Nintendo Switch
The newest Nintendo console that can seamlessly go from TV to portable.Whether this will replace the 3DS handheld systems is kind of hard to say as well as too early to tell. Since it seems to be selling well I wouldn't be surprised if it did. The challenge will be if the Switch would get as many games as 3DS has. Wii U hardly had games, but 3DS has much more games which makes it worth buying. Switch is selling well due to the new Zelda game, Breath of the Wild which is understandable since its quite a good game. Heck, it even got me to buy the Switch and I don't regret it. Getting your hands on a Switch has been quite a challenge since there are people buying them in order to sell them for a higher cost. Retailers seem to try to discourage this by only offering them in bundles. Unfortunately these bundles aren't saving you money and they have been costing around $500 which a lot more than what some people are comfortable with buying. Not sure when this will stop, but if you're impatient like me you may have to bite the bullet and take that price.
While I only wanted the game for Zelda, I may try out the other games that also came with the bundle just to give the console some more use for when I'm done with Zelda. The console itself has 32GB of storage. My bundle unfortunately only came with digital games so it did take up the majority of the space in the system. Digital games also aren't eligible for Nintendo coins which is lame. You will need to get a micro SD card if you want more storage. The slot for it is located right under the kick stand thing on the console. You will need to pop it out and the slot of the SD card is right there. For the game cartridge, it is located on the top right side of the console.
The power is connected right on the bottom of the console. This is quite an inconvenient spot if you're on the go, but also want to charge it. You can't have it upright with the kick stand and charge it. You may have to look into third party makers who can do that. The dock has a flap that covers the screen unfortunately.
Like others have said, the dock is pretty simple. The console can got into the USB-C slot. On the back are the USB-C for the power cable that comes with the console, HDMI slot, and a USB slot. I don't think its worth the price that they put on it. I don't think its cheaply made, but it could be cheaper as its not worth the price to buy it by itself.
I prefer to play games on the TV mode, but the portable screen isn't too bad. Its is more plastic-y than glass like on smartphones. It also has touchscreen functions so you can tap on the keyboard instead of using the controllers which is nice. Obviously you can't do this when your on TV mode since the dock covers the screen. As for battery life, playing Zelda would last me about 3 hours till the console starts to warn me about low battery. While 3 hours isn't impressive, I think that its reasonable. You can always buy an external battery or charger if you need more time. Charging requires a USB-C so be sure you have the right cable. The portable performance doesn't heat up as much as when its docked. I saw a few people say the dock scratches the screen, but I have yet to see that happen with mine. There are glass covers you can purchase if you want to protect the screen.
The controllers seems like its a hit or miss with people though luckily it does have variety so it may depend on which works best for you. You can have the controllers attached to the sides of the console. For me, my hands are on the small side, but I find having the controls on the side is not the most convenient to reach all the buttons. I do have to adjust my hands which isn't something I want to deal with while playing a game like Zelda. Though it hasn't really hinder my play so its not an annoyance to me. You can also use the controllers wirelessly and freely. Zelda uses both controllers so you can hold each in your hand, or you can put them in the grip handle attachment. You slide the controllers in it to make it more of a traditional controller. This feels better for me, though you can always buy the Pro controller which I hear people like more. The Pro controller is separate and not included with the console.
The home screen for the Switch is rather simple. You can register multiple users, but you will need a Nintendo account to be able to go into the eShop. There's an album that has screenshots that you've taken. Screenshots are done with the square-ish button on the left controller. There's no feature to record videos, but it was mentioned that feature would come in the future. You can edit screenshots in the console too. You can share them on Facebook and Twitter too. There's a screen for controllers, this is where you can check the battery life of your controllers and pairing your controllers. Press any button on the controller and the console would read it. The options menu has a lot of things going in it from managing data, users, and many other options. Last is Sleep Mode which is like turning off your console. I don't think there is a turn off button or option. Sleep mode can keep your game right where you left off. You can of course close the game too.
For a single player game like Zelda, you can have different saves on different users. A user who was playing it would have their avatar on the game in the home screen of the console. You will have to close the game to remove that user off the game so another user can play it. You have to wait 10 days before the Switch shows you how many hours you've played on a game in your profile. It doesn't show the exact amount either. Just says "XX hours or more played" next to the game title.
Overall, the Switch console isn't the most impressive system for the price. I would've like it to be a bit cheaper. But I think its worth getting for Zelda, and once your down with it you can always sell it. Though if you are patient you can just wait for more games to come out to make the system more worth it. I do recommend it and will highly suggest not paying scalpers who are trying to make money off its popularity and stock scarcity.
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