This is it, dear fellow gamers: the much-fabled, much-speculated-about portable-only version of the Switch is about to become reality. And I'm thrilled to bits.
The handheld gamer in me is happy beyond belief with that new development. This is not just Nintendo trying to milk their loyal fans by releasing multiple iterations of the same system as usual; the release of a Switch model that's not only smaller than the regular Switch, but also solely portable, is immensely meaningful in the grand scheme of gaming things. This can totally be interpreted as Nintendo acknowledging, if only in a veiled and slightly reluctant way, that handheld gaming is their strongest suit and that they have little to no business anymore in home console gaming. I compare this to the silent ditching of the 3D feature during the 3DS era: first envisioned as the system's main selling point, it quickly became a gimmick 90% of developers couldn't be bothered with, before being unceremoniously sidelined by Nintendo themselves with the release of the 2DS line. Only time will tell if the Switch line follows the same trajectory and if Switch TV playing winds up being the marginal way to play the system; but if things ended up that way indeed in a couple of years, I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest.
And then you have the Switch Lite's specs. Not only is it hardly larger than a Vita, but it also boasts a pleasant compactness that screams 'dedicated handheld'. As far as my hands and eyes are concerned, the Switch Lite is the genuine article: a true-blue portable console, with all the cosiness and sweet, sweet sense of intimacy that come along such pieces of kit. And I'm not even talking about the presence of a D-pad and the forever ousting of detachable Joy-Cons. Oh, the joy! (Lousy pun a million times intended.) I absolutely hated playing my big-arse beast of an original Switch; but my hands are now itching to get a hold of the Switch Lite — in every darn sense of the word. And that name! My, it's literally dripping with DS-era nostalgia. Smart move, Nintendo — you sure as heck know how to pull at an handheld gamer's heartstrings when you want it.
If the handheld gamer in me is happy, that's nothing compared to the collector in me. A portable-only, one-unit Switch changes literally everything as far as my collecting is concerned. No detachable Joy-Cons means no future connectivity issues, which in turns means more sturdiness and thus more potential perennity. This means that I can now collect for the Switch Lite, confident that the console will stand the test of time long enough to justify the investment. And let me tell you: that's exactly what I'm going to do.
So here's the plan: first, I'm gonna get someone (read: my beloved sister, i.e. my partner in gaming since the dawn of times) to give me a Switch Lite as a Christmas 2019 gift; and then, I'm slowly but surely gonna start collecting for the thing, focusing on games I really crave with all my gamer's soul — with the price tag of Switch games being so routinely high, I want my future Switch Lite collection to comprise only the crème de la crème. I didn't expect things to turn out that way at all; but it seems that my collecting days are not over yet indeed, and that makes me ridiculously happy. Lovely times ahead!
I'm really happy, since this means you can get future digimon tittles and the Dark Souls remake, and maybe even Code Vein if Bamco ports it. I participated in the network test for that game and it is a wonderful marvel.
ReplyDeleteThat said, despite this clearly being the superior console, I'm still glad I got the switch early. Why? Because the first version of the switch is super easy to hack, and I want to play fan translations in the future. Fan translations are what keeps a console alive after the developers abandon it, with 'new' games coming to the PSP and DS to this day. (And there's also going to be a fan translation of my beloved Black Wolves Saga on the Vita, I almost cried with joy).
Now, what I always do with my handhelds is to buy an early console that I never upgrade so I can hack it and save it for the fan translations, and then buy another, more powerful model to actually play in...but I hate the switch, and I'm really sick of nintendo's crap of always releasing two billion versions of the same console. It's not like Sony and Microsoft that release a good console and then upgrade it to the hardcore fans and keep support equal, Nintendo outright makes a bad console for us to test so they can then sell us upgrades in infinity, holding some exclusive games as hostage. I despise that. So while the Lite is very tempting, I frankly prefer gaming on my PS4 better, so I ain't giving any more money to nintendo.
(at least until the joycons break and I cry in rage that they cost 70 euros to replace. I love your games, but I hate your consoles nintendo. Sony, please come back to the handheld scene, I beg you)
Also, because they're so bloody stupid about motion controls, this means you can' play the switch's biggest game, super Mario Odyssey, because even if you play in handheld mode there's a part that forces you to use motion controls. Which is impossible with the Lite. Smooth move nintendo!
But I'm still happy you'll be able to keep up with some franchises for now. Maybe you can start with Shin Megami Tensei V if that game is actually real, and not a scarecrow Atlus is dangling in front of our faces while pumping out more persona crap, ahahahah....
In better news, the switch being hacked so early means dataminers will outright be able to shut up Gamefreak. It's so downright pathetic about how they keep lying about the reason there are so few pokemon, I've lost all respect for them.
To be honest, I'm also ridiculously happy about that turn of events. I didn't think Ninty would altogether drop the gimmick that gives the Switch its very essence, especially so early on. That's pretty much an admission that said gimmick is not so great after all, and that most of the prospective user base is potentially here for portable gaming first and foremost. It may also be a reaction to all the hassle with the Joy-Cons, which seems to be getting worse by the year. Detachable parts usually don't go hand-in-hand with sturdiness and durability, especially when they're built with cheap materials to start with. I fervently hope that the Switch Lite will boast higher-quality materials and a stronger overall built.
DeleteBut yeah, I'm delighted. Because I want to play Sword&Shield no matter what, and I want to own Octopath Traveler until the end of times. And after discovering the Digimon series and falling in love with it, I want to play the next entries. Heck, I'm all ready to fall down the rabbithole of collecting all over again! I've hardly purchased any game since the beginning of 2019, so diving into collecting again in early 2020 will be a sheer treat. What's gonna make things even better is that I'm going to zero on the games I want the most, which in turn will make each game a rare and precious gem to be cherished for all eternity. After years of blindly buying anything and everything that resembles an RPG, this is gonna be a nice change of pace.^^
I'm not gonna spill any tears over not being able to play Super Mario Odyssey, because I've always hated the series and will probably always hate it. My heart belongs to Sonic! :P Seriously, the loss of motion control features is a true blessing as far as I'm concerned. That trend needs to DIE, and no later than right now. Sheesh, if I want to play something involving motion, I'll rather do real sports, thank you very much.
The idea of purchasing an early console to support roms and hacks is a pretty neat one, shall I say. ^^ I'd totally do it if, I didn't already have way too many physical games to play. :P