Nintendo reveals its next console the Nintendo Switch: A step in the right direction
(Image sourced from https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Nintendo-Switch/Nintendo-Switch-1148779.html)
The Facts:
Gamers
got their first look at Nintendo’s newest console on the 20th
October. Formally code named the Nintendo NX (“X gon’ give it to ya” as games
journalist and Kinda Funny co-founder Gregg Miller would proclaim), the name is
now officially the Nintendo Switch and comes with many of the features rumoured
in the leaked patent designs from the previous year. But is the X gon’ give it
to ya after all?
Nintendo
released a trailer highlighting the most important features of the new console,
how it works, merging the hand held and home console experiences into one device,
and even a few previously unknown games coming to the Nintendo console.
Firstly
the device is a hand held console is a screen that has two pieces attached to
the side of it. These pieces act as the controller of the handheld, or when
playing with friends you rest the screen down on a table or nifty screen holder
you have in the back of your car, if you’re so lucky, and detach both pieces to
act as two mini controllers to bash furiously as you get slammed by a blue
shell in Mario Kart 8.
Unlike
the Wii U the actual screen is a lot thinner and smaller in size. Helping with the improved ergonomics of the device are more
traditional shaped plastic shapes on the back of the consoles default controller that you put the detachable sides of the portable console onto. These plastic shapes resemble a
PS4 controllers handles and will allow you to hold the device even more
comfortably.
To connect
the system to your TV you place the console into a dock that will beam your
gameplay to your big screen that you can control with Nintendo’s new
Pro-Controller.
(Image sourced from https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2016/10/20/nintendo-switch/)
The
Nintendo Switch is using a Nvidia's custom
Tegra processor and IGN reported that Nintendo said: "also supported by
fully custom software, including a revamped physics engine, new libraries,
advanced game tools and libraries. Nvidia additionally created new gaming APIs
to fully harness this performance." To read the rest of the IGN article
click here: http://uk.ign.com/articles/2016/10/20/the-nintendo-nx-has-an-official-name-nintendo-switch
Nintendo
seem to be ditching the disc format they reluctantly joined in the first place
and are going back to their roots with games for the Nintendo Switch being stored
on 3DS like cartridges you place in the top of the Switch console.
Games
that were shown off in the trailer include a new 3D Mario game, Skyrim:
Definitive Edition, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, NBA 2K17, and Wii U hits Mario Kart 8 and Splatoon
which both are showcasing new features such as new aesthetic customization in Splatoon and new characters in Mario Kart 8.
The inclusion of Skyrim: Definitive Edition and NBA 2K17 confirm a stronger third party support for the system that the previous
Wii U was lacking. This was even further bolstered by Nintendo releasing an
image of all the third party support the new system has with industry bigs such
as Ubisoft and Bethesda just to name a few. The full list is shown below:
(Image sourced from http://uk.ign.com/articles/2016/10/20/the-nintendo-nx-has-an-official-name-nintendo-switch)
Amiibo support is
teased in the trailer with Mario, Luigi and Peach Amiibos entering a frame next
to the Nintendo Switch.
The Nintendo
Switch is expected to release in March 2017. No price has been announced yet
but more details, such as price and the complete Switch launch line-up, are
said to be coming in an upcoming Nintendo Direct.
IMO:
In
my opinion this is a great first step to a Nintendo redemption story. Out of
the ashes of the less than successful Wii U, with the Wii U only selling 13m
units after four years compared to the more than 100m units sold by its daddy
the Wii, the Switch could really turn things around for the company that has lost
up to £280m because of the Wii U’s undeniable failure to impress the industry
and gamers alike.
Back
to the main event, the Nintendo Switch. The console is undeniably very
innovative. Combining these two styles of gaming, the portable with the static
home console, has never successfully been done, even by Nintendo itself, but
this console seems to be gamers best shot so fa at getting that cohesive
non-stop gaming experience that we’ve all dreamed of.
The
systems apparent flexibility will surely be a huge selling point to frequent
travellers as they will no longer have to schedule game starts around trips and
fear the week break between starting a huge JRPG ruining the enjoyment of the
game as they come back after the week break a levelled up novice who’s only
skill is smacking straight into a brick wall.
(Image sourced from http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2016-10-20-everything-new-in-the-nintendo-switch-trailer)
The
systems flexibility doesn’t only come in use but also design. The myriad of
controlling options for this console impressive. From the new Pro-Controller to
the detachable side mounts on the console, named the Joy-Cons (hehehehe), it
seems that Nintendo has thought and prepared for all scenarios of gaming.
However
here comes my first slither of worry. When the Joy-Cons are attached to the
console they seem like a alright way to play the games, but nowhere near the ideal.
Then seeing them detached and used by one or two people I physically cringed at
the size of the controllers. They look so small that inaccurate controlling,
with panicked fingers sliding wildly onto the wrong buttons amidst a huge and
climatic boss fight will make playing the game intolerable as the buttons seem
too close together that accidental button presses seem not only likely, but guaranteed.
(Image sourced from https://www.cnet.com/news/nintendo-switch-questions-we-still-dont-know-the-answers-to/)
And
on this train of doubt more passengers started board and infect my mind with
worry. Firstly how long will the battery life be? Watching YouTube on my
(admittedly old) phone saps up all my battery from full power in about 3 hours,
so how will this system do with having to blast out Zelda’s news cell-shaded
world for hours on end?
And
the power of the system. The power gap between fully fledged home console experiences
and portable ones is a pretty big leap, sure PSVITA games look pretty damn gorgeous
on that LED screen, but expand them out for your TV and while they’re not ugly
abominations, they do pale in comparison to the newest triple A made for console
game. So with the Switch having both, which will have to compromise? Will the
big screen view have to scale down to be able to become portable, or will the
portable view slog along at an awful choppy rate trying to uphold the big
screens definition on the smaller device, or is there a happy medium, or can
there be two different versions ready to activate depending on what your playing
on, the Switch screen or the TV? I don’t know, I'm no scientist! But Nintendo
has never been the front runner in graphical superiority on the consoles arms
race but somehow always know how to make that lanky green plumber look pitch
perfect for their animation style so I do have a lot of faith that they know
how to dodge this particular problem.
Lastly,
the systems durability scares me abit too. I know when I’m moving my PS4 about,
every step I take I pray that I haven’t just shook all the wires into a jumbled
ball of pain, so with the Nintendo Switch having home console spec hardware
squished into its tiny portable frame to be constantly thrown around the place
makes me very scared for the little Nintendo Switch’s health. But this one may
be my paranoia running wild, especially as phones and portable systems such as
Nintendo’s 3DS pack a lot of technical inners in such tiny spaces and survive
quite a crucible and still manage to play my dumb YouTube videos, but I thought
it was worth mentioning all the same.
(Image sourced from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUbJmWImkB0)
On
a more positive note, the new games and refreshing third party support the
Switch is receiving looks to be the makings of a strong launch line up. With a glimmer
of hope for a return to form for a 3D
Mario game and Skyrim actually being playable on a Nintendo system, the future
of Nintendo gaming appears bright, especially with the list of developers
looking to put their games on the hardware.
The
Wii U’s almost constant drought of games to stack on GAME shelves seems to be a
thing of the past, presuming that the publishers maintain a good game output on
the Switch, unlike what happened on the Wii U where after launch Nintendo fans
were left with Batman Arkham City
Armoured Edition and never even saw a glimpse of its follow up Arkham
Knight. Even PC did for a good week until the game had to be taken down and
refunded for pitiful quality.
So
the Nintendo Switch thankfully looks like a step in the right direction for the
granddaddy company of gaming that we were all scared was starting to go abit senile.
The system itself looks innovative and genuinely interesting and the game library
off to a strong start. Now all we need to see is if the system is powerful
enough to uphold any of this initial promise and whether the support for the
system will be stronger than the fart in the wind that the Wii U received.
Fingers crossed Nintendo.
Will
you be getting the Nintendo Switch on day 1 (whenever that may be)? I hope you
enjoyed the article, maybe learnt something but either way thanks for reading
and while you’re reading me why not check out my YouTube channel, BurtonReviews, where I upload
awesome gaming montages put to badass songs or scores every Sunday. Thanks for
reading and I hope you enjoyed. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbUfnyezvQsVsDgN3TGRh1Q
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