Preview: What is the Nintendo Switch good for and what are its chances against PS4 and co.
1.2.2017
Translation: machine translated
Will the Nintendo Switch bring the hoped-for turnaround for the Japanese cult gaming company? Among the first select few to see and touch the device on sale, opinions vary. Here's my impression after my first time with the Switch.
In cities around the world, Nintendo invited a small crowd of visitors to test out the new Nintendo Switch over the past few weeks. I was also lucky enough to be able to play the Wii U successor extensively. Can Nintendo repeat the success of the Wii once again or will the Switch fare the same as the Wii U?
Here's where the Nintendo Switch rocks
After touching the new console from Nintendo for the first time, it was clear to me: I've fallen a little bit in love with the Nintendo Switch. At the presentation in Berlin, I was allowed to touch the console for a short time without the clunky metal safety cages. The Nintendo Switch is just the right weight. Not too heavy, so that even longer gaming sessions don't become tiring, but not too light either, so that a high-quality feel is created. As you would expect from Nintendo, the workmanship is flawless and the buttons are all very easy to reach. Everything just feels really good.
Of course, the console is too big for your trouser pocket, but it is certainly portable. And despite the small screen, you can easily play a round of "Mario Kart" for two. This feature should not be underestimated. It is still difficult to predict whether we will adapt our current gaming behaviour accordingly and suddenly put the Switch on the table when we are out and about or at a friend's house and play a round together. But the potential and the possibility are clearly there.
The detachable controllers make the Switch extremely flexible: docked as a classic home console on the TV, on the go as a handheld, as a Wii replacement thanks to the motion controller or for gaming fun for two (or four or eight), no matter where you are. No other console offers such variety. And the transition between docked and handheld mode is absolutely seamless.
The Joy Cons also have HD Rumble, which is a really impressive feature. Thanks to a sophisticated vibration system, various things can be simulated, such as marbles in the device - you can even feel the number of the marble. Could remain a gimmick, but has enormous potential.
The right-hand controller also has an infrared camera that recognises distances and movements. It can even tell how many fingers you are holding up. Another feature that could be used creatively by Nintendo.
The games
The unique selection of games has always been the flagship of Nintendo consoles. It will be a trump card again this time. Although the current range is still a little thin, "Zelda: Breath of the Wild" and "Super Mario Odyssey" are two of the biggest game brands around. Splatoon 2" should not be underestimated and "Arms" was also amazing fun, even if I was expecting a lower price for the latter. "Arms" feels more like a mini-game than a fully-fledged game. The fact is: Nowhere else can you get the unrivalled Nintendo games and if there is enough response, third-party developers will also jump on the bandwagon and guarantee a diverse range of games.
Once Nintendo also discontinues the 3DS or at least focusses developer capacities more and more on the Switch, the output of great titles will grow significantly. Currently, resources are still split between two consoles, the Wii U and the 3DS:
This is where the Switch stinks
Despite all the great things the Joy-Con controllers can do, they can also cause a lot of frustration. For one thing, they are extremely small - not a problem for my normal-sized hands, but anyone with larger paws will get cramps just watching them. Secondly, there are an extremely large number of buttons on the small surface. Ten per controller! Depending on how you hold them, certain buttons are quite difficult to press. I also didn't really like the feel of the top two buttons (with the attached loop). Too wobbly. And if you use both Joy Con with the supplied Grip Kit controller, it feels really great in the hand, but if you have to press different buttons in quick succession, as in the racing game "Fast RMX", you'll quickly lose your grip. The buttons are rather small. What's more, the analogue stick on the right Joy Con is in the middle. You can do it that way, but then it's just rubbish. No, it's not that bad, but you'll definitely always be fighting over the right Joy Con.
The game selection
Although I personally don't think anyone needs 20 games at launch, the small selection is likely to put some players off. Furthermore, the quality of the mini-game collection "1-2-Switch" was sobering. Little more than tech demos. It may be that games like "Draw", where you have to draw your Joy Cons faster than the other player in Wild West style, make good drinking games, but that doesn't necessarily seem to me to be a quality criterion. I wouldn't play any of the six mini-games more than once. Especially never alone and at most once to introduce the console to newcomers, and even then I would much rather go for "Arms". Unless the rest of the "1-2-Switch" titles are significantly better, the price is clearly too high. Nintendo should have included them, like they used to include "Nintendoland" or "Wii Sports", but I'm happy to be proven wrong.
The battery life
It may be that no game of the quality of "Zelda: Breath of the Wild" has ever been so easy and convenient to play on the go, but if you run out of juice after just three hours, it will be a short pleasure. Of course, there are power banks and sockets, but you'll never be able to game for long without panicking and keeping an eye on the battery indicator. Gamescom? Fantasy Basel? Get yourself a fat power bank now.
Console War
In my opinion, the advantages clearly outweigh the disadvantages. After the Wii U debacle, the Nintendo Switch is finally a true successor. Without the name confusion that led many to believe that the Wii U was just an additional gamepad for the Wii. The unrivalled appeal of a Nintendo console with its unique range of games remains unbroken. While PC, Xbox One and PS4 are by and large very interchangeable in terms of what they offer, Nintendo once again impresses with its very own concept. The combination of console and handheld, the many possible uses of the Joy Cons, whether as a normal controller, as a motion sensor or split for two players, has convinced me.
As for the meagre selection of games at launch, I think Nintendo's plan could work. Fans will make sure that all the shelves are empty on 3 March one way or another. And with "Zelda", they'll get a really eagerly awaited game right from the start compared to the PS4 or Xbox One. With "Mario Kart" in April, "Splatoon 2" in summer and especially in autumn with "Super Mario Odyssey", even more heavyweights will follow in the same year. Casual gamers, on the other hand, never buy that many games a year anyway and the slow but constant release of new games should ensure a slow but steady supply, so that there should be enough games in total.
If you are a gamer and own a PC, the Nintendo Switch is certainly a more sensible addition than a PS4 or Xbox One. Anyone who has already bought one of the latter and is looking for some variety in addition to the usual action and role-playing games will also be well served by the Switch. And if you don't have a console yet, you'll have to consider whether Super Mario, Zelda and the like are more important than GTA, Battlefield and Halo. Experience has shown that these will not appear on Nintendo's console.
It is unlikely that the success of the Wii will be equalled. That might have been a unique combination of originality, accessibility and timing that can't easily be replicated. Nevertheless, I think there's a good chance that the Nintendo Switch will once again be on a par with the Playstation and Xbox, or even leave them behind.
You can pre-order here if you fancy "Zelda" and co
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Philipp Rüegg
Senior Editor
Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.chBeing the game and gadget geek that I am, working at digitec and Galaxus makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop – but it does take its toll on my wallet. I enjoy tinkering with my PC in Tim Taylor fashion and talking about games on my podcast http://www.onemorelevel.ch. To satisfy my need for speed, I get on my full suspension mountain bike and set out to find some nice trails. My thirst for culture is quenched by deep conversations over a couple of cold ones at the mostly frustrating games of FC Winterthur.
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