Nintendo Previews New Portable Game Console
Nintendo has given us a first look at Switch, its new game console that will go for sale next March. Switch isn’t your typical game console, but instead doubles as a portable, tablet-like gaming device.
The company showed off Switch in a promotional video Wednesday, which shows a device that looks essentially like a tablet with two small game pads attached on each side via a sliding mechanism. Both controllers can be used simultaneously, or taken off to be used by two players at the same time.
The Switch also supports external game pads, which presumably connect to the device via Bluetooth. And while not on the go, consumers can attach it to their TV with a kind of docking station to make use of the biggest screen in their house.
One thing we don’t see in the entire video is anyone touching the screen, so we can’t actually tell for sure whether the Switch is using a touch screen. Nintento is also not previewing any media consumption at this part.
Nintendo is hoping that the Switch will help it to catch up with its competition, and open the market to consumers that prefer to play games on the go. The company had similar goals with its Wii U game console, which features a game pad with an integrated touch screen.
However, the Wii U failed to take off with consumers, and Nintendo has only sold 13 million units of the game console since its launch in 2012. That’s a far cry from the more than 100 million Wii’s Nintendo has sold since introducing that device in 2006.
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