A Nintendo community
by the fans!
           
  Forum main
 + 
Would you change anything about the Switch hardware? [roundtable]
 
How do you guys feel about the choices and tradeoffs Nintendo made in designing the Switch hardware? Hardware, in this case, would include the CPU and graphics processor power, the memory (RAM), the onboard storage, the battery, the charging solution, the screen, the overall size, the game media, the controllers, and even the hybrid nature of the system itself.

Assume, for the sake of this discussion, that all hardware works as intended (so no Joy Con issues, bent docks, etc.) and that you still need to come in at the same manufacturing cost. (But you can also discuss the overall price, assuming that it is being sold at or near cost.)

What would you change?

URL to share (right click and copy)
05/07/17, 03:48  
 
Why not sign up for a (free) account?
   
 
I'd be happy if I could get a clamshell lid.
05/07/17, 04:44   
I would increase the size of the Joy-Cons slightly, just a few millimeters wider and they'd be more comfortable to hold.

Also glass screen.

And the size placement of the home/share button, they're awkward to press and they look pretty ugly too.

The dock could be nicer too, it should have more padding and seat the Switch more securely.

Native support for Bluetooth headsets.

The big logo on the back is ugly, the subtle branding on the 3DS line is much better.
05/07/17, 04:54   
Edited: 05/07/17, 04:55
One of the main things I would've liked is a headphone/mic jack in the joycons or Pro Controller. It was great to play on the TV with headphones on Wii U, Xbox One, and Ps4.
05/08/17, 01:17   
Shadowlink said:
I'd be happy if I could get a clamshell lid.

This. And maybe make it a tiny bit smaller. Also swap the positions of the "+" and "-" buttons with the "Home" and "Capture" buttons. And put the charging outlet on the top rather than on the bottom (so you can still keep the system plugged in when in Table Top Mode).
05/08/17, 03:19   
The only reason I'd really want a glass screen is for it to be more resistant to scratches... but since the only way I'd most likely scratch it is due to the dock, change that instead I guess. Seems more reasonable.

Oh and the ZL and ZR are way too clicky/resistant to presses. Sometimes I have trouble with them in Zelda if I'm holding it down to shoot my bow and accidentally let go of the trigger. And put the kickstand in the middle instead. It works on flat surfaces as is but I'd feel better about it if it was centered for support.

Other than that, I feel pretty good about the Switch overall.
05/08/17, 04:56   
If it had a glass screen, wouldn't it be more susceptible to those horrid spider-web cracks that everybody's phone ends up with? Seems risky.

I'm curious if a clamshell design could work with the Switch if the top "lid" was actually the two Joy-Cons. Two squarish thingies that snap and fold up so you can close it. I dunno, maybe it'd be hideous.

Otherwise, I have very little to complain about with the Switch. I'm pretty stinking impressed. I guess a slightly larger/tougher kickstand would be nice.
05/08/17, 05:04   
Where's the dial? Without a dial you can't play Pong optimally, man.
05/08/17, 05:32   
Edited: 05/08/17, 05:33
@TriforceBun
I'm pretty careful with my stuff, I've never had any cracks on my phone screens, I'd rather risk that then know for a certainty the screen will eventually get scratched up just from cleaning...
05/08/17, 16:20   
I love the size of the system. It's perfect. (I'd still buy a Switch XL or Mini, though.)

By the way, have you guys actually run out the battery during normal usage yet? I haven't. (My nephew has, though, with a marathon Zelda session.)

@VofEscaflowne
Yeah, the stand is kind of horrendous.

@TriforceBun
In my imagination, a folded Switch would look like a giant enemy crab.

@deathly_hallows
You are the 1%. I was once like you...

@nate38
Ooo, a paddle Joy Con would be badass. And then you could play in vertical mode. And maybe Player 2 could have an asymmetrical role with the other JC.

I'd like to see a 2 Player game played in simultaneous cocktail style. Or 4 Player! Warlords!
05/08/17, 16:44   
Edited: 05/08/17, 16:46
@Anand

I haven't let the battery drain to 0% but I've had to plug it in due to low battery. It's never really an issue since I can just dock it anyway. Don't have a proper AC adapter for it though. The pro controller cable can be used to slightly charge it but depending on the game, it just keeps it from depleting faster rather than actually have the % go up haha.
05/08/17, 17:31   
I don't have a Switch yet but putting the charging port on top so you can charge while in tabletop mode seems like an obvious improvement, no?
05/08/17, 17:44   
1) Fix the Joycon connection issue (seems like it should be licked soon)
2) Change the material the Joycons are made of so the finish doesn't wear off so fast
3) Design a dock that doesn't warp with standard use
4) Glass screen
5) Have the colored Joycon straps actually match the colors of the Joycons
6) Give the kickstand a better angle
7) Charging port on top
05/08/17, 17:58   
@VofEscaflowne
I'm still not sure if I'll get a separate adapter. I'll probably just rip the one out of the dock if I need it.

@Guillaume
Unless you made a redundant port, you'd have to dock it upside down.

I actually don't think charging while in tabletop is an issue, since tabletop mode is so unsteady that I wouldn't even attempt it. Since a stand is pretty much essential, I'd rather have a stand/mini-dock hybrid. Although it wouldn't function as intended in vertical mode.

Maybe there could be a rotating dock/stand? It could encase the system around the bezel. Like the car thing.

Have you guys used those flexible metal neck tablet holders? That could work, too. And it would hasten our progress towards our glorious invertebrate Wall-E future.

I want to get one of those things, so that my neck isn't always curving forwards.

@Kal-El814
Did the finish wear off just from holding the Joy Con? A bit of my finish rubbed off, too, but only after two bare Joy Con were rubbing against each other in my jacket pocket all day.

I shouldn't talk, though, since the glossy coating is peeling off of the sides of both my PSP and New 3DS. Apparently, my sweat is corrosive.
05/08/17, 18:29   
Edited: 05/08/17, 18:36
Better Wifi reception would be nice, and the joycons are slightly too small for me to use comfortably in handheld mode
05/08/17, 18:48   
Anand said:

Did the finish wear off just from holding the Joy Con? A bit of my finish rubbed off, too, but only after two bare Joy Con were rubbing against each other in my jacket pocket all day.

I shouldn't talk, though, since the glossy coating is peeling off of the sides of both my PSP and New 3DS. Apparently, my sweat is corrosive.

Just from holding the Joycon. The areas around the buttons is all shiny.

I'm not opposed to the notion that I'm part Xenomorph or something, but no other controller or handheld I've ever owned has done this, so I assume it's something about the Joycons themselves.
05/09/17, 16:42   
Edited: 05/09/17, 16:43
I don't have a Switch yet, but looking in, I don't see anything that might be a problem for me. I like the concept, the controllers look good, I don't care about power, etc. My only concerns are about what you explicitly excluded (durability / hardware defects). One thing I'd do about that is put a cooling fan in the dock, seems pretty odd that it doesn't have one.
05/10/17, 01:10   
I do wish that the Joy Con melted into your hand like the Wiimote and Nunchuk. They're a bit too thin to have the same comfort level in the freehand configuration. And all of the buttons aren't immediately accessible. You have to kind of slide them up and down. The grip doesn't help, either.

Hopefully, those official battery packs fix the issue. I'd buy them just for comfort. I mean, who needs extra battery life in the Joy Con?!
05/10/17, 04:01   
Edited: 05/10/17, 04:01
@Anand

That might have been useful if there was an option to increase the charge of the Switch by having the joycons share a charge with it when attached to the system.
05/10/17, 04:16   
I wish that the Joy Con triggers felt more digital. They feel too mushy in Mario Kart. Even though the Pro triggers feel kind of cheap, they work better.

I would also rearrange the ancillary button placement.

And replace the IR sensor in the Joy Con with a speaker. Why doesn't it have a speaker?! It worked so well with motion control games on the Wii.

@VofEscaflowne
An interesting idea! The power draw is probably enormously different, though.
05/10/17, 19:36   
Edited: 05/11/17, 04:09
  Forum main
 +