Despite numerous rumors and reports, Nintendo will be launching the Switch on March 3rd. Among the list of titles shown were:
- Super Mario Odyssey: a 3d platformer that goes back to its Mario 64 roots of exploration. Mario will leave the Mushroom kingdom and travel around the world.
- Splatoon 2: not a port but an actual sequel, Splatoon 2 promises more weapons, different maps, and finally a dodge roll.
- Xenoblade 2: again, many expected this to be a port of Xenoblade X from the Wii U but turned out to be a new sequel based on the Wii exclusive.
- No More Heroes (3): this was a surprise as Suda announced Travis will return.
- 1-2 Switch, which lets players use the two Joycons to battle it out in front each other using the controllers IR sensor.
- Arms: a sort of boxing game with spring arms. Players use the Joycons to move about.
- And finally Breath of the Wild which will make it on launch and not be delayed.
The console itself will be out March 3rd and cost $300 which was the safe bet that we were all expecting. It will come with the dock, HDMI cable, AC adapter (finally!), two Joycons along with their straps, and the Joycon grip. The pro controller will be available separately. There will also be another version that will cost the same but feature a neon red and neon blue for the Joycons. Neat!
Nintendo did drop a bomb shell by announcing a paid online service. There’s no specific details yet only that it will begin in fall. Personally I’m against any paid online services as online play as so far it hasn’t justified the asking price on PSN and XBL. Hopefully Nintendo will provide better options that seem reasonable. Website has just been updated with info on the service. As expected it seems we’ll be getting a free NES and SNES game each month. The online service will allow players for voice chat, arrange for gameplay sessions, and of course play online. No details on price has been revealed yet.
The presentation as a whole however left a good feeling. I don’t have any major doubts only that I hope Nintendo can continue providing great games at a good pace without having the drought we typically see in their consoles.
