Tomorrow marks a landmark day in the history of Nintendo as its Switch console goes on general release.
The company hopes that its blending of TV and mobile play will excite gamers after its clunky, under-powered Wii U failed to gain any momentum.
Nintendo has shipped preview consoles around the world and its review embargo lifted overnight, meaning the first write-ups are in.
The overall impressions are (somewhat) mixed - but mostly positive.
Switching
The New York Times describes it as 2017's "first must-try gadget" and offers an upbeat first-take.
"Playing with the Switch was a blast. The hardware is well designed and capable of delivering powerful graphics. And early Switch games I tested made clever use of the included motion controllers," Brian X Chen writes.
He adds that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is "stunning and addictive," and a landmark release for the company which plays to the strengths of the new system.
Ultimately he concludes that "Getting the Switch is a risk worth taking. Its games offer an intimate form of game-play unseen on rival consoles, and over all the system’s versatility makes it worth the money."
Wired says that it has "high hopes" for the Switch after getting to spend some quality time with it.
The tech magazine is a big fan of its Joy-Con mini control pads: "The Joy-Cons, as Nintendo has dubbed these accessories, are quite simply the most versatile and clever controllers that it has ever shipped with a machine."
Meanwhile the AV Club offers a cautiously positive reflection, stating:
"There’s no reason to mince words; unless you never bought a Wii U and you’re absolutely dying to play Zelda: Breath Of The Wild, the smart thing to do right now is the same as during any console launch: wait and see how the Switch’s first year pans out."
Almost all publications who have had access to the Switch report technical glitches, including problems syncing controllers and systems going on sleep mode and not coming back to life.
The Verge is particularly critical of the hardware after experiencing a number of technical issues.
It also points out that review editions were offline and the company has not released full details regarding its online functionality.
This is a crucial element of modern gaming and an area where Nintendo has traditionally struggled.
Takeaways
Overall, the Switch has gotten a thumbs up - and it looks like it will make a much larger dent in the market than the ill-fated Wii U.
The new Zelda game is set to generate enough buzz to carry the Switch through its opening months and a new Mario title is on the way, as are other third party games including a Switch version of FIFA.
The Nintendo Switch is available tomorrow from €329.99 (although it might be hard to get your hands on one as they are set to be an instant sellout).
