The new Nintendo Switch will soon be available in the market but despite its already soaring popularity, many are asking if it's worth a replacement for their Wii U console? There are also reports that it lacks important third party support which is also one of the hurdles of previous Nintendo devices.

Forbes cited the Nintendo Switch's winning features which make it stand out from other home and handheld gaming devices. When the Switch is connected to its Dock, it connects to a television and looks like a traditional home gaming console. But when removed from its Dock with the Joy controllers or Joy-Cons on its sides, it resembles any hand-held device. It is smaller compared to a Wii U GamePad with a stylish design.

Talk about the display, the Switch has a 6.2-in capacitive touchscreen similar to a GamePad. The Wii U offers 854 x 480 video resolution but the Switch has a far better 720p but still a bit primitive compared to high-end smartphones and tablets. Switch's colors are ultra-vibrant which is compatible with games offering 60fps.

When it comes to performance, Nintendo mentioned that the Switch will offer more efficient and more powerful gaming especially when it's placed on its Dock and connected to a TV through HDMI. The Switch has 32GB internal storage but can be expanded to 128GB through a microSD card or an SDHC and an SDXC card. It connects to the web via 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

When it comes to games, there is no backward compatibility for the Switch. This means games played on the Wii U console is not compatible with the new device. And when third party services are concerned, Nintendo said that the Switch has better features than its predecessors. This is because it has partnered with Unity and Unreal game engines, Polygon said.

Nintendo previously said that third party support was one of the worries of the Wii U and this is what they are trying to avoid with the Switch. All of these remain to be seen as the gaming company announced that it will soon reveal third party studios that have signed up to create games for the Switch. It was revealed before that Nintendo is more into competing with other gaming systems rather than making the Switch partners with third party companies.

Other features making the Switch a better choice than a Wii U is its longer battery life up to 8 hours of play time and a variety of accessories or add-ons. The Nintendo Switch will retail at $299 which is similar to a basic Wii U console.

Related