My First Few Days with The Nintendo Switch

Finally, not only did we get a new Nintendo console, but we also got a new Legend of Zelda title that launched alongside The Nintendo Switch. Before I jump into the experience I had with the Switch I want you guys to know how I felt about the Switch leading up to launch.

When I saw the reveal trailer last October – I was excited to see a new Nintendo console. A console that you can take to go? Count me in. Though that enthusiasm was in flux – even though that trailer got the main premise of a hybrid console/handheld, Nintendo left out major features of the console. The lead up to the Switch launch was unusual. For months, the only thing we knew about the Switch was on the reveal trailer – a hybrid console that you can play anywhere with your friends.

It was about three-months before we got more information on the Switch. In early January, Nintendo held a press conference to show off launch titles, hardware features, and show that they have support of 3^rd party developers. This got my excitement level to peak after my enthusiasm fell with no news about the Switch for months. Some feature during the press conference got me interested by what the console can do – one thing that caught my eye was the “HD rumble” – they demonstrated that you can feel ice cubes moving in a cup inside the joy-cons. This was the coolest idea I’ve seen in a console. The biggest news to come from that was the release date of March 3^rd and Breath of the Wild as a launch title. This solidify my excitement – give me Zelda and I’m in.

Now that release date has past and I finally have a Switch in my hands I can say this console great and weird. There were questions I had about it before launch like – what the HD rumble feels like? How do the joy-cons fit and feel when switching modes? What the UI as going to look like? And will the day-one eshop work well enough for thousands of people to download? These questions were answered quickly as soon as I had about an hour of play time with the Switch.

I got a chance to try 1 2 Switch and the rumbles you feel in some of the mini-games are accurate, most notably Ball Count mini-game is where you count the balls in the joy-con by feeling them roll around. Sadly, this was the only game that uses the HD rumble in that way. As for the Joy-cons, they feel great on my hands – however, it might be difficult for larger hands. The Joy-Cons feel small and fit tight – there were times that I forgot that I was holding them in tabletop mode. For handheld mode, it feels like a larger heavier PS Vita, and TV mode feels like your holding a normal controller. Putting it in TV mode and using the grip feels off, the Joy-Cons are too close together and the triggers are place where I can fat-finger the triggers. The UI wasn’t a big mystery to me because of a leaked video from a stolen unreleased Switch showed off most of what the UI can do. As for the day-one eshop, it was fast and reliable – I downloaded 1 2 Switch from the eshop and it took 15 minutes. All my major question was slayed in just an hour of playing the Switch, but as more developers see what the Switch can do, more of them will design game specifically for the Switch.

Playing Breath of the Wild is breath-takingly amazing. The colourful world, the notable characters, and the vertically of the world is true to the freedom this game gives. I’ve only played three hours, but every moment felt like a mystery. I really love the Shrines – they’re small bite-sized dungeons with simple puzzles – there might be more challenging Shrines farther in the game. Every Shrine that is completed, you get an orb that lets you upgrade your health of stamina. Playing the Legend of Zelda again brings me great memories, this was the first Zelda game I’ve played since Majora’s Mask on N64. The Zelda series has done amazing overall, I hope Nintendo can build on Breath of the Wild and provide us with a different and new experience.

The Nintendo Switch hype level for me was high, with increasingly more information it got higher, but Zelda was what pushed me over the edge and got me on board on Nintendo’s new console. Having it first hand, it answered all the unanswered questions I had. Like any console, we must wait and see if there’re any amazing software released for the Switch during its lifetime or if it’s going to get a revision like the PS4 to the PS4 Pro, or the 3DS to the New 3DS. Maybe something like, “The New Nintendo Switch Pro.”