Quick synopsis for those who don't want to watch the news video.

7-inch OLED screen

Wide, adjustable stand

Dock with built-in wired LAN port

64 GB internal storage

Enhanced audio

That's it. Again, it will be a good incremental upgrade for those who don't have a switch yet but current owners are not going to be flocking that's for sure. I am sure there are some hardware tweaks here and there but the fabled machine capability with better CPU and graphics is nowhere to be found. Even battery life is the same.

A lot of influential YouTubers have a bunch of egg on their face after this. Which is almost worth it in itself.

I got nervous when i heard the news then glad when I read about it.

Just bought a Switch for Christmas and to be honest I didnt do my diligence on where the product life.

Would have been really mad if this was a bigger update....

planoaggie123 said:

---

I got nervous when i heard the news then glad when I read about it.

Just bought a Switch for Christmas and to be honest I didnt do my diligence on where the product life.

Would have been really mad if this was a bigger update....

---

Even if it was a big update, you still would've gotten almost a year of use from the old one before this one releases. Not bad at all.

It's like getting the DS-XL or the 3DS XL. No new internals...just a bigger/better screen.

Yay... now I can get screen burn on my switch.

C'mon, Nintendo....

I wouldn't even think about dropping $400 on a Switch 2 with support for 4K and more processing power. Don't understand why they haven't done it, yet. Must be a serious technology limitation keeping it from happening. Probably something about the battery technology.

The Wii-U came at an awkward time. $300 and a year before next gen PS4 and Xbox One. The 360 was king and online gaming was a hit which Nintendo never mastered because they were afraid of pedophiles. It was underpowered and developers didn't want to make games. The casual gamers like grandma and your ex-girlfriend were content with the Wii because they could still play Wii Bowling. However Nintendo was still selling well with the DS and 3DS systems so they made a good move by turning an Android tablet into a hybrid handheld. Developers already knew how to develop for Android so it was easy to bring games to the Switch and thankfully there was developers like Panic Button that specialized in porting AAA titles to Switch like Doom and Rocket League. Nintendo will always be the secondary console.

The small iteration was a good move after the pandemic when everyone bought a Switch, but they're gonna have to push more with software. I'd give them a pass with this year, but they better pull a Hail Mary next year on software.

Pman17 said:

---

The Wii-U came at an awkward time. $300 and a year before next gen PS4 and Xbox One. The 360 was king and online gaming was a hit which Nintendo never mastered because they were afraid of pedophiles. It was underpowered and developers didn't want to make games. The casual gamers like grandma and your ex-girlfriend were content with the Wii because they could still play Wii Bowling. However Nintendo was still selling well with the DS and 3DS systems so they made a good move by turning an Android tablet into a hybrid handheld. Developers already knew how to develop for Android so it was easy to bring games to the Switch and thankfully there was developers like Panic Button that specialized in porting AAA titles to Switch like Doom and Rocket League. Nintendo will always be the secondary console.

The small iteration was a good move after the pandemic when everyone bought a Switch, but they're gonna have to push more with software. I'd give them a pass with this year, but they better pull a Hail Mary next year on software.

---

2022 has BotW 2 which will probably be considered enough for most.

Going through my 3rd play through of BotW.

I mean... I have a block in my head from claiming it is my favorite game of all time, but it just may be. God, this game is so good. I think I'm going for 100% of all shrines in this playthrough. The question is whether i'll cheat and look up where they all are, or not.

My second playthrough and this one I've played on Master Quest, which is the only way to play this game now.

And the new Switch still doesn't support Bluetooth audio. Weird

DallasTeleAg said:

---

Going through my 3rd play through of BotW.

I mean... I have a block in my head from claiming it is my favorite game of all time, but it just may be. God, this game is so good. I think I'm going for 100% of all shrines in this playthrough. The question is whether i'll cheat and look up where they all are, or not.

My second playthrough and this one I've played on Master Quest, which is the only way to play this game now.

---

I keep trying to get into it but just can't. I guess it's just too complicated and I don't have the time to devote to it. I love every other Zelda game though.

SamHou said:

---

And the new Switch still doesn't support Bluetooth audio. Weird

---

This may be the one of the stranger "misses". Really shocked they did not get it corrected in this update.

We brought our Switch on vacation a few weeks ago and i did not pay attention to the fact of no bluetooth so needless to say it drove my wife crazy when the kids played with it in the car but not much we could do since their headphones are bluetooth. The sounds of the Switch > the sounds of "are we there yet"

Too complicated? I don't get that, at all. I find it to be incredibly relaxing. I'm assuming you are referring to the weapons breaking on you, but that becomes less of an issue once you get off the starting plateau. I play on Master Mode, and I still have 5-6 weapons in my inventory I have not had to use.

DallasTeleAg said:

---

Too complicated? I don't get that, at all. I find it to be incredibly relaxing. I'm assuming you are referring to the weapons breaking on you, but that becomes less of an issue once you get off the starting plateau. I play on Master Mode, and I still have 5-6 weapons in my inventory I have not had to use.

---

Weapons breaking is part of it. But also the inventory is almost endless. And then cooking items, but using the right recipes. It's just kind of tedious.

^

Glad I am not the only one. I know it's a great game and I don't bad mouth it by any means but the little annoyances added up to where I didn't want to finish. As crazy as it sounds every time I started playing it, I then got the urge to play Skyrim. So would switch to that after a while.

And then I lost the game cartridge and that was that.

I feel better now getting that off my chest. Thanks for listening

double aught said:

---

DallasTeleAg said:

---

Too complicated? I don't get that, at all. I find it to be incredibly relaxing. I'm assuming you are referring to the weapons breaking on you, but that becomes less of an issue once you get off the starting plateau. I play on Master Mode, and I still have 5-6 weapons in my inventory I have not had to use.

---

Weapons breaking is part of it. But also the inventory is almost endless. And then cooking items, but using the right recipes. It's just kind of tedious.

---

Idk... i feel you put too much of that on yourself. Actually, my first play through, I had no idea I could turn in Korok Seeds to expand my inventory, so I played the whole game with a smaller inventory and never found it to be limiting. I actually think the brilliance of the game is I don't have to collect 100 of 100 different things and go to 100 different locations in each area of the map, like you generally need to in open world games. You can just sit back and enjoy the world.

As far as cooking, I don't really do it much. I just cook "Hearty" anything by itself, and it makes a Full recovery potion with additional hearts. Because I play on Master Mode, I do tend to keep some +Attack food on me at all times, just in case.

To each their own, I have played an ungodly amount of Elder Scrolls since buying Morrowind when it first was released on Xbox, so you can believe I am a huge Elder Scrolls fan and would usually claim Morrrowind as my favorite game experience ever. However, BotW is right there, for me.

Haven't read through the thread. Is a switch worth buying now? Have been wanting to play some of the big Nintendo AAA titles and my kids are getting old enough to join in on some.

I really like it. Bought it for kids (5 / 7) at Christmas. Started them on mario kart and they really like it and actually just got them Mario game too which is proving a tad more challenging but they love it.

I bought myself Soccer and about to get baseball too. Maybe golf? I had not played video games in over 10 years before this.

I like the portability to take on vacations but it stays docked up about 95% of the time. When kids get in trouble, its easy to grab and take away.

As Pman said, the good thing too is they rolled out a "new" version that really did nothing to EOL the older switch...

Thanks for the input. Anyone think its worth waiting 3 months and 50 extra dollars for the OLED version?

I think that would be based on personal circumstances.

If $50 is a budget breaker and you dont mind waiting a few months....I likely would. I think the slightly larger screen size and better screen would be nice. I play maybe once every couple weeks but when I do i am usually holding the device so any increase to that screen size would be a plus for me. For my kids, who use the TV 99% of the time, it doesnt matter.

My main worry in waiting is supply. Hated how hard it was to get a NES classic and SNES classic when they launched. Will probably just order off of Amazon soon. I'm guessing I should upgrade storage?

Forum Troll said:

---

My main worry in waiting is supply. Hated how hard it was to get a NES classic and SNES classic when they launched. Will probably just order off of Amazon soon. I'm guessing I should upgrade storage?

---

Buy the largest SD Card you can for the system. I love not having to switch out cartridges and being able to jump from one game to the next.

I would buy the OLED version if it was out. I have mine from launch day, and no desire to upgrade to the OLED version. I play about 50/50 TV vs handheld.

Should you buy? Hell, I would buy simply for Breath of the Wild. It also seems like so many indie groups are making games for the switch. There are so many great small games on the nintendo eshop you can get on special sales.

What's everyone doing for internet connection?

I've got mine in a tv stand most of the time. The tv stand has an Ethernet drop and a Gigibit switch, but the best I can get on Nintendo's "connection test" is single digit megabits and sometimes even kilobits when I've got 200/40. Wifi is not much different with worse ping. I'm using a ugreen 3.0 gigabit adapter that has no problem getting 200/40 at that switch using a laptop.

And it shows when I try to play rocket league and get packet loss every save attempt and look like I'm defending a penalty kick.

I've played through it twice now (first one was a 100% minus korok seeds and the last part of trial of the sword, second was on master mode), and strongly considering doing a third before BOTW 2.

Currently playing through Age of Calamity and loving it so far. What a great way to fill in the story leading up to the events of BOTW.

Btw, put me in the underwhelmed category with the OLED Switch. I think most people had been expecting some performance updates, 4K, etc. (And at the very least a fix for the joycon drift.)

A larger screen is basically irrelevant to me, since I play docked 98% of the time.

I guess it saves me the money I was expecting to drop on a new Switch Pro, but it kind of sucks BOTW 2 will have the same framerate issues that the first game had. (Unless they find some miraculous new way to prevent it in heavily forested areas.)

I just don't see this version of the Switch selling very much, except for first-time buyers.

Speaking of Joycon drift, I came across a video on Youtube that seems to have found a fairly permanent solution for it. I actually tested it out (pushing down near the joystick while calibrating), and it does fix the position immediately. So I think I may just do this myself at home rather than send them in to Nintendo.

(tl;dw - just stick a small square of paper under the joystick, business card thickness)

It took me a while to understand that weapon breaking is absolutely essential to what made BOTW so fantastic for me the first time around.

Your weapons break > you explore to find more treasures > you fight tougher enemies > your weapons break, rinse and repeat.

But honestly, nothing will ever top that feeling of exploring Hyrule for the first time. Wanting to climb every peak, learning to fight enemies without dying, finding random hidden treasures, gathering materials, etc.

I'd spend hours wandering aimlessly or taking detours from where I was going, and yet it never felt like time wasted.

Compare it to say Twilight Princess, where the massive overworld was basically just an empty area you had to traverse to get from point A to point B.

It sucks it didn't work for some of you, but man, it really is one of the best games I've ever played and I put it up there with my first experience playing OoT. (Which to this day is still my favorite game of all time.)

I really wanted to like it. I may give it another shot before BOTW2 comes out.

Brian Earl Spilner said:

---

It took me a while to understand that weapon breaking is absolutely essential to what made BOTW so fantastic for me the first time around.

Your weapons break > you explore to find more treasures > you fight tougher enemies > your weapons break, rinse and repeat.

But honestly, nothing will ever top that feeling of exploring Hyrule for the first time. Wanting to climb every peak, learning to fight enemies without dying, finding random hidden treasures, gathering materials, etc.

I'd spend hours wandering aimlessly or taking detours from where I was going, and yet it never felt like time wasted.

---

Exactly. I am working on completing all the shrines on my 3rd playthrough, and still find little nooks and crannies I have never been to. I still absolutely love this world.

Once you learn how to fight the Lynels, you can easily get some very powerful weapons and enough gems to keep you over 10K rupees. Skill shotting them in the face, dodging, and parrying should allow you to beat even gold Lynels without getting hit.

For me, it's about the exploration. I will say, for someone playing in Master Mode, you have to get very strategic early in the game, which you take into the later game. For example, killing things like bats, chuchus, and other small enemies with weapons would just cause you to lose all your weapons, so you get used to using your bombs. I have now beat all the Devine Beasts and about 100 shrines, I have around 15 high level weapons on me at any time... and I still use bombs to kill most smaller enemies.

I remember having to clear an early encampment that already had silver enemies; I had to do it very strategically. I led them to tall grass, lit it on fire, and used the updraft to fly to safety. I then quickly finished off the ones that were left over.

I also don't do a whole lot of fighting. When I see an encampment of Bokoblins, I hardly ever engage. The reward is usually not worth the time investment, and they are generally all silver/gold enemies, so it would take a while to beat them.

Quote:

---

I will say, for someone playing in Master Mode, you have to get very strategic early in the game, which you take into the later game. For example, killing things like bats, chuchus, and other small enemies with weapons would just cause you to lose all your weapons, so you get used to using your bombs. I

---

Had a lot of fun finding creative ways to take out enemies in the first few hours of Master Mode.

I remember one part early on where I just could not get past these 3 bokoblins, and was so proud of myself when I finally did it. (Had to use a lot of bombs and launch one of them off a cliff, but hey it counts.)

I think it eventually plateaus to the same relative difficulty of regular mode, but fairly deep into the game. Those first 5-10 hours are a totally new experience. Fun stuff.

Speaking of Zelda anyone pick up skyward sword? I bought it for the gf since she never played the original back on the Wii. Graphics and frame rate look a hell of a lot better