Nintendo Switch Presentation

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After a lot of debate, speculation and questions, Nintendo’s long-awaited presentation on the Nintendo Switch was aired worldwide! They revealed many key details that may (or may not) pull people in ways that the Wii U couldn’t.

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They started off by showing a short trailer showing off the parts (more on that in a bit) and some background games, Mario Kart being of note since it hasn’t officially been announced yet. Without wasting any time, they announced the price and release date: March 3 selling at $299.99. In the box we’ll get the left and right Joy-Con controllers, the system, wrist straps, a grip for the Joy-Cons, the dock, an HDMI cable and the AC adapter. The Pro controller, which is a traditional style controller, will be sold separate in an unspecified price and the console will be sold under two models: one with gray Joy-Cons and another with colored Joy-Cons (Red and Blue). Of particular note was the mention that the system is going to be region free, which bodes well for all of you importers out there!

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Nintendo Switch will have a new online service that may be on par with Xbox Live and PlayStation Network. It’s going to be a paid service, with the ability to do a lot of online functionality with a smart device (I assume this’ll be similar to the Xbox and PlayStation apps).

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The hardware itself will be put into the dock when you want to play on the TV in TV Mode, which will play like a traditional console. You can then detach the Switch from the dock to use it with its built in stand while using the Joy-Cons wirelessly in Tabletop Mode. Finally, the Joy-Cons can be attached to the Switch to use in Handheld Mode, which will likely function similar to the Wii U Gamepad. It’s slated to have an estimated battery life of 2.5-6.5 hours, depending on the game. The Switch itself will have built-in Wi-Fi for local and online play (up to 8 players locally), as well as a capacitive tough screen.

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Most interesting to me were the Joy-Con controllers, which implement a multitude of features. A grip will be included which adds a spacer between the Joy-Cons as well as grips, to double as a more traditional style controller when desired. NFC will be built into the Joy-Con for amiibo use; there’s a capture button for capturing screenshots to share on social media; the controllers have built in gyro sensors and accelerometer as well as a small L and R button. The controllers will come in red, blue or grey and will have built in IR sensors as well as an advanced HD rumble feature.

They announced a few games too. I’ll only talk about some highlights in detail here, for more information you can check out trailers from their site or the whole announcement. There was a party game called 1 2 Switch that’s coming at launch, an odd arena-style boxing game called ARMS coming in Spring and Splatoon 2 with added features and weapons coming in the Summer.

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A bit more exciting was the reveal of a brand new Mario game that’s set on another world (which they hinted might be slightly based on real-world locations) and is full of zany things such as Bowser in a suit and a hat with eyes. To me, it looks like the first thematic sequel to Super Mario Sunshine. Super Mario Odyssey releases Holiday 2017. 

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Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Fire Emblem Warriors, Dragon Quest X and XI (no official US release), Dragon Quest Heroes 1 + 2, a new Shin Megami Tensei, Project Octopath Traveler (a new Square-Enix RPG), Skyrim, a new No More Heroes and Fifa were all officially announced with no real dates. A brief trailer teased some other games like Bomberman and Minecraft, with no official word said by the presenters. 

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​Finally, they had to close out the presentation with a beautiful The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild trailer which showed off voice acting and the return of Ganon. It’ll be releasing alongside the system on March 3rd. 

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Overall it was an exciting step forward for Nintendo. If you want to pre-order your console www.bestbuy.com and www.walmart.com are still taking pre-orders. Snag them while they’re still available. Check out the full presentation below. Stay tuned for more information as we know it!

- Teepu

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