STACK NZ February 2017 Issue 81

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The last entry into the home entertainment
market from the makers of Mario was the
Wii U back in 2012. In the lead-up to the
reveal of its new hardware in October last year,
rumours were circulating and pundits predicting
just what Nintendo had in store for its next foray
into the console market.
Formerly known under its working title of NX,
the Nintendo Switch is a console designed for
use both in the comfort of your own home and
on the run. Boasting a 6.2” touchscreen and two
detachable Joy-Con controllers (yeah, they’re
actually called that), the console is as innovative
as it is daring. But does it work?
In short, the answer is yes. The Switch has
Nintendo’s brand written all over it, from the
A/B/X/Y button configuration to the coloured –
and appropriately named – Joy-Con controllers.
The press event held in Melbourne filled a
room with everything Nintendo had to offer
us, along with over 100 media and industry
representatives eager to see – and play – the
Switch.
Directly inside was an intriguing giant glass
case (1-2-Switch – we’ll get to that later) and
despite unfortunately not being bundled with
the console. The Switch's screen itself is
comparatively small, however thankfully doesn't
quite reach the overwhelming size of the Wii U
GamePad. When swapping the console fromTV
to handheld, the split between screens is almost
seamless.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is, as expected, a heap
of fun. It’s a port of 8 from the Wii U with all the
DLC included, and even sees the return of Battle
Mode; longtime fans of the game will particularly
enjoy this touch of nostalgia. The Joy-Cons in this
game are comfortable enough, but we can see
the edges becoming irritating after long periods
of time. Before you ask – yes, there is a wheel.
A pleasant surprise (following its
underwhelming reveal trailer) was Arms. If
you’re having trouble imagining it, think Wii
Sports Boxing meets Street Fighter. You have a
roster of characters to choose from, each with
varying manoeuvrability, whose gloves you can
then customise to each hand. In-game, you
use the Joy-Cons to pummel your opponent
to oblivion, providing quite the cardio workout.
Arms’ appeal lies in its absolute absurdity, and
Last month, we got hands-on with Nintendo’s latest console – the Switch.
Words Alesha Kolbe
dotted around the outside of the room were the
rest of the highly-anticipated titles.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild had
a queue no matter when you walked past – and
rightly so. Having checked this out in a Wii U
build previously, it was refreshing to finally see
it on what appeared to be the platform it was
designed for.
The Pro controller is the more comfortable
control scheme for Breath of the Wild,
14 FEBRUARY 2017
...designed for use
both in the comfort
of your own home
and on the run
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