Naturally, ahead of Nintendo's official shipping date for the Switch, its forthcoming, much hyped-about hybrid console, a slew of publications were granted their units for review and testing purposes. Because of which, early impressions and reviews are now beginning to trickle down the web, and with the dearth of them now made public, a pressing Switch concerns has unspooled.
The Nintendo Switch Impresses, Except For One Issue
When the console was first shown off publicly via Nintendo's roster of demo events, nearly everyone was pleased by how "premium" it looked and felt, and how seamlessly the detachable Joy-Con controllers, one of the Switch's headline features, functioned. Issues with it have started surfacing now, however, and according to be publications, they're occurring frequently enough to be worrisome.
Left Joy-Con Malfunctioning
According to Polygon's report, the left Joy-Con has been found out to have basic reliability issues. The reviewer, who was playing Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, a launch title, noticed that the left Joy-Con kept losing connection with the console while it was docked and connected to the TV.
"This is a pain in the ass at best, but has also resulted in several deaths playing Breath of the Wild," wrote Polygon's Arthur Gies.
Consider this: Because the units were headed to the press, which isn't an excessively sizable coterie, only a limited number amount of Switch units were released, so the frequency with which the issue occurs, despite the number of playable Switches at present, is fodder for concern.
Kotaku's Jason Schreier also reported similar claims about the Joy-Con connectivity issue in question, noting that the problem could elevate to something more severe if it turns out to be a hardware issue instead of a software one, which can then be promptly fixed with a patch.
IGN's Jose Otero also noticed the problem, saying that during a 20-hour playthrough of Breath of the Wild, he experienced the issue two to three times.
Will A Software Update Fix The Issue?
The problem seems to be exclusive to the left Joy-Con. If users instead use the $70 Pro controller, which features a traditional gamepad, the problem seems to go away. As the problem seems rooted in wireless connectivity, sliding the Joy-Con on the console itself fixes it, albeit temporarily.
The good news is that all the review units feature inaccessible apps that require a system update before they can function, such as the eShop, Nintendo's online digital store. Hopefully, that day one patch fixes the connectivity issue, assuming of course, as previously emphasized, that it's a software problem. One can only imagine how Nintendo will rectify the potential maelstrom if it turns out to be a hardware issue.
The Nintendo Switch hits shelves March 3, retailing for $299. Its main selling point is the seamless way it transitions back and forth from being a handheld device to a home console that outputs content to the TV. The Joy-Con controllers, which bookend the physical device, are detachable, meaning they can be inserted into a grip, used as separate controllers when held sideways for two-player game modes, or they could also not be inserted at all and instead be held with each hand apiece.
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