Nintendo finally revealed the truth behind the NX, and golly is it…well, before I say what it is, you should probably watch the trailer if you haven’t already.
Did you watch it?
Seriously? Because you can’t say “OMG spoilers” because I gave you a pretty decent amount of time right now to watch it. So if you don’t watch it and keep reading, I’m going to assume that you don’t care about spoilers.
Last chance. Watch it now.
Last last chance. Are you sure you’ve watched it?
Okay. At this point I am going to assume that you have indeed watched the trailer.
Okay, so back to what I was saying. Nintendo finally revealed the truth behind the NX, and golly is it EXACTLY what we expected. The rumors, the leaks, all of it unveiled the system as nothing more and nothing less than what we’ve been speculating for a couple of months.
Now that’s not to say that the Switch – turns out like usual that NX was just a codename – isn’t a cool concept. Personally, I LOVE the idea behind the Switch. I think it’s a great way to hybridize console and handheld gaming, and I think it’s a solid step in the right direction when it comes to making handhelds more multiplayer-friendly. And if the trailer is anything to go by, it looks like some third party developers really like the idea as well.
I’ve seen some folks complaining that the idea isn’t “original” enough, since some third-party developers have already introduced gaming tablets to the market. But just because the console isn’t some kind of crazy-new innovation doesn’t mean it’s bad. Besides, can the Nvidia Shield or whatever play Breath of the Wild, the game whose popularity MORE THAN DOUBLED the second most-popular game at E3 2016?
This brings me to my next point, though, and the point on which I am still holding my breath. When it comes to gaming, a solid library of games to play is essential. Strong entries in the first-party realm supplemented by support of popular third-party franchises is what’s really going to give the Switch sticking power. If this handheld delivers a library as solid as the 3DS has over the years, then it’ll be a pretty solid console.
Luckily, there’s hope on that front. Breath of the Wild OBVIOUSLY is a great way to kick the gate open. Some third party support has already been shown off in the form of games like Skyrim and, uh, whatever the basketball game was. And we even got a peek at some upcoming first party titles that had not been announced up to this point.
You’re sure you watched the trailer, right?
Now to be fair, besides Breath of the Wild there’s only really one game they showed that is most certainly a brand new game. We got glimpses of Mario Kart and Splatoon, absolutely, but those could very easily be ports of the existing Wii U games. After all, Breath of the Wild is going to release simultaneously on both systems, so we know that graphically speaking they are probably somewhat similar. What we did see, though, is a pretty exciting reveal and definitely a great launch title decision on Nintendo’s part: a new 3D Mario.
How long has it been since Galaxy 2 came out? According to Wikipedia, it’s been six years. Six years since we’ve had a main series Mario game in the vein of Mario 64, Sunshine, and Galaxy. So the fact that the Switch may very well launch with such a game is really exciting. We barely got a glimpse of it, but it appears to be set in a new world and that alone is exciting. Since that old grouch Miyamoto thinks that anything other than side-scrolling and jumping is too much for our puny gamer minds to comprehend.
Overall, I’m excited for the Switch. While I do think that other developers certainly have good things to offer, Nintendo is my favorite company when it comes to video games and I am excited for them to be showing off an idea that seems really solid and fun. If they continue to market the Switch in an intellectual way, and they build up its library with great titles on both the first party and third party ends, this hybrid device could really be a gamechanger for the company.
Now I turn the conversation to you, adventurers. What do you think about the Nintendo Switch? Cool? Mediocre? Innovative? Underwhelming? Let me know in the comments and be sure to stick around the blog, as I will gladly cover other news about the Switch as more is revealed.
Oh, and one more thing: watch the trailer!
Adventure Rules 
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