Console Review: Nintendo Switch

It’s no secret that the Wii U was not Nintendo’s best-selling home console by any stretch of the imagination. Badly hurt by a poor naming choice, a confusing reveal that only showcased the Wii U GamePad, and a crippling lack of third-party support, it sold a pitiful 13.56 million units within about 4 years. In fact, it is one of Nintendo’s worst-selling consoles ever, only selling more than the complete failure that is the Virtual Boy. The existence of the Wii U’s future successor was first teased back in March 2015, only referred to as the “NX”. Other than referring to its’ existence, Nintendo wouldn’t say another word about what “NX” was until the official revealing of the Nintendo Switch in October 2016.

For many viewers of the Switch reveal trailer, this was a comeback like we haven’t seen from Nintendo before. The Nintendo Switch presented itself as a hybrid video game console, a console that could be played at home hooked up to the TV, or on-the-go and easily transportable. It’s far from a standard handheld console in terms of power, with a number of games on the PS4 and Xbox One being able to scale down successfully and still run smoothly like DOOM 2016, Skyrim, and Warframe. While still not as powerful as a PS4 or Xbox One outright, it still is much more powerful than the PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii U, which is impressive considering the ease of portability.

Portability is one of the Switch’s major advantages. Many people lead busy lives and not everybody just has the time to pour into a gaming session in front of the TV. But with the Switch, it can be easily taken on the go with a carrying case. With close-to-instant boot times, it’s easy to hop into a game for 10 to 15 minutes while waiting for an appointment or on a study break on campus. A number of titles available on PS4, Xbox One, and Switch will sell better on Switch due to the portability plus alone.

The Nintendo Switch console itself feels very professional designed and sleek. It’s a jarring contrast when you compare the bulky Wii U GamePad (which some have likened to a Fisher Price toy) to the sleek Switch, feeling more modern than the GamePad while packing the same features and a capability to output HD.

The Switch has had no shortage of games either, especially to the infamous game droughts that the Wii U would often suffer. In the first year alone, Nintendo would release The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (also the Wii U’s final 1st-party title), Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, ARMS, Splatoon 2, Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle, Pokken Tournament DX, Super Mario Odyssey, Fire Emblem Warriors, and Xenoblade Chronicles 2. The strong release schedule continues into 2018 with Kirby Star Allies, Mario Tennis Aces, Octopath Traveler, Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna ~ The Golden Country, Super Mario Party, Pokemon Let’s Go: Pikachu and Eevee, and finally concluding the year with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. 2019 is a year that wouldn’t let up either, with titles like Yoshi’s Crafted World, Super Mario Maker 2, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Astral Chain, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, Ring Fit Adventure, Luigi’s Mansion 3, and Pokemon Sword and Shield. Whether you are a fan of single-player epics, multiplayer competitive titles, casual platformers or hardcore RPGs, there’s probably something on the Nintendo Switch for you.

The Nintendo Switch really is a heck of a console for the company, and an amazing bounce-back from the Wii U. At current, it’s sold more than the Wii U, GameCube and Nintendo 64, even starting to close the gap between it and the SNES, which is no small feat. More titles are lined up for 2020 to come, and let’s hope they can satisfy.

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This is something a bit different I'm doing to sort of compensate that I haven't really output any story updates in a while (again, college), and I had this laying around unfinished on my computer. Plus, I kinda want to start a 'mini-review' series where I just sort of review various games and the like to give my opinions on things. It's not a lot, I admit. But I do hope it is an interest read regardless.