Nintendo Switch Preview
March 1, 2017
The Nintendo Switch, the next gaming console being made by Nintendo is rapidly approaching. Slated for a March 3, 2017 release, here is a rundown of everything it will be able to do and all of the games for it.
One of the major focuses of the Switch is its portability. While at home, it would normally be placed in a dock that holds and connects it to your television, it can be removed quite easily and taken practically anywhere, with the Joy-Con controllers sliding right onto both sides of the console.
The main unit itself is contained within a 9.41 in. long by 4.02 in. tall by 0.55 in. thick console, that has a 6.2 inch capacitive touch screen. This is the same type used for the Wii U Gamepad and 3DS systems. With a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels, which despite being the same size as the Gamepad’s screen, gives it a higher resolution.
The Joy-Con controllers are the main input devices of the Switch. They can be attached to the Switch when it is not docked to play anywhere. Another popular way to play is with the Joy-Cons slid into the Joy-Con Grip that comes packaged with the system, which looks and feels like a much more traditional controller. The Joy-Cons are of similar height and width to the console, and each Joy-Con can even function as its own controller by turning it on its side to enable multiplayer anywhere.
Some other details about the console include that with both Joy-Con attached the Switch weighs 14.04 ounces, and that it will be outputting 720p resolution out of the dock and 1080p docked. Nintendo has noted that battery life for the Switch while not docked will vary game-to-game, giving a range of two and half hours up to six hours. An example is The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, a much more strenuous game on the system, will get about 3 hours on a full battery.
Also be aware that the Switch has 32GB of internal storage, some of which is taken up by the console’s operating system. It can be expanded with a microSD card. The Switch is retailing for $299.99 USD with two options: gray Joy-Cons or red and blue colored Joy-Cons.
The launch titles for the Switch are: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, 1-2-Switch, Fast RMX, Just Dance 2017, Snipperclips: Cut It Out Together, Human Resource Machine, I Am Setsuna, Little Inferno, Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove, Skylanders: Imaginators, Super Bomberman R, and World of Goo, totaling 12 games at launch.
Games planned for March/Spring of 2017 are as follows: Arms (Spring), Has-Been Heroes (March), Lego City Undercover (Spring), Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (April 28), Puyo Puyo Tetris (Spring), and (March).
For the summer, Rime and Splatoon 2 are the games planned for release.
And games scheduled for this year and beyond are Arcade Archives (TBD), Disgaea 5 Complete (TBD), Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 (2017), Farming Simulator (TBD), FIFA (2017), Fire Emblem Warriors (TBD), Minecraft (2017), Minecraft: Story Mode – The Complete Adventure (TBD), Project Sonic 2017 (TBD), Rayman Legends Definitive Edition (TBD), NBA 2K18 (September), Shin Megami Tensei: Brand New TItle (TBD), The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Fall 2017), Sonic Mania (2017), Steep (2017), Super Mario Odyssey (Holiday 2017), Syberia 3 (TBD), The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+ (TBD), Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers (2017), and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (2017).
