I don’t understand the Nintendo Switch. How many do I need for a family of gamers?
They are a personal device like a gameboy.
There is a TV version for party games.
The games may or may not be shareable, even with the physical games.
Assume the ideal usage is during screen time on a weekend.
I have been avoiding buying one as I don’t understand them. Thinking of getting them soon.
I assume one OLED for the family and then a portable per person, then one copy of each game per device.
How is this affordable?
We got a switch when it first came out, that was the only switch we had as a family for a while. It was shared just like any other console. Games like Mario Kart are just as playable on one switch as they are on prior platforms, if you buy more controllers.
Eventually, as the kids got older, we got them switch lites so they could play games on their own. Physical cartridges are definitely sharable, the only catch is that (of course) you can only play one copy at a time and some games have an online/group play component that you can’t experience with one cartridge. So, for instance, Animal Crossing has one island per switch, so if you have two switches in the household you could swap the cart back and forth and both switches can play the game by swapping the cartridge, but characters from one can’t visit the other unless both games are running at the same time. We have bought an embarrassing number of Animal Crossing carts.
Digital copies are tied to a Nintendo account. You can only have one “primary” switch attached to the account. That Switch will be able to run the games on the account without phoning home first. If that account is logged into other switches, they do get access to the games, but only if the non-primary switch has internet access to validate that the game is not being played by any other switch on the account. (I ran into this issue whe I wanted to play the BOTW DLC on a second switch on airplanes; I ultimately had to create a second account to buy it a second time on that switch to prevent it from phoning home).
Digital copies also download the entire game into storage, while physical copies have the game in cartridge ROM and much less is stored locally. Getting a Digital copy of a large game might fill up most of your storage. This is why I still prefer cartridges, especially now that my kids are older and don’t lose them anymore.
How is it affordable? It’s not, we eat a lot of ramen.
Hope this helps!
Thank you!
I appreciate your sharing so much detail.
I don’t think my kids can handle memorized passwords and keeping accounts secure yet.
Once an account is set up on a switch your kids will not need to remember password to access it. From what I recall the only time you might have to recall the password is to add funds to the account to buy games on the shop.
There is a companion parental control app that allows you limit screen time or access hours and filter games by age rating. You’ll still have full access to the console through a quick passcode.
If they’re that young, they definitely don’t need their own Switch.
You only really need an account to get DLC, but I suppose it’s necessary these days. If you only have one switch for the family than you can make that account yourself. The kids would not have to have their own online accounts until they want to pay for their own content. (As I recall, Nintendo requires additional verification steps for accounts for under 13s, anyway. I think they require a $1 fee just to “prove” an adult approves the account.).
And one thing I forgot is that if there are DLC/digital copies active on a primary switch, all accounts can use it. So you can install those and anyone can play. Then, if they ever get their own devices and let you log in and download all that content, they will be able to use it, subject to phone-home provisions. Unless they buy their own copies on their own accounts – then they will be able to use the DLC without phoning home.
Just buy one switch and maybe a few extra controllers, and plug it into the living room tv. You’re making this way more complicated than it needs to be
Yeah, also with physical games, it might be possible to save money, unless they all want to play the same game at the same time.
Yes, they can be a personal device like a game boy, but they can also be a shared device.
The regular Nintendo Switch (and I think the OLED one) can be played handheld or docked (aka. plugged into the TV). I’d recommend this version.
The Nintendo Switch Lite cannot be plugged into the TV, and is also harder to play multiplayer with other people in the same room. So avoid the “Lite”.
The controllers on the regular Nintendo Switch are removable. This means that you can buy a console and have two controllers for some games. Some games require more buttons, so each player would need a pair, but some simpler games like Mario Kart or Mario Party can be played with just one half (aka. Joy-Con).
The games are generally sharable between consoles and within consoles.
Between consoles: The cartridges will work no matter how many consoles you swap it between. Only the console with the game inserted will be able to play the game. However, the saved games (progression in a game) are usually saved to a console, not the cartridge.
(The same holds true for digital games only if the account that bought the game is connected to a console. Accounts can be connected to multiple consoles. An account can only be logged in to one console at a time, so ALL digitally-owned games on that account are locked to one console at a time…but if they aren’t logged in, then the another console can log in and play the digital games. So no multiplayer, but taking turns playing the digital game on different consoles. Saves might be shared here, though)
Within consoles: Almost every game allows each profile on the console to have their own saved game. So you could buy one Pokemon game, and up to 8 people can have save files for that game. Depending on the game, they may not be able to play simultaneously (e.g. trading), but they can all have their own save files with their own progression.
So, what you suggested is overkill. Here’s my advice:
If you want family game time, you just need…
- One OLED Switch (connects to TV)
- Buy games physically if you foresee anyone wanting their own console in the future, or digitally if not
- Check if the games you’re buying can be played with a single Joy-Con. If so, the console comes with 2. If a player needs 2 Joy-Cons each, you have 1 controller with the console. Buy enough Joy-Cons or Pro Controllers (which are equivalent to a pair of Joy-Cons, but can’t be “split”) so that you have enough for all your players.
- This console can still be played handheld whenever someone wants solo game time or when someone else wants the TV.
This will allow everyone to play single-screen multiplayer games on your TV together. Note that most games allow up to 4 players at once. More is rare.
Or, if you’ve got older kids who want their own individual games that they’ll play independently at the same time, it gets more complicated. But here’s what I’d suggest.
- Get at least one dockable (non-Lite) Switch in the family. This Switch “gets” access to the TV, but may also have to “share” for family multiplayer time.
- Get Switch Lites for anyone who REALLY needs to be playing something else independently when the TV/“main” Switch is in use
- Get physical games: Any kid can play it in any console, and as long as they’re on the console that has their profile, they can continue their saved game. You DON’T need multiple copies of any game except in very rare scenarios.
Having extra consoles is rarely necessary to play games together. The only time they’d need It is if they’re playing games online together and the game doesn’t offer split-screen. Maybe Fortnite? But then they can take turns, unless you really want to buy separate consoles, lol
Please ask any follow up questions you have. I’d be glad to help clarify anything! Typing this up was surprisingly fun, lol
Back in my day I had to share a single console with my siblings. We had to take turns playing single-player games. This can be fine, and can even be a bonding activity. I’m not sure if it’s “ideal”, but nothing is. Most likely your kids will outgrow the Switch soon anyway, or they could not even like it to start with, so don’t go overboard buying them each a console. You can decide in the future to buy more if you want, but the new Nintendo device is also on the way, so that’s something to think about.
That makes sense! I was picturing a scenario where each kid was begging for a Switch.
If there are two kids who each want to play their own games independently (or niche cases like they really want to trade Pokemon together or play games online together that can’t be played with couch co-op), then having multiple devices would be important. Of course, it depends on where the budget is, lol
Buying two SNES consoles would be crazy. Buying two Game Boys probably happened in some households.
Yeah, good point. The Switch isn’t just a console. I guess that’s probably why it’s portable; to sell one for each child. We did each have our own Game Boy in my household, mostly I think to make road trips less hell.
I personally stick to only physical games since they cost the same, but are stored on the cartridge, meaning I don’t have to upgrade my switch’s measly 32GB of storage.
The Switch is an insane device to me. It’s been underpowered before it launched, but 32GB storage? I had flash drives twice that size when the Switch came out. What the fuck?
I also prefer physical games. I have very few digital games on my Switch – only for massive digital-only sales, or for games that had limited physical runs that I missed. Or when I didn’t know a game had a physical release, lol
Some people prefer digital games, and I get it. Especially with kids who might break, lose, or “trade” physical games.
This is excellent advice 🙂
The only part I might disagree with is this:
Get Switch Lites for anyone who REALLY needs to be playing something else independently when the TV/“main” Switch is in use
Obviously only if the budget allows, but if your kids are at the age where they’ll take their Switch when they visit friends or family, then the version with detachable controllers is probably better.
The Switch has a built in kick stand, and some games, like Mario Kart, let you disconnect the controllers and have one each for a two player game. It’s handy for keeping the kids quiet for a bit, and you don’t need to carry loads of stuff.
If the kids regularly go somewhere, like your parents perhaps, you can buy an extra dock to plug into the TV there, and the non lite Switch can use it in exactly the same way as the one at home. There’s nothing special about the dock, it essentially just connects the Switch to the TV.
It’s a great little console with some fun, if sometimes expensive games. I play mine probably as much as my kid plays theirs 🙂
Great addition! I was trying to keep budget in mind, but truthfully, I don’t know the price difference.
It’d be good for OP to know the different capabilities of what the Lite vs. the other consoles can/can’t do. But I think my comment was long enough as it is! Haha
This was an amazing and informative answer. Thank you.
I assume one OLED for the family and then a portable per person
Stop. Don’t buy anything yet.
What do you mean “one portable”? Do you mean a non-OLED Switch? Do you mean a Switch Lite? Do you mean a pair of Joy-Cons? Do you mean a single Joy-Con?
My family has 3 Switches. I bought a launch system, my wife bought another of that type, gave it to our kid, then bought an OLED for herself.
So, you don’t need more Switches than the number of people (unless you’re planning to host Animal Crossing treasure islands, which, you’re probably not).
We had a Switch Lite, but it was redundant since we each had a regular/OLED, so we sold it.
Why not just start with one and go from there? Get the OLED if you’re planning to primarily play handheld, or if faster loading times are super important to you.
Since it sounds like you are just getting into this, it may be helpful to know that Nintendo has confirmed that there will be a 2nd version of the device and it is likely to have full backwards compatibility (meaning it will play all of the games from version 1).
The release dates for this device are likely to be announced soon.
So if you can wait, you could either get the newest version or you could get the current version for a big discount.
Thank you! Great to know.
Buy one for the living room, oled or standard. Then, if requests / frustrations about playing asynchronously piles up. Consider buying another for the most invested of all. Take physical copies also. They’re easier to share.
I started with just one, and was buying digital games. I quickly found as each child gets to 6-7, they need their own switch. So I’m sitting at 4 right now, and agree hard on physical games.
If you want extra controllers I recommend the 8-bit-do controllers. They are cheaper than Nintendo. The ones I have work on switch, Xbox, pc, android, iOS, etc. they also sell a dongle to work on many more consoles. (I use the dongle on Linux and allows me to play wireless).
I already agree with most of the comments here, just wanted to add info about 3rd party controllers.
The ones I have work on switch, Xbox, pc, android, iOS, etc.
Is there a single controller that I can use on switch, Xbox and pc?
That’s literally what they said.
They said “the ones I have”, as in multiple. So I was wondering if all of them connect to everything, or each connect to some. That’s because I went on the 8bitdo website and I looked at several categories. The Xbox ones listed only various Xbox models under connectivity, the Bluetooth ones only listed Switch, the 2.4G and wired ones only listed Windows and Android.
Yeah, that would be an Xbox controller.
You then need to buy a dongle for the Switch, and that’s what the guy above is talking about. If you do that, you can play on all your mentioned devices with only one controller.
Sharing one device should be fine. What games are you trying to play?
Minecraft, Mario, … I have no idea after that.
I’ve just checked the boxes, and Minecraft, Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, and Mario Kart Deluxe 8 all support one player on the Switch Lite, up to four through the TV, and up to four on the non lite Switch 👍
Thank you for checking!!
No problem, hope you all enjoy your gaming 🙂
One but buy extra controllers so 4 people can play Mario Kart, etc together.
Edit: btw I had the same confusion over the switch which caused me not to buy it for years. Last year someone visiting with their child expressed the same confusion.
The best thing about the Switch is that a lot of the games are group party games. Get one switch, hook it up to the TV, get an extra controller package which means you’ll have enough controllers for 4 people since each side is a full controller on its own, and buy Mario Party. Let the good times roll.
Do you play the same games together often? In that case unless it is a couch co-op game (some are) you would need a second switch with the same game.
You can have multiple profiles on a switch and can share games between profiles on that switch. If it’s physical you can just play that game on any switch on any profile (just whoever has the cartridge). If it’s digital, if you buy it on the primary profile of a certain switch (make sure you do this) then all the other profiles on that switch can play that game too. If you want to share digital games between different switches it’s more complicated, but it requires cloud syncing and some other shenanigans I couldn’t explain.
They are all portable but you might be talking about the switch light which doesn’t have removable controllers. If you have a tv one for everyone, the you either need the controllers from the other switches or extra controllers (joy con style or normal controller style) to play together. Some games can be a lot of fun to play on the tv together. Check how many people a game can play.
I hope I answers some of your questions.
Thank you!
I appreciate that you listed off various ways to share games all in one place. Many guides I have seen handle the methods piecemeal, and I thought they overlapped morw.
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If we’re talking about actual need, the answer is zero. The Nintendo Switch does not feature on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
But how many OP should buy depends on how much they’re willing to spend. One is enough for family games and taking turns. If everyone wants their own to play head-to-head multiplayer, yeah you’ll have to shell out for multiple consoles.
I guess ultimately it depends on what kind of games your family likes
As you mention, party games you only need one. If your family’s into single player or portables then each person needs one
How is it affordable? Well, it isn’t really. Although I guess a switch probably retails for about half the cost of a PS5
It’s funny though, if you compare it to other consoles, I think people are far less likely to buy an Xbox or Playstation for each family member. And yet, people would do that for the gameboy and DS without batting an eye. The switch is trying to be everything, for better or worse.
When we got ours, we were pretty content having just one and then playing party games or taking turns on single player games. Sooner or later though, we had to get another so we could play pokemon together. Which is a shame because my interest in pokemon seems to have suddenly fallen off a cliff and now my switch is collecting dust
So I guess all that to say: your mileage may vary
Oh yeah, and if you want any online services, you’ll want to look up what those cost. I don’t know if they offer a family discount for multiple accounts
There is a slightly more expensive family version of NSO that you can add up to 8 users to
I’ve found codes for the family pass on legit key selling sites for around the same price as an individual key, so it’s worth checking before you buy 👍
You can put multiple accounts on the same device. My wife and I share one switch.
We used to have one per person, but I don’t play as much and we hardly play at the same time so I sold my other switch.
Physical games are sharable but it also means you can only play one device per cartridge at one time. So with games with only 1 save slot, you should get more physical cartridges.
Digital games are locked to the account that bought it. Anyone can play it, but if it has one save slot, then that will be the biggest issue.
Thank you. It had seemed physical games are also locked to an account, but I am learning that is not how it works.
If you have multiple profiles set up on one switch, before you start a game it will ask you which profile is playing. Any save info for that gaming session will be tied to that profile. Anyone with a Switch can use the physical media with the caveat that only one person can be playing it at a time. Now if you buy the games online, you won’t need the physical media, but the game is tied to the account. As for cost, well it can get expensive and my family usually reserved the large purchases for things like birthdays or christmas. If I had a nickel for every dollar I have spent on gaming systems over the years, I would be able to retire. :)
Any save info for that gaming session will be tied to that profile.
That is pretty great. No more remembering who has slot 3 on which game.
I have one and my kids share it with me, but considering a second. They support profiles. My son plays it on the couch while my daughter watches her shows, and then they’ll put it on the tv and play Mario kart together.
