Welcome to Nintendo Switch on Coolshop
For many years PS4 and Xbox One have dominated the console market. Nintendo has been pushed to the side, while their Wii U has been what you can call a fiasco. During 2016 only 10 Wii U games were released, compared to hundreds of titles for PS4 and Xbox One. So, when Nintendo sent their new investment, Nintendo Switch, out on the market in March 2017, it was to either make it or break it. It was a bit of an exam for Nintendo, since they have not managed to threaten the two big competitors to the degree, they have hoped for with their Wii concept. In the beginning of the year they launched Nintendo Switch with a big presentation, where the world’s press and selected game experts got a chance to take a closer look of the coolest features in the new game console.
You have to give it to Nintendo, they have managed to think outside of the box and be creative on the console market. The best feature in Nintendo Switch has to be that you can use it as a classic console at home and also have it with you on the go.
So, when you are in the middle of something in the game, but have to leave for a meeting, you just click it out of its dock and take the smaller screen with you. This way you can continue your game in the bus, train or while you wait for something. It is a stationary and portable game console in one, and it revolutionises the market. Sony, among others, has tried it with PSP Go and PS Vita, but there your portable device and your home console do not have a lot of synergy.
Now you are getting two devices in one and it is super smart.
The controller part is solved pretty good by Nintendo. When you are at home, you click the two hand-held controllers together into one. They are called Joy-Cons. When you are on the go, you click them onto the screen, and you can play games just like on the Game Boy. But they can also be separate, which means that you get a multi-player function, and can host a cool hipster-party and play with your friend.
Other than that, the Japanese giant has put in a ton of features into Joy-Cons, such as infra-red movement camera, for example. There is also a strip, so you can attach the controller to your wrist, when you play, for example, the battle game Arms. It ensures that you do not end up sending the controller spinning into the TV-screen, when you try to hit the enemy.
If you believe the experts that have had the new console in their hands and tested it, it is to date the best on the market in terms of giving a mobile gaming experience. This means that the console has enough juice and power to hold up the concept with playing both at home and on the go, even though the device is smaller than the best-selling on the market.
Nintendo has never been known to be the leading in graphics in their games. But it looks really positive with the new Nintendo Switch. It has a 6,2-inch screen that makes it more optimal to play on, than the smartphone or PS Vita, for that matter. IPad or a big tablet can compete with the screen size, but here the Joy-Cons make a significant difference in the ease of control.
The games look good on the portable screen and no less amazing when they are on TV. Something extra has been done to the graphics elements, and it matches the ambitions Nintendo had for this new console well.
When Nintendo Switch hit the stores, they also presented a wide selection of good games for the new console. Needless to say, there is a Mario game for Switch. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is a strong game for the new Switch, and just like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, it is a game that makes investing in the console worth it. Sonic Mania and Splatoon 2 are also two other games worth mentioning. Games like FIFA, The Elder Scrolls, Minecraft and NBA 2K are blockbusters that also exist in Nintendo Switch version.
One can definitely tell that more effort is put into cool games for Switch than Wii U. Some have also speculated that Wii U game development was scaled back, because it was known that Switch is coming out.
So what does such a bugger cost? Around 330£ at Coolshop. It can be bought with grey Joy-Cons or more eye-catching Neon Red and Neon Blue.
When you play at home, it is optimal to have one more controller. An extra controller for Switch is a bit more expensive in comparison to the competitors, but there is also a bit more power in Nintendo’s new controllers, which you can get for 70£ at Coolshop.
The games lie in the more “normal” price range, where Playstation and Xbox games also belong. The hyped game The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, for example, is 56£ with delivery included.
It is not that long ago that Playstation came out with a few new releases. First came the more optimised PS4 Pro, as a newer version of PS4. Then, Playstation VR came out, which is Sony’s opening to mainstream future in Virtual Reality. Playstation 4 Pro is equipped, among other, with a dangerously quick processor, and the standard edition comes with 1TB hard disk on the console. Players that have both PS4 Pro and VR Hardware almost think it is a lie, when they experience gaming in a whole other galaxy.
Sony stated in 2016 that they have sold 40 million copies of Playstation 4. It is much more, than the direct competitor on the market, Xbox One. Microsoft have not presented the numbers, but it is estimated that they have sold around 20 million copies of Xbox One. It is recognised, but PS4 dominates.
Now Nintendo has mixed into the giants’ battle. They had a good wind in the back since Pokemon Go went global during summer 2016. And now it is also true for the console market. Only to the happiness for all of us who love cool games. The bigger the competition on the market, the more the big companies are thinking out of the box to win the tight race.
