Nintendo fans have every reason to be excited right now, because in less than three weeks - Nintendo is going to release a whole new console, named the Nintendo Switch. The Switch is the seventh console Nintendo has released since the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was brought onto the market in 1986. Next to this Nintendo has also released a whole row of handheld consoles, including the Game Boy and DS. The company has created some of the most successful video game franchises in video game history, like Pokémon, Mario and The Legend of Zelda.

In 2014, it was estimated that the company had sold a total of 670.43 million hardware units, and 4.23 billion software units. Despite the company's previous success, Nintendo suffered great financial losses this same year. Mobile gaming posed a big threat to the company, and hardware sales dropped significantly. Nintendo had been hesitant about entering the mobile gaming market, as Nintendo's former CEO Satoru Iwata, stated that the company would lose its identity and "cease to be Nintendo" if they started producing mobile games. This later changed, and Nintendo has so far released a couple of mobile titles including Pokémon Go and Miitomo.

On the hardware front, Nintendo decided that they did not want "just a successor" to the Wii U or Nintendo 3DS, but an entirely new concept. This is where the Nintendo Switch comes in.

The Nintendo Switch is a hybrid video game console. This means that the Switch is supposed to serve as both a home console and a handheld console that you can bring with you on the go. The console can be pieced together in a lot of different ways, depending on your location and different play styles.

The main unit of the console is a battery powered tablet roughly the same size as the Wii U gamepad. In home console mode, this tablet will be placed in a dock while you use a television as the display. The Switch comes with two controllers called "Joy-Cons" (specifically Joy-Con L and Joy-Con R). These controllers can be used in different ways, for example: attached to the sides of the Switch Console to mimic a Wii U gamepad, attached in a Joy-Con grip to use them as a traditional video game controller, or used separately by one or more players.

For more information on the different modes of the Switch, this video explains it all in detail:



I personally think that the Switch is an innovative console with a lot of potential. Nintendo has once again shown that they are not afraid to enter unknown territory by combining TV gaming with handheld gaming. The Nintendo Switch will be released worldwide March 3rd, and time will tell whether or not hybrid gaming will turn out to be a hit.

Are you planning to buy the Nintendo Switch? Do you own any other video game consoles?

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Thank you to Fiskarna for the layout.

PROS
+ Portable: You can bring your Switch console with you with very little effort.
+ Upgraded hardware: The Switch has a brand system on a chip (SoC) from the Nvidia Tegra series. We can probably expect a nice performance and graphics upgrade from the Wii U.
+ Lots of great upcoming titles: There are a lot of new games to look forward to as a Switch owner, including The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey and Splatoon 2.

CONS
- Limited battery life: The Switch tablet has an estimated battery life of 3-6 hours, which is not a whole lot when you're outside your home without a charger.
- Expensive accessories: The console itself is already priced $299, and the accessories are no cheaper. An extra set of Joy-Cons cost as much as $79. Prices may vary between retailers and countries.
- Paid subscription for online features: If you want to play online games on your Switch, this is going to require a paid monthly subscription. No earlier Nintendo console has required payment for online features.