Nintendo hosted their big Nintendo Switch event tonight, and kicking off proceedings was the long-awaited revelation of the price and launch date for the highly anticipated new hybrid platform. Nintendo Switch will launch in almost all major territories on March 3rd, 2017. This includes Japan, the U.S., Canada, the majority of Europe, Hong Kong, and other key locations.
The final price of the Nintendo Switch hardware was also confirmed as $299.99 USD, which, if converted directly to Canadian dollars, marks around $399.99 CDN. This price appears to be slightly higher than the previously-claimed $249.99 USD/$329.99 CDN that was seemingly outed by Toys R Us Canada, and is identical to the current American base price of Sony’s competing PlayStation 4, while being slightly higher than the base price for Microsoft’s competing Xbox One in the U.S. and Canada.
The Nintendo Switch will also not offer any kind of game pack-in bundle, but will include two separate colouring options, one with the previously-seen grey Joy-Con controllers, and the other with neon red and neon blue Joy-Con controllers. Aside from the Nintendo Switch device itself, and both the Left Joy-Con and Right Joy-Con controllers, both packages will include an HDMI cable, an AC adapter, wrist straps for the Joy-Con controllers, a charging/TV transfer dock, and a Joy-Con grip for home play. The more traditional-looking Switch Pro Controller will be sold separately, and doesn’t yet have a price.
Nintendo also clarified a few other details regarding the Switch hardware at the event, namely that the platform’s battery life can vary wildly, depending on the game or feature you’re enjoying. The battery life can range from anywhere between 2.5 hours and 6 hours, allegedly, though you will be able to charge the platform remotely by using C-USB cables, marking the first time that Nintendo has ditched their own proprietary charging devices in favour of a more standardized charging method. Nintendo also confirmed that the Switch will be region-free, and will not restrict gamers to playing games from their own region, which was likely among the best news at the event for importers!
The Nintendo Switch also had a huge array of previously-unknown hardware features announced for it at the event. The platform’s Joy-Con controllers will indeed include gyroscopic motion-sensing capabilities (though this was fairly obvious, given the presence of Just Dance 2017 among the platform’s launch titles), and will also include cutting-edge rumble features that can simulate enhanced object immersion, such as the feel and authenticity of ice cubes and water filling a cup, as an example shown. The Switch’s screen will also include haptic touch input capability, seemingly suggesting that the device will allow for multiple touch inputs at once, rather than the single-touch input capability that the Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS/2DS are restricted to. Finally, the Joy-Con controllers will include infrared sensors that can read and react to objects, including the player’s own hands, creating more new gameplay input potential that isn’t possible on other platforms.
Keep snapping up Eggplante for all major news and updates on Nintendo Switch.