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Forums - Nintendo Discussion - Over 3 years in, Switch is still missing basic features.

SuperJortendo on 28 July 2020
Mandalore76 said:
Ardormor said:

Its nothing wrong with playing games just for the achivements. Its just the way somebody plays the games he/she/it likes. Maybe we just should give people freedom of having fun with products they like. Of course if this is somehow a life addiction and is causing individual problems it should be treated. In my opinion this problem will be connected to a very small % of gamers. 

But, that's just it.  Once you buy a game, you are completely free to have as little or as much fun as you like.  You don't (and shouldn't) need an achievement system to tell you that you are having fun.  And, playing a game shouldn't feel like work.  If you're playing a game that features multiple weapons for example, it's fun to sample each of them as you like according to your own style or preference.  But, to be told you have to use each one a specific # of times isn't my idea of fun.  And, I don't see how that accentuates anyone's play experience (except to satisfy some need to add those arbitrary Gamerpoints to their arbitrary Gamerscore total).

I don't care about achievements, but I also think it's understandable that people would want them on the Switch. Just because you (and I) don't see how having them accentuates anyone's play experience doesn't mean that it doesn't accentuate their play experience. Based on sales I imagine this isn't a big issue for Nintendo or most of their audience though, so I doubt they'll add achievements anytime soon.



I like it when my mom goes out of town because I get to sleep on her side of the bed. -William Montgomery

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Jumpin on 28 July 2020
Wman1996 said:
Jumpin said:

Not one of these is a basic feature, several aren't even gaming system features.

I think if a potato like the Wii had some form of Netflix and Internet Browser, it's very basic and the industry standard. If the majority of video game hardware that gets released has something, it's basic feature and industry standard. 

Ethernet, while not ever built into Nintendo hardware, is an industry standard for video game hardware. Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PS3, PS4, PS TV, and PS5 all have ethernet ports. Even small-scale crowdfunded hardware like Ouya and Atari VCS does.

You don't have to care about the features. You don't ever have to use them. But almost all are basic and gaming industry standard features.

Netflix is an application, not a feature.

Ethernet's probably the closest example of a basic feature on that list, but it's not basic because WiFi has made it unnecessary since the Wii. Also, it's available as an add-on for the Switch.



I describe myself as a little dose of toxic masculinity.

Proxy-Pie on 28 July 2020
jenpol said:
bluetooth headset

So much.



Leynos on 28 July 2020
mZuzek said:
method114 said:

I like achivements wish Nintendo would get on board with that. If people don't want them that's fine just turn off the notification and ignore them but you should always give your consumer more options not less.

The issue with achievements is that they breed a shitty culture surrounding games, where a lot of people will buy a game just to get the achievements, and a lot of people will obsess over playing a game until they "Platinum" it even if they're not enjoying it anymore (or never were to begin with). Of course, that's something anyone can just turn off, but it's just kinda annoying when that sort of thing starts popping up in your gaming community. As a system-wide feature, I can't see anything good to come from it, like, at all. If a developer really wants their game to have achievements, they can just make them in-game, like a lot of them already do, and I like it better that way, because for some games it's nice to have that sort of thing, but not for all of them.

I also don't like that my save data is tied to that shit. I don't like how games have altered their design for the last 13 years or so around these things. It's not something as naive as a notification. If you really have to have them then yes I agree in-game only and they can be used to unlock extras like a currency or actual reward.

I recently beat a game I struggled with for a while. I felt so satisfied I did it. Then I went and did a ton of post-game stuff that had a challenge to it. Getting boss weapons and such and all sorts of things felt so rewarding. More than any trophy has. It was fun for the sake of being actually fun! Imagine that!

Last edited by Leynos - on 28 July 2020

Bite my shiny metal cockpit!

Podings on 28 July 2020

I very much enjoy the absence of several of those features.

"BUT HOW COULD IT HURT YOU THAT OTHERS HAD THE OPTION TO USE THEM?"

Same way it's already hurting me that others had the option of buying the Switch Lite. Now Nintendo are delaying all their games to make sure they don't require the use of the detachable JoyCon, as to not make new users feel cheated. My games are getting delayed and having features taken out, because others are given options.



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Naum on 28 July 2020

I dont need anything of this on my Switch.. I rather have it a dedicated game consol.. the other stuff I can get on my PC or tablet.



If it isn't turnbased it isn't worth playing   (mostly)

And shepherds we shall be,

For Thee, my Lord, for Thee. Power hath descended forth from Thy hand, That our feet may swiftly carry out Thy command. So we shall flow a river forth to Thee And teeming with souls shall it ever be. In Nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritūs Sancti. -----The Boondock Saints

COKTOE on 28 July 2020
Mandalore76 said:
Ardormor said:

Its nothing wrong with playing games just for the achivements. Its just the way somebody plays the games he/she/it likes. Maybe we just should give people freedom of having fun with products they like. Of course if this is somehow a life addiction and is causing individual problems it should be treated. In my opinion this problem will be connected to a very small % of gamers. 

But, that's just it.  Once you buy a game, you are completely free to have as little or as much fun as you like.  You don't (and shouldn't) need an achievement system to tell you that you are having fun.  And, playing a game shouldn't feel like work.  If you're playing a game that features multiple weapons for example, it's fun to sample each of them as you like according to your own style or preference.  But, to be told you have to use each one a specific # of times isn't my idea of fun.  And, I don't see how that accentuates anyone's play experience (except to satisfy some need to add those arbitrary Gamerpoints to their arbitrary Gamerscore total).

Trophies/achievements can also expose players to elements of a game they never would have experienced. From your own example of weapons, to different characters, play techniques and move-sets, to completely different play styles, ( say, stealth vs berserker ) or totally different story threads. It can act as a means to get more out of a game you like or love. And just like with your opening line, you are completely free to have as little or as much fun as you like with them. I can see some negatives in choosing to engage in their acquisition however. Not every trophy list is created equal, and every player is different...Ultimately though, they can be ignored or outright disabled, so I fail to see how their inclusion could be considered a problem.



- "If you have the heart of a true winner, you can always get more pissed off than some other asshole."

COKTOE on 28 July 2020

Oh! And here's another thing. I love how each one is timestamped. It's kinda neat going back through them on occasion to see when you first completed a game, or hit some other interesting milestone.



- "If you have the heart of a true winner, you can always get more pissed off than some other asshole."

Wman1996 on 28 July 2020

There are people here who say a lot of the things I mentioned are clutter. That's obviously okay if you feel that way. Is it safe to say you would feel the same way about PlayStation, Xbox, and if Nintendo was up to specs and in direct competition with Sony and Microsoft? Would it be totally fine if Nintendo released a home console in 2013 with the specs of Xbox One and PS4 and it had no internet browser, Netflix, crappy online, etc?
Because I have a feeling the big reason people don't mind these features and options being absent is because Nintendo has not been up to specs with the competition since the GameCube.
Long story short...would you prefer consoles to lack Netflix/Streaming, Internet Browsers, Themes, and the like? Would it be much better for gaming if hardware was only for playing games?



Lifetime Sales Predictions 

Switch: 151 million (was 73, then 96, then 113 million, then 125 million, then 144 million)

PS5: 115 million (was 105 million) Xbox Series S/X: 57 million (was 60 million, then 67 million)

PS4: 120 mil (was 100 then 130 million, then 122 million) Xbox One: 51 mil (was 50 then 55 mil)

3DS: 75.5 mil (was 73, then 77 million)

"Let go your earthly tether, enter the void, empty and become wind." - Guru Laghima

scottslater on 28 July 2020

The Switch OS is simplistic and beautiful, it doesn't need "fluff", the Xbox/PS OS's are hideous and full of bloat.

The Switch is the best system for playing games there is.  Nothing in your way of getting in and out of your game quickly, nothing in the way of notifications, nothing in the way of superfluous things like achievements.

What a crazy concept, a gaming console that basically focuses on that aspect...

Yes, it would be better if gaming consoles just focused on that. Roku/FireStick/etc are much better for streaming services, phones/pc/etc are much better for social media interactions and basic internet browsing.  Why waste time and resources on those functions, if you want people to be always engaged with your device then give them what they want, the best gaming possible.



Nintendo with the Switch: