Questions from a new Nintendo Switch owner. ?

[GamerBlake]

Hi everyone!

 

I picked up a Nintendo Switch about 2 weeks ago, and while I love it a lot, I still have some questions:

 

1). When I bought my Switch I bought a Nintendo brand Micro SDXC (WAY overpriced $25 for 128GB )  because I wasn’t sure if there was some sort of proprietary software or something on it but it looks like any Micro SDXC/SDHC card will work..is this true?

 

2). If I have 2+ SD cards can I put some games on one and others on the second SD card? Or does it lock to one SD card and all the games must be put on that? I ask because it would be cool to only have to bring 2 Micro SDXC cards with all my digital games with me rather than bringing a bunch of different physical games.

 

3). What is the best kind of screen protector to get? I notice that while docking and undocking I tend to occasionally bump the Switch against the dock and I don’t want to get scratches. I have a tempered glass screen protector atm but is there a better one?

 

4). Lastly, is it better to buy digital or physical games? I know digital purchases get 5% back in Nintendo coins to put towards other purchases while physical games only get 1%, BUT having said that, I feel like buying digital games means I have to rely on Nintendo if I want to play them in the future. So far I’ve bought the physical copies of games I really want to be able to go back to over the years (like Zelda: BOTW) and I’ve bought digital copies of games that I like but don’t see myself playing 10 years from now (like Super Smash Ultimate & Mario Kart 8 Deluxe).

 

If anyone has knowledge or experience of the Switch or are Switch owners themselves I would really appreciate your input. I know everyone has different opinions on some of this stuff but hearing input from other people helps me make my own decision.

 

Thanks!

[TheBahrbarian]

7 minutes ago, GamerBlake said:

Hi everyone!

 

I picked up a Nintendo Switch about 2 weeks ago, and while I love it a lot, I still have some questions:

 

1). When I bought my Switch I bought a Nintendo brand Micro SDXC (WAY overpriced $25 for 128GB )  because I wasn’t sure if there was some sort of proprietary software or something on it but it looks like any Micro SDXC/SDHC card will work..is this true?

 

2). If I have 2+ SD cards can I put some games on one and others on the second SD card? Or does it lock to one SD card and all the games must be put on that? I ask because it would be cool to only have to bring 2 Micro SDXC cards with all my digital games with me rather than bringing a bunch of different physical games.

 

3). What is the best kind of screen protector to get? I notice that while docking and undocking I tend to occasionally bump the Switch against the dock and I don’t want to get scratches. I have a tempered glass screen protector atm but is there a better one?

 

4). Lastly, is it better to buy digital or physical games? I know digital purchases get 5% back in Nintendo coins to put towards other purchases while physical games only get 1%, BUT having said that, I feel like buying digital games means I have to rely on Nintendo if I want to play them in the future. So far I’ve bought the physical copies of games I really want to be able to go back to over the years (like Zelda: BOTW) and I’ve bought digital copies of games that I like but don’t see myself playing 10 years from now (like Super Smash Ultimate & Mario Kart 8 Deluxe).

 

If anyone has knowledge or experience of the Switch or are Switch owners themselves I would really appreciate your input. I know everyone has different opinions on some of this stuff but hearing input from other people helps me make my own decision.

 

Thanks!

1.) Nope, you can use any microSD

 

2.) Yeah you should be able to swap microSD cards out and play any game you want on the card you currently have in.

 

3.) I don't have a screen protector on mine, so I can't suggest one from personal experience. But, Dbrand, the company who makes phone skins, also makes screen protectors for the switch. They're a pretty great company and I have had good experiences with them, so I think their Switch screen protector is probably a safe bet (i don't know if its a glass screen protector or not).

 

4.) I don't really have an opinion on this. The only thing that is nice about the physical copies is you have the option of resale. Both to buy them used (which I have done before) but also so sell them down the road if you decide you don't want the game anymore. If you buy the digital copy of a game you're stuck paying full price and it's yours forever. 

[Silentprototipe]

1. Any brand of SD card works. Try going for a high class SD card tho

 

2. Swapping works 

 

3. Cant answer, dont run one on mine

 

4. My take on this is that the games you play the most should be bought in physical while the games you play the least should be digital

[GamerBlake]

1 minute ago, TheBahrbarian said:

1.) Nope, you can use any microSD

 

2.) Yeah you should be able to swap microSD cards out and play any game you want on the card you currently have in.

 

3.) I don't have a screen protector on mine, so I can't suggest one from personal experience. But, Dbrand, the company who makes phone skins, also makes screen protectors for the switch. They're a pretty great company and I have had good experiences with them, so I think their Switch screen protector is probably a safe bet (i don't know if its a glass screen protector or not).

 

4.) I don't really have an opinion on this. The only thing that is nice about the physical copies is you have the option of resale. Both to buy them used (which I have done before) but also so sell them down the road if you decide you don't want the game anymore. If you buy the digital copy of a game you're stuck paying full price and it's yours forever. 

Thanks for the info! I actually didn’t even think about resale value . Now I feel like an idiot for buying digital copies of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Smash Ultimate, Witcher 3 and Pokémon Sword.  

 

I’ll definitely go physical with any other games. I just hate having to wait for delivery .

[bellabichon]

5 minutes ago, GamerBlake said:

1). When I bought my Switch I bought a Nintendo brand Micro SDXC (WAY overpriced $25 for 128GB )  because I wasn’t sure if there was some sort of proprietary software or something on it but it looks like any Micro SDXC/SDHC card will work..is this true?

Unfortunately, it looks like you fell for some Nintendo marketing here. Any microSDXC or microSDHC card will work perfectly fine with the switch. I've been using this microSDXC from Samsung for about 6 months, with no problems.

7 minutes ago, GamerBlake said:

2). If I have 2+ SD cards can I put some games on one and others on the second SD card? Or does it lock to one SD card and all the games must be put on that? I ask because it would be cool to only have to bring 2 Micro SDXC cards with all my digital games with me rather than bringing a bunch of different physical games.

I haven't tried this, but I don't see why it wouldn't work. Just make sure that all your save data makes it to the right microSD card, and it should work perfectly fine.

8 minutes ago, GamerBlake said:

3). What is the best kind of screen protector to get? I notice that while docking and undocking I tend to occasionally bump the Switch against the dock and I don’t want to get scratches. I have a tempered glass screen protector atm but is there a better one?

Any tempered glass screen protector should work fine. I have this one from HORI, but as long as it's good quality, I wouldn't worry.

10 minutes ago, GamerBlake said:

4). Lastly, is it better to buy digital or physical games? I know digital purchases get 5% back in Nintendo coins to put towards other purchases while physical games only get 1%, BUT having said that, I feel like buying digital games means I have to rely on Nintendo if I want to play them in the future. So far I’ve bought the physical copies of games I really want to be able to go back to over the years (like Zelda: BOTW) and I’ve bought digital copies of games that I like but don’t see myself playing 10 years from now (like Super Smash Ultimate & Mario Kart 8 Deluxe).

This is mostly a matter of personal choice, but my system has always been: physical for AAA and official Nintendo games (so I can resell the cards in the future), but digital for indie games that are ported to the switch (Stardew Valley, etc).

[GamerBlake]

1 minute ago, Silentprototipe said:

1. Any brand of SD card works. Try going for a high class SD card tho

 

2. Swapping works 

 

3. Cant answer, dont run one on mine

 

4. My take on this is that the games you play the most should be bought in physical while the games you play the least should be digital

But I don’t know which games I’ll play the most until I buy them and play them.  

 

Like with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe I figured “This will be fun to play on rainy nights or boring days”, but then I played it and I got hooked and haven’t played anything else since then (I only bought it 4 days ago).

 

 

[TheBahrbarian]

Just now, GamerBlake said:

Thanks for the info! I actually didn’t even think about resale value . Now I feel like an idiot for buying digital copies of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Smash Ultimate, Witcher 3 and Pokémon Sword.  

 

I’ll definitely go physical with any other games. I just hate having to wait for delivery .

No I totally agree with you. I got Zelda BOTW and Smash digitally because I knew I would never want to get rid of them. But I got mario kart on ebay for like $40 because while I don't play it myself it's useful to have around for friends and such who want to play. And i don't mind going physical because my switch lives in its case that has little slots to hold the game cards.

[GamerBlake]

1 minute ago, bellabichon said:

Unfortunately, it looks like you fell for some Nintendo marketing here. Any microSDXC or microSDHC card will work perfectly fine with the switch. I've been using this microSDXC from Samsung for about 6 months, with no problems.

I haven't tried this, but I don't see why it wouldn't work. Just make sure that all your save data makes it to the right microSD card, and it should work perfectly fine.

Any tempered glass screen protector should work fine. I have this one from HORI, but as long as it's good quality, I wouldn't worry.

This is mostly a matter of personal choice, but my system has always been: physical for AAA and official Nintendo games (so I can resell the cards in the future), but digital for indie games that are ported to the switch (Stardew Valley, etc).

It wasn’t really the marketing that got me. I just assumed it which is my own fault. Fortunately it was only $25 which isn’t a huge loss especially since a different one would’ve only saved me like $8.

 

Doesnt save data save to the Switch internal memory?
 

This is the screen protector I got.  

[Zando_]

12 minutes ago, GamerBlake said:

1). When I bought my Switch I bought a Nintendo brand Micro SDXC (WAY overpriced $25 for 128GB )  because I wasn’t sure if there was some sort of proprietary software or something on it but it looks like any Micro SDXC/SDHC card will work..is this true?

Yes, I use a standard SanDisk one in mine. 

12 minutes ago, GamerBlake said:

2). If I have 2+ SD cards can I put some games on one and others on the second SD card? Or does it lock to one SD card and all the games must be put on that? I ask because it would be cool to only have to bring 2 Micro SDXC cards with all my digital games with me rather than bringing a bunch of different physical games.

AFAIK yes, but you need to shut down the console before removing the SD card. With game cartridges you just have to quit the game itself. 

13 minutes ago, GamerBlake said:

3). What is the best kind of screen protector to get? I notice that while docking and undocking I tend to occasionally bump the Switch against the dock and I don’t want to get scratches. I have a tempered glass screen protector atm but is there a better one?

TG ones are the ones you want, I don't trust these without them since the screens are plastic (aka easily scratched up).

6 minutes ago, TheBahrbarian said:

But, Dbrand, the company who makes phone skins, also makes screen protectors for the switch.

^^ Can recommend, I run their skins on both my Switch and Switch Lite, and their screen protector (it is glass) on my Switch Lite. 

14 minutes ago, GamerBlake said:

4). Lastly, is it better to buy digital or physical games? I know digital purchases get 5% back in Nintendo coins to put towards other purchases while physical games only get 1%, BUT having said that, I feel like buying digital games means I have to rely on Nintendo if I want to play them in the future. So far I’ve bought the physical copies of games I really want to be able to go back to over the years (like Zelda: BOTW) and I’ve bought digital copies of games that I like but don’t see myself playing 10 years from now (like Super Smash Ultimate & Mario Kart 8 Deluxe).

Basically the bolded part. If I lose my account or servers shut down I don't wanna lose my games, so I buy physical for any 1st party titles (they're usually $60). More casual or cheaper stuff I have no issue buying digital though. 

[GamerBlake]

2 minutes ago, Zando Bob said:

Yes, I use a standard SanDisk one in mine. 

AFAIK yes, but you need to shut down the console before removing the SD card. With game cartridges you just have to quit the game itself. 

TG ones are the ones you want, I don't trust these without them since the screens are plastic (aka easily scratched up).

^^ Can recommend, I run their skins on both my Switch and Switch Lite, and their screen protector (it is glass) on my Switch Lite. 

Basically the bolded part. If I lose my account or servers shut down I don't wanna lose my games, so I buy physical for any 1st party titles (they're usually $60). More casual or cheaper stuff I have no issue buying digital though. 

So this is the screen protector I got. Do you know if it’s any good?  

 

Also, can I ask what capacity SD card you’re using? Mine is 128GB but because of huge games like Witcher 3 and BOTW my space is quickly filling up.

 

Im thinking of getting a 512GB Samsung Micro SDXC for like $90 but I don’t know if I should.  

[Zando_]

Just now, GamerBlake said:

So this is the screen protector I got. Do you know if it’s any good?  

 

Also, can I ask what capacity SD card you’re using? Mine is 128GB but because of huge games like Witcher 3 and BOTW my space is quickly filling up.

 

Im thinking of getting a 512GB Samsung Micro SDXC for like $90 but I don’t know if I should.  

-snip-

Tempered glass is tempered glass, I've used a bunch of cheap and less cheap ones on various phones and such and never had issues with them. If it's not super crappy then it should be fine. It's mostly there to be harder to scratch, and then to break (absorbing most of the shock) if the device is dropped. 

 

I forget what mine is, lemme check my amazon purchases... Aha, I have this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073JYC4XM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1, a standard SanDisk 128GB. IIRC the Switch only supports up to 128 or 256GB, I don't know that it even works with a 512GB . I'd look into that first lol. Make sure it's a well rated one too, or your game load times will be even longer. 

[GamerBlake]

3 minutes ago, Zando Bob said:

Tempered glass is tempered glass, I've used a bunch of cheap and less cheap ones on various phones and such and never had issues with them. If it's not super crappy then it should be fine. It's mostly there to be harder to scratch, and then to break (absorbing most of the shock) if the device is dropped. 

 

I forget what mine is, lemme check my amazon purchases... Aha, I have this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073JYC4XM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1, a standard SanDisk 128GB. IIRC the Switch only supports up to 128 or 256GB, I don't know that it even works with a 512GB . I'd look into that first lol. Make sure it's a well rated one too, or your game load times will be even longer. 

Oh ok. From what I read the Switch supports up to 2TB even though there aren’t any 2TB Micro SD cards out there.

 

Also I was considering a Samsung one. I know for a fact they make premium high quality products. All my SSDs are Samsung too  .

[Zando_]

Just now, GamerBlake said:

Oh ok. From what I read the Switch supports up to 2TB even though there aren’t any 2TB Micro SD cards out there.

Then hell yeah, so long as it's a well rated and reliable card, worth it. A bigger capacity will make it so you don't have to carry multiple too (lord they're so small and easy to lose). Don't they have 1TB ones now too? 

[GamerBlake]

3 minutes ago, Zando Bob said:

Then hell yeah, so long as it's a well rated and reliable card, worth it. A bigger capacity will make it so you don't have to carry multiple too (lord they're so small and easy to lose). Don't they have 1TB ones now too? 

I did see a 1TB one on Amazon or Newegg but I remember it was insanely expensive. If I recall correctly it was like $359.99 or something which is more than the entire Switch itself.
 

I was thinking of going with the Samsung EVO Select 512 GB.

 

Honestly I figure if I get a 512GB I won’t have to worry about losing it because it will stay in my Switch and never come out since 512 GB should be enough to store all the games I’ll ever play.  

[GamerBlake]

[Roswell]

2 hours ago, GamerBlake said:

I did see a 1TB one on Amazon or Newegg but I remember it was insanely expensive. If I recall correctly it was like $359.99 or something which is more than the entire Switch itself.
 

I was thinking of going with the Samsung EVO Select 512 GB.

 

Honestly I figure if I get a 512GB I won’t have to worry about losing it because it will stay in my Switch and never come out since 512 GB should be enough to store all the games I’ll ever play.  

MicroSD cards definitely don't last forever and anything beyond 256GB has a hefty cost premium.

 

I have a 128GB card with update data from almost 30 physical games and another 20 digital eShop games and still have 40GB of space. I'd just wait until you need the space.

[kaiju_wars]

I have a tempered glass protector on my Switch, I haven't had to replace it yet and it's been almost two years.  As for a micro SD card, I have a 128GB and I've got quite a few games digitally, and it's about 30 to 20GB left.  I preordered the Animal Crossing Switch, and with that, I took the chance to also order a 256GB card for it.  

[SteveGrabowski0]

Man 512GB looks like overkill unless you have a hackable Switch that you're pirating on.