I finally played the Nintendo Switch for the first time on October 27th 2017, so I'm slightly late to the party. I say this as someone who owns both an Xbox One and PS4 and games pretty regularly.
My first impression of the console was, wow, this thing is little. The joy cons are actually tiny. I'm a full size adult. But I slid the joy cons onto the sides of the tablet portion of the console and powered it up, created a Nintendo account (on my phone), signed in and did an update to the console and controllers. Neither took long. I never once used the touch screen and it took all of a minute for me to acclimate to the size and shape of the controls. It feels good even with full size hands which was surprising.
Next I popped in the physical copy of Super Mario Odyssey that I preordered alongside my new console. I can't believe how tiny the game cards are, even smaller than 3DS cards. Anyways, the game was ready within a minute or 2, which is a huge relief from the long installs on a lot of PS4/Xbone games. The game fired up fast and runs great, and I played it for quite a while in portable mode before realizing, hey, I could be playing this on my TV.
That's a big point, because the portable mode feels almost completely natural with no restrictions. This is truly the game changing feature it's marketed as. Playing the game with the entire system in your hands makes the Switch's versatility a huge added benefit vs. other consoles. The screen looks fantastic and definitely not too small. Granted you're dealing with significantly less technical power than other consoles, but the Switch makes up for it with polish. Everything I've done so far has worked excellent, and I can't wait to explore more of the Switch library.
I never imagined that coming from gaming on the big screen to this would feel so good, but the Nintendo Switch is probably now the easiest recommendation I could make to anyone looking for a new game console.
Who needs another rave review of the Switch? I've owned every major video game system and many minor ones since the early 90's, this one is solidly ahead of the pack but from strictly a hardware standpoint, I wouldn't put it on top. It does everything it promises to, but it's the least excited I've been for a console since well, I bought a WiiU. While I'm glad Nintendo made something that indie developers are able to port their games to, at this point I know I'm only ever buying a Nintendo console to play a handful of first party games. That experience so far, has been phenomenal, and recommending Zelda and Mario isn't necessary, that is why you're getting a Switch in mid-2018. But I can't help but feel like for $300 this is hard to recommend over a cheaper Xbox One S if I only had to have one system. It gets even harder to stomach when you factor in the $70+ controllers and the $60 Nintendo games that almost never go on sale. I suppose it depends on who you are, where you are in life and what you want out of a gaming console, but the Switch feels like a compromise as a portable system and as a home console. The system itself just doesn't have the same build quality that I would expect from Nintendo hardware, it reminds me of a cheap Android tablet. The Wii and WiiU felt like they were made with nicer build materials, the matte plastic all over this bad boy and the dock are just kind of stale. This is an easy 5 star at $200 which it will inevitably get to, but this version of the console feels like the original fat DS to me and I'm looking forward to the DS Lite equivalent for the Switch.
Very satisfying to use. I've always been a handheld man, but have enjoyed the occasional console game (or handheld port thereof) for the sheer scope and detail. My main problem with console games, and the reason I can never seem to get up the will to play, is that I can't take them with me. Life calls me elsewhere, and I inevitably leave them behind. My Nintendo handhelds, however, get lots of love and lots of use because they can come with wherever I go.
Needless to say, I love having a... whatever you want to call this combination. As expected, being a console, it sucks power from the battery (which is actually bigger than my drone's, in capacity) faster than a pure handheld. As a console, its graphics are never going to e photorealistic in 4k, because it's a handheld. Tradeoffs and compromises: you can hear about these in any Switch review that's thorough enough to address them.
But I like this large handheld/small console because it delivers on the "switch" feature: I can play it on TV and when I need to go somewhere, I can simply lift it from the dock, put on the Joycons (more comfortable to use in any configuration than they look) and take it with me.
Too large to fit in my pockets with Joycons attached, I can still get it in one with them detached and in a different pocket or elsewhere.
Uh... miscellaneous thoughts:
Get a screen protector. Tempered glass. Feels nice to the touch.
Haven't run out of battery once yet, even playing Zelda for 2+ hours handheld (I use about half brightness on any of my electronics, and on it this Switch screen still works well outside, unless in direct mid-day sun). Batteyr lasts longer on indie games or things that aren't Zelda.
Switch gets warmer when docked and playing, but it's never harmed itself or felt dangerously hot to me. As a handheld, not even Zelda heats it up that I've noticed, except that one spot behind the kickstand where the case is thinnest.
Not sure how helpful this review is, but I do know I'm loving my new game system, and if you get it for MSRP, I highly recommend trying some of these games. Here's looking forward to more games than either Wii U or 3DS had, since as I understand it they're now the same department in Nintendo.
TL;DR version: Loving it. Imperfect console, but the early hardware glitches seem ironed out. Room for improvement in future revisions, but I'm left wondering why no one built a first-party portable console like this long ago. I hope everybody makes portable versions of their systems as at least an option in the future.
Update July 12 2017: Found out that the Joycons have a little recessed power button right where they slide in to the grip or tablet. If one of your Joycons suddenly isn't responding or even lighting up when you press its buttons, give this little button a press to check that it's not just somehow been turned off. Happened to me by accident, storing the Switch as a handheld with one Joycon on the bottom.
Update August 25, 2017: It has now been on vacation with me as a handheld, starting the day Sonic Mania came out. Its battery life is pretty dang good with sprite-based games like Sonic: battery lasted 5 hours before arriving at the vacation house and plugging it in at 36%. Wi-Fi in the vacation house was weak on my phone and laptop, and was rarely detected by the Switch- so do note, it's not the most powerful reciever, but if your wi-fi is at least 50% connection strength, it'll likely work just fine.
The high humidity of northern Wisconsin by the Great Lakes in the summer caused me some concern at first, but even under the load of Zelda, the moisture in the air didn't cause the system any problems.
I still don't see the need to buy a Pro controller, being a handheld kind of guy, but I still enjoy kicking back with the Joycons in front of the TV, grip or no. And if I want to watch TV while Link explores or Sonic & company collect things, it's still darn easy to do.
I can't speak for others, of course, but the hardware is holding up well with no blemishes or damage- and that's with several quick play sessions daily, in and out of pocket, detaching and reattaching Joycons.
Update, June 1 2018: Still having fun with this. Mario Odyssey, Mario Kart 8, etc. are nice, but so is the indie scene. The e-shop is "basic" to be extraordinarily kind about the interface, and the vast majority of improvements from system updates have been under the hood and not consumer-facing, but I'm happy we'll be seeing cloud save backups soon. The Switch still looks new, and I play it both in and out of the dock daily. It has no carrying case, just the screen protector, and I take the Joycons off it and put them in another pocket of my pants or bag when taking it out and about. Battery life is still as stong as it ever was. (Read above- not saying it's long battery life, but no worse than it was when new.) I still love my 3DS, but even aside from one of my 3DS's buttons being broken, I don't feel the urge to play it as much anymore, with this thing around. To quote somebody else, "As a console, the hardware can't match the competition, but as a handheld, it is basically god."
Update: I contacted the company after I posted my review and they repaired my jo-cons at no cost. Shipping charges were fully covered by the company. So, I am raising my ranking from 1 to 5 stars because of the quick response and the amazing service.
Do yourself a favor and do not buy this product unless you are willing to spend about $70 on new joy-cons every 3 months. Nintendo gives only 3 months of warranty for the joy-cons probably because they know this is how long they can last with average usage. After 3 months my joy-con sticks started to drift. I cleaned them with diluted alcohol and that fixed the problem for a couple of days. Now they drift so badly and cleaning the sticks could not fix the problem. I would give this product 5 stars if the problem with joy-cons was solved. So disappointed!
Anyone wondering whether to buy a switch or not just do it. If you want to game anywhere this is for you. It endlessly satisfying when you are playing a game dock on your tv\monitor and then you un dock and continue in kitchen, laying in bed, ext. Or to when you are playing mobile and you get home and just simply dock it and you are immediately back in your game right where you left off. It is a smooth process to dock or un dock.
Battery Life
The battery life surprised me. It is longer than I expected and the sleep mode life is crazy good. I was able to put it in sleep at about 70% and came back too it several days later and it was only down to maybe 60%. Not to mention you can dock and keep playing while it charges. The joy cons battery life is practically not a topic because I have yet to have them die. They last for ever and charge when they are connected to console.
Game catalog
Some people think there is not enough games. But really it is just that there is not a lot of big AAA titles, COD, and Assassins Creed, or some Hyper realistic racing game. There is actually a decent amount of small indie games and some games that are on other consoles that go well on the switch for on the go gaming. And they are adding games constantly and I think this time next year the switch will be a tough contender in the console world with the game line up if they keep doing what they are doing. If they port all the good games from the WiiPoo then the game line up would be crazy good. But IDK if they will do that.
Those are the big points I felt were important to discuss. Only complaint is accessories are expensive and trying to buy third party products can be a challenge because I have bought several they don't work.
Feature Product
- Play your way with the Nintendo Switch gaming system. Whether you're at home or on-the-go, solo or with friends, the Nintendo Switch system is designed to fit your life. Dock your Nintendo Switch to enjoy HD gaming on your TV. Heading out? Just undock your console and keep playing in handheld mode
- This bundle includes the Nintendo Switch console and Nintendo Switch dock in black, with left and right Joy‑Con controllers in a contrasting gray. It also includes two Joy-Con strap accessories, one Joy-Con grip, an HDMI cable, and Nintendo Switch AC adapter
Description
Introducing Nintendo Switch, the new home video game system from Nintendo. In addition to providing single and multiplayer thrills at home, the Nintendo Switch system can be taken on the go so players can enjoy a full home console experience anytime, anywhere. The mobility of a handheld is now added to the power of a home gaming system, with unprecedented new play styles brought to life by the two new Joy-Con controllers.
PLAY ANYWHERE
Home Gaming System
At home the main unit rests in the Nintendo Switch dock, which connects the system to the TV and lets you play with family and friends in the comfort of your living room.
On-the-Go
Lift Nintendo Switch from the dock and instantly transition to handheld mode for on-the-go gaming. By sharing Joy-Con, players can go head-to-head while away from home. You can also enjoy the same great games in tabletop mode by using the included stand to prop the system up.
New Play Styles
Remove the detachable Joy-Con from either side of Nintendo Switch for more play styles:
- One player can use a Joy-Con in each hand
- Two players can each take one
- Multiple Joy-Con can be employed by numerous people for a variety of gameplay options (additional Joy-Con sold separately)
- Slip a set of Joy-Con into a Joy-Con grip accessory, mirroring a more traditional controller. Or, select an optional Nintendo Switch Pro Controller.
Bring together up to 8 Nintendo Switch systems for local face-to-face multiplayer.
Are Parental Controls available for the Nintendo Switch console?
Yes, a robust set of options is included to help both parents and kids have the best possible gaming experience.
Parents can set controls on the system, or use the free Nintendo Switch Parental Controls app to set restrictions on games and purchases, monitor gaming time, and more.
I just want to tell you one thing: Best console ever!
I have the PlayStation 4, but as a console, the Nintendo Switch is just amazing. You can take it anywhere with you, and his battery is enough to play it while you can't connect it to the base. I haven't had any problems with it, but i thing that it could be improved.
For example, the base feels really cheap. Like really, is a plastic that has no weight (which can be good if you travel a lot) and it feels it can break at any minute. I have it in a safe place that i know I will not break it. The controllers are more resistant, but times to times I feel some connections problems when the battery is low. I hope they solve this soon.
I give it 4 starts just because is really amazing the possibility to play amazing games on the go, something other consoles don't do!
I would give it 5 starts if it was more resistant.
...then this might as well be known as the "*New* Nintendo Vita XL". XD
If you know the history of how PlayStation came to be, you will realize how much the SWITCH proves that SONY has lost sight of the gaming market.
When Call of Duty "flopped" on the PS Vita, SONY pretty much began to abandon the device and it slowly opened up to being only a platform for indie games and is going towards a downloads only direction. They tried to push it as an accessory for the PS4, but the lack of physical L2 and R2 makes streaming to the Vita a poorly implemented gimmick. Owners of Vita consoles started feeling wronged as the memory cards are proprietary and cost several times more than MicroSD cards of the same GB capacity and are only available up to 32GB in the US or a 64GB import from Japan -which is troubling when the cards are known to fail due to the security measures with the Vita to validate authenticity in the sake of anti-piracy.
Needless to say, the PS Vita group has a list of complaints regarding SONY's handling of the PS Vita.
It is not clearly obvious in the marketing of the SWITCH, but a ton of decisions regarding it were from that feedback on the PS Vita.
- MicroSD SDXC vs Proprietary Memory Cards that cost an arm and a leg
- Built-in storage (and not a meager 4GB, but 32GB!)
- Larger screen size (and still touch screen)
- Multiple Accounts/Users can share one device
- TV Connection Cradle (vs. buying a PS Vita and then a PS TV)
- A robust and expanding list of Indie and download only titles
- Ability to pay for download games via PayPal with EXACT FUNDS REQUIRED vs having lingering credits on account and having to add $5 to your account funds when making purchases under $5.
- Every purchase nets coins worth a $0.01 towards discounting a future purchase of your choice (compared to no incentives/rewards at all on Vita)
Nintendo has essentially flipped the tables on SONY after ~20 years and offered those who enjoyed the OG PlayStation and PlayStation 2 titles and given them every reason to SWITCH over to their console.
I will keep my PS4 for the titles exclusive to it, or for titles that seem to benefit from beefier graphics and processing power, but for anything arcade-like, indie, and that any titles that I'd be willing to sacrifice graphical fidelity in gain of portable enjoyment -I'll be buying for the SWITCH now. This has influenced me to change several of my pre-orders for PS4 versions to SWITCH versions -and it looks like December is the only time the PS4 is getting salse from me (aside from the Spyro Trilogy in September). Same with my other consoles.
Is the SWITCH perfect? No. But it is close enough and on a strong pace to being THE console to own if you could only afford one. My only issues with the SWITCH can be corrected either by them updating the firmware or by 3rd Party accessories:
- I don't like how the menu organizes games as there is no way to Pin titles to the main screen, demos are not in a category separate and divided from full-version games, and the first spot should be (like it is with the DS and 3DS) a locked cell for whichever game cart is loaded in the console.
- Save data options (to move, upload to cloud, download from cloud, or to delete) should be additionally accessible from options on a game title's options and there should be a choice to delete a game and its corresponding saves (especially in the case of demos).
- Themes and a selection of solid background colors would be nice (The DS and 3DS both have solid color options available, and the 3DS has themes available)
- The ability to select between the truncated library that only shows more recently played games and the full library view.
- A right Joy-con with D-pad would be nice for those who don't want to lug around a pro controller or buy an adapter or perform the Joy-con shell mod to make it have a D-pad.
- The integrated stand/arm really should have had another opposite where it is as the device is not stable trying to play in bed. If I were to sleep on a futon on my floor, or if I had a headboard on my bed, then I'd have less need for an extra stability leg, but the device would still benefit from an additional leg. I'm left seeking a 3rd party solution.
- An on-screen corner notification pop-up that can be enabled or disabled that would pop up every time the battery drops 5%, 10%, or 25% lower (set by user) vs having to head back to the home screen to keep tabs on battery life.
Other than that, pretty solid device and am happy with it. How they implement future updates, what they implement in those updates, if they release a revised model of the system, will all determine if they crash this strong party they've set in motion or not. For now though, this is just great.
UPDATE: Without spending too much time back-treading over my review, I’m changing my review to 5 stars (from 4) for the following reasons:
1) the screen has never gotten a scratch after hundreds of hours of use. Even with some fairly casual handling a couple of drops. Not a scratch. Maybe I’m lucky, but IMO, the plastic seems sufficiently durable.
2) The joy-con connectivity problem is well-sorted at this point.
3) Online play is cheap enough to not be a bother ($20/year) and I can’t make judgments until it goes live.
4) I don’t know if I’d call this console “cheap” anymore. For its price point, it is extremely sturdy and well-made.
5) The library is growing fast, with great content. A good library is an important point for a console.
6) Most importantly: It is my all-time favorite gaming system. I’m a Nintendo fan, for sure, but I’ve been primarily a PC gamer for the past few years. I hardly play PC games much right now.
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I'm primarily a PC gamer but I do love picking up Nintendo consoles/handhelds as I love their exclusives. This Switch is Nintendo's best device since the N64. It really helps when one of its launch titles is one of the best games ever made. I use my Switch everyday. I commute by train so this has been perfect for me. There has never been a handheld this good. Breath of the Wild is breathtaking. The transition to and from docked mode is seamless. The battery life is also pretty decent. My biggest complaint is that the wifi signal is a bit weak. Also it lacks cloud storage and Party chat, which is pretty ridiculous in this day and age. But overall, it is a great device. Nintendo's back!
I absolutely love the Nintendo Switch. The ability to play my games on both the TV and on the go is something I didn't ever really think was possible. The system design cleverly blends a table with conventional gaming controls that several others have tried, and failed, to do before (Nvidia Shiled Tablet comes to mind). It is easy and very satisfying to "unclick" the controllers from the sides of the tablet portion for use as either individual controllers, or to dock them into the included grip for use as a more conventional controller. Although the controllers are on the smaller side, I have not experienced any discomfort with extended, hours-long play sessions so far. The buttons are easy to differentiate and I did not find myself pressing more than one at a time, etc. Nintendo does make a pro controller for those who want something different, so your mileage may vary.
The tablet itself easily slides into the included docking station and within seconds is displaying game information on the TV. The included HDMI cable (still not a standard inclusion for all media devices these days) is a good length so I was able to connect to the TV with no problems. The included power/USB-C cord was likewise a good length so I didn't have to compromise on where I stationed the dock. Battery life has been about as expected for a tablet pushing out such high-quality games, and I have not had issues with running out of power, especially since you can charge via USB-C which I use for my phone as well.
I have had a great time playing Switch so far (Zelda being one of the absolute best games I have played in years), and am really looking forward to many of the games on the horizon, as well as the forthcoming online system and classic game system. I look forward to what Nintendo has to offer, and am thrilled with what I've got so far!
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