Hi everyone. The Nintendo Switch Presentation has just ended with many mixed reactions from the internet as the features introduced, mostly resembles the gimmicks from the Wii U with additional features. The good news is, games will not be region locked however there is still a possibility of region locking with DLCs similar to PlayStation and Xbox as the president briefly mentioned “no region locking for software titles”. Also, Nintendo has finally joined Microsoft and Sony with the introduction of their paid online service dubbed Nintendo Switch Online Service. Without further delay, let’s get started with my impressions(Will be update the article once Nintendo publishes their press release).
First of all, I find the presentation at the beginning to be filled with gimmicks as they were introducing the joy-con controllers but I felt a bit more reassured once they started introducing potential game titles such as Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild(Yes!!!!). The most shocking part is the worldwide release date for both the Nintendo Switch and the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild which happens to be earlier than usual on March 3rd 2017. However I believe they could have done more for their presentation which we will take look in a moment. In order to save time, I have summarised my impressions below:
The Good:
- Innovative features. The Nintendo Switch brings many new features with most of it points towards the joy-con controller which looks like a Wii Remote but smaller. Also, they brought the ability to capture in-game screenshots as well as in-game recording(in the future) which hopefully eliminates the need to use a capture card.
- Support from game developers. Since its first announcement back in October, many game developers have publicly announced their support for the console which should be a big help for Nintendo
- No region locking of software titles. Finally, Nintendo has got rid of their region-locking similar to PlayStation and Xbox which actually very good as we can buy games from any retail store in the world without worrying if the game will run on our console or not.
The Bad:
- Lack of launch titles. Unfortunately, this may cause many people to not buy the console on Day 1 due to the lack of launch titles even with the hype over the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. I do believe if they pushed back the launch date of the Nintendo Switch with more launch titles is a lot better and will encourage more people to buy the console.
- Pricing. $299 is a bit steep for many casual gamers however it is not as expensive as the Wii U when it first came out. Also, the Pro Controller is sold separately(not included with console and priced at $69.99). The same goes for all the additional accessories.
- Specifications lack improvement. Instead of improving on specification(I know I really don’t care about that but I know some people do), they focused more on the gimmicks similar to the Wii U which may not work out for Nintendo and it maybe a repeat of the Wii U if the consumers are not appealed by it.
Conclusion
Overall, the console was everything that was publicly known prior to the event as well as a ton of leaks prior to the event. Now the big question for many people is, should I get it? Well in my opinion, if Zelda is your thing and you have the money to spend then you should go for it. However if Zelda is not your genre, I recommend waiting until more launch titles are released later in the year so that your purchase is more feasible. As for myself, I will definitely be getting this console on Day 1 once there is confirmed pricing for Europe(specifically Austria and also after doing final price comparison) despite having an active pre-order back in my home country Malaysia. So what are your thoughts on the Nintendo Switch now that you have seen the presentation(If not an embed video will be available below)? Also, if you guys want me to do a playthrough video of the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild(Scheduled for Game Release Day/Early May), do you want me to include voice commentary or prefer no voice commentary for the playthrough. Until next time, game ON!