I really enjoy the design of the Nintendo Switch and I see it as inspirational.
I write all these design observations from my time with this product. My boyfriend and I bought a Nintendo Switch in late 2019. We’ve taken it on holiday with us, to University and to other people’s houses - with the majority of playtime happening at home. When taking it abroad to Europe the Switch used in handheld mode could be passed between us to play single-player games. We also often removed the controllers on the sides during travel to play multiplayer games such as Mario Kart. The colour differences of the controllers not only gives the Switch a striking design but also helps to distinguish players. The controllers are programmed to vibrate during different interactions, such as successfully drifting. This is flair, however, during games such as Mario Party, there are mini-games that require you to feel the controller’s vibrations in order to be skillful.
Within the Switch software, there are options to make up to 8 player profiles with different play times meaning that my playtime on single-player games is separated from my boyfriend’s games. This is also great for family shared Switches, which most of my friends have. When purchasing the Nintendo Online subscription in order to access online capabilities Nintendo allows you to have up to 8 ‘family’ members. These are anyone who owns a Nintendo account, meaning that 8 friends can split the payment to make it cheaper. Not limiting this subscription to one Switch encourages players to make connections to others with the same console. I find even as I walk around with this console I meet people in the same community.
Once during a party, we intended to bring out our Switch so people could play Mario Kart on a TV. It was simple to set up - requiring the docking station, charger, and common HDMI cable as well as the Switch. The game functioned well with someone else’s Switch controller that they brought in and also allowed the use of a phone app - however added flair such as vibration was lost.
The size of the ordinary Switch is about the size of a brochure. Large enough that you can see everything happening on the screen and have the opportunity for split-screen. However, small enough that it can fit into a bag easily and can be carried by one hand. The use of game cartridges for store-bought games means that games can be complex and not fill up the memory - but there is still memory space available for games bought online. The attention to how the user will interact with this console is amazing.
In short, I really enjoy the exterior and software design for the Nintendo Switch and see it as a great family, friends and self console with much functionality.