beyond the setup, most of the menus are pretty much the same but with new sound effects. You aren’t getting a whole lot of new things to play with in the menu that you haven’t already seen on the Switch.

[ian]

So apparently slow speeds isn’t just an Australian problem, as my Switch 2 is also taking for-fucking-ever to download my stuff. So until I can play a game, this is going to be a hardware and system menu review only.

Impressions before turning it on:

-The Switch 2 is clean. Steam Deck and PC handhelds have nothing on the premium build of this Nintendo device. Which isn’t surprising as the original Switch was pretty solid too. But beyond just the bigger size, everything about the 2 just feels a little better. The buttons are a little bit more clicky, the analogs are a little bit more smooth, the edges are a little bit more rounded, the cartridge slot cover is reinforced…and the kickstand is a little bit less shit over the original (though still complete shit compared to the OLED version).

-The dock, however, is fucking dumb. It looks like they cut a 60s toaster in half. I hated the original dock so damn much that I tore the guts out of it and 3D printed my own dock within the first week of unboxing the original. And this dock is somehow WORSE. It’s still got that dumbass removable panel on the back that separates anytime a cable twists the wrong way. And it has a massive Switch 2 logo like it’s a billboard or something. It looks so garbage under my TV that I’ve already ordered a Hori replacement.

-Everything else is fine. I appreciate the new Joycons have big trigger buttons that don’t require the strap attachments that everyone lost within the first 3 days of opening the box. I also appreciate the charging brick has a removable USB-C cable so you can get different length cables for it. I am sad that the Joycons are not colorful, but I suppose they will release colors in the future and make me rebuy them (stupid Nintendo and their stupid smart marketing).

Now let’s turn it on:

-Let me start by saying this is already a 1000% improvement over the Switch because it has SETUP MUSIC! It’s like this Lofi Girl chill music that a little too mellow, but I ain’t even mad about it cause it’s still a bop.

-The setup music also highlights how insanely good the speakers are on this thing. These might just be the best portable device speakers I’ve ever heard. The Spatial Audio is so crisp on these things and the menu does a very good job highlighting this.

-Alright Ian let’s answer your question. I put both the OLED and the 2 side-by-side on the home menu with the same Mario Kart 8 icon on the screen. The Switch 2 has impressive colors and are near impossible to tell the difference between the OLED and the 2 when looking at the same icon. The 2 is just ever-so-slightly cooler than the warm OLED, but not enough to be distracting. The brightness also goes slightly higher than the OLED, which I thought was a surprise. And of course the higher resolution makes the 2 so much more crisp. But the darks…that’s where we lose the battle. The OLED is just straight up more superior at low brightness in dark rooms. The 2 tries, but it can never beat an OLED’s ability to go completely black. It’s still VASTLY better than an OG Switch, and I personally think it’s going to be good enough in most situations. But if dark rooms and deep blacks are your jam, this ain’t it.

-Beyond the setup, most of the menus are pretty much the same but with new sound effects. You aren’t getting a whole lot of new things to play with in the menu that you haven’t already seen on the Switch.

Thanks for the review. Blacks and playing in dark rooms are kinda more important to me at the moment since most gaming for a few years has been in bed at night. Waiting for a sale it is.

I honestly love your review of the dock too. I never noticed it was bad with my switches, and my biggest complaint about it was that when it gathered dust it looked dirtier than any other device I've ever owned.
Seriously, if you got a launch PS3, and laid it flat, covered it in finger prints, and then put a switch dock right next to it and then leave them both untouched for 18 months, the switch dock looks worse somehow.
But I only had to use the dock all of 10 times in half a decade, so most of the time it was hidden behind the TV. Glad I'm not the only one that hates the stupid rear door on the dock.

It's odd that they made the stand worse again, but the stand was never really useful anyway.
I mean sure if you were a door to door switch salesman and your mark didn't want you setting up your demonstration on their TV I can see the use. Or if you wanted to take it to school to play at lunchtime for a day before your teachers make you hand it in and then it gets instantly stolen...

I wish you both the best of luck in finishing your Mario kart downloads

[melancholy]

Seriously, if you got a launch PS3, and laid it flat, covered it in finger prints, and then put a switch dock right next to it and then leave them both untouched for 18 months, the switch dock looks worse somehow.

That’s harsh. I thought it was scientifically proven that a fat PS3 is the most effective surface for collecting dust. Teams of HEPA filter engineers still study the top of PS3s to this day in hopes of unraveling its secret dust collection properties.

And you are saying that a Switch dock is worse than that? I don’t believe it. Not possible.

[ian]

Seriously, if you got a launch PS3, and laid it flat, covered it in finger prints, and then put a switch dock right next to it and then leave them both untouched for 18 months, the switch dock looks worse somehow.

That’s harsh. I thought it was scientifically proven that a fat PS3 is the most effective surface for collecting dust. Teams of HEPA filter engineers still study the top of PS3s to this day in hopes of unraveling its secret dust collection properties.

And you are saying that a Switch dock is worse than that? I don’t believe it. Not possible.

I don't know why, maybe it's the colour or texture of the plastic on the dock that highlights the dust, or that the dock seems to pick up the bigger chunks of dust whereas the PS3 focuses on the finer bits of dust so it doesn't look as bad.

Also, once your PS3 is covered in dust it's a shit load easier to clean because you can easily wipe or brush it off, but the dock where the switch itself slots in is wide enough to let copious amounts of dust and hair and spiders in, but is too narrow to get your fingers or even a paint brush all the way to the bottom, so it's fucking impossible to ever have clean ever again.

[Dr. Zoidberg]

[Dr. Zoidberg]

[Hawq]

[ian]

Saw this on a rare Facebook browse:

FB_IMG_1749515432505.jpg

It amused me more than it should have.

[pixel]

[melancholy]

The fuck? 30 new weapons 9 months after they announced it wouldn’t be getting any new updates? That’s a strange but welcome announcement.

[Hawq]

OMG they got sent to the phantom zone! (according to the vid thumbnail)

[pixel]

I've been seeing these in my timelines and the OST sounds great