Nintendo Switch review 2017

OUR VERDICT

One-part handheld and one-part console, Nintendo's latest piece of hardware wants to be the only device you need for gaming. In many ways it's a big success, offering an exceptional level of handheld graphical quality, before seamlessly transitioning into a home console – but this very adaptability has necessitated compromises which mean it isn't quite as good as the dedicated consoles and handhelds that have gone before it.

FOR

• Unique hybrid design
• HD Rumble
• Two controllers included
• Bright, crisp, colorful screen

AGAINST

• Joy-Cons charge only on console without accessory
• Split D-pad
• Oddly placed right analogue stick
• Limited online service at launch

Nintendo Switch price and release date

• What is it? Nintendo's newest console
• When is it out? March 3, 2017 (pre-orders open now)
• What will it cost? $299.99 in the US, £279.99 in the UK, $469.95 in Australia

Design

• Three form factors; handheld, console (docked) and tabletop
• Lots of accessories, which are at risk of being misplaced

In the Nintendo Switch box you get the main body of the console, complete with two detachable controller sides, a grip which enables you to combine these controller portions into a more traditional gamepad, two straps which can be attached to these sides to make them into two individual controllers, and a dock that allows you to plug the console into your television. 

You also get a USB Type-C power cable (with a non-detachable power brick) and an HDMI cable for connecting the device to your TV. 

If you think that sounds like a lot of accessories then you’d be right, and we suspect a lot of people are going to end up misplacing at least one or two of them after some months with the console. 

We’ve taken to wrapping our Joy-Con straps around our Joy-Con grip just to keep everything together, but it would be great if there was some way of attaching them to the console so they don’t end up getting misplaced.

It’s a pretty novel (not to mention somewhat complicated) setup, so it’s worth delving into each of the different ways you can use the console.

Handheld mode

• Bigger than traditional handhelds
• Slightly cramped for the right hand due to right analogue stick
• Split D-pad on the left side

First up is handheld mode, which is the form factor that’s most like the hardware that’s come before it. 

In this configuration you attach the two controller portions (the Joy-Cons) to the left and right edges of the screen, and you use the console much like the PlayStation Vita.

In fact, the size and shape of the console’s analogue sticks make it feel a lot like a modern Vita, although it doesn’t feel as solid because of the joints that exist between the Joy-Cons and the screen. 

Along the top of the device you’ve got a slot for game cartridges, a headphone jack (bluetooth headphones/headsets are not supported), a volume rocker and a power button. 

The bottom of the device is a much more spartan affair. You’ve got the kickstand for using it in tabletop mode (more on this later) concealing a small microSD slot which provides the console’s expandable storage. Internal storage is limited to just 32GB, so if you’re planning on downloading games rather than buying them then you’re going to want to invest in a microSD card (capacities up to 2TB are theoretically supported). 

Console mode

• Connects to your TV via an included dock
• Docking process is seamless, and can be done mid-game

The second form-factor is console mode. You place the main portion of the console in the included dock, this connects the device to your television, and you’re then free to detach the Joy-Cons to control the Switch from a distance. 

The way the console transfers the viewing experience from its own screen to the television is as seamless as it could possibly be. You don’t even have to pause your current game – it happens completely in real time. 

Detaching the Joy-Cons can be a little fiddly, but is essentially done by holding a small button on their backs and sliding the controller up. 

This TV dock is around the same size as the Switch’s middle portion. Around the back you’ve got a USB Type-C port to provide the console with power, an HDMI port to connect it to your television, and a USB Type-A port. 

On the left-hand side of the console are a further two USB ports, which will mainly be used for charging your controllers as you play wirelessly (more on this later too

Tabletop mode

• Screen can also be detached and propped up on a table

The final form factor is what Nintendo calls ‘tabletop mode’. Using the kickstand that’s attached to the back of the screen you can prop the console up on a table and then detach the Joy-Cons for some semi-portable gaming. 

In theory this is a perfect fit for long journeys on public transport where you have a tray table to place the console on, but this is a bit of a mixed experience. 

It's certainly lovely being able to use the Joy-Cons in the grip rather than having them attached to the console. The grip provides just enough extra plastic to make the controllers much more comfortable in the hands, and having the console a little further away from you means that your sitting posture feels a lot more natural. 

But there are a couple of issues that prevent the console from fully capitalising on tabletop mode. 

First is the kickstand. Although it's rubbarised, which means that the console doesn't slide around, it only supports the console at a single height. This means that if your tray table is a little closer to you then there's no ability to prop the console up so that it's facing you more directly. You'll instead be stuck with the screen pointing at your chest rather than face. 

Second is the charging port, which is in accessible when your using it in tabletop mode. During a recent train journey this meant that although we were in the perfect situation to use tabletop mode, we ended up using the console as a handheld so that we could make use of the charger next to our seat. 

Overall it feels as though tabletop mode is better suited to short periods of use, which is a shame when it should be the defacto way to use the console over long periods. 

Set-up

• Set-up is simple
• Console will need to be told whether Joy-Cons are being used together or separately

Setting up the new console is suitably simple. 

If you’re using the device as a handheld then simply attach the Joy-Cons and press the power button. 

If you want to play games on your TV you’ll need to plug the dock into the TV via HDMI, and hook it up to some power via the included USB Type-C power lead. The console then easily slips into the dock. 

Pairing the controllers is a little more complicated than with other devices because of the fact that they can either be paired or used separately. The way you tell the console which controllers you’re using is to press both the L and R shoulder buttons in whichever configuration you’re using.