Kyoto, Japan – This Thursday, October 20, Nintendo Co. announced a new video game console called “Switch” and it is expected to be in sales from March 2017. After almost four years since the company released a console, Switch, promises to bring video games to a whole new level.
Switch consists on a hybrid console that can be converted in a portable device as a tablet or bond it into a computing connected to the television. The controllers are collapsible, they can be attached to the console itself, separated to use with both hands or to convert as two controllers for a multiplayer game
The purpose of Nintendo is to allow customers to play however and wherever they want. Also the console will work with cartridges such as DS; the company also stated that before the premiere of the Switch they will announce the line of games available for this device.
History of Switch
During a press conference in March 2015, the back then CEO of Nintendo, Satoru Iwata, announced the union of the company with DeNA, a company founded in 1999 in charge of provide mobiles, Iwata also alleged that Nintendo was working on a prototype of a videogame console whose codename was “NX”, he also assured this new device would not replace DS or Wii U.
On Wednesday, October 19, Nintendo said it would make public a trailer about the new console that was expected to be the “NX”, the next day. On October 20, the company released a 3 minute video promoting the new device now called “Switch”, also made an official statement talking about the new project and the possible premiere date.
Failure of Wii U
On November 18 2012. Nintendo Co. premiered the Wii U after the success of Wii and Wii Fit. The Wii U is a touch screen controller that can be synchronized with the television.
After the device was launched it was severely critized because it was not innovating enough for the customers. Also customers complained about the short lasting of the battery, the high price of the device and the lineup of games that the company offered for the console.
In 2013 the competitions of Nintendo, Playstation and XBOX, released Playstation 4 and Xbox One respectively. This provoked a sales decline on sales of Wii U since the device was more expensive and less innovating than the competition. That same year Electronic Arts, announced that would not make any more video games for Wii U because of the bad reception.
In order take back the market of consoles, Nintendo cut 50 USD of the price of the Wii U and also released a new series of Legends of Zelda. In the next months the prices arise a 200 percent and by a year after a 75 percent.
Source: Business Insider