Well, I couldn’t quite get signed into the Switch Sports play test; but it still looks fun either way. That said, there’s been another Switch application I’ve tried that also didn’t meet my expectations: Crunchyroll on the Switch. Normally, I wouldn’t even address something like this; as it shouldn’t be too hard to do well; but in this case, I feel I should let you all know. On top of serving as a PSA about its current state, I will detail my thoughts; issues with the experience, and hopes for future updates.
First and foremost, I think you should definitely know any advantage this app has about beating Netflix to the console is essentially undercut by a myriad of technical issues. In particular; the user interface is so touchy and temperamental that something as simple as scrolling through the front page of the app is an ordeal in itself. Unlike YouTube, Funimation, Hulu or Pokémon TV on the Switch (which let you use the touch screen like on your phone or iPad); the touch screen is used in tandem with the physical buttons and analog sticks. Depending on your degree of Joycon drift; this can make just selecting a show more cumbersome than it needs to be. This is apparently not just an issue from the current build of the site itself; but one exacerbated by the new ecosystem it’s been ported to. Fortunately, the higher-ups are aware of this problem (as has been shown on their Reddit and Twitter feeds); and they’re already working on a fix. Still, when this is an app that somehow runs worse than on previous consoles, making something as simple as selecting an anime a Herculean task; it’s not exactly a good look.
Though it does fare better on home mode; this brings me to my next issue I’ve experienced: playback. Admittedly, I don’t mind intermittent ads for Burger King or the Demon Slayer game; but that’s not the problem. In the chances where I was actually able to get what I wanted to watch queued up; the video playback is a problem unto itself. One of my first tests was with Revolutionary Girl Utena, a series I absolutely love; and I was unable to complete a single episode. Resolution thankfully isn’t bad (the quality is set to auto for my other apps, and I can at least eke out DVD quality most given days); but that’s also not the problem. The buffering I experienced watching the same content on my computer, my PS4 and even my Wii U was noticeably worse on Switch. To make absolutely sure it wasn’t just that one; my other tests included Dragon Ball Super, (which got locked into a loop when Vegeta had to grudgingly keep his word about taking Trunks on vacation) One Piece (which barely got through the intro of the Romance Dawn arc before it conked out) and the 2020 Digimon Adventure (as if I needed more reasons to be disappointed with that season). The few ones that seemed to work fine were my favorite episode of my favorite anime, Gurren Lagann; and Mob Psycho 100. I will continue running more tests as more updates roll out; and the admins on their official subreddit have also confirmed they’re fixing an issue with the controls as well.
Lastly, one sign of how this app turned out was the fact that it wasn’t really advertised until the day it went live. I’m not saying it’s impossible to do well, given the sheer volume of content that arrives on Switch every day; but sometimes; it doesn’t always work right. At the very least, it’s not the worst launch I’ve seen, since Quibi happened; but it certainly isn’t a good look either. Any advantage this app would have about beating Netflix and other apps to the Switch (Disney Plus and HBO Max are also absent so far) has been essentially nullified by how utterly crippled the functionality is.
The film opens So, while this version of the app isn’t the best; I can only hope that they can keep improving on this with updates and hot fixes. If you have other options; I recommend using it somewhere else. That’s all for now, take care.
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