- Can the system be used exclusively on portable mode from the get-go, or is a TV required at least for the initial configuration? The answer is not as crystal-clear as it may seem, and it's not guaranteed at all that the Switch can be booted up right away and played solely on tablet mode. Let's take the example of the PS4 remote play on the Vita: while it's perfectly possible to stream PS4 games on a Vita without any TV at all, a TV monitor is still necessary to install the PS4 at first. Granted, we're talking about a single occurrence, but it's a serious hurdle nonetheless for a gamer like me who doesn't own a TV. If the Switch works in a similar way, that would be a major deterrent to a purchase as far as I'm concerned.
- It's now established that the resolution and frame rate will vary between tablet play and TV play. Now, doesn't that mean that developers will have to come up with two different versions of the same game if they want to exploit these specs to the fullest? Like, one version that can be accommodated by the tablet and another for dock-powered TV play? I'm not a tech wizard and I have very scant notions regarding such matters, but my meagre understanding is that squeezing a game with high specs into a console that cannot accommodate such specs will not result in an smooth automatic downgrading, so to speak; the console will either have major difficulties running the game (case in point: Pokemon Sun and Moon on the original 3DS model) or be purely and simply unable to run it. This means that either developers will indeed have to develop two versions of every single game, which I seriously doubt anybody but Nintendo will do, or they will have to downgrade their games right away to the level of the tablet's specs, which I'd wager every developer but Nintendo will do. Or will some developers choose to limit their efforts solely to one of the two display modes, ignoring the other entirely? Like, could we have games that will run solely in docked mode or tablet mode? Is that even technically possible? And if it is, will Nintendo allow it?
- Because Nintendo decided to go all Wii on us again, these stupid little Joy-Cons contain batteries. Now let's imagine an hypothetical situation in which you play some motion game or some Mario Kart 8 on the TV with the Joy-Cons for some time, then decide to play something on the tablet. Since you've been using the Joy-Cons separately from the tablet screen, doesn't that imply that there will be a discrepancy in the battery levels of the Joy-Cons and the tablet screen? Could this lead to a situation where the Joy-Cons will die on you before the tablet screen, de facto preventing you from using the screen's full battery? Or will the Joy-Cons suck power away from the tablet screen, which could then lead to faster battery depletion? And if the Joy-Cons don't feed from the screen battery, does that mean that they must always be recharged in their dedicated dock? Because then again, such a configuration would be a major deterrent as far as I'm concerned. Charging one system on a regular basis is enough work as it is, and there's no way I'm going to double that workload. One's home contains only so many AC sockets, after all.
Those are my enquiries of the moment, and more will undoubtedly pop up as time goes on. The Switch is shaping up to be a very fussy and complicated console indeed, and I cannot say that my desire to get one is increasing. Hopefully things will clarify in due time and possible technical issues will be solved in an efficient way. Thanks for reading, and be my guest anytime!