great article. I'm pretty excited about the switch, but am waiting a bit until there're more games. Excited for those who are getting it though!
The Nintendo Switch Chicago Preview Event
Friend of the site, Greg Meyer, had a chance to go hands on with the Switch at one of the exclusive events. In anticipation of tomorrow's release, he's put together a bunch of impressions to get you excited for what's coming next for Nintendo.
Switch System and Controller Impressions
During the Switch Preview Event, Nintendo went out of their way to emphasize just how versatile their new system can be. Every demo station had a different way to play the Switch, from different controller set ups, to using the Switch’s screen to play games.
Though I didn’t get a chance to play Switch in handheld mode, I spent time with the Switch’s screen using tabletop mode. Now I’m a fan of the Wii U gamepad, and spent most of my time using off TV play; but the gamepad screen can’t compare to the Switch’s screen. The images are crisp and clear on the Switch’s bright screen, even while sitting a few feet away from the unit. I never felt like the screen was too small, even during a game like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. I’ll admit I didn’t think much of tabletop mode before the event, but now I can see myself using my Switch in this style in the future.
The joy-cons are the next evolution of Nintendo’s wiimote design and functionality, with a new twist by docking together in the joy-con grip. When the joy-cons are docked in the grip, the controller feels compact and tight, but not in an uncomfortable way. Maybe I’m used to playing with the gamepad or wiimote and nunchuck, but I felt my hands were closer together than in previous generations. Still, I thought the controller worked well, and didn’t have any problems getting used to them while playing Zelda.
I was curious to see how the joy-cons played when detached from the grip. The right joy-con looked uncomfortable from the promotional material, with the joystick sitting close to the middle of the controller. After spending time with both joy-cons, I’m happy to report that both feel fine in action. The controllers are small, so reaching over to the joystick isn’t as difficult as it looks in a picture. The buttons and joystick feel just a tad tiny when combined with how small the joy-con is on it’s own, but when in the grip, the buttons feel fine. I definitely prefer playing the joy-cons with the wrist strap plastic support that connects to the back of the detached joy-cons. The added plastic gives the controllers more room for the players to grip with their hands.
The Switch Pro Controller is a good option for those worried about how comfortable the joy-cons and grip will be in their hands. The pro controller felt great in my hands, reminiscent to the current controllers available on other systems this generation. While the pro controller isn’t as versatile as the joy-cons, if you plan on playing long sessions in single player games, or plan on picking up a fighting game, this might be the best option.
One of Nintendo’s newest features for the Switch is HD Rumble. During the event, I didn’t notice the rumble doing anything significantly different from what’s been on previous systems. When I played Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and confirmed that I was joining the game, I felt the controller give a hard kick in response. Up until that point, with all the excitement from the event, I had completely forgotten about HD Rumble. That moment, though brief, gave me a good indication that these controllers are running with more power this generation.
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