First off, the good news. Sales for Nintendo's latest console, the Switch, have been solid across the globe. Although numbers haven't been released in the Americas sales of the Nintendo Switch over its first weekend have made it the fastest selling console in Nintendo's history over there. Even surpassing the Wii. In Japan, where Nintendo console launches have always seen strong sales, that trend extended to the launch of the Switch.

No word yet on its performance in Australia, but in the UK (a traditionally non-Nintendo market) the Switch outsold the Wii U's first week by a ratio of 2 to 1. And across the entire region Nintendo is reporting that the Switch represents its fastest selling console to date. Which is pretty impressive for a non-traditional March release.

And so, all's well that ends well. Well, not quite.


The launch itself hasn't gone without incident, with several reports of dead pixels on the Switch's LCD screen popping up across each region. Normally this wouldn't be an issue, but the reason people are concerned is that Nintendo's policy on dead pixels is a pretty crummy one. In that it reads:

Small numbers of stuck or dead pixels are a characteristic of LCD screens. These are normal and should not be considered a defect.

Hence the backlash. But, it also doesn't stop there. With several cases of people's left Joy-Con losing sync whilst playing. Again, Nintendo's response to this particular issue is a little disheartening. In that they suggest the Switch not being within 1-metre of any electrical device. Or, fish-tank. Also people are also reporting of faulty units that return a somewhat refreshing 'Orange Screen of Death' (in that it's not blue) and cases where the dock's cheap plastic housing actually scratches the screen. Not to mention the glaring design flaw that puts the charging port underneath the unit, severely limiting the play-and-charge abilities of the Switch.

Even so, the Nintendo Switch launch as been a success. And we haven't come across any issues with out units. In fact, we're sort of in love with the Switch. Mainly because, well, the new Zelda looks and plays amazingly well.