Hands on with the Nintendo Switch

On Friday 13th January 2017, Nintendo held the London launch event for the upcoming Nintendo Switch, set for release in the UK on Friday 3rd March 2017, which will retail at £279.99. At launch the Switch will be available in two variants. Both are identical and will include the Nintendo Switch console, Nintendo Switch dock, Nintendo Switch Joy-Con controller, Nintendo Switch controller straps and a HDMI cable. So what's the difference between both available consoles on day one? You will have the choice of dual Grey or Red and Blue coloured Joy-Con controllers. Nintendo also showed off the Pro Controller, which will retail in the UK between £70 - £100(!!). There was also mention of themed Joy-Con controllers, so expect to see Mario, Pokémon and Zelda themed controllers in the coming year. But what about the console itself? Well it feels like a premium product, solid and well built from Glass and Metal, which instantly raised my hopes and expectations. The Switch has a 6.2” capacitive multi-touch display with 720p resolution, which is a perfectly acceptable resolution when playing the console in handheld or tabletop modes. When connected to a TV via the dock the Nintendo Switch is capable of outputting games at up to 1080p / 30fps. In terms of memory, the Switch comes with a meager 32GB of internal storage, however this can be expanded via Micro SD up to 2TB. Expandable memory is a good move by Nintendo. If you judge the Switch against the storage requirements of PS4 & XBox One, 32GB will fill up fairly quickly. The Switch is mains powered when used as a home consoles, and powered by a non-removable battery when used as a handheld. Nintendo stated the Switch will have a maximum battery life of up to 6 hours, however Nintendo themselves said that has battery life is game-dependent, with anywhere between 2.5 to 6 hours depending on what software you’re running. Taking the Switch from home console to handheld and back again was seamless with the screens instantly switching from one to the other. I can see this being a valuable feature in family households where TV time is often fought over. The Joy-Con controllers that come bundled with the Switch are the most versatile controllers I've seen on a home console. They attach and to the sides of the Switch in handheld form, detach for party games, similar to that of the Wiimote, albeit more advanced. Finally they can be connected together as a control pad for TV game sessions. The Joy-Cons are full of accelerometers and gyroscopes for motion control, and something Nintendo call “HD Rumble”, which is an advanced form of Force / Haptic Feedback and are great fun. However they also feature an IR camera for use in multiplayer games, which although innovative is a tad gimmicky and will probably be quickly forgotten by game developers and gamers alike. Joy-Con controller's dimensions: Height: 102mm, Width: 35.9,mm, Depth: 28.4mm, Weight: Joy-Con (L) 49.3g, Joy-Con (R) 52.2g, Battery: Lithium Ion Then we have the Pro Controller, a traditional gamepad that Nintendo are selling separately. The Pro Controller is set to retail between £70 - £100. It was a very average control pad and didn't add anything that I could see that would justify that price point. The Nintendo Switch will launch with five titles on Day One: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild- Link finally gets the open world experience many gamers have been hoping for. It is a thoroughly beautiful game. While the Zelda series has kept me entertained for the past 30 years, it doesn't have that mass appeal that Mario has. Coupled with the fact Nintendo are releasing it on the same day the Wii U gets Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, it begs the question - if you already own a Wii U why do you need the Switch, and if you don't own a Wii U are you going to be interested in Zelda? I think Nintendo should have made this a Switch exclusive to give it that extra appeal. That said, I think this has the potential to be 2017’s Game of the Year. 1-2-Switch- Switch exclusive. This is a party game in a similar vein of Wii Sports. It has mini games such as Fencing, Table Tennis, Wild West Duel and a Cow Milking competition (yes, really! Where it differs from Wii Sports is that this will cost you £35. It feels like a tech demo that should be bundled with the Switch, but the Switch doesn't come bundled with any games at launch. Super Bomberman R - Switch exclusive. Bomberman is a frenetic multiplayer game where the aim is to drop bombs in a maze, blocking your opponent's path. It's been a Nintendo favourite for the past 33 years, and is a great addition to the launch line up. Just Dance 2017- As party games go, the Just Dance franchise is great fun for all ages, and the Joy-Con are small enough to allow you to play without being intrusive and weighed down. Additional friends can join in without a Joy-Con as the game allows you to also use your mobile phone as a control sensor. Skylanders Imaginators Starter Pack Switch- this has been out on other consoles since October 2016. For those that don't know, Skylanders is a 3D Platform game which uses real world toy figurines to play in game by placing your chosen Skylander figure onto the game portal. Skylanders appeal to both kids and collectors. Mario Kart 8 Deluxeis due for release in April, but everyone's favourite plumber won't get an original release until Super Mario Odysseythis Christmas. Aside from Breath of the Wild and Odyssey the is a lack of first party killer games, and third party announcements are currently thin on the ground but these should pick up throughout the year. Expect big announcements at this year's E3 Expo. My overall hands on impressions with the Nintendo Switch are that it is an impressive evolution from the Wii U. Nintendo have clearly listened to their fans and improved upon what worked with the Wii U and thrown in the controller Innovations that Nintendo have become know for with every generation. The Switch has the potential to appeal the the Core gamer with the capacity to take your home console gaming with you wherever you go. The Switch will also appeal to the Casual gamers with the simplistic motion control and three versatile and practical combinations of game Control. The Switch retains familiarity with much loved characters and classic titles, while offering new ways to interact with games and challenge friends in any environment you care to take the Switch. Is Nintendo going to manage to emulate the past successes of the NES, SNES or Wii and dominate the market with the Switch? I don't think the Switch is powerful enough to convince Third Party developers to port their main titles that are required to dominate the market share, but as a family/party console and as a handheld it is way ahead of the Sony & Microsoft. And while Sony & Microsoft consider the future to be VR, Nintendo are keeping it social. And do you know what? I think I love it, for that reason I pre-ordered a Switch without hesitation.

Hiatus

Apologies for the infrequent posts on the blog since I created it last month.

I have plans to improve the contents and look of the blog in the next few months, however I'm currently studying for an exam in mid March, so until then I won't be posting as often as I would like to.

I have a couple of reviews in the pipeline that I will look to post in the coming weeks, such as the new Chime unit from Ring that was sent out last week. Aside from that, there won't be much in the way of new content until after my exam or unless I get something that I have to review.

Thanks for understanding.