On Wednesday, Alex and I, the Social Media Monkeys of Mighty Ape New Zealand, were fortunate enough to be invited to a Nintendo Switch hands-on event where we had the opportunity to play a number of different demo titles on Nintendo’s newest console, the highly anticipated Nintendo Switch.

Like many others we were both particularly hesitant to purchase the Switch, be it on launch day or ever. However, after a solid two hours of testing out the demo versions of the hybrid console, we were both jumping up and down with glee and excitement.

The Switch is a solid piece of gaming technology, with the entire console looking absolutely sleek both in and out of the docking station. The docking mechanisms were fairly simply, making it easy to plug in and take out. It also feels extremely comfortable to hold when undocked.

The Switch comes with two joy-con controllers in grey or neon (red and blue) variations. We were both completely captivated by the neon version as they looked simply amazing, with colour that just popped! The grey was great too and I predict it will go down well with adults who prefer a more polished and sleeker look

If you are concerned about the size of the joy con controllers, there’s nothing to fear. While it is small, all it takes is getting used to. The joy-con controllers are very much needed if you’re looking to play games like 1,2, Switch or Arms and the charging grip works great as a bigger controller for those who are concerned about the controller’s size. Not only that but Nintendo has also made a pro controller available for all those who prefer gaming this way rather than using a tiny stick.

Worried about the Switch’s perfor­mance when undocked? Its performance is just as good undocked as it is docked. Playing through the first few minutes of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, we were able to witness firsthand just how beautiful and crisp the game looked on the Switch. There didn’t appear to be any kind of lag or drop in framerate. The level of detail that we could see on the console’s tou­chscreen display was enough to have us beaming with joy. The only issue is familiarising yourself with all the buttons and knowing exactly what does what, which will improve with time.

Of the whole lot of demo games on offer, our favourite would have to be Mario Kart. It was so much fun to play, even while holding the little joy-con controller. The game felt extremely smooth and engaging on the Switch.

One of the cool things that Nintendo has also come up with alongside the Switch is the parental controls app, which allows parents to control when, where and how long for children are playing games on the Switch. The app is rather cool, and, should it work exactly as advertised, parents will no longer have to worry about the children wasting their days away indoors playing on consoles.

All in all, the Switch is a unique piece of gaming technology which signals to the world that Nintendo is ready to take on the big boys. With its reveal of a paid online service to allow for multiplayer gaming, Nintendo expects to show their commitment to gamers and their willingness to be challenged.

For the current retail price here in New Zealand, the Switch may be a bit too overpriced, and the novelty could wear off fairly quickly. But as gamers, we at Mighty Ape think that the Nintendo Switch will be finding its way into all our homes.