Nintendo unveils exciting new gaming console Thursday morning
Nintendo's got a new video game console coming in March 2017: the Nintendo Switch.
As rumored, Nintendo's new console is a combination of portable and home console. In the video shown, people play games on the Switch using a home console. Here's what that looks like:
Nintendo
But there's not just this home base console — there's a handheld as well, and it looks an awful lot like a little touchscreen tablet:
Nintendo
On the sides of the screen, two controllers attach to make it into a sort of combination tablet/portable game console. Nintendo calls the controllers "Joy Con" — and they can be used in a bunch of different ways. Here's how Nintendo describes it:
"One player can use a Joy-Con controller in each hand; two players can each take one; or multiple Joy-Con can be employed by numerous people for a variety of gameplay options. They can easily click back into place or be slipped into a Joy-Con Grip accessory, mirroring a more traditional controller. Or, if preferred, the gamer can select an optional Nintendo Switch Pro Controller to use instead of the Joy-Con controllers. Furthermore, it is possible for numerous people to bring their Nintendo Switch systems together to enjoy local multiplayer face-to-face competition."
The Switch uses cartridges rather than game discs — that means much shorter loading times for games.
Nintendo
Here's a closer look at the system, care of Nintendo:
A variety of games were shown: an upcoming "Legend of Zelda" game, a new "Super Mario" game, and a few others. It appears that Switch will be able to play at least some of the previous console's games — Wii U game "Splatoon" was shown being played, so it's either getting a new version or Switch is capable of playing Wii U games (it's not clear just yet).
Here's how the console looks being changed from home console to handheld:RAW Embed
Notably, the clip on controller components of the portable version of Switch can also be used as standalone game controllers for multiplayer on-the-go.
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