Why the Nintendo Switch is actually a good idea

Nintendo might not have the best name for its newly revealed next console, but the core set of features at the Switch’s heart are fantastic.

Judging by the fact that the official first-look page for the Nintendo Switch on Nintendo’s own website hasn’t loaded for me once yet this morning, I’d say that the House that Mario and Link Built had a very fine morning with its preview trailer.

The Nintendo Switch will launch in March of 2017, presumably with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild at or near release.

Check the trailer out below:

Yes, the long-reported rumors are true. The Switch will have a portable function. It appears that you can detach and attach the controllers (one for each hand) onto a screen. Basically, it looks like the next iteration of the Wii U’s GamePad, better known in many places as just the tablet controller. However, the Switch looks to have a far greater range of motion and won’t be tethered to its home console.

How do we know? The man from this still is shown playing is sitting in a park to play Breath of the Wild.

Image via Nintendo Switch preview trailer.

Before you say that’s a bad idea …

Now, you may be saying right now that it looks like Nintendo has fully embraced its handheld dominance and brought that over to the home console side. Why is that a bad idea, exactly? The company’s own sales figures show that generally speaking, its handhelds do way better.

In other words, the company probably should have done this sooner.

However, both the Wii and the Wii U appear to have been necessary steps in the Switch development chain. The Wii contributed the split controller style of the Wii U and Nunchuk. Meanwhile, the Wii U started the off-TV play.

The Nintendo Switch, mobile-style. Image via Nintendo.

The switchover (ha, ha) also appears to be quite simple overall, and has several different configurations. Nintendo doesn’t just want you to play when you’re away from your TV, it wants you to play comfortably. No more issues with hands falling asleep after a long session of gaming, hopefully.

Also, take a look at how flat the whole setup seems to be. If my eyes don’t deceive me, it doesn’t appear to be thicker than a tablet, adding to the comfort level.

If you have sharp eyes, you can also catch that the system will also use Game Cards, again like the DS family. I wouldn’t go so far as to call CDs bulky, but cartridge-style storage has come a long way since the days of the Nintendo 64. To wit: How big is the SD card in your phone right now?

Next: The long journey of Beyond Good and Evil 2

No, this console may not be for everyone or people who consider themselves gaming purists. However, at this point, grabbing people who converted completely to Microsoft and Sony long ago anyway doesn’t seem to be a concern.

For those of us who like a little innovation with our classic Mario and Zelda, though, the Switch looks to be a bold step forward.

One small issue remains right now, though. We don’t know anything about the battery life of the mobile version of the console just yet. We’d expect (hope?) that it falls somewhere ahead of the Wii U’s GamePad life.

The Nintendo Switch launches in March of 2017.