The Nintendo Switch was formally revealed today in a short, breathtakingly focused video that drove home and sold the concept of this system in a moment of clarity. The Switch is going to be a portable-home console hybrid. But how will that work? Nintendo reveal all in their latest press release, where they also show off the console in more detail.
The Nintendo Switch rests in the Switch Dock at home, basically becoming a home console. You can instantly lift the Switch out of the Dock, at which point it becomes a portable, in the guise of a tablet. The portable has an HD display, and has all the full functionality of the console with no cutbacks. Two controllers attach to each side of the tablet, and they can be detached, to be used both by the one player in an imitation of the Wiimote and Nunchuk, or for multiplayer games.
So basically, slide the tablet out of the dock, and it becomes a portable. Slide it back in, and it becomes a console. When it’s a console, it uses a traditional dual analog controller. In tablet mode, it resembles a Wii U Gamepad more than anything else.
The Nintendo Switch will launch in March 2017 worldwide.