Gamers Flock to Owasso GameStop for Nintendo Switch Launch

March 2, 2017 is a day that will forever grace the halls of gaming history with a light so bright that no gamer worth their salt would be able to look away from. The midnight release of the Nintendo Switch, arguably one of Nintendo’s most revolutionary pieces of work, went off with a blast inside the Owasso GameStop Thursday evening. To be at ground zero during the launch extravaganza was a special opportunity for the Nintendo gaming community. There was pizza served from Papa John’s as well as Smash Bros. and Mario Kart tournaments until 11 p.m. with some of the most enthusiastic gamers in the community.

For those of you who have either been neck deep in first person shooters, or have had your collective noses buried in the player’s handbooks in preparation for a weekly Dungeons & Dragons session, the Nintendo Switch is a console that is stripped down to its basic form. Simply put, it’s not just a home entertainment system, but instead is gamer designed with the gamer wholly in mind. The Switch is designed for the player that is both active and private. With three game styles to choose from: TV mode, tabletop mode and of course the handheld mode, there are many ways to play and even more ways to have fun.

The Nintendo Switch boasts a 32GB internal storage and a typical battery life ranging anywhere from two and a half to six hours of consistent game play. The 6.2-inch, 720p display is something of note making the gaming experience pleasant and easy to see while using it in either the tabletop or handheld modes. According to an article from The Verge online gaming news platform, playtime on the release title The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild says that an average time spent before recharging the console is about three hours with no real agitating effects on the eyes for those of you that forget to blink every so often. So, in short, this piece of gear will keep you nice and occupied into the graveyard shift, but you may want to invest in some caffeine and external storage.

Dezmon Osoroshii, a local cosplay enthusiast and longtime gamer was in full dress Thursday night at the Owasso GameStop event as a master lightsaber-wielding Jedi Link.He shared that the portability of the Switch is his most sought after and favorite feature as he is “always on the move.” He also believes the latest installment in The Legend of Zelda franchise, Breath of the Wild, is actually going to LINK back…heh…see that pun there…to previous installments with many callbacks to its origin title.

Another event attendee, Jayden, or more commonly referred to on YouTube as “Hulkbusta,” was more drawn to the new Zelda game for his Wii U so that he and his brother could stay up all night gaming. Although Jayden is optimistic about the Switch, he is happy enough with his Wii U, and that unlike the other Legend of Zelda games, he said he plans on playing this one for the next five years or even longer. It was safe to say that after about 15 minutes of heated discussion over which boss is better, or what plot had the most holes in it, Jayden was ready to dive into the game. He snagged his copy that night and sped home to play.

Dylan Feltz, more commonly known as Sloth, is a longtime Smash Bros. enthusiast with a love for the community. He was also at the launch event to snag the new Zelda for his Wii U. He said he was overjoyed with the turnout and the fact that he was able to throw down in a couple games of Smash made him even more enthusiastic.

Overall, the GameStop midnight launch event went off without a hiccup. With more than 100 people in attendance and 60 people being in the on-site tournaments, the night was fun for everyone. The winners of the Smash Bros. and Mario Kart tournaments walked out with gift cards for prizes. So here’s to all you gamers that helped make this night one to remember out in Owasso.