You want to buy a modern video game console, and you have $ 300 to play with. What are you buying? For $ 300 you can buy a Nintendo Switch or a PlayStation 4 – both retailed for exactly $ 300 before taxes, and offer their own unique video game experiences.
If you’re on the fence, however, here are 10 reasons why you should buy a Nintendo Switch instead of the PlayStation 4:
1. The Nintendo Switch can be played on your TV like a traditional game console, but it can also be taken anywhere. The PlayStation 4 must be connected to a power source and a television to play games.
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2. Nintendo Switch starts up and turns off a lot faster than the PlayStation 4.
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It might seem like a small detail, but when you turn a game console over hundreds of times in its lifetime, every second counts. And the Nintendo Switch can boot up much faster than the PlayStation 4.
The Nintendo Switch takes just under 4 seconds to fully boot, from fully off to on, and playing from where you left off.
The PlayStation 4, on the other hand, takes about 35 seconds to fully boot from Rest Mode so you can get back into the game you were playing. If you’ve turned it off completely, and not just fell asleep, the PlayStation 4 takes even longer to get going.
The boot difference is significant, and it makes the Nintendo Switch act and feel more like a modern gaming console.
3. There are more ways to play Nintendo Switch than PlayStation 4.
Nintendo
With the Nintendo Switch, you have at least seven ways to play :
– Hold two Joy-Con controllers, one in each hand
– Using a Joy-Con as a controller
– Play with both Joy-Cons in the Grip pocket accessory
– Purchase and use of the Pro controller
– Put the Joy-Con on the Switch console and play it like a handheld
– Play Nintendo Switch on your TV
– Play the Nintendo Switch on your table, thanks to its kickstand
The PlayStation 4, on the other hand, can only be played on a TV and only has a handful of input options, including the default DualShock 4 controller, PlayStation Move controllers, and the PlayStation VR headset. And suffice to say, these PlayStation 4 accessories are expensive and not at all portable.
4. Nintendo Switch is better for parties.
Nintendo
Not only does the Nintendo Switch offer more gaming possibilities, it also supports multiple consoles that play together locally. Your friends can bring their Switch consoles and you can all play together. The Nintendo Switch allows up to 8 players over a single local connection.
The PlayStation 4 supports local games for up to four people, but most of the multiplayer experiences on this console are online. To fully enjoy PlayStation 4 online play, you will also need a PlayStation Plus account at $ 60 per year, although some online games do not require it.
5. Nintendo Switch’s online subscription service is more affordable than that of PlayStation 4.
Most game consoles have some sort of online subscription service: On Xbox, it’s Xbox Live Gold. On PlayStation 4, it’s PlayStation Plus. And Nintendo Switch Online is coming to Nintendo Switch soon.
Right now, playing Nintendo Switch games online with friends is completely free, come September, however, a paid service called Nintendo Switch Online is going to change that. Still, it’s more accessible than other online services: Nintendo Switch Online will cost $ 20 per year (or $ 35 per year for a family membership that supports up to 7 more), support multiplayer experiences, and add regularly. older Nintendo games. free.
PlayStation Plus, Sony’s paid online subscription service for the PlayStation 4, costs $ 60 per year. While PlayStation Plus also offers free games every month and great deals on the PlayStation Store, the price of entry is still a big factor for many people, and a year of PlayStation Plus would cost the equivalent of three years of. Nintendo Switch Online.
6. The Nintendo Switch has some must-have games that you can’t get anywhere else.
Nintendo
The PlayStation 4 has its share of amazing exclusive titles, including “God of War”, “Horizon Zero Dawn”, “Bloodborne”, and the “Uncharted” series, but Nintendo is a master video game maker, and one -year- The old Switch has already built an impressive library of games that you can’t play elsewhere:
– “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild”, Winner of countless gaming awards and arguably one of the best Zelda games – and video games – of all time
– “Super Mario Odyssey”, arguably one of the best Mario games ever made, that really says something
– “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe”, arguably the best Mario Kart game ever made
And many more are on the way, including two new Pokémon games coming in November, “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate ”coming in December, and a new game“ Metroid Prime ”- the first in over a decade.
7. If you enjoy playing Fortnite, the world’s most popular game, Nintendo Switch does not lock your account on its console, which means you can play anywhere and with whoever you want. The PlayStation 4 will unfortunately not allow you to use your account on competing game consoles, once you set it up, even if you uninstall the game.
8. Nintendo Switch controllers have better battery life than PlayStation 4 controllers.
PlayStation 4’s default DualShock 4 controllers last about 4 to 5 hours on a single charge.
The Nintendo Switch Joy Con, meanwhile, takes about 20 hours on a single charge.
And if you buy the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, it will cost you about 40 hours on a single charge.
9. The Nintendo Switch has a better rumble feature than the PlayStation 4, called “HD Rumble”.
Among the many innovations incorporated into Nintendo Switch Joy-Con, including a camera capable of detecting shapes and even heat , there is a new feature called “HD Rumble”.
In 1997, Nintendo brought the Rumble feature to the fore on the game card by introducing the Rumble Pak for the Nintendo 64, which allows the controller to vibrate when certain things happen, such as if you fire a weapon or take damage.
Twenty years later, Nintendo Switch’s HD Rumble uses a high-definition haptic feedback engine – the same one used in Facebook’s Oculus Touch controllers for VR – so the controllers don’t shake but give different kinds of feedback. .
According to Nintendo, HD Rumble might make you feel like virtual ice cubes are being dropped into a virtual glass. In practice, HD Rumble is similar to the feedback you can get on the haptic engine of your iPhone or Apple Watch when using the 3D Touch feature – it can feel like a subtle little tap or a bigger shake. So unlike the PlayStation 4’s controllers, which can basically produce weaker and stronger vibrations, the precision and nuance of HD Rumble adds a lot more to the overall experience.
10. It is easier and safer to add more storage space to the Nintendo Switch.
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Storage space fills up quickly on the PlayStation 4, where great games order large files.
You can upgrade the hard drive inside the PlayStation 4 if you want more built-in storage, but it’s not a quick process, and you have to take your console apart and put it back together (gulp). You can also connect an external hard drive to the PlayStation 4 through any of its USB ports, but if you accidentally unplug the hard drive, or the system suddenly shuts down, you may lose your data. Besides, it adds more stuff to your entertainment center.
The Nintendo Switch, on the other hand, comes with less onboard storage than the PlayStation 4. That’s okay, though, because game sizes are typically smaller on the Switch. More importantly, the Nintendo Switch also supports Micro SD cards, which allow you to add up to 2 terabytes of storage. But it is much more than what you will need; Even by purchasing a 64GB or 128GB Micro SD card, you have enough space for all your Nintendo Switch games and you don’t have to worry about data loss.
