The Nintendo Switch was released earlier this year and has been a resounding success. From the quality and quantity of titles that have already hit the system to the smart design of the console itself, the Switch has been firing on all cylinders.
That being said, its not perfect and has room for improvement. While overall I'm very happy with my system, here’s a list of my top 5 biggest disappointments with the Nintendo Switch.
Price of accessories
I understand that there’s a lot of tech in the Joycons, but $80 for a pair is absurd. I’d be perfectly happy to drop $50 or even $60 for a pair of controllers so we can enjoy four-player Switch games with friends, but $80 just seems insane.
Additionally, the price of additional docks is similarly outrageous. For what is mostly a USB dock with HDMI output and some additional processing power, the price of this thing is ridiculous. When you can purchase an entire Amazon Kindle Fire tablet for $50, charging $90 for a Switch dock seems like you’re fleecing your customers.
Joycon issues
Size
As someone with giant hands, playing two-player games using individual Joycons is problematic. Not only does it make reaching all the controls difficult, contorting my mitts around them is flat-out uncomfortable and long sessions becomes a little painful. Perhaps a solution will eventually surface to remedy this issue, but until I break down and buy an overpriced pro controller, I’ll need to deal with the problem.
Bugs
Many people, myself included have experienced input issues with the Joycons. Most have reported connection issues with the left Joycon and I’ve had problems with the controller missing button presses on the right one. Hopefully these problems can be fixed with firmware updates.
Missing video services and apps
While it doesn’t matter a whole lot to myself, there have been a lot of people scratching their heads about the lack of apps and streaming services on the Switch. While they wouldn’t be terribly useful if you’re with your Switch at the park, it would be nice to have the option to fire up Netflix or YouTube if you’re in range of public wi-fi.
I understand that Nintendo wants the Switch to maintain itself as a dedicated gaming platform, but these features would be welcomed by many owners. In addition, including social media apps would make sharing screenshots and videos of your gameplay much easier.
Lack of UI customization
Another minor issue is the UI for the system. While its very attractive and uses a clean minimalist design that’s a welcome departure from the clunky and awkward interfaces of the Wii and Wii U, it offers almost no customization. Settings allow you to change the theme to light or dark, but how the interface is laid out is set in stone. I’d prefer some customization options for not only colors and themes, but to adjust the layout to my personal preference.
Generic case spines
Ok, I will admit this is definitely a nitpick, but as a collector its something that bothers me. Every game features a solid red spine, and all titles released by Nintendo and most by third-parties uses a plain, generic white font while others use a more interesting logo title on the spine.
This inconsistency and default boring artwork simply looks dull and erratic sitting on the shelf. I wish they’d adopted the same method as nearly every other console and used a unique piece of art or stylized text for the spine artwork.