To Switch or not to Switch that is the question
Now that Nintendo has broken the silence on their next console the Nintendo Switch (formerly called the Nintendo NX) there has been some questions on what is the Switch and what does it do, how much does it cost, what games and accessories will be available. Well no worries, we got you covered and we will also go into why you should or should not get the Switch. Again because the console is not out, this will be a two part blog series.
The Nintendo Switch will be available on March 3, 2017 in Japan and North America. The cost of the Switch will be $299.99 MSRP and it comes with the following:
- The Nintendo Switch Console
- Joy-Con Left and Right
- Nintendo Switch Dock
- Joy-Con Grip
- Nintendo Switch AC Adapter
- HDMI Cable
- Joy-Con Straps
So seeing from the conference that everything that you will need to get started for a single player experience without a game will be included (that is if you are counting that you are using both Joy-Cons with the grip as a single controller more on that later) The console will run 1080P via connection from the dock to your television, however it will drop down to 1280x720P resolution when used via the tablet. The tablet size is 6.2” and will have an expected 6 hours of battery life, depending on usage. The size of the tablet with the Joy-Cons attached is around the same size of the WiiU. It will have 32 gigs of internal storage with the ability to expand via Micro SDXC card. The Joy-Cons are the controllers that slide onto the left and right of the console when used remotely but also they function as the primary controller when used with the Joy-Con grip. What makes the Switch Joy-Cons great is that when you have the console mobile you can use both the left and right Joy-Cons as two separate controllers for games! For an example for Mario Kart if you are mobile and you have a friend that wants to play, both of you can play on the same mobile screen at the same time with one using the left Joy-Con and the other player using the right one. The controller has one analog stick and four face buttons, and two shoulder buttons to make it a fully functioning controller for gaming. This new feature makes it fun for parties for people to play and also while being remote up to 8 Switches to play via Wi-Fi locally. Far as online play, Nintendo has not released any information at this time but has stated via conference that they will be launching a paid online subscription service (no information on pricing at this time but we are speculating that it will be $50-$60 per year.) At launch, the Nintendo Switch will have a new online service. It will be free at launch, however in fall of 2017 Nintendo will start to charge for it. From the Nintendo conference, online subscribers will get to download and play a NES or Super Nintendo game “for free for a month,” and those games will have new online features. However that the free games will only be playable for the free month, after which users will have to pay to continue playing. We are guessing that Nintendo will go into the paid service model such like Xbox Live, and the PSN with more features and services, but we will have to wait and see.
Now here is a listing of the cost of extra accessories:
- Nintendo Switch Pro Controller – $70
- Joy-Con Controllers (set of two, L and R) – $80
- Joy-Con L or Joy-Con R (sold separately) – $50
- Joy-Con Charging Grip – $30
- Nintendo Switch Dock Set – $90
- Joy-Con Wheel (set of two) – $15
- Nintendo Paid Service – $60 (TBD)
As you can see if you have a family that has more than one gamer it will cost more to get another controller set. So let’s do the math here. If you wanted to go the route of just getting an extra Pro controller it will run you around $70. Or if you wanted to get the left and right Joy-Con it will run you $80 with an additional $30 for the charging grip, now that is $110 for an extra controller. Again we have to wait and see how this will work for Nintendo for pricing.
Here is a list of games that have been announced for 2017 from the Nintendo conference:
Launch Titles
- 1-2-Switch – March 3
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – March 3
- Skylanders Imaginators – March 3
- Just Dance 2017 – March 3 **
- Super Bomberman R (March 2017)
Available After Launch
- Has Been Heroes (March 2017)
- Snipperclips: Cut it Out, Together! (March 2017)
- I am Setsuna (March 2017)
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (April 28, 2017)
- Sonic Mania (Spring 2017) **
- Puyo Puyo Tetris (Spring)
- Lego City Undercover (Spring 2017)
- Arms (Spring 2017)
- Redout (Spring 2017)
- The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+ (Spring 2017)
- Splatoon 2 (Summer 2017)
- NBA 2K18 (September 2017) **
- Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Autumn 2017) **
- Super Mario Odyssey (Holiday 2017)
- Fire Emblem Warriors (Holiday 2017)
- Minecraft Nintendo Switch (2017)
- Minecraft Story Mode (2017) **
- Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (2017)
- Ultra Street Fighter 2 (2017)
- Dragon Quest Heroes 1&2 (2017)
- Dragon Quest X (2017)
- Dragon Quest XI (2017)
- FIFA 17 (2017) **
- Steep (2017) **
- Rayman Legends Definitive Edition (2017) **
- Shin Megami Tensei (2017)
- Farming Simulator (2017) **
- Fast RMX (2017)
- Dragonball Xenoverse 2 (2017) **
- Stardew Valley (TBD)
- Yooka-Laylee (TBD) **
- Seasons of Heaven (TBD)
- The Sacred Hero (TBD)
** Also available on the Xbox One/PlayStation 4
Now as you can see that there are a lot of games and 3rd party titles coming out for the Switch. At the conference, Nintendo announced that they will have the Switch region free. For those are wondering what that mean, it means that if you want to get a title from Japan, you do not need to get a Japanese Switch to play it as the console will play all regions games and content. That is good news for those gamers that love Japanese titles that were not available in North America can now play them on their Switch.
With that all being released, which is a lot of information. We here had some concerns about the Nintendo Switch and how it will play into your families gaming life.
First off the price. The console is the same price of a PS4/Xbox One that is already on the market for three years now and have a very vast physical and digital library. Also the accessories pricing is cheaper for both consoles where accessories for the Nintendo Switch are very pricey at the moment. Another thing that came up in our conversation here at the office is titles, a lot of the titles that have been shown are from Japan and make either take time to get a US release (meaning that the dialog and text is in English) or may never come to this side of the world. Also Nintendo for many years has been known to be a “kids friendly” console by both the media and parents alike where some of the games were more aimed to be played by older crowds and not kids friendly at all. Does that mean that Nintendo may be focusing their attention more towards a teen/young adult audience? Nintendo is also know for the last 2 decades to bring out very strong first party titles from their company but once a console is released it seems that both 3rd party support as well independent game developers support is very limited. Will Nintendo still have lots of titles a year or ever 2 years from now after the launch or will it face the same issues that the Wii U has with getting game titles and support? There are some tough questions for both parents and Nintendo to answer in the next coming months. Again there is no doubting the brand strength and quality of what they offer, but as in the past what makes a successful console is both a good online structure and 3rd party support. Again without having a physical console here for us to test it will be hard get the answers but be assured that here we at Family Gamer Review got you covered.
Also we go in more depth on our podcast. You can hear our podcast here.
We look forward to providing coverage on the next Nintendo console when it is available and we will be bring more up to date information once it is available so be sure to visit us often!
#FGRNintendoSwitch and let us know what your feeling and thoughts are on this new console.
