Nintendo Switch Impressions Round-Up: See What The Critics Are Saying

This time next week, Nintendo’s newest console/tablet hybrid dubbed the Nintendo Switch will be out, allowing consumers the ability to play Zelda, or any other launch title, at home or on the go. Critics have had their consoles for a few days, though, and within the last 24 hours details and impressions of Nintendo’s console have emerged. So what are the critics saying about their initial go-around with the Nintendo Switch?

The Verge has called the Nintendo Switch the company’s “biggest, boldest gamble in years,” and if we recall the history of Nintendo, taking gambles is in their DNA. The gamble paid off with the original Wii in the early-mid 2000s, but the Wii’s successor, the Wii U, failed to capture that same magic. The Verge‘s Nick Statt says the Nintendo Switch has the chance to “revitalize the company.”

IT'S UP, IF YOU'RE UP!

? #NintendoSwitch Unboxing: https://t.co/E4QL0aTnX9 pic.twitter.com/qtBV7I7aPa

— iJustine (@ijustine) February 24, 2017

Nintendo is currently banking a healthy portion of its future as a major player in the games industry on the equally bold and risky Switch. The device, which can be plugged into a TV or used as a tablet, is the culmination of the Wii’s successes and the failures of that console’s successor, the Wii U. Nintendo, and by extension Koizumi and Takahashi, hope the Switch finally has the right formula to revitalize the company as a cultural touchstone.

The Nintendo Switch has left a great early impression on the folks over at Kotaku, who really were impressed with the Switch’s ability to sync to and from the TV and the tablet screen rather seamlessly. According to Kotaku‘s Stephen Totilo, the transfer of the game from the TV to your console is “impressive,” and while there is a delay between the transfer from console back to TV, it’s a great feature nonetheless.

However, it’s not all rosy, as both Kotaku and Polygon (among others) have reported issues with the Switch’s left Joy-Con. Kotaku mentioned that left Joy-Con “fails to perfectly track their movements in the Zelda game.” Arthur Gies from Polygon corroborated as much, and while he praised Nintendo’s industrial design and build quality as the “best Nintendo has ever put out,” he too had issues with the Joy-Con struggling to sync properly with the system.

“Over the course of my time with Breath of the Wild, I’ve had repeated problems with the left Joy-Con controller partially or even completely losing sync from the Switch console while docked and connected to my television.”

Engadget‘s Sean Buckley took the opportunity to temper some expectations of the Nintendo’s console/tablet hybrid. Buckley lists a few issues with the Switch as he sees it out of the box, including the lack of wireless headphone support and the fact that there will be no Virtual Console at launch or Nintendo’s sought-after backwards compatibility which the Wii U and Wii both featured.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7p47TOmicQ

The Nintendo Switch releases on March 3, and though the launch line-up is pretty skinny compared to the offerings its direct competitors, Microsoft and Sony, featured with the Xbox One and PS4 launch, respectively, the obvious headliner is The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. As one of Nintendo’s flagship franchises, Zelda is expected to be the main reason Nintendo Switch will be hard to obtain come next Friday. Other launch games will include 1-2-Switch! and Snipperclips was just added to the line-up.

Are you concerned about any of the issues you’ve seen brought up in the early Nintendo Switch impressions? Are you planning on picking up a Switch on launch day, and if so, what is the first thing you’re going to play? Sound off in the comments section below.

[Featured Image by Nintendo]