Before You Buy The Nintendo Switch, You Need To Read This Article

Yet for all the talk of success, there's plenty to suggest that the Switch is far from being a complete product. Unexpected breakdowns, dead pixels and poor build quality have marred what appears to be an innovative product from Nintendo.

So, before you decide to splurge your hard-earned cash - RM2,499 to be exact - on the console, we seriously beg you to re-consider.

Here are five reasons why the Switch is an absolute mess at the moment:

1. The dock is flimsy and scratches the screen

Picture a docking station in your mind and a few traits come to mind: Solidity. Compatibility. Weight. Yet many reports show evidence that the Switch's dock is flimsy and cheap to the touch. Some users have even scratched their screens when removing the Switch from its dock!

2. Dead pixels. Dead pixels everywhere!

Nintendo's official response to complaints of dead pixels on the screen? "There are normal and should not be considered a defect". In the early days of LCD technology, dead pixels were common. But this is 2017; dead pixels are inexcusable. Especially true when there are smaller phones with 4K displays without such defects!

3. The Joycons are flimsy and don't work half the time

One of the earliest complaints were of the poor connectivity of the Joycons. These pair over Bluetooth, which is one of the stronger wireless standards. Yet even at close range, early users would experience dropped signals. On top of that, they're wobbly when attached to the Switch unit in handheld mode. Other design flaws include a wrist band attachment that's easy to misalign and poor ergonomics.

4. There are only a handful of launch titles

Every successful gaming console must get the 'gaming' part right. And while the Switch does have a great new Zelda game, the pool of games right now is rather meagre. Early adopters might find themselves bored with their new console unless something changes.

5. Some units start glitching and break down out of nowhere

Even the great Xbox 360 and PS3 had issues back in their day. Say what you will about the red ring of death, but at least it was consistent. Problems like those are easy to diagnose and repair with household tools. But the Switch is different. The way it breaks down is downright scary. Sometimes you get loud buzzing noises followed by visual glitches. Other times the game cards don't register. The problems go beyond software glitches and into hardware design and quality issues. Precisely the kind of defects that can ruin a product's hardware in the mid-to-long term.