This would have been my first Nintendo console just because I wanted to play BOTW(I mainly play on PC). But seeing this and all of the issues people are talking about on this forum I think I will wait. I don't know about you guys but, these type of problems in my view are unacceptable.

I don't think a video like this is very valuable. For sure those problems are unforgivable but with any hardware launch you have outliers and systems that are just straight up dead on arrival. The vast majority of systems don't have problems anywhere near that severity and I'm sure if they did they would be replaced by Nintendo or the store you bought it from.

I would suggest waiting a few months after the launch of any system for new features to be added and bugs to be fixed. There are some legitimate problems with the Switch right now like the bad wifi connectivity and the left joycon connectivity issues which should be addressed within the next few months.

Quite a few of those look like the owner damaged the system in some way or another and made some internet video to prove how "defective" the system was when they got it.

Some looked legit.

It's a console launch.

Remember all those XB1 problems at launch?

Yeah I Dino I might just pick up a Wii U to play zelda

patience

Being an early adopter of hardware always carries extra risk. If you can muster the patience, it's almost always wiser to wait some time before buying into a new platform to let the bugs/truth shake out.

Seems like too many moving parts to this thing and weird stuff was bound to happen. If I ever get one of these things it'd be after a hardware revision for sure.

Pick a console launch and you can find a video like this, I am not sure how people are scratching the screen with the dock, mine has plenty of clearance between screen & dock. Also the LED isn't supposed to be come on when the Switch is docked, only when it's docked while outputting to the TV.

I think the machine is superb and it has been a Joy(Con) to use. Speaking of which, mine don't have any sync problems! The build quality so much better than Nintendo's usual efforts.

The animosity in that video's comments are hilarious. You'd think Nintendo tried to kill their cats.

Remember "the towel trick"?

My friend went through seven - SEVEN - XBOX 360s through Microsoft's mail-in replacement program.

This kind of shit happens with any hardware, console or otherwise.

Well, I was planning to be a grownup and wait, but I just happened to be in a Target this weekend (totally by accident I swear) and managed to catch them just as they were unpacking a bunch of Switches.

The little screen smudges in the video are caused by rubber inserts at the bottom of the dock. I've found they can be rubbed off with a cotton rag and a little effort. It's definitely not the same thing as the scratches some people are reporting, but Just to be safe I put some tape on the part of the dock that touches the screen.

If you primarily play on PC, check out CEMU, it's a (somehow legal) WiiU emulator. They just got BoTW running on it although it's not super playable yet but given time I imagine it will be. I've been playing Mario 3D World at 4k using CEMU and it's pretty rad.

Anyway, just wanted to make sure you know there are other options out there for you, with time the emulated version of BoTW could very well look and play better than any of the legit versions.

I will wait till they release the version with decent battery life. I have been wanting a handheld since I haven't owned one since the original gameboy, but 2.4 hrs is bullshit lol. Not really interested in it as a console or having to keep it plugged in constantly.

It isn't 2.4 hours, that's just in Zelda, which is not exactly a great game to judge from considering it runs worse than the Wii U version at times. The battery life during Fast RMX is much longer.

Mario Kart 8 and Splatoon 2's battery life will be better indicators, Zelda is a port that hasn't had the best transition.

The vast majority of people have had 0 issues. Those who have had issues have only for the most part had minor issues.

i mean- there is ALWAYS risk in buying products when they're brand new to market. every first rev of a new console has design problems that are further refined and adjusted in version 2.

and it's also kinda why this website exists...to offer you a look at and experience with products before you purchase them. if you have patience- there's almost zero reason to buy day 1 aside from 'Fear Of Missing Out' (or the acronym which shall not be named).

The kind of stuff from the video does happen every hardware launch. Percentage wise some machines are DOA. I got a Vita a year and a bit after launch and the touchscreen was simply busted and I had to get it replaced; launch systems just are more frustrating because of the demand and scarcity of consoles.

But I have to add the original 360 was a different kind of fucked, not just some tiny percentage of hardware is just busted, but the actual hardware design lead to the system not being able to sustain usage. Every single original 360 will fall to the red ring given enough playing time which is not normal or comparable to any major device. And it took awhile for Microsoft to admit this and setup the trade-in program.

12 years and counting, BUDDY.

There are two categories of things going on here.

The broken screens and systems are part of any product launch, so you sort of have to be prepared to deal with them when buying anything day one. Luckily my worst instance of this was importing a PSP from Canada and having a dozen dead pixels on the screen.

The second batch of issues have to do with the way the system is designed. The JoyCon disconnects, scratch inducing dock, obstructive USB placement and the issues with the JoyCon rails and wrist straps are definitely things I'll wait to fixed before buying a system myself.

PS: The Switch at around the two-minute mark in the video sounds amazing!

If it is the way it's designed everyone would have issues, my JoyCons work perfect and the wrist straps are fine? My dock has clearance for the screen so it points to people getting bent docks, not design flaws. USB placement makes sense considering the dock is vertical.

It's not really on Nintendo if people are unable to look at the indicators on the wrist straps. Same with people damaging their rails like Jeff's dropped cons.

@wynnduffy: It's just not smart to have a hard plastic surface rubbing against a plastic screen inside the dock. Some tiny foam or felt pads would go a long way in fixing the issue.

I get that the USB placement is due to the dock, but it still seems cumbersome.

The indicators on the wrist straps are there, but it's still a faulty design if people are able to lock their straps on the wrong way around. The rail mechanism should be designed in a way that makes it almost impossible to put it on the wrong way around.

Remember how some of the early Xbox 360 systems used to scratch discs if you moved the system while a disc was spinning inside? That's obviously not a smart thing to do, but plenty of people still did it and Microsoft fixed the issue with foam pads.

This is why warranties and refunds exist. Every hardware is going to have a failure rate. It will probably be several weeks or longer before we see if there is a large scale problem with the hardware.

Anyone buying the first edition of a product is taking that chance. Fortunately there are enough consumer protections that you won't be out the money if you encounter an immediate problem.

The USB thing seems especially weird to me. Why can't the screen rotate like any other tablet? Just odd.

I think the fact that the dock scratches up the screen also seems pretty poor.

But I was amazed when I heard about their response to complaints of dead pixels (Here). Sure, say dead pixels are a common problem (the guardian article suggests that isn't necessarily the case any more, but I don't know enough about it), but to flat out deny that it's a fault, as if the consumer is wrong to find it less than ideal? That seems insane to me. I guess it also makes me think: Either it is a small enough problem that they maybe should take the hit on replacing the units that have these issues, or it's a problem widespread enough that they can't afford to take the hit. Neither seems great.

@thomasnash: Yeah, their response was ridiculous!

Most of that just seems like bad luck, but lord I cannot figure out why the wrist strap can even go on upside down. This is a Nintendo product. Children will be using it. Just make the damn strap only go on one way!

My dock doesn't touch my screen, some people received bad docks that are bending in towards the screen, it's a QA problem which plagues all sorts of products at even higher price points than the Switch.

Almost all of the issues are bad luck. I agree the grips should only go on one way but that would mean they're no longer interchangeable with each other. I'm feeling confident that the JoyCon issue is another defect because me and others aren't having any problems.

People are quick to react to the negative comments but there's people like me with no issues at all. I'll take back what I say if QA is horrendous with huge percentages of Switch owners getting duds but I don't think that is the case.

That dead pixel thing is standard. I think ACER even have a policy of 7 or more dead pixels to get a replacement.

Still, you can use consumer law in most countries to return it anyway, so it doesn't actually matter.

That's a CrowbCat video, you know, the guy who grabbed a full-day Giant Bomb stream and edited it to make it seem like VR was the worst thing ever and that Jeff and the crew completely hated the Vive when we all know that's not the truth.

Take his videos with a huuuuge grain of salt, CrowbCat always makes it seem like every console launch is the worst ever and that every game is a mess filled with bugs.

All hardware have problems, some of it are design flaws (like the screen scratching when docking) but others are unfortunate issues that happen few and far between. If everyone who never had a problem with the Switch posted a video going "hey, my Switch works fine!" and someone grabbed only those videos and edited them together, then it would seem like the Switch doesn't have a single problem. Also the majority of people probably didn't actually have big problems with the Switch (besides the screen scratches and the left joycon desync, since those are the only complaints that seem to be most common and big enough to be news-worthy).

I had a run-in with the Joy-Con wrist strap. My friend texted me asking about the wrist straps, as he had heard there was an issue with the locking mechanism not working properly, and asked me to put the wrist strap on to see if it was like that. I had not yet used them, so I said I would, and fucking the first thing I do is put the 'left' one on the 'right' Joy-Con. Why you are able to do that, I have no idea. It goes too far down the rail and clicks into place. I couldn't get it off, just as has been reported.

Eventually I did, and everything was fine, but dude yeah, the wrist straps are dumb as fuck, and the unlocking button is in the worst possible place: it's surrounded by other game buttons, so you can't really grip the unlocking button without also depressing at least three game buttons at the same time, which is especially concerning when you are really gripping that fucker tight to get the wrist strap off.

What do you play on a video game hardware? Video games. Focus on that instead of the hardware, which can always fail you.

In my eyes, the sparse releases Nintendo had lined up in their first year of the Switch is not worth the $300+ investment.

I waited for a Wii U once it's library got fleshed out. In hindsight, I'm very happy with that decision. Plan on doing the same thing with the Switch.

That sounds like a plan from The man with no plan.

I feel you on this. I did the same thing, worked out great. Plus it allows the library a chance to flesh out a bit, so you actually have to stuff to play on it when you get it.

Much happier than when I used to buy launch hardware.

Unless you are flush with disposable cash and aren't chomping at the bit, then it is always best to wait. You can give them time to work out any hardware kinks and for the software library to fill out.

My Xbox 360, PS3, and Xbox One all had horrible issues tbh. My Switch has been really nice, by the end of the year it should have a half decent library too.

@captain_insano: I've been found out!

I feel exactly like you right now, and hooooo boy is it liberating

A bunch of isolated incidents edited together to make it look like there's a pattern of consistent hardware failure is not really a good argument. However, it does appeal to the very cynical 'modern gaming suxors' audience, so Crowbcat continues to make them. Personally, I prefer when he/she creates a video showing why one thing may be worse, using actual in-game footage and developer interviews, and then offers a solid alternative. The Dead Rising 4 v Dead Rising 1 video was a good example of that, and personally I wouldn't be surprised if it sold some copies of the HD release of 1.

However, that video is still correct in that day one buys of some big new tech carries with it risk, including hardware failure with no real exchange option due to very high demand. Consoles also have the issue of the launch day software line-up, and paying 500+ AUD to play BotW and not much else is, from my perspective, the realm of the real enthusiasts and/or those who have the money to throw around. Furthermore, the console market is just so revision happy right now that I really don't know why you wouldn't just wait unless you really, really want to be part of the launch day zeitgeist. Wait a year or a bit more and you can get a better model, better software lineup, and potentially better prices.

Then again these days I'm a miserable miser that doesn't really do anything fun with his spare time or holidays so maybe I'm not the best person to take advice on money from.