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5 Reasons Why Nintendo Switch Is Much Better Than Wii U

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While the Nintendo Switch isn’t the perfect console, it is much better than the Wii U. The $300 machine gets five things right — and two of them are phenomenal!

1. THE BIG GAME

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I write about Breath of the Wild in more detail here. But, basically, the new Zelda is so massive, it almost seems infinite. It’s beautiful and properly difficult and compelling (except for the weak beginning). While the Nintendo Switch’s Nvidia Tegra processor isn’t the fastest compared to Sony’s PS4 Pro, it’s just powerful enough to give you an almost miraculous Hyrulian adventure. And remember, it’s all about great games, not the console itself.

2. THE JOY-CON CONTROLLERS

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Sure, they’re small. And the left controller sometimes goes out of sync (I hope they’ll fix that soon.) But the brilliance of these controllers is in the ergonomics. I’ve had a carpal tunnel issue for years. Sometimes, I’ve had to stop playing after 90 minutes due to pain. The way these Joy-Cons fit in each hand makes them exactly right for lengthy play in an open world game like Zelda. Now, I can wander Hyrule for hours without hurting! I can’t understate the magic of this innovation.

3. THE PORTABILITY

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While I probably won’t be playing Zelda in bed before I go sleep, the option for portability on a decent-sized screen is one that I like. Yes, the 6.2 inch screen is the same size as the Wii U’s screen. But it’s not clunky like the Wii U, not at all. Sure, the flimsy stand on the back should have more positions. And yes, the screen could have been bigger. But the fact that you can take the Nintendo Switch anywhere — like you can with the 3DS — is a plus.

4. LOOK MA! NO LOAD TIME

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After you place the small Nintendo game cartridge in its slot, it doesn’t take much time to load a game to start playing. So there’s really not much waiting. Starting up is a breeze. There is, however, wait time as you move into movie-like cut scenes in Hyrule.

5. GAMES THAT AREN’T ZELDA

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Arguably, Breath of the Wild is all you need. It’s massive and even if you play an hour a day for a month, you won’t nearly be finished. The other launch titles? 1-2 Switch is fun as far as party games go because you play it with a pal. It features 28 kinds of games, including sword-fighting, baseball and, um, cow milking. There’s a version of Skylanders Imaginators. The biggish news? You don’t need a Portal of Power to play. And Super Bomberman R lets you play strategically with up to eight pals. Bomberman’s been around for 33 years and it keeps on ticking. Bombs away!

WHAT I DON’T LIKE

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There’s no way of syncing the Nintendo Switch to your TV without wires. So you always have to use an HDMI cable to connect the Switch. Plus, there’s no Bluetooth. You can’t connect to a headset wirelessly. And we don’t know what Nintendo’s paid online service will look like — or when that will roll out. Despite these issues, this is the best Nintendo console since the Wii. It’s one with a fair amount of thoughtful features you’ll definitely appreciate during the life of the console.

47 Comments on 5 Reasons Why Nintendo Switch Is Much Better Than Wii U

  1. I have a switch and I love it I just don’t like it only coming with 2 controllers like (for minecraft) you have to have a pair why can’t they make it a higher price for four???

  2. I don’t wanna buy switch that much because I’ve already got Wii

  3. Medworldis // March 10, 2020 at 3:44 pm // Reply

    This versatility makes the Switch an amazing two-in-one system, combining the best of all of Nintendo’s past consoles. It’s like a 3DS with far better graphics that you can also play on your TV, replete with motion-controllers (like the Wii). It’s what the Wii U should have been, essentially, and it’s great.

  4. Pokémon xyz // February 25, 2019 at 5:44 pm // Reply

    Okay,so on reason 1 you said “it’s about the great games , not the console it’s self.” Then on reason 3 you said it was the portability, which is about THE CONSOLE ITSELF.

    • He probably refers to the specs of a console, not the thing itself.

    • 3 years later and Wii U is still the better deal. You get basically 5/6ths of the best games on Switch including Breath of the Wild. The best part is the games on Wii U are 1/4th the price, sorry but Switch hasn’t really been being the games…

    • Anonymous // July 5, 2020 at 6:06 am // Reply

      Don’t think about that

  5. lktornado360 // November 22, 2018 at 1:17 pm // Reply

    Guys I need crucial info. Will 3ds games work on switch or vice versa? Im getting a 3ds for xmas this year and I thought it might be cool to play arms, Zelda, or Mario odessy on it.

  6. My friend was right he told me about this that the switch is better than the wii u he was right (its also because he loves super mario odyssey)

  7. the switch is bluetooth compatible

  8. …and there’s breath of the wild on Wii U

  9. ‘There’s no way to sync your switch to the TV without wires an you can’t have wireless speakers’? not a PROBLEM and there are literally TWO wires to sync up. NOT A PROBLEM

  10. “Weak beginning?” Are you hearing yourself?

  11. ghgbnmm,.kljhgbv // May 7, 2018 at 7:36 pm // Reply

    i dont know what to say

  12. Your worst nightmare // March 13, 2018 at 10:29 pm // Reply

    Man, I love this thing. I am admittingly a bit disappointed there are no home menu themes or even catchy eshop music, but ignoring that, this is definitely my favorite Nintendo console, a billion times better than the Wii U.

  13. I was trying to get one but out of stock!

  14. I am getting a Nintendo Switch next month. I am looking forward to getting Super Mario Odyssey.

  15. Does anyone know who won the contest?

  16. PokemonMaster // March 31, 2017 at 5:04 am // Reply

    I was wondering, Is there any way to sync more than two joy-cons to a Switch, as to play multiplayer with more people than just two? Or yould you just have to buy another Switch?

    • in fact, there is, but you need a joy-con charger
      and once you do then it’s sooouuuuuper easy to hook up (I even “synced up” some non-existent joy-cons). you just go to controllers and sync some controllers
      (i kind of wish the pro controller wasn’t so expensive tho)

  17. Click click // March 22, 2017 at 8:55 pm // Reply

    I like how it is portable but one question not related to the switch and where is that little donkey guy you look for to enter a raffle to win the switch?

  18. ibalisticgolem // March 21, 2017 at 4:39 pm // Reply

    Can you get Minecraft on the Nintendo Switch?

  19. Swich to the Swich // March 8, 2017 at 8:26 pm // Reply

    I’m entering into the swich contest and I will Win! But this gives you a reason to stop holding that gamepad and newer and better swich!

  20. Thank you for shedding some light on the Nintendo Switch. I also entered. Thank you.

  21. Nintendonut // March 6, 2017 at 11:17 pm // Reply

    I saw a tweet somewhere that someone had 60+ hours on record, yet the game’s statistics read that he had only completed 19.5% of the game 😵 need me a game like that…

    Hopefully I can score a switch soon! 😆

    • Well it depends on what you mean by “complete the game”. If you mean beat everything on the main quest, or simply beat Calamity Ganon, you can do that in a day or less. If you mean complete every single shrine and every side quest, then yes, it does take long.

  22. Sunnyflight Forever // March 6, 2017 at 8:15 am // Reply

    Thanks! This really helped a lot!

  23. Great article, it’s very informative!

  24. IM winning NX

  25. love it

  26. “This is the best Nintendo console since the Wii.” That doesn’t seem very difficult, seeing as the only console that came between the Wii and Switch was more or less a commercial failure. I still like it, it just didn’t sell well.

  27. TisCalledSkill // March 4, 2017 at 7:10 am // Reply

    Really amazing. I have a wii u and it takes FOREVER to load a game.
    I think I’ll enter in the contest, but I doubt I will win. Thank you for this great article.

  28. THESE are reasons that the Switch is better than the Wii U? This does not prove your point at all. No.
    And here are MY reasons why:

    Breath of the Wild:

  29. Thanks this is so helpful!

    • I have a Wii U and I never have trouble loading except after clicking home menu in the middle of a game. Besides that, Zelda and everything else loads snickety-snap.

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