Is the Switch unreliable?

[rgraves]

3 hours ago, MattyP said:

Would have much preferred a console without a screen or joycons and supplied with a Pro controller.

 

So, the same as Sony and MS were offering then? That would have been, I suspect, crippling for Nintendo. They need to be different, and it's good for them to be different IMO.

[Fry Crayola]

A non-handheld variant might be interesting to some, but there are so many games I've bought on Switch rather than another platform purely because I might play it somewhere else.

 

If the Switch was the same as everything else, it'd be the Wii U all over again.

[routeburn]

Pro controller drift and joycon drift. So widespread I don't think one can dispute that it's a design flaw and I'm surprised they're not openly offering free repairs/replacements. My 20 quid pro-controller-copy from some random supplier is much more reliable than the official pro controller, but it's not as nice to use.

[Oh Danny Boy]

3 hours ago, MattyP said:

Well we didn't get a choice this time around unfortunately. Would have much preferred a console without a screen or joycons and supplied with a Pro controller. Hardly use or have a need for consoles on the move.

 

A Switch without the switch. So basically a souped up Wii U. Guaranteed failure. The Switch’s success shows that the market wants a console that is both home and handheld.  It’s successor will be a Switch 2 and not a completely new concept. If you want a pure home console MS and Sony have your covered there. 
 

For me the ‘switching’ between home and handheld has been great. I get to have the home console experience as well as chill out in bed with it for a late night session, take it to hotels when traveling, to friends for multiplayer gaming. Fits my lifestyle perfectly. And the software catalogue is excellent. Nintendo’s best designed console imo. 
 

It’s the only console I’ve needed this gen. 

[Escape]

Mine was creaky and poorly built, but had nothing properly wrong with it.

[deerokus]

I have the lite, no problems with it in terms of reliability or build quality so far and it has a pretty good dpad. think the price for the lite is a lot more reasonable than the full fat system which seems slightly overpriced to me.

[teddymeow]

I had to do the foam fix on my left JoyCon as well as replacing the rear shell due to a crack by the power button.

[MattyP]

1 hour ago, Oh Danny Boy said:

A Switch without the switch. So basically a souped up Wii U. Guaranteed failure. The Switch’s success shows that the market wants a console that is both home and handheld.  It’s successor will be a Switch 2 and not a completely new concept. If you want a pure home console MS and Sony have your covered there. 
 

For me the ‘switching’ between home and handheld has been great. I get to have the home console experience as well as chill out in bed with it for a late night session, take it to hotels when traveling, to friends for multiplayer gaming. Fits my lifestyle perfectly. And the software catalogue is excellent. Nintendo’s best designed console imo. 
 

It’s the only console I’ve needed this gen. 

Don't disagree with what the market wants... just not what I want. So I sold it.  

[TehStu]

7 hours ago, moosegrinder said:

The drifting absolutely is an inherent flaw in the design of the controllers and Nintendo need to own that shit.

I guess they did in the US, they don't charge for fixing it. Not excusing them, I had to fetch a new set of joycons earlier than planned to be able to use the damn thing while both left ones I had were sent off for repair. The pandemic delayed that repair about 3 months, obviously not their fault. 

 

If the new orange and purple set start to drift, they'd better offer these free repairs for years to come. At $79, I expect way better. 

 

Other than that, no issues at all. I'd put the annoyance on par with the saga of the launch model PS4 eject button - I had to physically remove it and put electrical tape over the contacts on the board inside to fix that. 

[Stanley]

1 hour ago, Oh Danny Boy said:

A Switch without the switch. So basically a souped up Wii U. Guaranteed failure. The Switch’s success shows that the market wants a console that is both home and handheld.  It’s successor will be a Switch 2 and not a completely new concept. If you want a pure home console MS and Sony have your covered there. 
 

For me the ‘switching’ between home and handheld has been great. I get to have the home console experience as well as chill out in bed with it for a late night session, take it to hotels when traveling, to friends for multiplayer gaming. Fits my lifestyle perfectly. And the software catalogue is excellent. Nintendo’s best designed console imo. 
 

It’s the only console I’ve needed this gen. 

I think a home only version for the same price as Switch Lite might actually do pretty well - I mean the Lite doesn’t Switch either, it’s just a handheld, and the Wii U was hamstrung by the expensive controller which wouldn’t be a problem in this case. 

[MattyP]

29 minutes ago, Stanley said:

I think a home only version for the same price as Switch Lite might actually do pretty well - I mean the Lite doesn’t Switch either, it’s just a handheld, and the Wii U was hamstrung by the expensive controller which wouldn’t be a problem in this case. 

Agreed. I just wanted a home console didn't really want a portable device. Just wanted to play the new Nintendo releases as cheap as possible. 

Sure things like Labo were really cool and great use of the joycons.

 

Not that fussed got pretty much what I paid for it after two years of owning it. Can't complain about that one bit and I think this is the first time I've had a console and being able to do that.  Got to love supply issues at times..  

 

Looking forward to what Nintendo do next although maybe a while. Hope they do something radically different again. One of the reasons I love Nintendo. Don't always agree with what they do but Mario is great....

[Uncle Mike]

Pretty happy some of you don't run games companies. A TV-only Switch is silly.

[Superunknown]

2 hours ago, routeburn said:

Pro controller drift and joycon drift. So widespread I don't think one can dispute that it's a design flaw and I'm surprised they're not openly offering free repairs/replacements. My 20 quid pro-controller-copy from some random supplier is much more reliable than the official pro controller, but it's not as nice to use.

 

Give the Pro controller a clean - it may well just have accumulated gunk beneath the sticks. The whole thing can be disassembled and it's much easier than taking an Xbox or PS4 pad apart. Mine started mis-registering after hundreds of hours playing Splatoon, and it was just muck causing it to stick. There are videos on Youtube showing how to take it apart.

 

The Joycon issue, on the other hand, is a definite design flaw; wholly different stick mechanism than the Pro controller and seemingly susceptible to false registration caused by electrically conductive graphite dust that is worn off the contacts by normal use.

[teddymeow]

When I had a Switch I didn't like playing in handheld mode very much as the JoyCon didn't feeling particularly secure. There was a lot of flex.

[Stanley]

48 minutes ago, Uncle Mike said:

Pretty happy some of you don't run games companies. A TV-only Switch is silly.

No more silly than any other device that’s part of a broader ecosystem - no screen, battery, or dock could also substantially cut costs. 

[Jackson]

Joy cons are shocking, least reliable controllers I've ever owned.

 

Mine have the issue that if there is literally anything between the controller and the console, it starts skipping/lagging inputs, even just your legs if you rest hands in your lap will cause this :/

I sent this to Nintendo and they returned saying there was no issue.

 

My nephew has constant stick drifting even after 2 'repairs' from Nintendo too.

[Keyboard Koala]

The Joy Cons that came with the console became pretty useless just over one year after purchase. Dreaded drift to the left being the culprit. 

[Santas Boyfriend]

Launch machine died in August 2017, took 2 attempts for Nintendo service centre to fix it, lost all data. Launch Switch Lite joystick couldn’t stay held right after 3 weeks (hold right, stick still all the way to the right but console thinks it’s moved back in the dead zone). Took ages for the service centre to repair it.
 

On a more positive note...I replaced the original Switch after getting it repaired - that one has been fine for almost 3 years now. Repaired Lite also still works fine. All of the joy-con and pro controllers I’ve owned have been fine too.

[MattyP]

2 hours ago, Uncle Mike said:

Pretty happy some of you don't run games companies. A TV-only Switch is silly.

Well the Switch was a gamble for Nintendo really could have gone either way. I personally would have liked to be given a choice of a stripped back box with a pro controller to play Mario and other Nintendo content rather than be forced to buy a box with significant additional cost for features (screen) that I never used to play the games.

 

It is what it is I guess. In the end I enjoyed the games I wanted to play and it cost me hardly anything in the process. So fine by me.

[sir stiff_one]

Joycon drift pain is real. I have two sets and one from each set (one l and one r luckily) are screwed. 
 

Apart from that it’s been a workhorse. Maybe my favourite console of all time. 

[Alexlotl]

My first Switch died at about 22 months old - froze while playing a Monster Boy demo, and afterwards it wouldn't start any games, either from card or storage. "An Unknown Error Has Occurred". Tried all kinds of reset, no joy. Sent it to Nintendo, who quoted £80 to fix it, saying it was a problem with "reading from disc". They then sent back a totally different Switch, with all my saves gone.

 

My original joycons are just starting to get drift - they were fine with me, but now my sticky grubby children play it, it's gone downhill fast.

 

But I still love it, and lockdown without Animal Crossing would have been a very sad place. I'm coaching my daughter through Pokemon Sword (just beat the Fairy gym), and we're co-oping through Kirby Star Allies, which is a wonderful little bundle of invention.

 

 

[ZOK]

I’ve had joycon drift, but it doesn’t bother me that much as it only seems to happen with games like BOTW where it’s for the camera and I consider it a surprise perspective change that you can reign in if you choose.

 

There’s no doubt they are funky, but they’re also brilliant controllers so I forgive them. Not had the issue with the pro, but I do prefer the Joycons so it gets used less.

[dumpster]

15 hours ago, Uncle Mike said:

Pretty happy some of you don't run games companies. A TV-only Switch is silly.

 

I think it's genius.  £280 for a tablet with a couple of controllers.  You wouldn't touch that with a bargepole but the advert really sold the idea of being able to take the console out and about and seamlessly transfer to the TV when you got home.  There's the kickstand you can have a group of people gathered around and controllers that double up, allowing 2 players on one console.  We all bought it based on these fantastic ideas, we watched the adverts where 8 people sat around one screen playing Mario Kart up a mountain.  We loved the design and the possibilities of this weird hybrid device. Then we took it home and plugged it into the TV and it stayed there.  A TV only Switch really is silly - but a multipurpose design that they secretly know most people will use as a TV only Switch is genius. 

[deerokus]

That's not the case, they published data before showing most people use both modes, but the next largest group are handheld only. 

 

I have only rarely wished I had a TV screen attachment option with my lite. 

[rgraves]

16 minutes ago, dumpster said:

but a multipurpose design that they secretly know most people will use as a TV only Switch is genius. 

 

Apart from that's an incorrect assumption. Nintendo data shows that it's a pretty even split between home and portable use. Slightly edging to portable actually.

 

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-10-31-nintendo-switch-owners-play-slightly-more-in-handheld-mode-than-on-tv

 

 

 

[kensei]

24 minutes ago, dumpster said:

 

I think it's genius.  £280 for a tablet with a couple of controllers.  You wouldn't touch that with a bargepole but the advert really sold the idea of being able to take the console out and about and seamlessly transfer to the TV when you got home.  There's the kickstand you can have a group of people gathered around and controllers that double up, allowing 2 players on one console.  We all bought it based on these fantastic ideas, we watched the adverts where 8 people sat around one screen playing Mario Kart up a mountain.  We loved the design and the possibilities of this weird hybrid device. Then we took it home and plugged it into the TV and it stayed there.  A TV only Switch really is silly - but a multipurpose design that they secretly know most people will use as a TV only Switch is genius. 

 

I started off in the dock all the time but now play it almost exclusively handheld. It's just easier when you have to listen out for a child that might wake up. Using the PS4 seems like a hassle even before the 18,000 updates it'll force on me. 

 

TV Switch is fine, though. Just the flipside of the lite where they can probably cut a lot of costs and sell some more. 

[Stanley]

1 hour ago, dumpster said:

 

I think it's genius.  £280 for a tablet with a couple of controllers.  You wouldn't touch that with a bargepole but the advert really sold the idea of being able to take the console out and about and seamlessly transfer to the TV when you got home.  There's the kickstand you can have a group of people gathered around and controllers that double up, allowing 2 players on one console.  We all bought it based on these fantastic ideas, we watched the adverts where 8 people sat around one screen playing Mario Kart up a mountain.  We loved the design and the possibilities of this weird hybrid device. Then we took it home and plugged it into the TV and it stayed there.  A TV only Switch really is silly - but a multipurpose design that they secretly know most people will use as a TV only Switch is genius. 

I’m sure they produced a survey which showed there’s actually quite a divide in how people use it, handheld and docked - and of course the Lite has been successful so there is clearly a market for those who only want handheld, just as I’m sure a tv only Switch at the right price could entice people. Cut out the screen, battery and dock and get it in the £150 price range. 

[Oh Danny Boy]

The Vita TV was hardly a success.

 

In the end if Nintendo have both a handheld and a tv only version of the Switch it would completely dilute the concept and cause consumer confusion. Would be a dreadful decision. 

[Nick R]

18 hours ago, Uncle Mike said:

Pretty happy some of you don't run games companies. A TV-only Switch is silly.

 

Saying "I personally do not/would not get much use out of the handheld mode, so I'd like to be able to buy a cheaper TV-only Switch" is not the same thing as saying "Nintendo should have made a TV-only console from the start".

[dumpster]

Are there statistics that demonstrate how many people use their switch as a handheld device and a TV based device, swapping between the two on a regular basis? That's the point I was making, that everybody that I know that has a switch either uses it exclusively as a handheld or exclusively as a device connected to the television. There's the occasional situation that might cause me to take the switch out with me, but it spends 90% of the time connected to the telly, and anecdotally it seems that most people predominantly use the console as a handheld or  a TV machine for the vast majority of the time.