Nintendo Switch; One year old and still the bomb!

When I last wrote about the Nintendo Switch my family had two of them. Now we have five! Clearly we need to work on sharing in my tribe. We’re not in the habit of purchasing each family member their own console but the portability of the system demands it. How are we supposed to share a system that each person wants to take with them? We have Switch docks attached to the TV’s in our living room, basement, and bedroom so big screen gaming is an option for every one too.

Even when we’re all at home, having our own screen is great. You can find us chillin’ on the couch, each playing our own favorite several nights a week. We also play some games together, Splatoon 2 and Mario Kart are our favorite group games.  I’m still taking my system to work so I can play it at lunch almost every day and a few of my co-workers have them now as well.

The system is not without its issues; to me the biggest problem is that Nintendo still hasn’t provided a way to back up your save data. The fact that you can move your profile shows that a backup solution is possible; come on Nintendo get with the program. None of your customers want to lose their 200+ hour BoTW saved game data. Also, the kickstand just sucks.

Saved data issues aside, the Switch is still the most played system in our home and we have all the platforms. Our current favorites are the afore-mentioned Breath of the Wild, and Splatoon 2 along with Doom, Skyrim, Mario Oddessy, and Star Dew Valley. Games and updates are released for the console in an ever quickening pace and more developers are jumping on the platform every day.

There have been several firmware updates since my last post about the system and I’ve spent a lot of time playing. Below are a few tips and tricks that you may not have discovered.

• USB Wireless headsets are supported – If your USB headset uses a wireless dongle there’s a good chance it will work with your switch now. Plug the dongle into the port on the front of your dock.
• There are several cheap, small, USB-C port replicators that work as Switch docks. I have this one and it works great.
• If you hold down the home button you’ll get a mini pop-up that lets you adjust your volume and screen brightness in-game.
• If you have multiple switches in your home, consider buying games on cartridges. You’ll save money by being able to trade the games back and forth.