We Went Hands On With a Nintendo Switch
One look at the Nintendo Switch and you can see the DNA of all those that came before him. His Joy-Con brings back fond memories of passing my Wiimote to anyone who wanted a turn at the parties of years gone by. And yes, the Nintendo Switch is ready for all kinds of parties.
It all started when I received an invitation from Nintendo to finally get my hands on a Nintendo Switch and see what all the fuss was about. I was a little surprised that the invitation wasn’t to play at Nintendo headquarters, a press event or even a convention; Nintendo had invited me to an underground club, “Great Pokeballs of Fire.” A little unexpected, sure, but Nintendo is becoming more and more known for thinking outside the box.
Upon my arrival at the club, I am quickly greeted by a Nintendo representative wearing nothing more than a strategically placed Mario hat, and am ushered into the basement to get my first look at the Nintendo Switch. The Switch is smaller than I imagined, but it’s not the size that matters, it’s all about the games and how you can play them.
The Nintendo Switch introduced himself and explained that as a prominent and upstanding member of the Switch community (or simply “the community,” as they call it), anonymity would be required. We may include photos, as he is unrecognisable underneath his mask, but if we need a name to call him, he would like to be referred to as “Gameboy.”
Before I got to playing with Gameboy, I asked the Switch about his energy levels, and if he can alleviate any concerns about his staying power. He assured me that he can last anywhere between two and a half and six hours, depending on the games that we play. Impressive!
The Switch asked me to touch his screen, and I found it incredibly responsive. With the first stroke, I managed to turn the Nintendo Switch on. Subsequently, starting with one finger, then two, before the entire palm of my hand, he responded in kind, letting me play however I liked.
Following this, he placed his Joy-Con into my hand. Despite its relatively small size (about half the size of your average controller, according to numerous studies), I was surprised by its strength and sturdiness. While his Joy-Con was ready to track my movement, I did still feel that I needed to be careful, despite Gameboy’s repeated protests. And while I was unwilling to say so at the time, I did find myself wishing his Joy-Con was just a little bigger.
While we spent a little time playing with Gameboy’s Link, we soon followed this up with what I was informed is called ARMS. The purpose of the game is to whip out your slinky and hit the other player with it. The game offers a lot of fun, and when both players are at exactly the right angle, the Switch offers a surprising amount of depth.
Easily the highlight, though, is the game that the community refers to as 1-2-Switch. Offering hours of entertainment, 1-2-Switch is in position to become the party game of choice, appealing to anybody used to gathering with their friends, firmly gripping their Wiimotes as they try to hit their balls in Wiisports.
As I was experimenting with 1-2-Switch, I took part in a gun duel, where with our weapons pointed at each other, whoever shoots first, wins. We followed this up with a little roleplaying as samurai who are trying to catch each other’s swords. I later spent some time with the Switch’s Joy-Con in the palm of my hand. Stroking it up and down, the goal was to “milk the cow” as quickly as possible. And last, but certainly not least, our time playing 1-2-Switch involved raising the Nintendo Switch’s Joy-Con to my mouth and nibbling at it, as if I were eating a sandwich.
While the Switch didn’t quite last for the purported six hours, he did manage to hold on for a little over four. Personally, given the amount of action involved, I won’t complain about the Switch “only” lasting for four hours. While I would have appreciated a slightly larger Joy-Con, it stood up through all the punishment I dealt it, regardless of the game; all of which I had fun with.
After the games drained the Switch, I was greeted again by the Nintendo representative, who led me to another room. It was that they were demonstrating their latest console. I gave the console a go, but it was pretty shit.
