The Nintendo NX is now officially called "Nintendo Switch". In case you haven't seen it, here's the "First Look" video that Nintendo uploaded this morning.

As I've stated in the past, I have about 0.5% interest in a handheld system these days, but I would LOVE to play a lot of the exclusive games they tend to get. So for me, this is a very interesting concept and I'm definitely excited. I suppose I'll stick with the Big N for at least one more hardware cycle. Just tell me when I can preorder.

PS - Don't get me wrong, I love my DS and 3DS, but I just never play them!

I've got to say that I'm pretty impressed with the versatility of this system.

Have they announced any games yet?

It's not like we didn't already know it was going to be a mix between a normal console and a handheld one, so this isn't really news...

I don't really play handheld consoles anymore (or consoles in general) so this doesn't really appeal to me, but again, I love their exclusives so we'll see (I'm worried they might start focusing on getting third party games instead of developing their own (because they showed a lot of Skyrim gameplay and such), but getting more third party games on their system is also a good thing).

I'm just happy they at least try to innovate in some way or another and not just do the same thing everyone else does.

They haven't announced the full list of games, but based on the video, there's at least:

• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
• Mario something
• Mario Kart something
• Splatoon something
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
• NBA 2K something
• Maybe others, just pulling from memory here

Agreed that it's pretty much what the rumors said it was going to be, but it's nice to finally see something....real. I was never a big fan of the Wiimote, mainly because I hate motion controls, so I'm hoping that's a big part of this thing. I have no issues with having separate controllers in each hand, it's the motion aspect that I didn't care for.

I'm ecstatic about the idea of merging the Nintendo handhelds and consoles (keep in mind this is purely my own speculation / wishful thinking!) I just briefly looked at the games I actually own for DS / 3DS and here are the ones I'd LOVE to play on a big screen (and should probably sell since I'm never going to play the handheld version):

• Animal Crossing ANYTHING
• Bravely Default
• Any of the Dragon Quest remakes
• Any of the Dragon Quest Monsters games
• Any of the Etrian Odyssey games
• FANTASY LIFE
• Fire Emblem anything
• Harvest Moon anything
• Mario & Luigi anything
• Mario vs. Donkey Kong anything
• Pilotwings Resort
• Pokemon X / Y
• Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood
• Space Invaders Extreme 1 and 2
• The World Ends With You
• Threathythm: Final Fantasy (not sure how well it would translate, but I want it!)

DISCLAIMER: Captain Negative coming in to crap all over this one, skip this if you don't want a buzzkill.

My first impressions on this thing were pretty negative already based on the rumours going around and this video did nothing to help.

The only positive draw to the Switch for me are Nintendo exclusive games.

As a home console, a glorified tablet isn't going to compete with Sony/MS, especially with their revamps coming out. Doesn't matter how many third parties they convinced to come on board, they'll be outclassed every time and consumers flock towards the "better" option for third party games. The only way they will be competitive in that market is if it's really cheap in comparison or they have some amazing killer exclusives. Based on WiiU's pricing history and skeleton-like games library... I doubt that will happen. Maybe Nintendo will surprise us with an appropriate pricing model for the Switch, who knows.

As a portable machine, I know I wouldn't want to drag my WiiU controller around to game on and this looks no different to me apart from having gone on a drastic diet. It's too big and awkward to be comfortably portable. The built-in controllers are a joke, there's no way anyone that doesn't have Trump-sized hands will find them comfortable. People bitch about the size of the ps3 controllers being so small as it is and they look positively gargantuan compared to these things. The good looking controller will be an option, obviously, but that jacks up the price.

If Nintendo is trying to target a younger audience, as usual, those detachable controllers and tablet dock are going to be a nightmare. Not AirPods bad, in terms of losing them, but constantly removing and attaching those controllers and tablet, especially with the grace and delicacy of most children, is not going to work well for the longevity of the hardware.

I hope I'm proven wrong. I like the idea of greater variety in the gaming market to drive competition, but damn Nintendo. You're not trying very hard to convince me that you wouldn't be better off as a software company at this point.

/gloom&doom

Although I'm 99.9% sure I'll preorder one, I agree with everything you just said :P The thing is, I don't really consider most of it to be a negative thing. Let me explain...

Unless that thing is packing some serious heat under its tiny frame, it absolutely cannot compete with Sony / MS hardware. But neither could the Wii U. Or the Wii. Or the GameCube. And I loved all of those systems, so I don't see that as a problem here. Sure, I would love to see Mario rendered in PS4-powered graphics, but it's not really necessary since it's all about the gameplay. If I want reality blurring / cutting edge graphics, I have a PS4, Xbox One, and PC for that. I want this thing for unique, interesting, and exclusive gameplay!

I completely agree about the portable aspect, I could care less about it. I've not once played my Wii U outside the confines of my comfy recliner and I see no reason to do that with this thing. And if it has the same battery life as the Wii U tablet, GOOD LUCK!! However, if this product is merging their console and handheld lines (again, this is pure speculation on my part), then let's open the floodgates to all that handheld-only goodness that I've been missing out on!

I'm not too concerned about controller size since I'll likely opt for the standard doohickey thing and it's a one-time cost, so not too worried about it.

I often wonder what it would be like if Nintendo went third party like Sega did back in the day. And then I realize it'd probably be about like Sega, which is to say not very good. I mean, seriously, 90s Sega vs. 00s Sega? It's not even close. And by the way, where he hell is my new ChuChu Rocket game!?!?

I have many questions about the Switch but my primary emotion is excitement :) Can't wait to get more information on the system and games!!

I"m excited but curious to how expensive it is and what the actual specs\gameplay is.

I'm in it because ... it's Nintendo. Great unique games never found anywhere. Like moho_00 already mentioned, it not a gamers' gamers console, Nintendo did want to compete for bigger and better, but they rather focus on fun and quality.
The portable part I like as a concept as you can just continue to play if somebody wants to use the television. 720p on such a screen is fine. And it's an actual gaming device so it's not a competitor to a tablet\ipad which I find not really convenient for playing games.
I skipped the WiiU because it was a Wii+ but bulkier etc and to me it didn't know what it wanted to be. But this one looks like they hit the right spots. I hope the execution is well enough.

I'll not order one right now, but it looks like something for the holidays next year. Bought my wife a Gamecube and Wii back in the days and she loved it (as I did hehe) so I'll probably hit home with this one also (and my 2 daughters..)

Oh, what I want is new Mario games (kart, paper, Sunshine, galaxy), Metroid, Dance something (for the ladies), Beyond Good and Evil 2, Zelda, Splatoon, and some glorious new IPs :) )

I won't really be sold on it until I see more game announcements. The only game that has any interest to me is Zelda....and while that game is always worth the console alone, it wouldn't cause me to buy it as soon as it released.

I like Mario games but I guess I just don't get nearly as excited for them as I used to as a kid.

Beyond Good and Evil 2 is rumored to be a Switch exclusive...we'll see about that. It's probably timed, if anything. Although I guess Bayonetta 2 was never ported anywhere else?

As for Mario, that dude is on a ROLL! Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 + Super Mario 3D World are absolute top-notch games. And if we're going back to GameCube, I looooved Super Mario Sunshine.

I think the last Mario game I did play was Sunshine. It was good.

I've got Galaxy but not the sequel. Never tried it though.

I was a big fan of the GameCube.

You should definitely try Super Mario Galaxy. I'd say the sequel is even better.

Yeah, Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 are definitely must plays if you like platformers!

I agree with Dhobo about the built-in detachable controllers. They're called Joy-Cons, right (which sounds like a PS1 era thing)? Whatever the case, they're very small. This will actually work for me, but it just looked awkward seeing the 30 somethings in the trailer with their normal sized hands holding onto what appears smaller than a Wiimote or original NES controller. If you imagine each Joy-Con as the "grip" portion of a regular controller, though, then it's maybe a little more palpable. Although I'm assuming the controllers will have more of a flat backing than rounded, grippable-ness of most controller handles.

The good controller choice Nintendo made was with their new pro controller (aka their presumably optional 'regular' controller). It has fixed my issue with the Wii U's pro controller of the right analog stick and buttons being swapped in position from the standard.

Nintendo has been marching to their own drum for so long I never expected them to change course. Sure, it would be cool if their system was equivalent to PS4/Xbox One/those upcoming souped-up versions ... but if we're getting the same exact experience on tablet as on TV then the power is all in the tablet device? Curious if it'll get super hot during portable sessions or what the battery life will be when not-docked. They've cut themselves out of the opportunity to easily get tons of ports like as happens between PS4 and Xbox One. But that's what they always do. To be fair, I don't think we would need three main console platforms if everyone was just regurgitating the same games between each other. Even now, the divide between PS4 and Xbox One seems fairly slim as far as exclusive content is concerned.

I'll get the Nintendo Switch because that's just something I do. If there are good games on it then I'll get and play them. If their aren't many that interest me, well, oh well I'll still have the unit :P.

Edit: WAIT, I just had a realization. If the docking station is really just a place to charge/plug system into TV and not a means to increase power of the system....

That means Nintnedo basically made a tablet and are bundling it with some fancy Bluetooth controllers.

Truly revolutionary! XD But, props to Nintendo for getting the gaming audience (which still contains a lot of "mobile is not REAL gaming" people) interested in a Nintendo tablet.

The tablet resolution is supposed to be something like 720p, right? If I had to guess, the docking station probably has at least some kind of chipset inside dedicated to upscaling the signal to at least 1080p for tv display. At least, I would hope that's the case, because if not, they're dumb to make such an ugly docking station that serves no other purpose.

I'm pretty sure I read that the docking station is purely for TV output and charging.

First. I would like to say that I just love Dhobo's comment on only people with Trump hands finding the Switch comfortable.

That being said, this does just strike me as the Wii U 2.0 That's good and bad. It's good because they actually have a traditional controller for the console form, which I haven't seen since the freaking Gamecube. I was also shocked to see that it plays the new Skyrim, which I thought only the PS4 and Xbox One could handle. Also, the idea of impromptu LAN parties outside seems pretty cool. And with cartridges, I don't really know exactly how much more data a game can hold compared to a disc, but it's exciting to see how much larger games can be, now.

That being said, the handheld form is literally just a Wii U screen with the two ends sliding off. Like, they're even the same size. The library is almost entirely a mystery, too. Also, Nintendo revealing a 'revolutionary' piece of hardware unceremoniously in a hardly-announced Youtube video rather than a convention or a Direct seems pretty baffling. Especially since we've got less than 6 months left. Also, it's already come out that the battery on the handheld format is maybe only three hours, so just as bad as the Wii U gamepad, anyway. Also, the frame rate of the handheld when that guy was playing Breath of the Wild on the bench at the park in the teaser? That frame rate was just atrocious. Not very smart for your announcement trailer.

I'm intrigued. Not even close to sold on it, but intrigued.

I hear reports that the docking will actually beef up the graphics to 1080p. The NVidia chip should be able to do that so no need for an additional gpu in the dock.
Also, 3 hours battery life for the handheld should be enough. Who wants to hold a handheld for more than those hours? Yeah, on the go it is probably just\not enough but if I so something similar with my large phone it also get drained pretty rapidly. And be reminded; the Wii gamepad was the controller so it's not really comparable.
Just out of curiosity, how long does the battery power of a 3DS last?

The more I think about it I feel that the Switch was what Nintendo should have put out instead of the Wii U (at the time). By the point of the WIi U's launch tablets were already a standard thing. Yet they brought out this really bulky toy tablet-enabled console. Now they're finally going ahead with a tablet which connects to your TV if you like. I'm curious if they really had a Switch-style plan in mind when working on Wii U, or if only by making the Wii U were they able to come up with the Switch. Technically it made sense that the GamePad could only play while semi near the console, but that never made it less annoying that it was effectively a tethered tablet.

I did not notice the framerate issues on the Zelda game, but find it fascinating they would stick that in their fancy reveal trailer. Like, honestly, game developers "cheat" stuff all the time with video output they show to the public. It's no secret. So for Nintendo to not artificially enhance their gameplay screen is surprising - and refreshing. Maybe they don't want to get people's expectations up unfairly about the quality of gaming on the Switch on the go. I have no idea.

One thing I"m curious is really, if the dock does upscale to 1080p, that's cool but not really super meaningful from a gameplay perspective. Like, it wouldn't improve performance right? I'm also curious to the quality of game textures. If a card has less space than a Blu-Ray disc then developers are probably going to be more reserved with the size of their assets. Then again, maybe my knowledge of storage tech is super dated and these game cards will hold way more data than discs. They probably can.

Oh, game cards hold CONSIDERABLY more than discs. For example, a blu ray disc holds 25 GB. Yet, we have SD cards that hold 32, 64, or 128 GB. Basically, we hit the point where production values for data cards is as cheap as blu rays were when the PS3 came out.

Also, 3DS batteries last about 5 hours, or 8 with DS games. 3 just doesn't seem like near enough. I can't imagine having a handheld with such a short battery life. Heck, isn't a 3 hour battery life why everyone laughed at the Sega Game Gear?

I do think the Game Gear lasted around three hours - and did think of that with the current word going around about Switch's portable lifespan. One key difference from then and now is that the Game Gear took 6 batteries. So not only would it die fast, it would also eat up batteries. At least the Switch should be better in that regard. :P

Thanks for info about SD cards. I'm curious what size cart will become standard for Switch, and what they may have as a max (as far as pricing feasibility is concerned). It looks like the current max size for 3DS game cartridges is 8GB and Vita is.... 4GB? Well, that seems wrong (Vita), but who knows. Of course many games have come out as digital exclusives due to size constraints of the physical carts. And, in general, digital is certainly increasing in popularity on consoles.

Edit: Wonder what the internal storage capacity will be like on this thing/if they go with standard SD or MicroSD cards for storage. Please yes! But this is not Sony we're talking about, so it should be fine.

I would say that the only time it might be beneficial to have that hold a charge longer than 3 hours is when you'd typically need for longer hours...i.e. on a road trip, on a plane, jury duty crap....etc..

However, if the thing allows for charging outside the cradle, then I don't see that being an issue. Surely it would come with the appropriate plug in stuff for travel purposes.

I like that they're making an actual controller for it too. That is a HUGE plus in my book.

Anyone else watching the reveal tonight? I'm a little disappointed at the MSRP of $300. However, I'm also absolutely baffled by the amount of time they are devoting to "HD Rumble" and 1,2, Switch (and motion controls in general) Tell me about Zelda already.

Some more thoughts: A few exciting titles announced (Mario, Xenoblade, Splatoon and yes Zelda), but Zelda alone isn't enough to make me want to pick this up at launch. Everything else is coming "in the future". This looks more and more like a Holiday 2017 purchase if not later. I sorta wish I'd gone to bed and just read the recap in the morning.

I watched the presentation and I thought it was great. Zelda looks amazing! I'm hyped for Splatoon, Zelda, Mario and some of the 3rd party games coming later. If I didn't already have Skyrim I would be excited for that too. I think there is a new version of Shovel Knight coming out for it too.

I've owned every Nintendo console so it's a given that I'll be picking this up.