Nintendo teased that the NX would get revealed in a short video today and here it is. The device codenamed NX now has an official designation, the Switch, a docking combination of home-console and portable device with a detachable controller that splits off of the main tablet-style unit to become two smaller SNES-style controllers for multiplayer.
This is a path that Sony had been going on with the Vita, which was the first major console to bridge handheld and console play. You could remotely play games from a Playstation 4 to the Vita. Some Playstation 4 and Vita games could also be purchased digitally for one device and that would provide players with both versions.
The Wii-U has not sold well and I don’t imagine many people were going to buy one as a gift later this year, but if anyone were going to they might want to consider waiting for the March release of the Switch. The Switch looks like it’ll run many games that people might have missed out on if they didn’t get a Wii-U like Splatoon and the Wii-U‘s iteration of Mario Kart.
In comparison to the 3DS, the Switch is a portable that is explicitly designed for and sold to adults and perhaps will not so much replace the 3DS as exist alongside it. You can’t put the Switch in a pocket, the tablet center of the device is too large. Nintendo handhelds have always been a little bit more durable than other companies portables and iPhones, but the Switch looks more fragile than the 3DS and comparable to an iPad in that respect.
Like the Wii-U and Wii before it, there will be a more traditional Pro controller available for the Switch.
Nvidia announced that a custom version of their Tegra system is powering the Switch. This will mean it has performance capabilities closer to a high-end tablet than modern x86-based home consoles. While a Tegra-based system will be easier to develop for than previous Nintendo hardware, it will still be more difficult for third party developers to bring Xbox One and Playstation 4 games to this hardware. However, 48 developers, publishers, and middleware providers announced support for the Switch. You can even see Bethesda’s Skyrim in the video above.
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