30/03/2018

Switch, Switch, b*tch


That's it, dear fellow gamers: I finally (and deliciously) succumbed to temptation and treated myself to a shiny brand-new Switch.

I'm a complete handheld whore, yes I am.
Yeah, I know; I didn't wait a couple of years as I claimed I would. But that's because of the games. The games, folks! It seems that the optimistic scenario I mentioned in my post about the future of portable gaming is becoming reality, to my utter delight and relief: developers that used to toil on the 3DS and Vita are moving to the Switch en masse, and the console is suddenly being flooded with all sorts of appetizing nichey, budgety, low-fi titles. With the game release schedule picking up the pace and at least a dozen coveted games in my To-Get-My-Paws-On List for 2018, I had absolutely no reason to wait any longer before securing a Switch—all the more so as my main other reason for waiting a couple of years, i.e. the hope of seeing a portable-only Switch grace the market, seems rather pointless now. Most Switch owners seem to love the switching gimmick and use it profusely; and unlike the 3D effect, the switching thing poses no threat to one's health, nor does it make one want to regurgitate their lunch when playing. There's thus no sound reason for Ninty to release a pared-down Switch to cater to worried parents and gamers who don't give a crap about the gimmick du jour. The only reason for such a move would be the budget aspect, and I'm not sure Nintendo would do away with the Switch's main attraction for the sake of shaving off a couple of bucks. In a nutshell: no more reasons to wait, gimme that gorgeous piece of kit! And if Ninty does release a portable-only Switch down the line, well... A collector like me always needs backup systems, oh yes precious.

I'll let you on about a little secret, dear fellow gamers: there was actually one single Switch game that I really, really wanted to play. More like craved to play, actually. I tried hard to rein myself in, I waited a couple of weeks until the desire to play that game evaporated, I tried to focus on other games; but nothing worked, and my gaming instinct stubbornly refused to be swayed and remained hell-bent on playing that particular game and nothing else. Well, who am I to shun my ever-faithful gaming instinct? Heck, if I was so obsessed by that game, then surely it was a sign from the Universe that there was a mind-blowing gaming experience ahead, right? I've been playing said coveted game for a couple of hours now, and a blast is it indeedy. More on that very soon!

First impressions

—The Switch is much more comfortable to hold and play than I expected. I've felt no incomfort in my wrists and thumbs so far, even after long playing sessions.

—The analog sticks gather dust really easily, and they're quite hard to clean. The obsessive-compulsive in me is definitely not pleased. 

—It's incredibly easy to boot up the Switch in portable mode: I took it out of the box, plugged it and presto, I could play! To my utter delight, it's also possible to ignore the dock entirely and charge the tablet directly with the AC adapter, thus treating the Switch like a de facto portable system. Heck, I think I'm going to sell my dock and cables, because there's no way I'll ever use them.

—Although that large screen is undoubtedly a thing of beauty, I must admit that neither its size nor its resolution wowed me. It's not me being blasé here, but rather the fact that when it comes to console screen size or videogame graphics, there's always a point of maximum enjoyment after which increases virtually cease to matter. For me, that point was the Vita's screen and overall brand of graphics; and any progress beyond that won't impress me much, I'm afraid. Like, I can feel a massive improvement when going from the GBA to the Vita, but I hardly feel any improvement going from the Vita to the Switch.

—For some weird and unfathomable reason, the Switch doesn't feel like a true blue portable console to me. I don't know if it's because of its sheer size or because the controllers are not built into the system, but the Switch fail to generate that feeling of coziness and intimacy that I get with my other portable systems. On the other hand, I remember hating the Vita upon first play; so maybe it's just a matter of getting used to the console.

So, do I love my Switch? Yes I do, and I don't regret my purchase one second. I'm glad I didn't buy the console one year ago and waited instead until my desire to get it became irrepressible. Now the games are pouring in, and my Switch is here to stay. Dedicated portable gaming is still alive and kicking indeed, and I'm insanely gladdened and relieved by this turn of events. We portable gamers get to press buttons and push analog sticks for one more console generation! Thanks for reading, and be my guest anytime!

2 comments:

  1. Ha! Told you so!
    I knew you’d love it once you got it. Because, like me, you are a handheld gamer. And by now realization is dawning that the Switch as a handheld device is the future for Nintendo. They might make all kind of noises of keeping support for new 3DS games going, but by now, new 3DS games are scarce.

    Aside from that, I love my Switch, and never used it as a console at all. Heck, it’s not even near a tv! Anyway, have fun with it!

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    Replies
    1. Well, you were indeed right, dear Yvonne! ^^

      You know, I was actually surprised by how entirely viable the Switch is as a handheld. This was not really something you can infer from Nintendo's official discourse, which seemed to insinuate that the handheld mode was a mere secondary option, or from game reviewers, who are always quick to point out the shortcomings of handheld mode regarding graphics or number of FPS. But for all intents and purposes, the Switch can be used solely on portable mode, and thus perfectly qualify as a genuine dedicated handheld system.

      As you said, the notion that handheld gaming is still alive and kicking and can still be profitable is slowly but surely dawning on everybody involved. There is that graph floating around that show that 30% of Switch owners use the system solely on portable mode and 50% in both modes. That means that the portable mode is used by a whopping 80% of the user base, which should prove amply enough that dedicated non-mobile portable gaming is still incredibly solid and popular.

      Here's a link to the graph:
      http://www.ign.com/boards/threads/some-interesting-graphs-from-nintendo-themselves-for-switch-usage-and-age-of-players.455047181/

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