The Nintendo Switch

We are now the proud owners of a Nintendo Switch. The hard to find console of 2020 made its appearance here after I found it at a GameStop at the Florence Mall. I really wanted the red/blue JoyCon combo and it was the only store in Northern Kentucky that had that model in stock (everywhere else is carrying the “Animal Crossing” exclusive). So, first off, I hate the mall. The fact I drove there, went inside without puking, and then purchased it tells you how much I wanted one. Although I will admit, the reduced crowds and traffic made it somewhat a less terrible experience. Regardless, why did I subject myself to it?

I am a PC gamer. I do not own either a PlayStation or X-Box and haven’t in many years. The only one of those two options I did own was a beloved PlayStation One from the late 90’s that was subsequently broken when I lent it out twenty years ago. I never replaced it. I am, however, a lover of Nintendo. I own a Wii and a 3DS and play old games on RetroPie. Nintendo is my console of choice. As such, I wanted a Switch.

People gush over this thing and I see why. The portability is a nice feature, but in today’s mobile world that’s not a selling point anymore. It does plug into the big screen TV and can easily pair multiple remotes. But so can other consoles. What makes the Nintendo Switch so attractive, are the GAMES.

Nintendo makes fun games, but I want to digress here on something I noticed while looking for titles. What’s interesting about the Switch is the number of ported games. The 3DS didn’t have as many titles geared towards adult players, but the Switch makes up for it. You can play “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim”, “Dark Souls”, “Doom”, and “Witcher 3” on it among others. These are all games I play on my PC. So, in this regard portability comes into play, which is probably why Steam is chasing a mobile solution now too. Would I have wanted to play “BioShock” during lunch when I traveled to the office? You betcha! However, those days are past so I’ll stick with my beloved gaming rig, “Gigahorse”. Now, more on the games.

What Nintendo gets right, that Sony kind of does too, is provide a trove of pleasurable, exclusive games. We are currently playing “Super Smash Brothers Ultimate” and having a blast with it. I will almost certainly purchase the new Zelda game, something involving Mario, and my personal favorite, Kirby. We’ll probably also get Mario Kart, which my kids hate, but I love (as I force them to do it). That way all four of us can play together. It does suck that Nintendo games never really go on sale, but there’s always a secondary market on E-Bay that will yield some deals as the platform matures.

My take on the Switch is that Nintendo got this thing right. There is a lot of love put into the design of it. This is why I love Nintendo and always will.