Tonight at 11 p.m. ET, Nintendo will broadcast live from Tokyo to give the world more details about its Wii U successor, the Nintendo Switch. Nintendo’s iconic character was shown in a New York-esque city as well as a desert, a jungle and other themed environments.
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This is how Nintendo’s Switch console works on-the-go – the same games on a smaller, mobile unit.
It’s set to launch in March.
Nintendo showcased its latest Switch handheld console just a few hours ago, detailing pricing and availability information. You plop your controller in a slot in the dock, hook up an HDMI cable to your TV, grab the Joy-Cons from the Switch and you’re now set for TV gaming.
These will come in grey, neon-blue and red and will cost $79.99 (£65) a piece.
Nintendo is promising a more immersive, interactive experience with the Switch, including online playing and using the remote controller in games that don’t require players to be constantly staring at a display. In addition to online multi-player games, the service will allow for voice chats, and subscribers will be able to download NES and SNES games free for a month at a time.
But one game alone can not sell a console.
Right now no other official hardware specifications have been released for the system.
As with any new console announcement we imagine you’re wanting to know a bit more about the console before you put any money down. It would be damning for the company to have two commercially irrelevant consoles in a row-but will it? Remove the tablet from its dock and you’re off. EA Sports has also promised to bring its games to the transforming gaming device and we did see a glimpse of Minecraft during the final montage. And the controller? It breaks apart also, the two edges sliding out of the central “Joy-Con Grip” and attaching onto the sides of the tablet, basically recreating the Wii U controller. The system can be enjoyed in various game-modes including game play with a friend using the packed-in Joy-Con controller which splits into two.
What are the Joy-Con controllers?
The launch of the Switch is one of the biggest moments for the company in recent years.
In terms of titles headed to the new console, Nintendo has confirmed Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Super Mario Odyssey and Splatoon 2, while Federation Internationale de Football Association will make a return to a Nintendo console and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will be a launch title. Last but not least is the new Legend of Zelda game, which will be a huge hit for Nintendo and is available at launch.
It’s called Super Mario Odyssey, and it’s open world, which means Mario can explore wherever he wants and complete events in any order the player chooses. Whenever the applied time limit is exceeded, parents can use a “last resort” feature and remotely suspend the software being played, ensuring that “further play won’t be possible for the rest of the day”.
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Above: Nintendo Switch owes its DNA to many past Nintendo devices. Nintendo Switch has that and then some.
