Everything We Now Know About The Nintendo Switch

It’s been a long, long time coming, but Nintendo have taken the wraps off the Nintendo Switch. Sure, last year’s aspirational video was nice, we got to learn of their general vision for their next generation of console, but there were so many questions left unanswered. Following this morning’s Nintendo Switch Presentation, we know everything from the launch date and price to the launch titles and whether or not Shigeru Miyamoto looked happy!

Not everything is completely cleared up though, so we’ll be updating this article as we learn more of the final details.

[27/01] – Far too many long overdue updates.
[5PM 15/01] – Clarified Dock capabilities and corrected error with bundled Joy-Con Grip.
[1PM 14/01] – Noted lack of Miiverse and StreetPass support.
[9PM 13/01] – Added UK accessory prices via Nintendo.co.uk.
[6PM 13/01] – Added games and clarified release dates.

Watch our Nintendo Switch unboxing

And also read our first impressions with the final console!

Watch the Nintendo Switch Presentation

In case you missed it and want to watch what happened, here’s the whole presentation for you to watch. I guess you could consider it spoiler territory after this point.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyFCm0_UKjI

Price and Release Date

The two big ones, right out of the gate. The Nintendo Switch will cost $299.99/¥29,980, and it’s out on 3rd March 2017 worldwide. EU is determined by retailers, with Nintendo UK Store, Amazon and Game having settled on £279.99.

Stock is expected to be limited, and Amazon UK have opened their pre-orders as of 7AM GMT today with a restriction of one console per customer per address.

The Specs & Whats in the Box

In the box, you get a Nintendo Switch, two Joy-Con controllers (one left and one right), the Nintendo Switch Dock, a Joy-Con Grip (not of the charging variety), two Joy-Con Straps, an AC adapter and an HDMI cable. It’s available in two identically priced versions, one with black Joy-Con and one with a neon red and neon blue Joy-Con.

Nintendo kept very quiet about the nitty gritty console specs, but here’s what we do know:

  • A 6.2″ capacitative multitouch screen at 720p
  • 32GB built in storage – 25.9GB available to users – expandable with MicroSDXC up to 2TB
  • 4310mAh batter with 2.5 to 6 hours play time, dependent on the game – Zelda runs for around 3 hours. This is not user serviceable.
  • USB-C port for charging and data
  • Game cartridge slot
  • A 3.5mm headphone jack
  • Kickstand
  • Games are not region locked

The console is envisioned to work in three modes of play: TV Mode, which allows it to output to TV at 1080p, Tabletop mode, with the kickstand propping up the screen and Joy-Con controllers detached, and Handheld Mode, with the whole unit in your hands.

The Switch’s USB Type-C – USB-C for short – connection means that it can be charged with standard USB chargers and battery packs. Ideally you will want one that is capable of charging an iOS or Android tablet at full speed, but your existing USB chargers will also do the job simply with a USB Type-A to Type-C cable.

You can connect up to eight controllers to the console at once, while up to eight Switch can hook up for ad hoc multiplayer.

The Joy-Con Controllers

Though the Joy-Con controllers are not identical, they can both be used individually to play multiplayer. Both feature one analogue stick, four face buttons (either a D-pad or traditional ABXY), one shoulder button, one analogue trigger, and two system buttons (minus and Share on the left controller and plus and Start on the right).

The right Joy-Con contains an NFC sensor for amiibo support and an IR camera as well that can determine distance and basic shapes like rock, paper, scissors. They feature “HD rumble” that can convey the feeling of an ice cube rattling in a glass, more being added, and even the glass being filled with water.

The Joy-Con can charge when physically connected to the Switch when the console is docked or when in the Joy-Con Charging Grip, which has a built in battery of its own – the bundled Grip does not have a battery. Even so, the Joy-Con feature a 525 mAh battery, which is rated for an impressive 20 hours of wireless play, connecting to the Switch via Bluetooth 3.0.

Additional Joy-Con, the Joy-Con Charging Grip and the Switch Pro Controller can be bought separately.

The Switch Dock

The Dock is a fairly simple enclosure and break out box, with a hidden rear compartment. The Switch itself features just a simple USB-C port, which the Dock translates into the older rectangular USB-A form, with two USB 2.0 on the side and USB 3 alongside HDMI output and power input in the rear compartment.

Placing the Switch in the dock in nice and smooth, with a satisfying amount of resistance. You don’t need to be too careful either, with a guiding bolt and a spring-loaded piece of plastic helping to make sure that the USB-C connector goes in without any problem.

Paid Online Services

Nintendo are finally getting serious about online, with features common on other services like letting you invite friends to join you, setting play appointments and online chat. This will be accompanied by a smartphone app in the Summer.

It’s a paid service, but will initially be free before transitioning to paid in the autumn. One perk of this is that subscribers will get to download a NES or SNES game, though the wording suggests that this is not permanently added to a PS+ or Games with Gold-style game collection. This is now confirmed. You will not keep the free games after the end of the month.

Pricing has yet to be confirmed, but Nintendo’s President Tatsumi Kimishima has stated it will be between 2000 and 3000 Yen. That equates to £13.97 to £20.96 before taking VAT and sales tax into account.

You can now claim your new Nintendo Account User ID that will be used for Switch online play.

Nintendo of America have confirmed to VentureBeat that the Switch will not have StreetPass, as featured on the Nintendo 3DS, and that Miiverse will make way for support of third party social networks.

Launch Games

Surprisingly, the current launch line up is a little… sparse, though further Nintendo exclusives are spread throughout the year and we hope to find out about more games soon.

  • 1-2-Switch – Out 3rd March for £39.99
  • The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Out 3rd March for £59.99
  • Super Bomberman R – Out on 3rd March
  • Just Dance 2017 – Out on 3rd March
  • Skylanders Imaginators – Out on 3rd March
  • Snipperclips – Cut it out, together! – Out digitally on 3rd March
  • Fast RMX (Fast Racing Neo) – Out on 3rd March
  • I am Setsuna – Out on 3rd March
  • Shovel Knight – Out on 3rd March
  • Has-Been Heroes – Out in March

Later Games

Heading beyond the “Launch Window” and later this year, Nintendo and others have announced and shown off:

  • Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – 28th April
  • Arms – Spring 2017
  • Puyo Puyo Tetris – Spring 2017
  • Disgaea 5 – Spring 2017
  • RIME – Spring 2017
  • Splatoon 2 – Summer 2017
  • Skyrim – Autumn 2017
  • Super Mario Odyssey – Holiday 2017
  • Xenoblade Chronicles 2 – 2017
  • Fire Emblem Warriors
  • Dragon Quest Heroes I & II
  • Dragon Quest X – Japan only
  • Dragon Quest XI – Japan only
  • Shin Megami Tensei Brand New Title
  • No More Heroes-related Suda51 project
  • Project Octopath Traveler
  • FIFA
  • Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers
  • Steep
  • Rayman Legends Definitive Edition
  • Project Sonic 2017
  • Constructor
  • Seasons of Heaven
  • Farming Simulator
  • Syberia 3
  • NBA 2K
  • Minecraft
  • Sonic Mania
  • Oceanhorn: Monster Of Uncharted Seas

Virtual Console

Aside from the NES and SNES downloads as part of the new online subscription service, we don’t know much about Virtual Console on the Nintendo Switch.

NeoGeo Virtual Console games have also been announced.

Nintendo have announced that 

Accessories

  • Individual Left or Right Joy-Con with Strap – $49.99/£39.99
  • Joy-Con Strap – £4.99
  • Paired Joy-Con with Straps – $79.99/£69.99
  • Switch Pro Controller – $69.99/£59.99
  • Joy-Con Charging Grip – $29.99/£24.99
  • Switch Carrying Case and Screen Protector – £16.99
  • Joy-Con Wheel (pair) – $14.99/£12.99

UK pricing via Nintendo.co.uk

Third parties will also have you covered for the likes of skins, cases and fight sticks, as reported on previously.

Did Shigeru Miyamoto Look Happy?

Yes. He was playing Zelda, of course he looked happy!

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I'm probably wearing toe shoes, and there's nothing you can do to stop me!

49 Comments

  1. I don’t mean to be negative but, 32GB? Ha, that’s ludicrous! Also 2.5 hours battery is no good, think how much that will go down as the battery degrades, is it a replaceable battery?

    • 32GB isn’t much, but you can get a 128GB MicroSD card for £45, and games will also come on cartridges.

      The battery doesn’t seem to be user replaceable, but it’s a standard USB-C port. Depending on power draw, you might be able to charge it using a USB battery pack.

      • Couple of pretty hefty drawbacks there though wouldn’t you say? Also, the price… It’s not looking like it will have the specs of xbox one or PS4 but is priced considerably higher. The games at £60 a pop seems a lot too.

    • It’s great to see Nintendo using Micro SD. I nearly bought a Vita one time when the console was on sale but decided against it when I added one of Sony’s proprietary memory cards to my basket.

      USB type C will mean that it charges super quickly too, but it may be a little short. I guess there’s a difficult balance between portability and battery life. If say people want to play on their commutes then they could easily charge when they get to work etc.

  2. Did anyone else make a preorder? The launch lineup is too sparse, the battery life is a bit disappointing and the internal memory is a few years off being adequate… but then they mentioned using USB battery packs, microsd is super cheap and Zelda is coming! I’m really not sure, it’s certainly not got the wow factor I was hoping for, but the problems aren’t showstoppers and the price isn’t huge.

    • I’m not sure either….but, Zelda as you say!! Battery is defo a big disappointment but truth is I’d probably use it in front of the TV rather than as a handheld – my Vita doesn’t’ see much use.

      I might pick up the special edition of Zelda and then wait to pick up the console at it’s first price drop! Zelda is pretty much the only game I want. Even that new Mario game looks a bit rubbish. Mind you, Bomberman!

      • Just seen the Bomberman R video, looks awesome! Maybe a Wii U version of that and a cheapo second hand Wii U might suffice?! Add in Mario Kart 8 and that would’ve been my Switch purchase I reckon.

      • Yeah Bomberman looks great. The handheld option for the Switch appeals to me. I dream that I’ll be able to get all previous Zelda’s on it and then I’ll have them all on one console, and it’ll be mobile!

  3. I hope it does well for them but something tells me this will be Nintendo’s last dabble in the home console market.

    Most gaming news outlets trying their hardest to put a positive spin on an extremely lacklustre product with some pretty big drawbacks.

    Why do so many people make excuses for Nintendo when Microsoft/Sony (especially Sony) would be ripped to shreds for making lesser errors.

  4. Costs more than ps4 & xb1, has less memory, lower resolution, a load of games you already have better versions of. Well I’m in.

  5. isn’t this going up against the nvidia shield?
    Processor NVIDIA® Tegra® K1 192 core Kepler GPU
    2.2 GHz ARM Cortex A15 CPU with 2GB RAM
    Display 8-inch 1920×1200 multi-touch Full HD display
    Audio Front facing stereo speakers, dual bass reflex port with built-in microphone
    Storage* 16 GB
    *Portion of storage occupied by system software.
    Wireless 802.11n 2×2 Mimo 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi
    Bluetooth 4.0 LE
    GPS / GLONASS
    Interface Mini-HDMI with HDCP 1.4 output
    Micro-USB 2.0
    MicroSD storage slot
    3.5 mm stereo headphone jack
    with microphone support
    Motion Sensors 3-axis gyro
    3-axis accelerometer
    3-axis compass
    Gaming Features SHIELD controller compatible
    GeForce NOW™ cloud gaming
    Console Mode
    NVIDIA ShadowPlay
    Cameras Front: 5MP HDR; Back: 5MP auto focus HDR
    Video Features 4K Ultra-HD Ready

    • It’s going up against mobile gaming. Which is probably a very bad move, despite how well the 3DS continues to sell.

      • Underwhelming specs and launch lineup combined with a price point that’s a little higher than I wanted to meet ($300), …. I love Nintendo but I just can’t bring myself to pre-order it. I’ll see how things play out moving towards Christmas this year.

    • The new Shield looks amazing, and with the Google Home integration and the Nvidia Spot coming soon – I think they’re on to a winner.

  6. I’ll do what I always do with Nintendo… I’ll swear blind I’m not getting it – then they’ll bring out a new Mario Kart and I’ll cave…

    I’m not interested in a MK8 remaster though.

  7. This price point for console and accessories I can’t see me keeping my preorder on shopto. £330 was my absolute price seal for this at launch and that was including a game. I’ve seen the controller £65 on GAME. What a joke. I was excited for it now I’m out of day 1 purchase.

  8. That’s a worryingly sparse launch line-up but I’ve still placed a pre-order.

    • Me too. Placed an order at 701am and then after watching the Nintendo press conference almost decided to cancel it.

      Guess I’ll wait and see what happens and decide the week before. Fingers crossed they sell out and I can sell it straight on, and buy one in the Summer when there’s actually some games to play on it ;)

  9. No official details on how powerful it is? But rumours were suggesting it’s at best a PS3.5, more than 3 years after the PS4 launched. For more money than a PS4.

    I can see why they gave it a new name after the Wii U, but they could have just called it the Wii U2. The end result is going to be the same, isn’t it?

    • Oh ffs, it’s not all about processing power, and it’s certainly not about power to money ratio.

      • Not all about that, no. But it’s important. Especially if you want to get any 3rd party developers on board.

        And yes, some of those developers have said they’ll do something. That will probably end up as not as good as the PS4/XBone version ports, followed by a lack of sales and “we wanted to do more and announced it, but it’s not technically possible and please buy the PS4 version instead” for the next game. Or some of those ports will never get released and just be quietly cancelled in a few months time when they realise it’s not going to be worth the effort.

        If they’d done it for a decent price, or made the handheld gimmick optional, they might have more success. But it’s going to be a WiiU2. Which sounds like a collection of little Irish musicians.

      • My god – it would sound like B*witched forming a U2 tribute band if that was the case.

      • All I know is Tiny Bono is probably still a massive wanker.

    • Its very important to third party. XB1 and PS4 are roughly the same, so ‘one’ version of game can be made. If Switch is less powerful -a doesn’t seems to be – games will have to be edited to fit, which means more work for developers, which they may not want to do.

      • It’s why Ubi are doing Rayman and not AC… You’ve got too many RAM restrictions for a start, to handle textures & streamed audio, let alone a (probably) lower poly count and so on and on.

        YES, it’s Nintendo, so the First-Party stuff will push the hardware, but as to everyone else?

        Oh, and try to buy a new 3DS right now: out of stock EVERYWHERE… Shurely Shome Mishtake?

  10. Great system, great games upcoming, but bad pricing all round and an awful release schedule. Until the latter two improve, I can’t honestly dive into this.

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