Nintendo Combines Portable and Home Gaming with `Switch`

The months of rumors have mostly been proven correct. And there sure was no shortage of those.

Nintendo revealed its hybrid console the Nintendo Switch yesterday, and we finally got a few concrete answers. Nintendo hasn’t given any answers on how long the expected battery life is. It connects to the TV by sitting in an unassuming dock that will likely also charge the unit. SEGA tried to challenge that throne in the 90s and failed. The trailer didn’t reveal whether the console has a touch screen, and Nintendo hasn’t given any indication on pricing.

Each side has its strengths and weaknesses, now it’s time to support each other.

. Not only is it powered by some serious hardware, but it reinvents the Nintendo console look in style and that’s a good thing.

“Nintendo Switch allows gamers the freedom to play however they like”, said Reggie Fils-Aime, president and COO of Nintendo of America. “Beyond that, success will depend upon the library of games”. Back in 2014 the company also announced a publishing partnership with Image & Form, and is also developing the first game of the EA Originals initiative; more on that below. It’s a combination of both the Wii U and the 3DS, both current Nintendo video game systems. Ultimately, the hype around the Nintendo Switch is both understandable and scary.

Nvidia, popular for the powerful graphics cards that it makes for PCs, released the Nvidia Shield in 2013 which was powered by the Nvidia Tegra chip.

One of the questions we don’t really know the answer to is how the Switch fits Nintendo’s home and handheld hardware strategy.

But the system is a lot more than just a GameBoy/Console merger. Don’t get us wrong, we’re intrigued by the base ideas of the Switch. The opportunities this provides are simply unbelievable. The development encompassed 500 man-years of effort across every facet of creating a new gaming platform: algorithms, computer architecture, system design, system software, APIs, game engines and peripherals. The scene looked like something you might see at The International and not like anything we have ever seen before at a eSports event for a Nintendo game. Devices like the Wii U and 3DS have focused on families and children, whereas this new device appeals to nearly all demographics, Peckham wrote. That’s one of the reasons why it hasn’t sold very well. The Pixel C also runs at a resolution of 2560 by 1800, five times the Switch’s rumored 1280×720 tablet resolution, which is harder on a mobile device battery. The Switch will capitalize on this. This means that developers can regularly push out smaller titles to tide over audiences between major new releases.

Nintendo Switch seems to have hit the ground running, showing that Nintendo can still maintain its status in the gaming world. The most noteworthy games this week are the Wii U’s Shadow Puppeteer and the Nintendo 3DS’s Witch & Hero 2. Seriously, they’ll do it. While Sony and Microsoft are looking at 4K and VR gaming, with disc based or downloadable, the Switch is old school for Nintendo, with cartridge based games.