It Shouldn't Have to Keep Being Like This: Switch OLED Preorders / Steam Deck (Bonus Blog)

Switch OLED

So a couple of days ago, 7/15/21 at around 1 PM MDT, preorders for the Switch OLED went live at most retailers. I was prepared. I was at my computer at work with all the windows open: Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, Target, Wal-Mart (yes, I alphabetized them on purpose). 1 PM came and... nothing. Best Buy still said "Coming Soon". GameStop changed from "Coming Soon" to "Not Available" before 1 PM even rolled over. About 15 or so minutes later, I actually had one in my cart at GameStop, but when I checked out, nothing. Best Buy was still Coming Soon several minutes after refreshing, so I went on my break and kept trying. Amazon and Wal-Mart didn't even list theirs at all. 

My break was over, and I had to go back to work, but I kept trying Best Buy while shelving. I'd see a preorder button appear, click it and then be met with a grey Please Wait button instead. Best Buy was trying something new, making people 'wait in line' but waiting for the button to reappear and then try again. Well, after almost a half hour of doing this while shelving, I came back to my computer and tried again. Finally, I got one in the cart and tried to check out, but when I did, it said "Please pick a store". Apparently, Best Buy was only doing store pick up, and my default store didn't have any available. So, I clicked on Find a Store and was met with a message saying no store in 250 miles was available. I gave up on Best Buy after trying an additional 20 minutes. I went home for lunch and just felt defeated. 

But then the funniest thing happened while I was laying down reading. After being so involved in Best Buy, I completely forgot about Target. When after refreshing them a little after 1, Target kept saying Coming Soon, but while I was reading, I got a sudden urge to check their site again, so I whipped out my phone, opened my Target tab, searched for the OLED, and there it was. I wanted the White model, but that was gone. The Red/Blue was still there so I went for it. I had it in my cart, went to check out, then was met with a prompt to reenter my credit card number, and then hilarity ensued! In a panic, I ended up ejecting all my credit cards across my bed. Scrambling for the one I wanted, I put it in after several fumbling attempts and then finally after entering the CCV, got the order in and had shipping confirmation! YES! Target saved me! I was sure I was going to lose it having wasted a minute or two trying to reconfirm my credit card number, but maybe that prompt was what saved me. Maybe they were holding it for me at that point, or maybe a thousand scalpers got tripped up at that point as well. Who knows? All I know is that I landed one!

Now, my goal was to get the white model because there's just something sexy about white on black. I also really wanted to try to secure it from Amazon, because I have a Visa Rewards card and I get 5X cash back from Amazon, so that would be about 19 dollars back. That would have taken some of the sting out of having to pay an extra 50 for this Switch, but at the time, I was just happy I got a Red/Blue from Target. But then yesterday, 7/16/21, I get a text from my good friend saying that preorders FINALLY went live on Amazon. Of course, I checked the text eight minutes after he sent it and of course, they were already gone. Not really that bummed out, I went back to work, but then about five minutes later, just like how I got that sudden thought to check Target, I got that thought to refresh the page. I had my tab open on the white model, and there it was! Pre-order to cart! I clicked it, confirmed purchase, and got it! I got the model I wanted where I wanted it and now I can get a bit of discount off it. 

So yes, I was lucky. Everything turned out fine. Everything turned out fine when I was trying to preorder a PS5 .Everything turned out fine, much better actually when I tried to secure an Xbox Series X. Why, then, do I always get like this when system preorders happen? This is the third time in 10 months that I've had to deal with this. I should be getting used it to it, but I need to be honest with myself. I'm a victim of FOMO. I would have been FINE without the Switch OLED, but then the thought of not being able to play Switch games on a nice bright crisp OLED while everyone else was really started to bug me, and I feel like a hypocrite as I just talked about this in my previous blog. I said I wasn't going to get one because it was overpriced and not needed, but then the thought of missing out just took over. This shouldn't have been like the PS5, because the PS5 is an entirely new system with new features and games, so I understood the demand. I also saw nothing but "I'm not getting this!" from people online, yet they're all gone. Obviously, the scalpers played a large part in it. 

It shouldn't have to keep being like this. For starters, retailers have GOT to implement better systems to ease the purchasing process and fight off scalpers. At least some are trying. Best Buy did the "Please wait" button and did store pick up only (which screwed me over), and Target made me reenter my credit card number. Amazon decided to be late to the party, so there's a good chance that people got tired of waiting on Amazon that opened up a window of opportunity for me to get one, but it's still chaos. A new system should not be selling out within minutes. If the retailers aren't going to put a stop to these scalpers, then the only other option would be to push back preorders until several million more units are available. Make it so that people who try to scalp have so much stock that it becomes worthless. But man, I miss the days where had several DAYS to just stroll into a game store and preorder a new system after it was announced, but the scalpers have really ruined that. 

Steam Deck

And while arrogant Nintendo suckered us intopaying 50 dollars more for a Switch with a slightly better screen, Valve nonchalantly announced the Steam Deck, an absolute behemoth of a machine that really makes the Switch look pathetic. The base model is also only 50 dollars more than the Switch, but the high end model is 650 dollars, more than twice the price of an original Switch. The initial reaction is that because there's a much more powerful machine for just a little bit more that the Switch is in serious trouble, especially if you believe everyone telling you that everyone's just going to get a Steam Deck instead of a Switch and just emulate the games. Honestly, Nintendo is going to lose a few customers, but I don't think the Switch is doomed. In fact, I think the people who are trying to say it's doomed are just a very loud minority. Let's take a look at the Steam Deck.

I'm not going to break down the specs, because I'm not really the type of person that understands them much. I just want to point out a couple of obvious things with the design. Look at the d-pad and the face button's positions. They are so high up in the corners, along with the sticks that it seems like it'll be uncomfortable. Also, it's one solid unit; the controllers can't detach. A lot of people like the Switch for its hybrid set ups and Joy-Con customization, and the Steam Deck offers nothing for them. 

It also has another problem: memory. The base model only has 64 gigs, but if want 512 gigs, you'll need to buy the pricey 650 dollar unit. The Switch has memory problems, too, but as Steam Deck is digital-only, that means it's a turn off to anyone who likes to collect their games in physical format. Yes, you can play your games much better on the Steam Deck, but you can't display them on your shelves. Believe it or not, physical is still a real big deal for a lot of people. 

The market is also completely different. Again, some people looking to get a Switch will now pass it over for this, and some will just emulate Switch games, but Nintendo has a lot of loyalists. We are just so damned eager to throw money at Nintendo at every opportunity. How many just bought Skyward Sword again for 10 dollars more than when it first came out? *raises hand* Yeah, the emulation community is no threat to the Switch. The Steam Deck is primarily aimed at PC gamers, and the PC market was never in competition with Switch. Being in a portable form still doesn't change that.  

Also, Valve, while they have made a few games of their own, aren't seen as a major game publisher like Sony, MS and Nintendo, so the Steam Deck honestly has no real identity. Sony markets with God of War and Horizon. MS markets with Halo and GamePass. Nintendo markets with Mario and Zelda. All Valve has to market is power, and historically Nintendo has never been beaten in the handheld market by more powerful hardware. This isn't to say that the Steam Deck is DOA. Far from it. It will be successful. Whether it will be successful enough to put a dent into Nintendo's market is something we're just going to have to wait and see, but I don't see it happening. It'll be a niche device that I honestly don't see lasting longer than the Vita. 

PC and consoles have coexisted since the 8-bit days, and they'll continue to coexist well into the future. Anyone who keeps trying to say that "this is the last console generation" is just fooling themselves. The massive success of the PS5 and Switch, and hell, even the Xbox given the fact that you can play all their games on PC anyway, have proved it. I believe the Steam Deck and Switch will coexist for several years, but its presence should make Nintendo reconsider their business model regarding making cheap underpowered hardware. Nintendo should pay close attention to how well this Steam Deck does and if the Deck ends up being a runaway success, Nintendo should view Valve as a potential threat and begin to work on a more serious machine. As much as I love Nintendo, it's simply embarrassing to see such an underpowered machine still sell for upwards of 300 dollars. We deserve better, and we need someone to finally kick Nintendo's ass. Valve, the ball's in your court but you have got a LOT of work to do. 

We Need to Stop Hyping Things Up

 "I bet this is about the Nintendo Switch OLED."

Yes, you're correct.

So Nintendo finally unveiled the New Nintendo Switch, or the Super Nintendo Switch, or the Nintendo Switch Pro, or the ... whatever names were being passed around. Except, it wasn't. The only thing the rumor mill got right was the 7 inch OLED screen, built-in LAN adapter and the wider stand. The LAN adapter and stand should have been something included with the original Switch in my opinion, and I'd even argue Nintendo should have gone with OLED from the very start, but we all know Nintendo makes their hardware as cheap as they can and they just upgrade it later. To say this particular model is what it is is no surprise, but it's also clearly disappointing. 

I'm not exactly sure where the power upgrade rumors came from. Maybe whoever got the word on the screens thought this would just be the next step, or maybe Nintendo is planning for a more powerful Switch next year. Considering Sony and MS did mid-generation refreshes after three and four years respectively, and Nintendo has refreshed the 3DS with the New 3DS, it was only logical to assume that the next Switch would be a more powerful version. I mean, the Switch is more than four years old now. Even the most die-hard fans can at least admit the hardware is getting long in the tooth. 

So, we're not getting a better processor. We're not getting 4K output. We're not getting DLSS or any other bells and whistles, just what's going to be a beautiful 7 inch OLED screen. This means Age of Calamity is still going to stutter like crazy. Wolfenstein 2 will still look terrible in TV mode. We won't get a lot of games that should be running in 60 FPS on handheld. Nope, just a better screen. Oh yeah, and for 50 dollars more. Yep, it will retail for 350 dollars on October 8th. This is great for people who don't currently own a Switch, as they can spend a little extra money and get a much better screen. To be honest, I think a good number of original Switch owners will probably take the dive and upgrade on this model to not only get the better screen, but the better battery life. Not me, though. I didn't get the V2. I didn't get the Lite (as there's just no reason aside from saving a hundred bucks to buy that mistake), and I certainly won't get this one. Although there is a slight tug in me to buy it for the OLED screen, it's just not going to be worth it for me when Age of Calamity will still run like complete crap. That's not what I want to pay Nintendo extra money for. 

We're disappointed, and this keeps happening, so who's at fault? I don't think any one person is to blame. You could say the biggest culprit is games media as they get wind of anything they think will get clicks and run with it. You could blame the companies for being so secretive and never confirming or denying anything. We can even blame ourselves for thinking that the rumors were going to be true knowing that there's a long history of rumors surrounding Nintendo products that many times don't turn out to be true. It's just we've been waiting a long time for a more powerful Switch, so much so that we started assuming that no denying rumors was the same as confirming them. 

But we need to not just stop hyping up Nintendo, but just hype all around. Sony and Microsoft have fallen to this numerous times. Every new system Sony preps they routinely oversell. The PS2 having Toy Story graphics, remember that? The Killzone 2 demo anyone? MS hyping up the Xbox One's TV and Kinect features? Halo Infinite at launch for Xbox Series S|X? And it's not even just the platform holders, but publishers in general. I can't count the amount of times publishers have upsold games only for them to underperform, nor do I want to spend the time to list them and bloat this blog, but when I talk about a hyped game disappointing people, the first game that should come to everyone's minds is Cyberpunk 2077. That was probably the biggest mess of a game since No Man's Sky, but what's concerning is that even after watching that game crash and burn, people are just not learning. They're STILL hyping themselves up for new releases such as Elden Ring and Starfield. Gamers are still getting pissed at delays, and it's a double-edged sword. The game comes out rushed, they'll complain about it being bad. It gets delayed, they'll complain about not being able to play it now. 

It's frustrating to see my community act this way, but I won't speak holier than thou, because I've acted this way myself. Some of my gamer friends witnessed me losing it when Animal Crossing: New Horizons got delayed. That was a huge blow to me, because it actually affected my plans for that year as I just bought my mom a Switch in order to play with her. It was one of the few times where me wanting a game so badly turned into an unreasonable need, but after a couple of days, I mellowed out and to be honest, the silver lining was the game coming out at the onset of the COVID shutdowns, which saved millions of people's sanity. 

How do we deal with this, then? How can we change our thinking and stop setting ourselves up for disappointment? Well, first rule would be to stop listening to games media. Read the articles and watch the YouTube videos to get informed, but stop buying into opinions of whether or not things will be real. Wait for official confirmation from the companies, and DON'T accept "neither confirm nor deny" as actual confirmation. Second rule would be - and this is a tough one for many - to be happy with what you have. I've been loving my Switch so far, and yeah, I could use a new screen, but I've really had no problems with the screen I have now. What I really wanted was more power so graphics on the screen could look better, so this makes it easier for me to say no to this new model. But, many gamers are just going to throw away (not literally) the current hardware because they just have to keep upgrading; nothing is ever good enough for them. This is a huge ongoing problem in the cellphone industry. 

You should also try to understand the concept of not needing to restrict yourself to only playing new games. There are tens of thousands of games out there worth your time, so when a game you're hyping yourself up for gets delayed, take a deep breath, and go find a game you wanted to play six months ago, a year, two years ago, and go play it. Also, if a highly anticipated game finally came out and isn't hitting the mark, don't feel obligated to still play it just because you've been waiting so long for it. That's not justification to play an average game, and that's why I'm still going to wait on Biomutant, I want them to work a little bit more on patching the game and since I've been waiting as long as I have, I can wait a little more for a PS5 version. 

So yeah, I was a bit disappointed that this new Switch was not the model I wanted, and I should have learned already not to fall for the rumors. It's just everything was lined up so well, I really couldn't believe it would NOT be the Pro. How I'm going to take this disappointing news is be thankful that I don't have to buy another system this year. I'm still putting money back in the bank from last year's PS5 and Xbox Series X purchases, and don't even getting me started on those hype-related disappointments. That's an entirely separate blog. Anyway, if you have a current Switch, I hope you have enough willpower to hold out for the more powerful one, but if you've always wanted a Switch, well, this would probably be a great time to finally get one. Enjoy that OLED screen!