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posted by janrinok on Wednesday January 18 2017, @04:25AM   Printer-friendly
from the start-saving-your-dollars dept.

Coverage of the Nintendo Switch console "launch" is available at Ars Technica, Tom's Hardware, Anandtech.

Nintendo Switch uses a USB Type-C cable for charging, and has a battery life ranging from 2.5 to 6.5 hours, comparable to (but less than) the latest version of the Nintendo 3DS XL. It can be played in Console, Handheld, and Tabletop modes. The handheld has a 6.2" 720p screen but the docked console supports 1080p60 gaming.

The Switch has 32 GB of internal storage, some of which is used for the operating system. It has a "game card slot" for games released on some form of proprietary physical flash media, but also comes with a standard microSD slot for expandable storage.

Nintendo will offer a free trial of a paid online gameplay service for the Switch (similar to Xbox Live Gold or PlayStation Plus) until sometime in Autumn.

The system will be released on March 3, 2017 for $299.

Here are some of the games.

Previously: "Nintendo Switch" Coming in March 2017
Will Third-Party Developers Support Nintendo's Switch?


Original Submission

Related Stories

"Nintendo Switch" Coming in March 2017 20 comments

Nintendo's rumored "NX" console has been officially announced as the Nintendo Switch, a console-handheld hybrid. The Switch may be Nintendo's last stand in the console wars:

Previously code-named NX, now named the Nintendo Switch, the device looks like a tablet computer with controllers that attach to its sides. The device was revealed in a short "teaser" video posted on YouTube.

One analyst said the device could be Nintendo's "last shot" at selling a home console. "The Wii U was a car crash, basically," said Paul Jackson of the Ovum consultancy. They fudged the communication and confused everybody with the controller and what the screen was for. As a result it sold about a tenth of what the original Wii sold."

The Wii U was rapidly outsold by Sony's PS4 and Microsoft's Xbox One, although Nintendo has enjoyed success with its handheld 3DS device. The new Switch console can be seated in a dock to play games on a television, or used as a stand-alone portable device. Games will be delivered on small cartridges - a nod to older Nintendo consoles.

The console will use a customized NVIDIA Tegra system-on-a-chip. The core count/type is unknown, as is the choice of Maxwell or Pascal GPU.

The PS4 and Xbox One mid-cycle refreshes could allow Nintendo some breathing room to compete on graphics/processing capabilities, since developers will be forced to support the older consoles:

Strangely, though, the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 may provide some relief. They aren't being abandoned – which means developers will already be focused on building games that scale down to less powerful hardware. It's not unreasonable to imagine the Switch will offer visual quality on par, or very nearly on par, with the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 throughout its lifespan.

Also at WSJ.


Original Submission

Will Third-Party Developers Support Nintendo's Switch? 15 comments

As we get closer and closer to Nintendo's January 12 announcement of additional Nintendo Switch details—and an expected March launch for the hybrid portable/home console—we're starting to get more information on what kind of support the system might get from third-party developers.

The most interesting tidbit comes from Laura Kate Dale, who's come through with a number of reliable Nintendo Switch leaks in the recent past. Dale's recent tweets suggest Ubisoft's long-anticipated Beyond Good & Evil 2 will reportedly be "exclusive to Switch for 12 months," and the game will come to Xbox One, PS4, and PC only after that time. That information should be confirmed at Nintendo's January reveal, according to Dale.

[...] Unfortunately for Nintendo, not every developer is as interested in bringing big-name titles to the Switch. In an interview with Oceanic gaming site Stevivor, Bioware's Michael Gamble said he had no plans to bring the upcoming Mass Effect Andromeda to the Switch at this point. However, Gamble did leave some wiggle room: "if the Switch launches and everyone's just yammering for Mass Effect, who knows. We never want to close doors like that."

The level of high-quality support that the Switch receives from third-party developers could be a make-or-break question for the console. Will the upcoming Nintendo Switch be a Wii U-style abandoned island, with no one but Nintendo to make compatible games? Will it be a Wii-style repository of third-party shovelware that lacks competent ports of the big-budget games made for competing consoles? Or will it be a return to the SNES era, the last time a Nintendo home console was unquestionably one of the primary destinations for major games from most third-party publishers.


Original Submission

Nintendo Switch Stolen by Distributor's Employees Ahead of Launch, Details Leaked 7 comments

Nintendo says that some Nintendo Switch consoles were stolen in an isolated incident that led to the termination of a distributor's employees and possibly criminal charges:

On Wednesday, a video surfaced of a Nintendo Switch in use, which gave us a good look at the device's software and how its menus work. Nintendo claims that the device in question had been stolen from a distributor.

The maker of the video had claimed that the Switch was a preorder that had shipped early, but walked those statements back. In a statement made to IGN, Nintendo said that the device and others had been stolen by the employee of a US distributor, and the one in the video had been resold.

Earlier this week, individuals claimed to prematurely purchase a small number of Nintendo Switch systems from an unspecified retailer. Nintendo has determined these units were stolen in an isolated incident by employees of a U.S. distributor, with one system being illegally resold. The individuals involved have been identified, terminated from their place of employment and are under investigation by local law enforcement authorities on criminal charges.

Previously: "Nintendo Switch" Coming in March 2017
Will Third-Party Developers Support Nintendo's Switch?
Nintendo Switch Available on March 3rd for $299


Original Submission

Nintendo to More Than Double Production of Switch; Success Rooted in Wii U's Failure 17 comments

Nintendo takes a gamble with record-setting Switch production plans

The Nintendo Switch has been an unqualified success so far, with Nintendo recently promising increased holiday season production to meet demand and expectations of over 16 million total sales by the end of March 2018. Reporting now suggests the company is expecting that sales pace to increase markedly in the coming year, though, and another associated production increase would come with both a fair amount of potential and risk for the company.

The production news comes from The Wall Street Journal, which cites "people with direct knowledge of the matter" in reporting that Nintendo plans to make 25 to 30 million Switch units in the coming fiscal year (which starts in April 2018). That's a major increase from the 13 million produced for the current fiscal year, which itself was a sizable increase from the company's initial plans to make just 8 million units for the console's first full year on shelves. WSJ's sources say those production numbers could go up even higher if coming holiday season sales are strong.

Nintendo exec: Failed Wii U is responsible for Switch's success

The success of the company's latest gaming console, the Nintendo Switch, is the result of lessons taken from the failed Wii U, according to Reggie Fils-Aimé, the president of Nintendo America.

[...] The console also didn't have a consistent flow of new games supporting the system. "We've addressed that with the Nintendo Switch -- having a steady pace of new launches is critical," he said. The Switch includes games like "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild," "Super Mario Odyssey" and "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe."

Another issue with the Wii U was that it didn't have "strong support" from Nintendo's third-party partners, Fils-Aimé said. "Whether it's the big companies like Electronic Arts, or whether it's the smaller independent developer, we need those companies to create content to support us. We have that now with Nintendo Switch," he said.

Previously: Will Third-Party Developers Support Nintendo's Switch?
Nintendo Switch Available on March 3rd for $299
Nintendo Switch Stolen by Distributor's Employees Ahead of Launch, Details Leaked
The Ghost in Nintendo's Switch - Game Unlocks on the Date of Satoru Iwata's Death


Original Submission

Nintendo Sells at Least 10 Million Switch Consoles in 2017, 64 GB Game Cards Delayed to 2019 9 comments

As of mid-December, Nintendo sold 10 million Switch consoles worldwide, after around 9 months of availability. The Switch outpaced sales of most other consoles in their initial months, except for the PS4.

Some big titles like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (an influence on Zelda: Breath of the Wild) have been ported to Nintendo Switch. But the ability to port certain games may be hindered by the delayed release of 64 GB "game cards" (proprietary ROM cartridges) for the system:

Those wishing for 64GB Nintendo Switch game cards will have to keep waiting. According to a Wall Street Journal report, Nintendo pushed back the rollout of 64GB game cards until 2019, citing "technical issues" as the problem. Game developers get Switch cards from Nintendo, so this means that they'll have to wait to get game cards that can support big titles.

[...] Nintendo initially attempted to alleviate the storage issue with the Switch's microSD card slot, which can hold an extra 2TB of space. However, 2TB microSD cards aren't available yet, and not every microSD card is the same. Some big titles require high-speed microSD cards to run properly.

While many mobile devices and the Nintendo Switch can support up to 2 TB of microSD storage, the largest currently in production is SanDisk's 400 GB card, which currently retails for $250.

CNET: Nintendo Switch was 2017's best gadget. What does it mean for 2018?

The Verge 2017 tech report card: Nintendo

Previously: Nintendo to More Than Double Production of Switch; Success Rooted in Wii U's Failure


Original Submission

Nintendo Reveals "Switch Lite", a Smaller and Cheaper Version of its Popular Gaming Device 4 comments

Submitted via IRC for AndyTheAbsurd

Nintendo reveals new Switch Lite, a smaller and cheaper version of popular Switch gaming device

Nintendo on Wednesday unveiled the Nintendo Switch Lite, a smaller and cheaper version of its popular Switch device. The Switch Lite is meant solely for handheld play, as opposed to the larger Switch that lets gamers connect to a TV. It also has a smaller screen; no kickstand; and does not come with detachable Joy-Con controllers — akin to the Game Boy or Nintendo DS. But it does have a new D-pad; a longer battery life; can play all Switch games; and allows for multiplayer via wireless controllers and Nintendo Switch Online.

Think I'll go with the bigger, more expensive - and far more capable - version. Hopefully the price comes down after this new device comes out.

takyon: Nintendo announces Switch Lite handheld console with updated Nvidia Tegra SoC

Previous reports stated that Nintendo will integrate updated hardware for all new variants, and this is in line with a recent analysis coming from Tirias Research principal analyst Jim McGregor, who informs that "the new Nintendo Switch [Lite] will take advantage of two generations of die shrinks to its Nvidia Tegra processor... By joining the joycons to the main body of the Switch, Nintendo will squeeze out the expensive and sophisticated wireless joycons and create a mobile-first Switch platform. The die shrink of the Nvidia Tegra processor will provide better battery life and a meaningful [graphics] upgrade."

Also at Bloomberg.

See also: Nintendo Switch Lite's trade-off of whimsy for practicality is a good one
The new Nintendo Switch Lite undermines what made the original Switch so special
The Nintendo Switch Lite is the right move coming at the right time from Nintendo
Nintendo says the Switch Lite isn't going to replace the 3DS (more accurately, they won't end support for 3DS)

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 18 2017, @04:58AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 18 2017, @04:58AM (#455241)

    Hey this thing sounds kinda cool.

    "The system will be released on March 3, 2017 for $299" oh not so much anymore. Guess i will wait for the price drop as usual.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 18 2017, @05:19AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 18 2017, @05:19AM (#455246)

      pay me to buy your shitch

    • (Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 18 2017, @06:18AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 18 2017, @06:18AM (#455258)

      For that price, this switch had better have at least 5 Gbps Ethernet.

      • (Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 18 2017, @02:52PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 18 2017, @02:52PM (#455418)

        They subcontracted out to Cisco. It's only 1 Gbps, but for an additional $599 US dollars they'll let you install an IOS update that enables 10 Gbps. The command to enable the full 10 Gbps is undocumented, but it will work at 5 Gbps after the update.

  • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 18 2017, @05:37AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 18 2017, @05:37AM (#455250)

    So you want to have a full console experience.

    But you want to take it with you.

    Great! We can offer you all the limitations of a handheld, without the ruggedness of a 3DS! And with separable parts to lose! And less ergonomically friendly than controllers from the other two of the big three!

    I'm glad Nintendo is willing to take risks on design, but they seem to have opted for the worst of most worlds on this thing. I'd rather have a new 3DS XL.

    Wait, I already do.

    They would have done better with a Gamecube II, making damn sure that it's LAN party friendly with a game lineup that makes the portability a really nice feature. When will they learn that wireless everything is not a good plan in today's crowded spectrum environment? Wait, I should stop talking sense ....

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 18 2017, @05:52AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 18 2017, @05:52AM (#455253)

      1. Make every game crowd hosted.

      2. Can't host behind a NAT.

      3. ...

      4. Profit!

  • (Score: 2) by mth on Wednesday January 18 2017, @08:38AM

    by mth (2848) on Wednesday January 18 2017, @08:38AM (#455280) Homepage

    Nintendo has a history of providing way too few units to meet demand on release day. It has happened so many times that I think it is deliberate, to create the impression that there is an overwhelming interest in their new product.

    • (Score: 2) by damnbunni on Wednesday January 18 2017, @09:49AM

      by damnbunni (704) on Wednesday January 18 2017, @09:49AM (#455301) Journal

      They've stated there will be two million units in the retail channel at launch.

      Given that their last console (the WiiU) only moved 14 million units in four years, two million at launch seems reasonable.

      Granted, most stores will probably still sell out, but it's not going to be like the original Wii where the consoles were nearly impossible to find for months.

      The weak lineup of launch games will also put a damper on sales, I think. To be frank, there's only one 'must have' title for the launch and that's also coming out for their last console; I think even a lot of Nintendo diehards are going to wait for a few more games before picking one up.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 18 2017, @10:36AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 18 2017, @10:36AM (#455314)

    I really like my Nintendo 3DS, even if it's first generation. I bought 4 (cartridge) games, and I always checked the game store, but all of a sudden it started to require my full real name.

    I think that is now commonplace for most game consoles (the 3DS was the first console I bought after my SNES). It would be ok to me if I could sign-up with a pseudonym, but in no way I'm going to give my real name to a online service (can you tell? :)

    I'm now looking for a game console without an built-in social network. I think I can get a SNES somewhere.

    • (Score: 2) by damnbunni on Wednesday January 18 2017, @01:02PM

      by damnbunni (704) on Wednesday January 18 2017, @01:02PM (#455363) Journal

      It wants your real name for the store, for billing purposes. You can still display your made-up game name to other people. In fact, you have both a 'Nintendo Network ID' and a 'nickname' that get set, and neither have to be your real name.

      • (Score: 2) by Pino P on Wednesday January 18 2017, @01:57PM

        by Pino P (4721) on Wednesday January 18 2017, @01:57PM (#455390) Journal

        What "billing purposes" are there if one pays for games and online matchmaking with prepaid cards purchased with cash at a brick and mortar retailer?

  • (Score: 2) by VLM on Wednesday January 18 2017, @01:12PM

    by VLM (445) on Wednesday January 18 2017, @01:12PM (#455367)

    Its basically my sons $100 Kindle Fire HD 8 tablet without special offers and kindle app and with some joysticks plugged into the OTG hole (or bluetooth) and adds a HDMI port.

    Less space than a Nomad. Lame.

    I can tell the difference in the tech specs. The problem is they have to sell to grannie and mom who are gonna be like, why does that tablet cost 3x more than any old similar android tablet?

    There is another interesting problem in that fads go in weird waves and my son and his friends are in a wave of minecraft story mode. Why I donno. I tried to interest him in something microscopically more advanced like a RPG or adventure or old time text adventure but its mostly a peer pressure thing to mess with the AI/gameplay for fun and share stories. Anyway, the point is that runs fine on his tablet so its going to be a hard sell to ship "not much different than the old mario kart" and "its just like un-modded minecraft on every other platform" and "its the same minecraft story mode as every other platform" but the good news is you need to buy new hardware that looks the same but costs 3x as much.

    • (Score: 2) by takyon on Wednesday January 18 2017, @01:30PM

      by takyon (881) <{takyon} {at} {soylentnews.org}> on Wednesday January 18 2017, @01:30PM (#455372) Journal

      Dunno about the ARM CPU (too lazy to care), but the GPU portion smokes your kid's tablet.

      I guess we could compare the undocked-tablet-faux3DS performance to the tablet, but even then it has fairly advanced GPU cores. Although not the Pascal cores that may have been available had Nintendo waited a few months*.

      http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/12/nintendo-switch-nvidia-tegra-x1-specs-speed/ [arstechnica.com]
      https://www.slashgear.com/nintendo-switch-nvidia-maxwell-in-pascal-out-15467635/ [slashgear.com]
      http://venturebeat.com/2016/12/14/nintendo-switch-specs-less-powerful-than-playstation-4/ [venturebeat.com]

      Obviously, gameplay/controllers and a variety of games beats the need for cutting-edge hardware. There is a decent amount of doom and gloom over the Switch's chances. And although it has an ARM chip, it won't support the existing base of (mostly shitty) Android games out of the box. Although given the expandable storage and plenty of I/O and whatnot, this thing will probably be hacked to support Android games on Day 2.

      * Given the use of standard Nvidia ARM hardware, it shouldn't be impossible for Nintendo to refresh the hardware every 2-3 years at little additional cost. That is desirable simply because newer gens would have better battery life. It's basically the same story for PS4 and Xbone, but I think the Tegra SoC is even less customized than the ARM APUs those systems use. Consoles are now fancy PCs.

      --
      [SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
      • (Score: 2) by mth on Wednesday January 18 2017, @05:58PM

        by mth (2848) on Wednesday January 18 2017, @05:58PM (#455560) Homepage

        Eh, PS4 and Xbone use x86-64 APUs.

        Given that a lot of games they announced aren't ready at launch, I do think they would have been better off waiting until the second half of the year, even more so if that would have gotten them a more advanced GPU.

    • (Score: 2) by mth on Wednesday January 18 2017, @06:18PM

      by mth (2848) on Wednesday January 18 2017, @06:18PM (#455577) Homepage

      It's closer in hardware to the $200 NVIDIA Shield tablet, which also uses the Tegra SoC. So $100 extra gets you a dock, two wireless controllers and a fancy grip. It's not the best deal ever, but it's not terrible either, hardware wise. Subsidized console hardware is a thing of the past.

      Anyway, it might look like a tablet, but the use case is very different. Having physical buttons means you can play entirely different classes of games on it. Video games have been around since the 80's; some grannies might not know a lot about video games, but mom is likely to have grown up playing video games herself. She'll know the difference between a game pad and a touch screen.

      What is a pity is that unlike the Wii with Wii Sports, they're not bundling their 1, 2, Switch suite of minigames.

      • (Score: 2) by kazzie on Wednesday January 18 2017, @07:52PM

        by kazzie (5309) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday January 18 2017, @07:52PM (#455654)

        Bear in mind that Wii Sports wasn't bundled in all regions. ISTR that it was sold separately in Japan.