Nintendo Switches Things Up

Noah Clay

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Photo+obtained+through+Google+Commons.+

(Google Commons)

Photo obtained through Google Commons.

Following the life and times of the Wii U, which has faded in relevance since its release four years ago, Nintendo fans everywhere anticipated the next generation of the company’s bright future in devices. The brave new system called the Nintendo Switch soon made a name for itself, notably before any real information on it was even released.

The Nintendo Switch, previously known as the NX, was alluded to on multiple occasions; major instances include an investor’s meeting in April 2016 and at the Electronic Entertainment Expo the following June. Given that neither mention of the Switch produced any information on its hardware or gameplay, Nintendo fans were left begging for more exposition on the console, and remained on the edges of their seats for the next few months.

October proved as a revelation for those long awaiting, when Nintendo formally announced it as the Nintendo Switch. A trailer for the console, aimed mainly at emphasizing the duality of the console as a handheld and a home system, accompanied the release.

The Nintendo Switch, as the name implies, allows the user to switch the console’s function at will. The Switch Console, a tablet-esque screen that functions as the main unit of the system, wirelessly connects to the controllers, called Joy-Cons. The Joy-Cons can be attached to a central frame to create a gamepad-like controller, held separately during use as a home system, or held by two players during a multiplayer game. For use with television display, the Switch Console is attached to a docking station called a Switch Dock, which connects to the controllers wirelessly.

A major selling point for buyers is, incidentally, the low selling point. The Nintendo Switch is set to have a starting price of around $250, a price similar to that of the Nintendo 3DS, a handheld device, during its release. The relative bulk and complexity of this system by comparison make one wonder why the price is so low.