On Oct. 20, Nintendo released a first look at its new console known as the Nintendo Switch.
In a video posted to Nintendo’s YouTube channel and Nintendo.com, the Switch appears to be a hybrid system capable of mobile and home gaming.
The console primarily uses a handheld controller similar to the Wii U gamepad, but with detachable side controllers called Joy-Cons, which attaches to a home dock that can connect to a television.
The biggest and most advertised feature of the console is how the handheld pad can be taken anywhere you want to go unlike the Wii U gamepad.
“It’s a handheld system, don’t let them tell you otherwise,” said GameStop customer Kevin Johnson who’s still saving up for the Xbox One S.
In the release video for the system, the handheld was shown being taken on an airplane and a car ride revealing the handheld is also its own screen that can be played on with the Joy-Cons acting as a Wii remote and nunchuck or as two separate controllers to be used by two people at once.
This is actually based on a prototype for the Wii U gamepad where two Wii remotes would attach to the sides of a tablet-sized screen and could be detached to play games on the screen.
This has people believing the Wii U was a prototype version of the Switch that was rushed for release due to Nintendo’s fear of losing the gaming market to Sony’s PlayStation 4 and Microsoft’s Xbox One.
But, with the invention of 4K resolution televisions, both Microsoft and Sony have developed new consoles that use 4K definition: the PlayStation 4 Pro and the Xbox One S.
“What sucks is I need to save for a new TV… The S can only work with a 4K TV,” said Johnson.
The downside to 4K hardware is that 4K TVs are far more expensive than normal smart televisions.
The questions of what hardware the Switch will use, the games will go with its release and many more will be answered during the Nintendo Switch Presentation being livestreamed on Jan. 12. The time the stream will start will be revealed on Nintendo’s social media sites and it’s likely to be streamed on social media as well, but nothing has been determined yet.
“It looks amazing. I’m very excited,” said Delta College student Ismat Dajani.
Using gimmicks to sell consoles and games has become the norm for Nintendo ever since the release of the Nintendo DS in 2004 and the Wii in 2006, both being worldwide successes.
But, the poor quality of the Wii U system hurt Nintendo’s reputation to the point where they’ve been operating at a loss since 2013, according to Polygon.com.
Nintendo can only hope that gamers, casuals and non-gamers alike will give them a second chance come March 2017