For the video game industry making noise about advanced technology, it is still rare that new and different devices will come together. In just nine months, the Nintendo Switch could do just that. The game world feels different from last year.
In the summer of 2016, the switch code named “NX” was a tantric secret. In the fall of 2017 it was like an old friend.
From then until now, the moment is fast: Midsummer reports claim that the NX will be a hybrid portable / set-top console, followed by a disclosure from Nintendo’s official release in October. Switch was launched in March 2017.
I reviewed the Switch for Kotaku back in March, stating that despite the lack of some hardware and feature issues, it was an “interesting new console game built on a groundbreaking and actionable core concept. Good.”
I said that basically I like using the console. But I advise readers that until they sell the idea of the switch, they should stop their purchase.
“In six months we’ll learn more about how this extraordinary new console works,” I wrote, “and there will be plenty to play. Nintendo has tried its luck again, and only time will tell what is. Will give good returns or not. ”
It’s been over six months, and time has told me: Nintendo gamble paid off.
The hardware
Switch is one of the most relevant gaming hardware you can buy. Away from the competition’s stash box, this console can be drilled, dismantled and mounted on a stand to allow for any configuration. It is a trick device if it has a large number of broken parts.
I use the switch every day and it is easy to do this to make it fun so as to ignore staggered hardware problems and glitches. They are definitely still there.
For example, there is no support for Bluetooth headsets, the stand behind the system is unstable and puts the screen at an odd angle.
It becomes impossible to stand on the screen while the charging port at the bottom of the screen is plugged into the switch.
The Joy-Con thumbsticks are short and slightly flipped. It’s ironic that Joy-Con, Nintendo’s grip that came with the console, won’t charge the Mini controller.
The switch faced widespread hardware issues at launch: Joey Conn, the left of the launch system, was so unreliable, causing many Zelda players to see Link running as fast as he could from the uncontrollable Cliff.
This became a reality in later months, when it was time to compete in Splatoon 2, or to make the most of Mario Odyssey’s motion controls, Nintendo dealt with the issue quickly, calling it a completely Nintendo-Ian language.
The problem was wireless interference and Nintendo began fixing it by adding conductive foam to the left joy con.
This quickly replaces the faulty controller. My subcontinent changed in a few days. In March, it also promised that the rest of future Joy-Con would not have the same problem.
The strikingly accessible switch appears to feature countless first and third-party accessories, including rainbow-themed Joy-Con colors.
Many possible Joy-Con packs are there, and Nintendo has released some smart configurations so you can mix and match to achieve your own look.
High-priced first-party accessories are still a problem, especially given some – a carrying case ($ 30), an SD card ($ 80, 128 GB for $ 30-40), An Ethernet adapter ($ 30), which is one of the great Pro controllers ($ 70) – it seems like a necessary purchase. Those additional costs combined.
Install the accessory and unplug the switch from the charger, and you’ve got a good portable gaming device. It feels good in your hand, even if the button and thumb are slightly smaller.
You can play two players anywhere with a joy-con on the same screen. The large, bright screen is easy to see on a bus or plane, although its size can make you feel brazier for public use.
System software
Nintendo has done little to update bare-bones switch software since March. It still looks like a normal phone operating system, slightly displaying the Nintendo Fun 3DS and Wii U operating systems.
However, Switch OS is faster, making it easier to access and play games. If a video game console has to prioritize one thing.
Often, Nintendo’s bizarre flashes briefly to the surface, either with a whistle effect in the menu or when eShop opens, or a silly interface to add text to images. Your screen before posting on social media.
Nintendo’s fun is hard to miss, much quieter than in the past.
