Nintendo Switch turns four years old

[Phil32]

It's been a wonderful little machine for me, Joy-Con quality aside. I haven't experienced a Nintendo system in a long while where I haven't had to wait for games or felt there was any kind of drought. There's always something interesting to play on the system, whether it be a new Nintendo release, a third party game (big publisher or indie), or what have you. It's been this way since the beginning for me Switch-wise, and that is no small feat, especially on a Nintendo platform where droughts and the waiting game are common. Certainly not the case with the Switch for me.

Between physical and digital, we have more than 100 games, and I don't see that slowing down. I'm extremely happy with my Switch purchase. Camped out at Best Buy on the eve of launch, a cold night, and it was absolutely worth it to get a system, play Zelda, Snipperclips, and FAST RMX on launch day. I'm already nostalgic regarding that day and the Switch launch. Haven't been this happy with a system (again, aside from the drifting Joy-Con sticks) in a long while.

 

[Neuroxia]

Haven't used mine at all over the last 3 years.
Bought it for Xenoblade and was looking forward for the eventual release of Beyonetta 3 and Metroid Prime 4, but we all know how that went.

I don't really resonate all that much with Nintendo IPs and multiplats usually get played on my other hardware.
Not much use for portable play either since the lockdown, and neither before, as i live within walking distance from my job.

I still like the hardware, so happy birthday to the Switch!

 

[Lobster Roll]

Absolutely crazy to think it's two-three years away from a typical Nintendo console lifecycle.

 

[Giga Man]

Click to shrink...

I don't know why you decided to post this colorful nostalgia bomb, but I sure do miss it.

 

[DanceToTheRadio]

Got mine day one and all it's mostly done is collect dust. The Joy-Cons are the worst controllers ever included with a console out of the big 4 (Nintendo, Sega, Sony, Xbox). The Switch 2 needs to come out asap, because the Switch already feels woefully underpowered and outdated. Bought it for BotW which I did put an obscene amount of time into, but the other major exclusives like Odyssey and Sword/Shield have been nothing but disappointments for me. I don't think I'll turn this thing on again until BotW 2, and by the time that comes out I'll need the next Switch anyways to run it at it's best, so I'll once again buy a console for one game and barely use it afterwards.

 

[BDGAME]

U$ 300 for a portable that can plug on TV? Nintendo is out of their mind! Nobody will want buy it for that price!

 

[RetroGameGuy]

A top 5 console all time for me. Truly love it! Playing indie games in bed before falling asleep is bliss. Ms. Bliss.

 

[Zeroth]

For about 7 years I totally forsake console gaming, both because of the wiiu's underperformance (I only owned Nintendo consoles until the wii came out, where I switched to the PS3) and because I was in PC gaming (specially guild wars 2).

In early 2018 I got to play a switch with botw and fell in love. Mid 2018 I bought my switch and ever since I've been having a ton of fun. Crazy how time flies, and in some ways I wish I was there for all the hype around it.

 

[Lari]

It doesn't turn, it switches!

I've been on the edge of finally getting one for Monster Hunter Rise, but idk.

 

[Nacho]

Wow. This is pretty much longer than the legitimate lifespan of the Wii U right? That's friggen crazy. And switch still feels like it's just getting started. I mean, I fully expect a hardware refresh sooner than later, but definitely under the switch banner and not a completely new system.

Nintendo really are an enigma. But when they nail it, they nail it.

 

[That Naive Cube!!]

First console I ever got at a midnight launch. My fiance was with me which makes it more memorable.

I picked up Breath of the Wild which is an incredible experience. Played it at launch and again three years later just to see if my feelings about the game have changed. I actually liked it even better the second time.

Really hoping a 4K 60FPS HDR Switch upgrade is around the corner so I can play through this masterpiece in full for the third time.

 

[P Diddy]

On the point about early detractors, I think it was largely a result of people judging the system on the sum of its parts, rather it as a whole. Of course there will be compromises on both sides of the hybrid model, but the model itself is very novel and compelling. Personal anecdote: multiplayer outside of a home feels more.... enjoyable than with the 3DS? Sitting around the screen with a controller in hand with friends is just very whimsical.

 

[MisterGrey3000]

I'm..so conflicted on the Switch lol
From a 1st party software perspective this is the least exciting Nintendo console imo...I really dislike the "open-air" direction that Zelda has taken, Mario Odyssey was just...fine, but I much prefer the linear 3D Marios that came before it, and stuff like Splatoon 2 and Smash just don't feel "fresh" enough for me. The only new 1st party Switch game that I really love is Luigi's Mansion 3 (an absolute banger), and the other stuff that I enjoy are just ports that I've already played on WiiU like MK8 and Mario 3D World and 3rd party games like Crash N. Sane or Sonic Mania.

On the other hand though I'm hella fuckin' glad that the damn thing is a success because I really didn't want to see Nintendo go down the path of SEGA and just like with the GCN before it the failure of the WiiU made it feel like that was pretty close to happening...

 

[criteriondog]

Happy fourth birthday (in a few hours for me)! I was excited, and thought the hype was far more than the Wii U (which I owned, and liked a lot, but didn't get much use in the later years).

The Switch has become my favorite Nintendo system of all time. I think most of Nintendo's first parties for their franchises have had their best games on Switch, even new life on Switch or great success. While at times I wish it had more power, or a better interface (which is pretty lacking), I can forgive it all because the Switch has excellent games.

Super Smash Bros Ultimate, Animal Crossing New Horizons, Xenoblade Chronicles, Astral Chain, Splatoon 2, Link's Awakening, Fire Emblem Three Houses, Zelda: Breath of The Wild and more. With even more exciting releases coming soon that got me extremely excited like Monster Hunter Rise and Shin Megami Tensei V. Releases a bit out like Metroid Prime 4, Breath of the Wild 2 and whatever else Nintendo's first party studios are making excite me.

Also, the third party support (even if some ports are late), and indie support has been the best ever on a Nintendo console.

Love my Switch. Can't wait to see what Nintendo is cooking up.

 

[Forkball]

I don't know why you decided to post this colorful nostalgia bomb, but I sure do miss it.

Click to shrink...

Switch Pro Controllers need new colors. We only have black, with some smattering of patterns splashed across it. Even the joycons don't have the translucent colors. I'm hoping like the Switch Lite, the mythical Switch Pro will have some fun color options.

 

[foxuzamaki]

I havent really cared about a switch pro or whatever but if Nintendo ever made those see-through console aesthetic for the switch I'll be all in

 

[foxuzamaki]

disgaea 5 complete's surprise success turning a sony-only publisher into a switch ambassador is kind of dumb and amazing.

Click to shrink...

Indeed

 

[Jack Frost]

I still remember my wife and I picking it up at Best Buy at midnight. Nothing but Breath of the Wild all weekend. I love my Switch, happy birthday!

 

[TheLastYoshi]

Been gaming since the NES, this is my favorite console and I can't think of a stronger library after 4 years.

 

[Arex]

come up with the Pro already please! lol

 

[nihilence]

I own 2 games for it. Haven't finished one, haven't started the other. Maybe, someday.

Odyssey
Breathe

 

[aspiring]

While not fully for me outside of Nintendo games, as a whole it is an excellent machine!

I have 2 of them in the house and the amount of games nights we have with it is insane. So many good times.

I still remember and laugh at myself for thinking how it was going to bomb as I literally pre ordered a week or so from release from EB Games in Australia. I had to settle for the grey as the neon was sold out, but the fact I could walk in and preorder a week before launch I thought for sure it was DOA.

great machine and I really hope we get some Wind Waker and Twilight Princess ports. In fact a collection with OOT and MM would be sweet as well!!

 

[Zan]

Still waiting for them to reveal that auto runner Mario for the system.

(I kid, I kid. Happy birthday, Switch.)

 

[LegendofLex]

It's a perfect "gaming's greatest hits" console, especially when you pair its library with the form factor.

Never thought it'd be feasible for my top 10 GOATs to all be on one platform, but here we are at 8/10 and filling out the full list seems super realistic.

 

[Deleted member 33533]

Has it been that long? Wow. I wonder how long the Switch will be around. I think I'm still in Wii U mindset lol

 

[Jaded Alyx]

Xenoblade 2 will absolutely be delayed.

Also DQXI will be a port of the 3DS version as there's no way the Switch can run PS4 games.

 

[bionic77]

I remember buying it on launch day on a whim at Target because I was reading the launch thread and people were so high on it. I was like the 8th or 9th person in line. Bought the Switch and didn't see another one for sale for at least 6 months. For something I had very little hype about, it might be my favorite system of all time just for the amount of classic games that are on there. The switch is everything I wanted the Wii U to be plus some. Fantastic device.

Click to shrink...

Definitely one of my favorite consoles too.

Perfect combination of innovative hardware and amazing software.

 

[BigDaddyCool]

Is Breath of the Wild original though? It's a cross-gen game with Wii U.

Click to shrink...

Lol, you're absolutely right.

 

[Dekuman]

That click is iconic.

I'm an adult with lots to do, hard to find time to game but I have gamed so much more in recent years than I did previously thanks to Switch.
Looking forward to the Super Switch.

 

[AnimeJesus]

It oddly still feels like it just came out for some reason. Anyways its been a great handheld, especially the Switch Lite...but it's also frustrating how it has a reputation for shoddy performance outside of first party games. Hell even some first party games have terrible performance (FE:TH, HW:AoC).

It's also absolutely insane we don't have folders yet.

 

[AnimeJesus]

Xenoblade 2 will absolutely be delayed.

Also DQXI will be a port of the 3DS version as their no way the Switch can run PS4 games.

Click to shrink...

Am I missing something here or is your post 2 years too late?

 

[blacktout]

Never thought it'd be feasible for my top 10 GOATs to all be on one platform, but here we are at 8/10 and filling out the full list seems super realistic.

Click to shrink...

What are the missing two?

 

[Jintor]

*click*

 

[Huskman]

Huh. 4 years already. I guess the clusterfuck that has been 2020 and COVID19 has just really warped my sense of time.

As much as I love my Switch, it doesn't seem to have lived up to the expectations I had set.

I was hoping for virtual console, mmbn collection, and far more Nintendo revivals (Mother, Golden Sun, etc). That and wow, joy con drift is absolutely wretched.

 

[Nelo Ice]

Absolutely adore my Switch. Wii U was the first Nintendo console I've never owned. Just had absolutely no interest in it and also didn't help I was broke during that time. Was barely paying attention to games during this period anyway so seeing the Switch reveal was a legit surprise. Ended up getting my Switch in the Summer of 2017 thanks to flippagedon. I have a ridiculous library and nearly all 1st party games lol.

 

[Dekuman]

Am I missing something here or is your post 2 years too late?

Click to shrink...

Those were legit arguments right up until they happened. Xenoblade 2 especially had people insisting a delay was imminent every thread and there was a general sentiment Switch was a Vita like device unable to receive direct ports from the other consoles. So that's where the DQXI argument came from. It's partly why stuff like Doom 2016 landing plus the cascade of impossible ports and PC ports really upended the whole paradigm later than year and into 2018.

 

[Jane]

All those years and they still haven't fixed the drifting.

 

[BizzyBum]

I can't believe it's already been 4 years.

Where does time go, man...

 

[Josh5890]

Yes this came out in October of 2016, but it was our first look at this beautiful system.

 

[Zalman]

My favorite system ever. I have over 100 games for it (physical), something I've never had for any previous system.

 

[JustinBailey]

What a 4 years it has been, not just in the videogame space, but the world at large. In retrospect, it has been exactly the console for its time. Wish Iwata could see.

 

[LegendofLex]

What are the missing two?

Click to shrink...

Ocarina of Time and Metroid Prime

others are Breath of the Wild, Hollow Knight, Super Mario Galaxy, BioShock, Super Mario Bros. 3, Xenoblade Chronicles, Final Fantasy XII, and Katamari Damacy

 

[aznpxdd]

Loved its first year, but its been collecting dust for awhile now.

 

[Tahnit]

I remember when we saw that initial trailer showing someone playing zelda on the couch and then getting up, sliding his controllers off the handle and on the switch, lifting it up and continuing to play instantly. I thought to myself "surely thats fake, there is no way it would be that fast of a transition.

Sure enough it was not fake and it works exactly as advertised. There has been NOTHING like this. Hybrid consoles are such a brilliant idea and only nintendo could pull it off first.

Even though I dont play it as much as I used too I still fire it up for all the exclusives. Monster hunter looks INSANE on this thing and I cant wait for more games to come to it.

If a switch pro or whatever comes along I will be buying it day 1.

 

[Sadist]

Happy b-day Switch!

Launch day was bizarre; It was pretty lowkey up till launch (got my system very easily) but I worked at an online store and launch day was insane;

- Launch stock was gone in a matter of seconds
- The calls of panicked people.... whew
- Please sir you need to understand, I need to play Breath of the Wild
- Sony on that day; you know what, lets get get crazy: just today and tomorrow, PS4 for € 299.

And the calls about new stock for Switch went on for months... from that point I knew Nintendo had a winner.

Personally I love the system. Played lots of games, enjoyed them and this year will be another banger

 

[Beatle]

Happy Birthday! it is a perfect gaming machine :)

 

[LukasManak22]

God we are old, i still remember NX days back then.

 

[Onix555]

Special shoutout to Disgaea 5 Complete for really helping to build a BIG JRPG audience for Switch. Xenoblade 2 wouldn't be out until Dec and I don't think BOTW really "counts".

Click to shrink...

NIS is the MLG of the Switch roster.

 

[Stairouais]

It's already been 4 years of 100% credible rumors and people asking for the switch pro ?!

time flies.

 

[Ravelle]

I remember walking through the toy and game stores looking at it behind glass, standing 10 minutes in front of it pondering if this is gonna be the Day I take it home and I never did.

I ordered one eventually and I love that thing.