@el-shmiablo said:
does that really matter when most of the games on the platform are already lesser experiences?
Well I mean in the sense that devs will be more lax on optimization of the original unit, instead making sure it runs that well on the beefier one. If there's no beefier hardware, there's more pressure to keep making sure the games run well on the hardware everyone has, rather than the lower end spec hardware you're trying to ween your users away from anyways.
I don't think games are inherently worse if played on weaker hardware, as long as it meets a baseline.
Yeah, it is all about developers continuing to hit that baseline on the original hardware, instead of giving up and targeting it on the updated model instead with the back excuse of "well it runs well on the New / Pro / etc.".
But I guess the situation on the Switch is different
People keep forgetting it is a glorified Handheld, until they make a model without that component, it will always be a glorified Handheld. Seems very weak for a Console, because it really isn't a Console. This new model enforces that even harder with most the features being Handheld focused. Kind of hope when Switch gets a successor they do branch into a dedicated sit at home Console option on top of what has been offered during the life of the Switch so far though, because as nice as it is playing my Switch Tabletop Mode when our power goes out during Hurricane Season, that's so incredibly rare I'd happily forego it for a more powerful system that's solely a home Console.
@Oscillator said:
Two of the upgrades they've added, the ethernet port and the wide kickstand, should've been there at launch.
The Ethernet Port should've been there back during the Wii era. That's less a design flaw of the Switch and more a design flaw of Nintendo until now. Original Switch's Kickstand has been fine for me so far, but as I've said time and time again, I super rarely ever use my Switch outside the Dock, and when I do I have stable surfaces to prop it up on, so really depends on how you're trying to use it. New Kickstand is great I guess if you have shaky train commutes or something that you're trying to prop your Switch up during, but this new one would basically make no difference to me. Also, I just want to reiterate how shitty it is that they went to the trouble of making a more robust Kickstand, and still didn't include a swivel to prop your Switch Vertically for all the games that support that. Yeah, it is a pretty niche need, but this would've been the perfect time to include that without the need for a Third Party Accessory.
Anyways, they confirmed the new Switch Docks are compatible with the old Switch "cores", so that's nice at least. They're too expensive to go impulse buy a new Dock just because, but if you have young kids or clumsy pets so you want a dock with the even rounder edges or we find out the Ethernet Port in the new Dock makes Online way better than the Ethernet Adapter plugged into the old Dock, least it isn't a matter of having to buy a completely new Switch to take advantage of either. Could also see getting a new Dock for a central room you can plug Wired from for Online Play while having your old Dock in a bedroom or such, so you can still play from the tv in there but only with Wireless, mostly just for downloading games / updates. The option is nice to have, even though they're about $30 more than the convenience is currently worth to me personally.
