Nintendo Switch Price, Release Date, Games, Specs: Everything We Know About Nintendo’s New Console
In October 2016, Nintendo officially unveiled the new video games console that they’ve been teasing — the Switch. Nintendo has already promised that the new console will bridge the gap between handheld and console gaming, largely helped by the device’s tablet form factor. However, the details around the Switch are still a little thin on the ground. In this article, we’ll take a look at the price, release date, games, specs and everything else we know so far about the Nintendo Switch.
Specs
Nintendo used a three-minute video clip to introduce the world to Switch. With that in mind, the Japanese company didn’t spare much time to run down the specifics of the new console. What Nintendo did show off is a portable console that can be inserted into a docking station and connected to a television for home use. While the new console sounds primarily like a handheld console, Nintendo insists that the Switch’s primary focus is the home console market, with the company intending for the console to live alongside their current 3DS handheld.
Emily Rogers Says That Nintendo Switch Has 4GB Of Ram In Retail Units https://t.co/bRAEyYOAAA pic.twitter.com/wGHYtywuh9
— My Nintendo News (@MyNintendoNews) October 30, 2016
While as aforementioned, specs are a little thin on the ground, according to TechSpot, rumors surfacing from dev kits believed to be in the wild confirm the Switch will use a 6.2-inch, 720p 10-point multitouch capacitive screen, along with 4GB of RAM. That would be double the amount of power in the Wii U, but only half of the PS4 and Xbox One.
Nintendo themselves have confirmed that they’ll be taking advantage of Nvidia’s Tegra chip with the Switch. That inclusion was later confirmed by Nvidia, alongside the news that the company would be discontinuing their own handheld console — the Shield — which is similar in nature to the Switch. That being said, neither Nintendo or Nvidia confirmed exactly which one of the company’s chips the Switch will include, meaning the console could still be considerably underpowered in comparison to competitors.
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Games
The Nintendo Switch will primarily be a device designed for playing video games. That being said, the list of games coming to the console is still a little thin on the ground. According to TechnoBuffalo, Nintendo themselves have only confirmed one first-party title for the Switch so far, and that’s The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild— which is also coming to Wii U. However, the reveal trailer also showed off a number of first party Wii U titles, which Nintendo has hinted could be ported to the Switch.
Many third party publishers have also been discussing their support for the Switch. A Nintendo press release provided alongside the announcement of the NX detailed all the major publishers that plan to support the Switch. Below is the currently confirmed list of third party games heading to the Switch:
- Skylanders Imaginators – Activision
- Stardew Valley – Chucklefish Games
- Giana Sisters: Dream Runners – EuroVideo Medien
- Toby: The Secret Mine – Headup Games
- forma.8 – MixedBag
- Zarvot – SnowHydra Games
- World to the West – Soedesco
- Ectoplaza – Syndicate Atomic
- Hollow Knight – Team Cherry
- Just Dance 2017 – Ubisoft
- Shantae: Half-Genie Hero – WayForward
Nintendo won't announce Switch launch date, price and games line-up until January – https://t.co/RbJjIYXSxg pic.twitter.com/KTtfhO5Ycs
— Eurogamer (@eurogamer) October 27, 2016
Release Date and Price
Since Nintendo originally teased the Switch, they’ve been persistent in their claims that it will launch in March 2017. That being said, Nintendo isn’t currently providing any further details. The company has, however, confirmed that they’ll be holding a press event on January 12 in Tokyo. Nintendo is expected to use the event to provide an exact release date for the Switch, along with its retail price. The event will also see Nintendo officially confirm the Switch’s specs and launch game lineup.
[Featured Image by Nintendo]
