By Patrick Hawes-DeFrias
So, what was once called the Nintendo
NX has finally been unveiled, now known as the Nintendo Switch! Let’s
take a look at the trailer and see what games have been showcased,
and features of the new console.
Let's start off with games. The very
beginning of the trailer shows off Legend of Zelda: Breath of the
Wild, which we knew about already but it's good to see again. Next,
surprisingly, we see Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. It’s hard to tell if
it's the remastered version, but if so then the possibility for
modding a MOBILE version of Skyrim could have a ton of potential, but
we'll get to that later. Next, we see some version of Mario Kart.
Could be Mario Kart 8 updated, could be Mario Kart 9, or it could be
just a quick demo that was made using Mario Kart 8 as a
proof-of-concept. After that is an NBA game, so for all you sports
fans here's a game to get excited for. We then see a Mario game- no
title mentioned, but the game clearly has different assets from
current 3D Mario games. Lastly, we see Splatoon. A sequel or a port?
Again, we don't really see enough to tell. But Splatoon was the
WiiU's biggest multiplayer game by a country mile, so I'm not
surprised to see it again in any form.
Now for the new features. According to
the video's description, "The mobility of
a handheld is now added to the power of a home gaming system to
enable unprecedented new video game play styles." So, it
appears that the Switch is based around its namesake- it switches
between various modes for the purpose of being convenient to play
wherever you are. In fact, there's so many different ways to play the
system shown in the trailer, I'm going to make a list of them for
convenience's sake:
- The "Joy-Cons". The Switch is based around two little controllers that look like modified NES controllers. These are used in two ways:
- One in each hand, much like the Wiimote/Nunchaku combo.
- Turned sideways to become a sort-of NES controller, just like how some games used the Wiimote. This lets the Joy-Cons act as player 1 and player 2 controllers. It should be noted that due to how Nintendo made the controllers, one of them has its analogue stick in the middle of the controller, kind of like the N64. Thus, whoever gets that controller will likely have a more awkward time.
- Playing on the TV with a combo controller called the "Joy-Con Grip". The Joy-Cons slide onto the Grip just as they doo with the system itself, thereby turning them into a regular controller with the addition of longer grips.
- A pro controller, just as the WiiU had, though it seems to be a different design.
- And lastly, of course, attaching the Joy-Cons to the Nintendo Switch itself, thereby turning it into a WiiU gamepad-esque device, which can be played independant of a TV screen, and be played anywhere.
That last example is, of course, the
BIG innovation here. This is intended to be a console that turns into
a handheld, with big AAA titles now able to go with you. The way the
Switch hooks up to the TV is with a Dock, which seems to be just
that- a charging dock with HDMI output. But, we don't know necesarily
how the console's screen will look- it's entirely possible that the
dock adds some processing power when attached, thereby making games
look better on the big screen.
I made a special note of Skyrim
earlier- sure, on a computer you will always be able to mod a game to
a FAR greater extent than on consoles. But if the Switch version of
Skyrim is mod-compatible, it will be the definitive version of the
game. Of course, even without that the idea of taking huge, open
games like Zelda or Skyrim out of the house without a reasonably
powerful laptop is crazy innovative.
But there's more features to be had!
First of all, the rumors about Nintendo's newest console being
cartridge-based have proven entirely true. The console seems to take
game cards that look incredibly similar to those of the 3DS. The
Switch also seems to be both split-screed AND ad-hoc multiplayer
compatible. Presumably it will be online compatible as well, though
this wasn't indicated in the trailer. Lastly, a couple small things-
one) the console comes with a built-in kickstand to allow for it to
stand up so that you can play it without having to pick it up, kind
of like what some smartphone cases have. And two) it has a headphone
jack. To be expected, but good to know regardless.Three, there was a
scene in the trailer where some people are going on a road trip, and
the two sitting in the back seet put the Switch on a mount attached
to the front seat that way they could play Mario Kart split-screen.
Of all the accessories listed on Nintendo's site, this is the only
one not given a name, so it's uncertain if this mount is a
proprietary one or if it means that the Switch will be compatible
with current tablet mounts.
And that's what we know so far! Here's
what we don't know, and will look for in the future:
- Price point.
- What accessories come with the Switch.
- How Amiibo functionality works on it. We Know that Breath of the Wild will be compatible with several Amiibo, but nothing in the trailer indicated how it works. Probably by placing the Amiibo on the screen like with the New 3DS, but that's speculation for now.
- Hardware numbers. How does this size up technically with PS4 and Xbox One?
- How good is that screen?
These are all
questions we hope to have answered in the coming year, as the Switch
is scheduled to release sometime in March 2017!
Sources:
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