Nintendo Switch is a breakthrough home video game system. It not only connects to a TV at home, but it also instantly transforms into an on-the-go handheld using its 6.2-inch screen. For the first time, players can enjoy a full home-console experience anytime, anywhere. The screen includes capacitive multi-touch capabilities for compatible games. Battery life can last for more than six hours, but will vary depending on the software and usage conditions. For example, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild can be played for roughly three hours on a single charge. While away from home, Nintendo Switch can be charged by plugging the AC adapter into the console’s USB Type-C connector.
The versatile Joy-Con offer multiple surprising new ways for players to have fun. Two Joy-Con can be used independently in each hand, or together as one game controller when attached to the Joy-Con grip. They can also attach to the main console for use in handheld mode, or be shared with friends to enjoy two-player action in supported games. Each Joy-Con has a full set of buttons and can act as a standalone controller, and each includes an accelerometer and gyro-sensor, making independent left and right motion control possible.
On May 21, a Nintendo Switch Lite system is launching with a new blue color. The blue Nintendo Switch Lite will be available for purchase at a suggested retail price of $199.99. By expanding the existing range of color options for the system, which includes coral, yellow, gray and turquoise, the blue Nintendo Switch Lite gives you more options to express your personal gaming style wherever you choose to play.
Nintendo Switch Lite is designed for handheld play, making it easy to bring the wide library of Nintendo Switch games with you and transform any of life’s moments into a grand adventure. As a dedicated handheld gaming device, Nintendo Switch Lite has integrated controls and is smaller and lighter than the Nintendo Switch. It’s compatible with all the games in the Nintendo Switch library that support handheld mode.
The upcoming humorous adventure game Miitopia also launches separately on May 21, the same day as the debut of the blue Nintendo Switch Lite. In Miitopia, you can star in a hilarious adventure alongside your family and friends. Cast anyone you choose on a comedy-filled quest to bring down the face-stealing Dark Lord.
If you’re looking for more new games to add to your library, the New Pokémon Snap game launches for the Nintendo Switch family of systems on April 30. New Pokémon Snap lets you explore unknown islands to snap in-game photos of wild Pokémon. Seek out Pokémon in their natural environments as you venture through diverse landscapes, including dense jungles and vast deserts, to uncover the mystery behind the Illumina phenomenon.
These games are just a taste of the adventures that await you on Nintendo Switch. With a new blue Nintendo Switch Lite system by your side, there’s no limit to the places your imagination can take you.
Nintendo Switch also contains a number of built-in features that make it more interactive. The left Joy-Con has a Capture Button that players can press to take instant screenshots of gameplay to share with friends on social media. The right Joy-Con includes an NFC touchpoint for interaction with amiibo figures, as well as an IR Motion Camera that can detect the distance, shape and motion of nearby objects in specially designed games. For example, it can tell how far away a player’s hand is, and even if the hand is forming a rock, paper or scissors shape. Both Joy-Con include advanced HD Rumble, which can provide compatible games with subtle vibrations that are much more realistic than before. The effect is so detailed that a player could, for example, feel the sensation of individual ice cubes colliding inside a glass when shaking a Joy-Con. With HD Rumble players can experience a level of realism not possible through sights and sounds alone.
Nintendo Switch makes it easy for players to stay connected. Up to eight systems can be connected for local wireless play. The player can place the system upright anywhere by using the built-in stand, then easily share Joy-Con for multiplayer fun away from the TV. The system will support online Wi-Fi multiplayer gaming. Nintendo also unveiled a new online subscription service that will begin with a free trial at launch. The service includes a smart-device application available in Summer 2017 that will let users invite friends to play online, set play appointments and chat with one another as they play compatible games.