Nintendo Switch releases worldwide on March 3
The Nintendo Switch will be released worldwide on March 3, with a North American price of $299.99.
Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima wasted no time in sharing the two most pressing Switch details -- release date and price -- on fan's minds. They were the first pieces of news to emerge from the company's Tokyo live stream.
Kimishima later confirmed that pre-orders will open in Japan on Jan. 21. There's no word as of yet on pre-order timing for any other region, including North America. A limited number of consoles will be available for pre-order at the Nintendo World Store in New York City on Friday, Jan. 13, however.
The Switch is a gaming console/mobile hybrid, with a TV-connected dock housing a detachable tablet-like device -- touchscreen and all. It's not just the convertible nature of the hardware that sets it apart, however; the controls bring a distinctive twist to Switch gaming as well.
The Joy-Con controllers resemble a cross between the Wii Remote and classic NES gamepads. Check them out:
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The Joy-Con controls enable a wide range of configurations for Switch. They can be held horizontally as standalone controllers or attach to either the tablet or a more modern gamepad-style based.
Here's a look at their various configurations and a more detailed look at the individual Joy-Con pads from all sides.
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The portability of the console's tablet configuration opens up a lot of opportunities for multiplayer gaming, and the Switch backs that up. As many as eight consoles can connect to each other via WiFi, which means as many as 16 Joy-Con pads can potentially be in the mix.
A single Switch box includes the tablet and dock, two Joy-Con controllers, the Joy-Con grip (for docking the two pads into a modern gamepad configuration), a pair of wrist straps, an HDMI cable, and a power adapter. There will be two versions: one with two gray Joy-Con controllers, and another with one red and one blue Joy-Con.
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Topics Gaming Nintendo Nintendo Switch
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
