Nintendo switch- questions

[HalfBakedReview]

Hi, i would be hugely grateful for some advice about the Nintendo switch.

My DS aged 11 is desperate for one. Mainly to play Animal crossing.

I know nothing about it, and would ordinarily have him research and choose his own, but I want him to have something to open on the day and as a surprise.

Can i ask;

• is the Nintendo switch Lite pretty much the same or should we go just for the Nintendo switch. (Which really means what is the difference?!)

Do you have to purchase extra games or do games come with it? (Or both). Do any games come with it?

Is it internet based and so you play with others online?

Apologies, these might be very stupid questions but I am not sure what i am doing and googling is making me confused.

TIA!

I don't have the full Switch only the Lite but I play Animal Crossing on it and it's fine. You can do everything in the game on the Lite. I think with the full Switch you can use it as a console to play on a TV screen, whereas the Lite is just a handheld console.

You don't get any games with it. You have to purchase them either as physical cartridges from shops or as downloads from the online store. There are a handful of free games to download and some very cheap ones but the major ones are expensive.

Yes you can play Animal Crossing and some other games online with others but you don't have to. You can only do that if you have an extra paid subscription so if you don't want him playing with strangers you can easily prevent it.

Just to add, the Switch has limited storage space so for the bigger games like Animal Crossing and Mario Karts, it's better to buy the physical cartridges.

The switch lite can only be used as a handheld console as it is. The normal switch can be docked and connected to the TV so it can be played on a bigger screen and you can take the joy cons off to use as a controller. You can also play 2 player versions of games using the normal switch like Mario Kart. There's a big price difference between the two and I think a switch lite would be most suitable if it's mainly being used alone to play AC

You have to purchase the games separately. You can buy them on the device or buy the physical game to put into the device (I'd recommend this as you can get the games much cheaper second hand from places like CEX). Some consoles come in a bundle with a game, there's usually a lot of animal crossing bundles. There are some free games but not many, I know fortnite is free.

You don't need Internet to play AC, it can be played offline. You need to have online access for some aspects like visiting other people's islands but the majority of the game is spent playing alone on your own island. If you visit someone else's island it can be a friend or it can be a random person's but there are strict chat filters and it's only really used to discuss trades like fruit.

this is all great, thankyou so much.

If you are planning on buying and downloading games, you can buy an SD card to increase capacity.

Physical games are good if you want to sell a game on once the kids have got bored with it. They are also good for in 10 years time when you want to play a game, but the eshop has closed.

Thanks. I think deffo physical games sound the way to go. The CEX hint is much appreciated!

I was leaning towards the Lite but reading this DH is saying the full so we can hook it up.

Some come with a games bundle but make sure the games are ones he will like. Animal crossing is more fun on a bigger screen as are multiple player games

Argos have a bundle at the moment for the Switch lite, animal crossing and 3 months Nintendo online membership and its £239. The switch lite alone is £200. Whereas if you're buying the standard switch you're looking at £280± for the console alone!

You can play animal crossing on some older console as well, wii u I think. If that's the only game he wants this will be cheaper and you can upgrade later if he wants to pay online, different games etc

@BertieBotts it's not the same game, I've played the different versions of animal crossing since the beginning and the newest one on the switch is definitely the best. The newest one, which I'm guessing is the one OPs child has seen as it only came out in March, isn't available on the wii u, only the switches.

OP, I have a switch, my son has the lite. We like hooking mine up to the tv for games like mario party - multiplayer games - and I personally like the extra features of the switch but the switch lite is a lot better for kids if not bothered about the tv element as it's lighter, better colours, and does almost everything a switch does. The feature that aren't included like joycon rumble and detachable joycons are less of an issue for kids - less likely to break the joycons since they aren't removable, on the switch they slide out but are easy to snap (as evidenced by DS on mine!) I agree with others about physical games in case they get bored and you want to trade them in later on. They don't come with a game but you can probably find a decent bundle at game or argos etc which comes with animal crossing and saves you some money (whether you get the switch or the lite), and there are some cheap and free games. To be honest, switch games are not that much cheaper in second hand shops than new. I went to buy a game for my son and it was the same price in cex as it was to buy new. Make sure you look around and don't assume they are going to be cheaper, sometimes they are the same price or you can get a deal/reward scheme which means they end up cheaper.

Don't have experience of the lite but most people with more than 1 player in the family say that the standard one is much better and you have the dual controls with that one.
Of all the consoles, this one seems to have the most expensive games overall although there is not that much in it. Animal Crossing is expensive to buy but often bundled with a console as the first game, so that would be worth researching. Amazon Prime also have some kind of deal on the online membership, I think there is a way of registering with no charge if you already have Prime but there is some kind of middle step (not just having Prime) to do that.

This is all brilliant info thanks.!

I’d definitely get physical games as you can sell them on when you’re finished with them!

Please can I ask a question of my own? DS has the latest Zelda game for Christmas and he says he needs a memory card as he’s short of storage. Does he need one if he uses a physical game cartridge to play it? The only game he has digitally downloaded is Fortnite.

I got my DS the lite last year. I didn’t bother with the full console because I knew he’d only use the handheld version anyway. He mostly plays Fortnite on it nowadays but he has four games for it (which he’s completed- sigh). We bought a bundle from Curry’s so it came with Pokemon sword or shield, we bought a Zelda game separate then he got two games for his birthday in March.

Check out bundle deals but they don’t come with a game as standard, no.

@ladycatstark I have zelda breath of the wild and it's a massive game, not sure if that's the one your son has or another but although he game itself will not need space, the save data will, so if he doesn't have more storage he won't be able to save his progress, plus updates and any extras that you can purchase are stored on the switch storage, not the game cartridge. So yes, I would recommend getting a memory card!

Thanks @MummytoCSJH I think that’s the one I’ve got him so I’ll definitely get him a memory card.

Thanks all. i am so glad I posted you have all helped enormously. :)