Late Thoughts on the Switch
Opinion on the Nintendo Switch from a viewpoint of a person who just got it a few months ago.
For quite a long time I didn’t consider myself a “gamer” person. I got an Xbox One S a while back mostly to play with my friend who also got one. I also got the Xbox Game Pass on it so I could try out some games. It was nice to hop on and play something once in a while but for the most part I didn’t really use it that much. While thinking about what to do with it I’ve been getting more and more interested in Nintendo’s consoles. There was just something about their attention to detail and the games that really appealed to me.
After a long consideration I decided to sell my Xbox and get the Nintendo Switch (the OLED model, specifically) and so far my expirience with it was awesome.
My favorite thing about the Switch is the hybrid form factor. The fact that it doesn’t have to be plugged to a tv all the time and I can play it in handheld mode anywhere is so amazing. I’ve already taken it on a couple trips with me and it was great. The fact that I’ve mostly been playing offline games is also good for those trips where I don’t really have a stable internet connection. There’s also no reason to worry about battery life. As long as you’re not playing on max brightness then you should get a few good hours out of it. With my sessions the battery last me more or less 3 days when playing in handheld mode only (keep in mind that I’ve mostly been playing Zelda BotW which is one of the more power hungry titles on the Switch).
Also I’m really glad that Nintendo stopped its proprietary port BS and finally started putting USB-C into all of its products (even the renewed Game & Watch!). Really nice of you, Nintendo 😊 (I'm looking at you Apple…)
The games have also been great. So far I’ve played Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Mario was a fun platformer that I still sometimes hop into for a quick level but BotW is what really made me fall in love with the Switch. I'm sure you’ve already heard how great this game so I won't be talking about it that much but the short version of my opinion is basically that I agree with what everyone is saying. This game is a masterpiece and one of the best games I ever played. The amount of freedom and ways to explore the world the game gives you is insane. I’ve already put 60 hours into it and I still find new things to do in it.
Of course there’s a couple of things that annoy me about the Switch. For example there’s the E-Shop which is just plain unusable sometimes. I don’t know what’s wrong with it but the Switch clearly cannot handle it. Navigating it is a nightmare because it’s so laggy. There’s also the issue of the nonexistent quality control in terms of the games there but that’s a topic for another post...
And I know that getting into Nintendo would be quite costly but seriously, $60 for some of the games that Nintendo has just doesn’t feel right. Like New Pokemon Snap for example. And why are the accessories so pricy too?! Like, if you want an another pair of joy-cons that’s gonna cost you $80 😭.
Overall, despite some flaws, I’m really enjoying the Switch so far. The hybrid form factor fits me really well and I hope Nintendo will continue it in its next consoles (of course they’re gonna do that). There’s also so many great games that I’ll have to check out in the future...
If you’re looking to get a Switch now, I think the OLED Model is gonna be your best bet. It’s not that more expensive than the regular one and the benefits are quite nice, especially the screen if you’re playing a lot in handheld mode. Plus the white joy-cons look really nice in my opinion.
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