Report Suggests Nintendo Switch Won't Be Offered With a Portable-Only Bundle at Launch

Um, is their "Nintendo source" the commercial Nintendo made to announce the Switch? Because they made it abundantly clear in that ad that the tv dock is a hugely important feature in their mind. So clear that anyone could guess that it'll be included in every package and they'd probably be 99.99999% likely of being correct.

Well I will be waiting to buy then. However, if they wait too long to release a version that I don't feel is a waste of money, I still won't buy it then either.

Laura Dale should really be the one credited here. She's been super accurate about Switch.

B-but charger will be included, as always, Nintendo?

I'm curious what they'd call it. If it's portable only, then you can't call it Nintendo Switch. The whole point of the name is the switching between the TV and portable. What 2DS equilvalent of awfulness could they use?

I always found it hard to believe that Nintendo would offer an SKU that goes against the console's main concept; to be able to play in various ways both as a home console and portable.

I intend to buy it at launch with all the trimmings!

I just wanna see more Mario footage

Seriously, this was actually asked by someone at some point?!? People, it's a HOME console, that can also be used as a portable, selling it without the dock just seems really stupid, and besides, why wouldn't you want the dock to play it on the tv, to have the two usb ports to charge controllers and plug in a hdd for more space? I'm sorry, but anyone assuming they would just have the portable part alone are inane -_-

And rightly so. You don't want to cause confusion on day 1.

I expect the portable only version in a year or two but it would probably limited to Japan or anywhere the home console market is suffering. on that note I wouldn't be surprised if in the east this thing is marketed as "bring you handheld games to your TV" instead of our "Take you TV games on the go"

I sure hope Nintendo plans on selling this in China, I showed a friend over there the trailer and they went nuts, as did their friends apparently.

The switch is cool but remember the switch is not a successor of the wii u and 3ds

Not inane. There were "reports" months ago that a portable component of the NX would sold first. Moreover, Big N is going to struggle with its price point, so I'm expecting the launch day bundle to NOT include the Grip or the Pro Controller to keep costs down.

Selling the dock and system together at first is the only logical way to go about it. I do hope there is a Pro bundle at launch with the pro controller, 2 additional joy cons, etc.

@bluedogrulez The grip has to be included, otherwise there is no good way to play games on the TV. In fact I expect the grip accessory to be what you get when you buy a pack of 2 joy cons. I think they will all be bundled together. At least I think that's how it should be done

As with the whole post-production video article, this sounds normal. The Switch is already a handheld, so those who only want a handheld...need only to buy the Switch.

Despite its very name, it seems a lot of general gamers are having a hard time grasping the concept.

I think it could be bundled three ways. Portable, Portable + TV Port, Portable + TV Port & the obvious VR Headset. The VR component seems so obvious right?

@Stryker89 "It would make no sense to sell the portable on its own, all the power is in the tablet, the dock does little more than stream to a TV and charge the device."

Wait what? Wouldn't that then make perfect sense to offer it as a portable only? lol

I'm the guy who might not use the dock's TV output until many months after getting the console, yet I wouldn't want to buy a "mobile-only bundle" just because of that either. Besides, look at the dock whose size can be judged by the surrounding objects in the trailer - this thing can make PS4 Mini look gargantuan! It doesn't seem beyond the realm of possibility or minimal convenience to toss the entire console into your bag and take it to your friend's house, for instance. Unless the dock weighs a lot, but that's hard to tell so far.

@McGruber: I think you're right...the trailer showed so many control schemes, but no joy-con sideways for TV action?!? Have to watch it again for the 1000th time....

@-DEMISE- It better be important. It better offer a performance boost or something. No way I'm buying something barely as powerful as my xbox 1 when i already own a 3 year old xbox 1.

I'm confused.... Why not just buy the Switch and never play it on the TV? Leaving out the dock in the packaging will not lower the price that much. It's literally just a dock. No processing power or anything. If you want to be mobile, just buy the console and not worry about playing on the TV.

Makes sense. Day one purchase for me without a doubt

I shall try and say this as nicely as I can.....how can you have a new console called Switch when you take away the dock that allows it to switch functions?!!? How thick are people?

I tried to be nice but come on!! The dock in all essence makes the console and the concept! DUH!

@hYdeks

Obviously it's not a home console. It's a portable which can be docked.

@Bruh The dock may well have processing power - upgrading and overclocking straight from the game cartridge...

@Aneira seems to be the case, what with NVidia's Tegra line of chipsets powering it.

@bluedogrulez I don't think anyone expected the pro controller to be bundled in. The controller grip I think will be bundled in but fully expect to be part of a premium bundle.

@Stryker89
No, It actually does make sense, what about people who have a dock but they want a second or more tablets for multiplayer like in a big family and at a party.

Maybe they will do a mini charge-only dock in the future? Because nobody but the creators know about the battery life when it's away from the dock, and if it's only a few hours, Houston, we have a problem.

I don't see why they wouldn't sell it with the dock. I doubt it would make much of a price difference anyway.

Why would it be? If you don't have the dock you omit its selling point...that it can SWITCH from home to on the go. Are gamers really that cheap?

@dazzlerJJD Stay Put for a dock with the screen welded on.
NoDS for the dockless version.

I thinking 199 for the Tablet, J-Cons n a game for the Handheld market but this announcement has squashed that theory.

I think a view years down the road we will definitely see a PlayStation TV like box that is a Switch without the screen.

Days like this I wish there was a @all reply function. Anyway, here goes.

1. 1 dad, 2 kids, 1 good tv. What are we going to do w/ 3 docks, besides hook 1 up to the TV and throw the other 2 in the garbage?

Nobody knows what the dock does or doesn't do, what's inside of it and what isn't. Nintendo charged $19.99 for the Wii U charging cradle and that had almost nothing in it.

Compare the size of the cradle to the "Dock". Even not next to each other obviously the dock is going to be much larger and it's made of several pieces that need to be assembled around whatever is inside.

We can see the dock has 2 USB ports, 3.0 perhaps. And an HDMI cable port. We dont' know if there is any storage inside like 32GB as the Wii U had. We don't know if there is any type of up-res device like a DVD player would have. We don't know if there is an Ethernet port or optical out. We dont' know if there is some type of audio component that does 5.1 from the tablet's stereo, as there is no reason to have 5.1 audio in a tablet, but nobody is going to want 2.0 stereo on their home system.

So minimum, that's a $50 dock. So that's $50 less to sell the tablet w/o it. Nintnod sold Wii U Basic $50 less than Wii U Deluxe. But maybe it's a $99 dock. So that would be a $299 Home console vs a $199 portable. $199 potable would likely sell a whole lot more than a $299 home console. But we don't know what's in the dock.

That said, if I'm Nintneod I'm all in on the bundle for March. March is a slow period, not a lot of consoles will be sold in April and May anyway. And if it sells well, then keep the dock in every box. And if it doesn't sell well, then take out the dock and sell a cheaper version.

Also, 3DS still has some games in early 2017 - Yoshi, Mario Sports, probably Monster Hunter Stories in the west. No reason to confuse people and tell them Switch is the new portable yet. After 3DS runs out of games then Ntineod can say - "Oh look, Switch w/o the dock, $50/$100 less." But only if it isn't selling well. If it is selling well, then don't take the dock out.

But just in general, Nintneod can't expect parents now buying their kids $79 2DS to turn around and replace that w/ a $299 Switch, so at some point there does need to be a Switch Mini or something for kids in the $149 range. Nintneod can't turn it's back on kids, and not every kid needs a $300 system.

I just don't understand how so many people can't understand that. Trix is for kids, Switch isn't.

I've absolutely no interest in the portable part of the system tbh! I'd would definitely prefer a model without the screen and a pro controller instead of that uncomfortable looking thing.

@rjejr I especially wonder what's in the plates in the front and in the back of the dock. I mean, why did they feel the need to cover the screen of the Switch inside the dock and not just build it like a Wii U or iPad dock? Surely there's some technology inside those plates. Maybe an internal power supply, or additional processors or antennas? Who knows.

Wouldnt be a Switch if it couldnt ........

@manu0 "I mean, why did they feel the need to cover the screen of the Switch inside the dock and not just build it like a Wii U or iPad dock?"

I dont' think there si anything in that front plate. I think it was just put there to cut down on confusion. Nintneod wanted to make clear to people this is an "either or" system, either you look at the tablet screen, or you look at the TV screen. They didn't want people to confuse it w/ the Wii U. And they didn't want 3rd party devs to have to make dual screen games. When DCK:TF released people complained it didn't use the Gamepad at all. When SF:Z did use the Gamepad screen, people complained. Now there is nothing for people to complain about, b/c it's obvious you can't see the screen.

That, and I think that wall is too thin to put anything in.

That wall also means if they want to they can make a "Switch TV" in a few years, b/c if it is a 1 screen at a time console then you don't need the tablet to play at home. If you could see the screen it would confuse people.

And besides, now we get to refer to it as "the toaster". "Hey kids, where's the Switch? We put it back in the toaster dad."

Personally I think the 'Switching' will actually be a relatively limited action for most players- some people will use it predominantly as a console, some will use it predominantly as a handheld. Nintendo thinks this is the selling point of the console, but I think the prospect of 'real gamers' saying that they're buying it to play 3rd party games on the go, but secretly using that excuse so they can play 'kiddie' Mario and Zelda as well....

@BiasedSonyFan Your right, they should have options, like having an option not to be portable :/

@gatorboi352 Conglaturation.

Surely a separate charger would be for sale if your going away for a bit? I wouldn't fancy taking the complete dock with me anytime I went away. If they don't it renders the portability kind of pointless and will purely be used for playing off TV like the Wii U.

@Alshain01
Just buy the package and sell the dock... I know I would buy it form you for an appropriate price.

@holygeez03 No I actually want the opposite. I have no interest in mobility and I don't want to pay and estimated $100 for a second screen and battery. I want it to plug into the TV and stay there.

Oh, I left out the switch part of "Switch" that people keep mentioning. You don't need the dock for Switch to switch.

1 player w/ a Pro like Grip controller.

1 player in tablet mode.

2 players for multiplayer.

That's 3 different ways you can switch the controllers around and game differently on Switch. 3 different ways I think is enough to justify that a non-docking Switch can still be called Switch.

"Switch can switch between 1 player holding a tablet, 1 player using the Joy-Con Grip, 1 player using 2 separate controllers, 2 players each using 1 Joy-con."

There's your "switch" for marketing the switching for a non-docked Switch. Actually 4 different ways to play, sorry I only had 3 pics.

@Ryu_Niiyama: It's so we can walk up to a portable-only Switch owner and say: "Dockless. This person has no dock." and be on our merry way.

(Brownie points if anyone gets the reference)

@Enigk I'm sure an external charger will be available. For a price, that is.

@rjejr In all honesty, I don't think your average household is going to have the "problem" of having to decide what to do with all their extra docks. Most households don't buy multiples of the same console, and if they can afford to do so, then I would expect that household to have more than one decent tv, or the money to buy more than one. And if you don't have the money to buy a couple of tv's to go along with your fleet of consoles, then maybe you shouldn't be spending what money you do have on four separate consoles. Just my two cents, though.

I would think the switch dock contains a 1080p upscaler since i doubt the tiny tablet screen needs 1080 there will be some kind of upscaling handled by the dock. Not to be confused with graphics processing which i think is cleqr the nvidia chipset will handle.

@Alshain01
You have that option - plug the Switch into the dock for the rest of time and it won't be portable. The dock probably will upscale the image to 1080p and may (or may not) have extra processing power. Boom, you have a home console.

@Luna_110 And that gets me the console without the cost of the battery and screen... how?

Why should I pay for something I'm not going to use. The Wii U battery is $40, the screen likely costs more than that.

I think this will end up being a much bigger issue than many on here appreciate, especially for those with large families. "Sorry you can't play in the Switch because your brother took it to school" as this will basically be there only console going forward and essentially a handheld they really need to sell the tablet bit by itself at some point for it to be a success. Don't forget that unlike the Wii U this doesn't have a 3DS to bring in the money if it doesn't sell. I'm really surprised that the dock isn't a fully functional console without the tablet and if it doesn't at least boost the power when connected then I don't really see why it exists at all.

I will be buying Switch and I'd be buying it with the dock even if there were an option to buy it without. As others have mentioned, though, it would be a nice option to be able to buy other Switch consoles without the dock for family/friends to have their own, providing it would bring the costs down. (and why wouldn't it?)

It all comes down to - can you log into more than one NNID/Nintendo Account on one Switch?

If you can log into multiple accounts then it lessens the need for multiple consoles in one household. That said, I would still want my own and each of my brothers to have their own. For multiplayer, etc.

@rjejr there could be antennas in the front plate

@manu0 antennas for what? It doesn't have dual screen play and it would be mighty dumb if it can't connect to wifi while portable. The antennas will be in the main unit, not the dock.

I think the Joy Con grip thing is separate from the console and the dock though. I just wanna know the price of this thing.

@Alshain01 maybe it does have (limited?) dual screen capabilities and they just didn't want to show it yet?
Nintendo invested sooo much money in getting effectively latency-free signal transmission to the Wii U gamepad, I really don't think they would want to completely abandon that technology. In fact I think they worked on it and improved it.

@Stryker89 Actually other "sources" report that maybe, MAYBE the dock raises the performance/power of the console when it is on home mode

Guys, calm down. Just because Switch have portability it doesn't make Switch LOSE its pride as a console. Switch is still a Console regardless being stay in dock or taken away. No more no less. And why so afraid with portable ? Switch is a Dedicated machine no matter how do you play. Got it ? Stop complaining and try to appreciate Nintendo's effort. This s like you refuse to accept the uniqueness of Nintendo. If i get a Switch, i will treat it either being console or portable equally. I will not waste the multifunctions from Switch. And don't be too GREEDY. Are you expecting OMG Ultra HD graphic as a 'God 'to be worshipped ?

@BiasedSonyFan
Hm... i wonder the next machine after 3DS.

@rjejr

All good balancing points but the toaster is useful as a charger and place to store even if not hooked up to a TV.

I'm guessing that the toaster maybe has the front panel for balancing support as the switch needs to stand up straight for the IR lights behind the screen bezel to peak up above and be visible so they can be used by the joy-cons for pointing.

We don't have the details on that yet though.

Additionally I think there may be an air vent on the bottom of the switch so a fan in the toaster can shoot the air all the way through the device and cool it while it runs much faster/hotter in it (sort of an anti toaster). This also means no additional space needed for a fan in the switch itself.

Reports indicate that the Nintendo Switch will come packaged in a cardboard box, with the words " Nintendo" & " Switch" printed on the box.

@BiasedSonyFan Gotta disagree with you here. It means all of those things. That's why they show the logo and make the sound effect more than once. The logo animating in fact shows the controllers reconfiguring not putting toast in a toaster.

I prefer a portable over a console. That being said, I like the idea that nintendo previewed . Why would it be called switch then? They already said it was going to be sold with a dock, tablet and that Theon Grey-Joy controller. So what's the problem? I'm wondering what else that dock does.

@BiasedSonyFan Depends on what that is?

@rjejr - I just read comment 53, and you are right, but I don't think that's what ninety is going for.

@manu0 I doubt it. @rjejr I suspect the only reason for the front place is as a screen protector, something I wish the Wii U had to be honest, keep dust off the thing when not in use. It's probably that thick to serve as a structural protection. My Wii U pad is so scratched up from falling out of the dock.

I need a job...

Of course it's coming with the Dock. The emphasis of the trailer was it's a home console first then take it on the go if someone needs the TV. I don't think we will ever see it sell separately. Maybe if reports of broken systems come in. They may sell a replacement.

@BiasedSonyFan They could do that but I think taking the guts of the switch and putting it in a stationary box would be more realistic. That way they could all play the same games and you don't have to have two different versions of platforms to support since they are technically the same except for exterior packaging.

Every time I see those tiny buttons, i get worried...

@Alshain01 lol? what are you doing? mine has never fallen out of the dock lol o_O

This article has clearly been written around a complete misinterpretation... it's wrong to think of the Switch as being a portable or a home console... it's not one or the other... it's both.

So the idea that it would be sold in any form of bundle that would only allow on kind of functionality is completely absurd.

That said... if this is the sort of misinterpretation people are making about the Switch, then it's not too bad, as the misinterpretations that were made about the Wii U were far worse.

I didn't think they would. It's a complete package as is regarding the Switch screen and Dock. It's logical to think that the Switch Pro Controller will be sold separately.

The game cartridge fits into the tablet so there is no need to have a dock unless you want a home console.

A comment was made by Nintendo many months ago that the NX is not a replacement for the Wii U. This makes sense if Wii U games can't be played on the Switch.

Also Zelda can't be the main launch title if it is also going to be released on the Wii U. Because more gamers will buy the Wii U version.

@King_Johobo I wouldn't be so sure about that. I've seen this comment elsewhere, so you're not the only who's thought of it. But my take is that if Nintendo wants to sell people on the concept of docking the Switch and playing it on their tv, then I don't think they could realistically expect people to put up with having to play with two detached Joy-Cons as their only out-of-the-box controller option. It might be fine in a pinch, but I think the small size and shape of the detached Joy-Cons in comparison to the Wii remote and Nunchuck would limit the appeal of playing with them in that way. I think Nintendo would know that, and I doubt the grip accessory would cost very much since most of the relevant tech seems to be contained in the Joy-Cons, so I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up being included with the system.

@Alshain01 hope my reply to u didn't come off too intense/mean to ya last night. Sry, I kinda went crazy with the caps. I sure don't blame u or anyone for wanting to save money. I could definitely stand to. Guess I just like the concept of the Switch more than most.

@BiasedSonyFan Nope, the Ninty Sandwitch won't have anywhere near the graphics capability of a GTX 1070. The main processor on the portable component will likely be a customized Tegra X2, which would be comparable to a GTX 1050 or 1050 Ti. ($110-$165 depending on model upon release, or in other words a budget card.) It's unknown whether the dock will add processing power or how much if it does, but it probably won't offer that much, so Nintendo can stay under $400. The GTX 1070 currently costs about $380+ depending on the model, with most being over $400. The whole package for the Sandwitch probably isn't even going to cost that much. So there's no possible way that it will offer anywhere near the computational prowess of a discrete card.

If people want a "Nintendo PC", then all they have to do is custom build a PC and put some cool custom printed Nintendo logos on it, then put their uh... Nintendo software on it. Problem solved!

And no, Nintendo won't offer such an option themselves. Nintendo isn't going to sell an $800+ device.

@Stryker89 Think about it in terms of future upgrades - they can sell you just the tablet with the upgraded internals (Tegra was refreshed every 2 years, if I remember well) without the need to sell you anything else beside it. Pretty smart.

@BiasedSonyFan Not even the PS4Pro or XBScorpio are going to have anywhere near the graphics output of a 1070 GTX discrete card, so Nintendo sure as hell isn't going to offer that.

@zool I don't think that's what Kimishima meant when he said that. He said it wasn't a "pure" successor to Wii U OR 3DS, and I think his overall point was to sort of hint at the fact that it's succeeding BOTH of those systems in functionality while stressing that it's not a typical hardware iteration from a design perspective.

@BiasedSonyFan Well, if the Wii U was any indication...

@BiasedSonyFan I think part of the reason they're marketing it as a home console that's fully portable is so that they can get away with a higher price. If they marketed it as a handheld that can be played on the TV, people would expect a cheaper price ($199-$249). Selling it as a home console that's fully portable will allow them to get away with a higher price ($249-$299).

I don't think that was the main reason they're going for that marketing angle, but it's definitely an interesting psychological thing.

Why are so many people on here SHOCKED!!! at the idea of the portable being sold separately? We still are 100% certain of what the dock does, if it houses or can house more power etc...

Also, as if NO ONE has thought of this already, but if someone is going on vacation or on a business trip (as the trailer so clearly shows) there needs to be some way to charge the device WITHOUT the dock (because seriously if they don't do this then whats the point) , so a portable only version is clearly plausible and inevitable, so stop being so SHOCKED!.

I can't believe how dumb people are! YOU NEED THE DOCK TO PLAY IT ON THE TV IN UPRES 4K! Or at least 1080P. Holy hell people! Why don't you complain to Sony how much they're charging for VR goggles! Tell them you want PS4PRO for free!!!!!!!! Nibelsnarfing millennials! Ghhhhaaaaaaa!

It's called the Switch, not the Swtch'd.

Left to the amateurs Nintendo would be a pile of rubble by now

@-DEMISE- if it is succeeding both the Wii u and the 3ds, then I think it will fail.

There are at least five times as many 3ds's as there are Wii u's. Not every 3ds owner wants a Nintendo home console. And not every Wii u owner is bothered about playing games on the move.

Home console games are designed to play on a large screen in HD. Not on a small tablet.

@Captain_Gonru "You know what you can't find a picture of in that video? Two people playing on a tv."

Know what else you can't find, somebody scanning in an amiibo, but we know you can. You started it.

OK, snide remarks aside, we are discussing selling a Switch w/o the dock, so I really wouldn't be helping my case by having a pic of 2 people playing on a TV screen now would I? Wait, that turned into another snide remark, didn't it. Sorry 'bout that.

@Moon "It all comes down to - can you log into more than one NNID/Nintendo Account on one Switch?"

I always knew I liked you. You are the first person I've seen mention that in 6 days. If Nintendo is really going to sell this as a home console then you would think they would have to make it multi-account like the Wii U, but I bought my PSP b/c Sony kept promoting it as a "PS3 on the go", but when I discovered it only had 1 account I returned it. I meant to share it w/ my 2 kids.

And Nintendo isn't very good w/ sharing. At all. SSBU only has 1 save file shared by all accounts. It's stupid.

So I would bet Switch works just like Wii U, but Nintendo Logic.

Another example. The old Club Nintendo had a "Family account", so even though my wife, 2 kids and I, eac hhad our own Club Ninteod account, I was able to pool all of our points together to get great items. Putitng aside the fact that MyNintnedo has no geeat items, we have 3 accounts w/ varying degrees of coins. My wife didn't even bother to set up an account, and she plays on Wii U and owns her own 3DS, but she just didn't think it was worth it. And so far it isn't.

I do think Switch will let us share it, but who knows? Maybe Nintendo will make it only 1 NNID in hopes of selling more of them?

I thought this was obvious and self-explanatory.

I guess not.

@-DEMISE- This is being positioned eventually as the replacement for both the Wii U and 3DS. The initial run might only be the version with the dock. However, if this is successful I would expect the console be sold without the dock and a version that is the dock without the tablet. They might be branded differently, but they will not leave that money on the table if this thing is a success.

They need one good package. One package will make manufacturing easier and the purchasing simpler.

@aaronsullivan "as the switch needs to stand up straight for the IR lights behind the screen bezel to peak up above and be visible so they can be used by the joy-cons for pointing."

Is that a real thing, I thought somebody was just dropping acid when they said that a few days back. And when it's on it's own kickstand w/ the Joy-Cons in the guys hand on the plane it's tilted. If they titled the dock and made the wall a half inch lower the lights would still work. Anything works, people used the Wii w/ candles.

Where do you think a tablet on a kickstand is more likely to fall over, at home on a dresser, or on a cheap airplane folding table during turbulence?

That pic says it all about how stable the dock needs to be.

And I do think they need to sell the dock separately, that's almost a given, guys like LeBron may only need 1 tablet, but probably 8 toasters in their mansions and 1 in their travel bags.

An don't forget, Nintneod packed in the incredibly redundant 2 bases for the Gamepad w/ Wii U Deluxe. Why they fel t he need to make 2 of those I'll never know, so an "expensive" dock and a cheaper "charging cradle" are a given.

And please don't feed the troll, 20 other people is more than enough.

@-DEMISE- "Most households don't buy multiples of the same console,"

I don't have a number in front of me, but I'd bet a large number of 3DS households are multi console. Once 1 kid plays a Pokemon game during a long car ride, they all want to play a Pokemon game during a long car ride.

How many kids do you have and how many long car rides do you take them on annually?

@zool "if it is succeeding both the Wii u and the 3ds, then I think it will fail.There are at least five times as many 3ds's as there are Wii u's. Not every 3ds owner wants a Nintendo home console."

Well, let's see. The Wii U is already just about at the end of its life. Breath of the Wild will be its death knell, and then after that Nintendo clearly has no plans of supporting the system or keeping it going in any meaningful way.

The 3DS will be around six years old by the time Switch comes out, so it's obviously not going to be Nintendo's flagship handheld for much longer, and eventually SOMETHING will have to replace it. That replacement is and will be Switch. They'll keep 3DS going for a while, no doubt, and they'll probably even cut the price and start pushing it as the budget option/entry point to play Nintendo games. But Switch IS their next handheld, among other things. Just because it functions as a home console doesn't mean that handheld fans have to use it as such.

"And not every Wii u owner is bothered about playing games on the move. Home console games are designed to play on a large screen in HD. Not on a small tablet."

Well, I hate to break it to you, but a lot of people actually want to be able to play high-quality HD games on a portable. The lack of full portability in Wii U was one of the things people complained about the most with that system. Go back to 2012 and read the comments on stories about Wii U on sites like ign and kotaku. They're full of people lamenting the fact that the GamePad was permanently tethered to a console, and admonishing Nintendo to make such a system their priority going forward.

You know another thing people complain about regularly? Low-quality graphics and screens on 3DS. It's true that you don't need the best resolution possible when dealing with smaller screens, but people definitely appreciate/want sharp images and HD graphics on portable devices. That's why we have tablets and phones with high-resolution displays. So, put all these things together and you get a picture of the market Nintendo hopes to tap into.

But make no mistake about it, Nintendo are going all-in on Switch. This is do-or-die for them as a hardware company, so you can be sure that nothing will come before Switch, not even 3DS. And the fact that Nvidia are now major equity partners in Switch serves as even more evidence that Nintendo will be under a lot of pressure to focus on Switch more than anything else they may be concurrently selling.

@PlywoodStick If you were a betting man would you say it's based off of the 1050 or ti version?

Also, if the other two companies aren't likely to put in anything remotely close to a 1070 doesn't that mean that the Switch will be fairly close spec-wise to the Scorpio and PS4VR (at least close enough that there won't be big degrades for ports)?

Not sure that actually makes sense but then again I don't know how cost effective this is for Nintendo or how smart of a business decision this is for the others.

I think the Dock and Pro Controller should be sold separately. I mean, the PSP and PSP Go didn't come with AV cables despite the fact you could play them on T.V. The PS TV didn't even come with a controller unless you bought a deluxe bundle.

@rjejr I don't have any kids, but that's a personal topic that I don't want to discuss in this setting. But I come from a family of five kids that went on countless multi-day roadtrips, and all but one of my siblings have multiple kids, and most of my friends have kids, so I could cite all kinds of evidence to support what I've said. But none of that would be relevant, because my own experience would be nothing more than anecdotal evidence, as is yours, and there's no way for you to even know if I'm telling the truth, so it's generally worthless.

But what I CAN do is link this report on video game demographics: http://venturebeat.com/2015/04/14/155-million-americans-play-video-games-and-4-out-of-5-households-own-a-gaming-device/

You've probably seen this study before. From what I can tell, it doesn't specifically say how many devices each household has, but it does say that the typical U.S. household has "two gamers", but that includes people like Grandma who play mobile games a couple times a week. It also says that only 51% of American households have a "dedicated" gaming system, and that dedicated handhelds are the least popular gaming device at just 21% of all gaming hardware.

So I'm sure it's possible to dig around and find more definitive proof one way or the other, but I just have a hard time believing that your average gaming household will have to worry about who gets to dock their Switch to a tv.

@electrolite77: Correct!

@rjejr
Well said sir hear 👂! Also you alright bro? You can't expect everyone to agree with ya?

Selling a dock-less Switch at launch undermines the whole premise of the Switch as a portable console hybrid. I can see Nintendo chasing after the casual mobile gamers and 2DS owners by selling a cheap, more handheld friendly, dock-less Switch 2-3 years after launch, once the Switch (hopefully) becomes an established mainstream platform, but not during the launch.

@Darknyht Of course that's possible, but at this point there's virtually no evidence that Nintendo are even considering taking it in that direction so this is all just speculation.

It would be stupid to release a console called the Switch in a package where it doesn't "switch". The entire hook, or "gimmick" as naysayers like to use in their vocabulary, is that this thing is a portable and a home console at the same time. Its seamless versatility sets it apart from any piece of tech on the market. No reason to sell this thing as one or the other - it must be both at all times. Omitting one is almost as stupid an idea as the one shared by those that thought the Wii U should've been sold in an optional package without the Gamepad.

@NTELLIGENTMAN

Pro Controller should be sold separately. The dock and the grip should be mandatory.

No one bought the PSP for its TV attaching capabilities. No one bought the PS TV because they thought it was a portable. These are devices with a single primary feature that handled secondary features half baked. The Switch excels at handing both of its primary features seamlessly. Messing with that, ruins the integrity of the device.

Selling the Switch without the switch, is like selling the 3DS without the 3D... oh wait..

That dock is so chunky. There must be extra processing components inside of it while at home.

By selling the console at launch with the dock even if you don't want the dock Nintendo can charge people for something they might not want to pay for and have a higher initial return from the systems sales, then offer the portable console alone later down the line for the people who refused to pay extra for the dock.

It sucks for the consumer to not give them choices but it makes sense business wise for Nintendo.

Good. It's supposed to be a home console on the go.

I know I've said this before, but there's got to be more to this dock than just charging and streaming. At least I hope so.

@hYdeks Its clearly a portable console that can be played on the TV. Why would you think otherwise, because Nintendo marketed it differently? Unless Nintendo confirms the dock is more than a charger and hdmi point that's how it will stay.

I just want a HOME version without the screen and silly "Joy-Con" controllers. I don't even care if it's underpowered for a home console, as long as it has great first party games. There's no need for people who don't game on handhelds to buy a console with a screen and detachable controllers if it's never going to be taken out of it's dock.

@Wista5 haha, it's never going to be powerful enough for VR

@Ernest_The_Crab If the dock adds a bit of power, I would say the portable device should offer at least comparable performance to a GTX 1050 when moving around, and boost to a GTX 1050 Ti when docked. We'll have to see on that one, but somewhere around the GTX 1050 should be the bare minimum performance we can expect at launch. So it might not be a powerhouse by PC standards, but it will probably be one of the more powerful mobile/portable devices around at launch, and won't feel gimped next to a regular PS4/XB1 at home. And of course, developers will get better at utilizing it over time, just like with previous consoles.

And yeah, this means that the NX Sandwitch will be closer to XBScorpio/PS4Pro performance than
they are to GTX 1070 performance. This is a good thing for Nintendo (and fans)- it means 3rd parties have no excuses to ditch Nintendo in the next generation of consoles.

Everyone understands that the box comes at least with the 2 joy-cons, the grip, the screen and the dock!!

@Alshain01 well you are going to be missing out then....

@BeardedSquash you do know you can play it without the tablet right... That's what the pro controller is for..... You could leave the tablet in its dock and never have to take it out.... It's just another option.. Was the ad not clear to you?

@-DEMISE- I totally agree with you that it would be smarter for them to include it with the dock and I hope they do. The only reason I thought this was because I pre-ordered one from EB yesterday and they asked for a deposit for the console and another deposit for the "controller". I didn't stop to ask what the controller was but I should have.

@rjejr [thanks!] That's what I was scared of! - Nintendo only allowing one account per system in an attempt to sell more units... it could kill the system.

@-DEMISE- we all have thoughts on the Switch and how we see it, but we don't know. Your thoughts are as valid as mine, but I am looking at things from a practical standpoint where as you and many here see things from a sentimental standpoint.

Unless the Switch tablet can be bought separately and allows 3d gaming then it's not in competition with the 3ds. Do you honestly think that a family who have a 3ds each and a PlayStation for dad will have to purchase a Switch each just to play portable games? No way.

I will buy a Switch if the launch games are good enough. I will be disappointed if the graphics don't at least match the PS and I am not really bothered about playing games designed for the big HD screen on on a small tablet. Xbox and PS gamers manage ok without a tablet.

I do like 3d games and would not want to loose them.

Nintendo has to get things right this time and getting rid of the 3ds would be the end of Nintendo consoles. Unless they replaced it with a standalone system.

Another question that needs an answer is, will the Switch allow ALL games, including third party games to transfer to the tablet? The Wii u's big selling point was that you could play games on the gamepad but very few could. Nintendo had to withdraw it's advertising because of this.

If we got graphics as good as the PS, the tablet has a touch screen and allows 3d graphics and 3ds cards can be played on the Switch, we will have a very good console.

If we get a console with graphics that make third party games look less good than the Xbox or PS and all the tablet does is allow play on the mov, then it will sell as well as the Wii U and then it's good bye Nintendo.

@BeardedSquash
Why so afraid with portable ? You are still a gamer even you play it portable. There is nothing wrong with portability. There is nothing wrong also with smaller screen. And become a Couch Potato gamer (Sit down on couch, play for many hours, start to lose awareness, consume unhealthy food or drinks, sleepless, no exercises) is not a good idea. If I become you, I will treat Switch both console and portable equally, so sometimes I can play on the go, show to other people so they will realize the existence of Nintendo Switch.

@-DEMISE- It is intelligent speculation based on what Nintendo has done in the past and past statements they have made. We know part of the intent of Nintendo NX was to combine the portable and home console so that they are not developing on two different platforms and can speed up development times. We also know that Nintendo has a history of offering cheaper, less complex hardware products after initial sales soften.

Taking both of those into consideration it is perfectly safe to assume that when New 3DS sales drop, they will release a handheld only version of the switch called something like "Switch GO" and when the Switch sales start stagnating they will release a stripped down home console version like "Switch Mini".

As for the study you cited, there is some flaws in your quotes. The study asked what system they played on the most, not what systems do they own. So 51% own a system and 21% of that primarily play on a portable device. That doesn't mean that only 21% of the market owns only a portable device. In fact the report from just the year prior showed that 59% of Americans played video games and 51% of households own an average of two consoles. (http://www.dualshockers.com/2014/04/28/59-of-americans-play-video-games-51-of-households-own-two-consoles-on-average-report-finds/).

Its not a Switch without the switch, so no switching means no Switch.

Surely the dock will also be the charging cradle for the Switch duh!

Be interesting to find out what the battery life of the Switch will be like, can't imagine that it'll be more than a couple of hours at best.

Okay, so now people are assuming that the dock has no power at all while it has only been reported that it doesnt come seperately. Get real people, we dont know anything concrete yet when it comes to functions of the switch

@samuelvictor: Haha, yep!

@3MonthBeef I think l the click in animation was a good way to demonstrate its hybrid functionality as you are switching from them being attached to the unit to the controller dock. I might be wrong but I really thing people are getting ahead of themselves hoping for a second box of any sort. Switch is it. We are about to enter a new way to play.

@Moon "it could kill the system."

Yeah, lets hope they aren't crazy enough to sell a 1 person "home" console. It's already bad enough they might be selling a tablet w/o a touchscreen.

It's a simple yes or no question, just answer it, "yes" or "no".

http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/10/20/nintendo-confirms-amiibo-support-for-nintendo-switch-clarifies-additional-features

@rjejr this also has me slightly worried. Their reluctance to answer could be taken as a bad sign.

@PinkSpider I don't think I will.

This is pretty obvious. The dock has no additional computing hardware in it; it's just a HDMI passthrough and charger. Any additional power the Switch has while docked will be the result of higher clock speeds and active cooling, which would only engage while the system is docked to preserve battery life. The dock probably costs pennies to make; no reason not to bundle it and run the risk of confusing consumers.

It should be all-together to keep the message straight. Would removing the dock really reduce the price that much? I was thinking no.

@Captain_Gonru "I almost never put the Gamepad on the charging cradle, but that's where I keep the power cord when it isn't plugged into the Gamepad, which sits on the non-charging cradle. Weird, right?"

That's exactly what we do!! Keep the Gamepad in the non-charging cradle, keep the plug in the charging cradle, when the red light comes on, plug the cord into the Gamepad, when the light goes off, plug the cord back into the charger we don't use.

We really won't need 2 TV out docks for another 4 years until my son goes to college, unless it's a nearby school, we have several god ones, but we will need more than 1 charging cord to plug in.

But I can't see any circumstances myself or my kids get a Switch at launch. Holiday 2017 would be pushing it, need more info. Lots and lots more info.

@Captain_Gonru "Unless they pull some eShop only chicanery,"

As much as I bash Nintendo at every turn, I'm giving them Zelda on disc on Wii U. I think I showed you my pic of the Target pre-order card, and Amazon has it listed. That's more than I can say for Darksiders Warmastered on Wii U at Gamestop, it isn't there.

Now honestly, after making us wait 2 years, they should probably give Wii U owners some incentive as a digital download, but they probably won't, they want and need Switch sales. Though MyNintneod gold coins are download only, so I suppose that incentive is always there. Double

After about 8 months of Iwata and Nintod saying "No Wii U price cut this year." I finally bought my Wii U for $350, and only 1 or 2 weeks later at most they announced the Deluxe for the Basic price. I won't soon forget that. And the 3DS also launched in March, discounted 30% by August. I won't forget that either. Sure, we missed out on Ambassador games, but we bought three 3DS after the price drop, that's a lot of money. Switch in March is never gonna happen. Why even bother fighting for 2 million units. If we really want it that badly for some reason - Pikmin 4, Luig's Mansion 3 and SMG3 - I'll get it for my birthday in July. No earlier. I don't even need to think about it. My kids know this too.

@Captain_Gonru True story. I was looking at that pic 2 or 3 days ago thinking - "When did Gonru get rid of his turtle?" I thought maybe it had been awhile, but it never even dawned on me it was that Target card. I can see it now though, apologies for making you explain everything to me 7x's, I could be getting senile, no short term memory retention at all.

Oh, I certainly wouldn't 'be shocked if it got canceled, but I do right now think it's coming. I didn't buy the card though, 20% off w/ Amazon Prime is my new mantra.

What are you doing for The CW w/o Hulu? You using the app and some mirrorcasting Windows Surface to phone thing? I tired to get my Amaozn Fire tablet to "second screen to my PS3 but my cheap $50 version doesn't do that. I may buy the new Alexa TV stick just so I have someone too talk to in my old age.

@Captain_Gonru I think they'd call that a first world problem, you have too many CW options.

@rjejr So what if it is a $50.00 attachment you won't use. Sell it on eBay and someone else will happily pay you so they can use it on their other TVs (it's like having a home console in each room for $50). It's not that complicated.

@Nintendo_Thumb

Which of the following is less complicated -

Nintendo sells me 2 docks I don't want or need, I then resell them on eBay

or

Nintendo offers a choice of a more expensive Switch bundle w/ a dock and cheaper Switch bundle w/o a dock

@Captain_Gonru "some may point to Splatoon's inclusion in the video as proof of some form of motion control"

Having watched Alex's amusing video I asked that but nobody has replied so far.

I think some day people will come to realize Pikmin 3DS IS Pikmin 4.

I'm kind of sick of all of this Switch stuff to be honest. We went 2 years covering all of the rumour BS, and after the reveal now we're back to - is it a touchscreen, what's the battery life, what games are coming, what's the storage. And we have to wait 2 1/2 months to find out? I'm just done. That 3:37 trailer high lasted a week, Nintendo shouldn't ever have expected it to last 3 months.

Every year in early Dec Sony has been doing it's own show, PSX - PlayStation Experience. No reason Nintod needs to wait until Jan 12. Not w/ new hard and games to sell.

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2016/09/27/playstation-experience-2016-hits-anaheim-ca-this-december/

Ninnteod should have given Geoff Neighly or whatever his name is $1m and made TGA "sponsored by Switch".

@Captain_Gonru I'm too addicted to stop visiting, waiting for that morsel of good news Nintneod drops for us, and I do have my 2 Pokemon addicted kids to think of, but I don't feel the need to comment anymore. Seems like there are predominantly 2 types of people on here these days:
Confused people asking questions who just seem so naive.
Intelligent jerks ready to pounce on the weak.

I know I'm a negative person, it's easy when Nintneod makes so many bad decisions, but I like to be helpful and share what I know, but when it comes to Switch I really don't know much, and the jerks are just too numerous.

@rjejr "

Which of the following is less complicated -
Nintendo sells me 2 docks I don't want or need, I then resell them on eBay
or
Nintendo offers a choice of a more expensive Switch bundle w/ a dock and cheaper Switch bundle w/o a dock"

Selling them on ebay is much less complicated. Nintendo is a business and they can't cater to every single situation. Most people have 2 or more TVs in their house, and having multiple SKUs confuses the public. That's not a good message to tell people that it's nothing more than a tablet. Maybe in a few years you'll find bargain SKUs, but on release it's important that the message stay the same: it's a home and portable console. That's the whole selling point.

@Nintendo_Thumb There are 3 X1S models, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, and the only way to tell is too look at the small print on the front of the box ad the price.

And Ninteod makes 3 different models of handheld that play the same games, only 1 doesn't play them in 3D. These all look different.

And the 2 New models make 5.

I think people could figure out the difference between a Switch bundle w/ a dock for $300 and a Switch bundle w/o a dock for $250. Nintendo would probably even sell more of them that way. Simple.

@Captain_Gonru How you doing in PMCS? I got stuck at one point, my kid had to help me. Fortunately he was in the room b/c... spoilers

@-DEMISE- "but I just have a hard time believing that your average gaming household will have to worry about who gets to dock their Switch to a tv."

But it isn't about your average gamer or gamer household. If there is only 1 35 year old guy in a house, 1 console is fine. If there is only 1 kid in the house, 1 is probably fine also b/c you shouldn't Switch and drive. If it's a household w/ young girls they'd probably be less likely to game as well, though I do believe there are enough games on 3DS directed towards girls that it isn't entirely a male market.

But there are, I believe, enough households w/ 2 or more gamers where 1 console is not going to be enough. And Nintendo could simply rectify that problem by offering a tablet w/o a dock.

Sony sold PS TV w/ and w/o a controller at launch. Same idea.

@arrmixer "Well said sir hear 👂! Also you alright bro? You can't expect everyone to agree with ya?"

I don't care if people agree w/ me or not, it's just that there seem to be so many people in here of late who's only purpose in life is to attack other people. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion, but the attitude in here is just too much lately.

That's not so much in here I don't think, more the article on the trailer screen not being real, it was horrible. But overall. it's just gotten bad.

@BiasedSonyFan "What does Nintendo think?"

Never anything that any rationale person would, that's for sure. Just one crazy decision after another w/ that company. Not to say they don't often get where they are going, just winging it can get you places in life, like Kato Kaelin. That guy has probably never thought anything in his life yet somehow he manages.

Ignorance is bliss may be the Nintendo corporate motto.

@rjejr
Yeah you're right I noticed it a little but obviously it has gotten a little out of hand lately... tons of passion in the comment section! 😂

@manu0 @Alshain01 "there could be antennas in the front plate"

I first laughed when I read that b/c I doubt Ntneod is going to make this into a TV, and I'm old and think TV when I see antenna, which at least I'm not so old to think transistor radio.
But upon further review, it wouldn't hurt to have Wi-Fi antenna in there. The tablet will need WiFi to serve any purpose at all as a tablet, but how well will those WiFi antenna work inside that toaster? I'd prefer an Ethernet port myself, but barring that, stick some WiFi antenna in there that can transfer info into the tablet. Those 30GB eShop downloads will take long enough as it is.

@Captain_Gonru "what happens when any one of those members of the house want to take the Switch with them somewhere. The family is left with an empty toaster beside the tv."

You make toast. Oh, and some troll names just speak for themselves. wink wink, nudge nudge, say no more, say no more

@Captain_Gonru Red wasn't on Ruddy Road, Crystal Lake, the bane of my existence. 1-0 top of the 9th, PM may have to wait until the Series is over.

@Captain_Gonru "And wasn't Crystal Lake also the name of the camp in the Friday the 13th movies?"

Yeah, I'm pretty sure. I'm actually more sure of it's name in the movies than in PM, my long term memory is still fine, it's the short term part that doesn't work.

@Captain_Gonru Asked my son, Cherry Lake in the game, b/c of all the Cherry trees in Japan, or something.

BTW-= buy 2 get 1 free in Target this week on all videogames, in case you want need more copies of Animal Crossing or something. I think we're good, waiting on Santa to bring the rest.

@Captain_Gonru " the Target holiday guide"

Yeah I saw that ad too, my take to my son - "Look, all of Nintendo's stuff get's only 1 page, Skylanderes and Lego Dimensions take up an entire page on their own."

I view it as less "Crisis adverted" more Ntineod saying - "Wii U? "What's a Wii U? We have no idea what you are talking about."

And yes, I saw your

You pertaking in Targets B2G1 sale? I'm looking into things but nothing yet, still trying to decide what to do about my PS4 purchase and waiting until BF. Do you use Cheap @$$ Gamer? I don't like their new layout, but I don't think they miss any sales.

https://www.cheapassgamer.com/

@Captain_Gonru "And at least 2/3DS is still getting ad space. I remember once saying that it was my favorite Nintendo system. That's still true."

I see a lot of people on here feel that way, and I think if I were a handheld gamer it would be close for me, but w/ Starfox Adventures, Luigi's Mansion, SM Sunshine and Pikmin on Gamecube I'm going to have to go w/ that one. Such originality. And timing probably has a lot to do w/ it as well, getting a Gamecube for $99 and all those games for $20 each. I was late to Nintendo but it was just the right time for me.

@Captain_Gonru Thanks I'll look into it, once I recover from DST. I know we gained an extra our, but I still feel off. Lego City Undercover is really fun though, you ever play that one? I'm sure you already told me yeah or nay but I forgot.