@exodus I feel like Stadia would be rejected at face value in Australia with just how bad our internet infrastructure here is. Or maybe the perception of how bad it is here?
I know getting fibre optics was this huge drawn out political issue mostly because one company owned all the copper lines in Australia.
Checking in with how you feel now that switch 2 is a thing.
I still donāt give a crap, Iām feeling really old lately. I mean Iām used to being ahead of the curve in many ways, mainly 20 years ago when I got into all the stuff Iām into now, but, as itās become mainstream, it feels like the thing making me feel old is that I just think the game industry is in a depression no one is talking about. Kind of like where things were going before dark souls, but now it feels like from software has become part of the problem more than the answer. Baby steps? Two steps forward one step back? None of the dreams I had during the sixth generation have really come true, as far as where games are going as an art form. It feels beyond stagnant, and if feels like with how mainstream itās become, no one is going to notice it.
i sometimes think i should only play free (as in beer (but preferably as in freedom)) games, but then a question bubbles up in my brain: do i even game at all anymore?
how do you do fellow gamers?
I feel everyone who truly cares about a medium/art form goes through these periods of doubt/finality. One of the few beautiful things about humanity is that folks are always out there creating/building/beautifying. Sometimes it just gets harder to find. Sometimes things end.
I was kinda down on it after seeing there was no big gimmick. $450 console with $80 games just sends the signal that Nintendo wants to cash in this generation, rather than expand. Itās a terrible price to release experimental stuff or for the player to take a chance with a new type of game theyāre unsure about. Given how safe & bland Nintendo has been and how they are handling their sequels, the idea of $70-80 for a Mario Maker 3 or a Splatoon 4 or Mario Tennis feels like it will be bad value even though I like those series. Nintendo has to prove that they wonāt just re-tread the same stuff over again. Maybe having so many existing options already on the eShop will force Nintendo to put in more effort for the latest installments but Iām not holding my breath.
However I was playing Xenoblade Chronicles X outdoors in handheld mode under a shade tree, and it reminded me why I love the Switch as a handheld device. I actually think a higher refresh rate, better resolution, longer battery life, and larger screen is going to be nice. Iām iffy on the larger joycons, but I do love the form factor. I still use my switch as my primary console, and take it with me when I travel. Having a device that allowed me play Fantasian-style games on the go in 720p has been great, but thereās still something exciting about a device that can play FF7R-style games in 1080p in tabletop mode with an actual stand. Probably not worth $450 alone, and they still need to solve the backward compatibility issues, but Iām coming around on justifying the upgrade.
Iām unceremonial when it comes to playing video games these days. I have less interest in sitting in a specific place in front of my TV and with both hands on a controller focused on the TV only. A device I can have in my lap while Iām working on the computer, or with a controller in each hand as I ride the exercise bike, or a device I can play next to a partner while sheās on her phone or watching tv is worth more to me than a PS5 or a PC graphics card and the ādedicated gaming experienceā. I think Nintendo (unfortunately) still has the hardware edge for me, but still has something to prove in terms of value for the switch 2.
Since I am quite happy with my PS5 and a decent PC, itās going to come down to a handful of exclusives for me, which weāve heard neither hide no hair of so far. Iād like to be in on the ground floor for both the next Fire Emblem and the next main-line PokĆ©mon, so Iām pretty sure Iāll end up getting a Switch 2ā¦eventually, probably once we have some idea of the release timing for those next installments. One of them alone may not be enough to make me pull the trigger on the $450 (and possibly higher, oof) price tag, but if they have similar release timing I doubt Iāll even think about it
At the same time though, I really did not get much mileage out of my original Switch. I regularly found the experience of playing in portable mode to be unpleasant due to a combination of poor UI/UX and ergonomics and only really played five or six games on it. The larger screen should help with the former, but Iām not sure if the larger form factor will help or hinder in terms of the latter
So Iām sort of half on the fence and half leaning toward buying one, with buying one probably going to be the winner over a long enough time frame. At our present moment, though, thereās definitely not enough there for me
My position hasnāt changed since a couple of years ago. Iām spending an increasingly diminishing amount of time playing games on my PlayStation 5 (and a lot more time using it to watch movies). Itās a system that I use for a handful of games that Iād like physical versions of over their digital counterparts but it doesnāt have a huge draw for me. PlayStation 6 would need to really pull something out of the bag for me to want one.
I anticipate getting a Switch 2 in the first 6-12 months for its exclusives but I canāt see myself buying non-exclusives on the platform when I have a capable PC to play on, which Iāve been spending a lot more time playing on over the last year or so.
Iām even more indifferent to it now that the dust has settled on the Direct. Iām a Nintendo kid and all, but Iāve never bought Nintendo consoles just because itās Nintendo. I just go where the games are like anyone else. Iāll give it due course once they have some games on the thing. It has a pretty weak launch lineup so far while the Switch had arguably one of the strongest launch years ever.
I suppose weāll see whatās been cooking behind the scenes later this year. Itās been a while since a 3D Mario, Fire Emblem, Splatoon and Animal Crossing.
I also just built a new PC so Iām good for a while anyway.
On the latest episode of the No More Whoppers podcast the hosts talk about their changing relationship both to Nintendo and videogames as a whole. Relevant to the discussion here. One thing that stuck out at me was FOMO and hype cease to matter as you get older, so big product releases are met with a shrug. Sometimes that can be disorienting when games (and the powerful consumerist vibes it contains) have been such a big part of our lives.
Itās ok to be satisfied with what already exists.
Iāve definitely been feeling this lately, like a switch went off in my brain in the past couple of years. I remember being apoplectic that I couldnāt get a Wii at launch so many years ago. But over the last fifteen years or Iāve amassed such a backlog of games and realized I have a much more relaxed attitude toward the hobby than I once did because theyāre not (at present, anyway) the only thing competing for my time
I still like getting my new toys, but they donāt have the same manic pull they might have had in years past. Often, now, Iām plenty comfortable waiting until a game I absolutely know I want to play before picking up new hardware. I donāt think Iāll stop buying new consoles anytime soon, but Iāve definitely reached a point where new hardware only matters to me in as much as there are games I want to play on it
Just want to say this thought made me stop and reflect for a few moments this morning about aging and desire, so thank you.
That said, we NEED to keep hope alive for the OLED switch 2 Pikmin edition.
