I want to start this article by saying thank you to Nintendo of America for inviting me to the Nintendo Switch Preview Tour. I had a blast and I cannot wait to get one of my own!
On Saturday, February 18, my sister and I traveled to the West Side of Chicago to get a sneak peek of Nintendo’s new and innovative console, the Switch. I have been excited for Nintendo’s latest console ever since it was announced, but now that I have had time to play with it, I can honestly say this is Nintendo’s best yet.
When we first got to the event, my sister immediately wanted to check out the sequel to her favorite Wii U game, Splatoon 2. She was paired up with seven other players as they fought a 4-on-4 team-based game. She used the Switch’s handheld mode for the demo. After playing with it for a couple of matches, she said that the handheld mode was very easy and comfortable to use. Which should come to no surprise, seeing that it is slimmer than the Wii U gamepad.
After checking out Splatoon, we got in a long line to play the new party game 1-2 Switch. When we were finally up to play the game, she got one Joy-Con, the motion sensor wireless controller, and I got the other. We had the opportunity to play three, fun mini-games. While playing 1-2 Switch, I was able to experience the HD motion sensor in the Joy-Con controllers. This feature is game changing because it can simulate what is in the game. For example, a mini-game in 1-2 Switch made players guess how many marbles were in a box and by moving the Joy-Cons back and forth, it felt like there were marbles inside the controller.
Other uses of the Switch include taking it on the go and propping it up with a little kickstand while using both Joy-Cons in each hand. If you are playing with a friend you can give one Joy-Con to them while using the other one. My sister and I tested this version out by playing Mario Kart 8. It was fun, but the Joy-Cons were too small and my hands were cramping up by the end of the game. It’s a minor complaint, but it is definitely something that I can get used to over time.
Unfortunately, I did not get the chance to play The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild because there was a long wait time, but I did get to see gameplay of it and it looked incredible. Definitely something to look out for.
The event ended with a fun dance competition while the workers of the event threw hats to the attendees. While I did not get a Nintendo Switch hat, I still had fun and the event gave me high hopes for the new console.
The Nintendo Switch will be released in North America on March 3, 2017 starting at $300.
Caesar Torres
Features Editor