Nintendo held a little hands on convention in Chicago yesterday for the upcoming Nintendo Switch. Open to the public, the event was on a first-come, first-served basis. Here, I got some hands-on time to test out the most notable features that the new console has to offer. From the seamless hand-held capabilities to the comfortable Joy-Con controllers, I can say this new innovative console may actually live up to it’s ambition. Nintendo’s set-up of this event really surprised me. Taking place in a small building in Chicago, they really out did themselves. The atmosphere was so energetic; even at 7 am, people were ready to get their wrist band and they couldn’t look more excited.
I was able to play some of the new launch titles such as Splatoon 2, Skylanders Imaginators, Disgaea 5, and (the surprisingly super fun) Arms. While playing Skylanders, I got to see how easy of a transition it is to switch from TV to hand-held mode. What worried about me about this new capability was that there would end up being a slow loading time, but this worked in seconds. Another doubt I had (that later proved me wrong) were the Joy-Con controllers. I had predicted them to be too light due to the size, but they had enough weight to make it very comfortable and fun to play with. When connecting the Joy-Con controllers to the Switch’s hand-held screen, nothing changes enough to alter your playstyle, making it feel really natural. The Switch Pro Controller works well as you’d expect, considering it has a similar design to the tried and true Xbox 360 controller.
Arms takes advantage of the Joy-Con’s motion controls. I had a very awesome time with Arms; its definitely a title to own if you want some good competitive play with friends. Chaining combos and grappling your opponent was a satisfying experience. Grabbing your friend’s character and throwing them on the ground for a KO will definitely make some memorable gaming nights. I also found little delay between the hand motions and the gameplay.
Sadly, I wasn’t able to get some gameplay in of Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild as the line had filled up in seconds. However, I did get to watch some others play. From what I’ve seen, it seems that this will be one hell of a launch title. The lush and beautiful environments are captured wonderfully due to the unique art style. The reactions on players’ faces indicated that they were having a ton of fun, being disappointed to leave after their 20 minute demo was over.
Overall, it seems Nintendo has quite the launch coming up in just about 2 weeks. With about 10 launch titles, let’s hope this new console ends up living up to it’s name. It’s definitely the most original console I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing.
Nintendo Switch launches on March 3rd for $299.99 USD.
