“What’s one thing you did today?” I wrote a pro/con list to help me decide which Nintendo Switch to buy. Then I kept writing and… I wrote another 1000 words, but I have no plans of continuing tomorrow because this took wayyy too long xD This is a story of some of my experiences with gaming, nostalgia, researching what console to buy, and maybe reaching a conclusion.
Remember that?
I feel like I missed something. I didn’t have a game console growing up, but I have memories of when I crossed paths with them.
I remember when I was very young, my cousins had Nintendo DS’s, and they would play against each other in games I’ve long since forgotten. I have memories of my friends playing Pokémon at summer camp. Every spare moment, they’d be on their DS’s, training, battling, trading. It didn’t matter where we were. It didn’t matter what we were doing. In class, around the campfire, eating lunch, going to sleep: they’d be on the grind. I remember my friend playing “Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past” on his silver Gameboy Advance SP. I remember the darkness in our tent and the glow of the tiny screen, as he wandered Hyrule, and I observed like a ghost. I remember the desire, wishing that I too could explore new worlds.
Side note: this may make my childhood seem like one continuous train of jealousy, but these were sparse moments, not defaults. And I did play some games, just not in the way my friends did.
Theory
Handheld consoles can bring games away from the TV, inside a tent, beneath the covers, under the trees, or in a canoe. That’s what I want to experience. You could argue that games should stay inside; that summer camp shouldn’t be filled with Pokémon; that campfires aren’t backlights. And maybe you’d be right. And I’m glad for the memories I have of all the things I did instead of playing games. But that doesn’t change what I want now.
What do I want?
What is it I that want? I want some of what I missed. I want the vibe of playing on a DS under the covers. I want the warm safety of playing your favorite game wherever you are. I want the home-away-from-home feel of portable gaming. It’s about the vibe, the mood, the aesthetic, the small-world-in-a-world sense of safety. Beyond these reasons, I’m also interested in handheld gaming consoles because they’re objects of singular purpose, which I’ve written about here. The gist of the idea is that there’s no ambiguity in what I’m doing when I pick up a DS, for example. It’s clear to my brain: I’m gaming.
Time to buy?
Assuming I can buy nostalgia, let’s look at the options. The Nintendo DS has been discontinued for a few years. If it were current, I’d buy it without a second thought. So, let’s look at what Nintendo is making instead: the Switch. Now’s the part of the show where things get complicated. Nintendo makes 3 different models of Switch, each with different differences: the regular Switch, the Switch OLED, and the Switch Lite. The regular Switch can be played as a handheld device or connected to a TV (“docked”). The controllers on the sides (called Joy-Cons) slide off and enable playing with another person or playing motion-controlled games. The Switch OLED is essentially the same thing, but with a better screen. The Switch Lite is usually defined by the things it can’t do compared to the regular switch: it can’t dock, its Joy-Cons don’t slide off, and it can’t play motion-controlled games. This presents a dilemma. If I’m not entirely sure I need the docking feature, which should I get? Most people solve this by saying, “Get the regular switch, then if you ever want to dock or play local multiplayer, you can!” And they’re not wrong. However, if I were to dock a switch, it would be at my computer monitor because I don’t have a TV. But if I’m already sitting at my computer, I may as well play a game on my computer, which defeats the purpose. Lastly, I’m realistically never going to use the local multiplayer. Let’s simplify this: I’m looking for the DS, but modern. In Nintendo’s current lineup, which device is the most like the DS? It’s the Switch Lite. It has the most similarities: handheld only, no removable controllers, and its smaller size makes it most like the DS compared to the other two models. Of those other two models, I’d only really consider the OLED, because I feel like the better screen would be worth the cost. But I don’t want to invest $350 in a device unless I’m sure I’ll use it a lot. If at some other point I want to get a Switch OLED as well, I could. Okay, on to the pro/con list!
Switch Lite: Pro/Con list!
Pros:
- Pink
- Real D-Pad
- Better for handheld
- Sturdier build quality
- Slightly more portable
- Cheaper than the other switch models
Cons:
- No stand
- No rumble
- Joy-Con drift
- Not dockable
- No detachable Joy-cons
- No motion-controlled games
- Small text is harder to read
Do I care about the cons? Not really, but I’ll talk about Joy-Con drift in a moment.
Do I care about the pros? Yeah.
It seems like the Switch Lite is my perfect ticket to artificial nostalgic glory. One more thing, the inevitable thing when talking about the Switch: Joy-Con drift. Consistently the dark shadow on an otherwise sunny day is Joy-Con drift, when the analog sticks on the Switch register movement when you aren’t moving them. It usually occurs after using the controllers for some time, although theories of its cause vary. I’m not worried about it because Nintendo has a free repair program, and while buying a product I expect to break is not ideal in any sense, I’m sorta okay with it.
Now for the question after the question (the fun question!): What games would I play? Obviously: Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Hollow Knight, Super Mario Odyssey, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Celeste, Rain World, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, Unpacking, and everything else I can think of!
Overall, the Switch Lite seems like the best option. There are some other details, like buying used vs. new, but those can wait. I hope you found some of this interesting!
PS: my brain was very tired when I finished editing this, so please let me know if you see any mistakes!
Edit 4/13/2023 (next day): I meant Kirby and the Forgotten Land, not Kirby’s Return to Dream Land, although I may play it as well.
Banger post
❤️