First impressions can mean a lot, whether ts the first trailer you see, the first demo you get to try or the first time you get to open the box for yourself at home. At each of these stages I’ve found the Nintendo Switch to be an appealing and impressive bit of kit.
Join me as I unbox our Nintendo Switch (with gloriously neon controllers), before taking a look at how it all fits together, the set up process and the system software.
Even though I saw the Switch in person back in January, it still surprises me how compact the console is. This isn’t the same school of thought that went into the Wii U Gamepad, a chunky, airy plastic shell that felt akin to the original Wii as opposed to learning from modern smart device design. The Switch takes all of that to heart with a solid build quality and more than a few clever tweaks of its own. The one real blight in the Switch’s design is the need for a fan in a portable device – though surely most commonly in use when in the dock – and the associated vent at the top of the console.
The central screen is flanked by two rails that the Joy-Con slot into with a satisfying click as they lock into place. Removing them is simple as well, with a little nub to depress behind the plus or minus button and then sliding out nicely.
It’s the same mechanism to slip into the Joy-Con Grip, or the pair of included wrist straps that make the controllers marginally more comfortable to hold horizontally for multiplayer games and makes the buttons hidden in the rail more prominent and feature an ambidextrous design so they can be used with either Joy-Con.
For impromptu gaming on the go, it’s ideally flexible. Play in handheld mode, or prop the console up on its kickstand and take hold of an individual Joy-Con in each hand. Multiplayer is just as easy, you just pass a Joy-Con to a buddy and you both hold them sideways for an impromptu controller. The one thing to be aware of? Well if you get onto a plane – as depicted in the original Switch reveal video – airplane mode will turn off the Bluetooth connection to your controllers. No such problems if you have the controllers attached, as they use a direct connection via a cleverly tucked away connector.
And then there’s the Dock, another simple yet satisfying aspect to the Switch. A bolt and spring-loaded block of plastic within shrouds the USB Type-C connector and help make it easy to slide the console in without fuss. It doesn’t hold the console tightly, so lifting it out of the dock takes but a second, and the system pulls its best trick, of being able to switch effortlessly between handheld and TV modes.
Setting up the console for the first time is basically what you’d expect as you pick your region, connect to the internet and so on, but Nintendo try to teach you the three use modes before you get to the main menu for the first time.
And what a charming menu it is. It’s incredibly straightforward, with buttons for News, eShop, Album, Controllers, Settings and to put the console to sleep. They all do what they say on the tin, but each has its own little animation and quirky little sound. The clicking of a spinning cog for Settings, the shuffling of paper to enter the Album, and my personal favourite, the call and response whistle when you visit your user profile page.
In lieu of having any games to play, it’s simply the clarity of vision, the quality of the hardware and the first look at the system software that we have to go on. No, this system clearly isn’t for everyone – cue complaints over a lack of processing power and launch titles – but for those eagerly awaiting Nintendo’s next console? Well, it gives a good first impression.
Stay tuned for our full reviews of this and the system’s smattering of launch titles next week.
stubiedoo35
i think it may divebomb.
MrKipling89
Can’t use wireless joycons on a plane? That’s a bit of false advertising is it not? Was looking forward to a bit of 2 player Mario kart on my next plane journey.
Stefan L
Of course you can. These days it’s more about take off and landing, with many planes having WiFi built in and so on. You can turn airplane mode off again, turn Bluetooth on manually in the system settings, or just use the console in handheld mode, where there’s a physical connection.
MrKipling89
Yeah kinda thought that after posting. The console has so much more going for it than the WiFi U. The recent news of lack of virtual console on launch is disappointing, but I’m sure Zelda will keep me busy for months. Not like I’m short of ps4 games either…
JR.
First impressions of the Titanic were also good. #Consoleofdreams
Byacca
Uh-huh. I just can’t understand such groundlessly pessimistic thinking.
Tuffcub
I love the fact that the packaging shows the controllers but the actual console is hidden away in the stand. Great advertising!!
Youles
Having watched that I’m thoroughly disappointed, I was hoping for more Tef. :p
Console looks good – I’m definitely picking it up within the next few months – Bomberman & Mario Kart for multiplayer with my kids (great portable console that they can both play on), and Zelda for me. Then it’ll just be a case of getting all the old Zelda titles from the store…when they arrive. Much like my N64, I’ll probably only ever own 4-5 cartridge games.
The Lone Steven
That is a crap size. I mean, I was expecting it to be small but not that small! Not a good sign for Nintendo due to them competing(whether intentionally or not) against all the other tablet makers. Size seems to matter with tablets. Joy Cons are gimmicky etc.. They seem rather uncomfortable to use. But the tablet itself looks decent apart from the size. Kinda a bit too thin and should have been a bit more wider.
I really hope Nintendo has been saving a ton of surprises for the first 6 months otherwise, it will be a repeat of the Wii U. Shove all the retroware on it by spacing out releases until there is a healthy line up for the switch!
DividSmythe
I like the look of it but the lack of software greatly puts me off to buy at launch. I’ve got 1 on preorder but it’s looking like a cancellation from me. I kept it for scalping purposes and that at the minute doesn’t to profitable enough to keep.
I’ll pick 1 up later in the year closer to Mario Odyssey time maybe.
tactical20
What a complete and utter mess! Nintendo really need to give up and just let Sony/Microsoft have Mario/Zelda/Mario Kart.
Also, please never use the phrase ‘Joycon’ again.
Stefan L
Well it is the controller’s name, so that might make things a bit tricky…
tactical20
Just call them controllers?
Stefan L
You have to be able to distinguish between the Joy-Con and the Pro controller. Just like Sony have DualShock – which is pretty cringeworthy in its own right – and Move.
Byacca
Switcn looks like awesome console. Nintendo really need to make more devices like that. Oh, and joycon-joycon-joycon-joycon-joycon-joycon-joycon-joycon-joycon-joycon-joycon-joycon-joycon-joycon-joycon
geofduke
Once some dust and what not gets into that dock while you’ve been off around the countryside playing that excellent looking bomberman game ;) …
…will the screen get all scratchy from going in and out of the dock?
Stefan L
Ha! I doubt it. The dock barely touches the Switch, it just guides it in place and there’s only raised rubber at either side for a little bit of cushioning, I guess.
If you’re worried about it, there’ll be some of those thin screen protectors that you can buy.
geofduke
Thanks for the reply. That was probably my only concern with the design. I think I’ll just be careful when I’m sliding it in and out though. I’m not a fan of the thin plastic sheath idea. I’m Irish.
I really can’t wait though! An R-Rated Bomberman! Nintendo are finally targeting the grown ups. Lather me up.
Stefan L
Really didn’t need to know that, G…
ron_mcphatty
Looking forward to seeing a game review or two Tef, the unboxing and setup is interesting but with the hardware already well covered it’s a shame Nintendo couldn’t let you show off the novelty gameplay features yet.
After seeing a site offering a £200 preorder I cancelled mine with Amazon, and now I’ve gone off the idea of a Switch altogether. I think I’d rather just dust off the Vita and save for a PSVR.
Stefan L
The £200 preorder? That was a company guessing at the price and deciding that they’d honour them and suck up the cost to be nice to their customers, and their preorders take money at the time as opposed to at dispatch. I know brains are brains and brains are stupid, but this was just an odd turn of events.
We’ve got a game preview later today (Friday), but most things will be on the way next week.
ron_mcphatty
I realise it was a one off but after seeing that I could have bought the Switch and Zelda for £255 I felt that my £340 for the same was too much and that I didn’t want it that much. Then I had two new shock absorbers on my car so there was no way I was gonna splash out until April :) Looking forward to later today then, even though I don’t want a Switch a new console is always exciting.
Stefan L
Yeah, that’s fair enough. I just wanted to make sure you knew you were being a great big silly about it. :P
ron_mcphatty
Me? Nev… actually, I’m silly quite often. I’m sure you feel the same Tef, as you get older you expect to have more disposable income and not worry about splashing out £300 on whatever, but I still look at these things and get that guilt ridden nagging feeling that it’s not money well spent. And then kids come along and your wife says ‘do you really need another console?’, and she’s made a good point because there’s a PS3, PS4, a Vita and a laptop all in use, and then cars go wrong and holiday plans get downgraded massively and you just think hey, Nintendo, your games look great and all but other stuff comes first this year. And then long, boring, rambling comments about family finances literally bore TSA members to death and you get taken to court for manslaughter, and then when everything has gone to poop the Daily Mail turns out to be right and ironically you get to sit in a prison cell for six years playing a Switch! But the government won’t shell out for Zelda so until your family can smuggle in the cartridge inside a cake you just get to milk cows with your cell mate Brian, who is in for a complicated combination of tax fraud and blackmail involving cross-dressing, whips and MPs.
So Nintendo, if you had bundled car part, kids shoe, holiday and baking product vouchers in with your console I probably would’ve bought one :)