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I bought my Nintendo Switch in March 2020 because I was excited about new releases like Animal Crossing and didn’t own any consoles. As a kid, I loved my Wii dearly, and thought a Switch would duplicate the nostalgia. Unfortunately, my Switch now sits on a shelf collecting dust.
Here are some of the reasons I regret buying the Switch…
1Nintendo-Exclusive Games Are Repetitive
I grew up with a Wii and 3DS, so I played a lot of the older Animal Crossing, Mario, Zelda, and Ace Attorney games. Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Super Mario Bros. Wonder feel like a copy and paste of their older counterparts. I haven’t found many Nintendo titles that I find fun and original that justify the high cost of $60 to $70.
A significant portion of the Switch’s games are also reboots or remasters of old titles, so the lack of novelty is a major drawback.
2There’s No Robust Trophy System
Screenshot by Marissa Zupancic — no attribution
My favorite aspect of gaming is collecting trophies. When I got my PlayStation 5, I started going through all the trophies for games like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and the Resident Evil 4 Remake. I love to track my progress in the game through my PlayStation account, too.
The Switch doesn’t have as big of a trophy system that shows progress across games as easily, which is another reason I don’t play it much.
3I Can Find the Same Games on Other Platforms
Many of the games that are available on the Switch are also available on other platforms. For example, even though I own Stardew Valley on Steam, I wanted to play it in handheld mode.
Unfortunately, I never touched the game on Switch after buying it years ago. I already have a save file on my PC, so I don’t want to grind and start a whole new farm. Also, my PC and PlayStation offer more perks. The Epic Games Store is constantly giving away free games, and I can get access to a whole catalog of games with a PS Plus subscription, too.
Nintendo Switch games are often pricier than their PC counterparts as well, making them less appealing.
4Poor Performance
When I was into multiplayer online games like Fortnite and Smite, I tried to play these games on my Switch. The field of view of Fortnite is so small on a handheld device that it makes playing impossible, and the controls on the Joy-Cons induce nothing but annoyance and headaches.
Smite was so laggy that it was unplayable, with the game constantly freezing and causing me to die or miss important shots. Playing Fortnite and Smite on my PlayStation, though, are seamless experiences.
If you’re tired of Joy-Con issues, here is a guide onhow to connect your PS4 or PS5 controller to your Nintendo Switch.
5It’s No Longer the Only Handheld Out There
When I bought a Switch back in 2020, the handheld aspect of the Switch was relatively novel. Now, there are plenty of handheld alternatives, including the Steam Deck, Asus ROG Ally, and the Logitech G Cloud. Additionally, I stream PlayStation games to my Mac via PS Remote Play when I travel.
We’ve compiled a list of some ofthe best handheld consolesif you’re looking to buy.
6It Doesn’t Capture the Nostalgia of the Wii
As a kid, the Nintendo Wii was the first video game console I fell in love with. I’d spend hours playing games like Nancy Drew, Guitar Hero, Wario Land: Shake It, Wii Sports, and GameCube titles like Sonic Adventure 2.
I also loved how the Wii Remote was a pointer for most games, rather than just a controller with buttons to use. The Switch doesn’t capture the same nostalgia for me, but I could also just be getting older.
On the rare occasion I pull out my Switch, it’ll hold my attention for 15 to 30 minutes or so. I bought a lot of games I regret, including the new Animal Crossing game, because I’ve come to find them repetitive and boring. It was nice to join in on the hype back in 2020 during lockdown, but the Switch just isn’t the console for me.
