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Afterthought: Nintendo Switch Presentation

Nintendo held their much anticipated Nintendo Switch presentation late yesterday. The unveiled some key things that are sure to excite all levels of Nintendo Fans.
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“ Nintendo announced today that the new Nintendo Switch system will launch worldwide on March 3, 2017 at a suggested retail price of $299.99 in the United States.
The system will include the main console, Joy-Con (L) and Joy-Con (R) controllers, a Joy-Con grip (to which two Joy-Con are attached and used as one controller), a set of Joy-Con wrist straps, a Nintendo Switch dock (which holds the main console and connects it to a TV), an HDMI cable and an AC adapter. Two stylish versions of the system will be released: a version with a set of gray Joy-Con, and a version with one neon blue and one neon red Joy-Con. Both versions will be the same price.
“Nintendo Switch is a brand-new kind of home gaming system that offers a wide variety of play modes,” said Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima. “We will introduce the world to new experiences made possible by the unique characteristics of the Nintendo Switch hardware and the Joy-Con.” - Nintendo

The Good:
  • The Nintendo Switch Pricing: While some may turn their nose up to the pricing, it was pretty predictable that they chose $299.99 as the starting price. We actually tweeted out a few hours before Nintendo unveiled the MSRP, why we thought they were going to be headed in this direction. Nintendo still has the phasing out Wii U on the market for $300. We expect the price to drop to either $249.99 or even a low as $199.99 in the next coming weeks.
  • New Super Mario Game Announced: Its about time Nintendo. It’s been ages since we heard anything about a Super Mario 64 type game. Super Mario Odyssey is Nintendo’s first return to the soapbox style open-world platforming since Super Mario Sunshine on the Nintendo GameCube. At least according to Nintendo. I feel Super Mario Galaxy was pretty much the same style. Regardless the game looks amazing, and it was given a holiday 2017 release window.
  • Release date Confirmed: Mark your calendars folks (in overly dramatic Donald Trump voice) March 3, 2017 is the date that you throw you money at Nintendo for their newest hybrid console.
  • HD Rumble: “ Both Joy-Con include advanced HD Rumble, which can provide compatible games with subtle vibrations that are much more realistic than before. The effect is so detailed that a player could, for example, feel the sensation of individual ice cubes colliding inside a glass when shaking a Joy-Con. With HD Rumble players can experience a level of realism not possible through sights and sounds alone.” - Nintendo
  • The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Confirmed for Launch: I was getting a little nervous when they were showing off games, because none of them interested me. I was thinking, why buy a system at launch and there aren’t any good games to buy. Even Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime said in a promo video “What games?”. But then it was confirmed that, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will be a launch title for the Nintendo Switch.
  • 3RD Party Support: As of now, there is some 3rd party support from top name developers like 2KSports, Sega, Bethesda , EA, CAPCOM, and more. Hopefully this sticks and doesn’t just fade over time like it did with the Nintendo Gamecube. “Nintendo Switch will be supported by world-class third-party publishers including Activision Publishing Inc., Electronic Arts, Take-Two Interactive, Ubisoft, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and major Japanese publishers. Some publishers, including Bethesda Softworks, are joining Nintendo for the first time. Players can look forward to major franchises on Nintendo Switch such as EA SPORTS FIFA, The Elder Scrolls, NBA 2K, Minecraft and more. Nintendo Switch software will not be region locked.” - Nintendo


The Bad:
  • There is so much we still don’t know: While Nintendo did unveil a lot considering that we knew pretty much nothing about the system. They didn’t exactly clarify much info. This includes:
    • Price of Pro Controller
    • Price of additional Joy Cons
    • Price of Games
    • Price of Online Subscription
    • Battery life of Joy Cons
    • Virtual Console / Backwards Compatibility?
    • ROM Captivity?
    • Memory Expandable?
    • Screen Resolution
    • Spec Sheet
    • I/O
  • Most the games in the presentation seemed like tech demos: Nintendo used up some time during the presentation to show off their games including 1,2 Switch and Arims. While these games are an interesting way to show off the awesome capabilities of the Joy Cons, there is no way I would pay full retail for a these games. They should be bundled with the console like Wii Sports was with the Nintendo Wii.

The Ugly:
When you realize that this console may be harder to obtain than the Nintendo Wii was when it came out… Also, Nintendo in the past has been awful at this online thing, but now they want to charge a subscription for their TBA service. I’m not gonna knock it before I see it but I’m a tad wary about the idea.


Thoughts:
As of right now, I am highly optimistic about the Nintendo Switch. The launch line up is meh except for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The Console itself, at least what we know about it is impressive, and at the price of $300 you can’t go wrong. I am looking forward to getting mine at launch.

Stay Tuned for more info on the Nintendo Switch….

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