For some reason after reading your previous musings the fact you are happy with it, makes me happy.

I just wish I felt the same. The little I've used of the switch, The Joy Cons feel really uncomfortable to me even when attacched to the tablet. I need more time with it though

joycons off 4 lyfe.

good read and describes much of my feelings towards the switch. i'm probably different than others in that this feels skewed towards handheld more than console as a lot of the stuff out for it now (what there is) feels skewed towards pick up and play rather than drawn out sessions (even zelda, though a huge experience on the whole is cut into pretty bite sized chunks). i have a feeling the 3ds is going to die a pretty quiet death sooner than we think; this isn't a handheld in the classical or size sense but people lug their tablets everywhere and have huge phones so why not the switch as well?

Nicely written, and I agree with a lot of what you said... I don't own a Switch, but a close friend bought one at launch so I've had plenty of chance to see it in person.

That said, I'm not sure I can agree with the your assessment of the graphics. Maybe - almost certainly - I'm spoiled by having a monstrous PC. Regardless there's a lot of very noticeable corner cutting Zelda & the Switch have to use in order to look as good as it does. Zelda's a very nice looking game but a higher resolution, or better antialiasing, would make it stand out that much more. Other features kinda fall into this bag too (maybe HDR, perhaps better draw distance/pop-in, certainly the inconsistent frame rate).

I don't think we've reached diminishing returns on graphics, but rather, the standards and expectations of good vs bad visual fidelity have become a lot tighter. The Switch doesn't come out well in this regard, but a strong art style helps tremendously

@slag: I'm sorry you're not having a good time. As I said I mostly use the pro controller with my Switch and I think it's almost on par with the Xbox One and PS4 controllers (if not quite as good as either.) If the Joycons are what's holding you back you might want to consider picking up a pro, even though they are ridiculously overpriced. That being said, I don't find the Switch uncomfortable in handheld mode, and I have pretty big paws. Do you generally use portable systems? Compared to the 3DS and Vita the Switch in attached mode gives my hands more room to spread out.

@giantstalker: I am not sure whether we're disagreeing here? As I said in my initial post, I fully acknowledge that Zelda would look better with better technical performance and I definitely see the cut edges, I just think that it's not a big deal (though obviously that's subjective; it may matter more to you than it does to me). Diminishing returns doesn't mean "no returns." Assuming your Monster PC costs $1,500 or so, that's 5 times as much as the Switch (which also has the benefit of portability and built in screen and controls.) If Zelda can still look "good" to someone who is used to a system like that I'd say that we've reached the point where returns are diminishing, though not eliminated. The leap from HD to 4K is noticeable, for example, but it is less meaningful than moving from 480 to 720/1080.

@bigsocrates: oh no worries. I just got to try it out for about an hour at PAX East, so it's not like I got skin in the game yet.

I do really like the pro controller, Street Fighter II felt really natural on that. The problem for me is, I think I might prefer to play it as a handheld. Do you know if the pro controller works with it when it's undocked?

I do play handhelds fairly often. Mainly 3DSXL, I prefer it for the larger size

I think the issue for me with the Switch is that the sticks and face buttons on the joycons just don't feel great to me. The Spacing feels totally fine, it's more of a thumbs issue. I miss the d-pad a lot more than I expected.

And then there is the weird weird thing where the Switch was actually giving me what felt like small electrical shocks when I used the Joycons separately. Every time I punched in ARMS I got a small jolt. Maybe that unit was defective though

@slag: I'm pretty sure the pro controller should work when the Switch is undocked (I don't own a pro controller yet so I can't test this theory) as it would make sense to be able to use a pro controller while the Switch is in "kickstand mode." The more interesting thing is whether it will work when the Joycons are still attached, or if you would have to remove them first.

@slag: I tested out the pro controller in undocked mode. It works fine. Obviously you can't really play that way without somewhere to set the Switch, so I'm not sure what the use scenario is, but I guess if you're in a cabin with no TV or something it would make sense? Tabletop mode always seemed a little strange to me as an idea. I am generally either in a place where I would want the machine docked to a TV, or a place where handheld mode is more convenient. Maybe if you want to play at work and just prop it up on your desk, that would be another use case?

To answer Wchigo's question, you do not need to remove the Joycons. I left them on and the pro controller worked fine.

The Switch has never given me any electrical shocks so I think that was a faulty unit. I agree not having a D-pad is a BIT weird, but it's not all that different from the classic Sony segmented Dpad design, and I mostly use analog sticks anyway. This thing will probably be an RPG machine (as all Japanese handhelds eventually become, for obvious reasons) so maybe having no Dpad will be more frustrating then, but I think the four buttons on the left Joycon are close enough for me that I could adjust to them.

Pretty much agree with everything the OP said; I'm enjoying my Switch immensely and haven't played anything on my PS4/laptop since I got it.

Of course, all I've played is Zelda, so that game is a huge part of the appeal....but isn't that kind of the point of having a games console? To play really good games like Zelda? Bit much to expect a few games of that calibre on release - just one game of this quality is (evidently) enough to make a console a success in the early days.

I'm looking forward to the Virtual Console (or equivalent), Minecraft (we'll see how it actually plays, I didn't care for the limited draw distance and performance of the Vita version) and Stardew Valley.

I am a bit astounded as to how much I am loving my Switch. Zelda has an awful lot to do with it though. I bought Snipper, and 1-2 Switch, and I haven't booted up either of them.

I really thought I would have an issue with the controls when it is undocked, but I haven't even used it on my TV since the first day, so I very much agree with your Portability section.

Honeymoon period though, obv.

Every time I pick up my Switch and turn it on, and I'm instantly back in Zelda, it feels like magic. I expected that to wear off, but it hasn't. No idea what the prospects are long term, but for now, kudos to Nintendo.

Switch has been a positive surprise so far. Great at portable couch co-op. Been playing fast rmx a ton.

Favourite platform right now.

I'm 100% in agreement.

I can't get enough of the system, I'm just hungry for more content. Especially Virtual Console.

Also, let me say that I purchased FAST, Shovel Knight and Blaster Master all when they were available and I still haven't played anything but Zelda. LOL

As someone who wakes up most weekday mornings and plays Stardew Valley on my PC before heading to work, hearing that the game will be coming to the Switch and the prospect of just waking up and playing in bed is the first concept to really sell me on the Switch.

I've had a Switch for a couple of weeks now, and I agree with pretty much everything you said. As someone with young kids, suspend/resume is fantastic, and as someone who works 12+ hours shifts, being able to throw it in my bag and bring it with me to work is fantastic.

I find I compare it to my AirPods. Are they the best sounding headphones ever? No, not even close. Do they have the most features? Again, no. But they have a portability and flexibility that is almost unmatched and has made them my favourite headphones I've ever owned. I get the same feeling with the Switch: it's not the most powerful, and sure it's missing some things, but the inherent flexibility in how you use it combined with it being "good enough" has quickly made it one of my favourite game-playing machines.

I really hope Nintendo finds success in it and that it can find healthy support in 3rd parties (which should be a lot easier with Unreal Engine 4 & Unity support). I think they've managed to find a space where they're relevant as they sit alongside Sony and Microsoft and not quite be directly competing with them.

The biggest takeaway for me after owning the Switch since launch is that the battery life is a complete nonissue for me. I haven't encountered a use-case where the three hours that I get out of it was too little, and it retains battery life when in Sleep mode extremely well, relative to other devices. It's a full afternoon of gaming.

Additionally, the point about the UI being extremely snappy is MASSIVE. If I put water on to boil, or my partner and I pause the TV so she can use the bathroom, or whatever couple-minutes-long reason for a break pops up, I can turn on the Switch and be hunting for Shrines within, literally, 5 seconds at MOST. This is a massive difference from any other device I own: PC, XB1, PS3, etc. Hell, I think it's even faster getting into a game from Sleep mode than my 3DS. It's changed how I approach games, which are generally something that I set aside time for.

I cannot overstate the importance of the suspended gameplay feature and how well it's implemented on this console. I pull out my switch, turn it on and in 2 seconds I'm back in my game, pure witchcraft that it can do this with such little impact to battery life. I was a switch sceptic and even when I bought one I wasn't sure how much I'd love it as a portable but I think it's a fantastic portable device, way better at than it seemed it would be pre-launch. Since the tomorrow corp games have come out (human resource machine for example) the hybrid aspect of it had begun to shine, I love using it as a gaming tablet for touch screen games as well as a traditional handheld!

Suspended play has been around since launch on ps4 and other handhelds before that. Less a win for Nintendo and more, "Grats on not screwing THAT up to too."

@sammo21: suspend play on ps4 never felt that great and whilst I sold my Vita near launch and rarely used a 3ds I don't think I've ever seen suspended play executed as flawlessly as it has here.

@sammo21: I take it you don't have a Switch? I haven't seen suspended play done nearly as well anywhere else. It's not a case of Nintendo not screwing it up (ugh...friend codes), but rather implementing it better than anyone else has so far.

@buffaloseven: Guessing you don't have a Vita or a 3DS. Suspend play is flawless on both of those. It's a basic requirement for a handheld these days.

The only thing they could do to improve it would be to find a way to let you suspend multiple games at once.

@hunkulese: I have a 3DS and you're right, it's quick. That said, the solution has fewer variables (clamshell closed = sleep) and much less to suspend. The 3DS standby time is also terrible.

The Switch is about as fast as you can make it when accounting for accidental button presses while sleeping, has to store way more, and has far superior standby time.

I have no doubt Nintendo probably used the 3DS solution as their starting point and then iterated on that.

@yesiamaduck @buffaloseven: lol I own a Switch, thank you. Again, its a case of "I really hope you'd get this right" opposed to a modern marvel of gaming. Ps4, Vita, and 3ds have pretty amazing suspend play features.

@sammo21 It's always a little chuckle worthy when I see Nintendo getting congratulated for implementing a feature that's been around for quite a while. As someone else noted here: "Grats on not screwing THAT up too." No offence intended of course, it's not a new phenomenon. Happy people are enjoying it. Now just hope Nintendo doesn't pull a Nintendo.

EDIT: I accidentally tripped and fell into the Destructoid comments section where a few people were talking about how "incredible" the instant screen shots are on the Switch and how every other console and the PC are way slower. Mind boggling (screenshots are instantaneous on Steam). Then I noticed they were also touching one another. My eyes are still burning.

This is not particularly important but I do want to say that the PS4 did not have suspend at launch. The Xbox did but PS4 didn't get it until 2015.