Feature: The Big Nintendo Switch Presentation Summary

Nintendo nearly killed their entire presentation with 1,2,Switch.

Otherwise, some good games were announced, most of them after the presentation though.

Overall the presentation was "good". Zelda looks phenomenal. Mario looks amazing too. Other than that? Xenoblade 2? Definitely but that's some way away. I don't know if third party support is great. Going by last night they all got dev kits really late.

I'm going to buy Zelda on Wii U I think and hold off on buying the Switch. The price is going to be its downfall. It's too much compared to the competition. For every positive there's at least 1 negative.

@Hikingguy I prefer to buy my own storage. It's not like they're forcing us to buy expensive proprietary storage. That was a deal breaker for me with Vita.

Bye, bye Vita island.

Next stop, New Kong City

They didn't announce as many titles as I was hoping, but man... those trailers for Splatoon 2, Super Mario Odyssey, and Breath of the Wild were INSANE.

No More Heroes 3 or not it is nice to have the The Crownless King Travis Touchdown back! That made this presentation for me!

Never thought i see the day when a company releases an early access console.

I think more titles (particularly ports of more recent games) will be announced closer to launch. For example, it makes no business sense to announce a third version of Pokémon Sun/Moon while there is still momentum for the 3DS releases.

Very disappointed with what the switch is, now that we know everything. This is not the savior Nintendo needed and I really hope it's not the end of their dedicated Hardware business because of it.

I thought nothing could stop me from pre ordering the Switch, but this presentation did a very good job. I think i'll wait till 2018.

...no Metroid, no mention of other dormant franchises
...thin launch-lineup
...no Mario on launch or within the first months
...1,2 Switch: a minigame collection only good to show of all the gimmicks no one asked for
...nothing about the virtual console
...a paid online service that only gives you one nes or snes game per month... that is beyond pathetic
...Fifa, Skyrim... Nothing I haven't played to death on pc or other consoles.

Breath of wild looked absolutely fantastic, but I can get this on Wii U.

Wow. I'm shocked. And i'm shocked not many more people are shocked

I don't get all the negative feedback about the livestream. 1-2 Switch and Arms had too much focus, and the one translator was borderline unintelligible, but other than that it was fine. Launch lineup is so-so, but oh well. Still looks like some great games so far, and we'll have more revealed to us at E3.

I still would have liked at least some mention of the Virtual Console. I'm surprised they didn't say anything about it at all.

I though the presentation was good. Zelda looked absolutely amazing and is without question the killer app for the Switch. Arms looks like a fun game that definitely has my attention, and the news of Skyrim and other big name third party titles is a big step forward. Mario Odyssey looks fantastic and the open world setting fits the franchise perfectly. Splatoon 2 and Mario Kart 8: Deluxe Edition looks great as well.

But I'm not convinced that the Switch will be a worthwhile investment at launch. The starting lineup of games is weak to say the least and it's obvious Zelda is carrying the weight of the launch. The accessories are obscenely overpriced and we still haven't received any work on VC support.

I'm confident the Switch will do well in it'a first year, but I fear it will struggle to find it'a ground until the holiday season. The lack of games at launch and the hefty price of the accessories will put a lot of people off. I do think this thing will take off by Christmas, though.

@NoxAeturnus and speaking of Vita, even its multiplatform titles displayed the difference between the storage media (World of Final Fantasy filesize is roughly the QUARTER of the PS4 version's). Does Switch really need extra 256 Gb from the start? Even I'm questioning this, and I'm firmly in the digital purchase club myself.

@NoxAeturnus you say this now but have you seen the prices of the SD cards that you'll need to get in order to support Home console games on this thing? For instance, my Xbox one has a 1 terabyte hard drive that is 80% full after a single years worth of use. While Nintendo themselves are masters of compressed data, no third-party is going to have small game file sizes.

There isn't really anything to draw in current Wii U owners at release. Splatoon 2 and MK8 look barely any different to the Wii U versions and yet they expect us to pay for a new console plus the games plus pay for the online, surely that will cost £350+. I'm not paying that sort of money to effectively play the same games I can still play online for free. Same applies to other remasters.

And 3rd party support at launch seems worse than Wii U. Ubisoft's announced games are all games already available on other systems. EA pledged more than 1 game on Wii U at launch. Does Activision have more than Skylanders planned? Where are the major 3rd party franchises that are available on PS4/Xbone?

And have you seen the price of extra peripherals? Wow.

If you're in the market for a switch it's a safe bet to assume you're probably also considering other console options as well. This is where the switch will fail; the value Factor just simply isn't there now with Xbox One and PS4 having already cemented themselves three years in.

Personally I'm looking forward to Resident Evil 7 on Xbox One and then I'll pick up Zelda for my Wii U in March.

@HefHughner People are shocked. When the dust settles and people realise all the negatives you'll hear more. The price reveal has gone down like a lead balloon.

I actually never have commented on this site before but I signed up just to throw my two cents out there. First a little on my gaming history grew up on Nintendo but as I got older grew out of gaming for a very long time but have owned all their Home consoles except Wii. each generation my game library and time dwindled. Fast forward I was at game stop in march of 2013 and saw a Wii U. Never heard of it before nor aware of its commercial failure. I'm one that doesn't buy into hype and have a specific and unique taste. For whatever reason I fell in love with the wii u system and now almost four years later I have a great library of games that I can enjoy with my daughter and some games to me are the best in the series. I understand lack of third party support is not here but being a parent that doesn't want anything offensive or nudity or strong language this system and games suits me well. Ever since the announcement of NX. I was slightly intrigued but not hyped. The more leaks and rumors made me less and less interested. Then the first reveal about a month ago or so. I watched with my wife and we thought the ad of a bunch of people playing on the go and the corny music we both being nintendo only people were appauled at how all the fanboys were jumping up and down and yet it looked terrible to us. slightly improved graphics over the Wii u but nothing to get excited about and to be quite honest being a hybrid was the only positive thing. Those joy con controllers look horrible and too small for anyone with big hands and just flat out awkward. No mention of hardware specs and a full out detail on it was as if there hiding the fact its basically a slightly tweaked Wii - u. Now on to this presentation I could hardly watch it and ended up fast forwarding most of it. Breath of the Wild in my honest opinion had some terrible voice acting and was bland and dry. The original trailers for the Wii - u had more personality and charm to it. Mario odyssey looked odd and out of place and the backgrounds did not do the game justice. I could careless about Warrior dynasty crossover. Paid online sucks for those who game online but I don't but its still wrong when you have the weakest online service anyway. Slightly graphical improvements for MK8 and splatoon 2. Who cares. Yeah i get to buy the same game again that is slightly running better than its Wii u version. I understand that this is just the first wave of games but they all seem to lack something to me. Like Nintendo is trying to hard to branch out and they just seem different to me and I'm not one to buy into hype or force myself to like something when I do not. This Switch makes me appreciate my Wii U even more and I will gladly not make the switch. Everything about this system rubs me the wrong way. Also I hardly doubt anyone that moved over XBOX or PS4 or PC gamers are going to be interested. In fact I bet of their 13 million Wii u user base they may only keep about half of that and I'm one of those they just lost at least for this generation maybe on board for their next console if its something to actually get excited about. For the life of me I can't see what anyone is hyped about when it comes to the switch.

I really wish Zelda was NOT a launch title. Been waiting for that game for 2 1/2 years since E3 2014 on Wii U and now it's out in only 7 weeks, FORTY-NINE DAYS, and nobody is takling about it. I wish they had done a Zelda Direct a month ago so we could focus on the differences between the U and Switch versions. And will the static map still be on the Gamepad and can I touch it to select items and "Switch" (get it) weapons? It's a little over a month away, I want to know more about Zelda, that trailer last night was fantastic, but it's all 1-2 Switch and ARMS now. ugh

@gatorboi352 doesn't XBox have some cloud storage (or at least flash drive backup option) for save files like PS4 does? That's where it's all ultimately headed anyway since between all the patches and the wallcarpet resolutions, both consoles boast the potential to fill up ANY hard drive regardless. If Switch faces a similar situation, the same cloud storage will be a logical outcome to expect as well, and seeing as Nintendo already seems to be adopting a PS Plus equivalent...

I just have one question - is the included AC adapter meant to work for the Switch like the 3DS charger works for the 3DS or is the included adapter for the dock only?

to quote @teamshortcut "Well, you know, they kind of unlocked the door and left it a little ajar." and to add to that quote let people late comers scattered everywhere without rounding out and doing a head count. That what the whole experience is yesterday and today is. What do I mean? Presentation was good but put much focus(arms and 12 switch) and not enough focus on areas (a la online sevices) which needed explaining. And after the presentation there was more info released that was scattered everywhere which is incomplete and stuff that was known about. Something to stew over before launch but still on my radar.

Pretty good but Not their best first impression.

RIP Nintendo.

The Switch seems to have a worse launch line-up than the Wii U. £350 to get the console, one game and online play is unreasonable, and when the only essential launch game is also on the Wii U it's not difficult to decide to wait later in the year when the likes of Splatoon 2 are out and Mario Odyssey is on the horizon, and also hopefully when the price is more reasonable.

U guys are all nuts. As an RPG / Adventure lover this direct had it all for me.Zelda, Dragon Quest x 2, Xenoblade, Fire Emblem, Shin Megami Tensei, Octopath Odyssey... Literally the presentation could not have been better for me!

See u know it had it all when i forget the best looking Mario ever! And enough with this "looks out of place". I have mooooore than enough faith Nintendo wont release it until it looks great and makes sense

@HefHughner I'm right there with you. Everyone is getting hyped but half of the games announced have no release date and sure as heck are not coming this year. $300 system with the same mistakes that they made with the Wii U does not sound appealing to me. I'll get Breath of the Wild for Wii U (even though I know it runs worse :/) simply because I don't want to suffer through a launch drought again.

So first the bad, where are all the launch games? Nintendo supposedly has learned from their mistakes to not launch a console with a paper thin lineup. We all know Zelda is going to rock but what else is there? That price is high, $400 Canadian without a game is off-putting. Nintendo has to be making mint off of each console. Where the heck is Metroid, Fzero, Punchout, Excitebike/truck and the other dorment franchises that we as fans clamour for.

So now the good, hardware looks quite nice, cool tech, future games look great, Mario, Xeno 2, Skyrim.

I feel quite mixed about this, unless Nintendo is hiding a ton of unannounced, early release games I feel they will not do as well as they could have. I will pick up a Switch but not until at least holidy 2017.

Went and pre ordered my neon blue and red Switch this morning at GameStop along with Breath of the Wild. Now that Bomberman is confirmed for launch I'm gonna pre order that too. So pumped!!

One good thing that came out of the presentation and treehouse today is that it totally and finally killed that nonsense about it being a "graphical powerhouse" to compete with the XboxOne never mind the PS4.

If that is Tegra X2 and Pascal like "the intelligent experts" claimed will be in the Switch then Nintendo got robbed.

All those games shown looked exactly like WiiU games.

Where's the loyalty? Nintendo has brought so much joy to my life, starting with the NES I got for Christmas so long ago. I'll probably wait and buy the switch as a Christmas gift for my son, and we'll make more awesome memories. If it's not for you it's not for you, Nintendo doesn't owe us anything. We owe Nintendo.

i personally thought the show was horrible. Zelda looks breathtaking of course but outside pf that nothing really excited me besides Odyssey. Rewatched it with my kids when they were extremely excited by what they saw. Dropped them off at school and went to Gamestop and preordered one. Didnt care for the presentation at all but happy to be coming back to nintendo after a couple decades.

@LetsGoRetro Yeah but who knows when all those games will be out. Probably next year after translations.

Some saying nothing to get hyped about!! Don't talk rubbish, amazing console, great games, great times and Nintendo are back!!!!

Every sentence of the presentation has to be a separate article on Nintendo Life. Gotta get those clicks

@SLIGEACH_EIRE I disagree all preorders are gone in my area

@firstnesfan region free so why not order one and America and only paid 299 how many people kill me with all of your complaining region free means I can buy a game from anywhere I can buy a console from anywhere and be able to use it anywhere

@capitalism I picked that one to plus Zelda,I'll start with that for now.bomberman hmmmm might have to get

What I saw from Nintendo games we already knew were coming was great. But it definitely left me wanting for something big. Something surprising. Xenoblade and ARM didn't do it for me.

And I feel that Nintendo had nothing to really reassure its audience about third parties. I really wanted to see more from Square.

Mario bundle end of 2017. I'll wait.

Super hyped, the presentation was about what I expected, and the treehouse event so far has been great (thank the maker for picture-in-picture videos while working).

And the negative people here just make me smile. Hope you find happiness in something eventually

@TwilightOniAngel xbox one.

The presentation was abysmal. Awkward at times, incomprehensible at others. How do you have an entire presentation and NOT show off MK8+?!? However, today's treehouse has been fantastic . . . and they have not even delved into Near-Field linking and mobility. So the Switch certainly has potential . . . and all us fanboys will be all in by Holidays 2017 I'm sure.

@UK-Nintendo 100% this

@Slim1999

So hyped for Bomberman!

To everybody else: I can also now say TOLD YA SO about the $300 price tag. And we'll know here real soon what this baby is packing inside.

Steep from Ubisoft was confirmed for Switch! Really wanted that game to come over too!

@Slim1999 That's because it's hugely undersupplied. Like Wii, NES Classic Mini, Pokemon GO Plus, amiibo, etc. 2,000,000 worldwide is nothing.

I'm all in. Presentation had some big issues. Despite 1, 2, Switch trailer starting so slow, I think that game is going to turn a lot of heads. It's a trojan horse of sorts and we've seen very little. The HD rumble and the IR sensor was just the type of new gaming feature I was hoping Switch would have and the new attempt at motion controls is very welcome to me, especially since it's not tied to the basic mii graphics when it was first introduced.

Totally on board. Local multiplay is going to be big and Bomberman is a great way to remind people of some of the early triumphs that type of play had in gaming. Splatoon is a sequel which is a relief.

Feeling good about it.

All I need is Zelda on this thing, but I'm getting much more than I thought I would. I went in knowing I'd probably buy it but not excited and afterwards I was hyped and preordered. So... worked on me.

Couldn't care less about naysaying internet reactions right now. This thing is going to sell out and word of mouth through people sharing it with friends anywhere is going to build the appreciation it looks like it deserves. That's my educated guess anyway.

Internet reactionary naysayers would have had me skip Metroid Prime Federation Force, which I've recently played and loved because it is frankly really fun and well-made with the caveat of chibi presentation that effects things very little in reality (Because the gameplay is mostly inside the mech which looks and "feels" great).

Very excited to play with this hyper gadget in about a month and a half.

Paid online outweighs any positives from the presentation for me. They very effectively killed all my enthusiasm in the first 5 mins.

@Yorumi
"They spent an awful lot of time showing off motion controls and pretending this thing was the wii again which worries me to no end."

Ha, yeah, me too.

By the end of the year I'll have Zelda,Mario Odyssey ,Splatoon 2,Arms,Sonic Mania,Yooka Laylee,Streeetfighter 2,Bomberman,Puyo Puyo Tetris,FIFA 18 and possibly even Xenoblade 2,some quality RPG's and SNES games with online in them.That's not including the Wii U ports I may or may not buy,the unannounced games,whatever Retro is working on,the Ubisoft games,the various indies and whatever gets shown at E3.I'm really hoping to see Rocket League announced myself.To me,that's a pretty strong start and there is plenty that caters to my tastes.

Moment of silence for the poor soul who translated for the No More Heroes guy.
I was laughing so hard at that.
All in all, good showing, and I am decently surprised by the line up. Even though I actually kinda wanted to see that Rabbids Kingdom Battle game...

@A01 I have to agree, 1,2, Switch was brutal to bear, Arms too. After that the presentation started for real.

@Wexter NMH3, SMTV, Xeno and FE Warriors to me!

It's obviously disappointing the days of free online are coming to an end but I can't understand why it would be a deal breaker for some.If it cost's a fortune fair enough but it likely wont.If you're going to pay 300 for a console what's 30/40 more for a far improved service,discounts on E-shop games and SNES games with online multiplayer.There could be some other perks too we don't know about yet.

@Hikingguy As a Vita owner I have something to comment on this. Also, it makes me wonder if Nintendo will have content/games tied to a machine (as in the past) or an account system. The vita & vita TV don't have much memory. It's downfall was proprietary memory. Meaning it will only take Sony's expensive memory. The good of having your own memory is that you can have games on different cards and take them with you. Also, if you have more than one memory, you don't have to worry about it failing and losing all your games. Let's see what Nintendo does. Maybe we'll all just have to have an external usb memory.

@BiasedSonyFan I'm a Nintendo fan but also have a PlayStation 4.
If the PlayStation 4 has almost been out for 4 years and the Wii u has been out for 4 years how is Nintendo better value

Nothing said about VC? Hopefully we won't have to repay for games again.

The switch this year makes me really appreciate the Wii u maybe Christmas 2017 will change that with Mario and price drop

All anyone needs to know is that Snipperclips was best in show, and Alex was trained how to milk cows, and potentially other life forms.

Whatever haters and complainers. Sure there is only 4 launch. Everyone is getting Zelda at Launch. I'm getting Super Bomberman when it comes out. Then We have good games coming out through the year. My 3DS will be used still.

@BiasedSonyFan still can't see the better value or how the switch is historically innovative

@LetsGoRetro For us RPG fans, it was great, but most of them aren't going to be released for another 2-3 years...

@OorWullie From the perspective of a PC gamer, PC game online outlets give you discounts for free, just sign up with an account. You can't choose what the subscription discounts will be on NS. You can't pick any free NES or SNES game you want. The online multiplayer service will have voice chat, but that won't be ready at launch. Without that at least, it's not worth paying money for. (And again, PC gamers can just use free VoIP programs.) Whatever service there will be won't be as robust as PSN or XBLive. There's just not enough here to be worth paying for.

1st Time commentor, long time lurker here.

Just got back from a 4 hour stand in line at Nintendo NY. PUt the min $25 down to pre-order.

I had some cash socked away for a potential PS4/VP purchase but that can wait it out now. Zelda is the system seller for me. Skyrim for sure and that should keep me busy until Mario and whatever else comes along.

Anyway, I'm psyched. I'm a lol on the sofa kind of guy, so this set up is great for me.

@KIRO Welcome, there's a first time for everyone! I lurked for a number of years myself before posting my first time.

@electrolite77 Did you see 1, 2, Switch (Fail) in action on the Treehouse Livestream? You would have wished it were Wii Music or Sports/Resort or Nintendo Land, with or without an online mode, by comparison. Even Wii Play was better. 1, 2, Fail is an unbelievable embarrassment to the Nintendo name. They would be best served by killing it. Right now.

...But hey. At least we have video footage of Alex milking the air on NL's Facebook!

@Miss_Dark Did you listen in? They were... uh... uh... uh... doing that, and falling asleep in a soporific daze, barely translating at all. (Or reeling from drunkenness, who knows.)

@electrolite77 may I ask how old you are?
...

A brand new console being released at $300 /£279. Shocking...

@Hikingguy Did you see 1, 2, Switch (Fail) on the Treehouse livestream? Look it up really quick if you want to be not so pleasantly surprised, but be warned: It really is worse than Wii Music. No joke.

@electrolite77 I would recommend pretending it doesn't exist, but go onto NL's Facebook page to watch Alex get his milking skills on. (When you see the gameplay in action, you'll know what I mean.)

Wow, I got so many mixed feelings about this, I don't even know what to think of the device now.
Before, I was highly critical and sceptical about the Switch.
This afternoon I saw Splatoon 2, ARMS, the new Mario, Xenoblade 2, the built-in video-sharing (=streaming?) button and the fact that the Pro Controller has motion controls. So I was a bit excited, mostly about the software (and mostly about Splatoon 2, tbh). And about the fact that I get to play LoZ:BotW on March 3rd already (on my Wii U though).
But then this evening I read all the other news: the online gaming rip-off, the tiny storage, the ridiculous battery life (not that I would want to play it on the go anyway, but still). Now I'm even more sceptic and critical about the console than before.

To sum this up: Nintendo's game developers seem to deliver yet again.
But Nintendo's president and everyone who has a say in their strategy are obviously only focussed on money, not on quality or innovation. They don't care about gamers anymore, because their previous president, who was an avid gamer and developer, is no longer with us and their new president is an ex-banker with zero inspiration or vision.
Nintendo as we knew it is going down the toilet.

@Hikingguy Actually, I think Wii Music was a great idea, only the execution of that idea was truly terrible.

@PlywoodStick

Uhm I watched the stream and it wasn't bad at all. Just because you don't have a taste for something doesn't mean it's worse than Wii Music. I could definitely see me and my friends popping this game in at a party and having a blast. To each their own though.

@HefHughner I'm with you can't believe people are actually excited about it - I think after 30 years I'm through with Nintendo they will never learn

@Hikingguy you can get a 128 go for 30 pounds

@capitalism Most of the people watching the stream were horrified. But at least it was hilariously bad enough to laugh away! Would you really pay even $10 for a Windows 95 looking game like that? Even Wii Play blows 1, 2, Fail out of the water... Or blows it out of the milk, as it were.

@River3636 why would you pay 60 pounds for switch Zelda when it's 40 pounds on Wii u- no incentive for the faithful supporters who bought a Wii u to adopt this system at all

@PlywoodStick

Who's most of the people? Because I can bet money that 1, 2 Switch will make MOST of the people who check out Switch interested in the system, especially with HD Rumble

@Hikingguy but if you buy physical the games won't take up any memory at all- listen don't get me wrong I cancelled my pre order today but the memory is the least of the problems here

@capitalism Pretty much everyone else on the livestream. You saw the comments, right? A minigame where you pretend to milk a cow (or other biological being of your choice)? Or one where you look away from the TV/display, and pretend to try to hit an imaginary ping pong ball back and forth with a partner? Or how about the one where you literally chomp your mouth up and down in front of a JoyCon motion sensor?

It's a game that sounds "meh, okay" in theory, until you see the gameplay in action... Did you really see it?

(Though I have to admit, gunslinging and trying to catch a sword with one's bare hands would be pretty cool to see in action in real games, except I'm skeptical that anyone else will ever make use of the concept of facing away from the TV/display while aiming Joycons at each other.)

@TomKnows can you not get micro sd adapters like you can for psp

@BiasedSonyFan worried me too wasn't expecting that at all

I like the concept of the console, I was skeptical when it was first announced. The two things that are bothering me are: 1. forcing of motion controls and gimmicks 2. lack of launch titles. I mean, wtf? I'm buying a console so I can play games, first and foremost, you gotta give me some options.

@Hikingguy I actually never saw that presentation back then. ^^
But I totally get what you wrote. I played Wii Music (luckily only rented it) and thought 'what a great idea!', but after 5 minutes I was already bored.
I actually make my own music and I like music/rythm games (the only real music game that I know of is Rocksmith), that's why I was excited at first. But the 'game' was really garbage, I agree.

I'm not a bit excited about the free classic games though, I have no interest in playing them (again). But just as you mentioned, I got plenty games to play on my Wii U so I'm in no hurry either. Right now the only reason to buy the Switch would be to play Splatoon 2, so I will wait until that game is released and then let's see if their subscription is already in place or not...

@BiasedSonyFan the DS is their biggest selling and it's worrying because for all the good the Wii did it broke Nintendo. They stopped focusing on games and focused on gimmicks
It's been something most gamers have been very vocal about for years yet Nintendo showed that bloody game on the video- seriously who here wants that 1 2 3 switch game

Do that many people download full games and not buy physical copy? 32gb should be ok for most. The memory will be on each cartridge you buy. I do agree though that the competition is offering more powerful consoles and 30x the memory for less money.

@PlywoodStick

Yeah because Windows 95 had haptic feedback, HD Rumble, motion controls, and an interactive camera. Hey, maybe people who don't socialize or party with other people might see it as a negative, but that's not MOST people. LMAO at bringing up people being negative in a comments section on the internet. Maybe you don't like it, but thinking you're cool for ripping on something you don't find interesting that other people do is quite childish and dumb in my opinion. Personally if I didn't like something, I wouldn't be in the comments section writing multiple posts about how horrible the product is. Maybe it's just me but I have better things to do.

@KirbyTheVampire so what was good about it 🤔
Zelda main game- cheaper on Wii u rest of games from bomberman to meh to beyond meh
Next game is a port of Mario kart
Then splatoon 2 in summer
Then Mario at Christmas which won't happen as it will be delayed
Seriously what reason is there to buy this on launch
Is it the high price or the even higher prices of the accessories
Nintendo had a real chance here- October grabbed people and made them optimistic this has killed it for me

was wayyyyy worse than even i anticipated...couldn't help laughing thru the entire presentation...tho i did enjoy the rave quite a bit!!
ARMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hahahahahaha bloody hell man

@capitalism people who have supported and followed a company for as long as I have have every right to vent their negative comments
Have you been here for 30 years 🤔

Did anybody forget that the Switch uses cartridges as games now? It could be $50 a game than $60.

@darthstuey

Actually yes I have. Had the original NES and Gameboy and have been a Nintendo fan ever since. I bet people thought Duck Hunt was weird when they first seen it too. Man all these no names around here are coming out of the woodwork. I wonder what their favorite console is and where they're coming from?

@Hikingguy True dat!

Can i just say i'm really happy that Nintendo didn't just pull a Sony and released a ton of easy ports from their previous system? They actually let most Wii U games stay exclusive. Except for Mario Kart 8 (which might as well be MK9 anyway) it's all sequels or new stuff!

@thetcstephens really I'm pretty sure Nintendo owe Wii u owners a great deal

@nab1 I don't get the "DUDE POSITIVITY LMAO" people. Let people have their own opinions. Those who don't like the Switch will have fun on other systems, those who do will have fun on the Switch.

@PotatoTheGreat great avatar

Will Nintendo e-Shop cards work on nintendo Switch?

Because they're on sale at Best Buy today and if they'll work I want to stock up
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/promo/save-on-eshop-cards-20170113

@River3636 Bomberman is a launch game http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/super-bomberman-r-switch

@PotatoTheGreat It's not about "one has to be positive", but rather, "one doesn't have to be so negative". Every time there's a Nintendo news or announcement there's people bent on crying doom and complaining about the slightest thing, claiming all is garbage, to the point where one wonders why they bother visiting a Nintendo only site and don't just move on to whatever does meet their demands.

Overall, the presentation was a little disappointing. There are two big reasons:

1. Price. The system is $300. IMHO it should have been $250 (especially if it's packing the Tegra Maxwell X1 processor, which it probably is).
On top of that, online multiplayer is paid, and will be presumably $40-$60 per year (about equivalent to PS Plus or Xbox Live, but without all the additional free games benefits).
On top of that, an additional controller will set you back a whopping $70 (for the Pro controller) or $80 (for another set of two Joy-Cons).
All of this on top of buying $60 games. This isn't even including a microSD card that you'll need to buy if you're planning to go digital.

2. Games
Considering Nintendo hasn't announced anything major since 2015 for the Wii U, I expected there to be a good number of games planned throughout this year. But in terms of major first-party games, all we have are Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, Splatoon 2, Arms, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (yes, there's also 1,2 Switch but it doesn't look like an in-depth experience). Two of the aforementioned games are ports of Wii U games.
Are there other first-party games for 2017? Nintendo might have more planned to show during E3, but IMHO they should have shown all first-party games coming out in 2017 during this presentation, and save E3 for 2018 and beyond. Where's Smash Bros.? Where are the rumored remastered versions of Xenoblade X and Bayonetta 1&2? Where is the rumored Pikmin 4? If the rumored games are true, they should have been presented. AND the launch lineup is pitiful, essentially featuring just Breath of the Wild, a game that could be bought on the Wii U instead. Not much justification for all the costs for the console, online multiplayer, and additional controllers.

So it seems, unfortunately, that Nintendo may stumble on price and games a bit with Switch, which is disappointing considering the two years they sacrificed Wii U game development. To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if a 3DS-like scenario plays out, with the Switch receiving a price drop of at least $50 by holiday 2017 if sales aren't that much.

The system itself is excellent, and I'm sure the games that come out will be really good and much more than the Wii U ever had, but Nintendo didn't handle this presentation well at all (spending a lot of time on two games that are Wii-esque is not a good message to send to gamers).

@capitalism then I don't understand your point of view
I have owned every Nintendo console including the virtual boy (god I wished I'd never sold it) but now is the time I'm seriously thinking about enough is enough
Here's why
We have been asking for a unified account system since the Wii I mean buying games on the Wii and DS is silly- Sony don't do that come on
Do they listen- no you have to port all your Wii cv/eshop games to your Wii u
Okay I'll do that
So I have a Wii u and then the switch is announced- we'll bloody hell I haven't had this thing fo1r long but okay I'll go with you
I was so excited in October- I couldn't wait till march
The presentation has taken all that way from me
1: the price in the uk 280 is way too high and it will fail
No one is going to buy it- Wii u owners have no reason to§ buy it' at all and non-Nintendo well what is their incentive- nothing
2: the accessories the prices again are utterly ridiculous
3: no VC news- that's what everyone wanted- you know what we'll ignore that
4: unified account system- okay they've been asking for this since the Wii- it's not important at all- ignore it
5: the games- okay so wow them with the games- er....well we have Zelda but that's 20 quid cheaper on the Wii u- oh we have this killer one it looks just like a Wii party game- hang on a§rent those the types of games that our Wii customers left us to go play for free on phones- yeah that's right but we have motion controls it's retro - give me strength please that launch video was a disaster a
No having been a Nintendo customer for 30 years I will vent as much as I can
I cannot believe this is what they have given us- they have learnt nothing from the Wii u and this will fail horribly- I'm calling it now
😭

@HefHughner I could not have put it better myself. They really need to show more games and SOON. Only things I cared about were Odyssey, Splatoon, and BOTW. Everything else was too niche for me.

@leo13 It does not say March 3. Just March.

@BiasedSonyFan you can't call mk8d and s2 new games no matter how they spin it.

@darthstuey Because I simply moved on. It is a new system. I prefer portable. WiiU didn't quite measure up as much as I loved the games.
Call me a Fanboy or Diehard because it is true.😀

@River3636 it says under GAME DETAILS
March 3, 2017

@darthstuey

But they have revamped their online which is why we're gonna have to pay now but I agree with other people that they should have showed it off last night. I'm thinking we'll get more info before release though. All your other gripes are petty though and $300 is peferect for a brand new hybrid console release. Just because YOU wanted to pay $200 for a "second console" doesn't mean that $300 is too much for EVERYBODY. I put money on Switch being sold out of all preorders by tomorrow and being sold out for weeks after release. Would you put money down to back your claim? I think it's funny too that people are whining about accessories prices but these are the same people who give Sony a pass and will pay $400 for VR or their first child for Vita's proprietary memory. Give me a break. You can be done all you want but I'll be sitting on my couch with a big smile on my face with a brand new Switch and a brand new Zelda on launch day.

@leo13 The must have just changed it from earlier this morning. At any rate, I will be getting 2 games at launch. Thank you.

It is looking like a $500.00 price tag for me at launch. I expected it.

@darthstuey really what?
tell me how they owe you for the wii U.
please. list what you have. or are you just regurgitating what you read? please tell me "darthstuey" ...

@electrolite77 ha! gotcha. i will speak for myself then... i'm 41. i just appreciate all the innovation Nintendo has brought to the video game world, and hate reading all this negative talk about a company that has given me so much joy in my life. respect is deserved. that's all i meant.

Reading these comments. People are way too attached to this company.A company who doesn't care except for your money.

@darthstuey Nope. It's Sony's memory or nothing. The modding community has been working on this. But from what I hear it's unstable.

@capitalism Any comment on the visuals and what I mentioned about the game, or are you only going to comment on other peoples' personal lives in response to criticism, as an odd attempt to defend the product and shut down any dissent for whatever reason?

@Yorumi Agreed. I think some of it could be useful, but the more that is placed into the controller at once, the more it becomes an answer looking for a problem. That's why almost no one truly utilizes the cooler showcase ideas that Nintendo has (not even Nintendo themselves), despite the great potential for motion controls.

@AlternateButtons How about u don't accuse me of not doing my research. Been reading up on the Switch all day. I think I make a lot of valid points which many people will agree with. I love Nintendo and my Wii U but frankly so far Switch fails to impress.

I will say that Splatoon 2 may change more before release but looks very similar to original. As for MK8 it is virtually identical and all media outlets agree.

As a Nintendo fan since the N64 days and having got every Nintendo system at launch since DS it is sad to say I won't be getting a Switch at launch.

Whilst Breath of the Wild looks incredible and the trailer got me hugely excited for the game and I can't wait to explore the world the launch line up is not enough to sell me on the system in the first 6 months.

Breath of the wild can be played on my Wii U, a battle mode and a few more characters isn't enough to make me get Mario Kart 8 again and whilst I loved Splatoon it isn't enough to make me buy a Switch.

I was hoping for more to be announced as Wii U releases have been so limited since the end of 2015 really. I thought Nintendo were releasing games like amiibo festival because they were devoting all there resources to the Switch but at the moment the only new classic Nintendo games in the pipeline are Splatoon 2 & Mario.

I think Mario Oddessy might be the game that makes me buy the Switch but that does depend on what else is announced for 2018.

Also the cost is a factor £280 for the Switch, £60 for a game, £50 for a pro controller as not sure how comfy the joy con grip controller will be and then another £20 for a carry case and game cart case. Also you most likely want some headphones if you playing on a train or something and want to be immersed in your game.
That's at least £410 to set yourself up which is a huge ask.

I love Nintendo and I know they will release some great games but the fact so many fans of the company like me on a site like Nintendo Life are saying at the moment they are not getting one at least for a while isn't a good sign.

I put in a preorder for a console and the BotW Special Edition. Yeah, I know... But I'd personally rather have one locked in and decide I don't want it, than to wait and decide I do and not be able to get one.

@Rman12
"or the life of me I can't see what anyone is hyped about when it comes to the switch"

Good games, my man. Good games. New Mario, new Zelda, new Xenoblade, new Splatoon, new Fire Emblem crossover, new IP (Arms), new revamped Mario Kart (finally has a battle mode thank goodness), new Shin Megami Tensei, New No More Heroes sequel, new Tales game, lots of other new games and great ports incoming (Sonic Mania, Skyrim, Dragon Quest XI, Street Fighter II, Bomberman R, etc). And the ability to play all of it on the go.

And I will say, I think the controllers just look incredible. I'll have to try them but they look like the best controllers ever invented. Big fan of having a small controller in each hand rather than having to hold one big controller with two hands.

Not happy about paying for online, but I deal with it on other systems, I'll deal with it here too. Probably just won't sign up. I quit subbing on the other consoles, and Splatoon 2 and Mario Kart will be out before fall so, still free. Also not happy about the prices of accessories, but that's a minor aggravation. After paying $80 for 32gb Vita memcard, I can deal with paying an extra 10 bucks for a pro controller.

Now I'm worried, consider the possibility that the switch kind of fails...
Whats gonna happen to nintendo if they don't have a dedicated portable console that saves their lives?

@Yorumi
"Then we come to the switch an find out they havn't been working on games, they have another overpriced console and now they want to rip us off charging for online"

The paying for online sucks, no dought about it. And I'm not happy about it believe me. But as a console gamer, I've been subjected to this for years by the other consoles. Not that that justifies it because it doesn't. But it's hard to understand why this would push someone away but not push them away from any other console that's doing the exact same thing. Particularly after people have been complaining the last five years that they wanted better online and voice chat and a sub service. This is what that looks like. This is why I was never one of the ones complaining about their free online. But everyone made it such a big deal and now... well, here we are.

As for games, I don't think they're going to announce every single Switch game that's in development at this time. I also don't think they're going to do anything less than develop as many games as they possibly can. I mean, that's what they do- that's what their business depends upon. So it's logical to assume they have been making games- as many as humanly possible I'm sure. And we still got a few games on Wii U these last two years so it's not like they weren't spending any development resources at all- there were probably at least 10 studios that were devoted to Wii U games these last 2 years. Not to mention the studios that were tied down making 3DS games.

And we still got, what, 8 Nintendo properties announced for Switch this year? Which is only 9 months remaining once Switch releases. That's an average of a game a month from Nintendo... and I'm sure there are others in development that they're saving for E3 which is only three months after launch (Pokémon Stars, Pikmin 4, new announcements?). Surely they did not just announce every single game they have a development this year, leaving nothing for e3 right after launch.

I mean I understand not being happy about the online, and I could even understand saying OK, maybe there could be a couple more games (definitely more for launch, no argument there). But people take everything to the extremes as if the lineup is absolutely horrid as if there's not 8 new Nintendo games releasing in the 9 months following launch, as if there's not going to be more games announced, as if there's not scores of 3rd party games coming to the system to pad the lineup, as if their initial reveal is going to show us everything the system will ever offer and that's all we'll ever get.

I also think there are a lot of things to be excited for. Not just the new games, but the system itself. Speaking of which I don't think $300 is overpriced given what the system is. I think the accessories are overpriced though. Idk what Nintendo was smoking when they decided to price those accessories lol. But ultimately it's a small aggravation for my wallet. I was going to get a pro controller but, more and more I think about it those joy cons are going to be perfect to use as is. And not hooked up to that little charge grip either, I'm talking just raw Joycon. One in each hand. I was actually really impressed 20 did that HD rumble glass with icecubes thing. I don't know why that excited me so much, guess it just looked really cool. I just got a steam controller recently and I'm a huge fan of the haptic feedback on the pads- in my opiniom it's the greatest controller ever created to date ( although I think the Joycons will top it, i'll have to try them first but I'm liking what I see so far). Oh, region free also. I know a lot of people wanted to see that for the next Nintendo console. You think people would be thrilled they're getting what they wanted and Nintendo listened

Idk, there's definitely some aggravations and some disappointments, but all in all the system does look really slick with really cool technology, the controllers are just mind blowingly awesome, and they're bringing some heavy hitters to the year one line up. If only Wii U got a Zelda, a Mario, Xenoblade, Splatoon, new Hyrule/Fire Emblem Warriors, new IP (like Arms), and Mario Kart all in its first year. It might not be the disappointment it is today.

Wow, I think people were expecting way too much. I was barely expecting anything and I'm super excited about the Switch now after watching the presentation. Everything they showed was super cool. I called the price tag, so foreseeable (was anyone seriously expecting $200? It's a gaming tablet with a dock and controllers for Christ's sake). I wasn't expecting the paid online, but if I'm willing to pay Sony for online, I guess I'll pay Nintendo too, it depends on the price, but I don't foresee it being that big of a deal. Honestly, I thought people would be more excited, it's a lot of what the community has been asking for: Region free, (presumably) better online interface, new Mario akin to Mario 64, Splatoon 2, home console/portable hybrid.
And honestly, I though 1, 2 Switch looked like a fun party game. Arms looks pretty cool too IMO.

Everything I read about this screams "Stay Away". Paid online service? Really?

I can't wait to get my hands on this.

Unfortunately I won't be getting Switch right away. I don't see a strong enough game lineup at launch to justify a purchase. Some of the games seem silly at first (1,2 and Arms) and I can't help but think "Wii U 2". But we will see. I will sit back, watch reactions, read reviews, and wait for a better game library.

I'm really on board with all the stuff Switch is packing like the incredibly versatile Joy-Cons, HD rumble, and optional portability, etc.

But game-wise all that really got me legitimately interested was Mario Odyssey... its almost a misstep to not have it come out sooner, but I guess that's why all their attention has been focused Zelda being the big seller for the launch period.

While I never got MK8 either, I might just wait until Mario Odyssey comes out before "making the Switch."

@SLIGEACH_EIRE I'm... lets say 50/50 on disappointment/satisfied with the game lineup. Don't forget the new square enix game, that retro style lookin one. Reminds me of old paper mario, which also having nothing to do with paper mario, has me excited.

@AlternateButtons Maybe I'm wrong, I haven't played it but from the footage I've seen so far it looks very similar to the original which is as you expect from a sequel. But it doesn't seems to be that different for me to pay £300+ to play it online, new characters, maps, weapons etc. You may feel differently and thats fine.

So what's your opinion on MK8 Deluxe then, do you consider that to be different enough to buy a second time and pay to play online or would you stick with the Wii U version.

Maybe you have more access to Splatoon 2 than I have, instead of just saying I'm wrong perhaps you could explain why you think I'm wrong? And maybe you could just disagree and provide logical reasons why you disagree instead of just being aggressive/defensive and just saying I'm wrong. We are all entitled to our own opinions and I think I explained mine well.

@capitalism yep I'll have Zelda day one too for my Wii u
I have no intention of buying a Sony VR
I wanted this to succeed but it won't- I'm telling you now

@thetcstephens the fact that we stuck with them while millions left them
The fact that we've had to pay yet again for games we bought on previous systems
The fact that we still didn't get cross buy with 3ds
The fact that what was promised on Wii u didn't happen
The fact that we were left with hardly any games in 2016- but that's okay we are going to re release all the games you bought again for a new system so you can buy them again then were going to drop the system you all paid full price for (because a price drop won't help sales at all) like a brick
"there you go"

@Yorumi Requiring a paid service for online multiplayer would be moderately acceptable if it were on the level of PSN or XBLive. This seems to be what they want to promise, based on their website explaining it's upcoming features, but Nintendo simply doesn't have that kind of infrastructure ready (nor the experience to operate it properly), instead opting to farm the hard work out to DeNA. Well, what has DeNA done for them so far? ...Not much since they entered their capital alliance. I think we already know the service is going to be subpar compared to their competition, the question is more of how much so.

As for the price issue, the Japanese MSRP was announced to be about ¥29,500, which converts to US$256.44. So they should have given it a US$250 price tag, but instead, they're overpricing it unnecessarily. They're even further overpricing it in the UK, at £280+, which is an outrageous US$341.66. The NS is going to be overpriced at launch, just like the 3DS was. I wouldn't get it locally until it gets a price drop to match the Japanese MSRP- in other words, holiday 2017 at the earliest. I think a lot of people are going to take advantage of it being region free...

As for the validity of home consoles as a whole, I think they'll last through this coming 9th home console generation, and then after that, maybe a 10th generation, then that will be it. They'll be replaced by something else- Nintendo officially abandoning the strictly home console market is a definite portent of this. Portable consoles will pretty much only be made by Nintendo, and those will likely keep going for as long as Nintendo does. Meanwhile, the PC (and maybe VR or AR) gaming market will continue to grow, opposite to what was predicted back in the 90's. (Prominent people in the console market at the time thought that the PC gaming market would've declined and mostly disappeared by now.)

@Yorumi
Ya that's a good point. It would've been better had they bundled a game, even if it was just 1-2 Switch, which seems like a good pack in. I suppose the reason I never thought about that is because their packing games are usually crap that I don't want to play anyways, so I didn't really feel like it was any loss.

Although I do actually plan to buy 1-2 Switch I just don't think I'm going to get it right away at launch for full price.

So I guess now that I think about it you do kind of have a point with that. I wasn't even really thinking about the pack in games.

Definitely hear you with regards to the online though. I'm not thrilled to be paying for it- I stopped subbing from Sony and MS because I can't afford to pay an extra $300 per generation for online from Sony, another $300 for MS and now, another $300 for Nintendo.

Maybe if it's cheaper, but judging by the prices of accessories I don't think it will be. So yeah I totally understand not being happy about that. I guess I'm just so used to it I kind of saw this coming. Actually when people were complaining about wanting better online, I knew right then and there that was going to be their excuse to implement a better paid service. Which is why I never understood the complaints, and I always told people just shut up and enjoy their free online.

I do hope it backfires, and look that's not to even say that I am totally against them charging. After all it is the industry norm whether I like it or not. But if they are going to charge I think there needs to be value. If the value is there then I'm not going to complain, even if I don't like it. But as it stands having to use a smart phone for voice chat and only getting one game a month and having it only be a month, The value just isn't there yet. Maybe it will be in the future and maybe they'll charge a lower price (doubtful). But as of now I don't plan to sign up unless a Monster Hunter drops.

So yeah that is definitely something that pisses me off. Aside from that though I think the system is fantastic and I'm really excited

I really hope that those of you complaining about how the Switch presentation was "weak", "lame", "underwhelming", etc. are just a vocal minority.

A mere two days after the presentation and some people are asserting that Nintendo is dead.

If just a sprinkle of optimism is too much to ask, then pardon my asking, I suppose.

@darthstuey fair enough, have a great day!

@Miss_Dark
That's a totally separate argument I think. I have a gaming PC now and gosh, I think I bought 73 STEAM games over the first month during holiday sale? But that's one of the appealing aspects of PC gaming. But the fact remains only a small percentage of the wider gaining populous actually games on PC, and there are drawbacks. The DRM for one. Getting all the games to run properly ( I had issues with all the source games giving me a black screen, Took four straight days to figure that out, then Final Fantasy Type 0 only runs in window mode, NEVERWINTER Nights black screen, having to configure the STEAM controller for all the games requiring mouse/keyboard only... and a lot of the games on there are no cheaper than used or discounted retail games on consoles. I got all 3 Fable games for $30 off eBay, like new condition, while they were about $28 total on STEAM.

I'm not sure about the pricing over there in Europe but I know here in the US, all console games are $60 across the board, be it PS4, Xbox One, Wii U (and now Switch). And naturally games drop in price over time (I don't think there's a single Wii U game that you can't find for $35, and many are just $10-20 including a large range of Nintendos own top releases). I mean, there's a couple that hold their price book retail stores have sales just like STEAM does..

Was planning a day one purchase with Zelda. The lack of a pack-in game to keep the interest of my kids and the cost of extra joy-cons is making me a day one purchase of Zelda Wii U alone.

Switch should have launched with 3 different bundles - one with Super Mario Maker, one with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and one with Zelda. All 3 should have also included 1-2-Switch.

As it stands, 3 of the launch titles are available on Wii U. I'm going to day one Zelda BOTW Wii U, not Switch. I -love- my Wii U and can easily say it's my favorite console I've ever owned. I have a full library of games and nothing I'm seeing for Switch couldn't have been made for Wii U.

I'm a bit disappointed. It's all about the games, right Nintendo? You guys forgot to get the games ready for the launch. I think BOTW should have been cancelled on Wii U last year to add some incentive to purchasing Switch.

So, my 30 year reationship with Nintendo ends with Wii U Zelda:BotW and Nes Mini. Switch shows that Nintendo has learned nothing since Wii U release. With pro controller, memory card and game this would be way too expensive for what it offers. Online service is a joke with that smart phone app and monthly Nes/Snes game.

Well, now I can use the money I saved for Switch to PS4 Pro and finally play Shenmue 3 when it releases at the end of this year. And maybe even hd remakes of Shenmue 1&2.

Thank you, Nintendo, for these great 30 years (well, the last couple of years hasn't been so great). Now it's time for us to go separate ways. I may reconsider when Switch costs 150€ AND has new F-Zero.

Sony does what Nintendon't.

@Slim1999 How is that cheaper? I'd still have to pay $300 USD plus exchange rate and shipping, that would be more expensive. I'll just have to wait until the holiday season and save up is all.