On January 13, Nintendo finally played its ace in the hole. The Japanese giant is not going through one of its best moments (especially if we look at its financial performance), but we all expected it to play the card up its sleeve. The time of doubts and speculation is over: the Nintendo Switch has a price, a release date, specifications, and a preliminary list of games to accompany the hardware at its debut. Needless to say, the web won't stop screaming...
...and with good reason, because there's something about the Nintendo Switch that instantly captured the interest of most. The hybrid configuration, its portability, the design details (or rather, some of them) derived from the Wii and Wii U, new games from its main franchises... it's a mix that seems humble on its own, but forms something more powerful when combined. The big official press event took place in Tokyo, and the company unloaded its arsenal. The specialized press had plenty of access to the hardware around the globe, with Nintendo representatives standing like soldiers ready to resolve any doubt. That said, let's start from the beginning. Once you buy the console, what's in the box?
What's in the box?
The Nintendo Switch is divided into its main unit equipped with a 6.2-inch touchscreen at 720p, the dock that turns it into a fixed console next to the TV, the two Joy-Con controllers, the two wrist straps, the Grip that turns them into a gamepad, an HDMI cable, and of course, a power supply. In portable mode, the console can be charged via USB Type-C. Technically there are still few compatible chargers on the market with that port, but that should change within a few months. The Pro Controller we've seen in many photos will be an optional accessory, with a price of $70, while the Joy-Cons come with the console in grey, or red and blue (the price will be the same). The presence of the custom Tegra chip has already been confirmed, as is the 1080p video mode when the console is in its dock. Internal storage is 32 GB with expansion via microSD cards, games will be available on game cards (something we had partly anticipated), and depending on the title, battery life ranges from three to six hours.
Launch lineup
Speaking of games, the Nintendo Switch will have a total of five titles at its launch, and none will come bundled with the console. The games in question are The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Skylanders: Imaginators, 1-2 Switch, Just Dance 2017 and Super Bomberman R. Several portals have criticized this (with solid arguments, I must admit), but instead of following that line, I'll cite two previous Nintendo examples: The Wii U launched with more than twenty games available, and yet the console sold just 13 million units in four years. On the other side we have the Nintendo 64. That console arrived in the US market with only Super Mario 64 and Pilotwings 64. And you have to be very critical to knock the Nintendo 64's success. The company is seeking a gradual and balanced launch. Its projection is only two million consoles in the pre-order phase of the Switch, and there will be about a dozen additional games in the weeks following its debut. Now, why are there no bundles? Nintendo's main reason is economic: The Switch must come out of the box with all its accessories to guarantee a complete experience, and adding a game (say, a free copy of Zelda) would place its price in an uncomfortable zone. It doesn't convince everyone, but that's the data we have.
Price and launch date
Which brings us to the closing: The Nintendo Switch will have a price tag of $299. The launch will be simultaneous worldwide on March 3, and there will be no region locks on games, greatly facilitating any import process. Part of me wants to talk about the console's 'hackable' potential. Honestly I have no idea what level of resistance the Nintendo Switch will present, but there's no doubt they'll attack it from day one to access homebrew and sideloading. We'll be waiting.
