Is it worth the Switch?

With prices stabilising in India, the Switch looks tempting. But instead of rushing out to buy one, let us help you figure out if you need it in the first place

It has been a while since the Nintendo Switch was released globally, except India. That is not new though; Nintendo has not officially released a console here in decades. Let's focus on the challenge at hand, should you buy a Nintendo Switch: the answer is a firm "depends". However, don't fret we can help you make your decision with our pros and cons list.

Pros

Portable: The Switch is the ultimate portable console; it has a big screen with comfortable controls and many good games. The battery life is approximately six hours, but the fun twist is that you can attach the whole console to a dock that connects to your TV.

Amazing games: Switch has a small, but robust roster of games with some good titles and many unique features. The most sought after games are Mario Maker 2, Mario Kart 8, Pokemon Let's Go, Breath of the Wild and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. And there are more coming.

Built for multiplayer: There has never been a console so versatile that you can play the game both on your living room TV and on the go. The entire console is built for a multiplayer experience; it lets you physically disconnect the controller from the screen to make two controllers. Letting players get their gaming fix anywhere.

Prices have stabilised: Since its launch, the prices for the Switch have stabilised to an average of R6,000 difference from its US counterpart. This is an affordable margin
given the console has to be imported. it currently costs R26K.

Cons

Not the best graphics: As a hand-held console, the switch power capabilities are limited and the sacrifice is the gaming graphics. While the games are quite enjoyable on the hand-held screen, bigger screens with massive resolutions tend to not look as good as a PS4 or Xbox.

Joy-con drift: The detachable Joy-con controllers go through a lot of abuse; some people have found out they are not very durable. Joy-con Drift refers to the controller stick being stuck to a corner of the gamepad making it hard to move the characters on screen. Nintendo is yet to offer a solution to this problem.

Games are expensive: The games for the Switch are very expensive even when compared to game prices on the PS4 or the Xbox One. The costs can quickly stack up because of the intriguing library of multiplayer and single player experiences.

No warranty in India: None of the pieces available in India come with any sort of warranty—if you get a dud piece you are stuck with it. There are non-official channels to repair the console, but they are mostly expensive at this time.

Pro & Con

Nintendo Switch Lite: Nintendo recently announced a new variant of the Switch called Switch Lite. It lacks a lot of the features, but is priced at $199. While the price in India initially will be very high, you can expect this to stabilise to R20k range. This is great for people who find the pricing of the Switch too high, but the console loses a lot of its characteristics that make it such a killer. It doesn't have key sensors and motion controls, which is sad. In essence, the console is more like a Sony PSP/PSVita than a Switch. In addition, no warranty on this one either.

Conclusion: Depends

If you are a fan of Nintendo, the Switch is a no-brainer. However, Nintendo just announced that the Switch will be updated in August to have more battery life of around nine hours, as opposed to the 6-7 hours it has right now. There are also rumours of a Switch Pro, which will have an updated CPU along with other minor upgrades. For a casual gamer the Switch maybe tempting with its easygoing titles and focus on multiplayer gaming. But, the expensive games are an avoidable cost. If you love Nintendo videogames, the time to invest in a Switch is around September. However, if you are interested in the console, try looking at the second-hand market for packages that include games, or skip it all together, and maybe pick up a PS4 instead—they have a lot of good discounted games.

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