The Nintendo Switch

Around late 2014, it was becoming increasingly obvious that the Wii U wasn’t doing so hot on the sales charts, as many people were unaware of its existence due to poor marketing and an unfortunate name. In terms of graphics it felt like Nintendo was playing catchup to the other systems, and its tablet controller wasn’t being utilized by 3rd party developers in creative ways. It was around this time that rumors of the next system started popping up, and naysayers were predicting the move to be the downfall of the once great video game king. Simultaneously, it seemed like the games being developed for the Wii U dried up and The Big N was only hanging around because of its robust handheld market (meaning the 3DS family, which itself had a rocky first couple of years).

Originally code-named the NX, the next Nintendo console was promised to be a hybrid system that straddled the handheld and console worlds. The sentiment online was not optimistic, and after the Wii U it seemed to many that Nintendo had truly lost its collective mind. However, it was finally officially announced in October of 2016 to be called the Nintendo Switch. The video showed off its capabilities of being a docked console with detachable controllers, a portable handheld, and a tabletop mode. It also spawned the infamous joke about roof-top Switch parties. This video changed the tide of public opinion and a breath of optimism started to replace the doom and gloom.

The Switch could best be described as what the Wii U gamepad was originally intended to be. Unfortunately, the technology wasn’t quite ready (at least not in a cost-effective way) for the vision of Satoru Iwata during the Wii U era and he died not getting to see the Switch come to fruition. The Switch system itself was like a thinner, lighter Wii U gamepad that was not tethered to a disc-based console. In other words, instead of the tablet streaming video from the real console, the tablet WAS the console.

The main draw of the Nintendo Switch is that it is a hybrid home console and portable handheld system. The main component is essentially a touch-screen tablet that reads game cards (not unlike the 3DS or an SD card) and has controllers attached to the sides. The beauty of the system is that it switches from one mode to the other instantly with no need of power cycling or rebooting. It can also be played in a tabletop manor with the use of a kickstand in the rear of the system. It has a 6.2 inch viewable area with two speakers near the bottom, with a headphone jack and game card slot on the top next to a heat exhaust fan grille. The buttons on the Switch are the power button and the volume rocker buttons. The back features a small (and somewhat fragile) kickstand that also serves as a cover for a microSD card slot. The bottom has a USB-C port that serves as both a port for the AC adapter and data transfer.

Each side controller (called Joy-Con) features two shoulder buttons, a control stick, and four other buttons arranged in a diamond pattern – basically the same buttons and layout as a NN3DS except that the D-pad is replaced by four individual buttons. The Joy-Con can then be detached and put into a grip making it feel more like a traditional controller. They also have some additional bells and whistles built into them – including an NFC reader for amiibo, an infra-red camera to sense movement, gyro-sensors for motion controls, and haptic feedback HD rumble that can mimic the wave patterns of sound. There are also buttons for screen captures, a Home button, as well as the + and – buttons that replaced the Start and Select buttons starting with the Wii era. Originally they came in either grey or in a neon red/blue, but many colors and specialty variations have been released since.

Each Joy-Con can be also used as a separate controller for two-player games. When turned sideways, each Joy-Con features a control stick, 4 face buttons, and two shoulder buttons that are usually hidden when connected to the tablet portion. In this configuration, each one has the same buttons as a SNES controller. Wrist straps are included to make reaching the shoulder buttons (SL and SR) easier and to avoid accidentally dropping/throwing the Joy-Con. Both Joy-Con also feature an unlock button on the back which allows them to separate from the Grip or the console. This locking mechanism is also responsible for the clicking sound they make when being attached to the console or Grip – a sound that Nintendo has used in its Directs and other promotional videos extensively.

A separate Pro Controller can also be purchased to accommodate those who have bigger hands or prefer the feel of a traditional controller. The Pro Controller has a D-pad instead of the four buttons on the Left Joy-Con since it can’t be disconnected and used separately, and has no IR camera.

The Switch can be connected to a television via a dock that transfers the video and sound via HDMI cable. The dock features a power supply and HDMI jack, as well as 3 USB-A ports to attach wired controllers or other adapters such as the LAN adapter to get a wired connection if the Wi-Fi isn’t fast enough. While in the dock the Switch can recharge its battery, or it can be charged via USB-C cord being plugged directly into the power port.

In terms of power comparison, the Switch is more powerful compared to the Wii U, PlayStation 3, and XBox 360, but less powerful than the PS4/XB1. But like the Wii before it, the thing that separates it from the competition is the innovation behind it and not because it’s a graphical powerhouse. Many Wii U games were ported over, as well as other third party games such as Skyrim, and could be played on the go for the first time. The main first-party title at launch was The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, a game that was originally set for the Wii U but pushed back and released for both systems simultaneously (in a similar vein to that of Twilight Princess). There were others, including 1-2 Switch, Snipperclips, a Bomberman game, a Shovel Knight port, and a few others. The system did not include a pack-in game, and many felt that 1-2-Switch should have served as one because of its almost tech-demo feel to it.

Following the October 2016 trailer, a presentation with more details was streamed in February 2017 where Koizumi-san showed off some of the features of the Switch, gave some details of the next year’s lineup of games, and revealed its MSRP of $300. It was noted that the Switch has inherited some of the “DNA” of past Nintendo consoles, in that the NES had 2 controllers included, the Gameboy was portable, the SNES pioneered the button layout, the N64 introduced both the analog stick and rumble feedback, the GameCube’s handle was a misguided attempt at portability, the DS had a touch screen, the Wii had motion controls, and the Wii U allowed off-TV play. The release date of both the Switch and Breath of the Wild was revealed to be March 3rd, just a month later.

In the following year, it was rather difficult to find a Switch in stores because of how quickly they sold out. In fact, it was more or less keeping pace with the Wii in terms of sales, which is nothing to scoff at. But after about a year and a half, it was finally normal to see Switches being restocked regularly in stores (and then sold out again a few days later).

Initially, online access was free and included with games such as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe or Bomberman. However, around September 2018 the Nintendo Switch Online service was officially launched. It was a paid subscription service that was $20 per year for a single account, or $35 for a family account with up to 8 members. Unlike other digital services like Netflix, Nintendo actually encouraged people to group up for a family account to save money, and if all 8 potential members contributed equally it amounted to about 75¢ per month. In addition to keeping online multiplayer access, it included cloud save backups and the ability to voice chat with friends via a phone app (though it’s a bit clunky to use compared to Microsoft or Sony’s chat offering). Another feature was the access to Game Trials, which was sort of like an extended demo version of a game, but where the full game was allowed for a set period of time (usually a week). Several multiplayer games for the NSO were developed, including Tetris-99, Pac-Man-99, and Super Mario-35, all of which are multiplayer against 98 or 34 other random players.

But the main feature was access to legacy NES games. It launched with a variety of 20 games, including Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda, and 2 or 3 were added (usually monthly) for the next few years. Controllers that resembled the NES controllers were released for NSO members. A year later, the SNES was added as well with games continuing to be added monthly and SNES controllers were available to purchase separately. In 2021, three years after its launch, an Expansion Pack was offered, which upped the price to $50 for a single or $80 for a family account. It included N64 games, Sega Genesis games, and access to DLC for games like Mario Kart 8 and Animal Crossing at no additional cost. The N64 addition was a bit rough, as the emulator had to go through several iterations of bug fixes before it was considered to be passable. In addition, the default control scheme was found to be different for each game, but all were awkward due to the odd positioning of the buttons on the N64 controller, leading most to conclude that the bad controls were a scheme cooked up by Nintendo executives to entice people to buy their $50 N64 NSO controller. Finally, in February of 2023 (nearly 6 years into its life), the Gameboy was added to the NSO legacy service with Gameboy Advance included for those with the Expansion Pack.

The Switch had an interesting and creative set of games and accessories released in April of 2018. The Labo was a kit that consisted mainly of cardboard which could be punched out, folded, and shaped into all kinds of things such as houses, fishing poles, steering wheels, and even a piano. The screen, Joy-Con, or both would be used with the cardboard holders to do various things, such as play piano keys. It was truly innovative and something that nobody had ever seen before. It encouraged players to use their own materials to enhance the standard kit, or even program their own applications.

Another interesting use of the Joy-Con is the Ring Fit Adventure game. It was (more or less) the Switch successor to Wii Fit, except that one Joy-Con was strapped to the player’s leg and the other attached to a flexible resistance ring. The IR camera in the right Joy-Con was used to measure pulse as well as register movement.

Several revisions of the Switch have been released. The first minor revision was to fix a security flaw that allowed the Switch to enter its “Recovery Mode” and to have Custom FirmWare installed onto it. It was discovered that grounding certain pins on the side rail of the system along with pressing a particular combination of buttons could make this happen. The revision is known as the “Redbox” version of the Switch since the new packaging featured a red box, and promised a slight improvement on battery life. The next major revision was the Switch Lite – a dedicated handheld “budget” version of the Switch that was only $200. It was slightly smaller than a normal Switch, had a D-Pad on the left side instead of 4 separate buttons, and couldn’t be docked to a TV, but could do everything else that any other Switch could do. The third revision was the OLED model, featuring a slightly bigger console (2 mm longer) with a much brighter OLED screen that had a thinner bezel which meant the viewable area was increased by an inch (diagonally). The kickstand was also improved, along with some slightly powered up speakers and a dock that had the LAN adapter built into it. It was priced at $350 and is considered to be the “deluxe” model.

Despite its popularity, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for Nintendo. There was a small uproar over screens being scratched by the dock, and some systems being warped due to heat, but those went away fairly quickly. The one controversy that followed the system (and continues to do so) is the problem of Joy-Con drift – where the design of the included joysticks wears out and starts to misbehave. Nintendo will fix them (depending on circumstances) or cheap parts can be purchased from Amazon if you’re into DIY repair, but it was pervasive enough that a class-action lawsuit was filed (though eventually it was dismissed by the judge).

A few other small problems were that the multiplayer experiences weren’t always great, thought to be due to some very old netcode that Nintendo was too cheap to upgrade, though it started to improve in late 2021 (better late than never?). The N64 NSO controller is also perpetually out of stock.

But overall the Switch is seen as a good portable device for playing modern games and many hardcore gamers have one in addition to a PC or PlayStation. It has, however, hit its 6-year anniversary, and no announcement from Nintendo about a “Switch Pro” or a successor as of yet. It’s starting to show its age and limitations for new releases are becoming increasingly more common, so hopefully some new hardware will be announced soon so Nintendo can remain competitive.