Nintendo Switch thoughts
On the whole I'd say my feelings on the Nintendo Switch are positive overall. Though, I think that there are a number of sore points as well.
I don't think Nintendo has ever done "Nintendo" so well before. It is the Nintendo console to beat all Nintendo consoles. It marries up the very best of everything from their consoles like N64 to the Wii even to the DS lineup.
It can be a traditional looking Nintendo console with a typical console controller and running off a TV. It can be like a Wii with a controller that straps on the wrist and does motion detection. It can come out the dock and strap the controllers in the side and it becomes like a large handheld. And, better yet, out of the dock it can Wii and N64 like experiences portable.
Where it is lacking for me is: Game prices, "1st party experiences" and backwards compatibility.
While I love the console, there are no two ways about it; the games are NOT same caliber as Xbox One or PS4 games. And I'm not even talking about the One X or the PS 4 Pro. They don't even reach the heights of the original launch games for those platforms. It is a REALLY hard sell for me to buy a premium game on the Switch at $70-80 CAD.
In fact, in many ways the prices are worse than on Sony and Microsoft's systems. Sales on premium titles seem much more common, and over time the games receive permanent price drops. Even on the online stores. I'm not seeing any signs at all of this with Nintendo e-store games. All of the launch titles look like they are still sporting launch prices a year later, and not a single premium title is on sale in the e-store. Personally, I would expect premium titles to top out at $60CAD (before DLC and special editions) and by the time they've been on the market for a year be hovering around the $45 point.
The next point kind of exacerbates the situation. The Switch is a very unique system. It offers LOTS of features to exploit. There simply aren't enough games taking advantage, which is all the more shocking when I see the volume of platform exclusive titles. Nintendo has probably the single largest catalogue of game exclusives. It should also, it follows, have the largest catalogue of games making use it's features. If I were to categorize the two biggest things I'd love to see more games making use of, it would have to be the ability to do multi-player with a single Joy-Con and more games making use of Wii like functionality. The controllers are after all better than the Wii remotes in every way. Seems wasted.
If there were a larger selection of games that made the functionality of the Switch feel like a necessity it would be easier to see the Switch as a primary gaming console, which might help me swallow the game prices.
The last point is beating a dead horse. Everyone has complained about the lack of a Virtual Console. And while it seems like it is forthcoming, it is simply crazy that it wasn't a launch priority. What is crazy to me is that I'm not making this argument on the basis that the console is powerful enough or that it is new and should have it. Those are somewhat valid points as well. What motivates this for me primarily is that it feels like the Switch was purpose built to be the ultimate Virtual Console. It is the Nintendo console to end all prior Nintendo consoles.
The Pro controller and the controller dock that ship with it while attached to the TV make it a perfect device for emulating games on more traditional systems like the N64 or Wii games which didn't use the sensor bar. Far better than any prior Nintendo console has. The Joy-Cons by themselves are like Wii-motes on steroids. As others have said, it should be possible to work around the lack of a sensor bar. Undocked, it is the perfect game boy analog. I'm sure the screen is also big enough to split and treat as two separate screens to mimic the 2DS functionality.
And, as everyone has pointed out... the console, while weaker than the Xbox and PlayStation rivals, is still plenty more powerful than it's prior generation devices.
At last, we circle back to cost. With all of the short comings, even though the console is crazy cool. I also feel like the price points is too high for console as well. The weaker graphics compared other similar gen consoles and the portability scream of a device we SHOULD be bringing on the go. Which means it should be treated more like a DS than a Wii. It shouldn't be insane to consider buying two or more consoles for family members and two or more copies of a game. But, here in Canada, buying just 2 copies of a premium game and 2 consoles would cost over $1k.
And, you basically need to do that if you want 2 Switches, because they don't even ship with a Mario game included, let alone an indie game. It is a little bit batty that an Xbox One S bundle with a AAA title included costs less than a single Switch console with no game. The One S rapes the Switch in performance. And the Premium game titles that come in these bundles are true premium games with modern graphics.
Anyway, overall, I do like the Switch, just struggle with the pricing some days.
I don't think Nintendo has ever done "Nintendo" so well before. It is the Nintendo console to beat all Nintendo consoles. It marries up the very best of everything from their consoles like N64 to the Wii even to the DS lineup.
It can be a traditional looking Nintendo console with a typical console controller and running off a TV. It can be like a Wii with a controller that straps on the wrist and does motion detection. It can come out the dock and strap the controllers in the side and it becomes like a large handheld. And, better yet, out of the dock it can Wii and N64 like experiences portable.
Where it is lacking for me is: Game prices, "1st party experiences" and backwards compatibility.
While I love the console, there are no two ways about it; the games are NOT same caliber as Xbox One or PS4 games. And I'm not even talking about the One X or the PS 4 Pro. They don't even reach the heights of the original launch games for those platforms. It is a REALLY hard sell for me to buy a premium game on the Switch at $70-80 CAD.
In fact, in many ways the prices are worse than on Sony and Microsoft's systems. Sales on premium titles seem much more common, and over time the games receive permanent price drops. Even on the online stores. I'm not seeing any signs at all of this with Nintendo e-store games. All of the launch titles look like they are still sporting launch prices a year later, and not a single premium title is on sale in the e-store. Personally, I would expect premium titles to top out at $60CAD (before DLC and special editions) and by the time they've been on the market for a year be hovering around the $45 point.
The next point kind of exacerbates the situation. The Switch is a very unique system. It offers LOTS of features to exploit. There simply aren't enough games taking advantage, which is all the more shocking when I see the volume of platform exclusive titles. Nintendo has probably the single largest catalogue of game exclusives. It should also, it follows, have the largest catalogue of games making use it's features. If I were to categorize the two biggest things I'd love to see more games making use of, it would have to be the ability to do multi-player with a single Joy-Con and more games making use of Wii like functionality. The controllers are after all better than the Wii remotes in every way. Seems wasted.
If there were a larger selection of games that made the functionality of the Switch feel like a necessity it would be easier to see the Switch as a primary gaming console, which might help me swallow the game prices.
The last point is beating a dead horse. Everyone has complained about the lack of a Virtual Console. And while it seems like it is forthcoming, it is simply crazy that it wasn't a launch priority. What is crazy to me is that I'm not making this argument on the basis that the console is powerful enough or that it is new and should have it. Those are somewhat valid points as well. What motivates this for me primarily is that it feels like the Switch was purpose built to be the ultimate Virtual Console. It is the Nintendo console to end all prior Nintendo consoles.
The Pro controller and the controller dock that ship with it while attached to the TV make it a perfect device for emulating games on more traditional systems like the N64 or Wii games which didn't use the sensor bar. Far better than any prior Nintendo console has. The Joy-Cons by themselves are like Wii-motes on steroids. As others have said, it should be possible to work around the lack of a sensor bar. Undocked, it is the perfect game boy analog. I'm sure the screen is also big enough to split and treat as two separate screens to mimic the 2DS functionality.
And, as everyone has pointed out... the console, while weaker than the Xbox and PlayStation rivals, is still plenty more powerful than it's prior generation devices.
At last, we circle back to cost. With all of the short comings, even though the console is crazy cool. I also feel like the price points is too high for console as well. The weaker graphics compared other similar gen consoles and the portability scream of a device we SHOULD be bringing on the go. Which means it should be treated more like a DS than a Wii. It shouldn't be insane to consider buying two or more consoles for family members and two or more copies of a game. But, here in Canada, buying just 2 copies of a premium game and 2 consoles would cost over $1k.
And, you basically need to do that if you want 2 Switches, because they don't even ship with a Mario game included, let alone an indie game. It is a little bit batty that an Xbox One S bundle with a AAA title included costs less than a single Switch console with no game. The One S rapes the Switch in performance. And the Premium game titles that come in these bundles are true premium games with modern graphics.
Anyway, overall, I do like the Switch, just struggle with the pricing some days.
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