Yesterday’s reveal of the Nintendo Switch brought out a lot of commentary, and even more questions. Many wondered about the upcoming console’s price, battery life, region locking, backwards compatibility, and other possible features. A few media outlets reached out to Nintendo and got very few answers.
According to Famitsu, Nintendo reiterated their stance that the Switch is not a replacement for either the Wii U or 3DS. Being that the Switch uses a “game card” cartridge, it will obviously not be backwards compatible with Wii U discs. However, the new hybrid console will not play 3DS carts natively, either. It may be possible to play Wii U or 3DS games that are downloaded via Nintendo’s eShop, but no details have been revealed.
Nintendo also confirmed to Famitsu that “two Joy-Con controllers, that is the left and right Joy-Con controllers, will be included in the package.” There is no mention of the dock being included. Could the Nintendo Switch be sold without the dock?
As for the dock itself, IGN spoke to Nintendo and confirmed that the dock is not the main unit.
“The Nintendo Switch Dock has been created so that it is extremely easy to seamlessly switch from playing games on a TV to transition into a portable mode,” a Nintendo representative told IGN.
“The dock is not the main console unit of Nintendo Switch. The main unit of Nintendo Switch is the unit that has the LCD screen, which the two Joy-Con controllers can be attached to and detached from. The main function of the Nintendo Switch Dock is to provide an output to the TV, as well as charging and providing power to the system.”
One last thing Nintendo did share with IGN is that amiibo support will be included. “If a Nintendo Switch game supports amiibo then the Nintendo Switch home gaming system will as well.”
Past those tidbits, Nintendo has refused to share any more information. Truth is, we may not get any more detailed information until next year, before the March 2017 release of the Nintendo Switch.
