8 Things We Learned About Nintendo and Its Latest Console, Switch

By Matthew Arcilla

After years of rumors regarding not just its next console, but it’s entire future as a company, Nintendo has finally revealed Nintendo Switch.

The previously code named “NX” is Nintendo’s latest play for gamer’s hearts. That’s reassuring when you consider that the Nintendo 3DS is getting really long in the tooth, and that the Wii U has struggled with its flaccid, uninspiring software library.

Despite the better graphics and more powerful code guaranteed by the inexorable advancement of hardware in the PS4 Pro, the Xbox One Scorpio and on your tricked out PC, the Nintendo Switch is a device gamers of all kinds can get behind. Here are eight important bits about the Switch.

8. Nintendo IP is still supreme

That might seem like a duh point, but fact is no other company has an exclusive claim on characters as iconic as Nintendo does. Sure, Lara Croft, Master Chief and Nathan Drake are pop culture famous, but let’s get real. Only Nintendo can put Mario, Zelda, Samus and Kirby in a single fighting game with the kind of draw that has Ryu, Megaman and Cloud joining the party. Wipe your own tears, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale.

7. Don’t sell all your amiibo.

Just because Nintendo fans are being dragged forward doesn’t mean their existing toys have to be left behind. A representative at the company confirmed that Switch will continue to support the lovable toys-to-life figures known as amiibo. While experiences with amiibo are kind of hit or miss, knowing the lifespan of these figures will be extended means more opportunities to fully realize their potential.

6. Old games aren’t going away.

Around the 2:40 mark, we get to see Splatoon. There’s also a peek at a possibly updated Mario Kart 8 at around 1:30 mark. Now while it’s unlikely we’ll carry all our games forward, these make it clear that some of the best games on the Wii U will be a part of the Switch library, whether via updated versions or through the Virtual Console.

5. Better hardware

Between the Wii U and the 3DS, Nintendo has never cared about being on the cutting edge of hardware. Still, it’s good to know that there’s an Nvidia Tegra X1 under the hood of the Switch. While it’s no GTX, the Tegra means we can expect a reasonable amount of performance, at least thousands of times better than the decade old PICA2000 currently crammed into a 3DS.

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