By Max Shapiro

This article summarizes the Nintendo Switch’s software. See Part 1 to learn about the hardware side of things.

As for Switch’s OS and general interface: I’ve got to say Nintendo’s done a pretty outstanding job here. The interface is very clean and lightyears faster than the Wii U’s ever was. Doing anything, whether it’s jumping in and out of games and applications, downloading/updating software, or syncing controllers, couldn’t be quicker. Another handy feature is the addition of a sleep mode. Now if you want to power the console down completely, hold down the power button down for a bit and you’ll see the option to do so. But pressing the button without holding it down puts the system in sleep mode, meaning that when you turn it back on, you can jump right back into your game exactly where you left off. However, I will say that the OS, as great it is, feels a little bare-bones right now. Unlike the Wii U, the Switch lacks an internet browser and also doesn’t support streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Video. Nintendo has stated that these features will probably be added in the future, but we have no idea when that is.

As for the console’s online functionality….well, it’s kind of complicated. As of right now, certain online features like voice chat and friend lobbies aren’t possible on the Switch. However, on July 21, Nintendo will launch the “Nintendo Switch Online” app, which you can download on a smart device. Its description is as follows on Nintendo’s website: “With the app, you can send online play invitations to players on your Nintendo Switch system’s friend list. The app also lets you quickly send invites via social networks and messaging services. When you’re invited to a game, you’ll get notified right away via a push notification on your smart device. Once players are connected, you can use voice chat openly with friends while in the online lobby and during online play (depending on the game).” This will be initially be free, but will become a paid service sometime next year. The service itself seems promising enough, but unless the Switch really couldn’t handle it (which I doubt), it honestly seems a little ridiculous that the online functionality is tied to an app instead of just being baked into the console’s OS (update: apparently the app is really not great. Maybe it’ll be improved through updates, but for now I’d stick with Skype or Discord for voice chat).

But of course, the real meat and potatoes of a game console is, quite shockingly, its games. And after the Nintendo Switch Presentation back in January and Nintendo’s showing at E3 2017 last month, it’s looking like the Switch is going to deliver big-time. The thing has only been out for four months but has already seen the release of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in March as a launch title, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe in April, and ARMS (a brand new IP from Nintendo) in June. And for the remainder of the year, we’ve got Splatoon 2 coming this month, a weird but sort of awesome-looking Mario/Rabbids crossover in August, an enhanced version of the Wii U fighting title Pokkén Tournament in September, both Fire Emblem Warriors and Super Mario Odyssey and in October, and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 sometime this holiday season—that’s an extremely solid first year. But 2018 and beyond is looking just as strong, if not stronger: a new Yoshi game, a new Kirby game, a new Fire Emblem game, a new Pikmin game, a new Pokémon game (the first to ever come to a home console), and Metroid Prime 4 (a game fans have been wanting see announced for nearly a decade) are all on the way.

Unfortunately though, third-party support is still pretty iffy. Not to say it’s nonexistent, though: Sega’s Sonic Mania and Sonic Forces, EA’s FIFA 18, 2K’s NBA 2K18, Square Enix’s Dragon Quest 11, and Bethesda’s Skyrim (though it actually might not be the Special Edition remaster released for PS4 and Xbox One last year), among a few other notable titles, are all coming to the Switch. And there’s also the Ubisoft-developed Mario/Rabbids crossover I mentioned before. But as for other big names like Madden NFL, Call of Duty, and Assassin’s Creed, that remains to be seen. Nintendo scared off third-party developers pretty badly with the Wii U, but hopefully they’ll have brought them back by the end of the Switch’s lifespan. I’m sure plenty of people will want to play these kinds of games on the go, even if they look a little worse visually compared other versions.

And finally, Nintendo has nailed something with the Switch that they completely botched with the Wii U: the messaging. The ads Nintendo has run for the console all clearly and concisely show off its capabilities and what makes it appealing. If you take a look at these commercials, it’s clear Nintendo has a much better understanding of who their core demographic is these days: not little kids, but young adults who grew up with their games.

So is the Nintendo Switch perfect? No, of course not. But in spite of the few issues it has, I continue to be very optimistic about its future. I think Nintendo has created something really special here, and as long they keep releasing the great games they’re known for making, I think the Switch has got a long life ahead of it.