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Original poster

Are Nintendo switches worth it?

46 replies

16more · 08/09/2020 13:47

Ds will be 10 at Christmas and really wants a Nintendo switch. Can’t believe how expensive they are!! Are they really worth it? We are a WiFi free house as well so does that mean my ds won’t be able to do loads of stuff that it’s meant to be able to do?

OP posts:
GalaxyCookieCrumble · 08/09/2020 13:50

No absolutely not, my kids never play with theirs after begging for one.

beakyboo10 · 08/09/2020 13:57

I have just collected one from PC World this morning for my sons 7th birthday, he has wanted one for ages to play Minecraft on. I am pretty sure that you can play it without connecting it to the wifi. My husband is already eyeing up other games for it so no doubt it will just be used for Mario type games.

MooseBeTimeForSummer · 08/09/2020 14:01

The only disadvantage I can see is that you’ll just have to buy the games in a store as opposed to downloading them. Having said that, the memory on it isn’t large so you can’t keep many save on it directly unless you buy a bigger card.
My son is 8 and loves his. It’s the only console we have. He also loves the Labo kits he got for his birthday.

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Bunnymumy · 08/09/2020 14:01

As a gamer myself and one who was raised on nintendo...no.

I use my xbox one about 5-10 times more than my switch.

3ds xl was good value for money though. The amount of use I got from it. And still do tbf.

But I wouldnt bother with a switch, especially considering you wont use it for internet (and can't watch Netflix on it anyway). Go 3ds or pc for a 10 year old i think. In a few years time maybe a playstation or xbox.

I dont think I would recomend a switch to anyone tbh. Unless they are longtime fans of the zelda or super smash bros series. Which a 10 year old wont be.

Save your dosh.

Bunnymumy · 08/09/2020 14:05

That being said, for under 10s it might be ok tbf (though I would still go 3ds) but by 10...I doubt they'll get much use. Better off waiting till they are xbox age and just sticking with oc or cheaper consoles till then.

ChrissyPlummer · 08/09/2020 14:05

Some games require a connection to WiFi. Some also need WiFi to run updates and without updates some will not allow the game to be played until the update is installed. You also need WiFi to create a Nintendo account. I have a Switch Lite; only got a couple of games as they’re expensive! I do use it every day though.

TrollTheRespawnJeremy · 08/09/2020 14:06

Depends on what kind of gamer your kid is. We like platformers and mystery games and racers. Not a fan of shoot em ups or war games. So it's great for us.

binkyblinky · 08/09/2020 14:06

We absolutely love the versatility of ours. It gets played as much as our playstations

GetTheStartyParted · 08/09/2020 14:10

I think @Bunnymumy has it spot on.

My DS got one when he was around 10 and it's only been used a handful of times - usually when his cousins want to. He much prefers his xbox one.

My DD bought herself one (she is 24) as she loves Zelda and Supersmash Bros and she plays on hers a lot.

EnglishGirlApproximately · 08/09/2020 14:12

We got one during lockdown for my 8yo as he'd been begging for one for a couple of years, and as his birthday party had to be cancelled very last minute we decided to bite the bullet. Its great and gets used a lot here. As a pp said it depends what kind of games he likes but DS loves anything Mario, lego or smash bros so for him its perfect. We play it as two player too so great for a family console.

We also like the portability of it for when we have long flights or ferry trips.

I wouldn't normally spend so much on a present but don't regret a penny of it.

LadyCatStark · 08/09/2020 14:19

Ds is 11 and has just got one and loves it. His PlayStation is now redundant. He’s not much of a gamer at all though so it’s ‘enough’ for him. I think serious gamers will prefer XBox or PlayStation and children who just want to play the odd fun game will enjoy the switch. It’s great that he can take it on long journies.

Levatrice · 08/09/2020 14:34

I would say no.Both of mine begged for months to get one; got them as xmas presents. Played with maybe 5/6 times since then!!!

Scbchl · 08/09/2020 14:41

Nope they are rubbish. Most people I know have had to send them back with issues mainly the controllers disconnecting and sliding out mid play. My son doesnt play with his now at all. Its sat in a drawer for months. And the games are extortionate.

angelaEhen · 08/09/2020 14:44

The controller are rubbish keeps drifting, we have to send it back for repair. Started happening after a year, that said my 5 year old loves it

tisonlymeagain · 08/09/2020 14:45

I have one, I love it. Play on it every day!

ritzbiscuits · 08/09/2020 14:51

We absolutely love ours, I have a 6 year old who plays a mix of platform games, Mario, Pokemon, Minecraft etc. My DH isn't a gamer at all, but would 100% say it's been worth the money for us.

Still, at age 10, I'd be considering a more grown up console, especially when he going to secondary school, most kids will be on Xbox or Playstation. Still, that's when online play comes into it's own, so I'd personally be looking at setting up wifi too.

TakemedowntoPotatoCity · 08/09/2020 14:58

Now I am worried! This was going to be dd's main 9th bday present as she is desperate to play Animal Crossing. But I was thinking more along the lines of the switch lite ( I think this is the handheld one?) Don't want to waste money though. Any better way of getting to play AC?

safariboot · 08/09/2020 14:58

Well the Switch has been popular which is why the price is stubbornly high.

I don't know how well they behave without wifi, but probably better than a PS4 would.

Switch Lite is a handheld and cheaper. But no good if he wants to invite friends round for multiplayer.

3DS/2DS family are much cheaper, but they're the outgoing handhelds now, and your son might be disappointed that it's not a Switch.

Roomba · 08/09/2020 15:00

I got one for DS's 8th birthday in July. So far, it's had a lot of of use - we all enjoy Mariokart so played it a lot over the summer together. It's a good console for under 10s and handy for long journeys too. DS was able to play against his best friend online as he has one too, suspect he only begged for one as his friend has one tbh!

Compared to something like a ps4 or xbox it isn't great - seems to have mostly games for younger kids and there aren't any decent apps available to use on it as there are on other consoles (but as you don't have WiFi that's irrelevant, that would also limit what you could do with other consoles too). And games are very pricey unless they are on special offer (online only, saved a fortune with a couple of games we downloaded). Secondhand games in places like CEX cost almost as much as brand new.

If you have no other console or tablet it may be worth it, or if you're buying it to play specific Nintendo only games. I suspect ours won't get used that much now school is back on and the novelty has worn off a bit.

RiseUpWiseUpEyesUp · 08/09/2020 15:04

We have a switch and a switch lite, I would say it’s worth it based on the fact it got me through lockdown and I’ve wracked up about 500 hours on animal crossing (@TakemedowntoPotatoCity ACNH is a switch exclusive)

If he loves minecraft, the switch is a great console for younger people and I think it would get a lot of use personally. I would get the full switch for the higher price, it’s just as portable and there’s loads of good multiplayer games for it. The lite is fine but I much prefer the full switch, I’ve had no issues with it at all.

Original poster
16more · 08/09/2020 15:20

So what’s the difference between switch and the switch lite? I must prefer the price of the lite Grin

OP posts:
RiseUpWiseUpEyesUp · 08/09/2020 15:24

The switch has two separate controllers that you can detach, and then play multiplayer (and if he has friends with switches they can bring theirs and play too) and it connects to the TV so you can have it on a bigger screen which is handy for some games. The lite doesn’t have detachable controllers or connect to the TV. That’s the only difference, in terms of quality they are both equally good!

DeeTractor · 08/09/2020 15:27

You can't play the switch lite on the tv; it's purely a handheld

Just on the subject of controllers, I've had my switch since launch and it's been used pretty much daily in that time. Never had any problems.

JeanBodel · 08/09/2020 15:27

Switch connects to TV, Switch Lite is hand-held only.

We have two and have not had any problems, we love them. Animal Crossing has been great at getting us through lockdown.

RiseUpWiseUpEyesUp · 08/09/2020 15:29

Another thing to add is the they have good resale value, as a PP said the games can be expensive but they don’t really go down in price so if it isn’t getting any use, it’s easy to sell