It's been nearly six years since Nintendo's last portable system, the 3DS. It's been more than four years since their last home console, the Wii U. In March, Nintendo will release the successor to both hardware lines in one unified platform: The Nintendo Switch.
At a press event in Tokyo on Thursday night (Friday morning in Japan), Nintendo finally started talking specifics about exactly what the future of their video game lineup is going to look like. They announced the price, release date, some of the first games you'll be able to buy and more.
What is the Switch?
You can think of it as a hybrid between a portable game system (like a Nintendo 3DS -- or a Game Boy if you haven't been gaming in awhile and want to think oldschool) and a home console like the Nintendo Wii. It's one device that you can play at home on your TV or on the go while travelling. In the middle of a game on your couch but you need to catch a flight? Just pick up the Switch and take it with you.
When does it come out?
March 3, worldwide.
How much will it cost?
$299.99. That comes with the system, the dock (which you plug the Switch into for TV play), two Joy-Con controllers (more on those in a second), a Joy-Con Grip, wrist straps an HDMI cable and a power cable.
What kind of controllers does it use?
Interestingly, the Switch's controllers seem to have more in common with the Nintendo Wii than initially thought.
The controllers are called Joy-Con (yeah, Nintendo seems to be saying that the plural of Joy-Con is... Joy-Con). They come in two varieties: Joy-Con L and Joy-Con R. The reason? Together with a Joy-Con Grip they form one fairly standard-looking controller.
But one of the primary features of the Nintendo Switch is that each Joy-Con can be used as its own controller (for select games). So in a sense, the Switch comes with two controllers out of the box, allowing you to play the new version of Mario Kart 8 with a friend right away.
When separated like this, the controllers also have motion sensors similar to the controllers you used with the Nintendo Wii. There is also an IR camera on the front of a controller that Nintendo says can detect things like whether or not you're making a rock, paper or scissors gesture with your hand.
Do the Joy-Con controllers do anything else fancy?
Depends on what you mean by "fancy." The controllers support what Nintendo is calling "HD rumble," which seems to just be a fancy way of saying they've got really good force feedback. The example they used was that a game can simulate, via the controller, the feeling of shaking a glass full of ice. It's hard to know how impressive that may or may not be until we get our own hands on it.
Does it have a touch screen?
Yes, though Nintendo didn't show any games using it.
How powerful is the Switch?
It's hard to get too specific without getting hands on it, since the hardware is custom, but we can confidently say this: It's not quite as powerful as the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, but it's also quite a bit more powerful than Nintendo's last system, the Wii U.
The system runs up to 1080p on the TV, but scales down to 720p when playing as a portable.
What games will be available at launch?
From Nintendo itself, there's a mini-game collection called 1-2-Switch, which looks like it could be fun at parties, and the big one: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. A variety of games from other developers are also coming, including a new Bomberman game.
What about after launch?
Ah, now we're talking.
Nintendo announced a game called ARMS for the Spring, Splatoon 2 for the Summer, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for April 28, and the biggest and best game announcement of the night: Super Mario Odyssey for the holiday season.
Aside from those, Nintendo also mentioned or showed a bunch of games from third party developers. They claim that more than 80 games are in development from other companies, which include Shin Megami Tensei (from Atlus), a new Sonic the Hedgehog (from Sega), Dragon Quest XI (from Square Enix), and FIFA.
During a sizzle reel toward the end of the show, we also saw a bunch of upcoming titles such as Skylanders Imaginators, Minecraft, Just Dance, Bomberman, Rayman Legends and more.
I'm a parent. What are the parental controls like?
The parental controls for the Switch seem surprisingly robust. Nintendo is releasing a phone app that lets you control how much your child is playing, and they introduced it with this adorable video.
Will I have to pay to play online?
Unfortunately, yes. While Nintendo is the last of the hardware manufacturers to make this change (both Microsoft and Sony have required online subscriptions for years), they're going to start requiring a fee to play games online starting Fall 2017. (Prior to that, online services will be free as a "trial period.")
Details such a price and benefits were not specified, although there's some early indication that subscribers will get bonuses. Nintendo's website mentions that paid subscribers to their online service will get a free downloadable Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) or Super Nintendo (SNES) game every month, and that those games will feature added online play. Due to the wording of the benefit, however, it's not clear whether or not you get to keep the game when the month has ended. Update: Journalists in New York have confirmed with Nintendo representatives that these "free" classic games are only playable during their given month. Unfortunate.
What about local multiplayer?
Up to eight Nintendo Switch systems can be connected for wireless multiplayer gaming if everybody is using their own system, but the system also allows for multiple players on the same system using multiple controllers.
How about storage space for games and save data?
The system comes with 32GB of internal memory out of the box, which can be expanded by microSDXC or microSDHC cards, which are standard forms of flash storage and can be found relatively inexpensively, all things considered.
Will it play my old Wii U or 3DS games?
Sadly, no. At least not in the sense that you might expect. There is no disc slot on the Switch, so any physical Wii or Wii U discs can't be played on a Switch no matter what.
The system uses cartridges like the 3DS, but the size and format of these cartridges seems to be different than Nintendo's previous hardware. Also, as the Switch only has one screen, DS and 3DS games wouldn't work on the system out of the box.
What about the Virtual Console? Can I play really old Nintendo games on it?
Signs point to yes, but Nintendo wasn't specific about any details. More to come, I'm sure.
So I can take this system on the go, right? What's the battery life like?
Nintendo says that "battery life will vary by game, but it will range from two and a half to six and a half hours." Nintendo says that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild can be played for roughly three hours on a single charge.
Three hours sounds like way too little, but Nintendo stressed that you can play games while the system is charging, so that's ... something? I guess? This is something that will have to fully be put through its paces when the system is out in the wild.
How does the Switch charge?
It can charge in the dock that's connected to your TV, but away from home it can be charged with a USB Type-C power cable.
Will it come in any different colors?
The system itself only seems to come in grey, but Nintendo will offer two different packages: One model with grey controllers, another with a red and blue controllers.
What about accessories?
Nintendo announced a bunch, including a carrying case and additional controllers?
The downside? The accessories are very expensive. While the system does technically come with two controllers (though I doubt all multiplayer games will use a single Joy-Con on its own, even if most launch games do), additional Joy-Con controllers will run you $49.99 each, or $79.99 for a pair of them.
Now, to be perfectly fair, video game controllers are pricey across the board. The PS4 and Xbox One aren't much better when it comes to pricing, but the Switch controller prices feel worse in part because individual Joy-Con controllers are so small.
Are these prices unfair? Maybe not. There is a lot of technology packed into each Joy-Con, including motion sensors, an IR camera, an NFC reader and more. Still, there's an element of sticker shock.
And the Switch dock that you plug it into to play on the TV? That thing costs $90. Yeah, most people will never need another one (it was already going to be a luxury purchase. Something to keep in a bedroom in case the living room TV was occupied), but that's still almost a third of the price of the entire console. It doesn't make much sense.
Third party accessory makers are also hard a work on cases, stands, skins and all sorts of other stuff that they'll try to sell you when the system launches.
What DIDN'T the press conference show?
Sadly, a lot. We don't know any details about the Virtual Console support (for old games from the NES era and beyond),, we don't know what the user interface is like or how the online service will work.
Still, we also learned a lot, so there's hope that the rest of the gaps will be filled in sooner rather than later.
When can I pre-order one?
Now ... if you can find one available. Best Buy pre-orders went up shortly after Nintendo's presentation. Amazon pre-orders went up in the middle of the night. GameStop sent out a press release early on Friday morning announcing that pre-orders were open.
But securing a pre-order might not be too easy. Amazon lists the Switch as a "best-seller," but it's currently unavailable.
Why should I NOT pre-order one?
For one thing, the launch lineup is really slim, especially if you also play games on a PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is sure to be a huge release that could last you dozens of hours (if not more than a hundred), but many of the other launch titles that have been confirmed so far are games that we've seen on other platforms already.
If you can hold out until the holidays, though, Super Mario Odyssey looks like it has the potential to be an amazing Christmas gift to anybody who loves video games, and plenty more games will have come out for the system by then.
I wouldn't be surprised if the Switch is hard to find on store shelves on March 3, but sometimes it's OK to wait before hopping on board with new technology.
