Nintendo held a reveal event for their upcoming home console/handheld hybrid on January 12th, 2017. They revealed a lot of details about the console including the release date, the price, and even a comprehensive list of the games coming to the platform. But, we don’t know everything. They refused to answer almost as many questions as they clarified.
The Recap
Here is a quick hits of what we DO know right now.
Price: $299.99
Release Date: 03/03/2017
Console includes: Switch tablet, 2 Joy-Con controllers, the Switch cradle, a USB-C cable for charging, and an HDMI cable.
Internal Memory: 32 Gigs (uses expandable memory so you can use Micro SD cards to increase memory.
Online: There will be a premium online service that will allow online play and voice chat among other things.
Games: I wrote a comprehensive article showing most of the games currently announced for 2017. You can view it here.
The Missing Info
Are families doing to be able to get one?
Nintendo has a history of limiting the supply of their products as a means of creating artificial demand. They have been doing this for decades so it is reasonable to assume that we will have the same problem with the Switch. Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime has stated to other outlets that they are aware of the previous issues and are working to make sure there is enough of a supply.
Here’s hoping he is correct, because there are only so many times that people will be willing to put up with struggling to give them money.
How durable is the device?
This is likely my wife’s number one concern. We have had phones and tablets that have shattered upon even the most casual drops. This is a $300 piece of equipment so she is very concerned about how durable it is.
I don’t know that we will get much of an answer about this one until the product is out in the wild and someone tries to break one for science. But, I know that Nintendo prides itself on the durability of its handheld devices. So I am hoping that continues here.
How much will the online service cost?
Nintendo has told us about us a few of the features of the online service, and confirmed that it will be free until this fall. But, they haven’t said anything about how much the service will cost. That is an important factor as potential customers attempt to weigh the costs and benefits of using the service.
What are the exact hardware specs of the device?
We know that the tablet itself is made using custom hardware developed by NVidia, but we don’t know what that means. Al that the gaming community has been able to do is make assumptions about the console’s power by comparing screenshots from the Wii U and Switch versions of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
It would be nice to hear on the official specs from Nintendo sometime before we are forced to read them off the back of the box.
Where are the rest of the games?
Nintendo showed off a number of games during the event, but outside of Zelda, Splatoon 2, and a new Mario game fans across the board were underwhelmed.
Nintendo is a company that has some of the most popular video game characters in existence on their roster. It would have been nice to see a few more familiar faces at the launch of the console.
What is going on with the Virtual Console?
We know that the Virtual Console project is going to continue to be a thing on the Switch. But, we don’t know how Nintendo will be handling existing purchases on the Wii U and 3DS, or what additional games will be coming to the service.
There was even a rumor of GameCube games coming to the Virtual Console a one point. That would be pretty awesome, but until we hear directly from Nintendo that is going to remain a hopeful rumor.
These are just a few of the questions we have. What about you? Sound off in the comments and let us know what YOU want to know.
