GameSpotIn case you were living under a rock last night, you’d be aware that Nintendo unveiled their brand new console, the Switch. But what do we actually know about it?
Well, thankfully since the announcement trailer – which you can check out below – people have been digging up news on the console, and Nintendo have been kind enough to start drip feeding us info. So, with that in mind, let’s jump in.
It’s a handheld/console hybrid
GameSpotSo, the most obvious thing about the Switch is that it’s a mobile and home console hybrid. It will have a tablet-like screen with two detachable “Joy-Con” controllers that plop onto either side for on-the-go gaming. In this phase, it looks a bit like a Wii U’s gamepad, and it has a kickstand for when you’re travelling. You can also detach the controllers and use them as nunchucks or share them with a friend for multiplayer gaming.
GameSpotOnce in the comfort of your own home, you slide the tablet into the docking station which puts the Switch onto your TV. You can use the Joy-Con controllers wirelessly by themselves, with an attachment to make them more like a regular controller, or with the Switch Pro controller which will probably be sold separately.
It’s going to have a lot of games
GameSpotIf Nintendo have struggled with one thing in the past, it’s a distinct lack of third party games on their consoles. The Switch looks like it’s going to put a stop to that with a huge amount of third party support. Check out a brief list of devs working with the Switch below.
In the trailer up above there, Skyrim was played extensively, so we know Bethesda are super on board. It’s also interesting to note that Take-Two Interactive – the parent company of RockStar – are also listed. Does this mean we’ll be seeing Red Dead Redemption 2 coming to the console? Well, never say never.
Also, the games are going to come in the form of cartridges, not discs, like the 3DS and if the trailer is to be believed, there will be full Amiibo support!
It’s probably powerful as balls
GameSpotConfirming the rumours that have been going around for months, the Switch will be powered by Nvidia’s fancy new “custom Tegra processor”. While they haven’t detailed exactly what it can do, word on the grapevine is that it’ll be a close cousin of the Tegra X2 which has some impressive stats, alongside a tendency to overheat. It uses a total of six ARM CPU cores, two custom Nvidia-designed “Denver” cores, and four off-the-shelf ARM Cortex A57 cores. All six cores use a 64-bit architecture. As said though, this is only rumoured and the final product will probably be an upgraded version of this.
It’s got a fair few bells and whistles
GameSpotSlightly less impressive but still worth noting, is the fact that the Switch will have two HDMI ports on the docking station. They’re probably to charge the Joy-Con controllers or power as-yet unannounced devices. It’s got a headphone jack on the detachable screen so strangers can’t tell when you’re watching smut on your way to work. And finally, we know that the Joy-Cons will provide the portable screen with shoulder buttons. Lovely job.
Mark is the Gaming Editor for UNILAD. Having grown up a gaming addict, he’s been deeply entrenched in culture and spends time away from work playing as much as possible. Mark studied music at University and found a love for journalism through going to local gigs and writing about them for local and national publications.