A good buddy of mine got a Switch. Actually, it was his wife who got it for him...she stopped by a Wal Mart that had a few, waited in line, got the fourth one out of five, and said she'd keep it for a special day. Wellll....he had a really bad day at work that day so he got it that same night.
He had me over the next day to get my take on it.
I was blown away by the controls. Nintendo's controllers have usually felt natural, but sometimes they feel better than others in terms of how they're laid out. (I can't stand playing MarioKart on anything but a classic type controller, for example). This felt *perfect*.
All of the playing modes just worked. Of course, the Wii U is the same way...but this finally makes it a true portable.
The Zelda game was good too. I'm usually not a huge Zelda guy, but the launch title was truly epic. For the first time, I found myself immersed in a Zelda game.
My only complaint is that the little kickstand on the back of the Switch is sort of flimsy. It felt like something from HP as of late.
We talked a bit about the console as we played the game. He has since used it as a true portable (he likes to take a real game system with him when he's got a long wait somewhere rather than game on his phone). Reviews were positive. He does believe the designated portable line will eventually be phased out now that portables and consoles are equal here. However, there will still be a low-end line: phone apps. We see the Wii U sticking around for a year or so, sort of like the other systems did as low-end alternatives (back to the NES).
Both of us are veterans of Nintendo platforms, and let's just say our combined age is over AARP eligibility. My buddy believes Nintendo is actually targeting this system, at the time being, to an older generation--namely, the people in their later 20s and 30s. His theory also goes around the fact that we miss the simplicity of certain things--hence why we know so many guys in that age group that love to play Mario Kart (we have friends, husband and wife, who play Mario Kart when they get home from work...and they're in their mid-30s).
I do wonder about durability as a portable for this system, but I guess if kids are hauling around iPhones at age 4, they did their research.
I'm not sure if I'll get one personally, at least not yet. It's a great system, but I just don't have as much time as I used to for games. (I know, I have no excuse since all my married friends play more often than me...but none of them are business owners). Still, my business usually gets a little lighter in the summer...