Nintendo launched their new console, the Switch, today. The console plugs into a TV but can also be taken on the go with the built-in screen.
Kyle Orland at Ars has a review of the system. CNET’s Jeff “Autoplaying Video” Bakalar also has a review.
I have some concerns with the system’s a lack of games at launch, the two hardware flaws that we know about, it’s regressive online features, and the price.
The only major games available at launch are The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Dan Ryckert’s 5-star review) and the 1-2-Switch fifty dollar minigame collection that isn’t that great (Alanah Pearce’s 6.2 out of 10 review w/ autoplaying video) and should have been included with the system. 1-2-Switch seems to be the only game that makes use of the Switch’s full functionality by using the gyroscope and other sensors in the Joy-con controllers. Zelda sounds fantastic, but I’d understand why people are skeptical if they have read any of the reviews for console Zelda games in the past ten years. The reviews have been overly positive for games that aren’t that impressive.
Anyone that owns the Wii-U and is considering buying the Switch for Zelda would probably be better off just getting the Wii-U version of the game.
More games are coming, and Nintendo recently announced that a lot of independent developers have signed up to deliver their games to the Switch as it takes over the indie portable role from Sony’s now defunct Vita, but those are the only big games available today.
Those Joy-con’s have had two major issues already reported by journalists who have had the system early. One is that the left Joy-con’s wireless signal to the console isn’t great and disconnects or gets out of sync sometimes. Nintendo’s response was not very helpful. The other hardware issue is that the rails the system uses to hold the Joy-con controllers onto the system aren’t very sturdy.
The more and more I look at pictures of the way the JoyCons physically connect, the more I think Nintendo has a major design issue.
— Robert Goode (@Shipwreck) March 1, 2017
This is a cantilevered piece of plastic that interfaces w/ metal. There are high stress corners coming together at the base. I dunno guys. pic.twitter.com/3LI8KgRkQQ
— Robert Goode (@Shipwreck) March 1, 2017
Over time, we are looking at a 100% failure rate on these JoyCons. I truly believe that. I want myself to be wrong. I don't think I am.
— Robert Goode (@Shipwreck) March 1, 2017
Imagine if you will this cantilevered plastic, barely yanked sideways again & again as you snap & unsnap. pic.twitter.com/Os9XWiz3hc
— Robert Goode (@Shipwreck) March 4, 2017
When you’re holding the Switch in portable-mode, that connection rail mechanism is the only thing preventing it from falling onto the floor.
The Switch’s operating system is also woefully outdated at launch compared to its competitors. It is not possible to back-up saved games anywhere. They aren’t saved on Nintendo’s servers and Nintendo doesn’t let you carry them on an SD card to back them up. Sony and Microsoft both automatically back up saved games to their servers, though they do that with a paid subscription to their online service. Polygon’s article linked above incorrectly indicates that only Sony requires a paid subscription.
Finally, I don’t feel like the $300 price for a Switch is entirely fair when you can get an Xbox One for around $200 (on discount) or a PlayStation 4 for a little bit more.
The comparison may seem a bit more fair later this year when the Xbox One Scorpio is announced and released, I expect the Scorpio’s price to be comparable to the only PlayStation 4 anyone should be buying which is the $400 Pro model. However, even the base models of those systems have games that look better than the Switch’s whose leg-up is portability with a built-in screen and Nintendo’s exclusives like Zelda and Mario.
I wouldn’t let these caveats stop me, those games would be enough reason to own a Switch, but they may not be for many people.
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