Tag: NX

The Day I’ve Been Waiting For!

March 3, 2017 / admin

Hello everyone!

It’s finally here! The Switch has arrived and I went a little crazy with my purchases. I grabbed a bit of everything and hope to have some impressions and/or informal reviews soon. For now, I made a couple of unboxing videos.

Nintendo Switch & Accessories Unboxing

The first video is the unboxing of the main console and the wealth of accessories I snagged from the launch lineup.

Mostly just a quick look at the system and such in familiar hands. Also, at my awkwardness on camera (and new, snazzy Breath of the Wild t-shirt).

Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Master Edition Unboxing

The other video I have for today is an unboxing of the Master Edition of the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild as well as a look at the amiibo released for the launch of the title.

If it’s not clear, I love the Zelda series and am extremely excited to play this new entry, especially given the ratings it has been receiving pretty much universally.

I hope you guys enjoy the videos. Please feel free to share them if you do or the blog in general, even if the videos aren’t your cup of tea. As always, thanks for checking this out!

Switch Questions: A Week Later…

January 22, 2017 / admin

Alm artwork from Nintendo's YouTube
(Switch Logo from Nintendo’s YouTube Page)

More posts about the Switch! We’ve had a little over a week to digest the information from the Nintendo Switch conference and there are still some unanswered questions. Whether Nintendo plans a slow release of information leading up to the release to keep people talking about the system or they plan to have a Nintendo Direct info dump sometime between now and launch, there are things that need to be answered. Here are some of the questions I have and others have posed.

Online Functionality

Friends List/Chat

Nintendo has stated that friends list and matchmaking will be done through a companion app. This is an odd move that they have briefly explained the reasoning behind but is still largely unclear. Is the app the ONLY way to navigate these features? One of the reasons given was when you’re out and about, you will always have your phone with you and it removes the need to take a potentially bulky headset on the go. If that’s their main reason behind the decision, it seems to contradict them stating that the Switch is first and foremost a home console. Does that mean we’ll also have to sit with our phones on our laps while playing at home? The lack of headset usage is also confusing when you think about being on the move because that removes any privacy from the equation. You’ll be speaking out loud to your phone and hearing the conversation over speaker phone as well (unless you’re going to do the awkward shoulder hold to keep the phone pressed to your ear OR bring a headset for your phone anyway). Also, no one wants to be THAT person, blaring their game music/sound or having a heated bout of trash talking an opponent while sitting in an airport terminal or wherever you may be (“Sorry, sir, we’re going to have to ask you to leave. You’re upsetting the other patrons…”). All of the mystery around this decision needs to be clarified sooner, rather than later to prevent people’s imaginations from running wild! If it’s not already too late for that…

Online Multiplayer

For the first time, Nintendo is going to have a paid requirement for their online functionality. This has people nervous for many reasons. The first, and largest, reason is that Nintendo’s online gameplay has been mediocre at best, and downright bad in other situations. If they plan to charge for their online, hopefully they have an impressive infrastructure in the works and ready to go at its launch because people are overly critical of everything Nintendo does and this could be a deal-breaker for many players.

Outside of the infrastructure, the other offerings need to be fleshed out and explained. We know we will be getting free “rentals” of Virtual Console titles rather than being given them outright. We also know there will be monthly discounts of some sort for subscribers. This is all very standard issue for online offerings these days, so Nintendo needs to prove why their service will be worth the cost of entry outside of the norm for such things. If they come out with the $59.99 per year that is the current standard for the likes of PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold with nothing but what has been announced, they will likely be laughed at and the offering will flop.

A feature-rich online environment (cross-game chat/parties/lobbies, easy game invites, responsive interface, etc.) with the discounts and free trial Virtual Console games at a significantly reduced price point will garner support for the offering in the early days and drive adopters towards it. If it proves to be a worthwhile value proposition and the infrastructure is steady, a slow rate increase would not be out of the question further down the road. Nintendo needs to prove themselves in this arena beforehand though without trying to directly compete with the likes of Sony and Microsoft, since these waters have been largely untested by the Big N.

Virtual Console

Lots of questions here and little is known so far. We know it will be an option and that some of the older offerings will contain updated features (such as online play). However, we don’t know what games will be offered. Will the current offerings on the Wii U be available immediately? Will your current library of titles port over? Will there be an up-charge like there was from the Wii VC to the Wii U VC? Will we see GameCube titles offered through the Virtual Console? Will your current eShop wallet funds carry over to the new system?

Nintendo has a huge pull from nostalgia. People love revisiting classics from their childhoods. Having the current list of Virtual Console titles immediately available would essentially make the Switch a Nintendo time capsule that you could take with you anywhere. It also expands the launch offerings (which are admittedly thin) by a significant number, adding to the appeal of the system. That being said, you can only ask people to re-buy old classics so many times. If your existing Virtual Console purchases do not transfer over to the new system, it’ll be a tough pill to swallow for many fans who have bought into the ecosystem on past consoles. After the fee charged to move titles from the Wii VC to the Wii U VC, it would be an excellent good faith gesture for Nintendo to offer the migration free of charge this time. As for GameCube titles, there have already been stories stating that several GameCube titles have been rumored to be running on the Switch hardware. Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Mario Sunshine, Luigi’s Mansion, and Animal Crossing were specifically listed according to sources speaking to Polygon. The inclusion of the current Virtual Console offerings plus GameCube games would put some of the best games of the past 30+ years directly in your hands in a single place, making the Switch that much more enticing to gamers.

Outside of the above, the features of the Virtual Console as well as the price points for each console’s offerings need to be solidified. As mentioned, nostalgia is an area where Nintendo excels and they need to treat that responsibility with the care it deserves.

Console Features

Capacitive Touch Screen

The JoyCons were front and center of most of the announcements and for good reason, they’re pretty impressive little pieces of tech from all accounts. One thing that was announced but largely glossed over was the new capacitive touch screen on the Switch. I assume this was done to prevent further confusion of the messaging around the home console/portable console question, since the touch screen would only be usable when not docked. However, this is the first Nintendo console to feature capacitive touch rather than resistive. I’m not sure how often this will feature into gameplay development, based on the inability to use the feature most of the time (I plan on largely using the console as a home console, but time will tell if I use it on the go for a significant amount of time). The screen will, however, allow for the porting of Nintendo’s mobile phone offerings in a more cohesive way. You would potentially be able to use the Switch, sans JoyCons, as a mobile device much as you would use your phone for these titles. That furthers the proposition that this console could be the place to play over 3 decades worth of Nintendo titles, including their new offerings on mobile phones.

Battery Life & Charging Methods

In conversations about the Switch, battery life was being discussed. It has been stated that on the low-end, the system offers around 2.5 hours of battery life in portable mode. Since the console has a USB-C port on the bottom, it stands to reason that you could charge the device with a backup battery you may already have (as I mentioned in my last write-up about the Switch). However, with the placement of the port on the bottom of the unit (for ease of docking and placement of the JoyCons), you would not be able to charge the device while using the kickstand. I believe this is a non-issue, since I don’t see many people playing it in that mode for excessively extended amounts of time due to the screen size. As with all things Nintendo though, and the extra scrutiny placed on their decisions, the inability to do so was bemoaned by those I spoke with. Ways in which battery life can be extended should be addressed directly by Nintendo at some point, seeing as it seems to be an issue among many people who plan to use the system in a mostly portable fashion.

So, I realize most of my posts have been about the Switch and that is due to the fact that it is what has me the most excited recently. With it being the next big console launch, potentially followed later in the year by Project Scorpio, it’s been prevalent in my thoughts. As the year progresses and other gaming news emerges, I plan to switch (sorry, I had to) up my topics a bit more. If there is anything you’d like my thoughts on around anything gaming related, feel free to drop me a comment or e-mail and I will do my best to respond.

Fire Emblem News Galore!

January 18, 2017 / admin

Alm artwork from Nintendo's website
(Image of Alm from Nintendo’s Website)

The Fire Emblem series has become a favorite of many Nintendo fans in recent years. With the stellar release of Fire Emblem Awakening and then followed by the well-received Fire Emblem Fates, the series has found revitalized strength to bring it back from the brink. I remember reading a rumor a couple of years ago now that had Awakening not sold as well as it did, Nintendo was considering shelving the franchise for the time being. That didn’t happen, obviously, and the series is now in full force! The RPG tactics series from Intelligent Systems with perma-death for your characters and intriguing storylines has piqued players’ interest (character appearances in Smash Bros. helped, as well!). The Nintendo Direct this evening (voiced by Yuri Lowenthal) featured all the new Fire Emblem a fan could want. Let’s dig in!

A new take on an old classic

The first entry shown was Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, which releases on May 19th of this year for the 3DS. Additionally, a dual pack of amiibo featuring the game’s protagonists, Alm and Celica, will be available the same day. No information was given about how they will interact with the game.

As for the game itself, it is a retelling of Fire Emblem Gaiden, which was released in 1992 exclusively in Japan for the Famicom. The game appears to feature a bit of dungeoneering in addition to the normal Fire Emblem gameplay we’ve come to know and expect. The trailer states that the game will stay true to the style of the original, with a few modern enhancements such as animated cutscenes!

Seeing as many of the Fire Emblem titles never left Japan until more recently, this is a welcome addition for fans new and old outside of the country to get their hands on one of the original titles.

Switching gears to a new entry in the series

*Insert Switch click sound here* (I still love that sound). A full-fledged Fire Emblem entry is heading to the Nintendo Switch! No official title has been announced yet and it stated the release is planned for 2018. Hopefully all goes well and they are able to hit that (very large) target release window.

While we’re talking about the Switch…

Some more details were shown in regards to Fire Emblem Warriors, the game being developed by Koei Tecmo. We got a brief gameplay trailer showing the standard hack ‘n slash action we’ve come to know (and maybe love, if it’s your kind of thing) from Koei Tecmo. While I’m not a huge fan of the series, Hyrule Warriors was fantastic. It had the right amount of story to drive a Zelda fan like me to keep playing it while mixing in the classic elements from the long running Warriors series. If they keep that formula with the Fire Emblem franchise, I could see this being another title to pick up for a play-through.

In addition to the Switch, the title is also being developed for the New Nintendo 3DS (not to be confused with the original 3DS, even though the naming IS in fact terribly confusing). Both versions are currently set for a Fall 2017 release date.

Fire Emblem for your phone, wherever you go!

Finally, we have more details of the previously announced Fire Emblem title for smartphones. Fire Emblem Heroes is the smartphone take on the series. It features heroes (hence the name) from many of the previous entries in the Fire Emblem series, including some new ones. Heroes are summoned using orbs that can be won in battle or purchased as micro-transactions. The battles follow the standard tactics, rock-paper-scissors style of gameplay as the previous entries in the series. Characters are (at least partially) voiced and can be leveled up through battle. There are different kinds of battles and they seem to be on relatively small battlefields that fit entirely on your phone’s screen.

Fire Emblem Heroes appears to be launching first on Android phones on February 2nd. iPhone users will need to wait, as the only time frame that was given for iOS was “soon.” Outside of this, Nintendo has opened a site where you can vote on which heroes you’d like to see featured in special in-game events once the title is released. If you login with your My Nintendo account, you can earn a platinum point bonus by voting. You can apparently pre-register now on the Google Play store to prepare for the release.

That’s a wrap!

The Fire Emblem Heroes details were the last presented in the Nintendo Direct. It looks like the next year will be a great time to be a Fire Emblem fan. I’ll be sure to post updates as more news about these titles is released.

Now if only Nintendo would show as much love to the Metroid series… (it was hinted that something may be forthcoming in the next year on that front)

Exciting Things In Early 2017

December 31, 2016 / admin

2017 Rollover, from innovationexcellence.com
(Image from Innovation Excellence (Thanks Google))

Hello and sorry for the delay in writing new content. Between weddings and the holidays (read: adulting and social obligations), I haven’t had much time to put a new post to the page, but I’m here to rectify that now! 2016 had some high peaks and low troughs but now’s the time to look forward to the new year and that means A LOT of new games. Seeing as there are too many to list for the entire year, I’m just going to briefly mention a few things I’m excited for, in no particular order, that should be arriving in the first quarter of the year or so (in the world of adulthood, time is measured in quarters of years, just go with it).

The Nintendo Switch

I’ve written about this a few times before, but I’m very excited about the Nintendo Switch. I’m curious to see what more they have to unveil (besides a price point and official release date) during the January 12th presentation. Will we see more attachments? New features of the base hardware we’ve not been shown? New titles being confirmed? Hopefully, it’s all of the above. Since the last write up I did about the Switch, rumors have come out that the unit will run at a 40% power reduction while not nestled in the cradle. This makes sense and many devices do this currently. You trade off some of the raw power of the device for extended battery life, it’s nothing new and nothing to worry about, in my opinion. Nintendo will make sure its games are still playable at the reduced power levels. Whether that means they’ll be downscaled to require less “umph” (

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Continuing on the Nintendo train, Breath of the Wild continues to look fantastic. The Legend of Zelda is one of my favorite game series, if not my absolute favorite. This entry appears to take the original, more open style of the game and put a modern spin on it and there’s still so much we don’t know! We’ve barely glimpsed villages and NPCs. They’ve teased some kind of airship and wingsuited/flying villain. Armors and weapons that have yet to be seen, Epona hasn’t been shown in a while, other neat tricks the game’s engine can perform (like setting grass on fire with a Fire Rod, fanning it with a Deku Leaf, and riding the updraft from the flames with the same leaf, which is kind of ridiculous), and more! I’m ready to jump, climb, fight, and lose myself in this new iteration of Hyrule. New (and nasty) rumors are saying that the game is going to be delayed again so the system can launch with the new Mario title (also excited about) and Nintendo can avoid competing with itself over which title is a must-have (por que no los dos?). Hopefully, during the Switch press conference on the 12th, we’ll get more concrete details about the game. Until then, I’m hoping and praying it’s still a launch title.

Persona 5

The Persona series has become super stylized in recent years. I was sold on the series watching the intro to Persona 3 and reading all the stellar reviews of the game at the time. Part dungeon-crawler, part high school social sim, all JRPG. Memento mori, Evokers, and the dark theme all drew me in. The series has presented a lot of interesting ideas about coming to terms with one’s true self, death, pop culture consumption, and many others. Persona 5 has been long-gestating and constantly delayed (partially due to Atlus being purchased by Sega and the voice actors’ strike) but looks fantastic from all the information released. It even has a pretty excellent prequel anime episode that helps set up the story we’ll be jumping into in this iteration. The series has spawned anime, manga, and gaming off-shoots, some of which even tie together the entries of the series which are usually stand alone. Most recently, the game was delayed from its projected release date of Valentine’s Day to April 4th (not technically the first quarter of 2017 but I did say, “or so” 😛 ).

Horizon: Zero Dawn

Guerrilla Games has continuously impressed with their newest title for the PS4. The story is intriguing: robotic creatures have overtaken the earth and humans have been mostly relegated to small tribes, their cities having been reclaimed by nature. Think Native Americans with high tech weaponry hunting robotic animals instead of flesh-and-blood ones. The gameplay looks smooth and varied (though they’re probably playing on the PS4 Pro, as seems to be the case recently when titles are being demoed), and has kind of a Monster Hunter vibe to it. The facial expressions/speech options looked a little stiff and weaker than the rest of what has been presented but that doesn’t take away much from the rest of the showcase. I’ve tried to avoid watching too much of the game, so as to avoid any potential spoilers or seeing too much in the trailers (a common issue these days), so that’s all I really know about it. We’ll find out early next year if it ends up being worth our time.

Virtual Reality

This one is a bit more broad than just any one specific title or platform but having played a bit of VR here at the advent, it’s got a lot of promise. The Vive seems to be leading the pack at the moment, with solid motion controls, room scale for a bit of maneuverability, and other features packed in the headset. It’s great to bring out at parties and give people a taste of the immersion VR offers. 2017 will hopefully see hardware become a bit more affordable, software become a bit more prevalent, and a killer app that manages to sell a full-fledged video game in a VR package rather than a tech demo or an “experience.” Many hurdles still need to be addressed, such as in-game motion that doesn’t cause nausea but also isn’t point-and-click teleportation. Space/movement requirements in the real world and properly marking off boundaries without pulling users out of the game world by throwing up a boundary marker in-game. The hardware itself needs to be addressed as well. Every major headset available currently (Oculus, Vive, and PlayStation VR) tethers you to whatever hardware is powering it. Cutting the cord causes quite the concern for the headsets, both from a power standpoint, as well as a tracking one, but until people aren’t worried about strangling themselves with a cable or pulling down their whole entertainment center by yanking a cord during frantic gameplay, the medium is going to be limited in what it can accomplish. As for early 2017, PlayStation VR is getting Resident Evil 7. If the Beginning Hour demo is any indication, we’re in for a terrifying experience. I’m sure we’ll see plenty of internet videos of people playing the game and being scared out of their minds. Additionally, Star Wars Battlefront recently received a DLC in the form of an X-Wing Mission Pack for the PlayStation VR. If you haven’t ever entertained the idea of flying an X-Wing in full immersion, you probably didn’t see the Star Wars movies during your formative years and I apologize for whoever dropped the ball on that one. Regardless of platform, I hope VR sees some growth in the coming year because it has plenty of potential and just needs the right people to harness it.

I’m going to call it quits with these few things. Gaming has plenty more to be excited about in 2017 though (Mass Effect: Andromeda, for example)! Feel free to leave a comment or drop me an e-mail about what you’re excited for in the new year of gaming and whatever your plans may be this evening, be smart and be safe.

See you in the new year!

More Switch News (& Other Tidbits)

October 29, 2016 / admin

Nintendo Switch, from Polygon
(Image from Polygon)

The Nintendo Switch is on everyone’s minds after last week’s unveiling of the new system. Nintendo’s president, Tatsumi Kimishima, has given a few cryptic hints to further whet our collective appetites for more info and rumors continue to fly as Nintendo closes the vault door again after only giving us a peek at the wonderful, nerdy treasures inside. For more concrete details, we will be waiting until January 12. Waiting until after the holidays/new year when the system would potentially be forgotten in the hustle and bustle of the season is smart on Nintendo’s part and it kickstarts the new year with an updated look at the system, as well as starting the ~2 month countdown until the system’s release in March.

Speaking with Bloomberg, Kimishima didn’t give away much. He mentioned that Nintendo has only shown the core concept of the system, not what it is fully capable of. It seems they have more accessories up their sleeves, potentially a few that will be interchangeable with the Joy-Cons strapped to the side of the Switch. Rumors have been flying about the potential add-ons here, everything from infrared pointers to projectors that register motion.

An interesting bit of phrasing to note was that Kimishima said they want people to touch they console in January and experience it for themselves to fully understand what Nintendo is trying to do. The use of the word “touch” here is probably reading into it a bit much, but rumors are saying that the system will feature a 720p touchscreen, which has yet to be confirmed by Nintendo. I believe the comment was made more in the vein of getting hands-on time in order to truly understand what the system can do. Nintendo did not do a good job explaining this with the Wii U and all the cool things/ways of play that it could muster, or of differentiating it in their marketing so parents understood this was a new system, not just a Wii add-on (much like the DS/3DS). In breaking with the “Wii” branding and giving people the opportunity to actually play the console in a sufficient amount of time prior to launch, I think they are setting themselves up to be heard and understood this time. One of their main design philosophies has been to make hardware around their games, not the other way around. So if people don’t understand the hardware, then they’re not going to understand the unique ways to play the games that the company is publishing either. But I digress…

Those of you who were worried about the longevity of the 3DS need not be concerned, as Nintendo’s president has confirmed that they will continue pushing the 3DS as they feel it has a market separate from what the Switch will inhabit. That doesn’t mean consumers will see it that way. If you can play console quality games on the go, why would you settle for a (probably fantastic) 3DS title? Portability, battery life, established install bases, and plenty of other things will factor into this, for certain, but I can’t help but think that Nintendo is going to be stealing a portion of its own market (or maybe occupying the Vita’s shrinking real estate).

2 months and 15 days (but who’s counting?) will tell what we actually receive. Hopefully at that time, they give us a firm release date, price, and what’s included in the launch bundle(s). I assume there will be multiple configurations available, both varied in hard drive space and bundled accessories. Also, if by some chance you’re reading this Nintendo, give us some news about the Breath of the Wild amiibo while you’re at it! I’m going to need one of everything (Switch and Zelda amiibo), please and thank you!

In Other News

Square-Enix had a couple of exciting announcements this week. In addition to releasing the opening cinematic for Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Remix, we were treated to the news that 1.5 Remix and 2.5 Remix are being bundled and remastered for the PS4 so for the first time, the entire series, in all its convoluted glory, will be available on one console. So anyone who has been living under a rock for the past 15 years (Yeah, it’s been that long. I know it’s weird and we’re old. Take a moment, if you need it.), can play/watch from start to finish to prepare you for Kingdom Hearts 3, which is set to release next year. Now, you just have to decide the order in which to play the games. It’s kind of like a Star Wars dilemma. Chronological according to release date? Chronological according to the game’s story? Or some butchered version, hopping around to not spoil any plot points until they were intended to be revealed? I’ll leave that up to you to decide.

Not be left out, Final Fantasy XV also had a new bit of info drop. There’s going to be a DLC pack that allows you to play multiplayer, online, with each of the main 4 heroes being controlled by a human player! I assume this will be in some segmented story arc, rather than in the main campaign but since a good bit of the story revolves around Noctis and his band of brothers, it would be cool if you could experience the game with a brotherhood of your own at the helm. We’re almost exactly a month away from the game’s release and I’m ready to dive in and find out whether the 10+ year wait has been worth it!

The last bit of news was slightly more recent than even the above tidbits. Square-Enix has launched a teaser site, currently with a 5 day countdown, for a new Final Fantasy title for iPhone/Android. While there have been plenty of Final Fantasy titles of varying degrees of quality for mobile already, the interesting part of this is that it features a note from Chrono Trigger’s director, Takashi Tokita, as well as the fantastic art of Yoshitaka Amano (who has had ties to the Final Fantasy series since its inception, I believe). This already bodes incredibly well for the title as many JRPGs fans hold Chrono Trigger in very high esteem and having this duo on-board shows that Square-Enix (hopefully) isn’t “phoning” this one in. *insert pun husky photo here*

I’ll see myself out…

Nintendo Switch (aka The Artist Formerly Known as NX)

October 22, 2016 / admin

Nintendo Switch, from nVidia blog
(Image from nVidia blog)

Nintendo released a teaser trailer on Thursday morning, finally lifting the curtain on their newest console previously known only as the Nintendo NX. Now officially named the Nintendo Switch, we have a better look at the console and what Nintendo is aiming for with the new hardware. Full disclosure before I begin, I have been called a Nintendo fanboy and have not done much to dissuade people of this notion. That being said, let us proceed.

The Breakdown

The Console

The Switch is Nintendo’s next foray into the home console market, except that it is also dabbling into the mobile market as well. Powered by a new nVidia Tegra processor, the Switch is a self-contained tablet-like game console with a dock allowing you the option to connect to a TV when not on the go. The attached controllers (known as Joy-Cons) can be removed and used individually or together (with or without a controller shell attachment). This gives Switch players the option of allowing two people to play at any moment, anywhere. Additionally, multiple Switches can be used for local multiplayer. The number of players per screen and the number of Switches able to connect together locally has yet to be confirmed.

The Accessories

Several accessories were shown in the Switch reveal trailer. Outside of the Joy-Cons, which come with the console, the trailer showed off the new Pro controller. Similar to the existing offering for the Wii U, the Pro controller looks like it will be the go-to for people not wanting to use the Joy-Cons (shell or no), but it is unclear whether one will be included with the console or not. My money is on “not,” if history is any indicator.

The controller shell for the Joy-Cons is another uncertainty at the moment. Since it appears you can use the Joy-Cons, detached from the system, without the shell (making it optional), it would seem that this would most likely not be included with the console either.

Not so much an accessory as it is a feature, but the console itself has a built-in kickstand on the back for propping up to play on the go. Great for when you need to throw down a challenge in a multiplayer game without immediate access to a TV.

Amiibo are shown in the trailer during the Super Mario segment but not specifically interacted with. Nintendo has confirmed that amiibo will function with the Switch, allowing those of us who have spent a fortune on the plastic figurines to breathe a collective sigh of relief.

The dock the system uses is another intriguing accessory. Definitely included with the console, the dock seemingly charges the console as well as allowing it to seamlessly switch (see what I/they did there?) from mobile play to home/TV play. We are not afforded a view of the back side of the dock, so the connection options are unknown at this point. There is one shot of a couple of ports on the side of the dock in the trailer, though I am unsure of what those connections are.

The final accessory shown in the trailer is easy enough to overlook, but it appears to be a cradle that can be attached to a headrest in a car, allowing you to mount the Switch for a bit of stability when on the road.

The Games

In the Switch reveal trailer, several games were shown. We start off with the new Legend of Zelda title, Breath of the Wild and be still, my nerdy heart, it looks fantastic. Everything released about this game gets me more and more excited for it, especially now that I’ll be able to easily and conveniently take it with me when I venture out to a friend’s place or whatnot.

Next up, we are given a brief glimpse of Skyrim running on the console. Many people may think this odd, since Skyrim is a relatively old game now and isn’t necessarily indicative of showing the limits of which the Switch is capable. Also unclear is whether or not the version in the trailer is the soon-to-be-released Special Edition update of the game or the original from a few years ago. Either way, I think this is good because it shows that developers are willing to put games on the Switch they previously would not have brought to a Nintendo system. Third-party support has plagued Nintendo in recent years, so if the trailer and released graphic showing third-party developer support are to be believed, we could be seeing a shift in that trend with this new console.

The unidentified NBA 2k game shown is another product to bolster the hopes of third party support. I’m not a sports fan, so this doesn’t excite me much, but I know others will be glad to have the sports title of their choice potentially return to Nintendo’s platform.

Two titles shown in the trailer are a bit confusing. Mario Kart and Splatoon. Both of these games are currently available on the Wii U but there are things shown in the trailer that point at these being updates of those versions. Nintendo had previously mentioned the possibility of updated ports of Wii U games making their way to the Switch and this seems to be the case here. For Mario Kart, a few subtle things are shown such as the ability to hold two items instead of the standard one, a new/old course (from the GCN version), and the icons of new potential racers. Splatoon shows new stages not previously included in the current game or DLC, as well as new customization options for your characters. All of this seems to point to these titles being featured as an “Ultimate Edition” or something of the sort, including all existing DLC plus some new content only available on the Switch. That may hurt some of the consumers that have recently bought a Wii U and these titles/DLC, but will be a great way for those who have waited/hesitated to get in on the action with the best version of the games.

Lastly, a new 3D Mario game was briefly shown. The theme seemed very “Day of the Dead”-esque, showing a desert town with a skull wearing a sombrero painted on the building, cacti, and architecture you’d think to find in a rural desert town. The shots also include Mario’s signature triple jump, long jump, a familiar baddie in the form of a Bullet Bill cannon, and other staples of the long-running franchise. Multiplayer was alluded to when the woman in the trailer brings the Switch out to a rooftop party and separates the Joy-Cons from the console, handing them to two separate players. Seeing as we are not given a view of the screen during this segment, exactly how the multiplayer works in this title is unclear. It can be assumed it will be cooperative along the lines of the recent Mario titles.

Separately from the trailer, I believe I had read that Nintendo was planning on releasing ports of their mobile games for the Switch. Meaning versions of Miitomo, the upcoming Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem games, Super Mario Run, and potentially Pokemon GO (even though Nintendo wasn’t involved directly with its development) could make appearances on the new console in some form.

I also believe that Nintendo has issued a statement saying that a Zelda title, a Mario title, and a Pokemon title would all be available within the launch window of the Switch (roughly considered to be the first 6 months or so). If that’s true, that’s a strong lineup out of the gate, even excluding third-party options. And if the Pokemon title is a full-fledged main series adventure, that would be an instant selling point for many people. One of the main concerns Game Freak/The Pokemon Company have stated with home console Pokemon games is that it would infringe upon the nature of the series. Pokemon (Pocket Monsters) are supposed to be brought with you, wherever you go. A companion to join you on your adventures. The Switch would satisfy that requirement and the prospect of a fully-realized, high definition Pokemon game is probably more than I should hope for, but I am hoping nonetheless.

The Questions

The trailer was the perfect taste of what’s to come but left a lot of questions unanswered. Nintendo has stated that no new info about the console or its game lineup will be released until 2017, so we will just have to dwell on these questions until then.

A big question mark was left on the topic of cost. No one knows where the Switch will enter the fray, but based on Nintendo’s commitment to affordable, quality gaming, it can be assumed that it will be comparable-to-less-than the competitors’ prices. Will Nintendo be able to keep the price around the $300 mark?

Next, battery life. The Joy-Cons, Joy-Con shell, Pro controller, and the console itself are all wireless. The console is sporting cartridges instead of discs, which will help battery life considerably, but if this thing is supposed to be as mobile as they are marketing it to be, it will need to pack considerable juice to be viable. How long will the battery on the main console last? How much life will we see in our controllers?

Touchscreen or no? It was not shown in the trailer, but will the screen of the main unit be a touchscreen, much like the Wii U GamePad and the 3DS bottom screen.

Operating System. Nintendo has worked in recent years to move to a more connected environment and unified account across their platforms/offerings. Will we see the same discounted Virtual Console offerings we saw in the shift from Wii to Wii U? Will Wii U games be backwards compatible at all? Without the disc drive and the apparent inclusion of updated ports, this seems a highly unlikely prospect. What about media options such as Netflix and Hulu? Will there be a web browser? While these aren’t deal breakers in my opinion since they’re on just about every other device in production now, some people like to have their entertainment solutions all-in-one.

Mobile market concerns. Nintendo is dominating the handheld space in terms of dedicated game hardware. The PS Vita is all but dead at this point while the 3DS continues to see quality releases. If the Switch is truly going to be as mobile as advertised, is Nintendo fragmenting a market they already control? Will the 3DS be phased out in lieu of focusing on Switch titles, bringing AAA titles to the mobile space?

Wi-fi and/or LTE are other concerns, not only from a battery life perspective but also from a connectivity perspective. One of the confirmed games for the console is Dragon Quest X, which is an MMO entry in the popular series. If the Switch is truly going to be as mobile as it is being portrayed, what options are we going to have for staying connected on the go?

Third-party support continues to weigh heavily on my mind. Though Skyrim and the NBA title were showed in the trailer, various media outlets have reached out to developers for comment on the Switch. Bethesda and 2K Sports/Games both commented that they were thrilled to work with Nintendo on the trailer, but had nothing to confirm at this time. Is that because Nintendo wants to hold off full announcements until after the new year, closer to release? Or is it a sign that third-party developers are waiting to gauge reactions and interest in the new system before throwing their lot in with Nintendo?

The Joy-Cons raise an interesting question in my mind. Though they are undoubtedly unique and offer new ways to play, whatever your situation may be, I’m concerned about wear and tear on the connection points. Constant attaching and detaching of the controllers, both to the console and the controller shell, has to wear on the grooves/connectors to some degree. In a few years time, will our Joy-Cons simply fall off of the console at the slightest provocation? I’m sure this has been and is being stress tested but it is a point of concern all the same.

Conclusion

I am definitely excited for the Nintendo Switch. I have enjoyed all the Nintendo consoles up to this point because of their focus on games and fun. The sheer portability of console-quality games is appealing to me because I love couch multiplayer opportunities and the prospect of picking up, say, a Legend of Zelda or new Mario game and taking it to a friend’s house with ease sounds fantastic to me. Going out to a local bottle shop for drinks and a few rounds of Smash Bros. sounds equally enticing.

While there are many questions left unanswered, I think Nintendo is making the right choice in releasing this teaser and then switching to radio silence until after the new year. This gives them the opportunity to solidify support, prepare their message in a way that conveys what they’re hoping to achieve, and not leave us waiting too long as by that time, the release will be a mere 3 months away. I look forward to seeing more content as the release approaches and seeing what other people make of the announcement and position Nintendo is setting themselves into.

Thanks for reading and feel free to click the comments link to leave me anything you’d like to say.