For three weeks we’ve been digging away on the exceptional Breath of the Wild now, but what about the new Nintendo Switch console?

Well, here’s a brief review of it on this merry Sunday! First off, do note this is (as is typical with Nintendo) an innovative and experimental games console and handheld merger.

It essentially is a handheld, and the most powerful one ever created, which means you can take it anywhere with you and enjoy a spot of whatnot or that.

It’s also a games console once you place it into its dock point, which will charge the Switch and cast the game onto your TV screen.

It’s at this point you can remove the controllers from the side of the Switch, stick them into your bundled controller, and play it like a traditional games console. Thusly, it’s a bold, innovative, and intriguing little thing which builds on Nintendo’s flawed gem the Wii U and offers a truly enticing concept for the years ahead.

Nintendo Switch

The Japanese gaming giant has doubled the Switch up as a piece of hardware for those who insist they’re “hardcore gamers”, whilst offering social gaming opportunities.

That’s what the Wii helped to popularise. This is evident in games such as Snipperclips, which has been extremely well received.

That’s not going to sell systems, of course, which is where the astonishingly good Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has entered the fray.

Add into this Mario Kart 8: Deluxe (which adds new content to the already perfect Mario Kart 8), Splatoon 2, Skyrim, and a batch of other stuff.

Cripes, it’s all rather exciting at the moment, but Nintendo will need to keep the big releases coming to ensure the console sustains its good start.

New Super Mario Odyssey will be the next truly major release from Nintendo, however, and will mark the company’s first console Mario release from the overlooked, but exceptionally bloody good, Super Mario 3D World. Expect to be beseiged by a huge marketing campaign for this later in 2017.

All rather glorious, but consumers will want a heady mix which differentiates from Nintendo’s charms.

Third party support is essential this time out and with the likes of Bethesda and Square Enix on board (the latter has a beautiful looking exclusive RPG in development for the Switch), it’s looking much more positive this time out.

Indies

Nintendo struggled with third party support for its Wii U, but it has tried hard to win over a few more developers for the Switch and, indeed, it looks like it has succeeded.

Just as exciting is the indie scene which we’re such big fans of – Nintendo has perched itself behind many independent developers and has a big list of Nindies (as they’re known) on the way.

Yacht Club Games’ Specter of Torment is already out – a Switch exclusive for now. Amongst the others on the way is Runner3, a sequel to the brilliant StreamWorld Dig, and a port of the fantastic Stardew Valley. It’s the latter which has us brimming with enthusiasm – a delightful game which one can now play on handheld? Yes, please.

Conclusive Conclusion!

Nintendo just doubled production of the Switch to meet consumer demand, which is a very positive sign for the company following on from the disappointment of the Wii U.

The Switch is, really, what that console should have been in 2012, but nevermind – the company has built on its errors and we now have a truly fun, accessible, and entertaining console alternative to the PS4 and Xbox One.

If you’re new to Nintendo and haven’t tried out its games yet, or consider it all “for kids” or whatnot, don’t miss out. Titles like Mario Kart and Splatoon are fantastic, imaginative, and escapist fun which are made for all ages – they aren’t kids games.

However, the real draw right now is, of course, Breath of the Wild, which is a sprawling, magnificent achievement worthy of a Switch in its own right. From here on, Nintendo just needs third party support – it’s been promised, so we shall report back in time.