That’s why the Switch is the best travel companion – GIGA

I’ve been traveling for almost half a year. After the Switch was on a par with the PS4 and later the PS5 in my personal ranking for a long time, Nintendo’s hybrid console only became my absolute favorite when I was out and about.

For a gamer, gaming is also part of long journeys

As I type these lines I am sitting at a small but surprisingly comfortable hotel desk. If I look out of the window, I see the cloud-shrouded foothills of the Himalayas, which stretch up behind the colorful houses of Kathmandu.

For a few days now I’ve been in Nepal’s capital, my third travel destination in the past six months. I wanted to try out myself as a “digital nomad” because I was thirsty for freedom. Of course For me as a gamer, the Switch is an integral part of my luggage (That real trekkers would laugh at me for).

Sure, I travel to experience a lot. In this respect, I can definitely understand non-gamers when they shout “waste of time” at the thought of hiding behind a gaming screen in a strange place.

But everyone needs it A break of all the new impressions. Especially if, like me, you stay in one place for a long time and work on the side, a leisurely gamer break is just the right thing to recharge the batteries for the real adventures “out there”.

But there are other reasons why the Switch became my favorite console in the distance.

We recommend the brand new OLED model especially to globetrotters who want to buy a switch first:

May nostalgia be with me

For me, Nintendo knows better than almost any other developer how to arouse nostalgic feelings. That may be because my gamer life started with the SNES on my fifth birthday. My next consoles were various Game Boy models and the N64; it was only later that I became interested in PC and PlayStation.

Accordingly, I feel at home when, for example, Donkey Kong Country or Yoshi’s Island flickers across the screen. It may sound cheesy, but no matter how lonely or lost I feel in a strange place – I play a Nintendo game from my childhood, I feel the deep feeling of security, security and the love of my parentswho spent much of my SNES playtime with me.

Not only that. Also The Switch can revive the great thirst for adventure of my youth at the push of a button. For example, the Final Fantasy series was a formative part of my adolescence and I can now enjoy all the important parts on the go at any time.

The Switch is often criticized for the many remakes of old hams – but I love this aspect, because their new mobility is a huge added value for me.

Of course, new Nintendo exclusive games also create a pleasant escapism. These are currently the most popular:

Playing as an intercultural connection

In Malta I lived in a so-called coliving house. Digital nomads live there, who work at a coworking desk during the day while they spend their free time together.

Here I could too Quickly find a connection thanks to my switch. No matter where someone comes from – almost everyone has played a round of Mario Kart or at least heard of it in their life. And this is where another special feature of the Switch comes into play: the Joy-Cons.

I don’t need an extra controller that would take up too much space in my limited luggage. I can invite a potential player anywhere by simply detaching the Joy-Cons from my switch. In my experience, this offering often leads to sparkling eyes, regardless of the nationality of my counterpart.

I quickly organized a Mario Kart tournament in the Coliving house, which caused a lot of international laughter despite the limited screen and the joy-cons that were too small in the long run.

I felt like in this early Nintendo promotional video:

Lack of mobile alternatives

Of course, Nintendo has an advantage in the whole matter: the lack of mobile alternatives (at least as long as Steam Deck has not yet been released).

Sure, PC gamers with a powerful laptop always have their gaming platform with them. In this respect, they enjoy a clear advantage as long as their games do not depend on an Internet connection.

But for me the laptop has become a device for workingwhich is why I said goodbye to PC gaming for a long time. Putting myself in a cozy corner with my Switch is now part of my cozy gaming feeling.

That may be a high demand in my circumstances, but one for which I like to fill my luggage with an additional device.

Also, Google Stadia and (if I had a Windows laptop) PlayStation Now are two great ways to play on another device without having to lug around a console. But they don’t stand up to the practical test, because as a traveler I can’t rely on a stable internet connection. Especially in hotels, cloud gaming is an impossibility.

Steam Deck could become a real mobile competitor for Nintendo:

For all of these reasons, the Switch has become my favorite console that I take with me everywhere. And for all the opportunities waiting for me here in Nepal, I can’t wait for the announced N64 games to be released for the Switch!