4 Reasons I Sold my Nintendo Switch
I was on board with the Nintendo Switch starting with the reveal in late 2016. As a portable gamer first, how could I not be ecstatic for the first home and portable hybrid console? Leading up to the release of the system, it felt like Nintendo had nailed just about everything. The price was good, the Launch lineup was strong (with Breath of the Wild, Shovel Knight, and Snipperclips), and most important, the design was great. It was honestly the first time I was looking forward to a Nintendo launch since the GameCube. Now, 3 months in, the dust has settled, and my Switch is on the way to Pennsylvania to meets its new owner. What changed? How does a person go from an 11 on the excitement scale to not even registering? I decided to break it down into a list, so here are the 4 reasons why I sold my Switch.
The System was Released Prematurely
I started with a premature release, because I believe the rest of the list stems from this very issue. The console was launched too early, it just wasn’t ready. It launched with faulty hardware, better known as the Left Joy Con Desync Issue. Nintendo even acknowledged the issue and agreed to fix it for free. The UI, while praised for being sleek and fast, was in reality sparse and utilitarian. The biggest issue of all is that the system itself is nowhere to be found. As of late, stock shortages tend to be Nintendo’s calling card, but having issues keeping your brand new console on the shelf it’s not good for any new platform. Furthermore, 3rd Party publishers release games based on install base. You can’t grown an install base without units to sell. I have my theories as to why the Switch launched in March, but the bottom line here is that the Switch was not ready for release both then or now.
Lack of 3rd Party Support (aka the E3 Travesty)
I have not tried to hide my disdain for Nintendo’s 2017 E3 showing. I thought it was pandering at best and insulting at worst. However, the biggest issue that I find coming away from E3 is the continual lack of support for the Nintendo Switch as a whole. The most important announcement that Nintendo made at E3 was Rocket League coming to the console (with cross-platform support). That is an important game and has a huge following. It’s a big get for Nintendo. Still, that title is technically an indie game. Right now, the only AAA 3rd party games we have confirmed are Skyrim, Mario + Rabbids Battle Kingdom, NBA 2K18 and FIFA 18. I will even give you Sonic Forces and LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2, which I personally wouldn’t consider AAA. In contrast, the Playstation 4 had over 20 AAA titles released on the platform in its first year, including games like Call of Duty, Destiny, Watch Dogs, Wolfenstein, Need for Speed, NBA 2K, Madden, and Assassin’s Creed. Without solid 3rd party support, the Switch will become the Wii U 2 and serve only as a Nintendo game-playing machine once again.
It’s Not a True Portable Experience
At the end of the day, this might be the most important issue that I have with the machine. The system is called a home and portable hybrid, but how portable is the machine, really? When I ordered my Switch, I also ordered a carrying case with it. So, when my package arrived on launch day, I was set to venture out into the world. I’ll be honest, at first it was so cool. Sitting in Starbucks, drinking a Grande Americano, kicked back in a leather chair, playing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. It didn’t take too long to draw a crowd, who were just as entertained watching me as I was playing. The problem was, this experience slowly faded due to the cumbersome size of the system. It doesn’t sound like an issue, but the size of the Switch in a semi-hard zip case is close to the size of a small lunchbox. To make matters worse, if you forgo the case, there aren’t many other storage options. It’s too big for a standard pocket, and now you have to worry about the screen being damaged. In contrast, the 3DS folds up nicely to protect the screen, fitting just right in your back pocket. Having the ability to walk around anywhere with my 3DS at the ready, pull it out for a brief 5 minute game session, close the cover, and continue about my business, is a true portable experience. Very quickly my Switch became more and more of a home experience, which practically defeated my purpose of having one.
Bright New Day, Same Old Nintendo
There comes a point when you have to grow up and remove yourself from an abusive relationship. I have blindly followed Nintendo for almost 30 years. I’ve owned every console they’ve made, including the Virtual Boy. Toys, T-Shirts, Cereal, I’ve had it all. Only now, it seems like the company is just more and more out of touch with what mainstream gamers want out of a platform. Of course, without examples, this all just blind conjecture. Let’s start with any sort of solid online infrastructure. Before you say, “it’s coming,” I simply don’t have faith in Nintendo delivering anything worth while, though I hope I’m wrong. The Xbox 360 launched in 2005 with a built-in achievement system. A year later, Sony followed suit with Trophies. 11 years later, Nintendo still has nothing resembling a progression system for their games. Xbox has Cloud Saves and Xbox Play Anywhere, which allows you to buy a game that you can play on your Xbox and on your PC. Playstation has Cross-Buy and Cross-Save, allowing you to play a game on your Vita, save it, and then pick it back up on your PS3 or PS4. Even iOS let’s you buy a game on your iPad and then Family share with up to 5 people and also has cloud saves. Nintendo has no connectivity between the Wii U, 3DS, and/or Switch. There are no cloud saves, and even worse, your saves are locked to a single system. So, if that machine is damaged or lost, you are just out of luck. Furthermore, if you buy a digital game on any Nintendo platform, it’s also locked to that device. For example, if you own a 3DS, Switch, and a Wii U, and you want to play Shovel Knight on each, you will be buying 3 separate versions of that game. Or, if you are part of a family where there are 3 or 4 Switches to a household, and you all want to play Mario Kart 8, you have to buy that game 3 or 4 times. I don’t even need to mention the absurd prices on all of the Switch accessories, or the lack of internal flash memory included in the system, or the continued lack of voice chat functionality, or the lack of any virtual console. Nintendo is it’s own worst enemy.
Most people reading this will disagree, and that’s OK. I know people, good friends of mine, that still absolutely love their Nintendo Switch. I also know people that think Nintendo won E3. We are all entitled to our own opinions, I just chose to write mine down and share them. I’m not preaching doom to the Switch, or that Nintendo is going to go out of business. I realize that there is a lot of hype behind the console and that Nintendo has a very bright future. What I am certain of now, more than ever, is that Nintendo is the Matrix and I’ve finally been unplugged. I know that this brand, in the current state that it’s in, is just no longer for me.
So, what do you think about Nintendo of 2017? Is it meeting your expectations? As a consumer, do you feel your investment has paid off? Have any of you, like me, jumped off the bandwagon already? Let me know in the comments below.
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