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A week with a Nintendo Switch showed me what I actually want out of a Mobile Device
So I picked up a Switch last week to reconnect with console gaming after spending years only iOS Gaming and playing on Hypixel and Cubecraft in Minecraft on my Mac.
It's difficult to describe just how profoundly happy I am with this device and how it operates, other than that I feel like I'm actually receiving some nutrition from my interactions with it, rather than the empty calories I was scraping by with before.
I had just bought a 10.5" iPad Pro in December, but now it seems to pale in comparison to the value I'm getting out of the Switch.
So, I'm trying to nail down why exactly that is for me.
1) I think, first of all, the fact that it can be easily docked to connect through HDMI to any screen of any size, while being able to be taken out at any time to operate as a self contained mobile device without interrupting what I'm doing is basically what I want for every computing device I own from this point forward.
2) This is essentially a single purpose device built for gaming. It has detachable wireless controllers on what is basically a touch screen tablet. I guess for this point, I have to point out the clear strength of this is it eliminates distractions on the device itself, not only because I am not being interrupted with notifications while focusing on gaming, but also, as a single purpose device, it hones my focus psychologically on the realm of gaming. It creates a completely clear mental space for me to get as deeply involved in the mechanics and themes even on an almost emotional level possible.
3) The platform will not break the games or the hardware over time. Unlike yearly iOS and hardware updates which are incentivizing Apple to constantly break everything, any game I buy for the Switch will work in the distant future. I didn't truly comprehend what this meant before. The reason apps are so cheap for iOS on the whole is because the cost to even pick up an Apple device is so high, not just because of its obvious price tag, but also because the buyer knows that the device will quickly start depreciating and be considered out of date the following year. Software devs are forced to focus on the lowest common denominator of the devices which are considered "current", which also changes every year. This means that nearly all apps are not developed to the capabilities of the highest end device, as that would ignore the vast majority of the market. The cost of this constantly overturning ecosystem is so high that people don't seem to want to spend more than a dollar on an app, if that, and it has created a situation where iOS ultimately can't attract the amount of depth and quality of software a single definitive platform with at least a 4 year lifespan before its next iteration can bring. So while using the Switch, I feel a general sense of security with it, which is alleviating some active underlying stress I have from using the iPad.
Now, considering those points, these are my take aways from this experience:
1) I want as many single purpose devices as I have categories of interests, and I want those devices to be built with features for that purpose, but have an online store and ecosystem for apps to use that platform. I want basically something exactly like the switch, but instead of detachable controllers, I'd want a detachable drum pad, keyboard, and audio interface. Maybe this would already be possible with the Switch itself, and obviously a version of Korg Gadget is coming to the system, but I would want another purpose built system focused on distraction free music production, that would have its own appstore and even software on SD type cartridges like the Switch has, and would support many brands and types of music software. I would want a separate device for photography and its apps, another for drawing, another for reading, and even another for generalized computing. It just seems much better for distraction free use, but also lets me get much deeper mentally and emotionally into what I'm working on.
2) I am apparently seriously unsatisfied with Apple's financial model and the ecosystem its incentives create for the ipad. I'm not sure generalized one-size-fits-all for every possible situation devices are necessarily a better future, nor do I think the amount of time wasted constantly updating to new devices on this treadmill is worth it for me longterm. Apple's approach seems to have been to simplify and generalize their devices and interactions with them, and this has severely distorted the marketplace for all apps on their devices. I want the highest quality apps on my portable music making device possible, but devs of such software understand that they don't exist for benefit of Apple shareholders, so sensibly stick with platforms which won't throw them into Apple's financial gauntlet.
3) As mentioned, I want my computing devices to be dock-able to any screen in my house, have controls for the device that make it usable in both situations, as well as being touchscreen capable as well. Apple's hard stance on either only touch or only mouse is simply not defensible for me anymore.
Comments
Do you have Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey? The two best videogames of 2017 right there!
I've got Mario Odyssey and Splatoon 2 incoming hopefully today.
So far I've got Mario Kart Deluxe 8, Rocket League, Enter the Gungeon, Overcooked, and Human Fall Flat.
I really love them all, especially because of the couch co-op/multiplayer capabilities.
I'm waiting on Zelda until I beat Mario, as per my tradition.
I have a lot of sympathy with this argument. However, I feel it’s only fair to point out that two elements would contribute to an enhanced connection with iPad musicmaking: self-discipline and Airplane Mode. Unfortunately, I only have one of these, so I am still regularly distracted.
Until you put korg gadget on it
I definitely always go as far as disabling wi-fi altogether when I really want to get something done on my iPad.
I do have self-discipline generally, but there is the constant draw of what else I could possible be doing with the device in the back of my mind that is completely lacking when using the Switch, and I think it effects my capability to focus as deeply as possible.
Until I had this experience, I didn't realize just how far past my breaking point I was on this, and was just kind of going through the motions wishing this would hopefully change for me eventually. This event caused me to lose that overall hope I was living on.
I don't think I'll get rid of my iPad, although it is the most expensive Logic Pro Remote I've ever owned, but my eyes are wandering.
The worlds shall not collide!
For me, if a ton of music apps came out for Switch, and audio interfaces and performance pads, I would get a separate Switch just for that.
If they figure out a way to create an entire music studio out of Labo cardboard, I'm in.
Definitely best kept apart...I used to have a combined music/gaming PC.......the music nearly died. I'll have a quick go on this before I start that....3 hours later !!!
Have done both Zelda and Mario...both awesome.....not impressed though with what seems to be in the expansions for Zelda, not bought or played them but they do not seem to add an awful lot to what is there already.
Now patiently waiting for Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze....another few months yet...
I get what you are saying though about the switch, it is a very well thought out and designed piece of kit with the simplicity ofthe docking being one of its main strong points....I wish i could dock my iPad as simply for music making.....in theory plugging everything into a USB hub...and then just connecting to that to 'dock' works...but in practice not so much, some apps cope with it...some don't....
I pray for an app that lets me use an AU when standalone, but automatically routes to a physical MIDI device (if I want to) instead when 'docked'
That's why a purpose made device similar to the Switch for music production with the proper connections built in would be such a game changer I think, as long as the system is similarly opened to third party/independent devs.
I have pretty much had it with the IAP free-to-pay/pay-to-win culture on iOS, so I'm definitely going to collect the iOS games I like when they come to Switch, usually with actually functional multiplayer, and drop iOS gaming altogether.
I feel much better paying a livable wage/decent price for a game as it incentivizes devs to push themselves to a higher level, which then pays me back with higher quality experiences ultimately. The race to the bottom system we have exists purely on the false optimism of devs choosing to play the iOS appstore lottery.
I didn't use to feel this way, but one experience with a well designed device and ecosystem and I've been completely reset to appreciate models which promote quality and the prices required to promote it.
My current list at the moment, after Mario and Zelda, is Mario + Rabbids, Bayonetta 2, Arms, Snipperclips, Shovel Knight, Steamworld series, Stardew Valley, Minecraft, Super Meat Boy, and then open ended from there.
That’s why I play games on my Sony Vita over any games on iOS - they just work! Yes, they are sometimes more expensive, but Sony have great sales.
I’m all for devices meant for purpose. I know one day my iPad will have to be disconnected and run until it’s battery gives way or it dies a death - then it’s on to pastures new.
Apropos of nothing: http://www.korgforums.com/forum/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=113376&sid=3b67de79b8f3e3e663b832a7eaa18700
Sounds like you want a music machine that can be expanded and modified at will but all it does is music. But it also sounds like one factor is of a mental nature and that’s the tendency to get distracted. You can solve that yourself. The music machines are out there
To be honest I have 0 games on my iPad. So no distractions on that front at all. It’s pretty much just for browsing the net and a musical sketch pad. My Alienware laptop is my portable gaming system and main portable music production system.