Thoughts on the Nintendo Switch presentation

After Nintendo disclosed that they would reveal more details regarding their newest gaming console a couple of months beforehand, a lot of thoughts were running through my mind. While I am incredibly excited for all the potential innovations and creativity that the Switch will bring to the table,  I still entered the recent presentation with slight trepidation since the Wii and Wii U did sort of disappoint me in some ways. I find it amazing that games like Splatoon (really great game btw) were even able to grow and flourish on the Wii U despite featuring a shoddy online system, and utilizing a somewhat cheap and plasticky tablet controller. But I feel like the Switch is a step in the right direction for Nintendo and it’s future in gaming.

---

I think integrating all the best aspects of both the 3DS and Wii U for the Switch is a wonderful idea, and presents many possibilities regarding gameplay inventiveness. One of the aspects that left an impression on me were how they described more on the Joy-con controllers, which can be played by sliding it to the left and right side of the tablet screen, or even separately altogether. I’m still curious about how well the Joy-cons hold up and function on it’s own since they do look a bit tiny to hold (good thing I have smol hands), but I love that it is an option nonetheless.

---

One part that did sort of surprise (in a good way) me was that apparently the Switch is incorporating gyro/motion controls to the Joy-cons. I was worried that they would quietly abandon these control schemes after the Wii U failed to catch on commercially, so I’m happy to see it return. This inclusion might open up the possibility of VR in the future.

---

I’m still unsure of how to feel about having to pay a subscription fee just to play online multiplayer games on the Switch, especially since it’s launching at the price of $300 dollars. I was hoping that online would be free since the Wii U had free multiplayer, and making it free would have potentially allured some undecided gamers who might not want to pay as much. But on the flipside, I do see some good coming out of this. One of my pet peeves with Mario Kart 8 and Splatoon on the Wii U is that the internet connection would occasionally slow down or drop me from a game entirely, so maybe all the extra dough could go towards beefing up online connectivity.

---

As for the games that were showcased, besides Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, (which I’m incredibly hyped for) I feel like this part was a mixed bag. The trailer for 1, 2 Switch gave me the false hope that I was watching a teaser to Red Dead Redemption 2, but it ended up just being an overly simplified and barebones version of Warioware. ARMS looks pretty cool, it gave me a lot of Jojo’s Bizzare Adventure vibes for some reason, but I think it’s the kind of game I’d play briefly at parties rather sinking plenty of hours on my own. But once they showed trailers for their core titles like  Splatoon 2 and Super Mario Odyssey, I was happily floating on cloud 9. The games that followed were also fairly intriguing. I’m incredibly happy to see Xenoblade Chronicles get a sequel, although I do hope Xenoblade Chronicles X gets one in the future as well (I despise cliffhanger endings). I’m also looking forward to a potential No More Heroes 3 game, No More Heroes 1 and 2 were some of my favorites on the Wii. Most of the heavy hitters appear to be evenly dispersed throughout the year, so I think the Switch has longevity. On a random side note, I felt pretty bad for the translators that spoke throughout, most of them sounded like they were under duress and on the verge of tears at some moments. I hope they don’t become memes. 😦

---

I think the only major concern I have is the overall availability at launch. I’ve heard that most GameStop stores will only carry maybe 10 to 20 of these consoles. Then they’ll be incredibly hard to find afterwards for quite a few months. This unfortunately opens up the possibility of scalpers selling the Switch way above its retail price. Yikes.

---

All in all, I’m excited to see what Nintendo offers in the upcoming future. It looks like a very incredible piece of hardware full of plenty of creative ingenuity. Even if the Switch ends up failing, I’m happy to see that they aren’t afraid to take risks while their competitors are just playing it safe with established ideas and formulas. The list of the launch games is a bummer, but my excitement is still sky high.