Nintendo has changed video gaming world again with its seventh home console the Nintendo Switch aka NX. The Nintendo Switch is a hybrid console that looks like a tablet that features two detachable controllers for both sides called Joy-Cons which can be used individually or attached to a grip to provide traditional gamepad form. World Wide release of the console is expected on March 2017.
The main unit is connected to a television display through a docking station, from which it can removed from and be used as a portable console! I'm excited about the portable console capability, but Nintendo is marketing the Nintendo Switch as a home console rather than the portable.
Console, Dock and System Specs
The Nintendo Switch uses flash ROM cartridges over the optical discs, similar to the Nintendo 3DS. The battery powered tablet-like monitor that comprises an LCD Screen, a 3.5mm audio jack and kickstand. The console has slots on the side, into which the Joy-Con controllers can be slid when removed from the base. The unit also includes a slot for a Game Card (cartridge-based media) to be installed or removed.
The console can be placed into the Switch Dock, a docking station that connects to a power supply and to television when it needs to be charged or to transfer the output onto a television. The tablet has a 167 mm (6.6. in diagonal viewing area, with the unit measuring 184.1 mm x 106.4 (7.25 in x 4.19 in) without the Joy - Con controllers attached. The Switch's screen is a 6.2 in (16 cm) touchscreen with ten-point mult-touch detection, comparable to most other smartphones and tablet computers on the market, and offers 720p resolution. These sources note that the right Joy-Con controller includes an infrared sensor, which would allow the user to still play touch-based games when the Switch is the the dock.
Controllers
The Nintendo Switch comes with a controller system called the Joy-Con. The system comprises of two controllers; the "L" and "R", and come in the Joy-Con Grip, its specified base frame, and includes action and shoulder buttons, bumper triggers and a joystick on both. The controllers can be attached to the Switch Console (similar to the Wii U GamePad), they can be removed and used separately in each hand (similarly to a Wii Remote and Nunchuk controller), attached to a grip to provide a gamepad form factor or used as individual controllers for two players.
The console will support the wireless Switch Pro Controller, which has a more traditional design reminiscent of the Wii Classic Controller Pro and Wii U Pro Controller. The Nintendo Switch will support multiplayer via multiple systems; for example, allowing four players to play using two Switch systems.
Accessories
Though not revealed in the October 2016 reveal, the Nintendo Switch will support a wide array of additional accessories, according to Kimishima. Kimishima suggested that the Switch is part of a large ecosystem of devices though the Switch unit remains the core console element, and that several of these accessories will be revealed in the January 2017 event.
Technical specifications
Exact specifications have not been officially announced, but Nvidia confirmed that the Switch uses a custom system-on-chip from its Nvidia Tegra family of products. No specific details were revealed beyond that it is "based on the same architecture as the world's top-performing GeForce gaming graphics cards", and has a custom API known as "NVN", which is designed to "bring lightweight, fast gaming to the masses".
Games distributed at retail will be stored on cartridges, similar in design to the Game cards used for Nintendo DS and 3DS games. However, the Switch will not be compatible with physical DS/3DS cards or Wii/Wii U optical discs. Like Nintendo's previous consoles and handhelds, the Wii U and New Nintendo 3DS, the Switch will have native compatibility with Nintendo's line of Amiibo products.
Games
During its official unveiling in October 2016, Nintendo deliberately opted not to provide a list of games for the system, as they "want people to touch the device in January [2017] and experience the software for themselves", according to Kimishima. Instead, Nintendo announced some of the partners that had committed to supporting the Switch; contrasting Nintendo's struggles to gain third-party support on-launch for previous platforms, the company initially listed 48 third-party publishers, studios, and middle-ware developers. Among these partners, Nintendo listed major publishers such as Activision, Bethesda, Electronic Arts, Sega, Square Enix, and Ubisoft. Both Unity Technologies and Epic Games also pledged support to help developers bring games using their game engines, Unity and Unreal Engine 4 respectively, to the Switch. Capcom, who was also announced as a initial third-party publisher for the Switch, stated that while they are committed to releasing titles for the Switch, they "do feel that there are differences in the desired direction and the play-style of the Nintendo Switch and those of the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One" and may not be releasing cross-platform games for the new console.
Prior to the console's official unveiling, Sega, Square Enix, and Ubisoft had already confirmed specific third-party titles in development for Switch, including Just Dance 2017, Project Sonic 2017, Dragon Quest X, and Dragon Quest XI. Various indie developers also announced or considered game titles for the Switch. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, originally announced as a Wii U exclusive, will also be released for the Switch. While the console's reveal trailer showcased footage from potential new titles in the Super Mario, Mario Kart, and Splatoon series as well as footage from NBA 2K17 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Nintendo later stated that the footage on the Switch's screen does not necessarily reflect any confirmed titles for the system, and were only selected to demonstrate the Switch's range of functionality. Bethesda, the publisher of Skyrim, affirmed they had no current plans to bring the title to the Switch, but had provided Nintendo the footage to support the reveal as a committed developer for the system. Take-Two Interactive, the publisher for NBA 2K17, also affirmed they had no present plans for the title on the Switch
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