I must make it clear that when I mentioned minimal input lag, I was referring specifically to the app and its menus/navigation. I thought it was going to be another laggy web app like the eShop, but it feels more like native code.
I think the mushiness I was feeling was the pro controller’s D-pad rather than input lag. I tried my Hori Digital GCN controller through the Smash Bros Adapter and felt no sluggishness using that pad.
The dpad on the pro controller is terrible I can’t stress that enough.
I tried out some of the NES games in handheld mode yesterday and they feel great.
How Nintendo did this is baffling since they are normally really good in that regard. Hear the Xenoblade controller is better and hope the Smash controller is improved even more. Then there is the tape fix that solves the problem apparently.
All I know is there wasn’t a good way to play Tetris when I wanted to without me getting mad as fuck at inputs going wrong.
I lost my shit trying to play puyo puyo tetris with that shitter.
I’ve been using the hori joycon which is the best dpad on the system currently. And also with the 6.0 update fixed the battery drain problem so it is the perfect replacement for handheld mode. Now just to get something wireless with a solid dpad and I’ll be set on the switch.
The D-pad has been fixed on some or all Pro Controllers, so that games like Puyo Puyo Tetris control perfectly fine. But that aside, it does still feel very stiff and probably needs some breaking in.
Offline, I did still notice a bit of lag in Super Mario Bros (and SMB3). The opening stage is one where I can normally fly through without a snag on original hardware + CRT. I use that game as a general measure because on emulators and slower screens I tend to get thrown off the otherwise seamless pattern to some extent.
Online with low latency enabled works really well. This is going to be huge as more games get added, especially from the 16-bit era, which is leagues better for simultaneous two-player than the NES’s offerings.
There’s finally a new curio of sorts hitting the service after most of the games have been popular titles: VICE: Project Doom. https://youtu.be/LeuJK-ZfLr4?t=9
I admittedly only saw this game before in this DF Retro video exploring water rendering in games.
I’m at stage 7 and failing miserably at the boss fight. It’s been pretty interesting up to then, though. Not exactly original by today’s standards (or even back then, since it appears to have been heavily influenced by Tecmo’s Ninja Gaiden) but it’s extremely well made, and its difficulty serves up a firm but fair challenge. No unpredictable enemy respawns here.
That said, switching weapons was handled with the Select button, and unlike the 3DS virtual console, which let you use either Select or Y, that’s mapped to -/Minus on the Switch. Bit of a pain since you can’t immediately, or comfortably, switch weapons unless you awkwardly claw the left Joy-Con…
I’d say it’s more of a Solbrain/Shatterhand kind of thing? Maybe just due to the non-ninja/supernatural factor.
Still definitely one of those ‘not quite a classic but very solid’ lost NES games. And is super expensive to buy.
Vice: Project Doom is one of those games I ended up liking much more years later. At the time, I was getting burnt out on that style of NES game (after three Ninja Gaidens, Shadow of the Ninja, Kabuki Quantum Fighter, etc.). Now it’s one of my favourites on the system.
Nintendo’s decision to stop adding monthly games isn’t a good one, since now they have gotten the most popular games out of the way we could have begun to see more oddball choices like Vice Project Doom.
Disappointing how Konami isn’t licensing Super Bomberman games for the SNES app either! Imagine playing Super Bomberman 5 in five player tabletop mode without the fuss of needing a TV or multitap.
I wonder why they’ve moved away from the monthly format, even on the SNES app though.
It would be nice if they just licensed their back catalogue to Arika like they did the 3D Classics and we got individual releases like the Sega Ages games.
Bit disappointed to see this on Nintendo’s website - the grid paper used by many developers in the 80s when designing the art for Famicom software wasn’t perfect squares - pixels were just dot points.
This seems like a good thread revival option for the release of N64 and Genesis/Mega Drive games onto Switch Online.
Cnet has an article with some info that lists some times Switch online will be down…
Looks like you can expect Online to be unavailable around 7PM EDT today. When it comes back, presumably the upgrade option will be there, and prorated for anyone who is already a member. I have Family and I think it renews in November so I should be able to test drive for a bit before the full $80 is required.
Also, N64 controllers have shipped! I got my notification just a few minutes ago, hence the update to this thread. I’m sure there will be a million impressions, all of them telling you how ridiculously expensive this all is, but I do plan to provide my impressions as well and I tend not to think about the cost as much as the content and possibility for the future of a full year of the new Expansion Pack service. I do play Animal Crossing (or did… my animals will be happy to see me again) so that’s a nice inclusion for me.
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Please do post impressions. I’m intrigued about emulation quality.
I’ll pick up controllers regardless I think.
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Will do. They sold out of N64 controllers right away. I saw the pre-order link within the first 20 minutes of availability so jumped right on it figuring they’d sell out too fast for me to actually decide if I wanted one or not. lol!
I wonder if there’ll be an adapter for the actual N64. God knows we’re in dire need of mint condition joysticks.
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Yikes. Controllers already scalp central on eBay.
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Yeah. It was one of those “If I see it, I buy it” situations because I knew that would happen. Nintendo has been good about restocking over time. They did that with the SNES and NES ones, but it may be awhile.
Just got my N64 controller!!! Need to hook it up to a PC at some point but it feels very faithful to the original - plastics quality is honestly spot on, and the new buttons are polished to a sheen!
It’s also nice having a fresh analogue stick but I can’t really post impressions of how it is to use yet.
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Regarding the N64 emulation quality, it looks like Nintendo hasn’t fixed some of the issues which plagued Wii U VC, so I’d be interested in hearing how the following are:
- Analogue stick calibration (this was borked on Wii U with huge deadzones)
- Image quality (antialiasing? Three point texture filtering)
- Input latency (really bad on Wii U - made triple jumps hard to pull off consistently in Mario 64)
I did see some image comparison of Ocarina of Time missing the fog and transparencies under the water in the Water Temple which doesn’t bode well for emulation accuracy here.
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