Review: Nintendo Switch
I’ve had my Nintendo Switch since day one (only the 2nd day one console purchase I\’ve done, with the Playstation Vita being the other) and I love it, being able to play The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on the go is awesome.
I was the first (and probably the oldest) to pre-order my Switch in my local GamesStop, about six months before it was released. I took the day off work and also picked up BOTW Special Edition.
Switching between dock and handheld is seamless. Screen size is perfect for handheld play, and Skyrim on my train journey to work is mind blowing, so much so I may have missed my stop on more than one occasion.
I love the overall simplicity of the operating system. Basic and clean, but Nintendo can we please have custom backgrounds?
I’ve had BOTW since day one and over 100 hours in and I’ve yet to finish the game. One day I will, I promise.
I’m glad the Switch has sold well for Nintendo, they are the longest running console company and it would have been sad to see them go if the Switch was a (relative) failure like the Wii U. I have a Wii U and I still play it. It’s just a pity it didn’t sell well for them, but I’m not here to talk about why it failed. With the failure of the Wii U, it made Nintendo pay attention and bring us the awesome Switch.
Docking Station:
Like most things in life the Switch is not perfect. The docking station is a little basic and extremely overpriced at 90 euros if I want a second one. Other people have had experiences of screen scratching when docking the switch, but I’ve never had this issue. However, I did get myself a screen protector day one and stuck that bad boy on before I even turned on the Switch. It’s still on the screen to this day.
Left Joycon Drift:
I had my Switch for a couple of weeks before this issue arose. I was playing BOTW docked and I noticed Link (the playable character in the game) continued running even when I wasn’t controlling him with the left thumbstick. I thought that it must be a bad connection and thought nothing more of it. A few more weeks went by and it became apparent that I wasn’t the only one having this problem. I googled it and apart from resyncing the joycons or contacting Nintendo to fix it, they were the only answers at the time. I found it next to impossible to contact Nintendo regarding this problem, and it got a pain in the arse so I went and splashed out on a Pro controller.
Pro Controller:
The Pro controller is great but again it’s overpriced at 80 euro. I could buy two PS4 controllers for the same price as one of these. I used this controller and avoided my joycons for a few months. Then I noticed the Pro controller left thumbstick was creaking, though not loudly. I could feel it every time I used it and it started to get on my nerves, so I decided to open it up and check it out…please do not do this if you are not comfortable with this kind of thing! I did manage to take it apart thanks to help from Youtube, but my NFC doesn’t work any more, though it did fix my creaking problem. I just think it’s poor build quality for something like this to happen, especially as I have had Xbox 360 and Playstation controllers for years with no problems.
I did think about taking it back to the shop to get it replaced, but sadly I couldn’t find my receipt. I still use my slightly broken Pro controller, as I don’t use the NFC that much, only when I’m getting free food on BOTW.
New Joycons:
So I dropped on another set of Joycons, but before that I picked up a cheap left joycon for 20 euro. It’s not an official one or wireless but it has a D-pad. I’ve barely used it since I picked up a new set of Joycons for 70 euro and I traded in my old ones to CEX…well the right one. So far the new joycons are fine and no issues. They said the Playstation Vita failed due to expensive memory cards, I just hope the Switch isn’t remembered for left joycon drift. Nintendo don’t appear to be doing anything about it and I worry if the Switch Lite will have similar problems.
Online:
I’ve played plenty of Splatoon 2 over the last few years. I love this game, but I don’t understand why Nintendo can’t give us proper party chat in it. I’ve only played in party chat once in two years and that was chatting through Skype. I have paid the 20 euro sub for online but I’m I’m not going to renew it in September, as it doesn’t add any benefit for me. I don’t want to play NES games I never played back in the day and I don’t want to play them now. Maybe some GameCube games and I’d consider renewing my sub.
So apart from the left joycon, online party chat and my dodgy Pro, I still think the Switch is an awesome console :).
Collie Score of 8.5/10
Review by Colm.