@iWolf, Because the Switch is just Vita with a dubious trick of connecting to a TV. I was waiting for 3ds with NORMAL screen resolution, NORMAL second stick, and they showed me this, from which I conclude that the 3ds line closes with the line. It saddens me immensely.
Shl. I will be updating PS4 relatively soon. Switch? Absolutely not. Buy a Switch in addition to Vita and 3ds? I do not think.
@Xok, the hardware of the switch is more powerful than that of the vita. It has been said many times that the switch (even before the announcement office) will not replace 3ds, not a new portable, but a hybrid. The fact that you locally expected more from the console does not make It bad.
3ds will be relevant for at least 5 years more. I advise you to look at the official interviews and statements regarding these 2 consoles before you say nothing in the comments.
Personally, I'm going to take the switch by the end of the year. An interesting thing “not for everyone”. However, ninka has always been “not for everyone”.
@iWolf, 32 gigabytes of memory. The AAA project on PS4 weighs 45-55 GB. Widescreen mobile-level graphics? Controversial, but ok. In total, we have 2 mobile consoles, two direct competitors from one company. A strange marketing ploy that is unlikely to add popularity to Switch. Hybridity is generally a dubious advantage. Hybridity means one thing - it'll be great if a hybrid thing can do one thing well. Applies to the Switch: before the big brothers are like cancer before the moon, we can only hope that Switch will be good in the mobile variation.
Unfortunately, I can't closely follow the news from Nintendo, so thanks for the good news, I really like 3ds, despite all its shortcomings.
@Xok, cartoons can be overwhelming. and there are some really cool igruhi. the level of the grafon is lower there than on ps4, so it's silly to compare the weight of games.
This is a hybrid and the difference is that the mobile console will not be able to produce a switch-level picture and will not be able to connect to a huge TV without pixels the size of a player's forehead. Therefore, there is no need to compare these 2 things. It's as if the apple came out with a touchscreen poppy (10 ') that could fold into a tablet, and people said it was a competitor to (say) the iPhone Plus. The comparisons are incorrect.
In general, you should familiarize yourself with the history of ninki. She is like an apple, she always walked the forest in her direction, at a time when other console developers increased their capacities and fought with each other. This was seen with GB (all), nes (and other variations) and ending with wii and wiiU. And the release of new nintendo 3ds (/ XL) was supposed to secure this position for the company. She uses her tiles and only goes her own way. Did you know that Skyrim shown in the first trailer was never officially announced?
We spent enough time alone with the Nintendo Switch to share everything, everything, everything about it.
Gambling addiction https: //www.site/ https: //www.site/
New plug-in hybrid from the company Nintendo went on sale only today, March 3, but we already had time to try it ... including the tooth! And now we will tell you about everything you need to know before buying. Nintendo switch.
Here is such a box fell into our hands.
What's inside?
In a nice big box, we found a docking station, Joy-Con controllers with holders for them, a power supply, an HDMI cable, the Nintendo Switch itself, and instructions for all this.
And this is what we found inside.
This is a standard set, but you can buy a lot more interesting things: a Nintendo Switch Pro controller (much like an Xbox One controller), a Joy-Con recharging holder, a case with a protective film and additional joycones. And we remind you that there are no cartridges with games in the basic configuration.
Additional gamepad and branded case are optional but very useful purchase.
The highlight of the program
What is a console? A touch screen, grooves for controllers to the right and left of it, several connectors on the top and bottom edges. Above you'll find a POWER button, volume controls, a standard audio jack and cartridge slot, and a charging jack on the bottom. The console is also equipped with speakers.
The rear panel has storage for memory cards and a retractable stand so you don't have to hold the Switch all the time. On our own, we add that the console is perfectly fixed in an upright position: the leg does not slip and does not allow the screen to fall. And even if you accidentally disconnect it from the Switch itself, don't worry - it is by design. To prevent the stand from breaking prematurely, Nintendo made it so that it "unfastened" under excessive pressure.
This is what we are all here for!
Specifications
There were also experiments in the history of Nintendo. One of them was the Virtual Boy device, which works with 3D graphics. In fact, the console turned out to be a kind of virtual reality headset. True, there was little sense from it at that time - there was not enough suitable technology. Unsurprisingly, the device failed to sell in both Japan and the United States.
After the failure of Virtual Boy, the Japanese publisher continued to experiment, but not on such a scale. In 1996, the Nintendo 64 appeared with a gamepad of an unusual shape. This controller could be played in any way: either with the usual buttons and a D-pad, or with a joystick (it came in handy in games where you had to control something flying). Nintendo 64 was much more successful than Virtual Boy, and it brought its owners the legendary Super mario 64 , Mario kart 64 , Star fox 64 , GoldenEye 007 , The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time , Banjo-Kazooie and Super smash brothers.
In 1998, Nintendo's new handheld console, the Game Boy Color, was introduced, featuring an LCD display with an NES-like color gamut. One of the most popular games on this device is the next part Pokemon traditionally divided into two games - Gold and Silver.
In 2001, the Nintendo GameCube, the Japanese giant's first console not to support cartridges, was released in Japan and the United States (and six months later in Europe). True, here too, "innovations" have not been done. While rivals PlayStation 2 and Xbox read DVDs, the GameCube was friendly with mini-DVDs. But this hardly affected the quality of games for the Nintendo console. Owners of the device at different times received Resident evil zero , Metroid prime , Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes , Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 and Crazy Taxi .
Also in 2001, Nintendo released another handheld console, the Game Boy Advance, the heir to the Game Boy Color. The new device introduced players to Pokemon ruby and Pokemon sapphire, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance , Spyro: Season of Ice , Grand theft auto advance and Sonic Advance .
So we got to the recent history of Nintendo. In 2004, the portable Nintendo DS appeared on the market - a "clamshell" console with two screens, one of which is touchscreen. A few years later, the Japanese company will again return to a similar form factor to create another portable, and in the mid-2000s, DS owners enjoyed a pet grooming simulator. Nintendogs and great Pokemon black and Pokemon white.
And in the field of home consoles, meanwhile, a real revolution was being prepared - the working name of the new Nintendo console sounded like Revolution. True, for the 2006 release, the console was still renamed Wii. The beauty of the device was the Wii Remote controllers that tracked their position in space. This led to the emergence of a large number of games where players had to jump, run in place, wave their hands - all in order to win.
The ideas behind the Nintendo DS were developed into the Nintendo 3DS, another handheld console released in 2010. The name speaks for itself - the device did not differ much from its predecessor externally, but it supported 3D. Even special glasses were not required to see the 3D image. 3DS is still more alive than all living things and has a huge library of wonderful games: from the next Pokemon to new (and updated) The legend of zelda.
Then there was also an upgrade to 3DS New, but you yourself know that.
Finally, the last (until today) home console of Nintendo is Wii U. The idea behind the Switch now is visible in the previous console, which entered the market in 2012. The Wii U has a dedicated gamepad with a separate screen that you can play on without looking at what is shown on TV. Of course, it cannot be called a fully hybrid Wii U console, but it undoubtedly played its role in the appearance of the Switch.
Dock station
One of the most frequent questions is "how long will the new portable device last?" Nintendo claims that you can definitely play for three hours. By the way, about the exercise! There were two options: recharge through a cable or through a docking station. Let's consider both.
If you plug the console into a power outlet, you can continue to play without hindrance. Yes, it will warm up more, but that's okay. Things are much more interesting with the docking station. After inserting Switch into it, you no longer see the screen.
This is what a docking station looks like with a console inside.
It is then that we remember about the HDMI cable and with its help we connect the station and the TV (or the monitor, if there is the necessary connector there). And now we are playing on the big screen! The sound is then automatically transferred to the TV speakers or headphones. True, our editors were confused by the fact that the Switch does not hold in the docking station. The console goes in and out completely freely, which means that with any tilt it can fly out and, what good, crash on a hard surface. And even during charging, it is not strong, but noticeably beats with current. A trifle, but unpleasant!
The docking station lets you bring your favorite game to the big screen while the Switch is charging.
Joycons can be recharged with the console by simply inserting them into the side slots. Keep an eye on the charge level of your remotes and do not forget that there are two of them, which means that they can be discharged in different ways.
Welcome to the "Menu"
Switch's interface is intuitive. The top right corner of the screen shows the time, Wi-Fi connection and battery level, in the opposite - your account icon. You will be asked to create an avatar from two parts: a monochrome background and a Nintendo character on it. Here you can choose from Mario, Link, and Inklings from Splatoon! Slightly below, the game icons are lined up, and at the bottom - minimalist circles with the items "News", "Nintendo eShop", "Album", "Controllers", "System settings" and "Standby".
In the News section, Nintendo provides helpful tips and additional information about the console. Nintendo eShop is a local store. In the "Album" you will find your screenshots. The "Controllers" item will allow you to find out the level of charge of the joikons. Here you will also find a list of all controllers connected to your console. In the "System Settings" section, you can connect parental controls, change the screen brightness, and activate "airplane mode". The simplified settings can be exited by holding the button HOME... Well, the name of the last menu item - "Standby mode" - speaks for itself. It is difficult to get confused in such a menu, it is as if everything is in its place, as it should be. Visually, it is also not annoying.
Taste the game!
One of the distinguishing features of the new console is the small cartridge size. To make children less tempted to gnaw them (they can choke!), They decided to cover the plastic rectangles with a bitter composition. Naturally, we could not resist the temptation to try the novelty on the tooth.
For hygiene reasons, one cartridge was tested by two people, each got his own side. Anna's opinion has already been recorded in the review (look a little lower in the text). But another tester ... liked it. So if you like undiluted aloe juice and sugar-free coffee, it is quite possible that the bitterness of the cartridges will not scare you off, but, on the contrary, will become a pleasant addition. Just don't get carried away! Otherwise, the bitterness of the cartridge may be mixed with the pain of accidentally destroying a medium with a game worth more than four thousand rubles!
Feelings of the game
Below we will describe for you our experience of the gameplay on the Nintendo Switch. Treat this as the subjective opinion of the authors, because everything can be completely different with you! We played the new Zelda and will build on this experience.
Opinion of Anna Braslavets, editor of "Igromania"
Locations are loaded on average in ten seconds. Not so long, but the thought has time to flash: "Well, when already ?!" But we did not notice any lags. And the temperature of the console does not rise much.
The first hour of the game, the controls seem damn inconvenient. We tried to play in all positions of the joycons (tied to the hands, inserted into the holder, and so on), and this did not speed up the addiction in any way. But after "acclimatization" everything went like clockwork! There is one "but" left: you still feel stupid when you hold the controllers in your hands and they are not attached to anything. Years with a gamepad make your brain wonder if you're doing it right. However, my colleague Dmitry has a different opinion on this issue ...
And further. Everyone has already read about the protection of cartridges from children. Nintendo made the game cards very bitter so that little gamers would not chew or swallow them. And you know, they really taste disgusting. So don't even try! Don't repeat my mistakes!
Opinion of Dmitry Shepelev, editor of "Igromania"
Either I have something wrong with the eye gauge, or it was filmed at special angles, but the Switch turned out to be much longer than I imagined. This is an impressive board. A fancy board for twenty-five thousand rubles. It is quite justifiably called the largest and most powerful portable.
I had been waiting for such a prefix for 7 years - and did not know about it. Did Nintendo do what Apple didn't dare?
How I was hoping for an iPad (and disappointed)
The first thing I did with an iPad in 2010 was to run games.
Not because I'm a gamer with my mom. For some reason it just seemed to me: here it is, a miracle from the future with a huge display that will bring revolution entertainment. I've already seen how the coolest RPGs, shooters and races from the most famous studios and publishers are ported to it. They will come up with joysticks of various types.
Imagination in general painted a rosy picture: top-class games on Apple handheld devices and the imminent abandonment of consoles. And in addition multimedia functions - movies, internet, books. Exactly half of them were embodied in reality.
V Nintendo looked at all this and decided to go the other way. I have been using the new console for 2 weeks Nintendo switch, which I took from the official start of sales.
No modern console has ever called me such powerful emotions.
As if they heard me in 2010 and decided to fix all the mistakes that Apple made. You take the Switch in hand, you really experience delight and confusion: Why haven't they thought of this in Cupertino so far? Here it is, problem solving.
If you compare the Nintendo Switch, then exclusively with iPad mini Is Apple's most portable, Switch-sized tablet, and is the easiest way to play what iOS calls "games."
In general, let's go. Review-comparison iPad vs Switch - who wins?
What the Nintendo Switch is all about. And why is it more convenient to play on it
Together, both joysticks make up a typical wireless gamepad with ample buttons for typical gaming actions. The console comes with a corresponding dock holder, it is perfect for small hands (like mine).
Before the release, I thought that the gamepads themselves would be flimsy or heavy. Look, it’s a trifle, but they have crammed so much into it! Neither one nor the other was justified.
The gamepads are solid, virtually monolithic. By themselves, they are very light. The surface is "matte", so they do not fall out of the hands. For greater confidence, two are included in the kit. loop attachments on hand, with which you can't drop JoyCon at all. Remember the Loop straps for iPod touch? The principle is the same.
Interestingly, the left and right JoyCon are technically different. For example, the right one has an Amiibo NFC code reader (such as toys and souvenirs from Nintendo) and an infrared receiver.
Each JoyCon has a gyroscope and own vibration motor capable of reproducing complex combined signals. This is best seen in the game 1-2 Switch, where the motor manages to imitate a virtual metal ball rolling "inside" - all its hits, the crunch of plastic, thuds. Seriously, you have to feel it after such a "click" Taptic Engine the iPhone 7 seems like baby talk.
Nintendo Switch cannot be viewed without JoyCon, it is simply impossible to imagine this console without them. Thanks to unique gamepads, the same FREEDOM TO PLAY that an iPad user can't even dream of.
Examples of situations in which the Switch leaves the iPad one-to-one
Here you are in front of the table. Maybe you work. Or you fly, you go by train. You put Swtich on built-in stand(a bit flimsy, but fulfills its task), you take the joystick in your hands. Everything, you can cut even the most complicated toys.
Or you sit on the couch. Both JoyCon you cling to the tablet(with an awesome click) - and you get a "megageypad", with which you can play even while standing, even sitting, even upside down. This is the key format for using the Nintendo Switch both for me and, in fact, for all owners.
Docked with JoyCon, the console awesome lies in the hands. I can't find a single minus in these 2 weeks of testing. Firmly, confidently, all buttons are accessible, the weight is evenly distributed. You can spend hours so hacking without getting tired that I have repeatedly checked many hours of visits to Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the key game for Switch for the next six months.
Finally, the Switch quickly connects to the TV. Not AirPlay, but convenient too. Just put your tablet in docking station from the kit, connected via HDMI - and you get a picture for the whole TV.
The picture on the external display is displayed instantly, nothing needs to be adjusted. You can control the game through JoyCon-s both separately and jointly in the gamepad holder.
There is something about it futuristic: like a full-fledged console, but completely mobile. You chop on the go, put it in the dock = continued on TV, as if nothing had happened. Played enough on TV, put JoyCon on the sides, took it off the dock and went to the sofa = took the game with me from the same place.
Here is the one Liberty that I was talking about.
In Switch, I hacked myself in a taxi, on a train, lying and sitting, on the go, in front of the TV - and indeed everywhere. Always convenient. There are no thoughts of the format “I would have implemented this feature differently”, because it is obvious: the use cases have already been thought out and the best option has been found.
Nintendo did it transforming console, which will adapt to any conditions, when suddenly it wants to play. The same cannot be said about the iPad.
What does the iPad have to offer in return?
At first sight, quite a few... The Apple tablet can be used in any position, and so can play. It's lightweight, thinner than the Switch, and overall a bit more portable if you count purely in terms of thickness (it's wider).
It also does not need a gamepad, since iOS games were originally designed for touch control. If you wish, you can buy a stand, a wireless "joy", a cable with a signal output to HDMI - and more or less repeat the functionality of the Switch, spending about 10 thousand rubles on top the cost of the iPad.
On paper, this looks fine. But many iPad users - myself included - know that actually playing on the iPad is not so convenient at all.
Performance, game quality and other issues are secondary. The main problem with the iPad is no physical buttons, and then I will not open America. From role-playing to shooters, on-screen buttons have been and still are weak replacements for physical ones:
- impossible precise aiming and control
- you cannot do more than 2 actions at the same time (2 fingers maximum)
- buttons cannot be groped you are constantly looking for them with your eyes
- there is no clear tactile feedback, there are always misfires
More often than not, we hold the iPad with both hands while gaming in order to gain access to the entire display area. If there are more than two buttons on the screen, you have to move your fingers, look for them first visually, then physically. You can get used to it, but you can't compare with the agility of real gamepads.
Ipad has to shift in hands to work in the menu, to confirm actions, to select units, and so on. There are no other options because there are no navigation buttons.
Therefore, games are either made intentionally simple, or they come up with multi-stage control schemes - much less intuitive than on conventional consoles with a gamepad.
You don't have to go far for examples. For example, in GTA: San Andreas for iOS, developers are forced to use context-sensitive on-screen buttons: they appear and disappear depending on events. I played that game on PS2, PC and iPad mini - and to be honest, in the latter case it was 3 times more difficult, so much a tablet without buttons not adapted for serious gameplay full-fledged console games.
You constantly get confused, you look - where to press now? You miss the small buttons, you cannot enter the turn normally.
And okay, contextual keys and other tweaks. Many actions in games, especially with a large number of menus and windows, must be confirmed by tapping in other zones - and to do this, remove your hand from the tablet. If you are lying on the weight with your iPad or walking, it is inconvenient to press all over the screen. It distracts from the process, makes you dodge, destroys the immersion in the game, finally.
I partially agree with the skeptics who read all this and began to object. Indeed, it is possible to buy a good quality wireless joystick. A stand too. It is quite possible to get used to the complicated control scheme in a serious game. For 7 years we are with you adapted to tablets and hardly notice how many unnecessary movements we make just because the iPad has no buttons.
But. If such buttons were or were attached as easily as on the Switch, would you really give them up? I would only welcome it. I can go on arguing for a long time, but the fact remains: the presence of physical buttons is better than the absence.
So, in terms of usability in games, the iPad is completely drained without hope for rehabilitation.
Moreover, the lack of buttons on the iPad leads to a train of consequences. One of them, which I will dwell on later, is the quality and seriousness of the games themselves.
Of course, the Switch's display falls short of the iPad.
The Nintendo Switch has a screen on 6.2 inch with permission 720p- slightly more physically than in the iPhone 7 Plus and significantly less in pixel density and resolution.
The screen performs its task at an acceptable level: it IPS panel with good viewing angles and contrasting colors. The picture is clear, there is nothing blurry in games. But at the same time, such displays are now being put on mid-range smartphones - and certainly not in Apple products. My IMHO, that it could be done a little better. The pixels are visible.
The rich and almost color-accurate display of any iPad in recent years surpasses the Switch in every way. The reason for choosing a low resolution is understandable, it is largely technical. Lower resolution - less required hardware performance. Nintendo has found a balance between picture quality and processor capabilities. Judging by Breath of the wild, in general, it is observed as it should.
By the way, the tablet is touch-sensitive, but you can use it only in the system menu of the console. Games 95% of the time do not use touch display, and they do so on purpose. If you remember, this is logical - poking at the screen while holding the console is completely unintuitive. Why is it needed when there are buttons.
A bonus of the Switch screen - although the glass above it is moderately glossy, inside is a matrix with matt a layer that increases readability in the sun. You can play in direct sunlight, the main thing is not to catch strong glare.
Performance is not really comparable, but visually everything is cool
Nintendo Switch runs on its own operating system - no Android. The system is based on a processor Nvidia Tegra X1 the latest generation, whose performance is tailored for games and resource-intensive tasks.
To objectively compare the Switch's performance, you need some kind of starting point: a benchmark or a game that runs on other platforms. There is no first option, but the second is the same one.
The fact is that the game was released for Nintendo WiiU Is the legacy home console that the Switch is actually replacing.
By the difference in hardware capabilities between them, you can assess the superiority of the switch: higher frame rate stability (everywhere at 30 FPS, but less brakes), and the game itself runs at a higher resolution (900p instead of 720p on Wii U) when connected to a TV. There are also a number of visual upgrades, such as increased rendering range, better texture quality and high-resolution surround sound.
From a purely technical point of view, the difference is really big: Switch costs 4 GB of RAM(2 GB in WiiU and iPad mini), and basic versions of Tegra X1 are at least 1.5 times more powerful than the WiiU processor in all respects.
While everything is clear with the previous generation of Nintendo consoles, it is extremely problematic to compare the performance of Switch and iPad. There are no identical games between them yet. My IMHO: even if the iPad mini has a power advantage, it will "burn" due to the technically demanding high-definition display.
As for the Switch, I didn't notice any menu lags or lags. That so far says little, because there are virtually no applications on the console in which one could test the capabilities of the hardware. Not even a browser! He, as well as other applications, may appear later with firmware updates.
Switch can be used today only as a game console, which is disappointing.
By the way, the battery in Switch gives about 3.5 hours Automatically works when playing demanding Zelda. If it were also a multimedia tablet with a web browser, then such a time would be unacceptable. Won iPad mini gives 8-10 hours of autonomy, and in games 5-7 hours. But for a game console, as I found out on myself, the figure is normal.
Not everyone can play a serious game for three and a half hours. Even during the day, not everyone has enough time to concentrate. Therefore, I have never fully discharged the Switch: up to a maximum of 20%, after which I just put it on charge or in the dock, because it was late in the evening.
Charges Switch via USB Type-C, which Apple has recognized in the new MacBook and will soon introduce part of it to iPhone owners. It's good that we chose a well-known standard, and did not put our own cunning connector, as on the Nintendo 3DS.
The only bad thing is that the port is on bottom side of the console and therefore cannot be played or charged by placing the console vertically on a table.
There are few games for Switch, but one of them is worth buying the entire console
There are now about 20 toys released for the Switch, and more than 20 are expected by the end of the year - including the new part of Mario. You can buy them on a physical medium at any electronics store in the Russian Federation. Alternatively, you can download the digital version from the Nintendo Online Store.
Game cost for Switch - from 1000 to 4500 rubles... The most expensive, of course, is the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Another starter game from Nintendo, 1-2 Switch, will cost 2,500 rubles. There are simpler toys, they will cost an average of 1000-1400 rubles.
That is, games for the console, alas, noticeably more expensive than anything popular in the iPad App Store. I would not say that this is a minus, because we are not talking about a tablet, but about a full-fledged console.
Of all the games, a few are worthy of real attention and money. First, it is 1-2 Switch, fun for several people, revealing all the coolest features of the JoyCon controllers.
What you don't have to do there: milking cows, untangling chains, doing yoga, opening safes for a while ... The game in its task resembles Wii Sports - in fact, a set of mini-games for a couple of hours. You need to buy 1-2 Switch if you want to hack with someone and show off your new console. If you plan to play alone, it is better to bypass the side.
I admit I have a soft spot for games with large open worlds. Thousands of hours I once left in Morrowind and Skyrim exploring their vast worlds, learning secrets, completing quests and plunging headlong into the mechanics of character leveling.
Feeling Adventures that such toys give is at the heart of the new part of Zelda. This is the first game in the series with a completely open game world: you can reach the final boss even in the first 15 minutes (and die because you cannot master it).
Nobody holds the hand. From the first minutes you immerse yourself in a huge world with hundreds of characters, quests, secrets and hidden opportunities, where you can do anything - and only then go to complete the main task.
Note: this game completely in Russian... Both text and voice acting - no restrictions. Nice move, Nintendo.
The hero slowly sways with you not according to the traditional system of earning experience (XP), but exclusively through improving his arsenal... Link cannot become so strong so that none of the enemies is dangerous. Rather, by the end of the story, you'll be better prepared to face any challenge - and that's not only the essence of the Zelda series, but also the reason why the game does not get boring even after dozens of hours.
I would like to stretch the pleasure, and not break through to the ending of the plot. Says a lot about how successful the new part of "Zelda" turned out. It's no joke, on the rating site Metacritic, she got into the TOP-20 of the best games in history!
Today I have played enough more than 75 hours in this Zelda, has not yet come close to the ending and has not even opened all the zones in the map, not to mention the hidden sanctuaries, the passage of which allows you to pump the main character. And I can barely force myself to miss the console at the earliest opportunity.
The most striking thing about the new Zelda is her the scale by the standards of a portable game. There is nothing that resembles: friend, you are holding a tablet, this is impossible on it. Check out this video, it's better than a thousand words.
Only Nintendo could do this with its meticulous approach to creating the highest quality toys. Each problem has at least 2 solutions. And if you don't want to do anything, you can just walk through the endless expanses of the game world and find small local secrets. There are almost a thousand of them here - the official infa.
The new Zelda also has a full physics engine on which puzzles are built. There are systems for moving around the map, including horses (which must first be pacified, and then earn her trust for a long time) and parachute flights (which must first be earned). Even fire and how real: it realistically spreads to grass, trees, objects and enemies. The plot is also nothing, well, perhaps predictable.
Dozens of hours later, I continue to discover new features, tricks, and opportunities. And I feel pure delight. I think this one game will be enough until the summer - and there will already be new projects for Switch.
By the way, even if you have little time for games, it doesn't matter - the new Zelda can always be paused, saved and returned to the same place.
The editors and I thought for a long time what kind of game for iOS - the original, not ported - offers the same huge open world, as many secrets and at least comparable depth of gameplay.
There are no such games. And there never was. And here, alas, the iPad has nothing to offer. When none of the 1 million games in the App Store make it to the only one on Switch, what kind of comparison can there be?
P.S. If you have any questions
I tried to make both a review and a comparison with the iPad - after all, we are not a gaming site, we need to correspond to the topic. Many things that I would like to tell were left behind: for example, I can spend hours talking about how cool it turned out. Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild... Right there bomb, for which you can take Switch right now.
I did not find any technical flaws in my console, but I noticed that its matte case is easily scratched. If you buy, I advise you to immediately take the branded cover - they also give the film to the screen with it, but this is not for everybody :)
Anyone who wants to know honest impressions about the console - ask in the comments, I will answer everyone.
The Nintendo Switch delighted me as a child, a gadget lover, and just a lover of good games. If the latter were at least 1-2 more, I would have screamed "Masthev" in the first lines.
However, the same Zelda rules so much that I recommend
- The new Zelda aside, the launch lineup is not at all impressive.
- Joycon detachable panels are very tight and wedge if not fitted correctly.
- The console screen is scratching against the dock case. We'll have to buy a protective film.
- Small amount of built-in memory. You will have to purchase a memory card.
- There are no games included with the Nintendo Switch. You have to buy the game.
- No backward compatibility for you. We'll have to buy Wii U.
- Lack of support for wireless headphones and headsets.
- The location of the charging connector is not the best.
Nintendo Switch has turned out to be a very controversial console. One can immediately feel the fact that a man from the world of finance has become the head of the Japanese company. It is felt that the manufacturer was trying to save on everything he could, just to make the price tag on the console as attractive as possible for the mass consumer. And really, whatever one may say, but you have to fork out for a protective film for the screen, a case for transportation, a controller holder with a built-in battery, a memory card and at least one cartridge, otherwise there will be nothing to play with. On the other hand, we received the first full-fledged hybrid console in the history of the gaming industry, capable of being a stationary console or handheld at our will. Switching from stationary mode to portable mode is almost instantaneous, and for a long time I could not believe that I was holding in my hands a full-fledged game of The Legend of Zelda series, and even so wonderful. The Nintendo Switch console definitely has tremendous potential. But now the fate of the platform will depend on how actively Nintendo itself and third-party developers support it with new content. After all, the price of a console is worthless without interesting and varied games. The Japanese cannot be mistaken now, because the Wii U failed for this very reason. In the case of Switch, almost all major gaming publishers are interested in it, including Activision, Bethesda, Electronic Arts, Sega, Square Enix, Take-Two and Ubisoft. And this already suggests that we will definitely not be bored. What is my final verdict on this console? Nintendo fans need to run to the store and buy the Switch right now without a second thought. Lovers of cooperative games in the company of friends - we can also safely recommend the console. For those who do not have time to play at home, Switch will be a real gift, because now you can play your favorite games on the subway, in a taxi, during lunchtime, during air travel, and indeed anywhere and anytime. But for people in doubt or for those who are not yet satisfied with the meager starting line of Nintendo Switch games, I would recommend waiting a little. I think that by the end of this year the situation with support for the console will clear up. Nevertheless, my personal prediction is that Nintendo will definitely succeed this time.
Nintendo is one of the most exciting companies in the gaming industry. She is not particularly chasing technological progress, but she tries to surprise with every new device. The stick on the gamepad, the use of two screens, and the responsibility for the motion controller craze are just a few of how the Big N tries to diversify the boring arms race with its endless increase in power for the sake of power.
However, chasing innovations, the Japanese make mistakes from time to time. Most often they are not critical, but in this generation, luck has clearly turned away from them. Speech, of course, about Wii U. It replaced the super successful Wii and could not repeat the success of its predecessor: Wii U suffered from vague positioning, lack of support from third-party developers and a bunch of small and large flaws. For example, outside of the Land of the Rising Sun, you still cannot buy a spare Wii U GamePad - if it starts to junk, then nothing can be done about it. A large number of problems and, to some extent, the reluctance of the Nin to notice them, has led to the fact that world sales of Wii U at the moment do not even reach 15 million copies. A very weak indicator for the fifth year on the market.
Therefore, it is not surprising that Nintendo decided to cover up a failed project and switch to something new. For many months, all sorts of rumors and speculations circulated on the Web about what kind of gadget is hidden under the code name NX. People studied patents, made fake controllers using 3D printers, but the company itself, amid this fun, remained Olympic calm. Exactly until September last year, when the world was finally presented with the Nintendo Switch, a hybrid home-portable console. If you want - play at home in front of the TV. Need to get out into the street? Insert controllers into the tablet and go. On paper and on videos, the concept looked very, very interesting, but is everything really so good?
⇡ Appearance
Contents of delivery:
- Nintendo Switch console
- two Joy-Con controllers;
- charger with USB-C;
- stationary block;
- Mount for Joy-Con controllers;
- two attachments for the Joy-Con;
- HDMI cable.
In truth, in the commercials and video demos, the Switch felt too large for a handheld device. However, as soon as I opened the box and picked up a tiny 6.2-inch tablet, suspicions began to creep in about whether I was really in front of a full-fledged console. Is this where all the hardware is located?
Switch is really compact: length 172 mm, width 100 mm, thickness 15 mm. With controllers, the length increases to 232 mm. Above (from left to right): cartridge slot, standard headphone jack, ventilation grill, volume rocker and on / off button. Cooling at the console is active, there is a cooler inside. During testing, I noticed its work only once, when, after a long game in stationary mode, I took the device in my hands - the back wall was noticeably heated, and the fan was hysterically driving air. In fairness, it should be noted that this lasted 15-20 seconds, after which everything returned to normal.
The bottom of the console has a USB-C connector and two notches for closer contact with the docking station. At the back is a small extendable leg to place the Switch on a table or other surface. Below it is a microSD slot (microSDHC and microSDXC formats are supported). According to Nintendo, a card of any size will do, even the maximum available at the moment. And the flash drive is definitely needed if you plan to buy games exclusively in digital format, since the built-in memory of the console is only 32 GB, and only 26 GB is available to the user. This is enough for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (13 GB) and something small, and the collection of Dragon Quest Heroes 1 & 2 even for a clean system, since it requires just 32 GB.
On the sides of the device are guides for inserting controllers. I will tell you about the Joy-Con in more detail below, but here I will note that it is very easy to connect and disconnect them from the main unit, but it is better not to do this by weight. It is not easy at first to extract both "joycons" from a stationary position at once, as it was in the commercial, at first it is not easy - at first you have to pull out one at a time, but it is not too difficult to learn such an effective trick.
Feels like the console is in the hands well, but there is no need to talk about some incredible tactile or ergonomic solutions. Everything is made of ordinary plastic, and quite slippery - if you do not hold the device strictly horizontally, then from time to time you have to intercept it. And it's difficult to control with one hand - Switch greatly outweighs and can go on a date with the floor. Without controllers installed, the console looks like a Texet tablet - it is obvious that the design was dictated by the hardware filling, and not vice versa. Switch looks a lot better with joycones.
The stationary unit is small - in length and width it does not differ from the console, but it is noticeably thicker - 50 mm versus 15 mm. There is no additional hardware to increase productivity, its purpose is to charge the battery and transfer the picture from the tablet to the TV. The connectors for the power cable, HDMI out and USB port are hidden behind a hinged rear cover, so the wires exit neatly from the side. True, it will be convenient only for those who put the station to the left of the TV set. Don't be nitpicky, but it's not always possible to arrange devices the way the design engineers intended.
On the left there are two additional USB ports, in the center of the notch - USB-C for charging the console in stationary mode. On the front there is a LED signaling the transmission of the stream to the TV. The tablet itself stays in the dock confidently, does not fall out, it is convenient to pull out and install it, but the station turned out to be too light. If you accidentally hook the Switch while passing by, it can tip over, so it's best not to put it on the edge.
⇡ Controllers
The convenience of any gaming device is not least provided by the controllers. After an unusual, but very cumbersome pad for Wii U, using the "joycon" is very pleasant. They are small (length 100 mm, width 30 mm, thickness 15 mm), fit well in the palm of your hand and do not slip out. However, for people with large hands, placing the controls too close together may seem uncomfortable. The buttons are identical in size to those used in the portable 3DS, however, due to a more comfortable grip, the hand does not get tired, since the fingers rest on the pad in a natural position, and not bent.
On the side of the Joy-Con are buttons that functionally duplicate the keys, plus LEDs and a button for wireless connection to the console. Why duplicate ciphers? For playing together. Some projects are designed for the player to use one pad, and the second can be given to a friend - given the portable nature of the console, local multiplayer is obtained everywhere and always. An interesting idea, but either a child or a person with very small palms will be able to operate with two hands with a "joycon" in a horizontal position - everyone else's fingers quickly become numb. A special attachment helps a little, but it just makes the controller a little wider.
Just because of the feature described above, the left pad instead of the usual crosspiece has exactly the same set of keys as the right one. Fighting game lovers are already complaining, but everyone else is unlikely to notice strong differences. Joycons differ in functionality - the right one has a Home button that allows you to minimize applications and go to the main screen, an NFC sensor for reading data from the amiibo and an IR camera, and the left one has a key for taking screenshots. They are done instantly and are added to a common album, accessible from the main menu. By the way, do you see ma-a-a-scarlet "plus" and "minus" in the upper corners of the "joycon"? These are also keys.
The sticks are rubberized and have protruding edges - a similar approach is used in the controller for the PlayStation 4. On the one hand, it is comfortable, since the fingers do not slip, and on the other - with active or too aggressive use, the coating begins to peel and tear. The DualShock 4 still has a problem today, so it's interesting to see if the Joy-Con shows up.
The lower shifts are made in the form of triggers, but the upper ones seemed too thin. Moreover, their stroke is too small - at least a third of the clicks I made purely by accident, without even noticing it. I had to get used to the very sensitive keys and monitor the position of the fingers, and at the same time not make any sudden movements with the console in my hands.
The battery life of each of the pads fluctuates around 20 hours, and they connect to the console using Bluetooth 3.0. Charging is carried out from the tablet installed in the docking station, or using the special Joy-Con Grip. The 525 mAh lithium-ion batteries are unfortunately non-removable.
Ease of use of "joycons" directly depends on the control scheme. There are three of them: the pads are inserted into the tablet, connected to the mount or lie in your hands. In the first case, the sensations are similar to using 3DS or PlayStation Vita, only it is more comfortable to play due to full-fledged shifts and full-size sticks.
The scheme with connecting the pads to the mount is not very convenient. The controllers are located well above the handlebars, so you have to reach up to the top shifters. It feels like you are holding not an ergonomic device, but a plastic square levitating over your hands. Moreover, the mount from the delivery set cannot charge "joycones" - the mount with the charger must be purchased separately. Thank you for at least showing the charge level.
The third type of control, when each of the controllers is applied separately, turned out to be, to my surprise, the most convenient. Usually, when using joysticks, you need to either keep your hands in front of you, or somehow dodge, but all the same, both limbs will be directed in the same direction. In the case of the Switch, you can sit down however you want - it will not affect the ease of management in the least. Of course, the first ten minutes the brain tries to resist, but then it gives up and gets used to the fact that the left and right parts of a seemingly one pad can be in different planes and at any angles.
The Wii also had something similar, but there, firstly, it was necessary to be within sight of the sensor, and secondly, games usually still required waving your arms, so the position was chosen based on these conditions. On the Switch, you can use any of the options you like. Planning to aim with your sticks? You are welcome. Would you like to swing a metal door with your own hands, pretending to be a superhero? No problem. Moreover, the "joycons" determine their position from any position, do it correctly and without delay. In general, they are a pleasure to use.
It is a pity that the special vibration of the HD Rumble, which Nintendo so advertised at the presentation, could not be fully tested, since there were no necessary games during testing. She's likely to appear in future Switch exclusives, though, so stay tuned for reviews.
