The Nintendo Switch was released in March 2017 and is designed to be what they refer to as a ‘hybrid console’, which can be adapted for at home usage or as a handheld device on the go. At present, there are thousands of gaming titles available to use on the Switch with games, such as Animal Crossing and Mario Kart Deluxe that are incredibly popular. The Nintendo Switch is a great addition to the gaming market, given its adaptability and innovated new design. If you are after a handheld gaming console, then this is the top choice.
See Also: PS5 | Xbox Series X & Series S
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For Nintendo, the journey to find the perfect portable gaming device began back in 1979 when one of the company’s engineers, Gunpei Yokoi, saw a fellow commuter entertaining himself on a journey by playing with his calculator. The following year the company released a handheld game series named Game & Watch and their search for perfection in the market is still going strong four decades later.
In many ways, Nintendo has been trying to find a modern day version of the Game Boy since its release in 1988. Despite technology moving on at a rapid pace and countless consoles being released that are the Game Boy’s superior in many ways, including a newer version of the device itself, nothing has quite yet matched its marriage of convenience and entertainment. The Nintendo Switch is, to an extent, an attempt to do just that.
The big question, of course, is whether the Switch even classes as a portable device. If you’re not sure what we mean by that then don’t worry, we’ll explain in due course. On this page you’ll learn everything you need to know about Nintendo’s latest console, putting you in a position to decide whether it’s for you or not.
What Is the Nintendo Switch?
The Nintendo Switch could legitimately be referred to as a three-in-one games console, allowing its users to take advantage of it in numerous different scenarios. In its most obvious form, it is a games console that you plug into your home television and enjoy as a single player device, immersing yourself into the action as you’ve come to expect with traditional home games consoles.
What happens if you’re in the middle of a game and your other half or parents come in and announce that it’s time to put on EastEnders or Strictly Come Dancing? You’ll need to turn off the machine and wait until the television is free again, won’t you? Not with the Nintendo Switch you won’t. It comes with a small screen that you can connect your control to and carry on as if nothing’s happened.
Obviously, that functionality allows you to use the Switch as a portable games console as much as a home-based one, meaning that you can carrying on playing whilst travelling from one location to another. If you’ve got a friend coming around, meanwhile, you can actually break your controller into two smaller ones and get involved in some multiplayer action. Alternatively, you can combine it with up to seven more Switches for a massive multiplayer game.
The Switch’s Specs
Because of the fact that the Switch can be used in several different ways, it’s tricky to talk about exact specifications of the device. There are essentially two different measurements that need to be taken into account when looking at the console itself: with the Joy-Con controllers attached and without. With, you’ll find that it weighs in at about .88 lbs, is roughly four inches high and 9.4 inches long and drops back 0.55 inches. Take them off, and the weight is more like 0.66 lbs and the length, height and depth of it also changes.
The size of the device will unquestionably matter to some of you, but most will be far more interested in things like the storage capabilities. On that front, you’ll be looking at a built-in amount of 32GB, though, obviously some of that is set aside for the running of the machine itself. There’s the ability to add in external storage using microSDHC or microSDXC cards, allowing for up to 2TB of additional storage if you think it’s necessary.
When it comes to getting the device online, you can plug in a wired LAN adapter when the console is in TV mode, though this is sold separately. Consequently, you’ll likely be using the in-built wireless capability, which uses the standard IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac connection. Bluetooth is of the 4.1 variety, meaning it’s about as quick and stable as you can get at the moment. That’s all complimented with an NVIDIA Custom Tegra processor to keep it whizzing along when it’s being played with.
In tablet mode, you’ll find the screen allows a 720p output, whilst that jumps to 1080p when you’ve plugged it into a TV with that level of display quality. The screen itself is 6.2-inches in terms of size and is LCD, meaning that the colours are perhaps not as bright and vivid as they would be with an OLED screen but that the battery will probably last longer. Depending on the game you’re playing you’re likely to get between two and a half and six and a half hours from it. The screen is also Multi-touch capacitive, making it easier to enter account information, emails and passwords.
When you’re using the Switch with your television you’ll plug it into the Nintendo Switch Dock and plug the Joy-Con controllers into the Joy‑Con Grip. The controllers will last for about twenty-hours and, like the console itself, take about three-hours to charge up once they’ve ran out of battery.
Games
One of the key things for any console is the games that you can play on it. When the Switch was launched, one of the primary games they were advertising it with was 1-2-Switch – a game that asks you to go head-to-head with an opponent and take it in turns to carry out complicated tasks on your Joy-Con controllers. That was more to give you a sense of the machine’s capabilities rather than because Nintendo actually felt that it was a game that would take over the world.
The company has had plenty of them over the years, so it’s no surprise to see them here in one form or another. On that front, we’re talking about the likes of Super Mario Odyssey, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
At the time of writing, there are more than 450 different titles available on the Switch, of which over fifty are exclusive to the device itself. Plenty of the non-exclusive games are the ones you’d want to be able to play anyway, such as FIFA 18, Just Dance 2018 and Minecraft.
Other Things to Bear in Mind
When you plug the controllers into the Joy-Con Grip, you might find it’s a bit of an unusual experience. Nintendo acknowledge this, though they’re also aware that there’s not a particularly easy solution to the situation as a standard. Instead, they’re selling a Nintendo Switch Pro Controller as an added accessory. This looks, feels and works a bit more like the sort of controller you’d expect to see on a Playstation or Xbox.
If you’re a fan of amiibo figures, then you’ll be pleased to know that these work well with the Switch. There’s an NFC touchpoint on the right Joy-Con controller that you tap them on and get in-game extras when applicable. If you’re looking for a game that will let you make the most of your amiibo figure then you might want to take a visit to the eShop or eShops from around the world. This will let you play new games or see which online functions you can engage in for free – for now at least.
Revolutionising the World of Handheld Gaming
The Nintendo Switch is genuinely an attempt to revolutionise the handheld game-playing world. It’s an intelligent take on an age-old problem, what to do when someone else wants to get access to the TV you’ve been using the console on. Offering the ability to pick up where you left off on a screen slightly larger than a phablet device will make many lives so much easier.
Is it a fad? That’s a question that will really depend on your own situation and how often you find yourself wishing you could take your console on your travels with you. Certainly it’s a clever idea, but whether that will be enough to find it a decent-sized audience remains to be seen. If you like Nintendo games and long for the days of the NES, SNES or Game Boy, then it will certainly be worth picking one up and finding out if it’s for you.