Hey friends!

So, like many of you, I picked up a switch. At the time, it seemed like a great idea, right? New Mario/Zelda/Metroid/Animal Crossing/Pokemon, and all in modern HD resolutions? What was NOT good about that?

So, I've had the Switch maybe...a year now? I bought it for £350 with BOTW/Odyssey/MK8 Deluxe and a Pro Controller. It was a wonderful deal that I scooped up on Ebay as soon as I saw it.

One year later, I've played less than a handful of games on it. I did the entirety of Odyssey, which was remarkable and a LOT of fun. I played Smash until I unlocked everyone, did maybe....5 matches online with discord pals, then never touched it again, and I did the first TINY bit of BOTW. I did the first two temples, unlocking both bomb types, then I had to go to a Mountain or a Desert. I fell in a lake, died of it being too cold, and....I'm sorry to say this, I never picked it up again.

In my lifetime, I've played a LOT of Zelda games. Infact, nearly all of them (with a preference for Handheld ones...but that's another thread I'll make in 5 minutes). But BOTW just...I dunno man. I just bounced RIGHT off it. Someone please tell me it picks up?

I also did the first 2 hours of XBC2, right up to the save before you go in the big ship, and then I...never picked it back up.

I did the first 2 missions of Wargroove, expecting it to REALLY set a fire under my butt. I never picked it up.

Tell me friends, what am I doing wrong here? I also have a PS4 Pro, and a high spec PC, which admittedly, is where I spend most of my time. I have a sneaking suspicion why I'm not playing the Switch over PC, and I think it might be Discord. When I'm on my PC, I can have DC on my second screen, talking to my friends at any moment. I think a large part of me getting older has been needing more interaction, as my work life is playing with kids all day. A great job, but not very stimulating for the mind.

Please, tell me friends. Has anyone else had this problem with the Switch? I walk to work, and I don't commute, so I don't get the chance to play it on a bus. Not that I would, cause I'd get mugged in 5 minutes.

I love the switch because it rails me into playing more of these quirky indie games I wouldn't have played or spent time on and I've not enjoyed gaming more. Sure they're avaliable on other platforms but what usually happens is I get choice paralysis and end up sticking to the bigger profile titles and the indies just sit there untouched.

I like the set up I have right now. Got my Xbox One X for the Gamepass and major games I'm very interested in and the Switch for me to play and actually spend a CONSIDERABLE amount of time on games I would've played in an afternoon then forgotten about. If you're sticking to the exclusives then the system is weak sauce as only 3 or 4 of those games would be what I considered 'essential'

what type of games do you normally play? and yeah- if you're the type to have a podcast, movie or discord up on a second screen at all times, i could see why the switch experience might not do it for you.

whereas i have a lot of air and bus travel in my life, so the swtich has been a godsend. i also haven't owned a nintendo system since n64, so i've had a blast reconnecting with the first-party stuff.

I initially agree with you when I had my Switch for the first month or two. I had buyers remorse and felt like I was not getting much out of it at all. I had not owned a console since the Gamecube and PS2 and pretty much was exclusively playing games on PC. The thing is I mostly of what I play are indie titles these days and honestly being able to do that with the amount of indies Nintendo has to offer is amazing and being able to play they portably makes it even better. I often am willing it wait for games on the Switch than play them on the PC these days.

For me I don't even enable the Switch to the internet unless I'm downloading something and really it's great. For me personally I play single player games and like to play them without distractions. So not having a console that is always updating and bugging me about something else is very nice, but I'm a weirdo that hates gaming online so my opinion there is obviously skewed. That said I love the whole simplicity of the console.

Also I do agree with you with Breath of the Wild sadly. I put easily 50 hours into that game and just was done. It's one of my least favorite Zelda games to date.

I understand when it comes to the PC thing, i'm always on TS with friends and watching something on a second monitor, which is all easy to do while playing games because i'm wearing a headset, so all the audio is in my ears and easy to digest.
I haven't got a Switch yet, what would really appeal to me is if there was a way to get the audio into my headset as well, then i can carry on doing everything on my PC while playing the Switch.
If i have to abandon my PC activities i'll feel like i'm missing out, which isn't a problem with Nintendo or the Switch just the way i am now.

I still play Smash with friends from time to time, but like a lot of Nintendo consoles, it's best to wait until near the end of its life cycle when they tend to up their game a bit.

I recently started commuting to work with public transport (train) that's about 2 hours a day i am stuck in a train so that where i pull out my switch, and i only started playing it again recently since this happened, else it was collecting dust on top of my PC. So i get the feeling, a Nintendo console isn't something you have as a main but more as a side dish. As for Zelda BoTW yeah not for everyone al though i like exploration in general there to much moments of nothingness that i have a mixed feeling about it.

I think it's a fantastic device, I think maybe the issue is you need to push through with titles? Wargroove for instance, is not indicative of 'The Switch', it's a multi-platform title. I recommend dropping the difficulty in Wargroove, I dropped it down to Normal and then Easy and tbh I'm just having a much better time with it. It's the perfect platform for retro looking indies; because you always have that choice of mobility (and built in controllers), if you need.

Barring a few exceptions (Breath of the Wild, namely), I find myself appreciating my Switch most when playing smaller, more compartmentalized games. A lot of fantastic indie games make their way to the Switch, which is a tremendous benefit to me--someone who does not do a lot of PC gaming.

Maybe poke around with those experiences. Try Into the Breach or Golf Story or even Cuphead. Don't focus on how much time you're spending with the Switch, but instead think about ways the Switch can fill the smaller windows of playtime.

I will admit, I kinda bought the Switch for Animal Crossing- Probably my favourite series ever.

I can't WAIT for it on the Switch.

The switch is so awesome for sitting on the sofa and just chilling playing some small scale games. I could never be dissapointed with it, even if there were no great first party stuff.

My only prevailing issue so far is that Nintendo insisted on having so many control options, but have nothing in place to make sure they actually get supported consistently. The fact that you can't even use the pro controller on a Pokemon title is fucking nuts. That TWEWY remaster might as well not even have a docked mode, as it's locked to broken motion controls. Hell, they've even got undocked-only games which run entirely counter to the console's main selling point.

Flexibility with no consistency just makes for a bad user experience on my part.

My son wanted one some time back. We got it and play it rarely. I really loved the 15 or so hours I spent with Mario Odyssey before losing interest...

...that’s about it!

He has Arms, Mario/Rabbids, Pokken Tournament, and just got Smash Brothers. I bet we’ll play some Smash for a time this summer.

EDIT: I just played Smash Ultimate with him for the first time today. I hated playing it, but I loved the sound tests.

I agree when it comes to Nintendo games. Breath of the Wild is one of my all time favorites, but I was actually a bit underwhelmed by Mario Odyssey. It was really fun and charming, it just never reached that same level that BotW did by being one of my favorites in franchise history. It is probably unfair of me to hold it to that high a standard. But, those are the only 2 Nintendo games for the system that I purchased and so I expect a high level of quality given a lack of quantity.

Having said all that, the Switch is still easily one of my all time favorite consoles because it is a portable indie game player. I find myself buying games I missed out on as well as games that I played to death simply because playing those games on the go is an absolute boon for me. A system that improves the prospects of any game simply by being on that system is an amazing thing indeed. I just want a new Metroid game. And some new IP. And older Nintendo games to be priced reasonably.

I have had an almost identical experience to you. Odyssey was fun, I’ve messed with some Smash and enjoy Mario Kart with my partner but beyond that I haven’t played a lot. I also played some BOTW and apparently never found some vital tutorial because I died a handful of times while not understanding what I was meant to do and never came back to it.

The big factor for me though is the way Nintendo prices games on its platform. All the indie options are great in theory but I simply cant bring myself to pay the inflated prices Nintendo asks compared to the other platforms for versions of games which are often more limited in some way (performance most often). ‘But you can play it handheld’ just isn’t enough of a reason for me to spend $5-10 extra on an indie game and significantly more than that if it’s a AAA port.

Non Switch owner speaking:

I still want a Switch. I'm looking forward to an upgraded Switch for the possibility of having better frame rates in Zelda. But between buying a PS4 Pro this year and PC still being my main platform, the Switch might not get much love right now or for the foreseeable future since I have some PlayStation/console exclusives to catch up on, especially the Kingdom Hearts series, and I gotta git gud at Sekiro.

So, I can see myself loving the Switch, but I might not be able to get around to it much due to prioritizing my to-do list. ...And as much as Senran Kagura Reflexions looks like lovable trash, that might be going beyond my limits since I never did any creepy dressing room stuff in the other games.

As a Wii U owner, the Switch has been fine but not very impressive. I can see how someone who didn't own a Wii U could see why the Switch is so incredible, but since a big chunk of it's celebrated library are from Wii U games that the vast majority of people never owned until the Switch, it feels like it doesn't standalone yet.

I feel like we get these threads pretty routinely, where someone feels guilty for not enjoying a game or console experience and wants to know what's wrong with them, as though they're sick or something. I think the real problem is you're trying to force yourself to play games as though you're obligated to do so. If you don't feel like playing BotW then don't, and don't worry about it. There's nothing wrong with not wanting to play videogames or not liking other games which everyone else tells you are great. For example I bounced off Horizon: Zero Dawn and everyone thinks I'm crazy as a result. But that's fine. Each to their own.

@sombre:

BOTW just...I dunno man. I just bounced RIGHT off it. Someone please tell me it picks up?

I also feel like this game has almost universally been critically applauded as one of the best games ever made, so I'm not sure what anyone in this thread is going to be able to add to that which will turn you around on it if it's not your jam. A better exercise might be for you to try and figure out and express what it is you don't like about it. If you start playing it again as a way of figuring out what you don't like, almost like research, you might even find you end up enjoying it.

I think it was just how overwhelming it was. I'm used to Zelda games being, for the most part, tight little curated experiences. When I got out in the open world and the game was like "Okay here you go", I was a little intimidated. I might just restart and give it an honest go

@sweep: You are right but it is quite frustrating when you’ve spent significant money on hardware and games only to find yourself not enjoying them as much as you’d expected. I should probably cut my losses and sell my Switch but I keep chasing that turning point, usually by spending more money on games I play for 2 hours and then never touch again.

@sombre: I share your feelings with BotW. I think not only is it a bad Zelda game, but its a bad open world game, but that a whole new can of worms.

As far as the Switch itself, I'll be honest, I actually love more than I thought for the simple fact that I can take it with me/play where ever. Games like Dead Cells & Diablo 3, I have played both on PS4, but I've put nearly double the amount of time on the Switch versions simply because I can play it anywhere. Same thing with Hollow Knight and other Metroid-vanias, I love the genre but typically when I don't play them for awhile I lose interest in them, but with the Switch I've been able to chip away at those games here and there. I know that its a cliche phrase that certain games are 'perfect for the the Switch" but RPGs & side scroller Metroid-vanias TRULY are. The Switch has allowed me to complete more of those style of games. The Switch has basically become a portable Steam library that also plays Nintendo games for me. Its honestly my favorite Nintendo console ever

@stinger061: Yeah, I've been there too, and I know that I'm speaking from the incredibly privileged position of being able to afford multiple different machines and consoles and can also afford to not be too inconvenienced if one of my purchases isn't as entertaining as I'd hoped. For some they only can afford a couple of games a year and in that instance it's much more disappointing - that was me 10 years ago when I was a student so I can relate.

Having said that, there's definitely been games which I played for a couple of hours, put down, and then picked up a couple of months later and absolutely fell in love with. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is actually a great example of that - I picked it up for a long-haul flight and found a lot of the combat systems poorly explained and the timing was weird, so I barely made any progress. A couple of months later I watched some youtube tutorials on how it actually worked and when I returned to the game I had a much better time, and it actually became one of my favourite JRPG's.

I think one of the things that kept me so engrossed with Zelda was getting caught up in the zeitgeist of discovering the real depth and nuance to the open world. There were epic twitter strings listing off all the cool unique and special interactions that you could only experience in very specific circumstances, and it gave me a real appreciation for just how much love and care had gone into making this open world seem more than just 2-dimensional. For example:

(That whole twitter thread is great, if you want more examples)

I will have to give Zelda another go at some point. I genuinely think I just missed something (which from what I’ve seen online isn’t hard to have happen) because I was at the point where they give you the very first 4 temples to find and something caused me to not be able to do it (the specifics escape me, it was a good 12 months ago). I should probably go and watch a let’s play of the first bit of the game to see what I was missing.

I was in a similar situation, where I would almost never boot up my PS4 or Switch. I don't know why, but it just seemed so daunting to boot up a console and load up a game and play on the TV.

I also never play it in the handheld mode, that's just not my thing.

One day, I had the idea to disconnect my Switch from my TV, move it and hook it up to my PC monitor. Seeing as my PC is connected via DP and switch via HDMI, changing computers is just button press. This change has increased my Switch playtime immensely. Seeing as you have two monitors, this would also allow you to have Discord on the other screen.

Maybe I'm just weird, but this feels like the most brilliant discovery I've made all year.

My switch was stolen and I was devastated. But after a couple a weeks i realized i was devasted because that was like $600 worth of stuff taken from me. I dont actually miss the switch. I thought BOTW was going to blow me away. But i hated it. I found it boring and tedious. I finished it just barely by forcing myself to keep going. I loved some of the indie games I bought like dead cells but then saw i could get them for half the price on steam and just started getting them on my laptop instead. I dont see a use for the switch so I wont be spending hundreds of more dollars on it.

I’ve played a ton of games on the switch by myself and with friends. I’ve really enjoyed it. What is disappointing however is the screen. I like playing the switch outside in my garden and even while sitting in heavy shade the screen can be really hard to see. I can’t even play Diablo 3 outdoors because between the game being so dark and the screen being dim I can barely see anything that’s happening in the game.

The poor quality screen really is a bit of a setback for sure. It's really meant for playing indoors and that is a rather huge flaw for a portable device. Though just like the original Gameboy, every version after the original imropoved the screen greatly with very minor hardware improvements, and it wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo does a similar thing with the switch.

@sombre: have you tried playing the switch while your PC is on?

I met a couple players on consoles who use PC to make up for the consoles shortcomings while they are playing games and considering that the switch can be portable, it might be more comfortable than other consoles.