Nintendo Switch Releasing Worldwide On 3rd March, Costing $299.99 or £279.99

Nintendo got stuck right in with the most important details of the Nintendo Switch. It is coming out on 3rd March 2017 around the world, priced at ¥29,980 or $299.99 – European pricing will be determined by retailers, but will cost £279.99 from the Nintendo UK Store. Wherever you buy the system, it will not feature region locking.

The Switch release sees Nintendo getting serious about online play, with new online services launching alongside the console, allowing for much better and smoother connectivity with friends. You’ll be able to organise play sessions via mobile, for example. There will be a free trial early on, with the service transitioning to paid later this year. While online play is a bigger deal, you’ll be able to connect up to eight Switch ad hoc for local multiplayer.

The system will will feature a battery that can last 2.5 to 6 hours depending on the game and its complexity – you can play Zelda for 3 hours on the go – and it charges via USB-C (and yes, it does come with a power adapter!).

A lot of the magic seems to happen in the Joy-Con controllers which slide into the rails. Each has an analogue stick, four face buttons, an analogue trigger and shoulder button, and a couple of system buttons, but there’s much, much more to them than that. Hidden in the rail are two buttons that make this a fully functional controller when held as a separate controller.

The left Joy-Con has a share button for screenshots, while 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 also 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.

They’ll be available in colours other than black, such as neon red and neon blue. A snazzy looking wrist strap makes use of the rail for attachment, giving you bigger “shoulder” buttons to use.

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