An Analysis of the Nintendo Switch

Nintendo has always been willing to try something new with their gaming consoles, and the Nintendo Switch is no different. The Nintendo Switch has now had its fourth anniversary and has become one of the most popular gaming consoles ever, selling over 450 million units, according to an article written by Derek Strickland. The Switch’s main selling point is that it can switch from being played on the TV, like a traditional console, to a hand-held, fully portable gaming device. This analysis will explain the pros and cons of the Nintendo Switch and if consumers should buy it. 

First, let’s start with the pros of the Switch. One of the best features of the Switch is its price. It costs only $300, while other gaming consoles, such as the PS4 and Xbox One, usually cost anywhere from $400 to $600.  Another benefit of the Switch is its ease when setting up the console. Most of the time, setting up a console means trying to sort through a tangled mess of wires and wasting tremendous amounts of time waiting for software to download. The Switch breaks this mold by only having only four main components and a detailed guide on setting up the console. The four pieces are the Switch itself, a docking station for the Switch, and two cables. Having only a few parts makes the process of setting up the console much more straightforward and intuitive. Another thing the Switch has going for it is its amazing library of games. While which games someone likes is subjective, the Switch has games that cater to every kind of player. If you like open-world adventure games, Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend Of Zelda: Breath of the Wild are perfect for you. If you like fighting games, the Switch has Super Smash Bros Ultimate and Street Fighter 2. The Switch also makes their games very accessible, so even someone who doesn’t play many games can still enjoy them.  One last advantage the Switch has going for it is portability. Taking the Switch in and out of the dock is smooth and seamless, and being able to play while on the go gives the Switch a feature most other consoles could only wish to have. 

Now, while the Switch may have several benefits,  it also has one significant flaw that holds it back. This flaw is the faulty controllers. The Joy-Cons, the main controllers for the Switch, have had an issue where the controller will move the player in a direction, usually upwards, even if they have not input anything. This issue has been called Joy-Con drift and means that when playing a game, the player will sometimes move away from where they wanted to go, making gaming much more frustrating. Also, if a player wanted to buy a new pair of Joy-Cons online, they would need to spend sixty dollars, which is outrageous since the controllers sold online still have this Joy-Con drift issue which means the player is paying sixty dollars for faulty controllers. This issue is unacceptable, and hopefully, Nintendo will notice it and fix it soon. Another big problem the Switch has is its poor online subscription. Nowadays, most gaming consoles have a way for the player to play online against people across the world. The Xbox has Xbox live, and the Play Station has PlayStation live. This ability to play online does come at a cost usually costing anywhere from $20-60 depending on the console. The Switch’s longest subscription, which lasts for a year, costs only $20, which makes it one of the cheaper online services. While the price may sound great, actually playing online is a mess. Playing any game online creates a ton of lag and will frequently crash the game ruining the whole experience. Nintendo has said they are trying to fix it, but today the online service is a laggy mess.  

So, after looking at the pros and cons of the Nintendo Switch, should consumers buy it? Yes. The Nintendo Switch is a revolutionary console, bridging the gap between portable and stationary consoles. While the Switch has some flaws, the technological genius of the Switch and the stunning catalog of games have made the Switch one of the most game-changing consoles ever built.