Nintendo Switches It Up With New Console Reveal

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Terri Purcell and Terri Purcell

On January 12, 2017 at 8 p.m. PST Nintendo revealed more details about their upcoming console, the Nintendo Switch during their worldwide presentation. The console is set to release March 3rd this year for the suggested retail price of $299.99.

The Switch is both a home console and a portable device. The console comes with the system itself, a portable screen, a set of controllers called the Joy-Con, and a grip that allows the Joy-Con to be used like a more traditional controller. Shinya Takahasi, the director of Nintendo software, described the Switch as a combination of all their previous consoles. The portable screen combines the dual screen of the Wii U and the touchscreen of the Nintendo DS. The Joy-Con controllers use the designs of Nintendo Entertainment Systems, the Super NES, and Nintendo 64 as the base for the buttons on each controllers. The Wii made motion controls possible and the Joy-Con controllers use a similar sensor as the Wii controls to detect motion. Portability was inspired by the Gameboy and Gamecube. With the Gamecube they had already begun planning a console that also could be easily moved around and with the Switch they achieved it.

During the presentation Nintendo announced several titles that will come out on or near launch. The first two titles announced used the Joy-Con motion controls as their main focus. Arms is a colorful cartoonish boxing game. 1-2-Switch is a minigame collection featuring 2-player games where each player uses a Joy-Con controller much like the Wii controllers. However, instead of facing a screen, players will face each other since the Joy-Con doesn’t need to face a sensor to work. This is because of an infrared motion sensor inside the controller detects how the controller is being moved.

Other games included the previously announced  Zelda:Breath of the Wild, a new installment in the Legend of Zelda franchise, Splatoon 2, the sequel to the 2015 game, and Super Mario Odyssey, a 3D Mario game similar to Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine. They also announced several partnerships developing games with 3rd-party developers like EA Sports’s FIFA series and Bethesda’s Skyrim Remastered  that will be released soon after the Switch’s launch.
Nintendo has several more presentations planned before the release date where more games and features will likely be announced. More will also be announced after the release, likely during their presentation at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in June.