The Nintendo Switch is here! Officially!
As of Friday March 3, you can go out and buy Nintendo's new hybrid game console that blends the home game console concept with that of a handheld. You can play it on a TV. You can play it in your hands.
This is the Nintendo Switch:
Nintendo
Left: Home console form factor Right: Portable console form factor
The $300 game console can do one thing right out of the box: play games off of Nintendo's new Game Cards (which resemble thick SD cards). You can't access Nintendo's digital storefront (the eShop), or play games online with friends. You can't even use the Switch's microSD storage function right out of the box.
That's because the console that ships to retail stores and homes on March 3 requires an update to light up the aforementioned functionality. It's a common practice, known as a "day one" update - you connect the console to your home internet, and the console pulls down a file that updates the system.
Think of it like an OS update on your phone, but for a game console.
Nintendo
Here's what that process looked like on my Nintendo Switch.
Admittedly, the concept can be frustrating. You get home with your new console and the first thing you have to do is download something.
Thankfully, the process is a snap on the Switch - at least in my experience. The file itself wasn't very large (~100MB), so the download and installation process took under five minutes. Here's everything in the update, according to Nintendo:
- "Play games with your friends online."
- "Add players to your friend list."
- "Share screenshots from your album to Facebook and Twitter."
- "Browse and shop for digital content on Nintendo eShop."
- "Keep up-to-date with new games, eShop discounts, and promotions via the news feature."
- "The option to turn on your TV automatically when placing the Nintendo Switch in the Nintendo Switch Dock."
Additionally, the update enables the use of microSD cards - before the update, the Switch recognizes that a microSD card is inserted, but won't allow it to be used for storage.
Nintendo
After you've completed the process you'll see the screen above, and that's it - you're all set! Go download games, play "Super Bomberman R" online with friends, and ... okay let's be real, you're just gonna play "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild," aren't you?
Good call.