Nintendo Switch (NX)

By Roy Mathur, on 2016-10-21, at 04:27 GMT BST, for Boldly Voyaging the Multiverse: Probably the Best Nerd Blog in the Multiverse

Finally! All hail the arrival of the Nintendo Switch (AKA NX) with this ad clearly aimed at an aspirational, sophisticated, and older (but not too old) audience or, more likely, those who want to be thought of as such. Still, almost 5 million YouTube views in 12 hours can't be bad. Besides, the ad has me up at 03:45 in the morning writing this, so it must have made an impression.

In essence, it's a tablet device with detachable controllers that can also be transformed into a console by sticking it into a docking station. So, plenty of flexibility and options.

From a techno-geek's point of view, I think it's great because it looks like Nintendo have bundled all their previous technology into one modular device. If not exactly groundbreaking, it does seem technically innovative.

Online tech sites guesstimate the price to be around GBP300/USD350. So it's not Wii cheap, more along lines of the current PS4, and a tad more than the Xbox One, or Sony's unsuccessful Wii predecessor, the Wii U.

Reservations? The price for one, but those controllers too. Either joined to form one big separate controller, attached to the tablet, or detached completely, they look clunky, and I also wonder how firmly they'll click into place in each of those configurations. Also, when completely detached, to be used as mini-controllers, they look teeny-tiny with sharp corners. Perhaps comfort and ergonomics might be an issue?

As for ecosystem, most sites are reporting the same range available upon release, so I'm just regurgitating that list here: The Legend of Zelda, The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, Mario Kart, a new NBA game, a new Super Mario game, and Splatoon.

Have a great morning and if you want more of this stuff, be sure to subscribe to my podcast.