Nintendo’s long awaited, heavily teased console has finally shed its “NX” codename and has been given a real identity. On Thursday via Nintendo’s YouTube channel, the gaming giant unveiled the Nintendo Switch to the world, and yes, the new console looks just like the all of the rumors have been predicting.
The Switch is one of the more innovative gaming platforms to be introduced this generation. It is a console-mobile hybrid that can be picked up and played on the go, or it can be placed in its dock so you can play it as you would a typical home console in your living room. The three and a half minute video shows off some the console’s unique features, but the NX- er, the Switch- seems to have far more intricacies than what we have seen in that video, and based on its concept alone it looks like Nintendo could be trying to grab the attention of a wider demographic of gamers, including e-sport fans.
In the video, the Switch looks like an unassuming black console, sitting in front of the television. But then, the owner of the Switch gets up from the couch (they are playing Legend of Zelda), and we see them slide the two small controllers off either side of the Switch, thus creating a handheld console. These controllers are called the ‘Joy-Con’, and they come with typical analog sticks as well as four buttons on their face. In the official description of the video, Nintendo promises, “In addition to providing single and multiplayer thrills at home, the Nintendo Switch system also enables gamers to play the same title wherever, whenever and with whomever they choose. The mobility of a handheld is now added to the power of a home gaming system to enable unprecedented new video game play styles.”
While this concept of fluid play between your living room television and mobile play isn’t relatively new (Sony integrated “Remote Play” into the PlayStation Vita), it all looks more promising and well flushed out on the Switch, even given the little we have seen of the console thus far. Multiplayer gaming is also at the core of the Switch, as you can turn each half of the main controller into a gamepad and pull out its kickstands to prop the console up and play with several friends.
The Nintendo Switch is everything the Wii U should have been, both in terms of necessity and appeal for gamers and developers. Where the Wii U struggled to garner attention from developers, the Switch has already secured over forty big name partners, including Konami, Activision, Bethesda, and Campcom. Also, the internet’s reaction to the Switch has been overwhelmingly positive and fueled with high anticipation.
The Nintendo Switch is slated to release in March 2017. As of now, there are no details on pricing, but stay tuned to The Nerd Stash for more coverage!
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