When the Switch launched it casted huge waves across the oceans and Nintendo was doing a good job riding the momentum. But now that some time has passed and the storm has settled, how has the Switch been doing? Here’s a recap of everything so far.

In March this year, the Switch was released to the general public and its reception was a mixed a bag. All the trailers emphasize having the home console experience on the go, and it succeeds on that end. A lot of the time though the fun is left to the imagination.

That’s not exactly a bad thing in this case, one of the underrated features is the HD rumble which has some creative uses such as mimicking a glass of ice or in the case of 1-2 Switch, you play a minigame called ball count, and which you shake your controller and you can “feel” the balls rolling around in the control, an incredible feat of accomplishment considering it’s just a simple vibration.

Like always Nintendo has a weak launch lineup with critics emphasizing the switch as just a go to for the latest Zelda title. Surprisingly the Switch along with Zelda sold well considering you could find the latest Zelda on it’s predecessor the Wii U. It’s hard not to talk about The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild when mentioning the Switch. For a lot of people it was it’s only selling point and that in itself is a double edged sword. With that title alone, does it warrant a purchase on launch date?

Everyday gamer Ulisses Gallardo had this to say “I mean, i want it to succeed, but for different reasons, I feel like the game industry needs competition to thrive I don’t wanna see Sony dominate the console scene. That being said, I don’t really want one besides Zelda (which is available on the Wii U) there really isn’t anything there for me, that and the price is too steep well for me it is, I paid more for less and I’m not doing that anymore. Like I get it right. I understand what they’re going for but it isn’t for me, even the pro controller is too expensive.

On the opposing side I spoke to Daniel Castillo “I’m a ‘fan-boy’ so at this point I’m committed to everything they get. But honestly right now, I can’t justify a purchase, It’s just not there for me. Like I know the end goal they’ll have an amazing library of games to choose from for everybody casual gamer or not, but, but right now I can’t see myself spending that much for one game... Oh and I can get Breath of the Wild on the Wii U. So we’ll see maybe in the holidays when they’re will be more variety to choose from but i’ll pass for now, but I don’t wanna come off if I hate it or anything, I just don’t have money for it right now that’s all.”

After it’s launch there wasn’t much reason to talk about the Switch. Everything really halted to a slow pace. As for games that came out It had some niche indie titles and some ports in it’s digital shop. While those offered a nice distraction to the bigger picture. That was the problem, there really was no bigger picture. Besides zelda, and it's 3 different ways of playing it there was nothing much to say.

So most headlines were related to the console, mostly bad which included frequent malfunctions both due to the hardware and the software. Also there was a bizarre trend of people just taking switch cartridges and tasting them, which is coated in a bitterness agent (it’s non-toxic) to prevent young children from swallowing them.

It wasn’t until recently that we got a “Nintendo Direct” a video showcasing games that are coming out across all their platforms in the following months, showcasing trailers and promotional material, release dates all in a fun way catered to their core audience.

Nintendo intends on taking the summer season with 2 main entry triple A budget games. The first game being a fast paced boxing match but with that Nintendo spin on it called ARMS. They had a showcase for it inviting professional fighting game players to test it out live, showcasing its in-depth mechanics for those fighting game aficionados yet, it's simple enough for anyone to just pick up and have fun playing against others appealing to the casual audience as well.

The other game that's they're cranking out is a sequel to one of their recent hits; Splatoon 2. Again it's their take on the shooter genre. The first one was a huge hit due it's a new coat of paint on the stale team based shooter genre. With any sequel they intend to refine some of minor problems, and enhance what it’s strengths are as as game. Again incorporating in depth mechanics, but also it appeals to everyone with it’s simple pick up and play it follows that gaming is for everyone mentality they are known for.

Following that there is E3 coming up in the summer as well. A holy grail of gaming, it's when all gaming platforms, developers, publishers come together and show what's coming up in the foreseeable future. It's important that Nintendo shows their straight flush here. That's their final showcase and when they have the most eyes on them. It’ll be fun to see what hidden surprises they have, hoping nothing gets leaked.

While those games I mentioned earlier sound fun they’re scheduled for the summer. In the meantime if you need a break from Zelda and are looking for a reason to hand your Joy-Con to a buddy and put up that kickstand you’re in luck because Mario Kart 8 Deluxe comes speeding through by the end of the month.