The first impression of the Nintendo Switch is that it’s smaller than you expected, and considerably more stylish. Stylish is not a word commonly associated with Nintendo hardware but the Switch eschews the Fisher-Price aesthetic of previous consoles and almost looks like something Apple or Samsung would make (with the grey Joy-Cons anyway).

Although it’s impressively thin the Switch does look quite long before you pick it up, but when you do it doesn’t feel at all awkward to handle. The main console, with the Joy-Cons removed, is almost exactly the same width as a 3DS XL and holding it feels light and well-balanced. This is partly thanks to the little ridge under the shoulder buttons of the Joy-Cons, where you can balance your forefingers – much like the Wii U GamePad.

The Switch seems very much like the console that the Wii U should have been, with the ability to take it absolutely anywhere with no limitations. The 720p resolution multitouch screen looks fantastic and can also be stood up vertically thanks to a little stand at the back, which is also where you plug in the microSD cards (game cards go in a slot at the top).

Tabletop mode is most for when you’re out and about

Using the Switch like this is called tabletop mode. With the idea being that you remove the Joy-Cons and use them separately, one in each hand (or in a grip if you’ve brought it with you). Many of the Switch’s multiplayer games only need one Joy-Con per person, since they’ve both got an analogue stick and six buttons (four face buttons and two shoulder buttons).

This is where some people might start to have a problem though, as the Joy-Cons look worryingly small in your hands. Although you do get a pair of straps with the console that slightly increases their size and makes the shoulder buttons easier to reach. We actually found them fine though, and although they look small and weedy the problem seems to be largely psychological, as we haven’t seen anyone have any issue with them in practice.

If anything the analogue sticks feel a bit too big in handheld mode, as the stalk holding them up is very thin and you can feel the underneath of the stick’s circular top a bit more than on other controllers. This doesn’t seem to be a problem though, just a difference.

If you want as traditional a joypad as possible there’s the Pro Controller, which we only got yesterday. Its analogue sticks are much closer to the Xbox or PlayStation controllers, and it has a proper D-pad (the D-pad on the left Joy-Con is split into four, so you can use them as face buttons when it’s your only controller). The Pro Controller is a hefty £60 though, and, because the Joy-Cons don’t have it either, there’s no analogue triggers for the rear shoulder buttons.