It’s been about a year since Nintendo released their latest home console, the Nintendo Switch. When it came out in March of last year, there wasn’t anything about it that made me really want it.

  The flagship launch title, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, was also released on the Wii U at the same time. Me, having a Wii U, opted to just get it for that and save myself the $300 dollars I would’ve spent on a new console.

  The Nintendo Switch’s portability wasn’t particularly appealing to me either. The Switch is a home console that can be removed from its dock and be taken anywhere as a portable console. For me, I prefer playing a heavy story game like Zelda at home where I can enjoy it on the big screen, so the Switch’s portability gimmick didn’t really get me either.

  However, as the year went by, more and more great titles were released for the Switch. Normally, consoles are released in Fall to bank off the upcoming holiday season. The Switch, on a bold move from Nintendo, launched in March. Despite the weird launch window, the Switch sold very well at launch and even better during holiday season. Selling over 14 million units, it sold better than the entirety of the lifetime sales of the Wii U.

  Those two factors were a game changer for me. Not only were games that I wanted to play now on the Switch, but more and more of my friends were getting it during the holidays. I’m a sucker for hype. I’ve been incredibly busy lately, but by January I knew I had to have it. It’s funny, but the gimmick

 I thought was kind of dumb had become incredibly invaluable to me. For games like Super Mario Odyssey and Mario Kart 8: Deluxe, I don’t need a huge screen and surround sound to have an enjoyable experience. No matter if I have free time at home or not, I’ll always have time to play the Switch waiting for my next class.

  I’m not alone, either. If you go to the HCC Dale Mabry campus student lounge on any given day, you’re likely to see a few people killing time between classes on their Nintendo Switch.

  Joshua Lombardi, a Switch owner, has seven games on his Switch currently. He’s anticipating the upcoming ports of Dark Souls and Hyrule Warriors for it. Brennan Walsh, another Switch Owner is looking forward to the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection, Bayonetta 3, and Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes. Those aren’t even the tip of the iceberg for Switch releases for this year. When asked about the value of the Switch for its retail price of $ 299.99, Walsh said that it was “Definitely [worth it], the make doesn’t feel cheap and it’s a really sleek UI.” When you hold the Nintendo Switch in your hands, you’re not holding something like a Nintendo 3DS. You’re holding a fully-fledged console, capable of running AAA games with high definition graphics.

  After a very strong launch year with games like Super Mario Odyssey, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Splatoon 2, Nintendo is shaping up to have an equally good sophomore year for the Switch. It’s exciting to see Nintendo’s dedication to the success of the Switch. I can’t wait to see what new things they do with it in 2018 and beyond.