For several years before its release, there was rumor of Nintendo working on a new console that was supposed to bridge the gap between handheld and console, and was code-named the NX. I wasn’t too sure how such a thing would work, but it didn’t sound promising to me. I (somewhat) purposely didn’t read too much about it as the early predictions and projections based on rumors by gaming websites were usually wildly off, and the hype or disappointment was often very premature. It wasn’t until Nintendo released a trailer for their new system in October of 2016 that I became interested. They revealed the name to be the Nintendo Switch, and showed how it was a console that could be turned into a handheld.
It could be best described as a thinner WiiU gamepad which can be played handheld or on the TV, featuring detachable sides, and which didn’t need to be tethered to a disc-reading console somewhere nearby.
Once I saw the trailer, I was intrigued but still planning on getting the new Zelda game for the Wii U. But upon seeing the Switch Presentation in February which showed that Zelda was going to be a launch title, I couldn’t resist and pre-ordered one from GameStop the next day. However, I didn’t tell anyone but Anne about it and made it seem that we weren’t getting one right away. My plan was to have it set up and out the next morning to surprise the kids. Over the next few weeks I made some payments towards the Switch here and there.
Avery had been debating on getting a NN3DS just for the SNES VC capabilities, but I had convinced him to save his money, and he’s glad he did. In the week before launch, he decided to get a Switch instead. He had just enough saved to get the console, but not a game (at the time). On the day before launch day (a Thursday) he went to Wal-Mart after school to wait in line. He was 5th in line and there were 9 available at the time so he was in a good position, but he had to sit for 8 hours waiting. Anne and I dropped off some food and other supplies like headphones to help him pass the time. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Avery, I went to make the final payment and reserve my place in line at GameStop via pre-check-in.
I went to GameStop around 11:30 and got in line and happened to find my friend James and his son in line ahead of me, making it even better. I thought of Avery waiting in a warmed building, slightly jealous. He texted me updates and eventually told me that he got one and was waiting to be picked up. We (James, his son, and I) waited for about 45 minutes in the cold, and I eventually got my Switch and Breath of the Wild, along with a poster. I zoomed over to Wal-Mart to grab Avery and asked him about his time waiting. Then I asked him if he got a free poster with his like I had with mine.
When we got home we vowed to not open them until we were both home from school the next day, which was harder for him because he got out earlier than I did on Fridays. So to pass the time he cleaned his room and got things ready for the Switch. I let him unbox his first and once he started it up and was going through the setup, I started on my own.
He hooked his dock up to the small monitor he has in his room (which replaced the TV I’ve had since I was in 5th grade), while I hooked mine up to the main TV downstairs. We both instantly started playing Breath of the Wild once we had things set up and I didn’t put it down for a few months. I played it so much that Anne started referring to it as my other girlfriend.
A few days after its release happened to be Parent-Teacher Conferences at my school, and I decided to use the Switch to do what it was intended to do. I set up the screen behind a few books on my desk and kept the controller out of sight. If/when a parent entered my classroom, I quickly put it into sleep mode and set the Joy-Con into my drawer and nobody could tell what was happening (except for one former student who came to shoot the breeze with me about Marvel movies).
A few weeks later, I attended our normal 3DS meetup that I had been attending regularly (Avery wasn’t able to attend this one). As expected, the focus was on the Switch and people were playing Bomberman. But someone had also brought their amiibo collection. At the time, we had 5 amiibo, 3 of which were Zelda-related. But I hadn’t used them yet as I was so enveloped in the world of Breath of the Wild that I hadn’t bothered to figure out how they work. Anyhow, I used them and got a few special pieces of clothing from the random treasure chests. I showed them to Avery and then kinda felt bad that he wouldn’t be able to get these items without spending inordinate amounts of money on plastic figurines.
It was at this point that I started looking into alternatives to amiibo. Unlike some games where an item can be found or earned through grinding, some were essentially pay-walled off behind hard-to-find collectibles in the real world. After a few days’ research, I discovered that there was an alternative method to accomplish what I wanted to do – and it involved buying NFC stickers. NFC-215 tags are what reads/writes the info in the base of the amiibo, and someone had developed a phone app to essentially make copies of them, and the necessary files were dumped onto the internet. I ordered some NFC stickers and learned how to use the app, and then made small cardstock pieces that had the picture of an amiibo on it with the appropriate sticker on the back. This let me spoof the entire Zelda amiibo collection and get those rewards at a fraction of the cost. Later I altered my idea and turned them into laminated cards about the same size as a standard playing card, each with two different amiibo. I have since made several sets of amiibo cards for various family members, friends, and acquaintances.
Later that summer, Avery and I both got messenger bags for our Switches, which hold the Switch, the dock, the grip, and all of the cables making it very convenient to take on a trip. I had to alter my bag with some velcro so that it could accommodate my Zelda case I already had, and gave the basic case that came with it to [[[SOMEONE]]]. I also got an extra power supply and HDMI cables to leave in the case so I don’t have to constantly re-hook up the cables and get behind the TV stand. Sometimes, though, I leave my dock if Avery or Logan is bringing theirs and I put my 3DS in its spot instead. I also bought a few adapters that would allow me to hook it up to projectors and other kinds of TVs so I could use it at school and other places.
I was perfectly happy playing BotW for hours on end, but Avery went ahead and got Arms and Snipperclips. I got a few demos, but I mainly kept on playing Zelda (like 320 hours) until Super Mario Odyssey was released. Later games I really enjoyed were Octopath Traveler and Metroid Dread.
The fan in my Switch started being noisy about a year into its life, and I ended up replacing it with some parts I found on eBay, and it’s worked fine ever since. I’ve also replaced some Joy-Con sticks for Logan and my cousin, as well as done some other improvements. The Pro Controller (which I also bought) is pretty great, but the D-Pad isn’t quite as good as some past offerings from Nintendo and sometimes registered presses incorrectly. But I was able to fix it by using some paper hole reinforcers to reduce the sensitivity and now it works perfectly.
Besides Breath of the Wild, HD remakes of Skyward Sword and Link’s Awakening were released. An updated Hyrule Warriors was also ported to the Switch, along with a (somewhat canon) Hyrule Warriors prequel to BotW called Age of Calamity and another spinoff called Cadence of Hyrule mixed a rhythmic dungeon crawler with Zelda. The NSO service eventually added LoZ, AoL, ALttP, LADX, OoT, MM, and MC as well. It is noteworthy, however, that the Wii U never got a standalone Zelda game - it got 2 remakes and a simultaneous release of BotW.
Logan desperately wanted a Switch as well and saved birthday and Christmas money for a while and finally got his own Redbox version of the Switch, and it came with the neon red/blue Joy-Con. He also got a messenger bag, though his was Super Mario Bros. themed instead of the plain grey that Avery and I had. Years later, Aurora was also eventually planning on getting one but “inherited” one from the ice rink where she works. Apparently someone left it there and it had been sitting in the lost-and-found for over a year, so the manager finally just let her have it. It required a little TLC, though, as its right Joy-Con stick was missing the cap, the locking buckles were worn down (meaning the Joy-Con could slide off without the eject button being pressed), and the plastic screen protector was a bit scratched up (but the actual screen underneath was pristine, thankfully). So I replaced the stick, the buckles, and put a new glass screen protector on it, and we gave her a grip for Christmas. All she had to buy was the dock and power supply, and she was good to go!
(More to be added soon)
No comments:
Post a Comment