The Nintendo Switch, an ambitious console that now has to deliver the merchandise

Seeking to make the most of the Wii and the Wii U, Nintendo indirectly sacrifices the 3DS for a living room console that can be enjoyed anywhere.

The first hybrid console that can be used with a TV in the comfort of our home, on the road in portable mode or by placing its screen on a table, the Nintendo Switch is likely to upset the border between the real AAA games designed to be Played on a TV set of portable games generally less rich in graphics.

The Nintendo Switch attempts to satisfy two market niches.
But is not Nintendo competing against itself, while it still dominates the portable market with the 3DS? The company may insist on presenting the Switch as a complementary platform, but the days of 3DS are now numbered. It’s a secret that the mobile industry has been threatening for quite a while the very relevance of owning such a console. Why carry a 3DS while the Android and iOS games do the trick, and it is unthinkable to leave behind his phone?

Nintendo understood that. This is why the Japanese manufacturer put it all together with a system that can meet the needs of the players of the living room by submitting to them the idea of ​​continuing their part of the same game when displacements will impose themselves.

Design worthy of the manufacturers of mobile phones

Forget the coarse and inexpensive look of the Wii U Gamepad, the Nintendo Switch is clearly not a vulgar Fisher-Price toy. The high-end manufacture of its mobile unit gives it a refinement specific to the technological products of Apple and Samsung of this world. Its shell of a metal alloy is very rigid, and the device certainly hosts a high density of components by its weight of 297 g.

What a Nintendo Switch looks like after a week of use.
Its 6.2-inch touch screen occupies most of its surface, although it is adorned with a much larger border than the newest mobile devices in any proportion. It is protected by a glass of rigid appearance, light years from the screen of the GamePad of the Wii U, and still has not scratched after normal use in portable mode of a good ten hours .

The Joy-Con, these small controls that slide on the sides of the device or in the support to form a more conventional handle, are lightweight, and their many buttons will resist a fairly intensive use. The docking of these is very rigid: just slide the upper edge of the Joy-Con into the rail at the left and right ends of the mobile unit, until a click is heard. To detach them, press the small button below the LZ and RZ buttons and pull the Joy-Con upwards. I can not see how these joysticks could accidentally come off.

The DualShock 4 compared to the Joy-Con set and their support.
In terms of handling, the contrast of the passage of Joy-Con slipped in their support towards the docking of the mobile unit is so high that it takes some adaptation time. The buttons are also very small, like those of the PlayStation Vita or the 3DS. Nothing very serious, everything remains very well balanced, but this aspect might surprise those less familiar with the handling of handheld consoles.

Joy-Con can also be used separately in each hand, such as Wiimote. Optionally, you can slide a strap to improve their grip in the vertical. Horizontally, they can mimic a rudimentary joystick with a similar layout to the SNES joystick for two-player games. This proposal will not do for everyone, and some will prefer to use the Switch Pro Controller (sold separately) or buy a second set of Joy-Con and a bracket to combine them.

Unfortunately, stiffness is not present everywhere. In this case, the foot of the mobile unit, the same one that hides the microSD player of the console, is made of a plastic that seems rather fragile. Unless you escape the system on a concrete floor, it goes without saying that this will be the first thing that will break. Fortunately, this song can easily be replaced, and its presence is not essential to the operation of the console or its microSD player.

The controller of the NES Classic Edition compared to the left Joy-Con.
The ultra lightweight docking station also appears to be not very robust. It is built in a cheap plastic that suggests that the rear door, the one hiding the HDMI and USB-C cables (serving its power supply), could also break easily. Fortunately, it is not the part that is likely to suffer the most manipulation.

Compromise of a hybrid console

Here are the official features of the Nintendo Switch for the mobile unit and docking station. Contrary to what might be expected, the docking station does not have a system on chip.

Mobile unit
System on chip Tegra from NVIDIA Custom (UDNX02-A2)
Screen 6.2-inch capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 1,280 × 720 pixels (237 dpi)
Video Broadcasting 1080p60 when connected to a 720p60
TV in portable mode
Storage space 32GB expandable up to 2TB with microSDHC or microSDXC
The Accelerometer, Gyroscope, and Brightness Sensor
Drums Lithium-ion of 4,310 mAh not removable from 2,5 to 6,5 hours of autonomy
Media Support Nintendo Switch Card Reader
Connectivity Wi-Fi 802.11a / b / g / n / ac
Bluetooth 4.1
Port USB-C 2.0
Conventional audio jack
Dimensions 102 × 239 × 13.9 mm (with attached Joy-Con)
28.4 mm (end of sticks at the edge of the ZL / ZR buttons)
Weight 398 g (with attached Joy-Con) Approximately
297 g (mobile unit only)
Dock
Connectivity Wi-Fi 802.11a / b / g / n / a
Bluetooth 4.1
Port HDMI
Ports USB-A 2.0 (2)
USB-A Port Compatible 3.0 (Update required)
USB-C port for power supply
Dimensions 104 × 173 × 54 mm
Weight Approximately 327 g
The brain of the beast, the system on chip Tegra customized for Nintendo by NVIDIA, is located in the mobile unit of the Nintendo Switch. This one increases in power when the console is slipped in its dock, not because it gains access to a new processor, but for reasons of autonomy. Since the screen of the mobile unit is limited to 720p, it is unnecessary in any case to draw the maximum power, at the risk of exhaust prematurely the energy stored in its internal battery.

Regarding this 720p screen, I was among the most skeptical about the decision of Nintendo not to adopt at least a 1080p screen. Honestly, I have to admit that I was wrong: with its density estimated at 237 dpi, in the context of a game, the pixels are only noticeable when we persist in seeing them. An aliasing effect can be observed, certainly, just as it is on a 1080p TV on a majority of titles PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The experience is much less annoying than I had anticipated.

The brightness of the screen, adjustable, is equivalent to what one finds in the market of the mobile devices.
The brightness of the screen, adjustable, is equivalent to what one finds in the market of the mobile devices.
It goes without saying that the mobile vocation of the Switch makes the console lower than the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in terms of power. The last time Nintendo seriously tried to compete in this market was with the GameCube, and the adventure did not get the results. But it would be absurd to reduce the Switch that aspect by completely ignoring its main asset is its portability.

The Joy-Con are very small (and I do not have the biggest hands in the world).
Interestingly, the mobile unit is well equipped with motion sensors (accelerometer and gyroscope), a detail that undoubtedly increases the precision of this type of manipulation already offered by the Joy-Con.

One problem that has aggravated several is the storage capacity of the system, limited to 32 GB. Knowing that many downloadable AAA games will soon occupy this space, having to have an additional microSD card seems essential for users who prefer to get their Contained in this way. Meanwhile, it is better to get his games in physical version.

Provisional review

As part of this test bench, I was unable to fully test the full potential of the Nintendo Switch. Because to judge a console as flexible and versatile in terms of playability, one must be able to try a variety of games that exploit all of them. At the time of writing, access to the eShop is still impossible. So I could only try 1-2-Switch and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild .

I had to deal with connection problems with the left Joy-Con also watched by other reporters. The update planned for the day of launching the console should correct the situation.
In terms of gesture recognition, the Joy-Con are very effective. They are equipped with the same sensors as the mobile unit, in addition to the NFC on the right Joy-Con (for detection of Amiibo), an infrared reader on the left Joy-Con, and the HD Rumble , A vibrating motor more precise than what is normally found in a joystick.

Note that the range of the Bluetooth connection between Joy-Con and the docking station is about ten meters away. On the other hand, the left Joy-Con broke a few times, causing my character to pursue a direction contrary to my will. Nintendo is aware of this problem, which has been observed by other journalists (and still only on the left Joy-Con), and the planned update on the launch day of the console should correct the situation.

Nintendo claims that the Joy-Con offer an autonomy of 20 hours, and this estimate seems accurate. For having played Joy-Con with Breath of the Wild with Joy-Con support, and taking care to put Joy-Con on the mobile unit inserted in the docking station to make sure they are always fully charged, I never ran out of batteries. Unlike use in portable mode, which with this game is located slightly under the 3-hour barrier advanced by Nintendo. It must be said, however, that the autonomy of the mobile unit will vary depending on the brightness of the screen, Wi-Fi activation, and the running resource needs of the game. This autonomy corresponds to that advanced by the 3DS, a console yet significantly less powerful.

Since the Switch is powered by a USB-C port, I wanted to test it with other chargers of the same type that I had in my possession. The console requires a voltage of 15V and a current of 2.6A. The MacBook’s USB-C charger, which supplied 14.5V and 2.0A, seemed to be sufficient to power the Switch, unlike the Pixel XL, which only offers 9.0V and 2.0A. Note that it is always preferable to use a charger that exactly meets the requirements of the device.

Potential, but still needs games

You will be able to read all the critics of the world about a console, what first and foremost is obviously the games it offers. The Nintendo Switch is looking forward to a promising future with the independent community of independent developers announced this week, and the support of a large portion of the industry’s publishers.

Nintendo, the world’s largest consumer electronics retailer, is the world’s largest consumer electronics retailer, Is not only reserved for a 4K image and virtual reality experiments. But to too much want to please everyone, one also risks to satisfy nobody.

Shown at $ 399, the Switch offers a fairly honest value for the flexible experience it offers. Of course, if portability is not an interesting asset to your eyes and Nintendo games are not your cup of tea, do not insist: this console is not for you.

The Nintendo Switch arrives in stores on Friday, March 3rd.