By Kassadi Moore
The Spectator
The Nintendo Switch was released just under a month ago, and 2.74 million consoles have already been bought worldwide, according to venturebeat.com. The systems have been so popular, distributors are cannot get their shelves stocked.
Bangor resident and lifelong gamer Cody Cook signed up for notifications from Best Buy, Target and Walmart to be alerted when a store had the Switch in stock. Once he received the notification, he immediately tried to purchase a Switch, but it took him three tries to complete a transaction before the Switches were sold out.
“At first, I wasn’t that hyped about it, because it just seemed like a remodel of the Wii U,” Cook said. “It wasn’t until the Legend of Zelda came came out with the release of the console and people said how great the game was, and me being such a big fan of the series, I really wanted to get the system just because of the game.”
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has sold 2.76 million copies, which is 0.02 million more copies than the console. Breath of the Wild can only be played on the Switch.
“That goes to show how popular the game is being paired with the Switch,” said Cook. He said if it wasn’t for Breath of the Wild being released, and the reviews on the game being so positive, he would not hav
e bought a Switch.
The Switch is a gaming console device that allows the user to switch between a portable, handheld version, to a tradition version displayed on a TV. The console is equipped with a touch screen and motion controls. “One of the things I really like about it, I mean, it was the selling point of the console itself, is that how easy it can go from one format to the other,” said Cook.
Breath of the Wild did not use the touch screen, and Cook said he did not like the motion controls the game used. Cook hopes that games will be made for the Switch that will use all the features successfully. He thinks games adapting to console more could be more innovative, and create a better gaming experience. Cook said the ability to switch gaming mode can be a feature designers directly involve in their games. Cook takes game design classes online and aspires to be a game designer.
“The battery on the Switch, it’s not that great,” said Cook. While Cook says there are improvements that could be made, he said it’s understandable. He said these negative aspects are not devastating, but more of something to consider when buying a device ringing up around $300. “I don’t think there are really any breaking, bad things,” said Cook.
