GQ South Africa — May 2017

TECHNOLOGY

Words by Joshua Rivera

28 GQ.CO.ZA MAY 2017

SWITCH

IT UP

A game console that works just as

well plugged into your TV as on

the go is the kind of crazy idea

we like. But will gamers love it?

N

intendo, it seems, is committed to trying

wild stuff, and hoping you’ll love it. Like the

Nintendo Switch. It’s a home console that you

can also take on the go, built to be shared

with friends, like a pizza. It sounds strange and unwieldy

but extremely compelling. Here’s how it’ll work: at home,

Nintendo Switch rests in the dock that connects the

system to the TV and lets you play with family and

friends. By lifting the console from the dock, the system

will instantly transition to portable mode, and that same

gaming experience now travels with you.

The Switch is controlled with the Joy-Con, the trick

of which is in its modularity – the sides of the portable

display portion of the console can slide off and function

as two controllers, or slide into a larger gamepad for

multiple players.

On paper, it’s very cool. However, there are some

practical concerns – questions to be answered before we

jump on the hype train: how long do the batteries last in

portable mode? How much storage space does it have?

How much does it all cost? Will the left Joy-Con fault be

fi xed? But overall, the Nintendo Switch looks like a really

elegant way to pull off no-boundaries gaming.

And the games look cool! Not only does the product

trailer show the gorgeous Zelda game running, but it

also includes footage of fantasy role-playing favourite

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and what looks like a

brand-new Mario game. The implication here is that

Nintendo isn’t just going to bring its classic franchises

to Nintendo Switch, but that big

publishers are on board, hopefully

bringing Call of Duty-sized hits to the

console and keeping it competitive

with the Playstations and Xboxes of

the world.

Nintendo remains interesting and

relevant not only because it continues

to make fun Mario games, but

because it’s one of the only video

game companies really interested in

changing how you play, whereas most

console makers are concerned with

what you play. We’re looking forward

to the seamless, practical experience

being sold here.

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