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.
edit:
Thank you all for the comments! I don’t post a lot, so it was kinda overwhelming :)
For clarity:
I meant I want to “buy for life” (not really “life”, but, if the hardware survives you can play on pre-internet consoles forever - you can even buy more games if you can find them)
I want to buy a physical copy of the games, not download them
I’ve decided to go with the Nintendo DS for now (I have a DSi - this week I bought a couple of games, 2nd hand). Reasons:
I already had it
Joycons on switch. Multiple people mentioned having problems with them. I don’t count on being able to buy them new in 10 years, meaning they will have to last.
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)
No chance.
Not only it is unlikely that the hardware will last that long, the supplies for hardmodding it likely won’t either, and in 20 years there won’t be enough of a community interest to support hardmodding services unless some sort of master keys are leaked. And without hardmodding, the only Switches that you can install whatever you want on are very ld ones that were released with firmware 3.x or something, which are also less capable hardware and lower quality joycons.
Heck, if I had to bet on 5 years more instead of 20, I’d flat out sell my Switch and buy a Steam Deck 2.0 as soon as they release.
Not only it is unlikely that the hardware will last that long
Electronic hardware can last for a very long time unless it’s mistreated. I still have a working Pong unit that’s all original parts. Also an NES and SNES and the only thing wrong with those is the SNES turned yellow over time.
For some weird marketing and CEO reason, electronics anytime after the Game Boy Advance don’t last more than 10~15 years, and spread themselves out like spaghetti if the transport clerk in charge haphazardly trips over your suitcase. From washing machines to vidya consoles, if you want it good it has to he old. Nintendo is no exception, the Switch is not anywhere as durable as the Game Boy Color, battery lifetime notwithstanding.
Not only it is unlikely that the hardware will last that long, the supplies for hardmodding it likely won’t either, and in 20 years there won’t be enough of a community interest to support hardmodding services unless some sort of master keys are leaked. And without hardmodding, the only Switches that you can install whatever you want on are very ld ones that were released with firmware 3.x or something, which are also less capable hardware and lower quality joycons.
Do you think that will be very relevant if we get things like the MIG Switch? I feel like there will still be a decent dedicated community for the Switch for a while. It is a Nintendo product with decent emulation/homebrew potential.
I don’t know enough of it to opinionate but I see at least two big issues (for me thinking about usefulness for that time period):
it’s hardware, meaning it’s far more pricey and international access far more restricted (they do point out for example they don’t sell to end users).
in theory it only runs Switch carts (or, technically, Switch installable packages). if so meaning they only supplement a previously jailbroken Switch’s setup (eg.: pegascape, atmosphere, emulators, …), not replace it.
it’s hardware, meaning it’s far more pricey and international access far more restricted (they do point out for example they don’t sell to end users).
I am hoping it’s one of those things we see replicated and sold across different sites for cheap. Kind of like how the MX4SIO was originally only sold in a few places by people like Helders Game Tech and now you can pick them up on Ali Express for dirt cheap pretty much wherever you are.
in theory it only runs Switch carts (or, technically, Switch installable packages). if so meaning they only supplement a previously jailbroken Switch’s setup (eg.: pegascape, atmosphere, emulators, …), not replace it.
That, for me, is pretty much half or 3/4ths of the point of “can I keep the same things” with the Switch. The console (any console, really) is useless for me if it comes without aftermarket / altermarket value.
It’s not jailbroken. I can still pick up games for it at garage sales. I haven’t run into problems — but I mostly play racing games — obviously not online but it’s still fun. RDR still runs. Working as usual.
I’m not a huge gamer. 30 hours per year max. I get to longing some immersion so I do four hours and I’m free of the longing for months. I think this might be why I haven’t needed any maintenance.
My kids are still on an XBOX ONE but they too have pretty much grown out of excessive gaming.
Who knows how long these will last when the use falls to minimum.
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.
Nintendo online is a lot like Xbox live. You can play single player without it (generally) but have to pay to get online/multiplayer
yes, you can have multiple accounts on the switch each with their own save, without paying for online for all/any of them.
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.
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.
Steam Deck is an open platform because you can run any OS, launcher, etc. on it. It’s just a handheld PC. Steam itself is a closed ecosystem but the Deck is very open.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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“.
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.
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).
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.
There are games like “Control” that are guaranteed to be dead in 5 years max as they’re glorified remote play solutions. The game is playing on someone else’s computer and streamed to the switch. So the bill for that computer is paid by new sales like a Ponzi scheme. No more sales = the dev turns off their servers = no more playing
It was news to me as well. Here is a Verge article talking about it but it says the following
In order to play the game, you’ll need a Nintendo Account to access cloud service and “a persistent high-speed internet connection to play the game.” (It includes similar technology to Stadia and Luna, but Control’s cloud game will be handled by Ubitus.) Any interruption in the connection will cause it to disconnect in minutes. In order to buy the game, players will be required to use a launcher application to test that their connection can handle its requirements for five minutes. It will also require buying an Access Pass, priced at $39.99.
I really hope it doesn’t go the same way as other game streaming services but I wouldn’t be surprised.
I’ve owned my switch since 2017 and Ive never used Nintendo’s online services, I think they’re actually DNS blocked or if I forgot to DNS block them then my console might be banned but it makes no difference to me, I get an error it can’t connect to Nintendo when I start some games but other than having to click past that it’s smooth sailing.
You can still have multiple users/profiles/saves without needing to link Nintendo accounts at all.
I think most of what I do with it now I could still do in 20 years although if I’m being totally honest one thing I use a lot is moonlight to remote stream games off my desktop and Im sure you could use it with current Gen PCs to stream but I’m guessing the between wifi and video codec standerds changing over time i dont think moonligbt will still work in 2044…but thats probably a bit outside the scope of your question.
An easier way to put it, the switch is currently probably the best modern console for piracy and that should tell you a lot about how little it depends on any kind of (not already cracked) authentication
Nintendo doesn’t have always-online DRM. Some games won’t work 20 years from now of course, but your cartridge of BOTW or Pikmin 4 will still work as long as the hardware is in good repair. The Switch is a fine system and should last for years and years of quality game time.
If you can get your hands on a NDS with an R4 for a decent price, I’d say that will give you way better access to a great library of games. The games are going to be simpler and a bit dated, but there are some gems in there. There’s no dependency on online and the games will work until the hardware fails
The 3DS is better, and you don’t need an R4 card to mod things anymore. You can also mod the switch, though you have to do some stuff every reboot and have to have an older model.
It sure does, you can inject gba files into gba Virtual Console Titles and create a new .cia file to be installed using FBI. Of course, there are many premade gba .cia files already out there (found the most important ones on reddit posts)
I now have all the pkemon (from red to ultraMoon) on my 3ds Homescreen. Additionally I have installed pksm, which gives me local pokemon bank functionality, backup of my save files, and many more features for all those pokemon versions.
I really can recommend 3ds ( 3ds.hacks.guide ). But a unpatched batch one switch, can all this and a lot more faster and for ever as well (there is a pksm for switch as well). With a newer switch, you have to solder some stuff IIRC.
open_agb_firm is another option for GBA games. Seems to offer better performance, particularly when it comes to audio. I played through Pokemon Emerald with that recently, and it was the only way I could avoid the distracting sound issues.
I have not recognized sound issues in my current emerald run on VC. But sometimes (it is supposed, due to slow SD cards), the top bar of the image is shown in lower part of the screen. For me, going home and restart the VC game fixed it normally.
I just love booting games from the 3ds Home Screen
Yes, newer switches need a modchip. They’re dirt cheap these days but require microsoldering- not for the faint of heart, ESPECIALLY for the Lite and OLED switches.
I mean, that is correct, but you make it seem like the CFW is about hundreds of GBs and you need to compile it yourself… I think it is just replacing some files/folders of mere MBs.
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)
Yes, most games will work offline just fine even with a multiplayer mode. (You just won’t be able to access multiplayer.) I believe you can still play Mortal Kombat 11 offline but it locks you out of a lot of content IIRC.
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?
The account creation is completely free. You can even make a local account but you won’t be able to play games online or use the eshop without making a Nintendo account. The only thing you “need” to pay for is a $20 annual Nintendo Switch Online subscription to play your games online. (Note that all games don’t require the Nintendo Switch Online subscription, but most do. This includes all of Nintendo’s first party IP’s.)
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?
All of your games will have separate saves with different profiles. Note that all of the accounts you make don’t need a Nintendo Account, so you can make a Nintendo Account for yourself (which is free) if you want the features it comes with, and local accounts for your wife and kids, and any game they play will have different saves that won’t conflict with your saves. The only exception to this that I know of is Animal Crossing New Horizons. You can have different accounts and players on one Switch but you are limited to only one island per console.
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)
Personally, I’m not sure how long the Switch’s hardware will last. If the durability and longevity of Nintendo’s other consoles are anything to go by, I’d say it has a fair shot of lasting a while; with the exception of maybe a battery replacement and/or new thermal paste. I have both the OG model and an OLED model, and I can say for certain that the OLED model runs cooler and quieter than my OG model.
Even if the Switch’s hardware fails I will always have my games and saves backed up on my PC so I can always play my games through an emulator on more powerful hardware.
Edit: I completely forgot to mention joycons. I think these will be the first things that get replaced with any amount of long-term use. I’ve already gone through 4 pairs on my OG switch because of joycon drift. My OLED is holding up fine though (thankfully), but I think the cheaper option would be to just replace the joycon’s thumb-sticks with hall-sense sticks, and they should (in theory) last quite a bit longer.
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No chance.
Not only it is unlikely that the hardware will last that long, the supplies for hardmodding it likely won’t either, and in 20 years there won’t be enough of a community interest to support hardmodding services unless some sort of master keys are leaked. And without hardmodding, the only Switches that you can install whatever you want on are very ld ones that were released with firmware 3.x or something, which are also less capable hardware and lower quality joycons.
Heck, if I had to bet on 5 years more instead of 20, I’d flat out sell my Switch and buy a Steam Deck 2.0 as soon as they release.
Electronic hardware can last for a very long time unless it’s mistreated. I still have a working Pong unit that’s all original parts. Also an NES and SNES and the only thing wrong with those is the SNES turned yellow over time.
For some weird marketing and CEO reason, electronics anytime after the Game Boy Advance don’t last more than 10~15 years, and spread themselves out like spaghetti if the transport clerk in charge haphazardly trips over your suitcase. From washing machines to vidya consoles, if you want it good it has to he old. Nintendo is no exception, the Switch is not anywhere as durable as the Game Boy Color, battery lifetime notwithstanding.
Do you think that will be very relevant if we get things like the MIG Switch? I feel like there will still be a decent dedicated community for the Switch for a while. It is a Nintendo product with decent emulation/homebrew potential.
I don’t know enough of it to opinionate but I see at least two big issues (for me thinking about usefulness for that time period):
I am hoping it’s one of those things we see replicated and sold across different sites for cheap. Kind of like how the MX4SIO was originally only sold in a few places by people like Helders Game Tech and now you can pick them up on Ali Express for dirt cheap pretty much wherever you are.
Kind of like HEN for Playstation systems?
I’m using a thirteen year old XBOX 360 — love it. Have all physical media. It’s fun. 7 more years until 20 so I guess I’ll keep you posted.
But is it jailbroken?
That, for me, is pretty much half or 3/4ths of the point of “can I keep the same things” with the Switch. The console (any console, really) is useless for me if it comes without aftermarket / altermarket value.
It’s not jailbroken. I can still pick up games for it at garage sales. I haven’t run into problems — but I mostly play racing games — obviously not online but it’s still fun. RDR still runs. Working as usual.
Have you replaced the thermal paste? I just did mine
I’m not a huge gamer. 30 hours per year max. I get to longing some immersion so I do four hours and I’m free of the longing for months. I think this might be why I haven’t needed any maintenance.
My kids are still on an XBOX ONE but they too have pretty much grown out of excessive gaming.
Who knows how long these will last when the use falls to minimum.
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.
There are fitgirl repacks for most switch games. Emulators and all bundled.
Nintendo online is a lot like Xbox live. You can play single player without it (generally) but have to pay to get online/multiplayer
yes, you can have multiple accounts on the switch each with their own save, without paying for online for all/any of them.
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.
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.
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 👌
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.
Steam Deck is an open platform because you can run any OS, launcher, etc. on it. It’s just a handheld PC. Steam itself is a closed ecosystem but the Deck is very open.
He said steam deck, not steam. You can install games from all stores (eg gog) and any operating system you want on the deck
If you run SteamOS I don’t think you can, can you? But other than that, yeah I get the point.
Yeah but you can install whatever OS you want and pirate the games. That’s its as open as you will ever find.
You can start steam in offline mode.
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.
I’m fully aware of other options like the ROG Ally, I’m just talking specifically about the Steam Deck :)
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.
I agree this will likely happen. Your best bet would be hoping sites like mobilesentrix still carry some
What’s stopping you from replacing the battery?
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.
You can have different profiles to play Zelda but for animal. Crossing for example you’ll have to share an island.
None of this requires a subscription. Only online games do
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“.
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.
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).
This wasn’t true for several Nintendo games. Mario Kart 8, Animal Crossing and Zelda:Tears all required day one downloads.
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.
My switch died after about 4 years. A capacitor burned, tried to replace it, but still nothing happens… dont know if Ill get it to work again
There are games like “Control” that are guaranteed to be dead in 5 years max as they’re glorified remote play solutions. The game is playing on someone else’s computer and streamed to the switch. So the bill for that computer is paid by new sales like a Ponzi scheme. No more sales = the dev turns off their servers = no more playing
control is streamed? for switch or in general?
It was news to me as well. Here is a Verge article talking about it but it says the following
I really hope it doesn’t go the same way as other game streaming services but I wouldn’t be surprised.
Nintendo online will go away at some point just like every other online serve they’ve had.
This isn’t Nintendo Online this is a third party service I’m worried about caving within a year or two.
I don’t expect it to last indefinitely I’m just hoping it lasts longer than things like Stadia.
I’ve owned my switch since 2017 and Ive never used Nintendo’s online services, I think they’re actually DNS blocked or if I forgot to DNS block them then my console might be banned but it makes no difference to me, I get an error it can’t connect to Nintendo when I start some games but other than having to click past that it’s smooth sailing.
You can still have multiple users/profiles/saves without needing to link Nintendo accounts at all.
I think most of what I do with it now I could still do in 20 years although if I’m being totally honest one thing I use a lot is moonlight to remote stream games off my desktop and Im sure you could use it with current Gen PCs to stream but I’m guessing the between wifi and video codec standerds changing over time i dont think moonligbt will still work in 2044…but thats probably a bit outside the scope of your question.
An easier way to put it, the switch is currently probably the best modern console for piracy and that should tell you a lot about how little it depends on any kind of (not already cracked) authentication
Nintendo doesn’t have always-online DRM. Some games won’t work 20 years from now of course, but your cartridge of BOTW or Pikmin 4 will still work as long as the hardware is in good repair. The Switch is a fine system and should last for years and years of quality game time.
Off topic but does the game cartridge slot have a known amount of cycles until failure?
I’m thinking about how phone’s charging/data ports are stress tested by simulating hundreds of connections.
The cartridges are just SD cards. So however long SD cards last for is thier life span.
I’m talking about the cartridge system not the cards themselves
It’s an SD card slot. It’ll last as long as SD cards last.
Technically it’s micro SD, actually.
If you can get your hands on a NDS with an R4 for a decent price, I’d say that will give you way better access to a great library of games. The games are going to be simpler and a bit dated, but there are some gems in there. There’s no dependency on online and the games will work until the hardware fails
The 3DS is better, and you don’t need an R4 card to mod things anymore. You can also mod the switch, though you have to do some stuff every reboot and have to have an older model.
3ds won’t play GBA games right?
It sure does, you can inject gba files into gba Virtual Console Titles and create a new .cia file to be installed using FBI. Of course, there are many premade gba .cia files already out there (found the most important ones on reddit posts)
I now have all the pkemon (from red to ultraMoon) on my 3ds Homescreen. Additionally I have installed pksm, which gives me local pokemon bank functionality, backup of my save files, and many more features for all those pokemon versions.
I really can recommend 3ds ( 3ds.hacks.guide ). But a unpatched batch one switch, can all this and a lot more faster and for ever as well (there is a pksm for switch as well). With a newer switch, you have to solder some stuff IIRC.
open_agb_firm is another option for GBA games. Seems to offer better performance, particularly when it comes to audio. I played through Pokemon Emerald with that recently, and it was the only way I could avoid the distracting sound issues.
I have not recognized sound issues in my current emerald run on VC. But sometimes (it is supposed, due to slow SD cards), the top bar of the image is shown in lower part of the screen. For me, going home and restart the VC game fixed it normally. I just love booting games from the 3ds Home Screen
Yes, newer switches need a modchip. They’re dirt cheap these days but require microsoldering- not for the faint of heart, ESPECIALLY for the Lite and OLED switches.
Yea, soldering that without a microscope (or similar) seems veeery infuriating, lol, according to the videos I watched.
A microscope is explicitly required IMO. I would definitely not attempt the mod without one.
Oh, nice! I wasn’t aware of that
R4 is dead. Too many fakes, too many timebombs. Ace3DSx chips are where it’s at.
Easily fixable with other firmware such as YSMenu.
But the Ace3DSx doesn’t require CFW. Just load your games onto the card and you’re good.
I mean, that is correct, but you make it seem like the CFW is about hundreds of GBs and you need to compile it yourself… I think it is just replacing some files/folders of mere MBs.
Yes, most games will work offline just fine even with a multiplayer mode. (You just won’t be able to access multiplayer.) I believe you can still play Mortal Kombat 11 offline but it locks you out of a lot of content IIRC.
The account creation is completely free. You can even make a local account but you won’t be able to play games online or use the eshop without making a Nintendo account. The only thing you “need” to pay for is a $20 annual Nintendo Switch Online subscription to play your games online. (Note that all games don’t require the Nintendo Switch Online subscription, but most do. This includes all of Nintendo’s first party IP’s.)
All of your games will have separate saves with different profiles. Note that all of the accounts you make don’t need a Nintendo Account, so you can make a Nintendo Account for yourself (which is free) if you want the features it comes with, and local accounts for your wife and kids, and any game they play will have different saves that won’t conflict with your saves. The only exception to this that I know of is Animal Crossing New Horizons. You can have different accounts and players on one Switch but you are limited to only one island per console.
Personally, I’m not sure how long the Switch’s hardware will last. If the durability and longevity of Nintendo’s other consoles are anything to go by, I’d say it has a fair shot of lasting a while; with the exception of maybe a battery replacement and/or new thermal paste. I have both the OG model and an OLED model, and I can say for certain that the OLED model runs cooler and quieter than my OG model. Even if the Switch’s hardware fails I will always have my games and saves backed up on my PC so I can always play my games through an emulator on more powerful hardware.
Edit: I completely forgot to mention joycons. I think these will be the first things that get replaced with any amount of long-term use. I’ve already gone through 4 pairs on my OG switch because of joycon drift. My OLED is holding up fine though (thankfully), but I think the cheaper option would be to just replace the joycon’s thumb-sticks with hall-sense sticks, and they should (in theory) last quite a bit longer.
or, better yet, get a pro controller and forget joy cons entirely