OT: Video Game Talk (oh, also the Week before the All-Star Break Pre-Game Talk "archive")

[ASmileyFace]

My experience buying an OLED Switch three months ago has been excellent. I've ended up playing handheld 95% of the time so well worth the extra money for the OLED. With all the questions about backwards compatibility with Switch 2 I would spend the money now. The switch has been worth it for BoTW and ToTK alone.

I jumped back into Hades again recently now that I am on the "end game" of racking up heat clears. What a fantastic game it is. Endless replayability between maxing out your builds and weapons.

 

[henchman21]

The Switch OLED is already $350. I just don't see how the keep the cost down without taking a loss on each system sold. Which is something that doesn't really happen anymore.


Oh? Is it running better on Yuzu or Ryujinx? I am definitely gonna replay it again on my PC once the emulation gets stable enough.

Nintendo makes a pretty healthy profit on the Switch today.... right around 30% on the standard LCD model. A little more on OLED model that is only slightly more expensive to produce ($10-15) and a little less on the Lite. When the Switch came out, it was rumored to cost 285-290 per unit. So I agree they won't take a loss, but utilizing the Orin chip (nano or NX), LCD, and off the shelf stuff for batteries and controllers won't have it be all that much more expensive, if any. The storage is likely to be the driver in price increases. Which that has been everywhere in the past 5 years and is currently in a cratering... so maybe that won't even be all that much more expensive... 20-25 at scale. The Orin NX 8Gb chip at scale today is actually ever so slightly cheaper than the Tegra was at the Switch launch... the Orin Nano 8Gb chip is a solid ~$25 cheaper than the Tegra chip at launch. The NX is probably unlikely as it starts to push the TDP power numbers that Nintendo has wanted to avoid... but they could underclock again.

 

[sethro109]

Nintendo makes a pretty healthy profit on the Switch today.... right around 30% on the standard LCD model. A little more on OLED model that is only slightly more expensive to produce ($10-15) and a little less on the Lite. When the Switch came out, it was rumored to cost 285-290 per unit. So I agree they won't take a loss, but utilizing the Orin chip (nano or NX), LCD, and off the shelf stuff for batteries and controllers won't have it be all that much more expensive, if any. The storage is likely to be the driver in price increases. Which that has been everywhere in the past 5 years and is currently in a cratering... so maybe that won't even be all that much more expensive... 20-25 at scale. The Orin NX 8Gb chip at scale today is actually ever so slightly cheaper than the Tegra was at the Switch launch... the Orin Nano 8Gb chip is a solid ~$25 cheaper than the Tegra chip at launch. The NX is probably unlikely as it starts to push the TDP power numbers that Nintendo has wanted to avoid... but they could underclock again.

Did Nintendo say that they were going with Orin APU chips? I haven't heard that anywhere. Ultimately, it'd be great if they can keep it on the low end, but at the same time, I also don't want a half-baked upgrade that just feels like a Switch pro. Nintendo doesn't need a powerhouse console, but, something that can run 4K games docked, scaled down to 1440/1080 in handheld mode should be their goal. Also, some 3rd party ports would be nice. Kinda like a Series S in hand held form. At the very least, I hope they give it a good NVME SSD drive. Load times on my switch are very noticeable now that I have a newer PC and the new consoles have better drives in them.

 

[henchman21]

Did Nintendo say that they were going with Orin APU chips? I haven't heard that anywhere. Ultimately, it'd be great if they can keep it on the low end, but at the same time, I also don't want a half-baked upgrade that just feels like a Switch pro. Nintendo doesn't need a powerhouse console, but, something that can run 4K games docked, scaled down to 1440/1080 in handheld mode should be their goal. Also, some 3rd party ports would be nice. Kinda like a Series S in hand held form. At the very least, I hope they give it a good NVME SSD drive. Load times on my switch are very noticeable now that I have a newer PC and the new consoles have better drives in them.

Nothing has been stated by Nintendo other than Nvidia being their partner. The leaks and the specs around those all point to the Orin chips. Either Nano or NX and 8GB versions. The 16GB NX is likely too expensive and too power hungry to be a legitimate option (25w). The dev kit leaks point more towards NX or a custom version or Nano with better memory bandwidth. So if we are looking at a 8GB NX with a 15 watt TDP... we are in the 1.3-1.5 tflop sort of range. So Xbox One S (not Series) sort of power.... not apples to apples there as some more modern rendering solutions that'll likely be baked in to improve performance. But I wouldn't expect a drastic jump there... closer to XO/PS4 than XSS. On simple Nintendo games we might get 1440p... on more intense games 1200p. With 1080/900p being the handheld targets. I'd be shocked if we get anywhere near native 4k when docked. There are only a handful of 4k games on the XSS with 4 tflops and a ~65 watt TDP.

I do expect NVME SSD as the storage... which brings in all sorts of questions on how to handle expansion.

 

[sethro109]

Nothing has been stated by Nintendo other than Nvidia being their partner. The leaks and the specs around those all point to the Orin chips. Either Nano or NX and 8GB versions. The 16GB NX is likely too expensive and too power hungry to be a legitimate option (25w). The dev kit leaks point more towards NX or a custom version or Nano with better memory bandwidth. So if we are looking at a 8GB NX with a 15 watt TDP... we are in the 1.3-1.5 tflop sort of range. So Xbox One S (not Series) sort of power.... not apples to apples there as some more modern rendering solutions that'll likely be baked in to improve performance. But I wouldn't expect a drastic jump there... closer to XO/PS4 than XSS. On simple Nintendo games we might get 1440p... on more intense games 1200p. With 1080/900p being the handheld targets. I'd be shocked if we get anywhere near native 4k when docked. There are only a handful of 4k games on the XSS with 4 tflops and a ~65 watt TDP.

I do expect NVME SSD as the storage... which brings in all sorts of questions on how to handle expansion.

If those leaks are true, that's pretty disappointing. I wasn't expecting native 4K. The PS5 and XSS can barely do that. I'm fine with upscaled 4K. Anything that's not upscaled just looks like crap on bigger TVs for the most part.

 

[S E P H]

OLED is must get IMHO if you're getting the Switch. A very noticeable difference in its handheld form.

 

[henchman21]

If those leaks are true, that's pretty disappointing. I wasn't expecting native 4K. The PS5 and XSS can barely do that. I'm fine with upscaled 4K. Anything that's not upscaled just looks like crap on bigger TVs for the most part.

I’m sure they’ll be upscaled but native/fsr sort of rendering around there. I don’t recall Nvidia’s term for that. This won’t be a huge powerhouse of a system.

OLED is must get IMHO if you're getting the Switch. A very noticeable difference in its handheld form.

Yeah if you use it portability a decent amount, might as well spend more.

Also get a decent grip with handles or the hori split pads. Makes a huge comfort difference.

 

[5280]

Bought a switch again. Yeah

Playing Metroid Dread. It’s pretty fun

 

[sethro109]

Also get a decent grip with handles or the hori split pads. Makes a huge comfort difference.

I don't think I'd ever use my switch in hand held mode without those Hori split pads. An absolute must.

Bought a switch again. Yeah

Playing Metroid Dread. It’s pretty fun

I enjoyed Dread. I don't think I ever landed a successful counter against those EMMIs. That timing is very precise.

 

[henchman21]

I don't think I'd ever use my switch in hand held mode without those Hori split pads. An absolute must.


I enjoyed Dread. I don't think I ever landed a successful counter against those EMMIs. That timing is very precise.

When I travel, I prefer the satisfy grip (however they spell it), but around home the split pads for sure. The grip is just nicer to throw around in a backpack

 

[The Moops]

I’m sure they’ll be upscaled but native/fsr sort of rendering around there. I don’t recall Nvidia’s term for that

DLSS?

 

[Avs91]

I can’t stand the PS Controller and how it feels. The offset sticks make a huge difference for me.

I concede that the PS5 is an objectively better console overall, but yes, I've always hated the Playstation controller for this reason (since the original in 1994 lol). Don't need the bells and whistles either, just don't care enough at this point.

If I gamed nearly as hard as I used to... maybe I would have switched and gotten used to Playstation. I pretty much use my Xbox Series S for streaming and a handful of games here/there (mainly NHL, Hogwarts, I'll get Starfield for sure...), and my Switch for downstairs Hulu and Pokemon oh and SNES games, but I seriously need to find/buy the SNES controller for that (Joycons SUCK for DK Country and Super Mario World).

 

[henchman21]

DLSS?

Yeah that’s it.

 

[Avs_19]

I'll get the Switch now, there's no guarantee that Switch 2 will be backwards compatible

Edit: If you're gonna play in handheld a lot, I recommend the OLED. I have the 1st version of Switch and always play docked mode, so I have no need for OLED.

I'd say there are a lot of unknowns with the Switch 2 that are unlikely to get answered prior to the new year. Release date? Is it backwards compatible? Will Nintendo force you to buy upgrades? etc.

IMO the question is centered around getting enough enjoyment out of the ~300 you'd spend. There are many games that you can dive into and have great experiences with, but is it worth the $300?

The OLED question is more about your usage. Will you use it portably a lot? Or just once in a while? If a lot, get the OLED. If only from time to time, the standard Switch is perfectly fine (I'm still rolling my launch day Switch and love it).

I'd spring for the switch now. You can always sell it to pay for most of the switch 2 if you decide to go that route. Nintendo has been talking about the Switch 2 for years. Who knows how many more years they'll end up taking.

Thanks boys.

@henchman21 The price is part of what I was weighing. The OLED model is $450 plus the cost for games. No issue paying that but I just don't want to be forced to upgrade in a short amount of time if there's a new one and/or if they stop making games for the original. I guess those are complete unknowns at this point in time though.

I honestly just want to play Mario Kart and Zelda.

 

[henchman21]

Thanks boys.

@henchman21 The price is part of what I was weighing. The OLED model is $450 plus the cost for games. No issue paying that but I just don't want to be forced to upgrade in a short amount of time if there's a new one and/or if they stop making games for the original. I guess those are complete unknowns at this point in time though.

I honestly just want to play Mario Kart and Zelda.

Strictly IMO (and know I spend too much on video games) there is a ton of value in today’s Zelda’s and Mario Kart. Solid few hundred hours of time. There are a solid 30+ games that I have beat and loved on the system. Many could be had today for dirt cheap.

My best guess is the next switch will be out Sept or Oct of next year (seem like production starts in the spring, so time to build inventory for a fall release). Support to this current switch will be a year or two after that. If we are like the current cross gen, might get to 3.

 

[The Merchant]

How similar is BG3 to DoS2?

I wasn't a fan of DoS2. I get why people love it, but I could never get hooked.

BG3 is honestly my first real foray into the hardcore D&D RPG genre, so I can't offer a fair comparison. If I had to liken it to anything in recent memory it would be Elden Ring. Not in terms of gameplay or storytelling obviously, but in the sense that both games reward the player for creativity and exploration unlike any others. It's my GotY so far and it's not particularly close.

 

[Ararana]

How similar is BG3 to DoS2?

I wasn't a fan of DoS2. I get why people love it, but I could never get hooked.

They mirror each other significantly. BG3 is obviously a DOS3 in all but name. Even the companions have similar backstories to those in DOS2. But Larian Studios expanded a good deal on what they did in DOS2. The world is more broad, dialog is richer. Battle system is almost 1 to 1. The story still follows the three act system but in BG3 you can go back to previous acts if your forgot to do something. I hated it at first but BG3 has a camp/end of day feature to rest and heal your party. It was kind of annoying as you get used to it but a lot of story happens in that camp and you eventually find yourself going back there even when you don't need heals.

First game I've ever had to choose my character's penis shape/size. That was new

 

[henchman21]

They mirror each other significantly. BG3 is obviously a DOS3 in all but name. Even the companions have similar backstories to those in DOS2. But Larian Studios expanded a good deal on what they did in DOS2. The world is more broad, dialog is richer. Battle system is almost 1 to 1. The story still follows the three act system but in BG3 you can go back to previous acts if your forgot to do something. I hated it at first but BG3 has a camp/end of day feature to rest and heal your party. It was kind of annoying as you get used to it but a lot of story happens in that camp and you eventually find yourself going back there even when you don't need heals.

First game I've ever had to choose my character's penis shape/size. That was new

Someone didn’t play cyberpunk

 

[Avs_19]

I’m sure they’ll be upscaled but native/fsr sort of rendering around there. I don’t recall Nvidia’s term for that. This won’t be a huge powerhouse of a system.



Yeah if you use it portability a decent amount, might as well spend more.

Also get a decent grip with handles or the hori split pads. Makes a huge comfort difference.

Bro you went from saying ~$300 to telling me to buy a $70 grip too.

 

[henchman21]

Bro you went from saying ~$300 to telling me to buy a $70 grip too.

Unless you have 8 year old hands... the $70 grip/Hori split pads are pretty much needed for any longer play sessions.

That said, I used this knock off version and it was pretty solid. My gripe was how it held the switch in and had no case so constantly removing it.

Amazon.com

 

[Avs_19]

Unless you have 8 year old hands... the $70 grip/Hori split pads are pretty much needed for any longer play sessions.

That said, I used this knock off version and it was pretty solid. My gripe was how it held the switch in and had no case so constantly removing it.

Amazon.com

I was looking at that one. Seems pretty decent for the price.

 

[henchman21]

I was looking at that one. Seems pretty decent for the price.

Comfort wise, it was pretty much the same as the satisfye... the difference was how it latched onto the Switch. The piece the comes over and snaps across the top just never felt fully correct on mine. When I took it apart and took that piece off, the Switch could slide a little bit in the case. I'd guess the OLED version wouldn't as it is slightly wider and would fit a touch tighter in the grip. The regular version probably would need some extra rubber pads.

 

[UncleRisto]

I finally installed Dirt 5, and it's exactly what I want out of every game.

 

[MacKaRant]

Bro you went from saying ~$300 to telling me to buy a $70 grip too.

I use this one: Amazon.com

Super comfortable and three options for different hand sizes. About 20 bucks.

 

[The Merchant]

So I guess Cale is gonna be the cover athlete for NHL 24. He'd be the first Av to grace the cover since Foppa on NHL 98.