[Updated] Nintendo Switch Event - Price, Release Date and More

Published: January 13, 2017 12:56 AM /

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nintendo switch boxart

At the Tokyo-held event this afternoon, Nintendo finally delivered a full exposé on its upcoming hybrid console, the Nintendo Switch.

Originally codenamed the Nintendo NX, the Switch was shown off to the public at last. Nintendo gave plenty of details about the console. These include several major points that have been debated ever since the initial reveal trailer in October.

Firstly, the price of the Nintendo Switch is going to be 29,980 JPY/$299.99 USD.

Nintendo Switch

Secondly, the release date of the Switch will be March 3, 2017. Nintendo has been firm about a March 2017 release date, but now the day is set in stone.

Nintendo Switch

Another reveal is the discussion of online services. You can use your smartphone to connect to the Switch’s online services and even play certain multiplayer games from your phone. These services will be available for a free trial after launch, and in fall of 2017 will be a paid service.

The items you get when you buy the game are the console, the dock, two Joy-Cons, two Joy-Con wrist straps, an HDMI cable and a USB-C charger. There will be two types of launch consoles. One will have gray Joy-Cons and one will have a red and blue Joy-Con.

One major announcement concerns region locking. The Nintendo Switch will not be region locked, allowing games from around the world to be played.

In addition, several specs about the console were revealed. As Nintendo showed in the reveal trailer, the Switch will use two detachable Joy-Con controllers. These can work in a number of configurations, as well as be used as two controllers for multiplayer. The Nintendo Switch can also be used as a hybrid. You can play it as a handheld as well as connect it to a dock for use on your TV.

Nintendo Switch

The dock in question attaches via HDMI and charges the console while it sits in it. The playstyles offered by the Switch are TV mode as well as Tabletop mode using the Switch’s kickstand and the Joy-Cons independent of each other. Finally, Handheld mode is exactly what you expect: the Switch as a handheld console, with the Joy-Cons attached to the console.

During the Treehouse event, Nintendo confirmed that games will run in 720p on handheld. When docked, games will output in 1080p resolution.

The Nintendo Switch will use a USB Type-C charger that you can use while playing, a capacitive touch panel and support up to 8-player local wireless and Wifi play. You can sync multiple Joy-Cons to a Switch or you can connect 8 separate Switches together wirelessly for multiplayer.

In terms of Internet play, the Switch will use an 802.11ac connection. However, when docked, players can also utilize a wired connection with a LAN adapter.

The Joy-Con controller will have an NFC reader for Amiibo as well as a dedicated screenshot button that, “in the future, will be able to record video." A press release, released after the event, says that the Switch will have the ability to edit images, as well as post them to various social media networks. They have the ability to use motion as well.

Nintendo Switch

Each Joycon has two mini-shoulder buttons, SL and SR, that are used to connect to the handheld when not being used for local multiplayer. There are also two colors, red and blue for the Joy-Cons. The Right Joy-Con also has an IR camera to detect size and distance of objects. The Joy-Cons will also have “HD rumble” features, which claim to have better vibration technologies than before.

The Joy-Con analog sticks are confirmed to be clickable, adding more button options for the console as well.

Titles that were announced for the Nintendo Switch at the press conference include two Joy-con enabled games 1, 2, Switch and ARMSSplatoons 2a new Shin Megami TenseiSuper Mario Odyssey, Project Octopath Traveler, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and words from various third party developers. To finish up their presentation a trailer was shown showing brief clips of many titles that were not features in the main presentation but show off what fans of Nintendo have to look forward to going forward. These titles are as follows: Rayman Legends: Definitive Edition, LEGO City Undercover, Farming Simulator, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Project Sonic 2017, Just Dance 2017, Syberia 3, Super Bomberman R, Tetris, RIME, Steep, Ultra Street Fighter 2: The Final Challenge, Minecraft, and more.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe will release for the Nintendo Switch on the 28th of April while Super Bomberman R will be one of the Switch's launch titles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f98ZwgzYyig&index=10&list=PL2JiZAV5BmDWTk6T8Y4-zpA1iP2AU9vjE

The official Nintendo Switch purchase page is now online. While you cannot pre-order the Nintendo Switch information such as the price of the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, $69.99, additional Joy-Con controllers, $79.99, and for an additional Nintendo Switch Dock Set, $89.99, are now viewable. During the Treehouse event, a wheel for games like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was also shown off.

A press release made available after the event has confirmed some of the technical specifications that were speculated previously as well. The release claims the Switch, while portable, will have a three hour battery life when playing something like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The screen you'll play it on is 6.2" and a resolution of 720p.

The base system has 32GB of internal storage, some of which is taken up by the Switch's software, but can be increased by using microSD cards. The maximum amount hasn't been specified. However, during the Treehouse event, the hosts showed a 256GB microSD card. This isn't confirmed to be the largest possible card, but it is confirmation that the Switch can use at least 256GB of microSD storage.

Other than that, the Switch has some USB ports that can be used for various adapters. The big one for some is that there is no ethernet port on the Switch; you will have to purchase a USB adapter to get an ethernet port.

Keep an eye out on this article, as we’re updating it with hardware info as it is announced!

Have a tip, or want to point out something we missed? Leave a Comment or e-mail us at tips@techraptor.net


Connor Foss
| Staff Writer

Former TechRaptor Staff Writer, who also does translation work between English and Spanish. You can usually find me playing horror games or Zelda!