Nintendo finally revealed their long-awaited next-gen console. Even though, it’s called the Switch and not the NX as people have been referring to it as, the rumors we’ve been hearing about the system remain the same. It’s both a home console and a portable platform, it comes with controllers built-in to the side, and it even uses cartridges.
For every suspicion that the new trailer confirmed, an equal amount of questions were raised. We know a lot more about the Switch than we did a few days ago, but its stylish reveal left us wondering a few things that we hope Nintendo will address sooner rather than later.
1. Is That A Touchscreen?
Never once in the Switch trailer do we see anyone use it as a touchscreen device. Considering that the Wii U featured a touch screen and nearly every device featuring a screen released in the last 10 years has touch capabilities, perhaps Nintendo thought everyone would rightfully assume the Switch is a touch device as well.
How strange is it, then, that Nintendo refuses to comment on whether or not the Switch has a touch screen? It’s understandable if they wish to downplay the feature given that the Wii U’s touch screen features didn’t exactly set the world on fire, but would they really abandon the technology altogether?
2. What Is The Switch’s Online Functionality?
We see people play against each other several times during the Switch trailer, but we never once see the action happen online. A few guys playing basketball link their systems together to compete in NBA 2K and two Splatoon teams do the same for a tournament, but there wasn’t any clear-cut instance of online play shown.
Much like touchscreen play, this omission seems more like something Nintendo chose not to focus on as opposed to not have entirely. The thought of a modern console without online functionality is ludicrous, but that trailer does suggest Nintendo might not yet be embracing a fully online network as Microsoft and Sony have done.
3. How Many Controllers Will We Really Need?
Midway through the Switch trailer, we see a guy on a plane playing Skyrim with the Switch’s two motion controllers. This would seem to imply that one controller will work like the old Wii “Nunchuck,” which is fine if you’re in single-player. However, what happens when you want to play with multiple people?
Nintendo is touting the fact that the Switch comes with two controllers making it ideal for multiplayer, but how many games will really allow for multiple people to play with a single Switch controller? We need to know more about how developers plan on using this part of the console.
4. What Are Those Cartridges Capable Of?
There’s a very good reason that the video game industry moved away from cartridges. Discs in all forms offered a significant increase in storage and performance capabilities. While the power of cartridges has improved tremendously since their early days, it’s still worth asking why Nintendo decided to switch back to them now.
Much of the Switch’s power is going to come from the system itself, but it would still be great to get a little more technical information on the cartridges themselves.
5. How Real Are Those Games?
You may have noticed that the Switch trailer featured new Mario Kart, Mario, Splatoon, and Zelda games along with titles like NBA 2K17 and Skyrim. Well, it’s now been revealed that the Skyrim and NBA 2K games are not confirmed at this time for the Switch.
We know Zelda is real, but were those other games simply tech demos, or do they represent titles currently being worked on? Hopefully, this gets sorted out in the coming weeks.
