I am trying to choose between buying a Nintendo Switch or a Nintendo DS.
This may not be the perfect community to ask - but I can’t think of any better place.
The reason for my question: I don’t want to own obsolete hardware in 10 years. Lately most games seem to depend on a “phone home” feature, which is not really an issue for my pc because it is always connected, but a console is something I want to play always and everywhere.
I already did some searching and found that games can be played offline fine (most of them, some exceptions are there like Multiplayer and Mortal Kombat), but:
- There is something like the paid Nintendo Online Account. I am not planning on having a paid account. How much of the system depends on the account?
- Can I have progression in a game (let’s say: one of the Zelda franchise) and will my Wife and Kids all have their own progression, without having to pay for X accounts?
- People who own a Switch, let’s take this to extremes, do you feel like in 20 years from now you can still do the same things on your hardware as you can do now? (No multiplayer is fine)
Also, feel free to rant about “paying is not owning”, the state of the gaming industry is horrible.
Not going to comment on the software ecosystems because that is pure speculation and anyone claiming otherwise is talking out of their ass.
What I will instead point out is: your hardware is likely to fail in that time period. “Planned obsolesce” or whatever, I don’t care how you justify it. The reality is that these contain batteries that will degrade, and eventually fail. That is why anyone with a PSP or a Vita should check if it is bulging and dispose of it accordingly. And I think it is the xbox 360 that has a capacitor that people should cut before it leaks? Or basically any PC from 20 or so years ago where you need to repair the system clock on the mobo.
Hell, people love to talk about how unbreakable and amazing the NES is. Except… just look at GDQ where they have had multiple (?) instances of consoles failing during runs and the runners even talk about needing to source functioning consoles and scrap them for parts. This is why the speed running community went from gatekeeping “Rawr, only original hardware” to “So… those FPGAs are fucking cool, right?”
Much like with PC gaming: having the hardware or even the license does not mean you can play it in ten years without jumping through some hoops that often involve emulation and/or cracks.
My DS Lite battery still works. If it doesn’t, it can be replaced.
Good news is it’s really easy to replace the Nintendo Switch battery. Bad news is if the LCD goes bad or you get the blue screen you’re fucked. You can replace the LCD but the digitizer will give issues after messing with it 9/10 times. Reflowing is only a temporary solution to blue screen. I guarantee one or the other will happen within 20 years.
Digitizer issues are usually from getting the wrong digitizer. They are programmed differently for the HAC-001(-01) (v2 classic switch) vs the HAC-001 (v1 classic switch).
More specifically the game card reader board that the digitizer plugs into needs to match. So make sure you buy your digitizer to match the game card reader version, or buy a game card reader to go with it (you can get them for ~$14). Unfortunately many digitizer sellers on eBay don’t say which model it is designed for.
Alternatively you can mix and match those versions if you have an unpatched/modded switch. Just launch Hekate, go to tools and run the digitizer calibration.
I haven’t repaired too many switches but the first time it happened to me I had a spare v2 game card reader and that fixed it immediately. Second time I used the Hekate method and that worked just as well
I used to work at a tech repair company. I’ve probably repaired close to 50 switches. Even without replacing the digitizer just replacing the LCD and not even messing with the smaller PCB for the digitizer just unplugging the ribbon cable and plugging it back in would sometimes mess with the digitizer. I didn’t realize that Hekate had a digitizer calibration but if I ever feel like picking up my modded switch again, I’ll keep it in mind. Personally I’m not a fan of the console.
That assumes there are good quality batteries and displays and whatever other parts you need. I think the (launch?) switch uses the same batteries as the wii u tablet? But there is no guarantee the switch 2 will us that and just look at how companies like apple lock down access to replacement parts.
In ten years (honestly? if the switch 2 really is 2024/2025 then I would give it less than five years) the issue will be finding old switches on ebay and hoping they were well maintained and have parts you can salvage. Because buying a compatible battery pack or display or radio or whatever will be a shitshow because those parts won’t be accessible unless you are buying in bulk from electronics companies… who will probably want to sell you newer components anyway.
What’s stopping you from replacing the battery?
would you remove the battery during those 20 years?
For future reference, consider !buyitforlife@slrpnk.net
Even with the best care I wouldn’t expect it to last 20 years. The switch is nowhere near a well built machine as the DS was. The controllers will be lucky to last a year. They used arbitration to avoid a lawsuit over how crappy the switch is knowingly built. We’ve been through three since their inception. That being said they’re still a lot of fun. They are trying to integrate the sub more, but it’s still avoidable on some games. If you buy one get a hard case or at least a somewhat solid case to help support the console with the controllers connected if you decide to play it that way. The way that they’re connected with what destroyed them faster for us because you put too much pressure on the controllers and their connection when holding it. Using a case like this for reinforce the controllers and make them last much longer in my experience.
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Nintendo online is a lot like Xbox live. You can play single player without it (generally) but have to pay to get online/multiplayer
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yes, you can have multiple accounts on the switch each with their own save, without paying for online for all/any of them.
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I don’t know if I’d guarantee that. Who knows what dumb services things rely on. If you want something that’ll work maybe consider a more open ecosystem like that of the steam deck or its competitors
I don’t know if Steam counts as an “open” ecosystem though. You still kinda need to be online to play Steam games, and you can only launch said game with Steam. DRM free option would be GOG games, which doesn’t require online and the GOG launcher to play games afaik.
He said steam deck, not steam. You can install games from all stores (eg gog) and any operating system you want on the deck
You still kinda need to be online to play Steam games
It depends really, I’ve personally never been prevented from opening a Steam game with or without a connection.
Some other games are less clear - I’ll use Palworld as an example: this can be played offline, on a dedicated server on the same network, but it needs to fetch your username from Steam first, and perform some checks using Epic Online Services. As long as it’s started by the Steam client it’s OK, and the errors regarding EOS servers can be dismissed.
Some people have managed to join official online multiplayer servers using pirated Palworld copies, so I would not expect the current graceful network error handling to be so lenient in future updates.
you can only launch said game with Steam.
Pirated steam games can be started using an open source steam emulator - protection is basically non existent compared to intrusive DRM like Denuvo. Although I do get where you’re coming from in regards to the platform & accompanying client software being a closed ecosystem.
Steam’s hardware on the other hand, that’s open all day long 👌
DRM free option would be GOG games, which doesn’t require online and the GOG launcher to play games afaik.
I fully agree.
I’m going to be controversial here with the launcher requirement though: I use Steam because it is a launcher, games store, save file sync client, online social platform, modding client (Workshop) and games library all in one. Any device I pick up - my deck, linux laptop, or windows desktop - will continue from where I left off, without fail.
For that reason the only DRM I’ll turn a blind eye to is Steam’s own: it never gets in the way of me accessing what I purchased. With Proton/SteamPlay, games originally targeted for Windows work seamlessly on my preferred platform, Linux. If a game is unsupported, it will still set up the compatibility layer for you at your choice, for further investigation at your leisure.
Their policies also prevent developers from revoking games from users’ libraries, unless it’s a Free To Play title (most of these will have an EULA orange warning box stating such).
DRM should not have to exist at all to be honest, but in the current reality where publishers want some “protection” on their games, I’ll either accept the single, most unrestricted one, or head to the open seas 🏴☠️
I am told that if you are offline w/ steam for more than 30 days or so it kind of requires you to go online. I am unsure exactly how true this is because I’ve never had that much of a cap in my internet availability.
Yeah but you can install whatever OS you want and pirate the games. That’s its as open as you will ever find.
They said the Steam Deck and it’s competitors. They are talking about handheld gaming computers which can be used to play whatever; including Switch games. Not Steam specifically.
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The switch is very weak hardware wise but also very reliable I feel. For being a handheld device they’re surprisingly tough and cartridges do have a much better chance at longevity than disks so I’d say of all consoles I’d put Switch on the top for longevity and best odds of working well 20 years from now. Do note this is ONLY true of cartridge games. If you have Nintendo eShop games I don’t expect them to work 20 years from now because that eShop might not be around and I’m confident it uses some form of phone home checkin to verify DRM. That is likely fixable but out of scope for this discussion.
As for Steam Deck / other handheld PCs the games are less likely survive 20 years, games have already started to disappear from Steam (unpopular ones) and I very much doubt every game I have today will be available/playable. Because Steam will be dropping support and not every game is DRM free in ways that mean you can run them once they’re dropped from Steam. The PC handhelds also tend to work very poorly without Internet since Steam wants to phone home from time to time. As for the hardware I think the Steam Deck might last 20 years given it’s Linux based. Stuff like the ROG Ally will be hard to make work due to the outdated Windows on it and the likelihood that you can’t upgrade it and games/steam won’t work without an upgrade.
Unfortunately there is a fair number of games with a physical release that require downloads to be playable as they are not complete on the cartridge.
A steam deck can run all the games those two can and it runs Linux which means it will probably never be obsolete
Second that. It is a bit of a hassle to get all the games and to access them on the deck, but once you set that up, it runs great and you also are much less limited :)
The hassle is “search Pirate Bay for the game > download it into your games folder” after initial setup of emulators using emudeck
I would still steer clear of the Pirate Bay but depending on what you are looking for there’s likely a repacker or site that has what you need. FitGirl for example has some Switch games bundled with the keys that you need for Ryujinx. If you just needs ROMs I’d recommend checking out the /r/ROMs megathread.
Playing Nintendo first party games on Nintendo consoles is superior for many Nintendo first party games lover. It is just as it was when one was small 😄 that’s why right now, I go for 3ds.
Exact same game;
Switch: 30fps
Steam deck: 60fpsHow is the switch superior?
Is the Steam Deck emulating Switch games that much better? I’ve been thinking about setting up a few but I wasn’t sure if I would see a lot of performance dips with more demanding games.
Yes, many games run smoother and better on the deck, it just is very big and heavy achieving this.
There is a single aspect in which the Switch remains superior: Simplicity. Sure, you could take the time once to set up Yuzu and your Switch games and be rewarded with superior performance.
But the technically less experienced user might be put off by the fact that you can‘t just plonk in the game and play it. That‘s however not exclusive to the Switch.
I tried downloading Switch games from uuuuh… rather bespoke sites and they had a rather uuuuh… curious idea of what ads you could throw into the users face. Vivaldi‘s integrated adblocker simply couldn‘t handle those sites. That discouraged me from downloading games for now. Luckily MIG-Dumper is there to save the day and allow me to back up my games to later play them in Yuzu.
Honestly, emulation is pretty nice and you can backup your saves without a subscription, unlike with Switch.
It’s pretty repair friendly as well.
The battery is a notable exemption from this (as is the display), which is also the most likely to fail multiple times over a span of 20 years. It’s certainly doable, just not as simple as swapping out the thumb sticks for example.
Isn‘t the battery simply mounted with sticky tape and thanks to the case being screwed in still fessibly replaceable by the user?
sticky tape is the bane of battery repair.
you gotta destroy it to remove it sometimes.
Acetone and/or floss (“sawing” through the glue under the battery). That’s how iFixIt instructed to remove a battery from a 2016 MacBook Pro that was also fixated using nasty sticky tape.
thats a great tip, but some manufacturers have the battery on a recessed chassis, making this technique way more difficult to use.
Check this iFixit guide: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Steam+Deck+Battery+Replacement/149070
It’s listed as “Difficult” and “2-4 hours”.
In comparison, the iPhone 15 Pro battery replacement guide is listed as “Moderate” and “1-2 hours”.
One of the problems with the Deck’s battery is that it’s glued in place so well you have to heat up the adhesive, and applying heat close to a battery is something you have to be quite careful about.
If you don’t count multiplayer and buy only physical copies of your game, you will be able to play for as long the hardware will function. You can also hack your switch and keep a copy of every game you may need somewhere in an hard-drive too.
Not always true: Not all physical copies contain full copies of the game and will require downloads before the game can be played.
Animal Crossing being a prime example. Mario Kart 8 requires 4.4 GIGABYTES to be downloaded before the game is playable. There have also been cart revisions where earlier versions of the game were complete on the cart… and newer versions of a cart were partial and required downloads as a cost saving measure.
If you’re assuming “as long as the hardware will function” in the first place: even digital copies, DLC, and updates installed on the system before the servers shutdown will continue working even without hacks. There’s no check-in requirement except for the subscription-locked things like SNES games.
However, the result of a nonrepairable hardware failure when you have no hacks nor official servers is rather bad no matter how your games are obtained: OFW does not allow you to transfer save data from one system to another without going through Nintendo servers and a vast majority of cartridge games are incomplete without updates or DLC.
This is a deeply philosophical question involving time, the nature of ‘self’ and potential for physical abilities, and indeed mortality itself.
I mean… how much of an answer do actually want?
42 not enough of an answer for you people? Does everything need to be spelled out?
Whoah whoah whoah! Who are you calling “you people”!?
OP is just asking if he can use the Switch offline and what will happen to games bought online, albeit phrased very oddly.
LOL phrased oddly? English is not my first language.
I thought it was common knowledge that paying for something (console) and owning it was not the same these days, so I just want to know what I am buying…
Don’t mind me, also we all probably think alike.
I’m right now going through the Saturn and Dreamcast catalog.
There are fitgirl repacks for most switch games. Emulators and all bundled.
What i find to be cool about the switch is that you can still buy hardware game cardridges. I don‘t see a reason why these cardridges wouldn‘t work in 20 years anymore. I also never had issues playing the games offline.
Yes, your wife and your kids will be able to have seperate game progressions. I think you are able to create up to 8 of these „profiles“.
Nintendo is really shitty , I would not trust them that a device or a game will work after 10 years. They will do something to make you buy the new thing.
Just because you don’t like a company doesn’t mean you need to make up random bullshit about them.
The problem is, several publishers don’t want to pay Nintendo for the larger storage cartridges. Many Switch games only have part of the game physically and you have to download the rest.
Diabolo III made a point of saying the whole game was on the cart for example.
I don‘t see a reason why these cardridges wouldn‘t work in 20 years anymore.
Because, just like discs, they’re a crappy pre-launch build that relies on day one patches or additional content to actually work correctly.
Nintendo is actually one of the better companies regarding this in my experience. It doesn’t happen nearly as often with them as it does with PS5/XSX
For first party stuff, Nintendo launches finished games (though Sony does too).
For third party, cartridges are expensive enough that it’s not uncommon at all for companies to straight up make a bunch of content download only. A lot of “multiple game” collections only put some of the games on the cartridge (not counting the ones that tie some to keys).
I think people are forgetting the DS part of the question
DS are very cheap second hand and all the game cartridges work in offline mode natively. If you haven’t ever owned a DS before you need to pickup a few 3DS XL models ASAP and catch up on that whole generation of gaming!
As for switch people are right below, if you want longterm playability you might need to emulate on a different device like a steam deck. Some switch games need that online ‘phone home’ to download the game
3ds with hshop and ghost eShop is just awesome 🥰
I would be shocked if the newer versions don’t have a software hack way before that.
The fact that the first version was easy to hack made later versions lower priority, but at some point for the sake of preservation or to have the OLED, the new ones will catch up.
I would be reasonably confident in offline games running in 20 years if you bought the cartridges, if you bought the estore versions I would be significantly less confident.
I doubt any console is lasting 20 years nowadays.
I would recommend yuzu and roms if you want to future proof it, including the source code just in case.
