The Nintendo Switch Has Become The System People Love To Love

That thing from the commercials where people crowd around the screen while holding Joy-Cons and playing games during social events? The situation that many in the gaming community insisted would never happen? People are doing it.

Nintendo launched a piece of hardware that came with a variety of use cases and ways to play, and anecdotally I’ve found that my friends, family, coworkers and myself use almost all of them, and they work.

I have yet to hear many players complain that the Switch is underpowered. I have heard an overwhelming number say how cool it is to take Mario Kart on the literal road.

I keep asking people if they still like their Switch as much as they did when they bought it, and I have gotten used to the response. People tend to look to the heavens and make a noise of satisfaction. Many people do that wide-eyed nodding thing that loosely translates to “yes, I’m super into this in a nearly dangerous way.”

SOURCE

I can personally vouch for the Switch's appeal among the general public- Mario Kart is a hit at my workplace, my colleagues have mentioned wanting to get one for Breath of the Wild at all costs, and it draws attention on public transport.

No one who I know who owns the Switch has even once complained about it being underpowered, or its games not looking good enough (this is where the entire notion of 'diminishing returns for graphics', a point now long past, and backed up by Nintendo's excellent, timeless art, comes into play)- but everyone who owns one or even plays with one is taken by its flexibility, modularity, and by how seamlessly and quickly it fits into their lives.

Of course, anecdotal evidence in and of itself is not worth much, which is where the Switch's high sales, and the rapid uptake for all of its games so far, come into the picture- the numbers back up the anecdotes overwhelmingly.

The Switch is a hit because this time, Nintendo focused on a gimmick that was additive, one that enhances gameplay and recedes into the background, rather than getting in your way every single minute. It's a slick, well made, cool machine that really feels worth it. It's good to see it selling as well as it does- it deserves it. I can only hope Nintendo keeps up the momentum going forward with more awesome games.

My bad...

i'm hoping for a call of duty e3 announcement.

i know system wars don't care for it. but i am sure it will sell massively for christmas if switch has that AND mario odyssey???

oh lawd.

I'm not sold on the Switch yet. But I'm not going to say I'll never buy one. I'll see how it goes.

My only complaint is the kickstand doesn't allow for many viewing angles. It works but it's a little awkward depending on the scenario.

I've said it to char before and I'll say it again: that portability to home console gimmick is a godsend for my lifestyle. All I need is every game on it so I always have the choice of how to play and I'm set. ?

Advertising and marketing actually works, right Nintendo?

@REVOLUTIONfreak: I bought the Hori stand and this problem has been solved.

needs proper headphone support without using a goddamn phone and online set up and some good games and more media options and it should be a decent console before it's been phased out.

That SB commercial was a great move... people actually know what the Switch is. They need the games to keep coming.

I'm also want a wave of HD collections mixed in. How nice would Dead Space, Bioshock, Handsome Jack collections be on this system.

That, plus put every damn Wii U game on there, MK8 Deluxe is a testament to how brilliant that move is.

I'll be getting Skyrim on my Switch and Mario for my on the go experience. I did get some girls looking at me and ask what I was playing. I told them that I was playing Puyo Puyo Tetris and had a blast with them.

@charizard1605:

When will it be able to play NES/SNES games? =(

Otherwise, it's useless.

It isn't usless like the PSP or Vita :P

Fall, I believe

@charizard1605: @FireEmblem_Man:

I agree with Vita but PSP had hits.

@char

Something like old NES/SNES games should of been available day 1. Besides pushing Zelda and Mario Kart 8, don't see an excuse for not being available earlier.

I definitely want to pick up a Switch, it's sold out everywhere here in New York...UNTIL...I realized that in New York City they have a Nintendo Store...lmao. They get shipment almost everyday. I went ahead and picked up a Pro though, so within the coming weeks, I'll grab a Switch as well...

I've seen the lines though, aren't they stupidly long?

Well, when I went to buy the Pro yesterday, the dude told me to check out the Nintendo Store, that they always have them in stock. So I was going to head there with my girl, but I decided to call, which was around 5:30 at the time. They had sold out about 10 minutes before I called...lol. So I asked the guy when they get shipment, and they said tomorrow, so today. Got out of work and called again to see if they had some in stock, and again, this time around 6:15, they had sold out not too long ago; before I called. This guy told me they get quite a lot more shipments throughout the week so as long as I come in the morning or early afternoon, I have a chance of grabbing one, cause they don't seem to sell out until later on in the evening, towards closing hours almost...

Seems like everyone rushes to get one as soon as they are done with class or work lol

But hey, good luck getting one. Hope you enjoy it too :)

For real man, even the stores I would call nearby would always have them sell out so quickly, like Target & Wal-Mart. And thanks man, within the coming weeks for sure I'll pick up one, it's been a long time since I've owned a Nintendo console (SNES). I don't really count the Wii U as I only had it for about 2-3 weeks...lmfao :P

If Metroid Prime remake or a sequel happen soonish I'd throw my ps4 pro away into the pit called gamestop if I could get one.

But Pedro says...

I was there launch day and the saturday after. Got most of my Zelda stuff there. It was about a 2-3 hour wait in line outside, and a 45 minute wait in the store.

It's the disappointment I expected it to be.

I'm gonna fart on your face!

It could have trouble getting 3rd party support. The 1st party games should play fine though. Nintendo knows their systems. :)

Profound stuff bro.

@charizard1605: Seems most of the people complaining about the Switch are the fakeboys on SW that dont even own one.

A large portion of my friends already have one and everyone loves theirs, and a couple of them have been very critical of Nintendo for years, but the Switch won them over.

I didnt realize how nice it is to be able to play at home on the TV then take it with you and resume right where you left off until I had that ability. Now im wishing all my consoles could do that lol.

Good. This way we can get Nintendo's E3 out of the way.

lol

I thought you'd be interested in Fate/Extella since you like 2D boobies a lot

Check big box retailers early in the morning. They put their stock out overnight.. I've seen this at both Target (Brooklyn - Gateway) and Wal-Mart (Valley Stream, right outside Queens @ The Green Acres Mall.)

You don't have to line up. Just get there in the first hour or so. The units will be gone by mid-morning!

Stuff like playing the Switch in public and sharing it is a fad that will go away when the novelty wears off. It's cool now, it's old hat in a year from now and people will move on.

Nintendo will ride a nice initial wave of success because of this, but the lasting impacts of the Switch will be minimal. Much like the Wii.

Nintendo is very lucky that neither Android tablets or Apple tablets have been able to crack into mainstream gaming before they showed up. With Nintendo out there, expect a bit more gaming related features to come from Android tablet manufacturers and Apple. The market is clearly there and Nintendo will not go unchallenged until midway through the gen like they did with waggle.

@charizard1605: I'm real happy for you and all, but that is coming from the same site that has articles/opinions like this:

https://www.polygon.com/2017/5/3/15532264/xbox-scorpio-fps-counter-dev-kit-screen

Microsoft, give consumers the FPS counter on the front of the Xbox Scorpio too

lolygon gonna lolygon.

A proper handheld Call of Duty would actually be awesome. And the Switch's hardware can definitely handle it, no problem.

And **** it, since I got the ball rolling here IS MORE LOLYGON!!

https://www.polygon.com/2017/4/26/15438184/call-of-duty-wwii-trailer-reveal-diversity

Call of Duty: WWII’s ‘diversity’ is nothing more than marketing

Since American pop culture took control of World War II as a narrative, it’s always been presented as a white man’s war. From Sands of Iwo Jima to The Great Escape, The Thin Red Line to Saving Private Ryan, that’s the perspective you get. Call of Duty: WWII isn’t going to change this, but it sure wants credit for trying.

Activision and Sledgehammer Games pulled the wrapper off their glamour franchise today, and despite the exclusively white and male makeup of those doing so on stage, they want you to think this is a more inclusive tale of World War II. It may yet be. We won’t know until Nov. 3.

For now, the tone-deaf manner in which this all-white production checked all the diversity boxes — “women, an African-American unit and even a child” — reduced everyone else to a bullet point on the back of a box, yet another feature. We’ve got a private multiplayer beta; we’ve got zombies; we’ve got black people, we’ve got women, we’ve got a Jew.

Well yeah. Only complaints about the Switch I've seen so far is from people who don't have one and have zero intention of getting one.

I disagree.

Hardware is one aspect that Nintendo got right. Android and iOS handsets will need a LOT of catching up to do if Apple plans to stay with PowerVR and if 99% of Android devices continue to use Qualcomm SoC's. For graphics, the Nvidia Tegra X1 outclasses almost every other mobile GPU. It has an architecture that is even more modern than what is in the PS4 and Xbox One; being capable of double-rate FP16, along with a 64-bit memory bus and memory color compression to back up the extra floating point power. These features are ONLY found in mobile Maxwell GPUs.

Nintendo absolutely nailed it with the hardware this time 'round after using nothing but terrible PowerPC CPUs the last several generations. The Switch has the most balanced hardware set up of any console currently available.

@FireEmblem_Man: What's that?

I sure don't love the price increase for games. Going from 40-50 for WiiU games to 60-70 for Switch games.

If that were true, Personal 5 would be on the Switch.

Here is an arcadey NBA game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfgam0Kf2G8

Persona 5 may not come to Switch..but Persona 6 ..that's a whole new ball game..if Switchy continues to sell well. ;) :P

@R4gn4r0k: Come again? Wii U games and Switch games are the same price.

Nintendo could save the summer with some proper VC releases, mainly GC and Wii U games please.

Wii U games are 39.99 for most, 49.99 for some

Switch games are 59.99 in store, 69.99 in the eshop

It's cool that people are taking to it. Seems like they got the WiiU idea right this time and I doubt it will fizzle out as quickly as many suspect. Though that really comes down to marketing and software, so it could go either way. But the word of mouth is strong right now, which is something I could never say about the WiiU. Everyone seems to know what the Switch is and I know a lot of people who want one badly. Nintendo got the message out, they just need to not **** things up, but... Nintendo. We'll see.

For my purposes, it's just another WiiU that I had to buy if I want to play new Nintendo games. Rooftop gatherings with hipsters is a joy of life that I'll never know first hand. :(

No.

AAA games haven't been 49.99 since the Wii.

All the big Wii U games (Smash, Mario Kart, Zelda TP HD, Paper Mario, DKC Tropical Freeze, NSMBU, Mario 3D World, BOTW, etc.) launched at 59.99. Only a handful at less - Wind Waker HD was 49.99, Captain Toad was 39.99 - and those had reused assets.

Switch games have also been 59.99 for the big guns - just Mario Kart and BOTW so far, but also Splatoon 2, ARMS, Super Mario Odyssey - with lower prices for 1-2 Switch/Super Bomberman R (49.99) and Puyo Puyo Tetris, Street Fighter II, Binding of Isaac, and other smaller games at 39.99.