Nintendo Switch Review

Our Nintendo Switch review is a bit late, but better late than never. Whenever Nintendo releases a new console, it is an event celebrated around the globe. Same was the case with Nintendo Switch. On its launch day, people made huge lines in front of Best Buy, Walmart, and Amazon so that they could be the first ones to get their hands on the machine. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that Nintendo fan base is huge and for the right reasons. The company always comes up with new ideas for consoles, and even innovate their first party exclusives.

Now that home consoles have become a territory for both Sony and Microsoft, Nintendo had to something different, and they have. With Nintendo Switch, users have the ability to use it on their TV or take it out for a ride. Switch lasts easily for four hours on battery and that’s more than enough.

Not all people can just come to their homes and play games, some have huge work days, long travels, or they have to stay out of the city. The Nintendo Switch is convenient for all those people. Not only that, this console is easier to carry due to its small screen and light weight, and can be played on any TV. It’s an innovative way of letting people enjoy their gaming habit.

Design

Let’s shed some light on the design. Unlike other home consoles, Switch is quite flashy with its bright neon colors. The size is small but that doesn’t really affect the performance. In fact, the size works in the favor of the console. No one likes the huge, bloated hardware in their house, which was one of the reasons why original Xbox One was so disliked.

People like style and finesse in their home consoles and that’s exactly what Nintendo Switch delivers. It is elegant, doesn’t take too much space, easy to put anywhere, and the best part is that it can be taken anywhere. All of these design features combined make for a hell of a console.

Performance

For a small console, the performance is pretty great. Nintendo has never been about the most impressive visuals and it is quite apparent in their latest offering as well, they are going for performance, and that shows.

Switch is really easy to operate. You don’t really have to wait as the console turns on and the interface comes up almost instantaneously. The specs aren’t on part with Xbox One or PS4, but they aren’t too behind either. This is the reason why you are seeing so many ports happening on the console. Bethesda in particular has been dedicated to bringing games to all platforms and has been succeeding at it.

Most recently, Dark Souls Remastered was announced and a completely different team was chosen to work on the Switch version. It just goes to show how much developers have faith in the system and its audience. They don’t want to let them down.

Interface

Unlike Microsoft and Sony, Nintendo has opted for the simplicity for its interface. There’s very little stuff to see on it and that’s for the best. When people turn on their consoles, they want to play games and that is where the tech giant has put all their focus.

Every game you have installed shows up on the main menu and you can run by just tapping a single button. The e-shop is also listed on the main menu, so those of you who like to buy things digitally are also at an advantage. You don’t necessarily have to navigate through multiple menus to get where you want, which once again is convenient.

Software

One of the biggest concerns that everyone had at the launch of Nintendo Switch was the support of publishers. However, now that concern is long gone. Most of the games are being made with Switch in mind because everyone can see the potential. It has sold over 10 million units in over a year, which is quite an achievement.

It has already received three biggest exclusive franchises in the shape of Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Super Mario Odyssey, and Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Indie games are coming out on regular basis, which is keeping the users busy, as they wait for the new games to arrive. Third party publishers are on deck as well. Bethesda has released The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim and Doom.

They are also planning on bringing Wolfenstein 2 to the platform as well. Ubisoft also brought Mario vs. Rabbids to the Switch, and are planning to bring Steep and some of the other games as well. EA also chimed in by bringing FIFA 18. Football has huge fanbase and fans were pretty pleased to know that EA is now supporting it as well. The incredibly popular Rockstar Games also released one of their titles L.A. Noire to the platform and it was quite an experience.

Rumors are that they might also port other games including GTA V for Switch as well. So, in terms of software, there is literally endless amount. The old argument that Nintendo console has no games is out of the question now. All of the developers are paying equal attention to all three machines now. They want their games to be in reach of everyone because that’s how you get the most out of them.

Indie Games

Nintendo has always been a great place for independent developers and it’s no different this time around. A ton of games indie games that didn’t really take off on either Xbox One or PS4, are selling like crazy on Switch. This has motivated other indie developers to bring their ideas to the platform as well.

One of the ideas that really took off was Octopath Traveler. Despite being an indie game, the developers were able to increase the scope of it because they saw how much potential the game had. The let people try the initial phase out and the feedback that they received helped shape up the current build of the game.

Octopath Traveler is now expected to launch this summer and people have high hopes for it. Developers know it as well, which is they are putting a ton of work into making it perfect. A ton of other indie games have also been increased in scope because of this initiative, which means that things are looking up for the Nintendo Switch owners.