[Editor’s Note: This is the second in a two-part series of articles. We’re highlighting things that have us stoked about the future of the Nintendo Switch in this article. Our things to hate about Switch went live yesterday. Be civil to each other in the comments.]
I’ve had a good few days to digest my opinion on the Nintendo Switch and I have to say, overall I’m very pleased. I wanted to knock out the things I don’t like about the Switch first because I want to focus on the positive aspects of this new console and the future it has ahead of it. I want to preface this by saying you should check out my previous article if you’re curious about any shortcomings of the console as they’re thoroughly discussed there.
1. The seamless docking experience is absolutely amazing.
Yes, I realize the Nintendo Switch dock is a glorified HDMI input. I don’t care. Nintendo has handled the way the Switch can be docked or undocked in an amazing way. The undocked console’s image immediately appears with no lag and it takes just a few seconds for the docked console’s image to appear on the TV, ready to go. No lag, no waiting. It’s perfect.
If you had told ten year-old me with my SNES that one day I’d be holding a thin console in my hand that could play console-quality games on the go you would have exploded my mind. It’s kind of hard for 32 year-old me to accept that this is the future. I can play great games on the go, I’m no longer limited to a tiny screen with shoddy graphics or mobile games.
Huge thumbs up to Nintendo for the execution of this console, because it is everything the Wii U was not. All of my previous complaints about the Wii U have been pretty much addressed with the Switch. It’s the console that should have come after the Wii.
2. Joy-Cons are actually a pleasure to use with great battery life.
I was one of the largest critics of the new Joy-Con controllers after the initial Nintendo Switch presentation. I wasn’t impressed by any iteration of motion controls that Nintendo has tried so far, but I will say that those found in the Joy-Con feel to be more accurate than the Wiimotes of yore.
I’m fully able to use the motion controls to aim my bow in Breath of the Wild with a pretty good degree of accuracy, where as the motion controls for Splatoon on the Wii U gave me an aneurysm before I figured out how to turn them off. That bodes well for the upcoming Splatoon 2 and it has me more excited than ever to play it, where as before I was shrugging it off as something I had already experienced on the Wii U.
I can’t speak for how accurate the controller is while playing the party games like 1-2-Switch or Snipperclips, but from what I’ve seen with Breath of the Wild I am very impressed.
While some may complain that the Joy-Cons are too small to use, I’ve found that with the wrist strap attached, they’re actually quite comfortable. Instead of guiding my camera with the top of my thumb, I can use the bottom of it to guide the camera while I keep my thumb on my buttons. I found myself last night considering buying an extra set to use as Bluetooth controllers with other devices because I like them that much.
3. Breath of the Wild is a system seller, I admit it.
I wasn’t entirely positive about the Switch because the Wii U left a bad taste in my mouth. The whole fool me once thing. I went into the Switch with some skepticism and no interest in playing Breath of the Wild, but once I started seeing some of the gameplay and combat that resembled Dark Souls I was hooked.
Now after having played the game a handful of days after release, I can effectively say this is the best system seller Nintendo could have released. Breath of the Wild will redefine the way the industry thinks about open world games.
Everything in the game has weight and the physics system so closely mirrors what you would expect of our actual world that I find myself astonished by the smallest things; watching a bomb float down a lazy river toward a waterfall, chasing after a sparkly only to realize it’s an arrow I shot being blown by the wind, these are all tiny experiences that I find myself startled into having because they don’t exist in other games.
I hope other game developers take note of the world that Nintendo assembled here because it is an open world that is as deep as it is wide and that’s something that has been lacking from traditional open world publishers like Ubisoft. Nintendo gave us an actual new world to explore while Ubisoft hands us a bag of checklists painted to look like history.
4. Nintendo is treating indie developers like royalty.
I love the focus that Nintendo is giving to indie games. They’ve learned a lesson from the Wii U and the PS Vita, that indie games can help continue to create a compelling platform when high profile releases are few and far between. Shovel Knight, the Shantae series, Gunman Clive, and the Steamworld series have done tons to keep the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U interesting and that’s paid Nintendo in spades.
Now indie titles have a front and center focus for the Nintendo Switch and that’s a very good thing. Platforming games are seeing a resurgence in popularity and the Nintendo Switch is the perfect place for those games. Mobile touch controls don’t translate well and these games are perfectly suited to being played while on the go. That’s why the PS Vita was such a great little handheld if you loved indie games. I think the Nintendo Switch will replace it and the Nintendo 3DS as the years wear on.
5. The UI for the Switch is really, really nice.
I am not a fan of the user interface Nintendo has had on its past three consoles. The channels interface was fine for the Wii and the Wii U and we eventually got folders so we could organize it all, but it felt messy. It was also a laggy mess and very hard to use when you had a ton of game channels.
The interface for the Nintendo Switch is the exact opposite. It’s actually a pleasure to use and navigate and I’ve experienced no lag while using it. I am rather disappointed to see Nintendo give up so quickly on Miiverse, but I can imagine it took a ton of moderation efforts to keep it a good PG place for kids.
I am kind of sad to see the return of the infamous friend code, but I think part of Nintendo’s mobile solution will handle that and make it easier for you to add your friends without having to resort to using the friend code. It’s there because it’s the easiest way for Nintendo to implement online while the mobile side of things is still in the oven.
6. I like the idea of managing my friends via mobile.
While a lot of people seem to chalk up the idea of managing your friends list via your mobile device as a bad idea, it makes a lot of sense to me. You’ll never not be without the device and the ability to contact any of your Switch friends regardless of whether you have a Switch or not is interesting.
It also sets Nintendo up to keep the console as closed as possible to prevent piracy and could set up the return of Miiverse. If Miiverse is something that is operated as a separate app instead of as part of the underlaying device it could get more traction as a social network. I know I’m wishing and hoping here because I hate to think of Miiverse dying, but friends on mobile is a good thing. Game on Switch, talk on the phone you already have.
We’ve already seen a good example of this with the Switch Parental Controls app that is now available for Google Play and iOS. It gives parents a nice overview of everything their child is doing on the Switch and can enable or disable at will. This same level of control with the friends list and a social network like Miiverse is the logical next step.
7. The Switch is just downright fun to play.
It’s been a while since I’ve been excited about a Nintendo console and I’m not ashamed to admit that. The Wii and Wii U weren’t really my thing with the emphasis on motion controls and off-screen play and while I certainly had fun with a handful of games on those consoles, I wasn’t enthused with them.
I can’t say the same for my Nintendo Switch. I got it Friday evening and as soon as Breath of the Wild was installed and downloaded I played for about five hours. It’s been ages since I’ve been able to dedicate that kind of focus to any video game and much less a Nintendo game. I spent most of Saturday and Sunday glued to my screen and have spent my evenings on my workdays doing the same.
This game has me hooked and the virtues of this console have me excited. I loved the PS Vita for the indie powerhouse that it was and I see Nintendo lining up their ducks to be a very good replacement for that. So many good games are on the horizon and I can’t wait. I’m excited. You should be too.
