Hello Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, and all those that may fall in between!

I am No Time Dad, thank you for stopping by! Today, I am bringing you a review of the Nintendo Switch game console.

It’s Nintendo

I’m going to start off with the obvious, this is a Nintendo product. You can expect all the usual titles: Mario, Zelda, etc. You’ll get all the child friendly releases as well as all the games inspired by Wii sports.

We get a console that is less powerful than the rest of the competition. That means new, multi platform, AAA titles won’t be releasing on the Switch. (For the most part.)

Party games. Do you have some friends over? Nintendo always has a bag of fun ready for you and your guests.

Nintendo is the accessory king. Not only do they release a slew of attachments, but a few of them do seem almost necessary to enjoy the console to its fullest.

 

The Game Library: Over 1500 Titles and Growing

Nintendo isn’t “just for kids” anymore. (If you actually believed that criticism. Pokemon and Mario will always fill me with joy.) They are breaking new grounds, allowing multiple mature titles onto the platform. Skyrim, L.A. Noire, and Bayonetta just to name a few.

Just about any indie title you want to play has either already made it to the Nintendo Switch, or will release in the future. ( Slay the Spire I need you!)

Do you want Xbox Live exclusives in the palm of your hand? That is what we are all going to get. Nintendo has partnered with Microsoft to bring several (formerly) exclusive titles, starting with Cup Head, to the Stitch.

If you love classic Nintendo games, but don’t own a Nintendo classic, fear not, those titles are available too! You get access to an expanding library of classic games with your Nintendo Online subscription ($19.99 a year).

Last but certainly not least, are all the Nintendo exclusive IPs you would expect to find on their consoles.

 

Portability

This is quite possibly my favorite aspect of the Nintendo Switch.

You can switch between docked and handheld mode on the fly. No saving necessary.

If the kids are demanding to watch Moana for the 15,000th time, they can have their cake and I can still eat mine too! Honestly, about 90% of my Switch activity has been in handheld mode, even if the TV is free.

The battery can last anywhere between 2 and 6 hours, depending on your brightness setting and the demand of the game you are playing.

Without a third party grip, it does get rather uncomfortable after an hour or so. Definitely not the most ergonomic design.

Online Service

While I am very impressed with the Nintendo Switch as a whole, the online service is outright atrocious.

I’ll start with the eShop itself. While the selection available is fantastic, the options you have for sorting said options are lacking. Often times, unless you know exactly what you are looking for, you spend an excessive amount of time scrolling through pages and pages of games. The download servers aren’t the best, so it will take a bit longer than you would expect to download games but it isn’t too bad. There is no built in rating or review system for the Nintendo eShop, which is drastically needed. While there are many great titles out, there are also quite a few duds.

There is no built in communication service. If you want to chat with friends you are required to download an app on your phone. I cannot understand the lack of this feature, this has been an industry standard for nearly 15 years.

The online servers really suffer for some games. I hope that the partnership with Xbox Live will bring some improvements to their online infrastructure.

 

Local Multiplayer

The Nintendo Switch offers multiple options for local multiplayer. The most obvious option being in docked mode. Just pass around the Joy-Cons or Pro Controllers and dig right in.

Another option is in handheld mode, the Nintendo Switch has a stand on the back of the unit. You can prop it up on a table and hand out the controllers to play multiplayer right off the portable screen.

The last, and my personal favorite, method of local multiplayer is via the Local Wireless feature of the Nintendo Switch. No internet connection or link cables required. You and your friend will be able to link your systems together, each using your own Switch in handheld mode.

 

Storage

The Nintendo Switch only comes with 32GB of internal storage. If you prefer physical cartridges the storage should be more than enough, and you can fit a handful of big title digital releases on that space as well.

A 128 GB SD Card will only run you about 25 bucks so the cost to expand in the future is pretty low.

 

The Bottom Line

Rating: 4/5 stars.

 

Online infrastructure aside, the Nintendo Switch is still an amazing console. I have only had one since November 2018, however I nearly have more playtime on it than my PlayStation 4 and Xbox One combined.

I highly recommend picking one up. Either now, or waiting for the rumored Switch Pro and Switch Lite. Nintendo is already knocking it out of the park with this one, and it seems it can only get better with time.

At $299.99 it is just about the cheapest you can buy a new console in the current market.

The only things holding me back from giving The Nintendo Switch a 5 star rating, are the online service and the fact that some accessories seem almost necessary.

 

Crying Babies: 1/5

 

 

While you can suspend the Nintendo Switch at virtually anytime, some games are just not going to be pause friendly. (Fortnite and Tertris 99, I’m looking right at you.) There are bound to be some conflicts with your children interrupting your play.

The available selection of family friendly titles is outstanding. My kids were enthralled by simply watching me play Pokemon Let’s Go and we all enjoyed getting down with some Just Dance.

 

Full Disclosure: If you purchase this item via the links below, you will be supporting No Time Dad Media in the process. However, the views expressed in this review are mine and are in no way influenced by affiliation.

I want to give a HUGE THANK YOU for your time

Remember to laugh, stay kind, and have a wonderful day!

No Time Dad