advertisement
Nintendo Switch
Facebook
X
LinkedIn
WhatsApp
Reddit

The Nintendo Switch reveal: Everything you need to know

This morning (at 6am local time) Nintendo held a presentation for its new console, the Switch, in Tokyo. (We got up at 5:30am to get the details because we love you.)

Nintendo Switch: Release date and price

Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima opened up the proceedings by announcing the Switch will launch globally on March 3rd of this year. That is, the Switch will land in retailers in the US, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, parts of Europe and (coughs) ‘other territories’. He didn’t mention South Africa by name, but hey, we live in hope.

Kimishima also said the Switch will sell for a recommended retail price (RRP) of $299.99 in the US. That would put in the region of around R4 062 at the current exchange rate. Call us cynical, but we think it’ll probably sell locally for more than that.

Nintendo Switch: What’s in the box?

The Nintendo Switch will be sold in two variants; one with grey controllers – which Nintendo has labeled ‘Joy-Cons’ – and one with coloured controllers (one in Neon Red and one in Neon Blue). The package contains two Joy-Cons, the console, a dock, an HDMI cable, an AC adaptor and wrist-straps for the Joy-Cons, so if you’re flailing about with them you won’t inadvertently chuck one through your TV.

The Nintendo Switch will support online and local multiplayer. Players can also use smart devices to connect to the console, so long as they’re supported. Online play will be free for a time at launch, but Kimishima-san said that it would then become a paid service at a later date, sometime in autumn (that would be spring locally).

Perhaps the news that caused the biggest stir ahead of the game line-up announcements was the fact that the Switch will not be region-locked. So if a game doesn’t see local release, that won’t be a problem for Switch owners.

Nintendo Switch: Modes and Kit

After Kimishima-san left the stage, Shinya Takahashi, Head Of Software Development came out to offer a few more details about the Switch.

At this stage, the presentation reached teeth-melting levels of twee, as Takahashi-san and various other developers started bandying about buzzwords; players could “share the joy” with the Joy-Cons (barf!) and “share the excitement”. If you fancy some cheap fun later, you can watch the presentation tonight and play the Nintendo Switch drinking game; every time someone says ‘switch to this person’ or clicks their fingers do a shot and you’ll be paralytic in about ten minutes.

All that said, Takahashi-san did offer a couple of interesting details. The Joy-Cons apparently contain mini HD rumble motors that are so precise they can convey the sense of ice cubes in a glass or a glass filling with water. There’s also a ‘Capture’ button that players can use to take screenshots and share them online – this button will be able to capture video, but only at a later stage.

The Joy-Cons also boast gyroscopes and sensors that can measure distance – which comes in handy with one of the console’s launch titles. Players can slide them onto either side of the console for gaming on the go, attach them to a dock, which makes for a more traditional control set up, or snap them off and use them as two mini controllers.

The Switch is playable in three modes – TV, Tabletop and Handheld. The first involves plugging Switch into your TV via its dock, the second involves players placing the Switch on a surface using its kick-stand and the third is… well… you get the idea.

The Switch can be charged while playing and can connect over WiFi. Battery life varies depending on the game, but Takahashi-san said players can expect anywhere between 2-6 hours of play.

Nintendo Switch: Games

The presentation unveiled two titles the Switch will see at launch – The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild and a new IP called 1-2 Switch. The former needs no introduction – it’s been floating around since the early days of the Wii U – but the latter warrants a closer look, since it recalls the hugely popular party titles of the Wii’s heyday.

Rather than battling foes on a screen, 1-2 Switch pits two players against each other in a series of contests – fast-draw cowboy battles for example – and uses the sensor to determine who has the fastest reaction. Anyone who has ever played Johan Sebastien Joust will get the idea – and see the massive potential this game has to claw back casual players.

Alongside these two launch titles, Nintendo unveiled a selection of first party games for the Switch, none of which have a set release date at this time. Here’s the list:

  • Arms: Imagine a boxing game where all the fighters have arms like Mr. Fantastic. Arms is a brand new IP in which players knock the hell out of each other with neon-coloured fighters in bouts that seem to require more skill than one would think. This one is scheduled for ‘spring’ (autumn locally).
  • Splatoon 2: The sequel to baby’s first shooter, Splatoon 2 features new weapons, new paint-based mechanics, jetpacks, new hubs and local and online multiplayer. It’s set for release this summer (winter locally).
  • Super Mario Odyssey: You knew the portly plumber would make an appearance. This is the first sandbox game Mario’s been in in a while and it does look awesome. New features include a hub that looks like modern day New York and a new cap for Mario that can double as a platform for him to bounce off. This one has no release date as yet.
  •  Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Nintendo didn’t show much other than an intro animation. Oh and there’s no release date for this one.
  • Fire Emblem Warriors: See above.

Takahashi-san said that alongside first-party games, over 50 third-party partners were currently working on titles for the Switch. Details here became a little sketchy, however, with only a couple of titles seeing any sort of reveal.

While it was great to see that The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is confirmed for the Switch – because that was up in the air when the console was first revealed – the likes of Sega, Suda 51 and EA only paid lip service to their plans for Nintendo’s new console. The latter confirmed FIFA was coming, but didn’t state it would be the full-fat version players enjoy on other platforms. Sega and Suda simply offered vague promises.

The stand-out third-party publisher at the Switch keynote was Square Enix, which is offering four – yes, four – Dragon Quest games, a new Shin Megami Tensei game and a brand new RPG called Octopath Traveller. No release dates for any of those were mentioned.

Nintendo Switch: Conclusion

And that was your lot. No specs and no word on 4K compliance, but then no-one really expected that. Why let what’s under the hood get in the way of building hype? That, after all, was the purpose of this presentation and a quick glance at social media shows that it did its job and then some.

As keynotes go, this was as slick as they come. Now all that’s left is to sit down with the Switch and see how it plays. Roll on March.

 

advertisement

About Author

advertisement

Related News

advertisement