Nintendo has been stirring fan interest since the introduction of the Nintendo Switch. After the failure of the Wii U following the introduction of the relative commercial success that is the Wii, many wonder just what Nintendo has thought up for the Switch. Well, Nintendo is known for dominating the portable gaming industry in the West, but they have taken that up a notch with the introduction of their newest console---and did we mention it is also for portable gaming?

Why yes, the Nintendo Switch was introduced as a gaming console that is portable allowing you to take your console games on the go. It really took the portable gaming industry up a step and lucky for us, Honey’s Anime was invited to the Nintendo Switch Preview in San Francisco, CA! So tune in as we give you our impressions on the Nintendo Switch.

Nintendo failed to disappoint at the Nintendo Switch Preview. While the actual warehouse the event was located in seemed to be fairly run of the mill looking, once you walk through the inner sanctum, you will find the entire room swathed in red and white, which is the color of the Nintendo Switch logo. The entire room is setup to help gamers envision how they might use the console. My first instinct was to go straight to the airplane module where the Switch console was propped up on the tray while I held both Joy-con in my hands to play Mario Kart. It was a bit difficult getting the Joy-con to sync with the Switch, but after some playing around with it and a reboot, there were no issues. The controls were fairly easy to get the hang of and the gameplay was seamless. It may not be the Wii or the 3DS, but it was easy to grasp. The graphics were beautiful, the detail fine, and the screen left this writer with no qualms about how Nintendo was taking their console up a notch. It by far surpassed the Nintendo 3DS graphics and was on par with the PS Vita. Mario Kart was also playable at several different stations using multiple Switch consoles for multiplayer gaming, TV gameplay, and single device gameplay.

If you want to get the real idea of how the graphics look on the Nintendo Switch, you have to move onto the new Legend of Zelda game: Breath of the Wild. The graphics are simply breathtaking and awe inspiring. I have never seen a Zelda game with such beauty and precision. Fans are sure to get some enjoyment out of it. The Zelda games were all playable via TV screen which enhances the gameplay so well.

Of course, there were many other gaming stations from Puyo Puyo Tetris to Splatoon 2. There were many fun multiplayer games for many gamers to try out. A fan favorite had to be Street Figher. Imagine taking the old school Street Fighter games to the big screen with all new graphics---or you can take it old school and play the game in the old pixelated style. Ah, now that’s nostalgic! For those looking for a new fighting game experience on the Nintendo Switch, take a look at Nintendo’s new game Arms. Arms uses simple motion detection in the Joy-con to play and it’s pretty easy to get the hang of. Bonus, the Joy-con senses motion much better than the Wii did so Arms makes for a fun fighting game for those interested in trying to pack a punch.

There were also a few old school games that we got to see hit the Switch screen including Sonic Mania and Super Bomberman R. Now, how nostalgic are those? Sonic Mania is in its classic 8 bit style that will have many fans feeling some major nostalgia while Super Bomberman R has all new graphics on its beautiful display. You can be sure that you’ll have some fun times on both of these classic games.

Many of the games were shown in all the different playing styles of the Switch so anyone at the event was able to play on the Switch in any fashion they chose. Although the mode of gaming change, it was quite easy to adapt to each new style of gaming on the Switch. We can see it being a great device to accommodate all of the wonderous games on its lineup.

Of course, no gaming event would be complete without the inclusion of competitions. Yes, we got to see some players go head-to-head onstage in many games including Mario Kart, Arms, and of course, Street Fighter. Gamers won glory on this day--that and a Nintendo Switch cap. Nintendo really knows how to premiere their new console. Each gamer got to take home a Nintendo Switch pin, a Nintendo Switch cookie, a Nintendo Switch screen cloth, and some special Nintendo Switch M&Ms! Oh, let’s not forget all the memories they took with them.