Topic: Nintendo Switch --OT--

@Th3solution 90% docked. I sometimes play a bit in handheld more before I go to bed.

@themcnoisy A LinkedIn profile from a known Bandai Namco Singapore director (Or producer, one of the two, someone senior) listed:

"An unannounced IP (First Person Shooter/Adventure title exclusive for Nintendo Switch)"
"Ridge Racer 8 (Drift based car racing title exclusively for Nintendo Switch)".

Make of that what you will

@Th3solution 50/50. I use it undocked downstairs or when I'm travelling (Via public transportation before anyone gets snarky) or when I was having surgery (Really.).

Docked in my room, when recording, streaming, whatever else.

@Th3solution 70% handheld and 30% docked for me.

@Th3solution Depends on the game, honestly. Some games I play primarily on the dock (Games like Super Mario Odyssey and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 are just flat out better on the TV, for a variety of reasons). Some games I've never played docked more than once (Puyo Puyo Tetris was this way for me, as well as Stardew Valley). Some games are perfect in either mode (I played Breath of the Wild every which way, and it was fully enjoyable no matter what mode it was in).

If I had to come up with a number, I'd say 60% of my Switch playtime is spent in handheld mode.

@Th3solution Right now I play mostly in handheld mode simply because the Switch is the console I play when the tv is in use. I have played Mario Odyssey both in handheld and docked but I prefer to play that one docked. Lately though I have been playing Mighty Gunvolt Burst and Skyrim, which both run really well in handheld mode.

@Th3solution
Vast majority of the time I play in docked mode. I feel like most games look better. With Super Mario Odyssey and especially Xenoblade Chronicles 2 I felt like there was a significant difference visually. And in XC 2 the performance is also better docked.

@Th3solution I played Mario Odyssey mainly on the TV because it looked nicer and I could use the joy-cons (the game felt like it was designed to be played with one in each hand because of the motion controls) but I'm playing Zelda in handheld mode. For one horrid gyroscope puzzle shrine I ended up doing it on the TV because the detached joy-con made it much easier to control.

I suppose going forward it'll depend on the game or the mood I'm in. No way am I playing something that expensive on the train haha.

@mookysam @Gamer83 @Tasuki @Ralizah @Rudy_Manchego @YummyHappyPills @Octane
Thanks for the info. As a non-Switch user I find it interesting that there is quite the variety in usage. Also, I did not realize that the game being played had that much influence on how the Switch would be used. I guess it makes sense, but I just hadn’t thought about it. It’s probably hard for developers to try to strike a balance in a game to make it equally attractive to experience on the big screen and on the go.

@Th3solution It fits into your life to be used as you see fit.

Unlike a PC or typical console, that is stuck on a TV, if you see fit you can use your Switch entirely away from a TV where you have time to, or entirely on your TV if thats your thing. Or a mix of both as and when your life demands, even if handheld mode is only for those once a month bus rides.

Id be more concerned if it WASNT used in multiple ways to be honest.

@YummyHappyPills Yes, I agree. I think the intent of the device is to be flexible. So I expected people would be close to 50-50. But we have (in our very small survey of n=7 😜) everything from 50-50 to nearly exclusive docking to nearly exclusive portable. But everyone pretty much mixes it up and so people seem to get both uses from it. I’m not necessarily making any conclusions from it, just satisfying my curiosity about what people use it for. Clearly it has a rabid fan base and I was curious what the average Switch user would look like, so to speak. Problem is, the average Switch user is probably not on here on a PlayStation forum, but I’m not that curious enough to go lurk around at NL.

@Th3solution The average user also isn't on NintendoLife. Just like the average PS4 user isn't here.

@YummyHappyPills Another true statement. The sampling on any enthusiast website or forum will be heavily skewed. But still, it gives me a rough idea.

@Th3solution https://nintendoeverything.com/kimishima-on-how-people-are-pl...

This seems more like what you're looking for. From the usage stats, most people use it in both modes, but, of the groups that use it exclusively in one mode or the other, more people opt for portable-only versus docked-only.

I think it depends entirely on what games you play as to whether you use it more in handheld or docked mode. I've only played Zelda and Mario for Switch and they were both dreadful in handheld mode because the screen isn't big enough and the Joy Cons are fiddly. But if it was something slower, and less precise, like say, Persona 5, then I could easily have seen myself playing it in handheld if I ever played video games away from my TV.

Like the Vita, indie games and smaller or slower games, or games more traditionally suited to handheld will be great in handheld mode. Bigger, faster, action games not so much.

For me, my isse with playing docked is I have the dock in a bedroom because I can hide it away from where my young kids can't get it. If I had it in the main room where I do most of my gaming, that dock would be covered in porridge and snot in 2 minutes. So, unless I specifically go upstairs to game, I'll normally be in handheld. For me, the novelty of playing AAA games on the go still hasn't worn off for me and it fits in with my lifestyle .

For me, without little kiddies running around and ruining everything, and with a girlfriend that games as much as me, and with two TVs in the living room, and with a hatred of the outside world, I have literally no reason to play in handheld, ever.

I tried it once for the novelty, and once when I was grinding on Final Fantasy IX on PS4. I was running around fighting things on the TV, and playing Zelda on the handheld. Other than that I can't ever imagine using it again.

@johncalmc The little kids do ruin everything. I still haven't worked out where they came from.

@Rudy_Manchego From what I learned at Catholic school, a magical being in the sky puts them into a woman's tummy and then you spend the next eighteen years telling them they'll be sent to hell if they listen to Marilyn Manson.

@johncalmc Marilyn Manson? How old are you John. That was like 15 years ago.

These days its keeping them away from pretty much every youtuber.

For the poll;

Its my sons switch so I have used it plugged in to the dock / tv when we have enough time to game together. Weird thing is hes gravitating back to his tablet, which is pretty frustrating.

Handheld modes great though.

@themcnoisy I left school sixteen years ago. Weird to think Marilyn Manson was once the most dangerous man in rock music. And now he's like a chubby panda.