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Is it a good time to buy a Switch?


flatfoot

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I bought a Switch a while back; maybe a year after the initial release and was really looking forward to the new Animal Crossing release. However, stuff came up and I ended up giving it away to little boy as a birthday present...thinking I could just buy one again later whenever I wanted. Then COVID hit and I couldn't find one in-stock online or in stores near me unless I had to pay through the nose to a scalper. I haven't checked the market much recently, but it seems like the systems are becoming more and more available. Is it still worth buying or is there something new on the horizon I should just wait for? I'm hoping I'm not too late and missed the AC bus. I was envious of all the stalk market update talk my friends were having.

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8 hours ago, flatfoot said:

I bought a Switch a while back; maybe a year after the initial release and was really looking forward to the new Animal Crossing release. However, stuff came up and I ended up giving it away to little boy as a birthday present...thinking I could just buy one again later whenever I wanted. Then COVID hit and I couldn't find one in-stock online or in stores near me unless I had to pay through the nose to a scalper. I haven't checked the market much recently, but it seems like the systems are becoming more and more available. Is it still worth buying or is there something new on the horizon I should just wait for? I'm hoping I'm not too late and missed the AC bus. I was envious of all the stalk market update talk my friends were having.

There will be a new OLED version coming out. You might want to look into if it would be worth the extra $50 over the standard version. We love our Switch and as of a few days back have now owned it for a year. 

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18 hours ago, MrBeefy said:

There will be a new OLED version coming out. You might want to look into if it would be worth the extra $50 over the standard version. We love our Switch and as of a few days back have now owned it for a year. 

Besides AC and normal BotW and Odyssey recommendations...is there a game you recommend I look into? I've missed so much of the releases. I think I recall some game called Golf Story or something that was discussed in a thread with you in it. How is that?

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The Switch is a great handheld and I enjoy playing it docked.  It has a good variety of games for almost anybody's interests.  If you love RPGs, the Switch has plenty of those.  Indies are well represented on Switch (I enjoyed Golf Story but found the disc golf segments unenjoyable).  The Switch is not lacking in action games or narrative games either. 

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On 7/18/2021 at 4:02 PM, flatfoot said:

Besides AC and normal BotW and Odyssey recommendations...is there a game you recommend I look into? I've missed so much of the releases. I think I recall some game called Golf Story or something that was discussed in a thread with you in it. How is that?

If you played like the old Mario Tennis or Golf games on the GameBoy Color it was like those. Fun, enjoyable, play a lot or a little and was solid fun.

 

It all depends on what types of games you are into. I take chances on indie games that are cheap. Some have been a blast and others alright. Really out of all the one's I got I only have played 1 that I was like pass.

 

What games have you liked in the past?

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10 hours ago, Abzeronow said:

The Switch is a great handheld and I enjoy playing it docked.  It has a good variety of games for almost anybody's interests.  If you love RPGs, the Switch has plenty of those.  Indies are well represented on Switch (I enjoyed Golf Story but found the disc golf segments unenjoyable).  The Switch is not lacking in action games or narrative games either. 

Disc golf portion was rather short. I was okay with it but by far not the main attraction. 

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Here going through my list of games beat since Dec. 2020:

 

December 2020 games beat:

Xeodrifter - A small and short Metroidvania type game. Good entry game into the genre. If you are hardcore into Metroid type games you will still probably enjoy it but think it is too simple and short.

Mana Spark - The longest short dungeon crawl game. I would recommend getting the DLC with it but it is still a budget title with that. Multiple characters with different ways to play. It is challenging but not quite unfair some of the new items in DLC will help.

One Strike - A simple one hit one kill fighting game. Graphics are on the low end but if you enjoy fighting games and want a short one that doesn't require a steep learning curve this could be for you. It won't bring you back for more like a Street Fighter but is good for in between bigger plays.

Squidlit - Looks like a Gameboy game. Very simple plat former. Not great, not horrendous, just basic. I enjoyed it but will not probably play it again after having beat it.

 

February 2021 games beat:

Ghoulboy - Reminded me of a watered down Ghosts and Goblin platformer. It was alright and not nearly as hard but also not as iconic.

Coffee Crisis - I think this was a homebrew game on Genesis. It is a beat em up. I enjoyed it but it was too long IMO and did seem quite unfair at times. 

Smash Bros - if you ayed any recent ones this is more of the same.

 

March 2021 games beat:

Bloodstained RotN - If you like modern 2D Castlvanias like SotN you will enjoy this. I don't think it is as good as SotN or the GBA/NDS Castlevania games but still scratches that itch.

 

April 2021 games beat:

OMG Police - a quick pick up and play car chase game. See how long you survive before the police get you. YMMV it can be a drag through the first few cars you unlock. Baby Beef likes to watch me play but it has cars and cars crashing into you.

Bastion - A very pretty Action RPG game. I love how it is narrated the whole way through. It isn't a super long game and if you like the genre check it out.

 

May 2021 games beat:

Mario Odyssey - If you liked games like Mario galaxy I think you will enjoy this one too.

 

June 2021 games beat:

Jenny LeClue - A cute kind of modern take on a point and click story game. Follows a young girl detective. I enjoyed the looks of the game, voice acting, and the story overall. One word of warning it does kind of end on a cliffhanger and no idea if there will be a sequel. But if there is a sequel I will check it out.

Bit.Trip.Beat - Good sideways Arkanoid like game that uses tilt controls to move your paddle. Visually fun and arcade like.

Final Fantasy X - Comes with X-2 in a two pack. It's a FF game. I liked it not my favorite but does take time to play.

Strikes Sisters - Arkanoid meets Legend of Zelda. You use your sword to knock fireballs up at enemies. Really fun and a cute game about sisters trying to find their pet. It obviously isn't an epic game like LoZ and is a more unique take on an Arkanoid game.

 

July 2021 games beat:

Abzu - I think this is more of an experience than a game. You explore underwater landscapes and look at sea creatures. I literally went into meditate mode (sit on a rock and fish watch) on night and fell asleep to it. Relaxing, chill, and pretty. Not overall a long game but one I could see revisiting for a chill relaxing experience. Don't worry about a story just enjoy.

Biolab Wars - A contra clone. Not as good but if you like the genre it was alright. It is a budget game and thought I got my money's worth out of it.

Golf Story - This is great and really caught the same spirit of the Tennis and Golf Mario games on GBC.

 

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You know thinking about it, yes it probably is the best time to get going on a Switch if you really want it.

 

The LITE if you don't need tv play is $200 new, standard for now is $300, and the OLED w/wired net jack is $350.  You'll have choices.  And if you don't need TV and don't need NEW just gently used, you can get a Lite for around $130-150 which is quite cheap.

 

They're clearly doubling down on the standard hardware going with the OLED model, and Nintendo tends to stick with new hardware revisions a good couple of years.  With the sales increasing/maintaining, not slowly dying or hard core falling off they have NO reason to go with the upgraded hardware they've designed to do a 'Pro' style version of the system.  Even when that happens, say maybe in 2023-24, some games will only work on it, quite a few others will still work on what you have out there now, so you won't get short changed.

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5 hours ago, Tanooki said:

You know thinking about it, yes it probably is the best time to get going on a Switch if you really want it.

 

The LITE if you don't need tv play is $200 new, standard for now is $300, and the OLED w/wired net jack is $350.  You'll have choices.  And if you don't need TV and don't need NEW just gently used, you can get a Lite for around $130-150 which is quite cheap.

 

They're clearly doubling down on the standard hardware going with the OLED model, and Nintendo tends to stick with new hardware revisions a good couple of years.  With the sales increasing/maintaining, not slowly dying or hard core falling off they have NO reason to go with the upgraded hardware they've designed to do a 'Pro' style version of the system.  Even when that happens, say maybe in 2023-24, some games will only work on it, quite a few others will still work on what you have out there now, so you won't get short changed.

Nintendo will sometimes have refurbished ones which I've heard are good too.

 

I just beat two more games today, and there really isn't a lack of software to choose from. I personally like the standard because I have the option to play on the TV. However like right now I'm in bed playing and it is nice having that option.

 

I've not played on one but I've seen kids play on the Lite and they said they've liked it.

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I know their process as I asked them some years ago.

 

Refurbs are a mixture of store returns, and other systems that fall into their hands like stuff angry fools abandon at repair in a ways return isn't happening, or even stuff they opened for some event/reason and they don't go further with it.  Basically you may end up with a few scuffs on the shell of a system, but other than that, it's anyway from a mixture to basically brand new full internals to system.  Whatever it is on the spectrum, they treat it as a new system in the end, full warranty and coverage as a retail first purchased original.

 

I've got an original, kiddo has a lite, and both are just fine.  The lite though as a handheld is superior, better more rugged design that can deal with heat dispersion better, thicker plastic that doesn't crack from said heat or moderate drops either.

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On 7/21/2021 at 12:34 AM, MrBeefy said:

Nintendo will sometimes have refurbished ones which I've heard are good too.

 

I just beat two more games today, and there really isn't a lack of software to choose from. I personally like the standard because I have the option to play on the TV. However like right now I'm in bed playing and it is nice having that option.

 

I've not played on one but I've seen kids play on the Lite and they said they've liked it.

This kid has one along with a full-sized Switch.  :D  The Lite's form factor is a lot easier to travel with, I think.  

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I think the Switch is a good deal (at retail price), but I still haven't bought one.  I was in a similar position where I considered getting one, finally got serious at high-point of pandemic, but was unwilling to pay over retail.  I've seen them easy to obtain at retail recently, but I have still not pulled the trigger and here is my reasoning in order of influence on my decision

 

1) I don't need portability <- I don't go ANYWHERE. COVID has changed my life.  Before COVID, I had a small percentage of gaming time that would be done on airplanes or in hotels, it is now 100% at home.

2) I have a Wii U with unplayed games <- many of the first party titles on Switch are updates to these or direct sequels

3) Crossover with PC not a draw <- Many of the games I see talked about for switch were on PC first.  Even @MrBeefy's list includes games I have had access to for a long time.

4) Xbox Gamepass <- Similar to the PC crossover, I already pay for GamePass which lets me scratch my "indie" itch enough to stop me from buying a Switch.  This actually stops me from splurging on most Steam sales too.

 

Animal Crossing doesn't interest me, and I played Breath of the Wild on WiiU.  I would like to play Super Mario Odyssey  but not enough to get a whole console for it.  At least not until I play a few more of my WiiU games.  I think if they introduced a cheaper console-only version at the same price point as the Switch-Lite, I might consider getting that.

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15 minutes ago, wongojack said:

I think the Switch is a good deal (at retail price), but I still haven't bought one.  I was in a similar position where I considered getting one, finally got serious at high-point of pandemic, but was unwilling to pay over retail.  I've seen them easy to obtain at retail recently, but I have still not pulled the trigger and here is my reasoning in order of influence on my decision

 

1) I don't need portability <- I don't go ANYWHERE. COVID has changed my life.  Before COVID, I had a small percentage of gaming time that would be done on airplanes or in hotels, it is now 100% at home.

2) I have a Wii U with unplayed games <- many of the first party titles on Switch are updates to these or direct sequels

3) Crossover with PC not a draw <- Many of the games I see talked about for switch were on PC first.  Even @MrBeefy's list includes games I have had access to for a long time.

4) Xbox Gamepass <- Similar to the PC crossover, I already pay for GamePass which lets me scratch my "indie" itch enough to stop me from buying a Switch.  This actually stops me from splurging on most Steam sales too.

 

Animal Crossing doesn't interest me, and I played Breath of the Wild on WiiU.  I would like to play Super Mario Odyssey  but not enough to get a whole console for it.  At least not until I play a few more of my WiiU games.  I think if they introduced a cheaper console-only version at the same price point as the Switch-Lite, I might consider getting that.

Me having a WiiU was the biggest reason I didn't jump onto the Switch until a year ago. We had tons of fun playing it and a lot of the games were on WiiU so that wasn't enough of a draw.

 

The wife was drawn to AC as she enjoyed playing it on the DS with me. We don't take it around with us but the portability of it allows us to play with having a young kid. I wouldn't have got through all those games if I was limited to being able to only play on the TV.

 

It is the same reason I'm interested in Steam Deck. I have a bunch of good games I want to play but have no real dedicated time behind my PC to do it.

 

The indie games are on other consoles, but I do feel this is an area that the Switch is more successful at than the WiiU. But if you have the ability to play them on Steam/Xbox/etc I can see that not being the draw.

 

Mario Odyssey was fun and I might have liked it better than the Galaxy games. I did feel it was easy, so it is a 3D Mario game I think my wife could play without frustration.

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On 7/18/2021 at 2:14 AM, flatfoot said:

I bought a Switch a while back; maybe a year after the initial release and was really looking forward to the new Animal Crossing release. However, stuff came up and I ended up giving it away to little boy as a birthday present...thinking I could just buy one again later whenever I wanted. Then COVID hit and I couldn't find one in-stock online or in stores near me unless I had to pay through the nose to a scalper. I haven't checked the market much recently, but it seems like the systems are becoming more and more available. Is it still worth buying or is there something new on the horizon I should just wait for? I'm hoping I'm not too late and missed the AC bus. I was envious of all the stalk market update talk my friends were having.

Have owned my Nintendo Switch for about 2 years now but I barely use it cause (1) I have the first version and the battery life is annoying (2) I just bought a PS5 and been spending most of my time on it. 

 

I think its best to wait for the OLED version, If I'm not mistaken it comes out October of this year. I'm thinking of getting a new one too since it now has a LAN port available and the stand is much more adjustable for comfortable gaming.

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4 hours ago, homebrewgamer1996 said:

Have owned my Nintendo Switch for about 2 years now but I barely use it cause (1) I have the first version and the battery life is annoying (2) I just bought a PS5 and been spending most of my time on it. 

 

I think its best to wait for the OLED version, If I'm not mistaken it comes out October of this year. I'm thinking of getting a new one too since it now has a LAN port available and the stand is much more adjustable for comfortable gaming.

that's a good point. i will take it under advisement. perhaps the previous model will be sold at significant discounts by then?

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On 7/30/2021 at 11:02 AM, flatfoot said:

that's a good point. i will take it under advisement. perhaps the previous model will be sold at significant discounts by then?

Since the OLED version is higher I doubt it. However, a slight price drop would make the V2 a good purchase.

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