Nintendo Switch | |
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File:Switch Unit.jpeg | |
Manufacturer | Nintendo |
Type | Hybrid video game console |
Generation | Eighth generation era (Possibly 9th) |
First available | Worldwide: March 3, 2017 |
CPU | Octa-core (4×ARM Cortex-A57 & 4×ARM Cortex-A53) |
GPU | Nvidia GM20B Maxwell |
Media | ROM Cartridge Digital distribution (Nintendo eShop) |
System storage | Internal flash memory: 32 GB microSD/microSDHC/microSDXC up to 2 TB |
Controller input | Joy-Con Nintendo Switch Pro Controller Capacitive touchscreen |
Connectivity | 2.4/5 GHz 802.11ac Wi-Fi Bluetooth 4.1 1 × USB 3.0 (on dock) 2 × USB 2.0 (on dock) 1 × USB-C (on unit) |
Online service | Nintendo Online Service Program (Payment required) |
Predecessor | Wii U |
Article on Nintendo Wiki | Nintendo Switch |
- For the smasher, see Smasher:Switch.
The Nintendo Switch (ニンテンドースイッチ) is the seventh home video game console released by Nintendo as part of the 8th generation of video game consoles. Known in development by its codename NX, it was unveiled in October 2016, subsequently revealed as the Switch in January 2017, and was released worldwide on March 3, 2017. The Switch is considered a "hybrid" console; it is designed primarily as a home console, with the main unit inserted onto a docking station to connect to a television. Alternatively, it can be removed from the dock and used similarly to a mobile tablet, or placed in a standalone tabletop position visible to several players. The Switch uses Joy-Con wireless controllers, which include standard buttons and a directional joystick for user input, motion sensing, and high-definition tactile feedback. Switch games and software are available on both physical flash ROM cartridges and digital distribution, and do not use region locking.
Features
Hardware
The Switch console is solely based in the tablet. Everything else operates in tandem with the device. The Dock serves as a means to connect the tablet to a television, as well as charging it and any attached controllers. The console itself has 32 Gigabytes of on-system storage and has a slot for optional microSD card memory expansion of up to 2 Terabytes. The console is capable of 720p output in tablet and tabletop mode with adaptive resolution and can go as high as 1080p while docked. Some developers have chosen to lock the resolution at 1080p in docked mode, which can occasionally cause performance issues.
The Joy-Con controllers are wireless, bluetooth-based and the right Joycon is equipped with an infrared camera on the bottom which allows gyroscopic data (among other things) to be surveyed to the Switch, allowing for Wiimote-like motion controls in various games. The Joy-Cons can be used in tandem with eachother in various ways. They can be equipped with a grip to make a whole controller, be held separately, or can be held horizontally and played as their own controllers. Additionally, a more traditional controller, called the "Pro Controller" is also available, which also has built-in gyroscopic controls. All controllers feature HD Rumble, an advanced form of haptic feedback that enables the system to replicate every single tap and sensation in game, with much more realism and efficiency than traditional haptic motors.
The physical media for the console consists of proprietary cartridges as opposed to the optical Blu-Ray discs of its direct competitors. The cartridges are not region-locked, though they do require a profile on the console that matches the region the games were purchased in order to play them. The cartridge plastic has been coated in an extremely bitter, non-toxic substance in order to prevent children from swallowing them.
Online
The Switch initially launched with a free online survice, with the promise of an improved, paid service later on in the system's lifespan. The new online system for the Switch named under Nintendo Switch Online is a paid subscription-based online service based around the Nintendo Account service. It allows players all around the world to play with and against each other, it also allows them to play NES games with added online play, save their data on a cloud backup system, have an access to the corresponding app on mobile devices and price reductions on the Nintendo eShop (Switch-only).
Please note that online play in compatible games and the Nintendo Switch Online smartphone app are free and that all other mentioned features are not available until the service launches in September 2018.
Nintendo Switch Online app
The Nintendo Switch Online app is a mobile app given to download with the Nintendo Switch Online service. Some sub-sections can appear in the app, corresponding to the owner-owned games.
Here are the list of all compatibles games and their global features:
- Splatoon 2: Players have access to SplatNet 2.
In the Super Smash Bros. series
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was announced at the end of the March 8, 2018 Nintendo Direct, little over a year after the system had launched, and received its own section at Nintendo's E3 2018 presentation. The game is set to be released on the console on December 7th, 2018.
Gallery
Trivia
- This console is the third to have a Super Smash Bros. game on a cartridge, after Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS on the Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. on the Nintendo 64.
Nintendo consoles | |
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Home consoles | Color TV-Game 15 · Nintendo Entertainment System · Super Nintendo Entertainment System · Virtual Boy · Nintendo 64 · Nintendo GameCube · Wii · Wii U |
Handheld consoles | Game & Watch · Game Boy · Game Boy Color · Game Boy Advance · Nintendo DS · Nintendo 3DS |
Hybrid consoles | Nintendo Switch |