The Nintendo Switch turns two years old today, and so we’re taking a look back at the life of the wildly popular hybrid console so far. We also discuss the potential for improvements in the future.
It may be hard to believe, but the Nintendo Switch was released exactly two years ago today – yes, time flies. The hybrid console is one of the most popular pieces of hardware to come out of Nintendo in recent years, and so I wanted to take a look back to see why the Switch is still so good, and why it became the only gaming platform I use on a regular basis.
The main selling point that makes the Switch unique is the way it can transition from a handheld console to a device you use to play on the TV, with tabletop mode in between. Nintendo promoted the concept heavily since day one, but it’s important to me to highlight that this is still very convenient, and it’s the biggest reason I have no interest in other gaming platforms.
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m easily sold on gimmicks, and if I said two years ago that this form factor was life-changing, you would have reasons to be skeptical. But in 2019, the Switch’s ability to go from a handheld console to a big screen gaming machine is still what consistently draws me to it. Since buying the Switch, I barely touched my 3DS, and I’ve even stopped installing Steam on my computer. Whenever I want to play something, I use my Switch. If the living room TV is free, I can play there, and if someone is using it, I can just play on the small screen without having to choose a different game to play.
Then there’s tabletop mode. It might be the mode that most people will overlook because the Switch’s relatively small screen doesn’t lend itself to be used by groups of people. I didn’t realize how useful it was until a couple of months after I got the console. One day I was forced to go out at night to an event that I didn’t really care for. So I asked a friend if he wanted to meet up, I took my Switch, and all we needed was a flat surface – in our case, a nearby window pane – to start playing out on the street. The experience made me feel like I was in a Nintendo commercial, and it was awesome.
Of course, all that versatility isn’t any good if there are no games to play, and that’s an area where Nintendo has developed a bit of a reputation. Nintendo hardware is typically only good for its own games, and third-party titles are notably absent. Thankfully, the Switch has managed to make things a little better – most major AAA titles still don’t make their way there, but Nintendo bet hard on indies, and that helped greatly expand the Switch’s library.
YouTuber Bob Wulff, from the Wulff Den channel, said in his video titled “Does the Nintendo Switch have too many Indie games?” that the Switch is a good companion console, something that you own alongside a more powerful console that can run all the latest AAA titles.
