Nintendo has finally decided to show off their new "home gaming system", code-name NX. It's time to see what Nintendo has up their sleeves and put all the rumors to rest.
GBAtemp will covering the announcement and the OP will be updated as new information rolls in from the preview. Remember, the video starts at 9AM Central Standard Time, so be sure to watch, and discuss your thoughts here!

Nintendo Official Site

Trailer

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It's called the Nintendo Switch. Rumors are true, it's a tablet with connectable buttons that you can play at home and on the go. Console Controller looks similar to the Xbox One's. Has small little remotes and supports multiplayer. NBA game being shown. 3D Mario title. When you connect the portable controllers the system goes from console to portable. Skyrim and Splatoon shown. Still coming March next year.

Press Release​

Detachable Controllers Reinvent Gaming

REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- In an introductory video released today, Nintendo provided the first glimpse of its new home gaming system and revealed that it is called Nintendo Switch. In addition to providing single and multiplayer thrills at home, the Nintendo Switch system also enables gamers to play the same title wherever, whenever and with whomever they choose. The mobility of a handheld is now added to the power of a home gaming system to enable unprecedented new video game play styles.

At home, Nintendo Switch rests in the Nintendo Switch Dock that connects the system to the TV and lets you play with family and friends in the comfort of your living room. By simply lifting Nintendo Switch from the dock, the system will instantly transition to portable mode, and the same great gaming experience that was being enjoyed at home now travels with you. The portability of Nintendo Switch is enhanced by its bright high-definition display. It brings the full home gaming system experience with you to the park, on an airplane, in a car, or to a friend’s apartment.

Gaming springs into action by removing detachable Joy-Con controllers from either side of Nintendo Switch. One player can use a Joy-Con controller in each hand; two players can each take one; or multiple Joy-Con can be employed by numerous people for a variety of gameplay options. They can easily click back into place or be slipped into a Joy-Con Grip accessory, mirroring a more traditional controller. Or, if preferred, the gamer can select an optional Nintendo Switch Pro Controller to use instead of the Joy-Con controllers. Furthermore, it is possible for numerous people to bring their Nintendo Switch systems together to enjoy local multiplayer face-to-face competition.

“Nintendo Switch allows gamers the freedom to play however they like,” said Reggie Fils-Aime, President and COO, Nintendo of America. “It gives game developers new abilities to bring their creative visions to life by opening up the concept of gaming without boundaries.”

Developers can design their games supporting a variety of play styles, which gives gamers the freedom to choose an experience that best suits them. Some of the publishers, developers and middleware partners announcing support for Nintendo Switch are as follows:

Companies that will support the Switch
505 Games
• LEVEL-5 Inc.
• Activision Publishing, Inc.
• Marvelous Inc.
• ARC SYSTEM WORKS Co., Ltd.
• Maximum Games, LLC
• ATLUS CO., LTD.
• Nippon Ichi Software, Inc.
• Audiokinetic Inc.
• Parity Bit Inc.
• Autodesk, Inc.
• PlatinumGames Inc.
• BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc.
• RAD Game Tools, Inc.
• Bethesda
• RecoChoku Co., Ltd.
• CAPCOM CO., LTD.
• SEGA Games Co., Ltd.
• Codemasters®
• Silicon Studio Corporation
• CRI Middleware Co., Ltd.
• Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.
• DeNA Co., Ltd.
• SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD.
• Electronic Arts
• Starbreeze Studios
• Epic Games Inc.
• Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.
• Firelight Technologies
• Telltale Games
• FromSoftware, Inc.
• THQ Nordic
• Frozenbyte
• Tokyo RPG Factory Co., Ltd.
• GameTrust
• TT Games
• GRASSHOPPER MANUFACTURE INC.


• UBISOFT
• Gungho Online Entertainment, Inc.
• Ubitus Inc.
• HAMSTER Corporation
• Unity Technologies, Inc.
• Havok
• Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
• INTI CREATES CO., LTD.
• Web Technology Corp

Screens





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It will be powered by a custom Nvidia Tegra chip.

Nintendo Switch is powered by the performance of the custom Tegra processor. The high-efficiency scalable processor includes an NVIDIA GPU based on the same architecture as the world’s top-performing GeForce gaming graphics cards.

Nvidia Blog

Nintendo Switch Site

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Nintendo First Look​

The detachable controllers are called Joy-Con controllers.

Gaming springs into action by removing detachable Joy-Con controllers from either side of Nintendo Switch. One player can use a Joy-Con controller in each hand; two players can each take one; or multiple Joy-Con can be employed by numerous people for a variety of gameplay options. They can easily click back into place or be slipped into a Joy-Con Grip accessory, mirroring a more traditional controller. Or, if preferred, the gamer can select an optional Nintendo Switch Pro Controller to use instead of the Joy-Con controllers. Furthermore, it is possible for numerous people to bring their Nintendo Switch systems together to enjoy local multiplayer face-to-face competition.

“Nintendo Switch allows gamers the freedom to play however they like,” said Reggie Fils-Aime, President and COO, Nintendo of America. “It gives game developers new abilities to bring their creative visions to life by opening up the concept of gaming without boundaries.”

Developers can design their games supporting a variety of play styles, which gives gamers the freedom to choose an experience that best suits them. Some of the publishers, developers and middleware partners announcing support for Nintendo Switch are as follows:

Nintendo Site

 

[TheCasketMan]

Let's just wait until Sony copies this idea with the PlayStation Matrix.

 

[Foxi4]

Wait, this thickness, it might actually have another hardware in the dock.

That's rumoured to be the case and would make total sense - running the games on "low detail" in portable mode and in "high resolution, high detail" when docked into a station with a dGPU would definitely make it more competitive in terms of specs. Still nowhere near the competition, but "good enough" to work with.

 

[FireEmblemGuy]

Cool that they got Skyrim running on it at all, but I have my doubts that it'll take off. Cart based games limit storage space, and the Tegra processor isn't as capable as the x86 architecture the PS4/XBone are using. Games won't be as easy to port, and you'd have to cut down textures both for storage and power reasons. Expect Western devs to drop it like a brick after the first eight months, although I don't doubt Japan will go nuts over it. I'm gonna guess the first year will see ports (or announcements of ports) of Persona 5, Disgaea 5, pretty much all the Danganronpa games if they have Spike Chunsoft on board.

Also the lack of hard drive support, outside probably external drives when it's docked, is going to be frustrating as hell. Streaming HD textures from an SD card or similarly-fast cart is not gonna end well.

 

[KingVamp]

Dunno how they will have 3DS compatibility with the lack of a 2nd screen.
They could have implemented dual screen mode with the tablet + tv (just like the Wii U), but since the tablet needs to be attached to the tv dock, I guess that's not an option.

Not sure if it needs to be attached, just to play a handheld version of the games on the TV.
They could have virtual screens side by side or simply top bottom. Not ideal, but still ...or evening crazier, sell a control attachment so that the handheld can be played vertically.

 

[duffmmann]

I'm curious though, will any games let you use both screens at the same time like the Wii U? I mean with Breath of the Wild confirmed to be the same as the Wii U title, I would think the screen controller can be played with while also using your TV so you can make quick inventory switches and the like on the handheld screen. Same goes for the Splatoon game it has, will we still be able to jump to players we see on the map and choose where to launch the ink strike? It may have been to many a "gimmick" but I do think that some games made great use out of having 2 screens, really hoping that feature will still be possible here.

 

[Autz]

Cool that they got Skyrim running on it at all, but I have my doubts that it'll take off. Cart based games limit storage space, and the Tegra processor isn't as capable as the x86 architecture the PS4/XBone are using. Games won't be as easy to port, and you'd have to cut down textures both for storage and power reasons. Expect Western devs to drop it like a brick after the first eight months, although I don't doubt Japan will go nuts over it. I'm gonna guess the first year will see ports (or announcements of ports) of Persona 5, Disgaea 5, pretty much all the Danganronpa games if they have Spike Chunsoft on board.

Also the lack of hard drive support, outside probably external drives when it's docked, is going to be frustrating as hell. Streaming HD textures from an SD card or similarly-fast cart is not gonna end well.

I think that that Skyrim footage is pure Adobe After Effects and not the real deal baseball.

 

[PolloDiablo]

That's rumoured to be the case and would make total sense - running the games on "low detail" in portable mode and in "high resolution, high detail" when docked into a station with a dGPU would definitely make it more competitive in terms of specs. Still nowhere near the competition, but "good enough" to work with.

I really hope that's the case.... but knowing Nintendo, I doubt it.

 

[tarumbo83]

Not sure if it needs to be attached, just to play a handheld version of the games on the TV.
They could have virtual screens side by side or simply top bottom. Not ideal, but still ...or evening crazier, sell a control attachment so that the handheld can be played vertically.

They simulate the two DS screens on one screen on Wii U DS VC, so I'm sure it's possible.

 

[Autz]

Oh, and i almost forgot. Since is more powerfull than WiiU (as it seems to be):

WE'RE GOING TO SEE GAMECUBE VC!?

 

[Foxi4]

I really hope that's the case.... but knowing Nintendo, I doubt it.

The dock would be much thinner if it didn't feature any hardware as it'd amount to a charger and HDMI extension - unless it's purely aesthetic, there's "something" in there.

 

[duffmmann]

That's rumoured to be the case and would make total sense - running the games on "low detail" in portable mode and in "high resolution, high detail" when docked into a station with a dGPU would definitely make it more competitive in terms of specs. Still nowhere near the competition, but "good enough" to work with.

Its been rumored that the handheld screen runs at 900p while on the TV is 1080p, it absolutely makes sense to me that the dock may add computing power to be able to give more detail.

 

[Yil]

That's rumoured to be the case and would make total sense - running the games on "low detail" in portable mode and in "high resolution, high detail" when docked into a station with a dGPU would definitely make it more competitive in terms of specs. Still nowhere near the competition, but "good enough" to work with.

I know the rumour but on first look the dock seems a bit small. Just checked and px2 can be configured to merely 10w with a single chip, which is still sufficient for mobile. The real question is if it is possible to squeeze a mxm/ soc, a psu and cooling in that thing.

 

[heartgold]

From a portable standpoint, Nintendo Switch is like what, 2 or 3 generations ahead of the 3DS. Massive leap, using modern advance mobile chips, portable games like the next mainline Pokemon will see a massive graphical leal from the 3DS and play the mainline Pokemon on TV.

That's gonna be insane. I'm looking forward to this.

 

[MushGuy]

Mario goes to Mexico

View attachment 66662

Dia de los muertos, ¡ARRIBA!

 

[player594]

So it's gonna be an overpriced tablet with an even worse battery life that's being passed off as home gaming console.

I think ninty just imploded.

A little too presumptuous.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[TemplarGR]

Cool that they got Skyrim running on it at all, but I have my doubts that it'll take off. Cart based games limit storage space, and the Tegra processor isn't as capable as the x86 architecture the PS4/XBone are using. Games won't be as easy to port, and you'd have to cut down textures both for storage and power reasons. Expect Western devs to drop it like a brick after the first eight months, although I don't doubt Japan will go nuts over it. I'm gonna guess the first year will see ports (or announcements of ports) of Persona 5, Disgaea 5, pretty much all the Danganronpa games if they have Spike Chunsoft on board.

Also the lack of hard drive support, outside probably external drives when it's docked, is going to be frustrating as hell. Streaming HD textures from an SD card or similarly-fast cart is not gonna end well.

Tons of wrong with this post:

1) You can buy a 50+mb/s 16gigs capacity microSD card where i live for 5$. Bulk prices are a lot lower than that. 128gb microsd cards are pretty widespread currently and will become really cheap in the near future. And that is a lot more than a blu-ray disk.

2) Cartridge speeds are quite fine for streaming HD textures. They are a lot faster than HDDs and let's not talk about optical mediums here...

Flash based storage is the future for all consoles. You can definitely expect PS5 to be cartridge based.

 

[duffmmann]

Overall, looks like it will be close to on par with the standard PS4, and considering that Sony has required that any game made for the PS4 Pro must also be playable on a standard PS4, this would mean that third party support on the Switch may be sustained for quite a long while. Nintendo may actually have the right idea here, I know I'm excited by it all haha.

 

[Yil]

The dock would be much thinner if it didn't feature any hardware as it'd amount to a charger and HDMI extension - unless it's purely aesthetic, there's "something" in there.

Maybe that "Something" can stream 4k?

 

[tarumbo83]

Oh, and i almost forgot. Since is more powerfull than WiiU (as it seems to be):

WHERE GOING TO SEE GAMECUBE VC!?

I hope so, my GC is broken, my Wii is a newer model with no GC support, and Nintendon't doesn't really cut it.

 

[duffmmann]

Maybe that "Something" can stream 4k?

4K gaming is not coming to this, lets be real. Frankly I don't care though. If I want 4K gaming, I'm gonna get a nice gaming PC, not a console (or console/handheld hybrid for that matter).