Wait, how many of you try to practice and play for reals on just a Switch screen?

[Jonpachi]

I hear this so much in various threads, and it always concerns me. I LOVE the Switch. It's maybe my favorite console of all time. I have a ton of digital shmups loaded up, and I find that playing in portable mode can be great for light practice in games I already know very well. For example, I'm currently working on a Radiant Silvergun clear, and I use portable mode to work on my chaining when I'm winding down before bed.

BUT

I do not believe you can really practice or play these games ONLY in portable mode, even if you have super-human eyesight. You are simply robbing yourself of the best experience in a genre based around tiny, pixel-perfect movements and subtle visual cues. You will learn some macro patterns and ways to mitigate failure, but you're likely developing bad habits (bombing through dense patterns instead of learning them for example).

I have to wonder how many folks that label themselves as "not that good at shmups" are actually just using sub-par set-ups or making their lives unnecessarily difficult.

[SavagePencil]

On the flip side of this, I also wonder how many people are suffering by playing on screens that are too big. When I'm using a 24" tate monitor and standing at the right distance, I find myself doing the best. I think it limits the amount of eye movements I need to exert vs. on a huge screen from my couch.

[Jonster]

When I was learning my Ikaruga easy clear I did almost all of my practice, and the actual run itself, on Switch in portable mode. This was a few years ago now, and since I've started working from home I barely touch portable mode now. It was just the best chance I had to play it at the time so just worked with what I had.

[SPM]

Bullet hells are harder on the small screen, but still good enough for almost any 1-all and "light" scoring (games like Mushi Ultra may be pushing it though). Non bullet hell games are just fine. And the joy-con stick is also pretty precise and fast. I love it. Would play far less if I had to sit on my PC, which would mean less practice ^^

I wouldn't play tate games without the flipgrip though.

As to Radiant Silvergun, I haven't got to it yet but I can tell I'll likely play it exclusively in handheld.

[AGermanArtist]

I've played Crimzon Clover World Ignition and Psyvariar Delta exclusively in bed on Switch with a Flip Grip and love it.

[beer gas canister]

I do it all the time, mostly for games that I already know. My scores are generally comparable to playing on a TV.

[hamfighterx]

I played a whole lot of Esp.ra.de on Switch in portable mode. TATE mode on a stand, with a Pro Controller. I also have the PS4 version, and was able to transition between the two with no big issue. I'm never going to be competing for scoring records or anything, but it didn't seem to hurt my ability to practice the game effectively.

But yeah, depends on the game too. Horizontal or vertizontals I'm fine with on a portable Switch. For instance, played a lot of Deathsmiles and Akai Katana on Switch. Wouldn't necessarily want to play a densely packed bullet hell vert on a handheld Switch NOT in TATE though.

[DoomsDave]

On the flip side of this, I also wonder how many people are suffering by playing on screens that are too big. When I'm using a 24" tate monitor and standing at the right distance, I find myself doing the best. I think it limits the amount of eye movements I need to exert vs. on a huge screen from my couch.

I think it also depends on the angle, distance and how you sit at it. Egret screens are huge 29" CRTs and are fine for me but a big TV across the room isn't.

[Jonpachi]

On the flip side of this, I also wonder how many people are suffering by playing on screens that are too big. When I'm using a 24" tate monitor and standing at the right distance, I find myself doing the best. I think it limits the amount of eye movements I need to exert vs. on a huge screen from my couch.

I think it also depends on the angle, distance and how you sit at it. Egret screens are huge 29" CRTs and are fine for me but a big TV across the room isn't.

I seem to have stumbled into a more interesting discussion on preferred viewing angle/size/implementation of screens in general. I see instant gains when I put the Switch in docked mode and sit down in front of a monitor, but I also struggle if I'm too far away. I've tried Darius Burst CS on my front room 55" and it was neat but too taxing on the eyes, and felt too disconnected to play in normal sessions.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

I like using a Pintendo Flip (similiar to a Flip Grip) as it allows the Switch gamer instant access to the power button/volume controls and even access to the usb-c port if the Switch's internal lithium battery needs to be charged up/topped off (can't do that with the Flip Grip as all those are blocked with no access to them anyways). Sure, I've got a Flip Grip as well but the advantages of the Pintendo Flip device really is the one to own/play, indeed, with Switch games that support tate.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Steven]

I play Daioujou almost exclusively in handheld mode and I do about 60% of my Same! Same! Same! 1P practice in handheld. I even play stuff on the stock Nomad screen sometimes and also on Steam Deck.

Smaller screens are better for situational awareness than larger screens, which is why playing verticals on huge tate setups is worse than playing them on a smaller non-tate screen (yeah tate is waaaaaaaaaaaay overrated when a good horizontal monitor or whatever gets you a smaller and therefore more efficient and therefore better viewing area. There, I said it), and I know of at least one developer that specifically designed their games to be played on smaller arcade table screens, not uprights. (Yes, it's Toaplan, so if you're playing those on anything other than a small screen like you'd find in a table cabinet you are officially doing it wrong)

The actual problem with playing the Switch in handheld mode is that the d-pads on its controllers range from unusable garbage to not great. I stopped using the Joy-Cons a while ago and am currently using a Hori Grip Controller, which is known overseas as the Split Pad Pro. The d-pad on it feels very flat and stiff and awkward, but it's much better than the Joy-Cons.

[beer gas canister]

On the flip side of this, I also wonder how many people are suffering by playing on screens that are too big. When I'm using a 24" tate monitor and standing at the right distance, I find myself doing the best. I think it limits the amount of eye movements I need to exert vs. on a huge screen from my couch.

I think it also depends on the angle, distance and how you sit at it. Egret screens are huge 29" CRTs and are fine for me but a big TV across the room isn't.

I was shocked at the experience of playing DFK on an Egret cab for the first time, after first being exposed to it on Switch. I had a hell of a time reading the top of the screen while dodging! Micro dodging was WAY easier though. The screen brightness was also pretty abrasive, if beautiful

[To Far Away Times]

I play almost exclusively on portable systems.

I remember back in the day thinking the PSP had a massive screen.

I liked the size of the N3DS XL screen for emulating 16 bit games.

Switch and Steam Deck have really nice large screens.

[el_rika]

Mostly play Cave shmups on my smartphone.
You just get used to it i guess.

[Sima Tuna]

I play Huntdown best on switch because I can see the whole screen easily without moving my head or eyes much. I tried playing on steam/desktop and I can tell I'll need to adjust to the required head movement if I'm going to 1cc consistently there. I couldn't believe how much random shit was hitting me on PC vs switch.

[spmbx]

I guess it's like the camerapeople say "the best camera is the one you have with you". I probably play on switch about 90% of the time.
I do have a crt setup that my wife jokingly refers to as "the museum" that never really gets serious playtime lately because <insert list of reasons>. I just play on the switch that's in the livingroom.

[To Far Away Times]

I can't imagine playing shmups on a terrible small screen.

Spoiler

[Creamy Goodness]

I was kind of surprised myself when my 1cc of Mushi came from playing in handheld mode. But yeah overall not the best way to play. I have a flip grip that I may have used like 5 times. Hori games are a little easier to deal with though.

[Augemitbutter]

i used to play Xexex on PSP. It's still my most played shooter on a handheld. I also finished the Mega Man Zero games on the Game Boy Micro. Now imagine playing Gradius on that.

Action games on small screens still don't feel quite right to me. I need space to spread!

[TransatlanticFoe]

I don't find the screen a problem when rotated, but how are any of you playing 2D games on Switch handheld with joycons? They're terrible - the analogue stick feels floaty (possibly due it's tight deadzone, which I'm sure is the reason why stick drift is such an issue for the console), the fake d-pad is thumb-crippling. I can just about play belt scrollers with that thing.

I really don't get why Nintendo didn't produce a d-pad version of the full joycon, leaving only cheap knock-offs or the attached-only Hori thing.

[XtraSmiley]

Well, do you mean with the screen rotated or in regular mode? OG NS or OLED? If tated, then for the love of god use a pro controller, the joy cons blow chunks.

OLED rotated seems OK to me, but yeah, my eyesight is not what it use to be so I play on a 65" TV.

[Jonpachi]

I still can’t quite understand the situation where someone has an OLED Switch and a Pro Controller but chooses not to go that one extra step and play on a gaming monitor. Even the Pro has a miserable d-pad.

Does anyone play with an arcade stick and just the Switch on a stand?

[Sima Tuna]

I use the Hori Split Pad Pro when I need a dpad for diagonals. The joycon is actually baller as hell for 4-direction games. Even more so for 2 direction games like Huntdown. With the separated direction buttons, it's impossible to get an accidental up/down or diagonal input when you don't want one. It's like playing on keyboard or hitbox. I seriously encourage people to try playing 4-direction-and-fewer games on joycon. The joycon stick is total garbage, but the pad is great for specific games.

Short of setting up a hitbox and gaming monitor to my switch, which would be dramatically less convenience compared to portable mode, I can't think of a better input method to play Huntdown. I bet it works great for Metal Slug as well.

[Jonpachi]

I’ve played a fair bit of Donkey Kong with the joy-cons buttons, and I agree they do a neat trick with 4-way games, but I find my thumb gets too fatigued on the tiny buttons over time and I retreat back to a joystick.

[spmbx]

I play on a switch lite mostly, and for me the d-pad is great. I also think it feels a lot more sturdy and weight-wise it's more comfortable. The screen size doesn't bother me except for games that are obviously too small, or games from developers that use microscopic fonts. It does rule out basically all vertical shmups but i have no issue with hori's.

[beer gas canister]

I don't find the screen a problem when rotated, but how are any of you playing 2D games on Switch handheld with joycons? They're terrible - the analogue stick feels floaty (possibly due it's tight deadzone, which I'm sure is the reason why stick drift is such an issue for the console), the fake d-pad is thumb-crippling. I can just about play belt scrollers with that thing.

I really don't get why Nintendo didn't produce a d-pad version of the full joycon, leaving only cheap knock-offs or the attached-only Hori thing.

I use the joycon stick when playing with a Flipgrip, which is pretty much anytime I play a shmup in handheld. I prefer them to a full size controller stick because the throw distance is so much shorter. Tap dodging is easier, as is changing direction abruptly. An exception is Gunvein because it has full analog movement.

For me, I prefer Genesis dpad > cross dpad > joycon stick > standard controller analog stick. It's a toss up between cross dpad and joycon stick, because I find diags so much harder on the dpad, but tap dodges are better.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

i used to play Xexex on PSP. It's still my most played shooter on a handheld. I also finished the Mega Man Zero games on the Game Boy Micro. Now imagine playing Gradius on that.

Action games on small screens still don't feel quite right to me. I need space to spread!

Yes, playing the GBA Gradius Galaxies on a Gameboy Micro setup is quite something with it's 240 x 160 resolution lcd screen setup -- it's smaller than usual pocket-sized form factor makes for gaming "on the go" really easy. I use an GBA Everdrive flashcart with it -- easy as pie. It's quite nice to able to play GBA games with a Gamecube console + GBA Player setup on a bigger TV screen for maximum effect/impact and easier on the eyes as well.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Sumez]

I love the Switch's portable mode, and it's definitely the way I play most games most of the time, including acyion/arcade games. It's how I initially practiced Horror Story.

But not shmups, no. However that has more to do with the controls than the screen. I don't even mind the joycons like a lot of other people seem to - I just really can't play with any d-pad.

[SPM]

I love the Switch's portable mode, and it's definitely the way I play most games most of the time, including acyion/arcade games. It's how I initially practiced Horror Story.

But not shmups, no. However that has more to do with the controls than the screen. I don't even mind the joycons like a lot of other people seem to - I just really can't play with any d-pad.

Have you tried playing with the thumbstick? I can't play them with dpads either nor with any regular analog thumbstick, but the Joycon's has so little throw that I find it the best option when I don't feel like playing on a monitor with the arcade stick. Maybe give it a try ^^

[gray117]

Doesn't really matter as long as a few more people are getting shmups and having more ways of playing them.

I don't think anyone thinks a switch is an optimal option for anything other than convenience. But that in itself still makes it a great option for many.