BBC Knowledge 2017 02

| GAMES

ON THE SHELVES

T

HERE’S one name that gave the gaming

industry touch screens, made motion

control popular, and redefined the way

we play over and over: Nintendo. Recently,

the company unveiled its new home console

• Switch. Nintendo has always preferred the
  pursuit of innovation instead of just a periodical
  hardware upgrade. This time is no different.
  Nintendo now aims at lounging with you not
  only in your living room, but also tagging along
  as you go on a trip, or to a party, or simply
  when you walk your dog to the park.

The big news is that Nintendo Switch is both

a home and a handheld console. At its core is

a touch screen tablet, which can either be

plugged into a docking station connected to

your TV, or used on the go. However, the

new Joy-Con controller is truly revolutionary.

It’s detachable, comes in two pieces and has

the ability to shape-shift according to the player’s

requirements. You can use it as a traditional

gamepad by sliding it into a supporting case,

or clip it to the sides of a tablet for use as

a portable console. Joy-Cons can also be used

separately, with one in each hand, or shared

with friends, one Joy-Con each.

After over a decade using optical discs,

Switch will feature cartridges, so as to avoid

spinning motors, which would hinder the

battery life of the tablet when used as a handheld

console. An Nvidia Tegra processor promises

a seamless in-game shift from home to handheld,

and on-the-go connectivity between two or

more devices.

Switch will likely appeal to an untapped

audience: the mobile game players. But why

would you bother buying Switch when you

already have a smartphone? Because Switch

gives gamers an unprecedented feature: local

portable multiplayer. Switch is not meant to kill

time as you endure a boring lecture, but to be

an alternative to a book, a TV show, or a movie.

The announcement that third party developers

like Bethesda, Electronic Arts, Activision and

Ubisoft will be working on titles for the console

makes the Switch’s launch in March 2017

an even more highly-anticipated event.

The point here is that Switch is as fulfilling

as your home console – because it is your

home console.

WORDS: NICOLO GOVONI

SWITCHES IT ON

123RF, NINTENDO

38 February 2017

NINTENDO

34 February 2017