The time has come to open our hearts, homes, and wallets to a new gaming console from Nintendo. The house that Mario built is introducing the Nintendo Switch to televisions worldwide, but also to backpacks, parties, and anywhere else a portable gaming device may go. The console’s official release date in the United States is Friday.
Switch: At A Glance
Cost: Console, $299.00; Joy-Con controller, $79.99; Pro Controller, $69.99
What’s in the box: One console, one Joy-Con controller, TV charging dock, HDMI cable, AC adapter, grip and strap accessories
Battery: 3 to 6 hours away from charging dock on a single charge; rechargeable via AC adapter or USB-C
Storage: 32GB internal storage, compatible with microSDXC and SDHC memory cards.
Games: Digital and media card format, prices ranging from $19.99-$59.99.
Networking: Wireless via IEEE 80211.ac connection; Ethernet adapter available but not included.
Announced last year, the Nintendo Switch is both a home and portable device, allowing consumers to take the power of a home console on the go without the hassle of cords, televisions, or extra clutter. When plugged into the Switch’s television dock, the machine acts as a typical home console. The Switch then becomes a mobile device by lifting it out of the dock and attaching the two included Joy-Con controllers, resembling the Wii-U tablet controller.
The hardware, battery, and processing power of the console are within the 6.2 inch screen, so you’re literally taking a console device on the go when Switch is in handheld mode. From here, the console can either be held like the old tablet controller, or remove the Joy-Cons and prop up the screen to create a gaming station.
The Joy-Cons are two parts of a whole controller, but each hand-sized half is an entire controller on its own that allows two people to play the Switch with a single Joy-Con unit. Turned on its side, the Joy-Con resembles the Wii remote’s directional pad plus two buttons arrangement. Mileage may vary on how comfortable these mini-controllers are, but it’s one less hassle when looking to game on the go.
What about those games you’ll play on the go? The Switch launch lineup is a mix of classic franchises, indie hits, and new titles meant to use the rumble-and-motion technology in the Joy-Con controllers. The killer app at launch is The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the next installment in the famed series. Also releasing on the Wii-U, the Switch version of Breath of the Wild looks fantastic in motion, taking advantage of the device’s LPDDR4 memory chips and quad core Cortex processor.
Recent favorites such as Shovel Knight, Skylanders, Just Dance, and Bomberman are also available at launch. Meanwhile, Snipperclips and 1-2-Switch are Switch-exclusive titles meant as party games on the go, making full use of Nintendo’s HD rumble technology.
More titles are set to come this year, including Splatoon 2, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, FIFA, Fire Emblem, Minecraft, and Ultra Street Fighter II.
Nintendo recently revealed that Virtual Console — Nintendo’s delivery system for beloved, old titles to be purchased digitally — will not be available at launch for the Switch. The company has also not said if previous Virtual Console purchases from the Wii-U or 3DS will carry forward to the new device.
The question remains whether the Switch is worth buying right at launch. As with all previous Nintendo console launches, the real selling points are Nintendo’s first-party titles and the eventual promise of quality games from beloved franchises. The Legend of Zelda launching alongside the Switch is no coincidence, and is a great incentive for buying early. That said, the rest of the launch lineup leaves much desired, and the lack of Virtual Console or any kind of backward compatibility with Wii, Wii-U, or 3DS titles leaves the game list looking shallow.
The real test for Nintendo and the Switch will be third-party support, and whether this device will suffer the same lack of non-Nintendo games as the Wii-U. The decision is simple if you’re the type of gamer who is fine with buying a new console for a handful of games that are assured classics. That said, my living room is already full of Nintendo consoles that collected dust while waiting for their ship to arrive at port.
The fate of Nintendo’s handheld legacy via the 3DS is still a mystery, but for now the Switch looks like a promising device with neat tricks abounding. As a mobile console it’s small enough to not be cumbersome and has a stout battery life for the hardware involved. Only time will tell if the Switch’s party trick is a crowd-pleaser or a gimmick that marks the console as yet another half-baked Nintendo experiment.
Contact Will Harrison at: DoubleUHarrison@gmail.com or on Twitter @DoubleUHarrison.
First Published March 2, 2017, 5:00 a.m.
