Nintendo Announces Switch Stream Events

The Switch is coming, and two events will let us know a lot more about it. Mark your calendars!

By Jason Venter · January 12, 2017

Nintendo has been keeping details about its upcoming console, the Switch, close to the vest. We don't yet know the price point, the official release date, or even a whole lot about what's under the hood. We don't know what games will be available at launch, or during the infamous "launch window." And while we have seen the list of companies that are committed to developing for the hardware, those lists don't always turn out to mean much.

But our lack of knowledge will soon change. Nintendo has a big reveal scheduled for 8PM (PST)/11PM (EST), January 12. During that event, we will receive lots of the general information that Nintendo fans (like myself) have been dying to know.

Helpfully, Nintendo has provided various sites with some embed code that will let you watch video of the first event on any site that wishes to make that option available. And you know me. I'm all about the options. So here is a video embed, to save you the trouble of tracking things down elsewhere:

Tomorrow, January 13, at 6:30 in the morning (PST), you will be able to view a stream that contains "an in-depth look at upcoming games featured in the Nintendo Switch Presentation 2017."

That's a lot over Nintendo information--finally--coming at you during the next 24 hours, so you know where my mind will be starting around 8PM tonight. In the meantime, do you have any thrilling predictions for the events? Are you planning to pre-order a Switch? Are there any announced games that you already plan to purchase?

Comments 10

hastypixels Jan 12, 2017

Is it just me or did Ninty hit all the right points with Legend of Zelda? What matters... lesse ... no region lock! That's a big deal from Nintendo. It could be a new age for multiplayer thanks to the software coming along.

Looks amazing. Am I hyped? No. Hopeful? Yes.

honestgamer Blogger Jan 12, 2017

Now that I've seen the presentation, I can be honest and say that I felt like Nintendo needed to do better, at least for investors. It's clearly a system that I will buy and love playing, if I have any money at all, but I'm not sure that my appreciation for what it does will be contagious. The Zelda game looks fantastic, of course, but a lot of the other stuff seemed fairly iffy.

It wasn't in the presentation, but the Switch has only 32GB of storage space, some of which will be tied up by the system. So we'll have to expand with microXDHC cards. And the Joy-Con controllers are $50 each, sounds like, when you want extras. And online play won't be free after the first few months. And there's other stuff, too, that has me less enthusiastic than I had hoped to be.

But yeah, I totally want a Switch. Nothing has changed there. ;-)

hastypixels Jan 13, 2017

Sheer adoption could overcome those problems. 32GB is anemic, I heartily agree, and most gamers are going to scoff at it. I understand the reality of cost, but it's going to turn people away when the see the Switch has .006% of the storage compared to its nearest competitors. Nintendo is banking a little too heavily on "things we do that others don't".

That sounds scarily familiar.

The price of accessories is absurd, but they can be justified by software. Nintendo needs to show us a 180 turn on software releases. There's no word on what the online store will be like, yet ... but it's a contentious issue. Will Nintendo get it right this time?

I'm hearing MCs on the radio talk the Switch up, and that's important. It means that the device is instantly recognizable; it doesn't need to be explained. That was the Wii's claim to fame, but likewise, software was its weakness. How Nintendo delivers software and how quickly will be one of the system's "tells" in terms of success or failure.

As for me, I'll be buying one. 1 2 Switch looks like a lot of fun! Zelda:BofW is gorgeous, and those draw distances impressed. It does worry me how much time they expect of players; but they've learned a lot over the years, so that could just be a lot of room for sidequesting/exploration.

Nintendo, don't mess this up!

dementedhut Jan 13, 2017

I'm just confused why people are looking forward to a port of Skyrim on a new console, a game that came out over five years ago on everything else. Please don't tell me it's because they can play it on a small screen now...

honestgamer Blogger Jan 13, 2017

That's the reason I've fairly often seen cited, yes. They're actually pretty excited about that. I've seen a number of people who are apparently looking forward to playing it on an airplane or whatever.

hastypixels Jan 14, 2017

@pickhut Apparently the Switch is a response to a major shift toward mobile gaming in Japan. The Tegra - custom, whatever - could see ports of mobile games to the Switch in a real hurry. Is the OS a custom version of Android? The code base could smooth out all of the problems Nintendo introduced with its past online policies. Of course, they're already instituting strange new policies.

It struck me that the touch screen is an odd inclusion, because it can't be used while the unit is connected to the television. Alternatively, games like Angry Birds could be a shoe-in, inviting players who already play mobile to the system. Though, how likely they are to do that with their gaming time already occupied by their phones ... is very small.

Nintendo has opened so many doors, but put strange locks on them. Do they really not understand how people game?

joseph_valencia Jan 14, 2017

If you're going to hook your Switch up to a television, then you probably don't care about using touch controls. I'm fine with that, because one of my pet peeves with Wii U games is when they force you to use the touch screen while using normal controls at the same time. (e.g. certain levels of Super Mario 3D World.)

I see the Switch as basically the gaming equivalent of Microsoft's Surface tablet. People had the same dismissive reaction to Microsoft's device when it was announced back in 2012, and now I notice that people are anticipating the next Surface Pro while the phone market seems to be plateauing.

hastypixels Jan 14, 2017

There's this odd notion of having multiple Switches in a home, but at the current price point it makes more sense to by a second switch than the accessories to supply four players. If Ninty can provide the software, it could happen.

Incidentally, the only time touch makes any sense to me is for inventory management and drawing on the screen. The best examples of touch screen interaction could lead the way for the Switch. That's a playground with a lot of fingerprints in it.

Genj Jan 14, 2017

So I pre-ordered one yesterday. The Switch version of Zelda looked a lot cleaner and I'm hearing it'll run at a better resolution and have faster load times. I'd rather play the best version of it at launch even if it's only a minor upgrade. The announced games for the future and $300 price helped the decision a bit. Mario Odyssey looks great and I'm down for Xenoblade 2, new MegaTen, Splatoon 2, and Fire Emblem Warriors. Nintendo consoles are always going to have a bunch of excellent exclusives. I'm not a fan of the 32GB memory. It won't be a problem for me as long as we don't get 10GB patches for games or digital only localizations.

honestgamer Blogger Jan 14, 2017

I looked up 256GB microSDXC cards, which the system appears to support, and they cost $149.99 or so for Samsung's super high-speed ones. Which should be plenty doable even if I buy a lot of eShop stuff over the life of the system. Plus, costs will likely come down a lot over the coming years. So that seems reasonable, given the hardware's portable nature. And yeah, the software that is coming for the Switch looks pretty good, much of it... though I'm not convinced that I'll ever be a huge fan of 1-2-Switch.