Nintendo has released more details of their eagerly anticipated 'Switch' console in a special event.
The price of the Nintendo Switch has been set at $299.99, the same price as the Xbox One S and PS4 Slim, and the new console will be officially available to buy on March 3.
In addition, the pricing of several accessories for the Switch was also revealed at the press event in Tokyo. The Pro Controller, a more traditional style controller that can be used in place of the included Joy-Con controllers, will set gamers back $69.99. Spare Joy-Con controllers are priced at $79.99, while gamers can also purchase a spare dock, at $89.99, to allow the Switch to connect to another TV/monitor without having to re-plug the included dock all the time.
Other than pricing, Nintendo also unveiled many other details about the console. Nintendo says that battery life for the Switch is expected to be between 2.5 and 6.5 hours, with charging done via a USB-C cable - players can keep playing while charging. The console will come with 32GB storage that can be expanded using the built-in MicroSD slot.
The Joy-Con controllers that plug in and out of the main Switch console was also unveiled to be motion and object sensing capable, enabling a whole new generation of motion games that made the original Wii so popular.
As for games, Nintendo announced a new Mario title, Super Mario Odyssey, which is set to feature levels set in the "real world" and will be out in late 2017. The game 'Arms' and the '1-2 Switch' mini-game collection will take full advantage of the motion and object sensing capabilities of the Joy-Con controller.
Nintendo says over 80 games are in development for the new console.
The company is also planning to launch a paid for online service later this year, with the initial service being free.
While most of the responses to the unveiling was positive, some critics were worried about the pricing for the Switch, which pitches it against the much more powerful, but perhaps less innovative PS4 and Xbox One consoles. Game site Polygon called the pricing a "bad, bad joke", while Serkan Toto, game industry analyst, expressed worries at the weak game lineup at launch.
Brian Blau, analyst at Gartner called the Joy-Con controller the "Switch's winning feature", while Anshel Sag, analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, said the pricing was reasonable considering what's included in the package.
[via BBC, Polygon, VentureBeat]
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