If October’s Switch reveal sent excitement through the roof, last week’s Nintendo Switch presentation had many gamers tempering their expectations ahead of the hardware’s release in early March.
Tethered with a $299.99 ($399.99 CAD) price tag, the Big N’s console/handheld hybrid comes packing a 6.2-inch, multi-touch capacitive screen, 32GB of internal storage – along with the option to expand through microSD cards – and a custom Nvidia Tegra processor. However, the Switch’s launch library has proven to be the main point of contention. As things stand, there are currently five brand new games locked in for day one – with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild being the closest thing to a system seller – leaving many to lament the lack of software.
Addressing that criticism head-on, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime spoke to GameSpot about the company’s plans for the Nintendo Switch, and why he doesn’t consider March 3 to be the be all and end all. Launching games on a regular basis is paramount, according to Fils-Aime, who also hinted at the oncoming launch of Super Mario Odyssey this holiday season.
“Launch day is not the be-all and the end-all. It really is the steady pacing of content that continually reinforces for the people who bought into the platform why they made a smart choice, as well as what compels people who might be sitting on the sidelines to jump in. We feel we have this great ongoing march of content to motivate you to jump into the platform.”
Nintendo Switch will be available worldwide on March 3. A Preview Tour will begin rolling out across select cities over the coming weeks, lending would-be early adopters the opportunity to go hands-on with Nintendo’s novel system prior to release.