The Triple A (An Average Asian) Gamer Review: The Nintendo Switch

Hi everyone,
I’m Chrispy99 and this is my personal thoughts and review of the Nintendo Switch. I’m very critical when it comes to buying games because I want to get the best bang for my buck when buying games (I’m sure everyone does). Technical specs and simulation runs are great but real world application and experience I believe really emphasize a purchase. I currently do have the system and this review will only be valid for this time until further developments, games for, and iterations of the system come through. Please take my review and experience with a grain of salt. THIS IS MY FIRST REVIEW EVER. Thank you.

Purchasing Experience
The Nintendo Switch is Nintendo’s new flagship console/portable gaming device. It currently is priced at $299.99 and sits in the middle at a price range for an Xbox One S ($249) and a PS4 ($399). One of the biggest draws for me when it comes to pricing and what was considered to be a heavily focused aspect of the system is portability. The marketing behind Nintendo heavily focuses on bringing console level gaming to the portable market where Nintendo’s 3DS and mobile games dominate. To me, this innovation at a similar price point for a home console as well as the highly limited stock influenced me to buy the system when it presented itself. The appeal for owning a system that is highly coveted and difficult to find in store shelves has its own influence on a consumer’s purchase. I can definitely agree to that influence as I held the only Nintendo Switch left in the store with other people eyeing me to misplace the device.
When it came to buying games, it was difficult to swallow that the standard price point for triple A titles would be around $60 but with any console, it comes with the territory. Furthermore, if I wanted to buy games digitally, I would need to invest into microSD cards ranging from $20 to $100 depending on the size, which would drive the overall investment into this system. I’ve bought two games so far with the system: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wilds and Mario Kart 8. Adding on to the costs, I bought a screen protector after numerous reports of people having their Switches scratched when loading them on the dock. Furthermore, the system’s online capabilities are free as of now but a planned paid subscription is in the works so account those purchases as well.

Device Contents
Looking at what comes with the Nintendo Switch, you are given:
1x Nintendo Switch touch screen
2x Left JoyCon controllers (1 Left/1 Right)
2x JoyCon Shoulder Pad/Lanyard Straps
1x USB type C charger
1x Dock station
1x HDMI cable
1x JoyCon Grip Controller

Games
This is a strong con at the time of this review for the Switch but I am very hopeful. Let me explain. There is a limited amount games that I personally want for the system. There are games and indie titles presented for the system however my gripe about these titles are that I can get most of them on other platforms and possibly for cheaper prices if I researched enough. My personal view of the switch is to see strong triple A titles or something on a similar level on it and really get the console experience on the go. I think is where Nintendo struggles sometimes. I am aware that there are many indie titles with beautifully told stories and that graphics are not everything but one game from Nintendo truly utilizes the full experience of the Switch: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wilds. I’m sure you already have heard all of the reviews about how great the game is but I want to add why this game is a standard for the Switch.
It delivers on the promise of a full console experience on the go. Take any open world game whether it is Witcher 3, Watchdogs, or Fallout 4 and imagine taking that single player experience on the go. The depth of activities available as well as graphical detail for a single game which are often associated with home consoles or PC’s has just gone portable. Now, you can argue that people can take laptops that run stronger specs than the Switch and bring the experience anywhere but the argument turns into portability for performance. The size comparison as well as with the detachable and multiplayer use controllers I think beats a larger laptop that requires either a controller or mouse with mousepad. Although the graphics are not in 4K nor is the Switch touting the latest and greatest hardware, the performance is enough to produce triple A games with solid gameplay and above average 3D graphics. I believe that was the intention when you compare the New 3DS and the Wii U showing off 3D gameplay of games such as Monster Hunter and Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. The only thing left is for developers to utilize this technology and develop great games for the system. I will explain multiplayer experiences in my general user experience.

My General User Experience
The overall experience of using the Switch both as a home console as well as a portable console I would say is above average. The transitions are somewhat seamless switching between styles but the overall effect is the same. It is still a bit difficult to transition towards a smaller screen when dealing with an open world game like Legend of Zelda but if you are starting off portable, your vision can adjust accordingly. Switching to portable mode, I have not had any graphical limitations or any issues with
The Joycon controllers both have pros and cons depending on what you are using them for. Using them with the Joycon Grip to create a controller is fine with no real issue. The handling does feel a little wonky sometimes but a bigger issue in this mode would have to be the set of bumpers. The smaller bumpers in front of the triggers I believe are too small that I often misclick and press the trigger buttons instead. Some of the other buttons do feel out of place such as the plus, minus, home and screenshot buttons but those are often not intended for repetitive use in a gaming session.
The multiplayer experience varies depending on the type of game and how the multiplayer is set up. I have tried both playing Mario Kart 8 split screen with a friend directly on the portable screen as well as played with another Nintendo Switch. In regards to playing a with another Switch user, there was really no significant differences compared to playing any other portable gaming devices like the 3DS. However, playing splitscreen with the Switch’s portable screen can be a difficult endeavor if the game requires players to focus on the details of the screen. During a Mario Kart 8 session, my friend would often have a difficult time seeing the road or objects ahead of his character due to the limited screen space available. Furthermore, the spacing for each JoyCon controller while we were playing made each controller feel very small and crowded for our adult sized hands. I would recommend for anyone who plans to play multiplayer with a single system to play it attached to a screen because the joycon controllers can be forgivable for their design since it is their first iteration with experimental hardware. But the lack of screen space on the portable screen can be very punishing for newer players who are just jumping in for a quick gaming session.

Conclusion
The Nintendo Switch is a unique console that has the capability to take gaming through a whole new realm of innovation with its emphasis on quality console gaming on the go. At this time, I would not consider investing into the Nintendo Switch unless you are absolutely certain you have a fair number of games you would want to play on the platform. The lack of new games that push to that standard level of gaming are limited at this time with only a few major titles really carrying the sales of the system. Based on how the game industry has evolved, most likely there will be a newer iteration of the Nintendo Switch with upgraded specs and internal hardware. By then, a fair number of mainstay titles may have been released giving the Switch a stronger and viable console suggestion.

TL;DR: The Nintendo Switch is a great portable console but with the lack of quality console games and some hardware oversight, it would be best to either wait for the next iteration of the Nintendo Switch to come out or wait until there is enough of a personal game lineup to purchase the console.

Thank you for reading. Let me know what you think in the comments and if there is anything you want me to discuss regarding the Switch or anything else. Thank you again!