By Dan Rabideau
Nintendo fans everywhere are stoked about Nintendo’s next generation console. Bringing new and old together in a new portable format, Nintendo has created a console that is for all types of people in a way that can be enjoyed by everyone. With the upcoming release of Nintendo’s new console coming in March of 2017, the Nintendo Switch, it is looking like a very exciting release that Nintendo desperately needs after its previous launch flop with the Wii U. With games such as Super Mario Odyssey, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim coming to the console, it seems nintendo is upping it graphic quality, and moving to more expansive and immersive games with open world formats. This release will also please the retro gamers out there with an updated virtual console.
This release will also bring back favorites from the Nintendo Wii, such as the newest installment in the popular party game series Just Dance, which is named Just Dance 2017. The updated graphics are a definite improvement and help stray away from the image of Nintendo as a budget console with lacking graphics, and power to be desired. However, this release also comes with a higher price tag of around $300. This is still cheaper than the current generation consoles that cost around $400-$500.
The added bonus of the new Nintendo Switch is the instant portability. This gives you the ability to play all your games both home and on the go - a feature that is not available on any other platform without buying additional hardware. The Nintendo Switch is planned to have a Nintendo Virtual Console so that users can play older games from previous Nintendo consoles, and it is also said that it may include a Nintendo Gamecube feature as well. The Nintendo Virtual Console is supposedly going to have an online multiplayer feature as well.
The hardware on this device is impressive for the money, boasting a battery life ranging from 2.5 to 6 hours. This depends on the graphical intensity of the game being played. The touchscreen runs in 720p which may limit some of the graphics of the game when played away from a television, however it will not be so severe as to affect gameplay on games such as Elder Scrolls V. It is also made to have 32gbs of storage and an expansion slot for microSD cards giving options for storage. Nintendo has yet to announce what graphics processor they will go with, however sources have indicated an NVIDIA card will be used from the Maxwell series. The CPU is less powerful than its competition. However, with a much lower price tag and the types of games being brought to the console it will run smoothly. The graphics processor will be the determining factor for how this console will run new releases that are going to run at high graphic settings on PC and competing consoles.
Overall this console has good value for the money. The graphical processor that Nintendo decides to use will determine how it will do with games not designed specifically for it. Hardware aside, Nintendo has done a good job with what it does best - create a console that is user friendly, innovative, and introduces new features while giving old Nintendo fans the ability to play the games they love. They have added more power to this console which will allow for open world games and an overall more immersive experience on some of the most anticipated Nintendo exclusive releases to date.
