There have been so many rumors, leaks and information regarding the Nintendo Switch, but when Jan. 12 finally comes around, fans will finally have official information regarding the release date, price games and everything else regarding the hybrid console.
Leading into the Jan. 12 presentation and the special Nintendo Treehouse Event on Jan. 13, we have compiled all of the official information released by Nintendo and the most recent and reputable rumors/reports that have come out.
Of course, follow iDigitalTimes on Jan. 12 and Jan. 13 for all the news on Nintendo Switch and we’ll be at the New York event on the 13th so keep coming back for more information on Nintendo’s latest console.
RELEASE DATE
When the Nintendo Switch was first announced, Nintendo announced that the hybrid console will have a release date window of March 2017.
Unfortunately, fans have to wait until the Jan. 12 presentation to get an exact release date for the Switch, but there have been some reports and rumors about the exact day. The most recent report comes from Laura Dale from her Reddit AMA at the end of December.
Dale says that March 17 is the date she has heard the most from her Nintendo sources.
Official: March 2017
Unofficial: March 17
PRICE
The price of the Nintendo Switch has seen a lot of rumors and supposed leaks. The most recent reports comes from a Nikkei analyst s t a t i n g the Switch should follow the Wii and Wii U and start at $250.
This would seem to match up with supposed listing leak from Toys R Us, which like many release dates shown on websites, are just a placeholder.
Dale’s Reddit AMA also put the Nintendo Switch “at or around” $300.
Official: N/A
Unofficial: $250-$300
GAMES
One of the biggest reasons the Nintendo Wii U failed was the lack of titles. From the first reveal trailer of the Switch, it seems that Nintendo has learned from the past and showed off some of the games that will be played on the Switch.
There’s also a bevy of third-party developers who are lined up to create or port games to the Switch.
While the only “official” game for the Nintendo Switch is The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild , which will also be released on the Wii U, there were a bunch of games shown in the Switch reveal trailer.
On the rumor front, whispers of a Super Smash Bros. port, a new Pokémon game and some third-party titles from Ubisoft and others were talked about but without Nintendo’s confirmation those are all unofficial.
Official: Breath of the Wild
Mario (Switch)
Mario Kart (Switch port)
NBA 2K17
Skyrim
Splatoon (Switch port)
Unofficial: Super Smash Bros. (Switch port)
Pokémon Stars
Dark Souls 3
Rabbids/Mario crossover game
Just Dance 2017
Seasons of Heaven
SPECS/FEATURES
Official information is limited In regards to the features and specs of the Nintendo Switch. The only features that Nintendo announced with the Switch reveal was the implementation of the Joy-Con controllers.
Here’s what the Joy-Con controllers can do according to the official Nintendo email.
“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.”
But the speculation of specs and features of the Nintendo Switch from insider reports are pretty extensive.
The tl;dr version is the Switch won’t be as powerful as the current PS4 and Xbox One, but more powerful than the Wii U even when undocked. It will also have 32GB of memory and a reportedly “short” battery life.
There are even patents filed by Nintendo that suggest amiibo support and bluetooth functionality will return for the Nintendo Switch while other filings suggest that the Switch won’t have 3G/LTE compatibility.
Official: Joy-Cons
Unreal 4 Engine
Unofficial: Not as powerful as PS4 and Xbox One
More powerful than Wii U (even when undocked)
32GB entry mode
Three-hour battery life
1080p resolution
Runs on Tegra X1
CPU runs 1020MHZ (docked and undocked)
Amiibo and bluetooth functionality
Share/Social button
No region lock
