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Chazore said:
JWeinCom said:

I've addressed all of this already. Nintendo selling carrying cases doesn't mean most people use them and more than them selling Joy Con wheels mean every people use those. Never said everyone could fit a Switch in their pocket, and in fact said differently several times. Not going to bother with strawmen.

You excused the whole pocket focus argument with a mere video, and I already addressed that multiple times in saying it's not correct for everyone.

The whole point of carry cases/mini bags existing, is because not everyone is gonna shove something that big into their pocket to begin with, and both Valve/Nintendo are supplying carry cases. 

Ergo, the whole "if it ain't small or the size of the Switch, it's dead or gonna get a less less attention" focus is getting put out back and shot. I'm tired of that petty argument, because it sounds both stupid and at times feels insulting to those who know why carry cases even exist and that most ppl on the planet use them, instead of your damn sodding pockets. 

And I have several times agreed that it is not going to fit every pocket. I even started by pointing out that it is not a viable option for at least half the population, females. I have not stated that all or even most people carry a Switch in their pocket. Just that you can, and I believe that is a positive thing for a significant amount of people. It's frustrating that you keep arguing against a point I haven't made. 

Nintendo making carrying cases means that some people prefer a carrying case. Tells you nothing about how many people go that route unless you have more data. As I pointed out multiple times. I'm not sure how you concluded that most people use them for their handheld systems. I can tell you from personal experience working at Best Buy throughout the DS, 3DS, PSP, Vita era that we sold relatively few carrying cases at our stores. I stopped before the Switch, so maybe people changed their habits, but considering the increased difficulty in carrying it over a 3DS or a Vita is not that great, I'm skeptical. You keep saying that most people use them. You have given no reason to believe that aside from the fact that carrying cases exist. Like I said, Joycon wheels exist, that doesn't mean many people use them. On Amazon's top 100 Switch products, there are three cases in the top 100 the highest ranking at 17, and the lowest at 84. Although not all Switch owners are taking them outside, still seems like a stretch to say most people are getting cases, at least based on people who buy their Switch on Amazon.

I don't know how you can be tired of that argument, because again, it's not something that I've argued. My argument is that the less portable the system is the less of an attractive alternative it will be to machines that can play the same games at least as well. (Other PCs). I don't think the number of people who would want this would be a large enough niche to make a significant impact on the gaming landscape. Maybe it will still be enough to make Valve some money, I have no idea of the economics.

Chazore said:
shikamaru317 said:

In regards to the pocket size discussion: How does it's height compare to the 2DS? I could get a 2DS in my back pocket personally, have done so many times. Obviously steam deck is significantly wider than the 2DS, so like half would be sticking out of your pocket either way, but it could potentially fit in a back pocket.

But honestly, I don't know why anybody would put a Switch or a Steam Deck in their pocket, 2DS had circle pads so you could feel safe putting it in a pocket without fear of causing damage, but Switch and SteamDeck both have joysticks, I wouldn't want to risk damage those joysticks by putting them in my pocket. I have a Switch Lite, substantially smaller than either Switch or SteamDeck, and yet I have not once put it in my pocket, I use a hard shell carrying case that has recesses built into the interior for the joysticks so that they aren't touching anything. Pocket damage to joysticks likely contributes to Switch's joycon stick drift issues I suspect. 

I've not seen anyone on my island have one in their pocket, me and Yuri and now you know that slapping something like that in tight pockets can do actual damage to the joysticks, incurring more drift issues.

Why is this so fucking hard to understand for anyone else using the god damn pocket argument?. Why is it hard to accept that the Switch isn't the one side fits all pockets device?. The drift issues alone are a monumental error and still haven't been fully addressed either. 

Drift is caused mainly by the base of the joystick moving against the thingies that are holding it in place. When the sticks are in your pocket they don't wiggle too much. I don't think it increases drift problems much. And I find it convenient enough that I'm willing to deal with the wear and tear. Maybe I'm wrong and it actually is causing drift problems (although not really for me personally as I've had to replace the joysticks like once in 5 years), but even if it is a stupid thing to do, it doesn't mean people won't do it. 

More importantly though, the argument isn't really about the Switch, so that issue isn't very important for the sake of this discussion. The argument isn't about Switch vs Steam Deck. The argument is whether or not this thing's portability and other features make it a good investment over other ways to play Steam games. The Switch is just a good baseline because it is a popular system that is generally viewed as portable enough, and the largest handheld that has had significant success, however people choose to carry it. So we know that the Switch's size is at least not a dealbreaker. With the Steam Deck, no portable that size has ever sold that well, so it may be a dealbreaker, and we're speculating as we do here. Nobody is trying to argue that the Switch is directly better than the Steam Deck and therefore the Steam Deck won't be successful. So overall problems with the Switch design are tangential.

The main argument is that I just don't see the big advantage to buying this over a laptop. If you're arguing that carrying cases are the great equalizer, then I can carry a laptop in a case too. In fact I do carry a Laptop most of the time. The number of situations where I could use a Steam Deck but not a laptop exist but are pretty limited. Too limited for me to see it being worth 400+ dollars to most folks. 

Last edited by JWeinCom - on 06 February 2022