Nintendo switch?

[whatheckman]

Hi,
I was hoping someone who has this console could give me the run down on what it's like please?
(Baring in mind you're talking to someone with absolutely no clue about these things)

So I was planning on buying one for DS 4th birthday, he plays the old wii when he gets the chance and copes fine with mario kart and the walking one where you go through the worlds/levels. So with that in mind would a switch and a couple of mario games be suitable?
Also would I need to buy a second controller for 2 player games or do those two tiny ones on the side count as two controllers?
Sorry I know I sound really dumb but if someone could explain it to me, how this console works and whether I'll need to buy anything extra I'd be really grateful!
Thanks

also thought it would be better than a small portable one as it can be more of a family game rather than being in his own little bubble! and you totally get that this is exactly how the Switch can be played?

Well I knew it had a small screen but too but I thought it was mostly a tv console with just extra little games for the small screen .

We have an old wii but as it's so old I thought it was obsolete. I hadn't thought of getting second hand games!!
I'm still thinking it'll be a nice treat for him though..argh I don't know now ha.

I'd give it a rethink. At 4 he will want to play the games on his own and it's very addictive.

Maybe if you buy some games for the wii you'll have more control over when he plays and less tantrums when he can't

Oh I have another question! Are the controls motion Ines as I've seen you can put them inside steering wheels like the wii?

Sorry just saw your message @JiltedJohnsJulie I was thinking of just not showing him the other smaller screen, I'm still not understanding it fully!

Cool, pleased to know you've thought of that stuff. The Switch is a looooovely device, one of my favourite toys, and I've got all the consoles stretching back to 1998 or so, most of them still hooked up.

The Switch can be used entirely on the telly, cable-tie it into the dock it comes with if you want to avoid having DS wielding it carelessly. The two controller "ears" can be used for two players on most games, or put together with a grippy thing (that comes with it) to make an approximation of a normal controller for one player.

You can also buy the "Pro controller" which is a normal one, so then you can have one person using the dual-ears and one on the pro controller. Budget another £60 for it though... another pair of ears plus a holder is £70+£30 though, even worse.

There are loads of great games in the £2-£20 range, but the big deal Nintendo ones (Mario Kart, Zelda - Breath of the Wild, Mario Odyssey etc) tend towards £50.

You have the choice of buying those high-end games on physical cartridge (like a triple-thick SD card), in which case you can sell them on later but on the downside they can be lost/eaten by a toddler, or by downloading them from the Nintendo eshop (on the Switch itself or on the website). The cheaper games are usually only on download.

After a dozen download games or so you'll need to buy a microSD card (128gig=£20=about sixty more games) to hold more.

The game prices vary, but there's usually a sale on. I recently got the download of Mario Kart for £30, but it's back up at £50 now.

There's a huge range of games from huge open worlds to explore (eg Zelda BOTW, Xenoblade, Okami) to arcade adventures (Mario Odyssey, Lego Incredibles) to tight claustrophobic platforming (Celeste, Hollow Knight) to happy bouncy platforming (Rayman, New Super Mario Bros, soon Mario Maker) to life stories (Stardew Valley, Moonlighter) to gorgeous arty things (Gris, Gorogoa) to shooty bang bang (Bangai-O, Doom, Wolfenstein) to indie stories (Undertale, Desert Child, Golf Story, too many more to mention!), there's something for everyone. Many more than what I've mentioned for most types of game. Hit up "best of" lists on the Internet and read reviews on Eurogamer and the like.

If you want to play Mario games on a big screen, and are not actually planning to use the Switch as a handheld, I think you would be mad to spend nearly £300 on it. Another suggestion which fits exactly what you're looking for is the Nintendo Classic Mini.

Play together on the TV - Check
Play Mario games - Check
Simple to use - Check
Not able to play without you seeing the screen - Check

store.nintendo.co.uk/nintendo-classic-mini-hardware/nintendo-classic-mini-super-nintendo-entertainment-system/11495711.html?affil=thggpsad&switchcurrency=GBP&shippingcountry=GB&ds_rl=1253622&source=ppc&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIm_ahytXA4AIVTbftCh1TXg0WEAYYASABEgJlbvD_BwE

Yes, all the controllers have motion control for the games that use it, the little plastic wheels you put the ears in are a bit pants though.

Best plastic peripheral so far is the drum for Taiko no Tatsujin. It's a bit spendy though.

What you see on the TV screen is what you would see on the builtin screen when you lift the Switch out of its TV dock. So it's the same games on TV or handheld.

The Switch (unlike the TV!) is touch sensitive, so there are a couple of games that use touchscreen that you have to play with it out of the dock. I'd suggest avoiding those, it'll lead to poking the TV!

All that said... On average, for the kid I'm still in favour of just getting some more Wii games, they're a couple of quid on ebay or in CEX/poundstretchers. But if you think you/others in the house are going to use it, get the Switch instead.

@SpoonBlender that's all so helpful thank you so much!! I didn't realise you could download games too. And I'm glad to hear that you can use it solely as a tv console, that was what was wondering and maybe when he's a bit older he can use the handheld one on long journeys etc.

Omg @IceRebel That's what I used to play as a child..the exact one, I loved it so much!! I didn't know you could buy them.. I am so tempted now!

The thing about the switch being a waste though, I'm not planning on never using it in that way..I was planning on that being our family games console for a long time to come ha.

I don't know now, maybe I'll wait a little while. There's no rush for it I guess and I haven't looked at the second hand wii games yet so that will probably be the best option for the moment.
And maybe by the time I come to buy the switch it'll be a little cheaper it does sound like a great console though!!

If you're into nostalgia toys there's a whole bunch of those "mini versions of consoles" out there now - NES, SNES, Megadrive, the ancient Atari fake wood things, Commodore 64, Spectrum, Playstation, doubless a bunch more non-legit ones too. All very silly :)

Oh - the Switch has it's own version. If you pay the £17/year for online access, one of the things you get is a steadily expanding bunch of NES games included. Current list here: www.nintendo.com/switch/online-service/nes/

Why is it I only ever see that I've typoed "it's" when I've already pressed the post button? Aargh.

It is really well done. I was totally sceptical but I'm a convert.

They are bringing out a new version this year (we think probably an XL screen?) so the original should reduce in price.

If it's for a four year old I'd recommend getting a cheap third party controller and letting him use that, it will be cheaper to replace if it gets broken, it should work just as well and it will be easier to use.

One of the very nice things is it is so portable and easy to take with you. Either using the small screen on the console itself or simply by bringing the dock with you to Grandma's house or the holiday home or whatever. It's set up instantly and you can play on any TV (as long as it's modern enough to have a HDMI port).