If you haven’t heard, Nintendo released their new console, called the Nintendo Switch, on March 3. The appeal of this console is that you can play on the television and immediately take it on the go, without needing to pause the game. If you can get your hands on it, the Nintendo Switch retails for $299.99 with games starting at $39.99.
The Nintendo Switch comes with two Joy-Cons, one dock, a Joy-Con grip and the main console. The Joy-Cons are like two mini Wii remotes that you can attach to the Joy-Con grip to feel like you’re playing on a normal controller (think Nintendo 64 or Xbox controller), or you can keep them detached and play with each Joy-Con in both hands. If you want to play multiplayer, then each Joy-Con can act as an individual controller.
This is one of the first consoles that offers games on an SD card or chip rather a disk. It’s slightly smaller than a chip for the DS and coated in a chemical that immediately makes you spit it out so small children don’t try to eat it.
If you’re wondering what makes this console so different from the WiiU, it’s the fact that you don’t have to be near the main dock when playing on the go. The main hardware is the screen. The controllers and dock are almost accessories.
There are currently only five games you can physically buy and 18 others you can purchase by download on the console itself. “1-2-Switch” is a Nintendo Wii sports-esque game unique to the Nintendo Switch. You can battle someone else in everything from milking a cow, speed-eating sandwiches or playing ping-pong. It seems like an interesting concept, but it is a game that will quickly bore you unless you’re throwing a party. The game to look out for is “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” for Nintendo Switch. It’s an open-world design that’ll make you never want to put it down.
If you are wanting to get ahold of the Switch, then you can either wait for new shipments of the console or pay almost double for it on Ebay, where bids are running from $400 to $575. Most stores have no clue when they’ll get more in, with several GameStop locations reporting their new Switch shipments never arrived, and people have been taking advantage of this if they have an unopened console.
If you don’t have a WiiU and are interested in playing the new Zelda game, then the Switch might be a great investment for you. Otherwise, I’d wait and save your money until the console is more attainable and more games are released.
