Nintendo’s much anticipated event finally happened and I’ve got the full breakdown here in case you can’t be bothered to watch an hour-long event originally broadcast in Japanese.
The goods
Price – $299 USD
Date – March 3, 2017
$299 isn’t a scary number, but it would have been nice if Nintendo could have matched their Wii price of $249. The heavy emphasis on motion controls and physical play away from the screen suggests they’re going after the Wii audience again.
Online
Nintendo will start charging for their online service, starting in Fall 2017. It will be free after launch and through the summer.
No More Region Lock
In a surprisingly progressive move, Nintendo has done away with region locks. This makes sense in the current global marketplace, but still a shock to see Nintendo give up control in any way.
Battery Life
2.5-6 hours is the estimate, depending on which game you’re playing. I’m hoping the brightness will be controllable like the Wii U gamepad, to extend the life by an hour or two.
USB C
The Switch will charge with a USB adapter, and will be playable while charging.
8 Switches at once!
Up to 8 Switches can be synced up wirelessly for local multiplayer. I love this emphasis on easy play with friends. The two Joy Cons on every controller is a fantastic symbol of Nintendo’s commitment to playing with those around you.
Joy Cons
The right Joy Con has a spot for Amiibos, while the left has a share button for photos, and eventually video.
The Joy Cons have advanced motion control sensors and HD rumble. Nintendo claims the rumble is so advanced you could tell how many virtual ice cubes were rattling in your Joy Con ‘glass’.
The Joy Cons also have a sensor that can read rock/paper/scissors as well as decipher how far away a hand is.
These new features are the backbone of the 1-2-Switch games.
Joy Cons come in either grey, or neon red/blue.
1-2-Switch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7p47TOmicQ
A launch game similar to Wii Sports, but with a philosophy of looking at your opponent IRL instead of a screen.
the mini-games shown could be described as:
Quickdraw
Sword Fighting
Dancing
Spell Casting?
Boxing
Nintendo said they hoped these games would do well at parties and ice-breaking situations. It sounds like they’re targeting an older market than the usual family/kids.
ARMS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7s3UB_8dFM
Also available at launch, ARMS is a type of boxing match with extendable arms and special moves. It’s aimed to satisfy fans of fighting and shooting by controlling the direction of the extended arms. Players control the fight with their hands on two joycons. The game looks physical and could have the potential to make it a very deep combat experience.
Coming late Spring 2017, no specific.
Splatoon 2
We knew Splatoon would end up on the Switch but I was surprised to see the #2 on the name.
The game features polished visuals, new maps, and at least four new weapons. Public events will still take place.
Super Mario Odyssey
The new Mario game has the Italian plumber platforming around areas from our world, including a New York-esque city, skyscrapers, and even upside down pyramids.
Mario has a few new acrobatic moves, and a hat with eyes that can be thrown as a weapon and jumped on as a platform.
Mario Odyssey won’t be available until Holiday 2017.
Third-Party RPGS
Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Fire Emblem Warrior, Shin Megami Tensei, Project Octopath Traveler, and Skyrim were all confirmed and/or shown off with trailers.
Suda51
He spoke about a new game with Travis Touchdown, although the title hadn’t been decided yet. He did mention the game would be based on pro wrestling and death matches.
EA
FIFA will be on the Switch.
Outro Video Package
Highlight reel of more games played near the end:
- Minecraft
- Lego City Undercover
- A Dragonball game
- What looked like Super Street Fighter II
- Bomberman
- Tetris x Puoy Puoy
- Mario Kart
- A winter sports game
- A game with a boy and a fox
Breath of the Wild release date
The final announcement of the evening was a doozy, as Nintendo confirmed Breath of the Wild as a launch game, releasing March 3, 2017 alongside the console.
Nintendo seems focused on winning back the mainstream while satisfying hardcore gamers with plenty of RPGs and a wide variety of titles. I loved the emphasis on local multiplayer and the ability to sync 8 Switches was my favorite moment of the night.
Mario, Zelda, Splatoon, Mario Kart, and the third-party RPGs look great so far. If Nintendo can maintain strong software support and the Switch hardware can keep up, this should be a great return to form.
What were your favourite moments from the Nintendo Switch Presentation?
