On October 20, Nintendo revealed their latest gaming platform, Nintendo Switch. It is set for a March 2017 release date.
The new video game console–previously codenamed Nintendo NX–was unveiled by Nintendo via a YouTube video. The video gave a quick look at the features and capabilities of the Switch.
Part mobile console and part home console, the Switch features an iPad-like main screen, two detachable controllers called Joy-Cons, and a TV docking station. When docked at their television, the player can detach the Joy-Cons from the sides of the main console and view the game on their home big-screen.
On the go, the player can take the console’s smaller screen with them and attach the Joy-Cons to make the console look a bit like the Wii U Gamepad. However, the console does not appear to feature motion or touch controls–prominent features in Nintendo’s previous consoles.
Nintendo previously had two gaming platforms. The Wii U was their home console, and the 3DS was their hand-held mobile console. By marrying these two gaming ecosystems, Nintendo is uniting their fans of the Wii U with their fans of the 3DS. Previously, games purchased for the Wii U would not work with the 3DS, and vice versa.
The video shows a player inserting a small cartridge to the Switch, similar to the 3DS’s cartridge system. But the known games shown off are The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Splatoon, two of Nintendo’s Wii U games. Other games shown include an unannounced Super Mario game and an Elder Scrolls-esque RPG. It is unknown at this time if previous games are backwards compatible on the Switch.
Watch Nintendo’s first look at the Switch:
