With just a few more months away from its release, the new Nintendo Switch console is getting a lot of attention from the gaming community. Although its announcement came in as kind of like a surprise since nothing much was heard about the console back when it was still tagged under the project name “Nintendo NX”, there’s no doubt that Nintendo is still putting a high regard on innovation when creating their products. The home gaming system/handheld hybrid has always been Nintendo’s goal, with the most recent example seen on the integration between the Wii/Wii U and the 3DS systems.
Despite its nearing launch date, Nintendo hasn’t really given more information on the gaming system other than what they have shown on its first look video. But just based on the video and a few articles written about it, here are some things you may want to consider first before getting the Nintendo Switch.
Hardware
Nintendo’s consoles don’t really excel graphics-wise when compared to their respective PlayStation and Xbox counterparts; and even the fans know that. Nintendo Switch might be able to change that since it will be powered by a custom Nvidia Tegra processor, boasting to have processing capabilities comparable to high-end graphics cards in the market. How they can pull off that zealous feat is still unknown but it is not something that is impossible to attain with the technology nowadays.
Battery life
This is not really much of a problem when on console mode but it does raise some concerns when used as a handheld. For one, the Nintendo Switch should have a durable, high capacity battery that could sustain that amount of processing power for hours. Also, the Joy-Con controllers on each side of the unit must have a reasonable battery life span so that they don’t come off as a nuisance. Changing batteries from time to time was an inconvenience back with the Wii-mote and hopefully the Joy-Con controllers will have their built-in battery packs especially now that they are going mobile.
Games
Along with the trailer was a list of publishers and developers that announced their support for the Nintendo Switch, so it is expected that there won’t be a shortage of games. But there’s one important detail that was seen, or not seen, in the video: are we gonna say goodbye to game discs? Quite probably so. As shown on the video, games will be loaded via game cards. It may very well have the feature to download copies of games straight to the console itself via the Nintendo eShop, too.
But judging from the size and build of the console itself, it looks like there’s no more space to shimmy in a disc reader of some sort. Plus, it is gonna be awkward to carry discs, unless Nintendo is going for the revival of the 90’s vibe where it was still acceptable to carry discs because of having a Sony Walkman. Backwards compatibility will only be available for the game card, it seems.
Price
Nintendo Switch’s price tag is something that Nintendo has not discussed publicly yet, but assuming that they would be able to come up with the product close to what they have shown on the video, then the estimates would run at around $399 – $499 (Php 20,000~25,000), which is kinda pricey for a Nintendo console. It’s also something that Nintendo should think about thoroughly considering the fact that PS4 Pro just launched. They can’t afford to have another backlash with what they have experienced with the Wii U. That is why it is really important for the Nintendo Switch to step it up this time when it comes to its gaming performance and graphics; if not surpass the PS4 Pro, at least be on par with it. That way, the price can be kept competitive and fair.
These observations were just based merely on the first look video and the official articles about the console. Nothing much has been established yet about the final product and there’s still a couple more months to find out if the Nintendo Switch will be worth the buy or not. Until then, we’ll make sure to keep an eye out from any new word from Nintendo.
