Nintendo Switch Hands-On: 10 Things We Learned 

All modes of play were showcased on the floor, with Splatoon 2 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe offering TV mode and handheld mode, and the latter also offering tabletop mode. Because of these different configurations, the Switch is designed to fit in wherever you want it to go.

This can be a blessing for families, as if, like mine, your living room TV also has a PlayStation 4 attached, the unit can easily be removed from the dock to free up the TV for other consoles or TV shows. Changing from TV mode to handheld mode is seamless, with the game pausing only to confirm the new controller input if you were using a Pro Controller when on the TV.

Much has been made of the drop from 1080p to 720p when in handheld mode, but quite honestly I couldn’t tell a difference. The games consistently looked just as great on the tablet screen, and the size of the screen means that 1080p would be redundant. If you’ve ever played a Wii U game on the GamePad, you know what to expect, although the bigger screen size and better performance are clear.

Tabletop mode is handy for taking the switch out and about to show off multiplayer games, and Snipperclips is based around this mode. The only drawback of this that became apparent when playing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was that this was clearly designed for two people using one Joy-Con each, and although the action was as smooth as ever, the small screen size is not ideal for split-screen play.

I was happy playing a few races and battles, but a longer session may become tiring, especially for those with vision issues. If you’re playing a solo game, it’s great, but I can’t see a reason to choose this over handheld mode.