Since Nintendo revealed that their next home console was a hybrid that could be taken anywhere in addition to being played on TV, I knew that I’d probably be using the Nintendo Switch in portable mode for a good majority of my play-time.
Since Friday, I’ve taken the Nintendo Switch out and about almost everywhere that I went. Played it in a variety of lighting conditions, used handheld mode and tabletop mode with a variety of controller methods and I’m here to tell you how that went.
Firstly, users of the Wii U might be wondering how the Nintendo Switch could be portable. If it’s not already visible in photos, it’ll become hugely evident once you get your hands on the Nintendo Switch just how much slimmer and lighter the Nintendo Switch is next to the Wii U Gamepad.
I’d say I don’t have large hands by any means, but I was able to carry it incredibly comfortably down the street to a local cafe without ever feeling like I was going to drop it or that it was weighing me down. It’s really not that different to holding an iPhone 7 Plus, in all honesty.
Sitting at the cafe, I was able to put my Nintendo Switch into tabletop mode and could comfortably use my JoyCons separately in order to continue playing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. It was at this moment that I knew that this thing could be played just about anywhere. I didn’t ever feel like I was embarrassed to be playing this thing in public due to the premium design of the Nintendo Switch.
It was a sunny day out, which I thought might be an issue and stop me from being able to play. Yes, the glare was noticeable in some instances. Sure, I had to pick my angle but I was very much able to play see the screen without struggling with full brightness and Auto Brightness set to on.
Similarly, I was visiting some family over the weekend and was able to easily take the Nintendo Switch and continue playing Zelda in handheld mode. My favourite thing about the Nintendo Switch so far is just how quickly you can power up out of sleep mode. I feel more inclined to take my Nintendo Switch out and about due to the fact that if I can get even an extra 10-15 minutes of extra game time, it’s worth it.
Just based on my three and a half days with the Nintendo Switch, I can already tell that Nintendo has made some really good design decisions with the Nintendo Switch. The form factor, as well as the ability to easily go from using Portable Mode to Tabletop Mode means that the Nintendo Switch could become the fully-fledged handheld that gamers have been asking for.
The future may have arrived.
