It’s hard to go back to Nintendo Switch after some time away, but there’s still hope.
I don’t really believe in love at first sight – especially when it comes to inanimate objects. But when the Nintendo Switch was revealed, my attraction can only be described as instantaneous. “From the moment we met you could see that I was filled with desire.” Those were the opening lyrics from White Denim’s catchy track that accompanied the Switch’s incredibly slick announcement trailer, and they couldn’t have been more fitting. Nintendo’s trailer for its eight-generation console successfully hammered home the hybrid console concept with aplomb – unrealistic impromptu rooftop parties aside – and seemed to erase all the Wii U’s many mistakes. Unlike the unwieldy Wii U, which to this day would probably still bamboozle the average consumer as to what it’s actually supposed to be, the Switch’s appeal was immediately obvious. This was a console that you could play on the TV, but one that could also be taken on the move, completely untethered by any restrictions. Amazing. Better still, the console was also designed for local multiplayer from the outset. Detach the ingenious Switch Joy-Con controllers, and suddenly you’re battling it out on Mario Kart 8 Deluxe while waiting for a plane to France that has been inexplicably been delayed. One of you yells an expletive, the other responds in kind, and then you both look up to see a disapproving priest glaring at you with all the ‘holier than thou’ energy they can muster. Amazing. Sadly, though, despite enjoying a glorious honeymoon period with the Switch that saw me sink an exorbitant amount of time into Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Breath of the Wild, Splatoon 2, Super Mario Odyssey, Overcooked!, ARMS, and indie gems like Hollow Knight, my love for the system has waned considerably in recent years. It’s hard to pinpoint the exact moment my feelings changed, but I’ve certainly become numb to the Switch’s initial appeal, most of which has been due to Nintendo’s own making. The Switch also now has to compete for my time and attention with the PS5 and Xbox Series X, both of which have a habit of exposing its flaws. So, what’s stopping me from embracing my Switch again with open arms? When you’re afraid to actually play a console in fear of breaking it, you know something’s gone wrong. I now see the Switch’s fragile Joy-Con as a ticking time bomb, ready to implode at any moment. The Joy-Con controllers’ frustrating reliability issues are well-known by now, and it means that every gaming session could result in my controllers developing the dreaded Joy-Con drift. It’s shocking that Nintendo hasn’t addressed Joy-Con drift by now, and it means that the Switch’s little gamepads that brought me so much… well, joy, have never felt more fragile in my hands.
