Current Events > A year after launch and the Switch OS is still ridiculously barebones

(+) Yeah! (+)

- No party chat
- No way to message your friends
- Nintendo first party games expecting you to use a phone app to talk to other players
- No way to back up saves on the SD card or USB stick
- Still no Netflix or Spotify. I could download these on a fucking fridge at this point
- I believe there's still no folders? I haven't even bothered to check after the last few OS updates
- No community replacement like Miiverse
- Fucking friend codes? Seriously?!

C'mon Nintendo. Even the Wii U had more features than this. Switch is selling great so there's no excuse. The Online thing in September seems to change nothing in regards to this stuff.
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yeah but...I mean...most people complained about netflix on Wii/Wii U...like...where is the complaining going to end?

Barebones but they have plenty of good games...

no one cares about Miiverse.

Agreed, it's pretty terrible. At least they fixed the issue of not being able to transfer save data.
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It has Hulu at least. But I agree. Though the simplicity and the seamless start up is actually pretty nice. They do need to fix the voice chat at least.
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There are some negatives, yeah, but it takes like 30 seconds to start the console and get into a game, so I'm not complaining too much
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I'll show you my bare bone.
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roos1046 Reborn posted...

I'll show you my bare bone.

*points at douchebag jar* dollar >_>

its nintendo
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They took the whole, "it's strictly a gaming system" thing to huge levels, but like the start up is just so painless. I boot up my Wii U after a while cuz I have BotW on there, and it felt like I was jumping through a lot of hoop, even with quick start menu
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Looked gf posted...

its nintendo

*sees the success of the Switch* yeah...its Nintendo...they're great.

Personally, I don't miss the bloat. And if the only two choices (for Nintendo) are a sluggish Wii U menu versus a quick and snappy Switch menu, then I'll take the Switch any day.

Valid criticism though, if you use those features. The lack of save backup does concern me.
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dameon_reaper posted...

yeah but...I mean...most people complained about netflix on Wii/Wii U...like...where is the complaining going to end?

Who did? That makes no sense.

dameon_reaper posted...

Barebones but they have plenty of good games...

This topic is about the OS. Not about the games.

dameon_reaper posted...

no one cares about Miiverse.

Considering how small the userbase was Miiverse was damn active so I disagree with you there. Splatoon and Mario Maker wouldn't be the same without Miiverse.

legendarylemur posted...

They took the whole, "it's strictly a gaming system" thing to huge levels, but like the start up is just so painless. I boot up my Wii U after a while cuz I have BotW on there, and it felt like I was jumping through a lot of hoop, even with quick start menu

That's great but I think that was more of a hardware/architecture issue. PS4 doesn't take long to boot up either. The 360 had all this stuff and that booted up quick too.

Polycosm posted...

Personally, I don't miss the bloat. And if the only two choices (for Nintendo) are a sluggish Wii U menu versus a quick and snappy Switch menu, then I'll take the Switch any day.

Valid criticism though, if you use those features. The lack of save backup does concern me.

Basic system features and optional apps aren't bloat.
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splatoon is getting along just fine without miiverse

Darmik posted...

dameon_reaper posted...

yeah but...I mean...most people complained about netflix on Wii/Wii U...like...where is the complaining going to end?

Who did? That makes no sense.

dameon_reaper posted...

Barebones but they have plenty of good games...

This topic is about the OS. Not about the games.

dameon_reaper posted...

no one cares about Miiverse.

Considering how small the userbase was Miiverse was damn active so I disagree with you there. Splatoon and Mario Maker wouldn't be the same without Miiverse.

legendarylemur posted...

They took the whole, "it's strictly a gaming system" thing to huge levels, but like the start up is just so painless. I boot up my Wii U after a while cuz I have BotW on there, and it felt like I was jumping through a lot of hoop, even with quick start menu

That's great but I think that was more of a hardware/architecture issue. PS4 doesn't take long to boot up either. The 360 had all this stuff and that booted up quick too.

Polycosm posted...

Personally, I don't miss the bloat. And if the only two choices (for Nintendo) are a sluggish Wii U menu versus a quick and snappy Switch menu, then I'll take the Switch any day.

Valid criticism though, if you use those features. The lack of save backup does concern me.

Basic system features and optional apps aren't bloat.

Eh, i should have explained further but Netflix was kinda a double edged sword where people actually used netflix's existence as an argument on why the Wii/Wii U sucked.

And I understand the argument about the OS but I honestly care very little about the system itself since there's plenty of fun games. My argument is that the games outweigh the boring OS.

And Miiverse may have been useful but it being canned just kinda screams that not enough people used it.

Tappor posted...

splatoon is getting along just fine without miiverse

Because they had to build a de-facto replacement themselves. They didn't need to on Wii U. It's an example of how these features helped a game get an identity.

dameon_reaper posted...

Eh, i should have explained further but Netflix was kinda a double edged sword where people actually used netflix's existence as an argument on why the Wii/Wii U sucked.

I liked the Wii U and I never encountered this. It makes no sense at all. Are you sure you're not thinking of the failed TVii?

dameon_reaper posted...

And I understand the argument about the OS but I honestly care very little about the system itself since there's plenty of fun games. My argument is that the games outweigh the boring OS.

My argument is that this isn't even supposed to be a choice. The people who make Mario don't make the OS.

dameon_reaper posted...

And Miiverse may have been useful but it being canned just kinda screams that not enough people used it.

Or because it's Nintendo being Nintendo. They're going to be charging money for an online ecosystem that has less features than their previous systems. That's sad.
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I wonder if the quirky stuff like shop music and how Miiverse was implemented was because of Iwata's leadership. It feels like one of the bigger changes for the Switch. The personality isn't there in the system anymore. The closest thing is that Golf Easter egg.
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why does everyone need Netflix to be on every device they own?
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I've encountered Wii U haters all the time and have used the streaming services as a reason to berate the console itself.

And I get it, the people who make the games don't make the OS, i'm just trying to paint a positive stroke to a bad feature.

Negativity seems to be all the rage and I'm trying to stray from that. Rather than look at all the bad of something, I want to see the positive. My life is riddled with negativity so i am just trying to give an upside, that's all.

Agreed with TC. Also, additional themes would be nice instead of just the black and white it's had since launch.
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TheVipaGTS posted...

why does everyone need Netflix to be on every device they own?

I don't need it to be there but it's a nice benefit and there's no reason it can't be there.

It's the only device I own where I could potentially download movies offline to watch on the hotel TV when I travel for example. The whole system is convenient to use so of course Netflix would be a benefit.
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Solar_Crimson posted...

Agreed with TC. Also, additional themes would be nice instead of just the black and white it's had since launch.

I really am excited to see something like this. The 3DS already has this(although it wasn't year 1)

dameon_reaper posted...

I've encountered Wii U haters all the time and have used the streaming services as a reason to berate the console itself.

And I get it, the people who make the games don't make the OS, i'm just trying to paint a positive stroke to a bad feature.

Negativity seems to be all the rage and I'm trying to stray from that. Rather than look at all the bad of something, I want to see the positive. My life is riddled with negativity so i am just trying to give an upside, that's all.

There's a difference between negativity for the sake of it (such as thinking the Wii U is shit because it has Netflix) and constructive criticism that would improve the experience for everyone who uses the system.

I want Nintendo to succeed and they can do better than this.
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There was a podcast I was listening to a few months ago that had the head of the Netflix app dude on it and he slipped that a Switch app was in development before he shut himself up. Take it with a grain of salt, especially because I don't remember exactly which podcast it was. But it sounds like it's coming eventually even with the official release from Nintendo saying there was no plans for it.
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I really only wish it had a better friends system and Netflix/Spotify. Otherwise like the OS, I can boot up and start playing almost immediately unlike PS4 where I gotta wait for the OS and the games to load.
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Darmik posted...

dameon_reaper posted...

I've encountered Wii U haters all the time and have used the streaming services as a reason to berate the console itself.

And I get it, the people who make the games don't make the OS, i'm just trying to paint a positive stroke to a bad feature.

Negativity seems to be all the rage and I'm trying to stray from that. Rather than look at all the bad of something, I want to see the positive. My life is riddled with negativity so i am just trying to give an upside, that's all.

There's a difference between negativity for the sake of it (such as thinking the Wii U is shit because it has Netflix) and constructive criticism that would improve the experience for everyone who uses the system.

I want Nintendo to succeed and they can do better than this.

I'm pretty sure we'll see more to it eventually. 3DS didn't have MUCH to its OS in the beginning, right? I don't remember too much.

Its also possible that miiverse was removed because the Switch was on its way in when the Wii u is on its way out.

Smashingpmkns posted...

There was a podcast I was listening to a few months ago that had the head of the Netflix app dude on it and he slipped that a Switch app was in development before he shut himself up. Take it with a grain of salt, especially because I don't remember exactly which podcast it was. But it sounds like it's coming eventually even with the official release from Nintendo saying there was no plans for it.

I think it will be on there at some point. I just dunno what the hold up is. Maybe agreements with Hulu but that's not a worldwide service so that's a weird decision.

Not getting my hopes up for Spotify though. Custom background music seems like something Nintendo doesn't even consider to be a thing that's possible.
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Darmik posted...

Smashingpmkns posted...

There was a podcast I was listening to a few months ago that had the head of the Netflix app dude on it and he slipped that a Switch app was in development before he shut himself up. Take it with a grain of salt, especially because I don't remember exactly which podcast it was. But it sounds like it's coming eventually even with the official release from Nintendo saying there was no plans for it.

I think it will be on there at some point. I just dunno what the hold up is. Maybe agreements with Hulu but that's not a worldwide service so that's a weird decision.

Not getting my hopes up for Spotify though. Custom background music seems like something Nintendo doesn't even consider to be a thing that's possible.

I think they would have to revamp the whole UI if they want to add Spotify functionality. Probably a huge bump in the road for that.

Does Nintendo commission these companies to make these apps or how does the process work?
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Darmik posted...

Smashingpmkns posted...

There was a podcast I was listening to a few months ago that had the head of the Netflix app dude on it and he slipped that a Switch app was in development before he shut himself up. Take it with a grain of salt, especially because I don't remember exactly which podcast it was. But it sounds like it's coming eventually even with the official release from Nintendo saying there was no plans for it.

I think it will be on there at some point. I just dunno what the hold up is. Maybe agreements with Hulu but that's not a worldwide service so that's a weird decision.

Not getting my hopes up for Spotify though. Custom background music seems like something Nintendo doesn't even consider to be a thing that's possible.

it seemed like they were having trouble trying to implement Netflix on the Switch IIRC.

Also, isn't Spotify like an official app on Playstation? Isn't it to keep it from going to competition?

Pretty sure Xbox One has Spotify. Not 100% though. I don't use Spotify.
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Smashingpmkns posted...

I think they would have to revamp the whole UI if they want to add Spotify functionality. Probably a huge bump in the road for that.

Does Nintendo commission these companies to make these apps or how does the process work?

I have no idea. I think not having some sort of multitasking is a big issue for the OS in general if it's not possible.

dameon_reaper posted...

Also, isn't Spotify like an official app on Playstation? Isn't it to keep it from going to competition?

It was a timed thing. It's on Xbox now.
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dameon_reaper posted...

Barebones but they have plenty of good games...

Switch
Good games

pick one
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Darmik posted...

Smashingpmkns posted...

I think they would have to revamp the whole UI if they want to add Spotify functionality. Probably a huge bump in the road for that.

Does Nintendo commission these companies to make these apps or how does the process work?

I have no idea. I think not having some sort of multitasking is a big issue for the OS in general if it's not possible.

dameon_reaper posted...

Also, isn't Spotify like an official app on Playstation? Isn't it to keep it from going to competition?

It was a timed thing. It's on Xbox now.

Oh okay. I was under the assumption that they were pulling a Coca cola card and Sony using Spotify to officially stay on PS but that's cool. I just don't use spotify.

if I didn't have my Echo, maybe I would.

Dark_SilverX posted...

dameon_reaper posted...

Barebones but they have plenty of good games...

Switch
Good games

pick one

Switch's good games.

There, I put them together and it came out to be one.

Good. I'd rather just play my games on the Switch, not pretend to socialize.
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Paragon21XX posted...

Good. I'd rather just play my games on the Switch, not pretend to socialize.

This was sorta the argument people used for netflix except rather than say pretend to socialize, it was "I'd rather play games on the Switch, not watch t.v."

The playstation 3 and Xbox 360's defense were that they had really good games and thus why they were able to get away with that.

Paragon21XX posted...

Good. I'd rather just play my games on the Switch, not pretend to socialize.

The options being there doesn't impact you at all.

It should be up to the consumer to decide what features they want to use on their system. A video game console should be convenient for everyone to use.
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Darmik posted...

Paragon21XX posted...

Good. I'd rather just play my games on the Switch, not pretend to socialize.

The options being there doesn't impact you at all.

It should be up to the consumer to decide what features they want to use on their system. A video game console should be convenient for everyone to use.

It's a video game system, not a fucking smart phone or ordinary tablet. And it's selling quite well without all the fluff so consumers seem to be happy. I personally love the simplicity, as others have said it turns on and plays games super quick and that's awesome.

That said, Netflix and a proper voice chat would be nice, but I'm not losing sleep over those features not being there.
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voldothegr8 posted...

Darmik posted...

Paragon21XX posted...

Good. I'd rather just play my games on the Switch, not pretend to socialize.

The options being there doesn't impact you at all.

It should be up to the consumer to decide what features they want to use on their system. A video game console should be convenient for everyone to use.

It's a video game system, not a fucking smart phone or ordinary tablet. And it's selling quite well without all the fluff so consumers seem to be happy. I personally love the simplicity, as others have said it turns on and plays games super quick and that's awesome.

That said, Netflix and a proper voice chat would be nice, but I'm not losing sleep over those features not being there.

Here's the sad thing.

Smartphones and tablets have more gaming OS features than the Switch and they're not going to be behind a paywall in 4 months.

If you want to turn on your Switch and play games literally nothing changes for you if they add more features for users who want to use them.
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Darmik posted...

voldothegr8 posted...

Darmik posted...

Paragon21XX posted...

Good. I'd rather just play my games on the Switch, not pretend to socialize.

The options being there doesn't impact you at all.

It should be up to the consumer to decide what features they want to use on their system. A video game console should be convenient for everyone to use.

It's a video game system, not a fucking smart phone or ordinary tablet. And it's selling quite well without all the fluff so consumers seem to be happy. I personally love the simplicity, as others have said it turns on and plays games super quick and that's awesome.

That said, Netflix and a proper voice chat would be nice, but I'm not losing sleep over those features not being there.

Here's the sad thing.

Smartphones and tablets have more gaming OS features than the Switch and they're not going to be behind a paywall in 4 months.

If you want to turn on your Switch and play games literally nothing changes for you if they add more features for users who want to use them.

Adding all that fluff can slow loading times though. I'd also like you to show me a smartphone that can play Doom or SMO. Features smeatues.
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voldothegr8 posted...

Adding all that fluff can slow loading times though.

How does having a Netflix app mean Zelda takes longer to load?

How do features like party chat (or local chat in general) which had no impact on the 360 (2005 hardware) slow down the Switch?

What's the excuse for friend codes?

How do these things bog down the system but an app that Nintendo expects you to use for the majority of their online features doesn't?

I'd also like you to show me a smartphone that can play Doom or SMO. Features smeatues

Having good games is all the more reason this stuff should be there.
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Sounds pretty good to me.

The more crap you expect the OS to do the less power is left for the game.

Friend codes have always sucked though.
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DevsBro posted...

Sounds pretty good to me.

The more crap you expect the OS to do the less power is left for the game.

Friend codes have always sucked though.

The 360 did all of this fine and had way less to work with.
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Darmik posted...

DevsBro posted...

Sounds pretty good to me.

The more crap you expect the OS to do the less power is left for the game.

Friend codes have always sucked though.

The 360 did all of this fine and had way less to work with.

And?

Doesn't change the fact that less power is left for the game.
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I seriously don't get these arguments.

If Nintendo announces this stuff are people gonna go "Oh no my Switch will be slow and useless!"

No. I've never heard of a console that slowed down after some OS features were added. Slow consoles start out slow. Even then OS updates usually improve speeds. Not make them worse.

DevsBro posted...

Doesn't change the fact that less power is left for the game.

What power are you referring to here?

Like what's an example of what you're talking about?
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This is what you need to play online with a headset on Switch.

There's no defending this.
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Darmik posted...

This is what you need to play online with a headset on Switch.

There's no defending this.

yeah it's just pathetic. I've just had people on whatsapp call instead, because its far easier.
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as long as it stays silky smooth that's fine by me

Darmik posted...

- Still no Netflix or Spotify. I could download these on a fucking fridge at this point

so why do you need it on the switch then? use your tv, phone or fridge.
also, nintendo did reach out to netflix and made an offer, netflix declined so you should be blaming them
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TheVipaGTS posted...

why does everyone need Netflix to be on every device they own?

I don't pay for 12 screens to only use 1.
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I think it's great actually. I miss the days of a game console just being a game console. Not a cluttered mess of a UI home screen for a hundred different options. Social media and internet applications that 6 other devices I own already have. Avatars, share media, ratings, etc.

Just put a game in, there it is on the start screen, press it and start. Preferably I would just have it start the game that's in there automatically and if there's nothing in there just be a basic home screen for memory management. Bare bones is all you need. It's about the games anyway.
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