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Canadians line up to get first crack at Nintendo Switch

Nintendo Switch
Nintendo fans lined up at the EB Games store in Toronto last night to get first crack at the Switch.

Stores were lined up around the block last night across North America in preparation for the midnight release of the Nintendo Switch, and Canada was no different, with scores of Zelda fans out in force.

“Thanks to our loyal fans for braving the cold and sharing their excitement at the EB Games midnight openings tonight! #NintendoSwitch”, tweeted @NintendoCanada fifteen minutes prior to the midnight release, showing a sizable lineup.

By now, you’ve probably heard about the Nintendo Switch. This console targets a different audience than the more hardcore systems like the Xbox 1 and Playstation 4 Pro. Switch is a sort of hybrid gaming system; it has a docking station that allows it to be connected to your TV or monitor, or you can take the controller apart and connect to the device itself for on-the-go gaming (picture an iPad with joysticks). Sadly, the resolution on the Switch is only 1280 x 720, instead of the new norm of 1920 x 1080.

Could the Switch be dead-on-arrival for hardcore gamers? As I mentioned in a previous article, the rather lackluster processor and graphics card might barely be able to support 1080P gaming and might not even be able to handle the current generation of games, unless the resolution is dropped to 720P (which it is). Reviewers are also saying that the battery life is less than satisfactory, especially for a device with a main selling point of “gaming on the go”.

Switch consoles are being sold for $400 retail sold out almost as soon as the doors would open, leaving those who had not purchased a pre-order emptyhanded. Thankfully the Switch does not have high expectations to live up to, as its predecessor the Wii-U was an absolute disaster. Amazon.ca has the Switch available, but for insane prices ranging from $620 – $1823 from scalpers as the official stock sold out almost instantly exclusively to those who were signed up for Amazon Prime.

“Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” is the only major game that has been released for the switch as of now, and it’s getting amazing feedback online. It carries the AAA title price of $80 and appears to be worth every cent, unlike the Switch itself, which some are saying is too expensive for what it is. Zelda managed to score nearly 100% rating across every major reviewer including GameSpot, IGN, and Metacritic. Other titles such as Mario Kart and Skyrim will be released soon, and another Super Mario can also be expected towards the end of this year, but at the moment those appear to be the only major titles that I can find.

“Breath of the Wild is a defining moment for The Legend of Zelda series, and the most impressive game Nintendo has ever created,” says Gamespot author Peter Brown, who after spending hours testing it.

Personally, I was very skeptical of the Nintendo Switch, and it definitely has its downsides. But if Nintendo can put out a few more games that look as good as Zelda does I would seriously consider purchasing one for myself.

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