The holidays bring back a flood of memories. As I sit and reflect on gifts of yore, there are a few of those little nuggets of care and intention that stand out even now. One is a tinfoil tiara, and one is the switch to a Nintendo Entertainment System. This console was not the newest on the block by the time we could afford one. However, it was my most prized possession at 8.
Fast forward a few decades, and one of my most meaningful gifts that’s still available and thriving is Nintendo Switch Lite. Up until this point, I had stuck mostly to TTRPGs, but in swoops a plague, and priorities change. Hubs bought me such a thoughtful gift. He was also a Nintendo baby and understands the pull. Until I played my Switch, I missed something since Super Mario Bros 3 was the height of console gaming.
Enter a Nintendo Switch Lite console
I quickly taught these old thumbs new tricks, and the heart-rushing nostalgia came flooding back. In a generation told to suck it up and stay productive, we tend to seek the shelter of nostalgia to ease the weighing guilt of not measuring up. Enter a new high score to wash it all away. It’ll waft back smells of cereal in the morning and adapting to little adult supervision.
Make no mistake; the Nintendo Switch console is dated. The joy cons are the first to go. Most of the native games have graphics meant for elementary school children. Usually, you can peel back the cutesy graphics and get into a hardcore match of dexterity in Mario Kart or grab a genre-defining game like Skyrim. The Switch is a niche system built for the nostalgic gamer.
The 80’s and 90’s in a handheld
We get to explore our childhood companions in new ways. With Nintendo Switch online, there is the joy of opening the game to find new “shinies” from time to time. It’s akin to getting a box of hand-me-down games from a friend only to find Top Gun nestled in the contents. Explore the entire library of classic games and experience the terror of flying fish once again.
If I were to choose a new Switch, I would shoot for the Nintendo Switch OLED which can range from around $300-$350. Its larger and crisper screen would enhance my handheld play while replacing joy cons as they degrade instead of losing the entire system would be a plus.
Those looking for a gift this season that will bring back the feelings of childhood superiority or grant the feeling to the young ones in their lives should consider a Nintendo Switch console. My Lite has changed the way I game. No longer do I have to wait for a group to be ready. My Switch is always My Buddy.