Nintendo Switch

Ever since Nintendo’s press conference back in March 2015, Nintendo fans have been eagerly awaiting the day they truly find out what the NX is all about. As of 9 am. Thursday, October 20^th, Nintendo announced the Nintendo Switch along with a trailer that showcases some of what it can be capable of, along with some potential games it will be able to run. The announcement of the console is met with much excitement from Nintendo fans, but it is also met with much skepticism from them as well. Nintendo has fallen pretty far from being at or near the top of the video game ecosystem. With the failure of the Wii U, selling roughly 10 million worldwide compared to Sony’s PlayStation 4 who’s most recent sales report accounts for 44 million units sold worldwide, people are not too sure if Nintendo can make a comeback in hardware manufacturing. However, when talking about the NX in an interview Shinya Takahashi who oversees Nintendo’s Software Planning & Development Division said “For us, the next step is to think about what is going to be that element that is really going to catch the attention of a large number of players again and get them excited,”. While people certainly are excited, that still doesn’t get rid of the sour taste that Wii U has left in the mouths of gamers.

What Is It?

From what we see in the trailer it appears that The Switch primary function is the ability to take your home console with you on the go. The player will be able to stop playing on their television, and pick up right where they left off on a hand help tablet. The system uses two removable ‘Joy-Con’ controllers which slide into a more traditional looking controller, or slide on the sides of the tablet for on the go play. Compared to the Xbox one controller and Sony’s Dualshock 4, The Switch’s controller looks to be bulkier and awkward to hold. However, Nintendo is making the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller which appears to be more ergonomically comfortable then the ‘Joy-Con’ controller for playing on the television.

The game tablet looks to be a sleeker more modern looking Wii U game pad. The way Nintendo is able to accomplish this, is by making the tablet contain all the hardware of the console. The tablet is then able to be put into a doc that connects it to the TV in order to show the display on it. While in the doc the tablets screen will be completely covered so it is doubtful that the Switch will use any second screen features like the Wii U. The tablet has a kick stand that coms off the back I order to be set done and propped up. The Joy-Cons can be removed and used wirelessly to play the game. On top of that it is possible to give one of the controllers to another person for multiplayer games. It also seems that two tablets can connect to each other wirelessly just like Nintendo’s 3DS to play together. It also appears that Nintendo is going back to the use of cartridges. Since it would be really hard to fit a disc drive in the tablet, it is unsurprising that they decided to go for a more compact way of making their games. As to what the cartridge looks like we do not know. So there is a chance Nintendo just might use the same style cartridge as the 3DS, but that is unclear as of now. Nintendo has confirmed a release date of March 2017, as for a specific day that is still unknown.

Specs    

As far as specs for the switch go, Nintendo hasn’t released very much at all. Though Nintendo assures that they will announce ‘configuration and related specifics’ before the launch in march. Nvidia posted on its blog that the Switch will be running with its technology. The post reads “Nintendo Switch is powered by the performance of the custom Tegra processor. The high-efficiency scalable processor includes an NVIDIA GPU based on the same architecture as the world’s top-performing GeForce gaming graphics cards.”. Working with Nvidia can potentially be a very intelligent move on Nintendo’s part. Nvidia is regarded as one of the best tech hardware manufacturers in PC gaming. With the Switch using Nvidia’s hardware, that might just give the Switch the edge it needs in order to compete with the PS4 and Xbox one. Outside of this however, we will just have to wait to see.

Price

Possibly one of the biggest deciding factors of if the Switch is a success or not is the price. While Nintendo has yet to release a price point, many different websites have given their predictions as to what it will be. It seems that the General consensus is that the Switch will cost somewhere between $299.99 and $399.99. This has been the standard price point for this generation of consoles however, with the failure of the Wii U hanging over Nintendo’s head, having a higher price point might deter consumers from buying into the Switch immediately. With a higher price point Nintendo will really need to show consumers that the Switch is worth the money they will spend and that might be easier said than done.

Games Confirmed Coming to Nintendo Switch   

• The Legend of Zelda: The Breath of the Wild
• Dragon Quest XI and X
• Project Sonic (Coming in 2017)
• Just Dance 2017

Potential Games

In the reveal trailer there were multiple different games that were shown off however, not all of those publishers have confirmed that their titles will be available on Switch.They were Primarily shown to demonstrate what the Switch might be capable of, but that does not mean they will not be coming to the Switch. The publishers have just yet to confirm anything.

• New Super Mario game
• New Mario Kart game
• Skyrim Remastered
• Splatoon
• NBA 2K17

Studios Working on Nintendo Hardware

Conclusion

It is no doubt that Nintendo has a lot riding on the Switch, and can be argued that how the Switch is received can either make or break Nintendo as a hardware manufacturer. This means that Nintendo needs to persuade big triple A developer to make games for the system, hit a price point that is just right so consumers are not scared off by it, and prove to gamers that the Switch is not just a Wii U repeat.   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5uik5fgIaI