By: Meghan Malas

On March 3, Nintendo released its highly anticipated gaming console: The Nintendo Switch. Since then, sales and profit levels have been at record level for the Japan-based company. This unprecedented success intrigued me, and I wanted to see what was so fantastic about this entertainment device, so I caught up with Michaela Pittman, a junior at Bellbrook High School, an avid video game player and recent owner of the Nintendo Switch.

Q: Welcome Michaela, thank you for joining me. I understand that you are familiar with recent release of the Nintendo Switch. What first convinced you to purchase this gaming console?
A: Well I was really excited for the new Zelda game, and I had been waiting to play it for a while. So, my mom pre-ordered the console.

Q: Do you consider yourself a Nintendo enthusiast?
A: Yeah, we own a lot–actually all–of their consoles. My family plays a lot of video games. We have a very large family and we like to bond over different Nintendo games. For example, Mario Party allows for many players and it can be fun for a wide range of ages. Other games like Mario Kart, Super Smash Brothers, those came out on the Nintendo 64 and we enjoyed those a lot.

Q: You mention that you have some experience with a lot of the Nintendo consoles. What are some of the things that make the Switch different from these other gaming stations?
A: Well, I would say that some of the main differences, well with the Wii they first had wireless controllers but they were essentially just little sticks. And then on the Wii U they came out with actual game controllers, but the controllers with the Nintendo Switch are actually two separate controllers. So instead of using a Wii remote controller and a detachable “nunchuck” with it, the new controllers two separate entities that are motion sensed and they are also wireless.

Q: Very interesting. The cartridges of the new console have been a recent topic of interest for internet based communities. Can you elaborate a little on this whole cartridge craze we have been seeing?
A: Nintendo originally started out with cartridges, and then they moved to small discs for the Gamecube, and bigger discs for the Wii and the Wii U. But for the Switch, they have transitioned back to cartridges. But these new cartridges are literally no bigger than the size of the tip of my thumb. And since Nintendo is such a family friendly brand, and a lot of young kids play the games, they thought the new cartridges may become a choking hazard. So, Nintendo put a bittering agent on the cartridge, so if a child puts the cartridge in their mouth, they spit it out immediately.

Q: What have you enjoyed the most from playing the Nintendo Switch?
A: I really have enjoyed the new controllers, the graphics are definitely better, and the setup is much easier than other Nintendo consoles. I will say, though, that there are not very many games yet for the Switch, so I have not gotten to experience a wide variety of different games.

Q: So what are the games that you have played?
A: I have only played “Zelda: Breath of the Wild,” and I have only played it with the system connected to the TV, because, like I said, I think the graphics are a lot better.

Q: Were you disappointed in any aspect of this new gaming system?
A: I was not really expecting anything different than what they advertised for. But like I said, because not many games are out I cannot say that I will dislike anything in the future. The battery life can sometimes be short, depending on what game you are playing and if you are transporting the console around. But one problem I tend to run into, not with the Switch but with Nintendo as a whole, is that their supply often fails to match the demand of their customers. They have a problem producing enough consoles. This causes a drastic increase in price oftentimes. For the NES system that was released a while ago, it should not have been more than fifty or sixty dollars, but the supply was so short that you had to order them from an outside source. Then the cost was closer to two hundred dollars. This was definitely the case for the Switch. We barely were able to get one even though we preordered it. The only reason we got one was because someone else cancelled a preorder.

Q: So this may be something for people to consider if they want to purchase a new Nintendo Console?
A: I think that it is a good system, but for a casual gamer it is definitely worth waiting a little while longer rather than spending double the value of the original price.