The Nintendo Switch is slowly marching toward shelves. Nintendo recently put it under the spotlight Jan. 12, where some of the games coinciding with its launch were shown briefly, where more details about the technology behind its detachable controllers, called the Joy-Con, were showcased, and where a whole lot more details were discussed.
It's hard to predict whether the Switch will indeed spell success for Nintendo, whose previous home console effort, the Wii U, wasn't able to make strides in the gaming market even after a lifespan of more than four years. Well, the Switch isn't just a home console, it's a hybrid: People can take the Switch out of its dock, attach the two Joy-Con controllers, and use it as a handheld device.
With the Switch, Nintendo is pursuing two markets in a unified effort, which makes sense seeing as the 3DS is by far the best-selling handheld of this generation — less successful than the DS, sure, but significantly more successful than its competition. The company has always succeeded in the handheld front, and it's hard to imagine the Switch won't follow suit.
Early reviews ahead of the console's launch have now come out, and here's what they're saying about Nintendo's newest system.
A Fascinating But Pricey Piece Of Tech
The Switch works as advertised, notes CBC, with gameplay transferring from one's TV to the Switch near instantaneously when pulled up from its dock.
"The Switch's ability to transition from TV to tablet mode worked as seamlessly as advertised, simply by yanking the tablet out of the dock that connects to your television," Jonathan Ore from CBC writes.
The Switch however, being marketed as a home console, mirrors the price of one. When the Wii was released, it wasn't billed as a competitor to Sony's PlayStation 3 or Microsoft's Xbox 360, it was a console with a unique selling proposition (motion control) that gave Nintendo leeway to offer it as a "second console" that gamers can purchase on top of their main gaming machine. It also helped that the Wii was cheaper than its competitors at the time, notes CBC, which convinced less-serious gamers to try it out.
Nintendo's Return To Form?
If Nintendo plays its cards right, the Switch might signal the company's return to form via a new market it's trying to corner with the Switch, which is composed of people who essentially want two devices in one.
"The Nintendo Switch is a console unlike any other we've seen on the market thus far, since it is completely hybrid," Android Pit's Pierre Vitré writes as part of the site's early impressions of the console.
More impressively, the console itself can be transformed in a number of orientations so as to fit different scenarios. There's of course the TV mode, which is its traditional home console setup; there's the tabletop mode, wherein the users can pop open the system's kickstand, place it on a table and remove the Joy-Con for remote gameplay; and finally there's handheld mode, which is pretty self-explanatory.
"If you're a Lego or Transformers fan, you'll be delighted with the design that allows you to assemble all the parts any which way," writes Vitré. "With this console, Nintendo caters to all types of gamers."
Online Subscription Concerns
TechRadar was positive about the console's headline features, but was skeptical about the console's online features.
"Though Nintendo still needs to clarify some points, its subscription service's 'free' monthly game offering seems quite stingy," writes TechRadar's Gerald Lynch, and he's coming from a valid standpoint.
Nintendo's online subscription service was glossed over during the Nintendo Switch presentation, and many points remain very foggy, which is concerning given that the console's launch is near. If Nintendo wants to communicate the console clearly, it needs to polish key metrics that are largely still unknown before gamers can bet on the company's new system. After all, the Wii U didn't leave much of its core audience duly impressed. The Switch needs to convince more strongly than it repels.
As early reviews say, the Switch is an excellent system, one that could propel Nintendo up the ranks again. But before it can reach that point, the company must clarify things left unsaid, and hopefully it does so before the system rolls out worldwide.
The Nintendo Switch launches March 3 for $299.
