I've now had my Nintendo Switch for 3 months. I figured I'd do this post to talk about how I'm liking it so far. If you've never heard of the Switch until now, it's Nintendo's newest console that came out back in March. In my opinion, it's like a portable version of the Wii. I've been loving mine so far! I've always been a huge Nintendo fan, so I'm a little bias, but I think this console has the potential to be very cool. It's much more versatile than most consoles out there. You can play it handheld as a portable or hook it up to your TV for that typical gaming experience. I have absolutely no issues with the console itself. All my issues are with the way Nintendo is handling certain things about it. I'll talk about that in a little bit.
So like I said, I find that this console is kind of like a portable Wii. The controllers, called Joy-cons, have motion control just like the Wii. They're much smaller than I thought they'd be. Despite this, they're still super comfortable to play with. There's a few different ways you can use them, which I find really cool. They can either be attached to the screen like you see in the picture, be used handheld on their own or be put in a controller type of grip if you want more to hold onto. Having this many options is nice, so you can switch it up (haha accidental pun there) if you're not in love with one of them. I like the combination of joysticks and buttons. Other than the controllers, the only other part is the touchscreen tablet. The screen is on the larger end for a portable console, but it's not too large that I wouldn't be willing to carry it around. I think the size is perfect and allows you to play two-player games with this one system by having each person take a Joy-con.
I don't want to go into every detail of the system, but it's been working out quite well. I've had a blast playing with it, and I've really fallen in love with the form factor. One thing I haven't gotten much use out of is the dock that allows you to play it on your TV. I'm not sure why I haven't try that mode out yet. I really love handheld consoles the most for gaming, so that's probably why. The two games I've got, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, are awesome! They're just countless hours of fun! They're already some of the best-selling games this year. Their graphics are some of the best I've ever seen out of any Nintendo games as well. I will say the only iffy thing about the console itself is the battery life. It's not the best. I probably get maybe 3 to 5 hours out of it before I need to charge it again. That may seem pretty short, but honestly I think it's kind of a blessing. Otherwise, I'd be playing this thing all day and get nothing done. I usually only game for a couple hours anyways, so having a shorter battery isn't too big of an issue for me.
Now, I'd like to talk about how Nintendo itself could single-handily ruin this amazing console. First off, the price is pretty ridiculous. You have to pay $300 just for the console itself. When you can get a PS4 or Xbox One for like $250 or less, it's kind of hard to justify spending so much more on an unproven console. Of course it's brand new and there could be cheaper prices/deals down the road, but it's hard to get people interested in a console that costs so much. Adding onto the expensive console, all the accessories are ridiculously overpriced too. To get an extra pair of Joy-cons you have to pay around $70 or $80 I believe. Plus if you want to get a nicer, pro controller that's similar to one of the PS4 or Xbox that's another $80 too I think. Even the games are expensive coming from Nintendo in my opinion. You could get 3DS games for like $40, but these Switch games start off at $60 most of the time. Again, that's PS4 or Xbox One prices for an unproven console. Maybe Nintendo thinks that since their competitors are charging that much, then they can to. They are a company that runs for profit after all. I still find it kind of outrageous. I don't think they'll attract as many families to this console with those prices. I'd always seen Nintendo as more of a family gaming company, but with the Switch, maybe they're trying to up their game.
Another huge point against Nintendo is they don't even have that many good games out for this console to begin with. The only one worth getting at launch was Breath of the Wild. Most of the big name games come out later in the year. Again, how are you going to attract people to an unproven console with crappy game options? I'm not sure who exactly to blame for that. It could be that Nintendo didn't help developers understand what the Switch was or that developers wanted to see the public reaction to decide whether it was worth their time to make games for it. I don't know exactly, but it annoys me as a user. I know I'll eventually get bored of the two games I've got, and who knows when something I'm interested in will come out. I really want a new Animal Crossing. The Switch has done super well so far, so I think developers are realizing its potential.
The last big issue I have with Nintendo is how hard they're making it to find this thing. I was lucky and camped out on launch day to pick one up. I easily got one, but I know that's not the case for the large majority of people. Nintendo always seems to have a hard time filling demand for a console that everyone wants. Look how the NES Classic went. So many people wanted one, yet Nintendo just recently discontinued it. WHY in the world would you discontinue something that people were dying to get?? It was probably a scheme so more people would be desperate for the Switch. I'm not Nintendo, so I really shouldn't speculate why they do the things they do, but I find it annoying as a customer. They're enabling scalpers to pick up consoles and then jack up the price on eBay for whatever poor, desperate soul is willing to pay that much. I'd honestly do the same thing too, but Nintendo could easily solve the problem by making more units. They should have known what they were getting into. I have heard that they're ramping up production, so hopefully everyone is able to get one sometime this year.
Sorry about that rant on Nintendo. I don't want to make this post any longer, so I'll wrap it up quickly. All in all, I absolutely love my Switch so far. I can't tell whether I'll like it more than my 3DS yet (mostly because of the lack of games). I like the design of the system and think it could really be something cool. It's not as portable as the 3DS, which kind of sucks. It is interesting to have a different type of system though. Nintendo would be boring if they just stuck to DS type of consoles. Hopefully Nintendo figures all their crap out and gets more consoles/games out there for everyone. I want more people to get their hands on this system to see how awesome it truly is. It's similar to the Wii with its motion control, but combines that with better controllers and a portable aspect. I definitely recommend you pick one up if you're into gaming. I'll probably do another post where I talk a little more in-depth about Breath of the Wild and Mario Kart 8. Thanks for looking!
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