Nintendo Switch Main Thread

[Mavrick]

Update:

First Look at Nintendo Switch - YouTube

Originally Posted by Dystify

Nintendo UK just released an overview of Nintendo Switch hardware features. You can find it here or below.

If there are still questions about Nintendo Switch hardware to be asked feel free to do it in this topic.

Note: Clicking on the images makes them larger.


Nintendo Switch console

• Size: 102mm x 239mm x 13.9mm (with Joy-Con attached)
  • Please note: 28.4mm at the thickest, from the tips of the analogue sticks to the ZL/ZR Button protrusions.
• Weight: Approx. 297g (With Joy-Con controllers attached: 398g)
• Screen: Capacitive touch screen / 6.2 inch LCD / 1280x720 resolution
• CPU/GPU: NVIDIA customised Tegra processor
• System memory: 32 GB (Please note: a portion of this internal memory is reserved for use by the system.)
• Communication features: Wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac compliant) / Bluetooth 4.1 (TV mode only. A wired LAN connection is possible through the use of a commercially available wired LAN adapter.)
• Video output: Maximum resolution: 1920x1080, 60 fps
  • Please note: output via HDMI cable in TV mode. In tabletop mode and handheld mode, the maximum resolution is 1280x720, which matches the screen resolution.
• Audio output: Supports linear PCM 5.1ch
  • Please note: output via HDMI cable in TV mode.
• Speakers: Stereo
• USB terminal: USB Type-C terminal (Used for charging or for connecting to the Nintendo Switch dock.)
• Headphone mic. jack: Stereo output
• Game card slot: Exclusively for Nintendo Switch game cards.
• microSD card slot: Compatible with microSD, microSDHC and microSDXC memory cards.
  • Please note: an update via an internet connection is required to use microSDXC memory cards.
• Sensors: Accelerometer / gyroscope / brightness sensor
• Operating environment: Temperature: 5 - 35°C / Humidity: 20 - 80%
• Internal battery: Lithium ion battery / battery capacity 4310mAh
  • Please note: the internal battery cannot be removed. If the battery needs to be replaced, we plan to offer paid replacement via Nintendo Customer Support.
• Battery life: Battery life can last for more than six hours, but will vary depending on the software and usage conditions.
  • For example, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild can be played for roughly three hours on a single charge.
• Charging time: 3 hours approx.
  • Please note: this is the time taken to charge while the console is in sleep mode.

Nintendo Switch Dock

• Size: 104mm x 173mm x 54mm
• Weight: Approx. 327g
• Connectors:
  • USB ports: two USB 2.0 compatible ports on the side, one on the back.
    • Launches with USB 2.0 support, but USB 3.0 support will be added in a future update.
  • System connector
  • AC adapter port
  • HDMI port

Joy-Con

• Size: 102mm x 35.9mm x 28.4mm
• Weight: Joy-Con (L): Approx. 49g, Joy-Con (R): Approx. 52.1g
• Buttons Joy-Con (L):
  • Left Stick (pressable)
  • Directional/L/ZL/SL/SR/− Buttons
  • Capture Button
  • Release button
  • SYNC Button
• Buttons Joy-Con (R):
  • Right Stick (pressable)
  • A/B/X/Y/R/ZR/SL/SR/+ Buttons
  • HOME Button
  • Release Button
  • SYNC Button
• Connectivity functions: Bluetooth 3.0 (Joy-Con (L)), Bluetooth 3.0, NFC (Joy-Con (R))
• Sensors Joy-Con (L):
  • Accelerometer
  • Gyroscope
• Sensors Joy-Con (R):
  • Accelerometer
  • Gyroscope
  • IR Motion Camera
• Vibration function: HD rumble
  • Capable of varied and precise vibrations.
• Internal battery: 525 mAh Li-ion battery
  • Please note: the internal battery cannot be removed. If the battery needs to be replaced, we plan to offer paid replacement via Nintendo Customer Support.
• Battery life: Approx. 20 hours
  • Please note: this time is an estimate. Actual time may vary depending on individual usage patterns.
• Charging time: Approx. 3.5 hours
  • Please note: to charge the Joy-Con, you must attach them to a Nintendo Switch console or Joy-Con charging grip (sold separately).

Joy-Con Strap

• Size: 101mm x 14.6mm x 13.9mm
• Weight: Approx. 18.7g

Joy-Con Grip

• Size: 101mm x 144mm x 40.1mm
• Weight: Approx. 97g

Change the way you play with different play modes
Nintendo Switch can be played while connected to the TV as a home console, but actually there are three different play modes you can choose from, depending on the situation.


TV mode
Place the Nintendo Switch console into the Nintendo Switch dock, hook up the HDMI cable to your TV, and you’re ready to play games on the TV.


Tabletop mode
Prop up the stand attached to the back of the Nintendo Switch console to play games on its built-in screen. This mode is useful when you’re on the go without a TV, and two people can even play together by taking control of a Joy-Con each.


Handheld mode
Attach the Joy-Con to the Nintendo Switch console and play it on the go. Play wherever you like, however you want, using the 6.2 inch screen.


HOME Menu
From the HOME Menu, you can start games and select game settings. In addition to managing friends and user accounts, you can also change your system settings here.




Main features of the HOME Menu


News
The latest news about games will be delivered to your Nintendo Switch.


Nintendo eShop
You can purchase digital versions of games and downloadable content by accessing Nintendo eShop. You can also get more information about games by viewing commercials and promotional videos here.


Album
Here you can view screenshots you’ve captured during gameplay. You can freely add text to the images and effortlessly post them to social networks.

Capture screenshots in an instant



By pressing the Capture Button on Joy-Con (L), you can capture screenshots during gameplay instantly.*
Please note: you will also be able to capture video footage after a future update.

*Some games may have sections where it is not possible to capture screenshots.

Multiplayer


Link your consoles together

By connecting with other Nintendo Switch consoles, you can enjoy local multiplayer.

Connect via the internet

Go online and play with far-off friends and users all over the world via Wi-Fi. With a LAN adapter, you can connect to the internet via a wired connection when playing in TV mode.

amiibo functionality


By tapping an amiibo (sold separately) to the NFC touchpoint on Joy-Con (R), you can read or write data to the amiibo.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1338288

[Mavrick]

We’ve seen at least five configurations for the Switch
Nintendo’s goal with the Switch is to fill all gaming niches — single-player couch and mobile sessions, party gaming, meeting another friend with a console, even e-sports. To that end, we’ve seen at least five distinct ways to use the Switch.

The first, at the beginning, is most like a standard console: a black box sitting next to the TV, with a handheld gamepad. But then, its owner — who’s playing Zelda — gets up and reveals that the main controls slide off the frame of the gamepad, then slide onto the sides of a small tablet nestled in the box. Pull it out, and you’ve got a handheld console.



In some situations, you can also prop it up with a kickstand and use one half of the controller in each hand.



If you like, you can put the Switch back into its living room console box, but use a more traditional controller instead.



With friends, you can prop up the Switch with its kickstand and turn each half of the controller into a simple gamepad. In this case, we’ve got four players in total, playing against each other on two separate Switches.



Nintendo promises that you can play the same games whether the Switch is mobile or docked, and the device looks beefier than your average Nintendo handheld — it’s more like the Nvidia Shield gaming tablet, and is in fact powered by a custom Nvidia Tegra processor.

The Switch controller is called the Joy-Con

Nintendo describes each small half-controller as a Joy-Con, with an analog stick and four face buttons on each. As we see above, they can be used separately, slotted onto the side of the main Switch body, or secured to a Joy-Con Grip accessory.



There’s an optional "Pro" controller as well

Nintendo is making an interesting play for e-sports fans in the trailer video: a Splatoon team practices together before an event, then members walk on stage and slot their consoles into stands on the desks to compete for real. To do that, they’re using what Nintendo refers to as the optional Switch Pro Controller, which is conceptually similar to the older Wii U Pro Controller — a traditional gamepad for a non-traditional console.

The Switch uses DS-like GameCards

They’ve been described as "cartridges" before, but they’re essentially the kind of little cards that players of portable Nintendo games will be familiar with. They pop right into the side of the tablet, like so:



48 software companies have pledged support

The Wii U struggled to attract developers, but Nintendo has published a list of 48 software partners for the Switch, hoping to allay concerns. These include game development companies like EA, Bethesda, Capcom, Activision, and Ubisoft, as well as middleware and game engine companies like Unity and Havok.

[dyne]

So they've been adamant about not wanting to get vested in mobile gaming and then this?

Apparently rumors are that this is what will replace Club Nintendo.

http://mynintendonews.com/2015/03/17...club-nintendo/

Obviously all this news makes it sound like they're finally unifying devices but I feel like it's also giving a big FU to current customers. The ones that have had to sit by and have a horrible VC trickle on the current hardware with games that had to be repurchased if already owned on previous hardware (if you wanted to not have to deal with Wii mode).

Obviously we'll know more at e3 and it's been known for a long time they needed to drastically overhaul their back end but it always sucks when it happens. Hopefully this ends the system based ownership and moves to a cloud based one for the next generation. They need to have a simple account system like the other two have in case of hardware failure or upgrade.

[detective392]

Can't wait to see what this new console is. I'm hoping it's a set top console and not another handheld. They just released a new 3DS and the old 3DS still has plenty of life in it.

I'm not expecting this to be released until 2017 at the earliest which makes the Wii U 5 years old. By than Nintendo will have released all the major Nintendo games and 3rd party support isn't that strong.

As much as I like the Wii U and the Wii, I would kinda like to see Nintendo make a regular system that can match Sony/MS for 3rd party support and last 7+ years. Don't get me wrong, I buy Nintendo consoles for 1st party games and am fine just getting Nintendo games for them but just a set top box and a controller console like there past ones would be cool.

[dyne]

Originally Posted by detective392

Can't wait to see what this new console is. I'm hoping it's a set top console and not another handheld. They just released a new 3DS and the old 3DS still has plenty of life in it.

I'm not expecting this to be released until 2017 at the earliest which makes the Wii U 5 years old. By than Nintendo will have released all the major Nintendo games and 3rd party support isn't that strong.

As much as I like the Wii U and the Wii, I would kinda like to see Nintendo make a regular system that can match Sony/MS for 3rd party support and last 7+ years. Don't get me wrong, I buy Nintendo consoles for 1st party games and am fine just getting Nintendo games for them but just a set top box and a controller console like there past ones would be cool.

The problem is they're out of cadence with everybody else. If they release in 2017 with a console more powerful than the PS4/X1 it will be outclassed by the time their successors come out. If they choose to go with x86 they'll have the benefit of having 3rd party development but there's no way in hell anybody would spend time making the Nintendo versions better and piss off MS/SONY. They would also have issues with backward compatibility. Would I love to see them have enough power to brute force emulation for the old systems? Sure but that's not likely a route they would go. No matter what they do they will be in a tough spot specifically because of launch timing.

[detective392]

Originally Posted by dyne

The problem is they're out of cadence with everybody else. If they release in 2017 with a console more powerful than the PS4/X1 it will be outclassed by the time their successors come out. If they choose to go with x86 they'll have the benefit of having 3rd party development but there's no way in hell anybody would spend time making the Nintendo versions better and piss off MS/SONY. They would also have issues with backward compatibility. Would I love to see them have enough power to brute force emulation for the old systems? Sure but that's not likely a route they would go. No matter what they do they will be in a tough spot specifically because of launch timing.

Yeah, Nintendo always seems to pick the worse times to launch. Either to late or to early.

At least we'll have amazing 1st party games which is why most buy a Nintendo console anyway. Can't even imagine a next gen Mario or Zelda. 3D World looks amazing for a Wii U game.

[dyne]

Originally Posted by detective392

Yeah, Nintendo always seems to pick the worse times to launch. Either to late or to early.

At least we'll have amazing 1st party games which is why most buy a Nintendo console anyway. Can't even imagine a next gen Mario or Zelda. 3D World looks amazing for a Wii U game.

And that's the benefit of not adopting a hyper realistic style. I think a lot of WiiU games will still look great years from now because of their simplicity (which is a word that does a disservice but it's the only one I could come up with).

[detective392]

Originally Posted by dyne

And that's the benefit of not adopting a hyper realistic style. I think a lot of WiiU games will still look great years from now because of their simplicity (which is a word that does a disservice but it's the only one I could come up with).

I agree, I can't think of another word either. I love Nintendo's style and it's the thing that keeps these games living on forever.

[dyne]

Originally Posted by detective392

I agree, I can't think of another word either. I love Nintendo's style and it's the thing that keeps these games living on forever.

It's funny. Seeing Wind Waker on GC and then in HD on Wii U I thought that animated style couldn't look any better. Then they come along with the new Zelda Wii U footage and they manage to do it. It's hard to describe. As I see that I still sit and wonder what they could do to make that style look even better and it's hard to imagine without getting into the realm of realism.

I'd love to have a Zelda that looked like the Spaceworld 2000 footage at some point though. Not hyper real but packed with detail in a non artistic manner. Again, trying to use words that aren't describing well.

[Mavrick]

Personally I'd like a two in one console of sorts. Pretty much incorporating next gen home console with the next gen handheld device as a controller and also as stand alone dedicated gaming device.

As to how practical that would be is another matter.

I doubt we'll see anything NX related at this years E3, but More details on the new DeNA partnership would be welcome.

[Havok83]

so many people are under the assumption that this is abou the Wii U's successor but it may very well be about the next handheld after the 3DS. By the time this comes to market (likely 2017), the 3DS will have been 7 years old

[moviedude 2K15]

Man I hope this new console is something in line with what PS4 and Xbox One are. If they can make a nice powerful console with regular style of controllers and whatnot I'd love to own a Nintendo console again. It would actually warm my heart to love Nintendo again if they could do something like that.

Make it powerful, make a nice regular controller and get some third party support and I will be a day 1 buyer of the console. Still I am skeptical about this but we'll just have to wait and see.

I think now or at least soon is THE time to launch a new console for Nintendo. With PS4 and XB1 sales both doing so well it perfectly illustrates that these type of consoles are HIGHLY desireable. To me personally with Nintendo's first party lineup I think they could make a good run at PS4 and XB1 with the right hardware. There's no good reason why games like Call of Duty, GTA and Metal Gear Solid couldn't be HUGE on a Nintendo machine. People still love Nintendo but a lot of people have felt abandoned by their business choices with what kind of machines Nintendo has made with both Wii and Wii U.

I am very interested to see what this could be. I can't say I'm overly excited yet because Nintendo has been letting me down for a long time now. I am skeptical but optimistic at the same time. I don't know what it is but if they do what I hope they might I'd go bananas.

[DonRSD]

I'll be honest, I play my Wii U more than the PS4.
The 1st party games are fantastic.

As much as I love GT series, Mario Kart 8 is a blast to play online.

Hopefully the next system has at LEAST 32gb ram

[moviedude 2K15]

There's parts of me that want to buy a Wii U but knowing that Nintendo has a new console in the pipe I feel like I need to know more about it and don't want to get a Wii U with Nintendo having a new console maybe a year or so away only. It must be coming in the somewhat near future with them announcing it so I don't see myself getting a Wii U.

I really hope Nintendo goes back to it's roots and makes it a traditional console I'd LOVE for them to either call it either the NES or NES2. Reboot the NES name or simply call it NES2. I think either one would be awesome.

[Mavrick]

Originally Posted by moviedude 2K15

There's parts of me that want to buy a Wii U but knowing that Nintendo has a new console in the pipe I feel like I need to know more about it and don't want to get a Wii U with Nintendo having a new console maybe a year or so away only. It must be coming in the somewhat near future with them announcing it so I don't see myself getting a Wii U.

I wouldn't worry too much, Wii U's are stupidly cheap now (at least in the UK it seems) so just pick one up for the right price and enjoy it whilst it lasts.

New consoles are always in the pipeline, as we speak PS5 and Xbox Two are almost certainly in development in some form and previous generations lasted 5 years at a time.

PS360 generation was an anomaly in that it lasted 7+ years before the next generation came out. So it's good to see Nintendo bucking that trend and going back to the shorter generation cycle. Maybe it'll be called the New NES

You will still have a good 2 years at least to enjoy a Wii U so would still recommend getting one.

[moviedude 2K15]

I don't think it'll be 2 years away before this comes out. I just can't see Nintendo officially announcing a console that is still 2 years away. I could see Nintendo launching the "NX" anywhere between the beginning and end of 2016. After Zelda and Star Fox hit Wii U I personally think that console is going to be pretty much tapped out for AAA games. I believe Nintendo might FINALLY be acknowledging that the Wii U is failing pretty bad and that with PS4 and XB1 still pretty fresh they can get in on the action pretty soon with success.

I really want to own a Nintendo console again but I'm just not sure if I can get myself to pull the trigger on a Wii U right now at $299.99 I could pick up quite a few games for that price for my PS4 and XB1. But if Nintendo gets this next console right I will absolutely get one. I remain skeptical with the big N though as they have a knack for going on a real tangent lately and making what I would call gimmicky hardware and ways of playing games that just don't typically appeal to me or to a lot of the gaming audience, hence the weak sales for the Wii U.

[Havok83]

Originally Posted by moviedude 2K15

I don't think it'll be 2 years away before this comes out. I just can't see Nintendo officially announcing a console that is still 2 years away. I could see Nintendo launching the "NX" anywhere between the beginning and end of 2016. After Zelda and Star Fox hit Wii U I personally think that console is going to be pretty much tapped out for AAA games. I believe Nintendo might FINALLY be acknowledging that the Wii U is failing pretty bad and that with PS4 and XB1 still pretty fresh they can get in on the action pretty soon with success.

Why? Nintendo first talked about the Wii at E3 2004 and didnt release it for another 2 and a half years in Nov of 2006. It was a brief driveby mention with little details, just like they did here with the NX. The average life cycle for most of Nintendo's home consoles is abut 5 years, which the Wii U will be in 2017. It has nothing to do with acknowledging the Wii U is failing and rather sticking with their own tradition

[Mavrick]

Most likely timeline of events will be a reveal next year, either a Nintendo direct or E3, probably both to be honest. Just to reveal a console design and whatever new gimmick they have invented for it.

Then we'll probably get another showing at E3 '17 with more finalised hardware specs and some actual games running on it, possibly a release date and price although they could come via a Nintendo direct later.

I'd expect a late '17 release in at least 1 or 2 key regions with a ww launch rolling in to 2018.

Although like it's already been mentioned this could be a new handheld. Nintendo called it a new dedicated gaming platform, I think it was the gaming sites that jumped on calling it a new home console.

I think the with the way the 3DS sells Nintendo really don't have to worry about a new handheld just yet, their focus really needs to be on the home console market.

[Steelmaker]

Originally Posted by moviedude 2K15

Man I hope this new console is something in line with what PS4 and Xbox One are. If they can make a nice powerful console with regular style of controllers and whatnot I'd love to own a Nintendo console again. It would actually warm my heart to love Nintendo again if they could do something like that.

Make it powerful, make a nice regular controller and get some third party support and I will be a day 1 buyer of the console. Still I am skeptical about this but we'll just have to wait and see.

I think now or at least soon is THE time to launch a new console for Nintendo. With PS4 and XB1 sales both doing so well it perfectly illustrates that these type of consoles are HIGHLY desireable. To me personally with Nintendo's first party lineup I think they could make a good run at PS4 and XB1 with the right hardware. There's no good reason why games like Call of Duty, GTA and Metal Gear Solid couldn't be HUGE on a Nintendo machine. People still love Nintendo but a lot of people have felt abandoned by their business choices with what kind of machines Nintendo has made with both Wii and Wii U.

I am very interested to see what this could be. I can't say I'm overly excited yet because Nintendo has been letting me down for a long time now. I am skeptical but optimistic at the same time. I don't know what it is but if they do what I hope they might I'd go bananas.

I just cannot see Nintendo getting into the "arms race" with Sony and MS. They're so adamant about doing their own thing and carving out their own niche. Plus they seem hell bent on making hardware that is profitable from day one. I think people who are hoping that Nintendo will come out with some uber-powerful console are going to be sorely disappointed.

What I DO think Nintendo is going to attempt to do is fuse their console market and their hand-held market together into one market by creating a relatively powerful handheld that will also communicate with our TV's to play games either on the go or on the couch. By doing this it solves several problems for Nintendo...

1.) They already have an established, successful hand-held market. Let's face it, Nintendo practically owns the dedicated hand-held market. Vita is offering up very little competition and the closest thing to a real competitor is smart phones and tablets. This will all but guarantee them a large install base from the get go.

2.) Part of why Nintendo takes so long to produce in-house games on their consoles is because they already have several development teams that work on 3DS games. Their dev teams are spread pretty thin. By combining both hand held and home console into one unit, this will allow exclusives to get cranked out at a much faster pace. My guess is that Nintendo is not banking on gaining a ton of 3rd party support and this could offer a solution to overcoming that.

3.) As I've already stated, Nintendo is not interested in getting into the arms race with Sony and MS. Going this direction would allow Nintendo to create a new sort of sub-market within the video game console wars and if they execute it successsfully, they would have this sub-market all to themselves. The hardware may not be as powerful, but having the unique flexibility of owning a console/handheld along with Nintendo's strong IP's may just be enough to sway gamers to adopt the system.

[Hobbun]

I could really care less about the signing with DeNA. Where I have a smartphone, I have never played any games on it or ever plan to. I know Iwata made a point to announce a “dedicated game console”, I just hope I don’t see games disappear from their future game consoles because they are going to mobile, instead.

As for the NX, I would also love it to be a home console (instead of a handheld). And this comes from someone who just bought a Wii U. Where I have loved my handhelds (especially Nintendo ones), I have always preferred playing my games on my television.

And count me as another person who doesn’t believe the NX is going to try to compete with the XB1/PS4 in regards to power. It’s just not Nintendo’s style anymore. And I am ok with that. I don’t buy their game systems to play game with super-realistic graphics, but their first party games are the best in regards to charm and gameplay, and that is enough for me.