New to Switch, Tips, Hacks, etc Appreciated

Hi, my better half has decided to buy the Rugrats Switches each for xmas.

So we'll have two, mostly used individually, but also hooked up to the tv for group games (sports, just dance, mario kart, etc).

Setting up accounts, are you better off Having 4 seperate accounts, or just one?

Any tips on what accessories to buy? We'll need 2 extra controllers, are the stock controllers the best, or are there good knockoffs?

What about games, can you share them among families? Or do we need to buy them for each device?

Can I switch to other countries to buy cheaper games? Or am I stuck in my home country? (If so, shell i move to Brazil/Turkey?)

Playing against mates outside of your network, is there some sort of xbox-gold type of subscription required?

Lastly any websites to help me get my head around switch setup?

Comments

  • Am in exactly the same boat so thank you for this post! :)

    • Plot twist: you have just discovered your partners ozbargain account.

      • She would NEVER call me her better half!

  • +1

    Any tips on what accessories to buy?

    MicroSD card to store games will come in helpful if you're buying games online.

    • +1

      Cheers yes I see they take sdxc cards, any idea how big the games are? Ie is say a 256gb card enough for 10-20 games?

      • +1

        I got a 512gb one I think. Personally I would go big. Some games can be like 10GB.

      • Don't buy digital games on the switch store, they're almost universally cheaper physically, and they're plug and play. There' no install or anything. Easier/better to grab the game off the shelf and play it.

  • You can share digital games between the consoles, but you have to be online to do it (so bad for car trips and plane rides) and they can't both play the same game at the same time. Physical games are always better except that there's the chance of losing them.

  • You can share physical games, one playing at a time. Digital games you can play on two consoles at the same time, including online together, but you need to set it up right first. You should be right to play different digital games on both consoles without jumping through hoops.

    For each account you choose a primary console, when this console plays the games for that account it doesn't check if anyone else is playing, even if you play them on another account. All other consoles will check if someone is currently playing the game you're trying to play on that account and won't allow you to play if they are.
    So if you want to play the same game on both consoles at the same time, the person playing on the primary console plays on a different account, the secondary console then plays on the account that owns the game.
    Notes: the secondary console needs to be online every time you play the games regardless if the primary is playing, once you've started the game it should be okay if you go offline for a bit. Secondary consoles have to play on the account that owns the game, you can play the games on any account on the primary console.

    I'd say probably 3 accounts. You might want a Nintendo Switch Online membership. As they are for kids, you may want to set up a family membership yourself as you can set up parental controls. Have a parent account to do the parental controls, add the 2 kids accounts, then you'll have 5 accounts left that you can add and flog on OzBargain, people are always looking for cheap family membership spots. About $6.85 per spot per year for basic online which is for online play and cloud saves, $13.75 for the expansion pack I think to include some games and DLC.
    (I don't have kids so maybe someone can confirm if you need parental controls for online or if the ones for the Switch are enough, in which case 2 accounts would be fine and you can just join someone else's membership)

    • That doesn't work, I just tested it.

      If I try to play a digital game I bought while online, it says "checking if this software can be played" and it works if I choose the account I bought it on and says "this user can't play this software" if I choose a different account. I put the console on flight mode so it wasn't connected to the internet and when I tried to play the game it said "please turn flight mode off".

      • +1

        I put the console on flight mode so it wasn't connected to the internet and when I tried to play the game it said "please turn flight mode off".

        The flight mode trick is only for primary console, sounds like you are trying it on a secondary.

        I didn't know about being able to play the same digital game online tho, I always thought the primary needed to use airplane mode trick. Local play still works like this tho.

        • Oh ok, I know what's wrong…. The switch I haven't used in a few years must be the primary console. That is useful that you can play on two consoles at once then! I guess you can't play online together though, eg Smash or Mario Kart

          • +1

            @Quantumcat: Based off Miss B's comment, you can if you do it right.

            I only know local play will work if nearby, don't have a second switch to test this.

          • +2

            @Quantumcat: You can change the primary console if you prefer as well https://www.nintendo.com.au/support/articles/how-to-set-or-c…

            But yes, you can play games online together with only 1 copy. If account A owns the game - on the Primary console for Account A (sounds like your old console) play on any other account, not Account A. The secondary console (your newer console) you can only play on Account A.

  • +1

    If you're buying digital games online, it's cheaper to buy a Switch game Voucher, it's 2x Games for $135~ (AUD), normally these games sell online seperately for ~$80.
    Pair that with buying nintendo eshop gift cards from woolies when there is 10-15% off, or FB marketplace, it can work out cheaper.

    Details on the vouchers and eligible games here: https://ec.nintendo.com/AU/en/pretickets/70020000000081

  • +1

    Any tips on what accessories to buy? We'll need 2 extra controllers, are the stock controllers the best, or are there good knockoffs?

    Switch Pro controller for mum n dad, if you wanna splash out, otherwise these cheapies have proven to be pretty good:
    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/733181

    Saves having to try to use a joycon for Mario Kart with adult hands!

  • +1

    I thought this was asking about Switch Homebrew from the title

  • +2

    I have had the switch for 2 months and I'll give my 2c.

    . Buy the Nintendo giftcards when they are on sale, then use them to buy the Nintendo game vouchers. Last time when Coles was having 15% off, I got some good exclusives titles for $58 each.
    . Buying games on eshop will give you gold points which can be used towards online membership and other games. If you have a physical copy, you can also get points but you'll need to register it. This helped me to get some games for free.
    . 256gb sd card is enough imo unless you buy a lot of games and want to store everything on the device.
    . Get a Pro controller, it totally worths it. The feels and the battery is insane.
    . If you are into rpg/action adventures & have time to kill then Zelda BotW is a must have. You can easily put hundred of hours into that single game.

  • Any suggestions for protective & also carry/travel cases?

    I was looking at this

    https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B09GXLTVVD

    And this
    https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B09GP9T8FP

    • Option B looks great.

      Personally wouldn't bother with option A

  • Yes, you can share games among families on the Nintendo Switch. The Switch allows up to eight user accounts to be linked to a single console, and each user account can access the games and other content that has been purchased by any of the linked accounts. This means that you can share your games with other members of your family by linking their user accounts to your console. To do this, go to the System Settings on your Switch, select Users, and then select Add User. You can then follow the on-screen instructions to create a user account for each member of your family and link it to your console. Once you have linked the user accounts, each user will be able to access and play the games that have been purchased by any of the linked accounts.

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