The Switch is the most intriguing console to come around in a long time. It appears that Nintendo might have perfectly straddled the line of gimmick/utility with the portability of their new console. Battery length and third-party support remain to be seen of course, but so far so good.
So what flaw am I talking about?
My knowledge begins with the NES, so let’s start there. Every console since the NES has come with a pack-in controller that you could bring to a friend’s house and use on their system. The N64-era for me meant always packing a controller or two to a sleepover for Goldeneye, WCW/NWO Revenge, and Mario Kart.
The Wii U is the first console I can remember that required an additional purchase in this situation. If you and a friend each buy a Wii U, you would need to buy a Pro controller or Wiimote to play on on each other’s system. This may seem like a whiny nitpick, especially if you have a drawer full of old Wiimotes, but new converts to the Wii U (of which there were VERY few) would be out of luck.
The Wii U supporting Wiimotes was a smart move and considering how underpowered both consoles were it would have been insulting to not include that feature. The Pro controllers are still fantastic, but that amount of money could be put into another game. The Wiimotes are cheap but lack inputs and playability.
I also understand that the Wii U had to dedicate processing power to rendering images on the gamepad, but couldn’t the second gamepad display simply be disabled?
The Switch appears to fix this
Seeing four dudes sit around a basketball court with two Nintendo Switches caught my eye (what a bunch of hunks :|)
No cable required, and all the controllers are attached and ready to use. Whether two switches can support 8 players remains to be seen. The lack of screen space would make that an understandable omission (although a quarter of an old CRT screen enough for N64 fans). I would hope that a docked switch can support 8, and the port of Smash Bros U would lead me to believe that’s the case.
With so much speculation, I’m glad to know that even one Switch is enough for two friends to enjoy a round of Mario Kart.
Be sure to check back or follow us on facebook/twitter for our breakdown and discussion of everything that happened at Nintendo’s Switch conference tonight!
18 comments
the gamepad IS the pack in controller. no console comes with two controllers. multiplayer without game pad was possible on every game. your article is poorly researched shit. you might want to proof read it too. there are words missing in sentences and its full of spelling and grammar mistakes that reveal how unprepared you are for any sort of journalism. seriously spellcheck is free.
Hey Rab. I’ll own the poor editing, but you were incorrect about everything else.
I didn’t mention consoles coming with two controllers (although many in the ’70s did).
I also commented on using Wiimotes and Pro controllers with the Wii U.
I added a few lines to the article to clarify my point that you missed.
If you and I only bought a Wii U, we couldn’t use the bundled controllers to play local multiplayer on the same system. That was my point.
If we both bought any other console, we could take the bundled controller and play together another system. Does that make sense?
My point was that the Wii U didn’t support a second gamepad, requiring the purchase of a Wiimote or Pro controller.
I see your point but I dont agree. Local multiplayer on the wiiu didnt need any gamepad. At least a wiimote and a classic controller would let you do local on any game. Sure you would have to buy one but to be fair controllers for the wii were plentiful as it was the best selling console of its generation by farr. You could borrow a wiimote from your nan!
Somehow you keep missing the point. If 2 friends have an Xbox, neither has to buy an accessory to play together. Bring your controller and play. If 4 friends want to play smash on the wiiu locally, they need to drop a combined ~$150 to play together. GameCube players had to buy nothing additional.
I got your point. My first sentence was “I see your point” I just dont agree with it. I play local multiplayer a lot. I buy an extra controller specifically because I enjoy it. Hell I buy nintendo simply because it jas the best local experience. Backwards compatible controllers was a huge plus on the wii! I also have xbox. My buddy has ps4. He bought his own second controller. I bought my own second controller. I even have friends who dont own a console at all and come over to play mine! They dont own controllers! Instead of whining about people not bringing their own controllers I was quite happy that I could use the ones I have or pick up a second wiimote and a classic controller second hand for about 30 bucks all in. No game required a second gamepad and frankly ive never felt the need to have one. In fact most people ive played with prefered the classic! You say no one needed to buy a new controller. True. They just had to buy a whole console. The same console I have. So I dont get access to another console and neither do they! Suck it up and buy a controller like a good host should!
You can’t disagree with facts, only opinions.
That is the stupidest thing I ever heard. It was once fact the sun went round the earth. Facts are universally accepted opinions until proved wrong. It seems your grip of scientific method is as solid as your spelling. I will give you this though, the wiiu had one controller issue. No arcade stick.
This isn’t science. Round is round and a triangle has 3 sides, but ill play by your logic. It’s just your opinion that it didn’t have an arcade stick. It might be proven in 50 years that it actually did, you just didn’t realize it.
Facts can be challenged with evidence. For example I posit as a fact that your not too clever. My evidence would be that a clever person would have taken my backwards compatibility argument and pointed out that the wii has an arcade stick that is compatible with the wiiu. How shit a journalist does one have to be to give game journalists a bad name? As shit as you apparently. Learn to spell learn to proofread learn to editlearn to research. Then write an article.
Hmmm….I’m not clever? You are the one calling me, a random guy in Texas, a journalist. I didn’t write the article. I just play games, shoot guns and ride horses.
Hehe touche jake! You got me there! I didnt spot the name change. Tell me though jake, why would you say I didnt get your point when youdidnt make the point? Thats dishonest! 🙂
Also apologies to the original poster. Im sure you are much smarter than jake.
OMG just make out already or grow up…honestly…”i know you are but what am I?” geez…Jake and Ran you need couple’s counseling or to get laid….
Are you going to comment on the topic at hand? No? Just sticking your oar in is it? Does that make you feel superior? Do you get a warm glow feeling better than others? Theres a name for that.
My entire premise was based on a tiny nitpick. It stemmed from when I brought my new Wii U and gamepad to a friend’s house and disappointingly learned it couldn’t be used. I ended up grabbing some Wiimotes but I thought the gamepad was a great design and would rather buy a new game than a Pro controller.
Seeing how easy two Switches sync together in the promo vid got me nostalgic for the past and excited for the future. Like you said, Nintendo “jas” the best local multiplayer 😉
I must admit the price of second joycon controllers has made me choke!
Brutal pricing. Remove the motion control for the novelty sound games and cut that price in half.
8 Switches linked together was my favorite part announcement.
Also protip… wether = whether