5 Things We Learned About the Nintendo Switch
Like many of you, I tuned in to the Tokyo Presentation for the upcoming Nintendo Switch. This presentation from Nintendo provided more information on the Nintendo Switch and some of it is rather interesting. Below are 5 things we learned about the Nintendo Switch.
1. Launch Date and Price
Easily the most in demand information regarding the Nintendo Switch was when it would release and how much it would cost. These questions were answered at the start of the presentation. The Nintendo Switch will launch on March 3, 2017 and will retail at $299.99 USD (price varies by country). Furthermore, fans of the console will be able to pre-order the console starting today (I assume you will have trouble getting one).
2. Battery Life
As the Nintendo Switch is both a handheld and dockable console, the question surrounding battery life was also a concern to Nintendo fans. According to today’s presentation, the Nintendo Switch will feature a battery life that ranges from 2.5 hours – 6 hours depending on the game being played. What games will impact battery life were not shared (I expect Zelda to be a hog), however we have received a general idea on what to expect from the system’s battery life.
3. Multiplayer/Online System
To be brutally honest, Nintendo has always sucked at implementing online systems. Ever tried adding a friend on 3DS/2DS? It is a major pain. While the Tokyo presentation did not explicitly address how things would improve, Nintendo did announce that they would be moving towards similar online models like Microsoft and Sony. What I mean by this is that Nintendo is moving towards a paid online model. Owners of the Nintendo Switch will have access to online features through a trial period, but will be charged for the service come fall 2017. More information will be shared regarding the online features closer to the Nintendo Switch launch.
4. Joy – Con Features
Much of the Tokyo presentation was spent highlighting the tech within the Switch’s JoyCon. For those who may be unaware, the JoyCon is essentially the control portions of the Switch which can be attached and unattached to the system. What we learned regarding the controllers was two – fold, that there would be different colors of controllers and also that there is both motion and haptic features. Color-wise the presentation highlighted both Red and Blue as being available colorways with more forthcoming.
5. Games
As the Nintendo Switch is a video game console, fans were expecting to see games and Nintendo showed off a few. First up was a couple of more party/motion based games in 1,2 Switch and ARMS. These games were then followed by the announcement of Splatoon 2. After Splatoon 2 a few more games were briefly touched on like Xenoblade 2 and Skyrim. Up to this point, we had not seen any of the really popular Nintendo mainstays. This quickly changed, as we witnessed Mario Odyssey. Mario Odyssey was easily my highlight of the presentation. To wrap up the show, we were shown a trailer of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Trailer is below.
Release Dates:
Mario Odyssey: Holidays 2017
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild: March 3, 2017
With the American Nintendo special planned for this morning I expect to hear more on the Nintendo Switch. However, the 5 things we learned about the Nintendo Switch are interesting nonetheless.
I wish that the Mario Odyssey trailer was just Luigi walking into his mansion, and there is guitar music playing over top, and then it is revealed that Mario is in the mansion playing the guitar, and there is a dead Yoshi on the floor…
The FilmApe should be making Nintendo trailers haha