After much speculation regarding the mysterious "NX", Nintendo finally revealed their upcoming console in a three-minute teaser video last week. Officially called Nintendo Switch, the latest hardware venture by the Kyoto company is set to be a console / handheld / tablet hybrid with detachable controllers. After the Wii U struggled to find a place in the market the success (or failure) of this new console could prove a defining point in Nintendo's history. Here's what some of our greatest minds thought of the initial reveal...
Steven Taarland, Programmer
I’m really excited about the Nintendo Switch. It’s clear that Nintendo’s focus is to make gaming more mobile and accessible anywhere, so creating a console with a focus on portability is a winner.
What we see from the trailer is the market Nintendo are aiming for: twenty-somethings, not families or children. Nintendo is essentially targeting the “iPad Generation” with the Switch, rather than the “games for everyone” approach we have seen with the Wii and WiiU. I’m looking forward to seeing what else, other than games, Nintendo can offer to attract this audience to the device.
As well as price point something that will be of major importance is battery life. If Nintendo wants the Switch to be used as it is shown in the trailer, it will need a strong battery, preferably one that doesn't explode!
Robert Henning, Head of Game Technology
The Big N have dominated the handheld market for decades so it will be interesting to see if the home console/handheld merge works. Ultimately content will be king and indeed how that content is accessed. The system will obviously host all of Nintendo's big franchises and it looks like they are doing better with getting third party support, but they will need to offer free-to-play and other content as well in order to appeal to a wider market.
Marc Wiliamson, Head of Development
Those of us that adore Nintendo, as I do, have been following the rumours for some time and most of us weren't surprised about what was shown. Nintendo have experimented with hybrid technology before and you can trace Switch's roots back to experiments like the GameCube's GameBoy Player. On the tech side, hooking up with Nvida to provide a custom Tegra chip is surprising as Nintendo have been in bed with AMD since the Gamecube days. Along with the loss of the "Wii" branding that helps make Switch feel very much like a clean slate.
I for one am interested in the machine and the new approach it's taken. I hope that it really hits a zeitgeist and proves a success, as the world needs a Nintendo to offer up something different to Sony, Microsoft and perhaps even mobile.
Interesting times, but I shall be getting it day one.
Gavin Moffat, Marketing Executive
The loft apartments and beanie hats of the advert suggest that Switch is being targeted towards the hip young things, quite a different approach to the Wii and Wii U which encouraged players to invite granny round for a shot at the bowling. If this is indeed the demographic Nintendo are aiming for I'm looking forward to see what software they come up with as they'll need more than just their regular big-hitting franchises.
The versatility of the machine looks like a strong point and we may end up with a device that can do console, handheld and mobile-style games. It looks like what the Wii U was meant to be and I can't wait to get my hands on one next year. New Metroid Prime and a Super Mario Sunshine HD remake please.