By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close
curl-6 on 21 August 2021
Edit Thread
Jumpin said:
curl-6 said:

For me the Joycons feel like one step forward one step back as a progression of the Wiimote. Having no wire, equal motion controls on both hands, and two analogue sticks are improvements, but the loss of IR aiming and a less comfortable form factor make put them slightly below the Wiimote overall.

As for the Gamepad, while I never found it cumbersome as some did, its short battery life and the fact the screen didn't add much to most games puts it in third place of the three for me.

That makes sense. I think how comfortable a controller is comes generally down to the user. I personally love the comfort of sitting back, feet up, Joy Con in one hand, Joy Con in the other, and just playing the games while staring up at the mounted living room TV. There's nothing quite like it.

I very much agree that the loss of the IR does feel like a step back. There are some things about the interface that don't feel quite as smooth as the Wii. But overall, Switch beats the Wii in some areas of interface, particularly with the task bar for core features rather than scrolling channels... but the IR would be that extra cheddar.

When it came to games and the IR, there are few experiences I can think of more satisfying than IR aiming headshots in Scarface: The World is Yours. Resident Evil 4 Wii edition is such a huge step over the PS2 and other versions because of the IR alone. Also, the IR rail shooters/light gun style games on the Wii are something I really miss (or would, if I didn't still play Wii from time to time). FPSs were a step up, but I didn't feel they brought the games to that (for lack of a better term) "being pleasantly high and biting into chocolate" feeling that headshots on the Wii third person shooters got.

That feature is something I hope comes back with the next gen Joy Cons.

Don't get me wrong, I don't find the Joycons uncomfortable, just not as comfortable as the Wiimote + Nunchuk, as they don't fit the contours of my hands as closely. I do still greatly appreciate being able to sit with my hands further apart than a "standard" controller though.

And yeah, the return of IR aiming is probably my biggest want from the next Nintendo system; I doubt it'll happen, but it was just so amazing and worked like absolute magic in games like Metroid Prime 3, RE4, Sin & Punishment 2, etc.