The Nintendo Switch is an amazing machine that is practically black magic when it comes to how well it can run certain games that we never thought would be possible especially in handheld mode.
So as a gamer and one who already owns multiple consoles, I wonder if I’m ready to make the “Switch” and if it is truly worth it. Yes it has Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Mario Odyssey but there are already a lot of games in the PS4 that are keeping me occupied and my personal backlog is already enough for a pool to be filled with just the CD’s alone. I even have the PSVita and even 2 PSPs to sate my mobile gaming needs especially if I’m at the office, so adding a Switch to the mix would just make me want to waste even more of my time with more video games (lol).
So let’s take a look at what the Switch has going for it so far and some issues it has or could have in the future so we can decide if getting one for the holidays is feasible.
To Switch:
- A pretty good lineup of some amazing 1st party games like the aforementioned Zelda and Mario being the heaviest hitters. Then we have the runner ups which also look like fun such as Arms, Splatoon 2, Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, Fire Emblem Warriors, and a few others.
- A cool lineup of 3rd party games that can make anyone scratch their head as to why it runs well on the tiny device such as NBA 2K18, WWE 2K18, FIFA 18, and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus.
- Some great ports that look like they belong with the Switch such as I am Setsuna, Stardew Valley, Skyrim, L.A. Noire, Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, Minecraft, Rocket League, Shovel Knight, Doom, and Disgaea 5.
- The Joy-Cons – these controllers are on a league of their own that make the Switch so much more unique than it already is. The potential of these controllers are something only the imagination can reach.
- The portability – being able to play your video games anywhere has always been something we gamers want to do but today’s cellphones will never have the optimization or exclusives that consoles have and the Switch being a hybrid console has so much going for it.
- The fact that Nintendo has finally opened their doors to 3rd party developers alone was enough for everyone to have their attention on the Switch. And the games that will come to the Switch in the future has all of us holding our breath.
- The upcoming games that will make the Switch even hotter than it already is like Xenoblade Chronicles 2, the unnamed Pokemon game, Project Octopath Traveler, and many more that will someday be announced.
Not to Switch
- The expensiveness of the Switch controllers and especially the Pro Controller would be enough to make people be very careful in terms of how they handle their Switch controllers.
- The fragility of the Switch’s screen should also be something people need to be careful with though that could probably be easily solved with tempered glass.
- The bending issue.
- The ever looming but slight possibility of Nintendo following in the tracks of Sony and Microsoft and suddenly introducing a “Switch Pro” that might be able to run games at 1080p in handheld mode and 4K in docked mode with a lot more frames-per-second processing and faster load times.
- The inconsistent frame pacing issues in certain games when in handheld or dock mode. While it may be a minor issue there are still people who might have an OCD about this.
- The fundamental hardware issues like the charge port being located at the bottom of the Switch which makes it difficult to charge it while being on tabletop mode or the fact that wireless headsets can’t connect to the Switch because the bluetooth is dedicated to the Joy-Cons.
- Expensive accessories – if you want the full experience then get ready to spend because the Switch has a lot of things that needs work like its somewhat weak battery life, non-charging Joy-Con grip, a more durable stand, a tempered glass, a battery strap for the Joy-Cons, a micro SD card, the aforementioned controllers, and many more so that you can get the optimal experience on this amazing console. Sounds more like you’re buying a 2nd Switch already though.
- Wi-fi issues – the Switch has connectivity problems and consoles mostly work best online when you’re using an ethernet cable and to do that with the Switch then you need something like the Hori Wired Internet Adapter.
- The online mode – the Switch’s full online mode won’t be out till 2018 but it doesn’t really seem like something worth getting what with the monthly rotation of retro games being one thing and it’s very odd that you need a different device to chat with your friends during multiplayer mode.
The Verdict
We managed to list down many pros and cons for the Switch and while the Switch may be a very hot item on the market (especially in Japan where it’s selling faster than porn) I conclude that now is not the best time to buy a Switch. Even more so if you live in Japan where I would suggest if you’re really that desperate then have it imported or buy it in a different country and at least take it out of the box to prevent customs from charging you for it.
If you game on PC or don’t happen to have a console, then the Switch is something to consider getting especially if you want to play high end games on the go as well as play some of the games that can only be played with a Nintendo console. No matter what anyone says, a Switch is way more better than any high-end cellphone and cheaper to boot with no microtransactions (at least for now).
The Switch has a lot to offer but I feel that the current lineup is not enough to fully convince me to buy one but next year looks to be the ideal time to give in to temptations especially if there are more essential accessory bundles to go with it. So don’t go buying one yet even if it is Black Friday or Cyber Monday because you never know when you might just regret buying one so soon. The only time I would suggest buying a Switch this year is if you happen to find a deal where it looks like it’s a steal. Even more so if most of the necessary accessories are included and you may never know when that will happen. However, probably the best time to buy it would be next year once its game library becomes bigger and the online feature would be fully implemented.
