Nintendo Switch

Nintendo Switch - Idiosyncratic Creation

The veteran console manufacturer, creator of smash-hit games machines since the original Nintendo Entertainment System in 1983, suffered an ignoble commercial failure with its Wii U console. Announced last year and revealed in full on Friday, the new Nintendo Switch machine has a lot to prove.

It’s a typically idiosyncratic creation. Described as a hybrid system, it works as a traditional home console, plugging into your TV, but it can also be slid out of its dock and played on the go, via a built in screen. The concept is fascinating, merging the portable and home experiences into one product, but what about the practice?

First Impressions

The Nintendo Switch, the convertible console formally known as the NX. The product walks the line between a home and portable console, courtesy of a docking tablet and a pair of detachable controllers that work in a number of different configurations. It also features out-of-the-box multiplayer functionality, connecting up to eight devices via Wi-Fi.

Immediate first impressions. It’s small. The central tablet-shaped unit is smaller than a Wii U GamePad and has the same size screen - 6.2 inches, which is smaller than an iPad Mini. The dock through which you connect the device to your television is just a little bulkier. The Joy-Con controllers, which can be connected to the sides of the Switch to turn it into a handheld console, are tiny. Wrap your fingers around them, perhaps for a motion-controlled game of boxing, and they almost feel like they could disappear. You might want to actually wear your wrist strap for these, and don’t let your children run off with them or you’ll never find them again.

Still, with their curved edges and soft finish the Joy-Con are surprisingly comfortable in every possible configuration. The grip that turns a pair of Joy-Con into something that resembles a standard controller might look a bit silly - and canine - but it nestles snugly in the hand. It was difficult, however, to get a proper feel for the weight of both the grip and the handheld mode with Joy-Con attached to either side of the screen, because they were all attached to their stands with thick security cables.

Price Tag

Nintendo Switch costs you at $299 which fairly high price point for a company like Nintendo that has found a lot of success undercutting the competition.

Box Contents

• 1 Nintendo Switch Console (i.e. the tablet)
• 2 Joy-Con controllers (left and right)
• 1 Adapter
• 1 Joy-Con Grip
• 1 HDMI cable
• 1 Dock
• 2 Joy-Con straps

Specifications of Nintendo switch

• The console/tablet has a 6.2-inch 720p touchscreen. The resolution gets better when docked, outputting at 1080p on a screen through an HDMI connection.
• 32GB of storage augmented via microSD cards and a custom NVIDIA Tegra processor.
• All these are juiced up between 2.5 and six hours as a portable console with its given battery pack.
• Zelda, the lower end of the spectrum at around three hours. The Joy-Con controllers should last considerably longer as a standalone — at around 20 hours a piece. The system charges while docked or via the USB-C port on the go.

Games Included

• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
• Has Been Heroes
• I Am Setsuna
• Sonic Mania
• Lego City Undercover
• Arms
• Super Bomberman R
• Snipperclips: Cut it Out, Together.