Gaming Nintendo Switch

Sarni said:
Just bought Sonic Mania on sale. Probably won’t get around to playing it that soon as I bought about a hundred games on sale over the last month.
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Sonic mania is gaming perfection. Just have a go.
 
I finished first Portal in a break from playing TOTK, still holds up very well after all these years. I'll have a longer break before going through Portal 2 (which I vividly remember as one of the best games of my university days).

I've been playing Katana Zero recently and really enjoying it. It's challenging but not to a point where it'd make me throw my pad at a wall, and has very creative level design and environment.
 
New 2D Mario game plus Metal Gear Solid and Arkham Series all coming to Switch. Sounds dope.
 
Also got civ6 for like a fiver last week, been great! Can't handle the bigger maps and game types really, had a very frustrating crash but still great value at that price.
 
Like 5 incredible looking games in one show. So sad the switch can't hit 60fps consistently.
 
Nintendo knocking it out of the park again. The quality they managed to consistently put out for Switch is incredible, cannot go a quarter without an awesome game.
 
I love the Pikmin games, can't wait for the 4th one. I'll probably grab the Gotham bundle too, never played it before and prefer playing on the Switch anywhere in the house as opposed to the PS5 (which I mainly use for VR2 right now). Still wish Wind Waker would come to the Switch soon but I guess they want to space them out a bit
 
atkar83 said:
I love the Pikmin games, can't wait for the 4th one. I'll probably grab the Gotham bundle too, never played it before and prefer playing on the Switch anywhere in the house as opposed to the PS5 (which I mainly use for VR2 right now). Still wish Wind Waker would come to the Switch soon but I guess they want to space them out a bit
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I reckon they might have Wind Waker out as a launch title for their next console, along with 3D Mario. They’ve done well with the remakes so far, surely they will keep going. They might even do GC library in online service for Switch 2 at launch.
 
atkar83 said:
I love the Pikmin games, can't wait for the 4th one. I'll probably grab the Gotham bundle too, never played it before and prefer playing on the Switch anywhere in the house as opposed to the PS5 (which I mainly use for VR2 right now). Still wish Wind Waker would come to the Switch soon but I guess they want to space them out a bit
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I will pick up Pikmin 4. the graphics look alot more detailed and crisped than Pikmin 3 Switch.
Think I will also get the Gotham bundle, Metal Gear collection for the Switch and possibly the Lara Croft bundle.

Lately my 7 year old kid and I are playing Advance Wars. He likes creating his own maps. It's superfun. He finds it similar to the map editor in Link's Awakening.
We now have quite a stellar Switch collection.
I will be super pissed off if the next Nintendo console doesn't support backwards compatibility.
 
Unam333 said:
We now have quite a stellar Switch collection.
I will be super pissed off if the next Nintendo console doesn't support backwards compatibility.
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Other than the 3DS/2DS playing DS games and the DS playing GBA games, none of Nintendo's consoles have been backward compatible, have they?
 
decorativeed said:
Other than the 3DS/2DS playing DS games and the DS playing GBA games, none of Nintendo's consoles have been backward compatible, have they?
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We have the Wii U console and on it you can play Wii discs, so there's hope.
 
Unam333 said:
I will pick up Pikmin 4. the graphics look alot more detailed and crisped than Pikmin 3 Switch.
Think I will also get the Gotham bundle, Metal Gear collection for the Switch and possibly the Lara Croft bundle.

Lately my 7 year old kid and I are playing Advance Wars. He likes creating his own maps. It's superfun. He finds it similar to the map editor in Link's Awakening.
We now have quite a stellar Switch collection.
I will be super pissed off if the next Nintendo console doesn't support backwards compatibility.
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At what age did your kid start getting into videogames to the point he started playing games himself if you don't mind me asking? I have a 3.5 year old (and 1.5 year old) who has played Mario Kart with me here and there but I'm always weary of letting him play too much to the point he's always asking to play it.
 
atkar83 said:
At what age did your kid start getting into videogames to the point he started playing games himself if you don't mind me asking? I have a 3.5 year old (and 1.5 year old) who has played Mario Kart with me here and there but I'm always weary of letting him play too much to the point he's always asking to play it.
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Why would it be a problem if he asks for it? It's just like anything with parenting, you just control it as the parent.

My 7yr old is an absolute Sonic fanatic. She'd play on the Switch all day every day if she could. Just like she'd eat chocolate all day every day if I let her.
 
decorativeed said:
Other than the 3DS/2DS playing DS games and the DS playing GBA games, none of Nintendo's consoles have been backward compatible, have they?
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Wii could play Gamecube games too.

My money is on the games being backwards compatible but there being a much bigger push towards digital ownership. They'll want to stick with their hybrid model as it's been so successful but only certain types of physical media work with that (i.e. the current cartridges).
 
atkar83 said:
At what age did your kid start getting into videogames to the point he started playing games himself if you don't mind me asking? I have a 3.5 year old (and 1.5 year old) who has played Mario Kart with me here and there but I'm always weary of letting him play too much to the point he's always asking to play it.
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I believe he started playing games himself around 5.5 year old?

I think we bought the Switch when he was around 5 year old. The console was originally intended to be used by me and my wife. We wanted to play Mario Party and Mario Kart 8 together. Later on, I picked up New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee.

When he was 5 year old, I figured it would be fun to play Mario Party and Mario Kart with him. I also picked up 1-2-3 Switch and Arms. He didn't like them. He quickly became accustomed to the joy cons, the problem was he didn't like the stress of playing competitive games. He's was also a sore loser. Since he liked playing Lego and build things, I purchased Mario Maker 2, Lego Undercover, Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley. He loved it!
Then I figured: "he can exercise in front of the tv!" so I bought Ring Fit Adventure and Let's Dance.
From that moment on our Switch collection grew exponentially. I sometimes buy games without my wife knowing. Yeah, that's bad. I usually buy the games second-hand though (still bad, I know).

I understand your hesitance of letting your kid sit in front of the tv and play videogames (instead of, for example, accompanying him to go outside and play) and frustration or worry when he keeps on asking for it.
We tell him to always (and I really mean: always) turn on the lights of the living room when playing games, always sit on a distance (on the couch) and take breaks in between to let his eyes rest and relax.

We encourage him to invite friends or go to a friend's house, to play outside when sunny, jump on the trampoline (we have an outdoor trampoline in the back garden as well as a small indoor trampoline in the living room), play sports (he has football practise twice a week now and occasionally football matches on Saturdays, swimming, running).
When he wakes up he plays like maybe 10 minutes on the Switch before going to school and maybe 1 hour to 1.5 hours in total before and after dinner. It really depends if he was busy that day (sports, friends etc.) and in what mood he is in. Some days he doesn't even touch the Switch.
Instead of playing games he watches tv, drawing a picture, crafting something.

We don't have screentime no. When he was 5/6 year old, we limited the screen use of the Switch, now not so much.

I have friends who let their kids play games or watch YouTube etc. on the parent's phones and iPads. Their faces are almost glued to the screen, there is no distance between the kid and the device. I have no facts regarding nearsightedness and farsightedness, I think sitting far away from the screen is still better to the child's eyes. (btw, I also feel watching tv in the dark and playing games in the dark are bad for your eyes, that's why we always turn on the lights.) I also read research articles that noted there is no correlation between near/farsightedness and screen distance, I'm not sure if I believe that. I do believe that eyes need rests and the need to "exercise and move" the eye muscles by looking far away and looking up close.
Anyway, some parents rather let a child read a book, but then the child is also reading up close. Further more, playing games actively stimulates a child's creativity and also helps them to read. We also frequently test his eyesight, just in case. He's a bright kid, but if we find out that his school grades are declining or his development stagnates then my wife will definitely take proper action.

What I want to say is, do what you think feels right. In our household this works, there will always be parents who will criticize our parenting.
 
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Unam333 said:
I believe he started playing games himself around 5.5 year old?

I think we bought the Switch when he was around 5 year old. The console was originally intended to be used by me and my wife. We wanted to play Mario Party and Mario Kart 8 together. Later on, I picked up New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee.

When he was 5 year old, I figured it would be fun to play Mario Party and Mario Kart with him. I also picked up 1-2-3 Switch and Arms. He didn't like them. He quickly became accustomed to the joy cons, the problem was he didn't like the stress of playing competitive games. He's was also a sore loser. Since he liked playing Lego and build things, I purchased Mario Maker 2, Lego Undercover, Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley. He loved it!
Then I figured: "he can exercise in front of the tv!" so I bought Ring Fit Adventure and Let's Dance.
From that moment on our Switch collection grew exponentially. I sometimes buy games without my wife knowing. Yeah, that's bad. I usually buy the games second-hand though (still bad, I know).

I understand your hesitance of letting your kid sit in front of the tv and play videogames (instead of, for example, accompanying him to go outside and play) and frustration or worry when he keeps on asking for it.
We tell him to always lit up the living room when playing games, always sit on a distance (on the couch) and take breaks in between to let his eyes rest and relax.

We encourage him to invite friends or go to a friend's house, to play outside when sunny, jump on the trampoline (we have an outdoor trampoline in the back garden as well as a small indoor trampoline in the living room), play sports (he has football practise twice a week now and occasionally football matches on Saturdays, swimming, running).
When he wakes up he plays like maybe 10 minutes on the Switch before going to school and maybe 1 hour to 1.5 hours in total before and after dinner. It really depends if he was busy that day (sports, friends etc.) and in what mood he is in. Some days he doesn't even touch the Switch.
Instead of playing games he watches tv, drawing a picture, crafting something.

We don't have screentime no. When he was 5/6 year old, we limited the screen use of the Switch, now not so much.

I have friends who let their kids play games or watch YouTube etc. on the parent's phones and iPads. Their faces are almost glued to the screen, there is no distance between the kid and the device. I have no facts regarding nearsightedness and farsightedness, I think sitting far away from the screen is still better to the child's eyes. I also read research articles that noted there is no correlation between farsightedness and screen distance, I'm not sure if I believe that. I do believe that eyes need rests and the need to "exercise and move" the eye muscles by looking far away and looking up close.
Anyway, some parents rather let a child read a book, but then the child is also reading up close. Further more, playing games actively stimulates a child's creativity and also helps them to read. We also frequently test his eyesight, just in case. He's a bright kid, but if we find out that his school grades are declining or his development stagnates then my wife will definitely take proper action.

What I want to say is, do what you think feels right. In our household this works, there will always be parents who will criticize our parenting.
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I really appreciate the detailed response! Yeah, I don't judge other parents on how they raise their kids, there are lots of variances to every situation (financial, help from others living with you such as grandparents, the child's behavioral patterns, etc) so you can't always assume its laziness.

My kid is pretty active and plays around a lot, but he does also looove watching Blippi on tv and some days asks constantly. I've seen my best friends kid lose his shite when he's not allowed to play the switch, but I think the switch would be better than watching tv anyway, at least there is some hand-eye co-ordination involved. And you can't shelter them from these things forever, eventually they're going to see their friends playing these things so its better to get them on routines and time limits early possibly. But at age 5 seems like a good time, so I have a couple of years or so before deciding on it. Thanks again
 
Unam333 said:
I will pick up Pikmin 4. the graphics look alot more detailed and crisped than Pikmin 3 Switch.
Think I will also get the Gotham bundle, Metal Gear collection for the Switch and possibly the Lara Croft bundle.

Lately my 7 year old kid and I are playing Advance Wars. He likes creating his own maps. It's superfun. He finds it similar to the map editor in Link's Awakening.
We now have quite a stellar Switch collection.
I will be super pissed off if the next Nintendo console doesn't support backwards compatibility.
Click to expand...

It 100% will be backward compatible. It’s basically going to be an improved Switch.
 
atkar83 said:
I really appreciate the detailed response! Yeah, I don't judge other parents on how they raise their kids, there are lots of variances to every situation (financial, help from others living with you such as grandparents, the child's behavioral patterns, etc) so you can't always assume its laziness.

My kid is pretty active and plays around a lot, but he does also looove watching Blippi on tv and some days asks constantly. I've seen my best friends kid lose his shite when he's not allowed to play the switch, but I think the switch would be better than watching tv anyway, at least there is some hand-eye co-ordination involved. And you can't shelter them from these things forever, eventually they're going to see their friends playing these things so its better to get them on routines and time limits early possibly. But at age 5 seems like a good time, so I have a couple of years or so before deciding on it. Thanks again
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Yes, I think 5 year old is a good age. I feel 3.5 year old kids don't really know how to game properly nor really understand the concept of gaming. I do know 3.5 olds like to nag. (but maybe it's just me).

Sarni said:
It 100% will be backward compatible. It’s basically going to be an improved Switch.
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That's what I want. An improved Switch with graphics closer to the PS5 and XBox, backward compatible, bigger screen, keep and improve the joy cons. No blu-ray discs please. Those cartridges are perfect for little kids. Never afraid they get damaged.
 
Unam333 said:
Yes, I think 5 year old is a good age. I feel 3.5 year old kids don't really know how to game properly nor really understand the concept of gaming. I do know 3.5 olds like to nag. (but maybe it's just me).



That's what I want. An improved Switch with graphics closer to the PS5 and XBox, backward compatible, bigger screen, keep and improve the joy cons. No blu-ray discs please. Those cartridges are perfect for little kids. Never afraid they get damaged.
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PS4 Pro/XB1 are probably more likely the power range docked, and hopefully Steamdeck power handheld with oled and better battery
 
atkar83 said:
PS4 Pro/XB1 are probably more likely the power range docked, and hopefully Steamdeck power handheld with oled and better battery
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PS4 range power sounds good.
Give me a Minish Cap remake, a remastered Wind Waker and a Let's Go Johto game and I will buy the system on day one.
 
Unam333 said:
Yes, I think 5 year old is a good age. I feel 3.5 year old kids don't really know how to game properly nor really understand the concept of gaming. I do know 3.5 olds like to nag. (but maybe it's just me).

That's what I want. An improved Switch with graphics closer to the PS5 and XBox, backward compatible, bigger screen, keep and improve the joy cons. No blu-ray discs please. Those cartridges are perfect for little kids. Never afraid they get damaged.
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I think we will be looking at something that is close to but not at the level of PS4 Pro and Xbox One X, or in the worst case scenario something near original PS4/XO.
 
We're playing the Pikmin 4 demo and the game looks pretty, no blurry background, everything looks crisp and clear and it's fun to ride a dog.
I understand that the Unreal Engine was used by Nintendo's indoor development team for this game and it shows.

The only downside is the coach coop. Nintendo has limited the second player's abilities.
 
So, I’ve just lost an argument with my children about Fortnite being free on the Nintendo Switch.

Having looked it up, the online shop appears show that it is free to download. Does this mean that the game is free to play?

My kids are 8- and 10-years old and I don’t really want them downloading it if it is going to cost me a fortune for them to genuinely enjoy it in full.

Any clues/advice?
 
K Stand Knut said:
So, I’ve just lost an argument with my children about Fortnite being free on the Nintendo Switch.

Having looked it up, the online shop appears show that it is free to download. Does this mean that the game is free to play?

My kids are 8- and 10-years old and I don’t really want them downloading it if it is going to cost me a fortune for them to genuinely enjoy it in full.

Any clues/advice?
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Fortnite is free on all platforms afaik, you can purchase ‘costumes’ when playing though so be careful of that.
 
K Stand Knut said:
So, I’ve just lost an argument with my children about Fortnite being free on the Nintendo Switch.

Having looked it up, the online shop appears show that it is free to download. Does this mean that the game is free to play?

My kids are 8- and 10-years old and I don’t really want them downloading it if it is going to cost me a fortune for them to genuinely enjoy it in full.

Any clues/advice?
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Base game is free. The cosmetic upgrades are what cost money.

Remove the card associated with your Switch so they can't make purchases without your consent.
 
Ollie Derbyshire said:
Fortnite is free on all platforms afaik, you can purchase ‘costumes’ when playing though so be careful of that.
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Vidyoyo said:
Base game is free. The cosmetic upgrades are what cost money.

Remove the card associated with your Switch so they can't make purchases without your consent.
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Thanks y’all.

Guess I’ll be downloading it later then!!

Ta
 
K Stand Knut said:
So, I’ve just lost an argument with my children about Fortnite being free on the Nintendo Switch.

Having looked it up, the online shop appears show that it is free to download. Does this mean that the game is free to play?

My kids are 8- and 10-years old and I don’t really want them downloading it if it is going to cost me a fortune for them to genuinely enjoy it in full.

Any clues/advice?
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They can enjoy it fine but they will be nattering you for microtransactions/cash shop stuff kids love em that's how they get you, particularly when they play games with all their friends showing off all the stuff they bought that looks so much cooler than the free shit.
 
K Stand Knut said:
So, I’ve just lost an argument with my children about Fortnite being free on the Nintendo Switch.

Having looked it up, the online shop appears show that it is free to download. Does this mean that the game is free to play?

My kids are 8- and 10-years old and I don’t really want them downloading it if it is going to cost me a fortune for them to genuinely enjoy it in full.

Any clues/advice?
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be prepared to be hassled for vbucks constantly....

its extremely addictive and despite getting some newly released games its all my kids (9 and 7) want to play
 
Newtonius said:
They can enjoy it fine but they will be nattering you for microtransactions/cash shop stuff kids love em that's how they get you, particularly when they play games with all their friends showing off all the stuff they bought that looks so much cooler than the free shit.
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buckooo1978 said:
be prepared to be hassled for vbucks constantly....

its extremely addictive and despite getting some newly released games its all my kids (9 and 7) want to play
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Guess I’ll have to keep up my persona of being a tight arse then
 
It has largely gone unnoticed as it’s not the most popular series but Pikmin 4 has been getting terrific reviews, currently sitting at 88/100 average. I played the demo for a bit and will definitely buy the full version next week as it seems like the perfect blend of fun, challenge and cozy experience. I liked Pikmin back in GC but haven’t played since.

Nintendo just keeps on delivering quality.
 
Sarni said:
It has largely gone unnoticed as it’s not the most popular series but Pikmin 4 has been getting terrific reviews, currently sitting at 88/100 average. I played the demo for a bit and will definitely buy the full version next week as it seems like the perfect blend of fun, challenge and cozy experience. I liked Pikmin back in GC but haven’t played since.

Nintendo just keeps on delivering quality.
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Agreed. Nintendo makes the games I want to play, not want to want to play. They've been knocking it out of the park this whole generation.
 
Vidyoyo said:
Agreed. Nintendo makes the games I want to play, not want to want to play. They've been knocking it out of the park this whole generation.
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They hardly go a quarter without an 8/10 or even 9/10 game. Their lineup for Q4 this year is also looking compelling with Mario Wonder, Super Mario RPG and the new Wario game. I reckon they must already have their new 3D Mario game mostly done but will wait to release it on their new hardware next year as a launch title (while probably still making it for current gen Switch like they did with BOTW). Same might happen with new Metroid Prime game, though I expect them to release 2 & 3 remasters early into 2024 (Prime Remastered is quality).

Switch has been by far and away my favorite console of the last 12 months as I’ve been catching up on games and playing whatever new is out there. Also an amazing companion on travel.
 
MiceOnMeth said:
https://gizmodo.com/nintendo-switch-sequel-second-half-of-2024-lcd-display-1850692341

Good news - Switch 2 rumoured to be coming in second half of 2024.
I don't mind if its an LCD panel but Backwards compatibility is surely a must for the new console.

Will this be a day 1 purchase for you lot?
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Of course. I will pre-order it the very minute it preorders are live. I expect them to release 3D Mario as a launch title which will be enough of an incentive for me to rush to the store.

I'd be hoping for OLED screen though given the difference in quality between standard Switch and OLED, I don't want to buy another iteration of the same console in 2026/2027. Backwards compatibility will almost certainly be there.

It'll probably be around as powerful as PS4 Pro or so, which would be enough.
 
MiceOnMeth said:
https://gizmodo.com/nintendo-switch-sequel-second-half-of-2024-lcd-display-1850692341

Good news - Switch 2 rumoured to be coming in second half of 2024.
I don't mind if its an LCD panel but Backwards compatibility is surely a must for the new console.

Will this be a day 1 purchase for you lot?
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Yeah if it's backwards compatible. No, if not.

I've still got an army of Switch games to get through so I'll be happy to wait for a while until the games library builds up.
 
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