The launch of a new console is always an exciting time in the life of a gamer. Your feelings fluctuate all over the spectrum as you debate whether to pick it up on day one. How will it perform? Will the games be good? Will it deliver on promises? Will I be dropping tons of money on a piece of tech that I will become a paperweight in the near future?
At Home and on the Go
I’ve had the Nintendo Switch for about a week now, and I think I have done almost everything that I can do with the console in its launch form. I played it in every different configuration. I carried it from place to place in my purse for lunch time game sessions at work, as I would with my 3DS. I broke it out at my birthday party for drunken sessions of 1 2 Switch and laughed hysterically at my friends as they make foolish moves milking virtual cows and yelling ‘Expelliarmus!’ as they held wizarding battles in my living room. I’ve played The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on my couch on my 60’’ TV one evening then took the console to go and continued where I left off the next day while riding the Montreal metro. I played with Amiibos in and outside games, seeing what they do and unlock. In every instance, the Nintendo Switch delivers on its promise of a convertible console for both home and on the go, proving that you can have your cake and eat it too, or in Links’ case, whatever you cook up over an open fire.
Attendees play Splatoon 2 at the Nintendo Switch event in Toronto. Photo: Leah Jewer / Girls on Games
The Nintendo Switch Object
The console itself is probably the most modern piece of tech that Nintendo has created to date. Gone are the days when a Nintendo console looked like a child’s toy. The Nintendo Switch is slick. The game pad that is the brains behind the operation looks like it could have been designed by Apple. The Joy-Cons don’t feel like Fisher Price toys (I’m looking at you Wii U Game Pad) and opting for a universal power port like USB C makes Nintendo look more tech forward than many other companies. The console UI is sleek and minimalist, a modern take that I personally love, and the OS is FAST. I cannot believe how quickly you can jump into a game from sleep mode. Hot damn!
Two Games Tested, Two Totally Different Experiences
Games-wise, I can only talk about two titles because that is all I have in hand. I have 12+ hours into The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and it is the TLoZ game of my dreams!. Even at the 12 hour mark I feel like I still have epic s**t tons to do in the game, barely even getting into the story. I’ll pass more comment when I have finished the main quest line but so far I am having so much fun.
Moving on from single player gaming to a party scenario with 1 2 Switch. It brings me back to 2006 when the Wii launched and I was playing so much Wii Sports with my friends and family. The game is easy to pick up for gamers and non-gamers alike, offers hilarious moments and shows off all aspects of the Nintendo Switch ingenuity in simplistic game design. 1 2 Switch is easily the best way to demo the HD rumble in the Joy-Cons, with mini-games derived for that purpose. The expressions on my friends faces’ when they were playing the ‘Ball in a Box’ and felt the difference between 2 or 3 virtual balls rolling around in the controller was enlightening. My only gripe with 1 2 Switch is that it is not a game that I feel I will pick up outside of a party scenario. It’s a cartridge that will only get inserted when I show off the Switch to demo its capabilities for motion control or have had 1 or 2 bottles of wine.
Still a Shroud of Mystery
With all that being said, my ‘new console anxiety’ is still high because there is still much we don’t know about the Nintendo Switch 48 hours from launch. I have only played Nintendo made games, so I don’t know how third party titles will behave on the system. I am very curious to compare the Xbox One version of Steep to the Nintendo Switch version. There is a day one patch that will unlock the eShop so the whole buying digital titles is still a mystery. Virtual Console won’t be out for a while, and even though Nintendo did their ‘Nindies’ press conference yesterday, I don’t know the time frame of when those games will be available on the Switch. There is also the Nintendo App that is supposed to support party chat that we know zero about. If you already own a Wii U and are debating playing Zelda there… yet we have no news on how the game runs on that system. So many unanswered questions make it hard to give a solid thumbs up on the system yet the previous paragraphs will hopefully be an indication that the Switch is going in the right direction.
The Verdict
So the infamous question, do you buy one on launch? If you do not have a Wii U or a 3DS and are looking for something new, even with these unanswered questions, I think the Switch is a good buy. If you do have one of the aforementioned consoles, maybe wait a few days, see how the launch news rolls out. Don’t worry, I’m going to be the guinea pig for you and so far, things are looking up!
DISCLAIMER: Nintendo Switch review unit was provided by Nintendo. The opinions expressed in the video above have not be affected by, dictated or edited in any way by the provider. For more information please see Girls on Games’ Code of Journalistic Ethics.