This week we’re talking about . . . the Nintendo Switch

It will be sold in two versions; one with grey Joy-Con controllers, and a version with one neon blue and one neon red Joy-Con.

Nintendo does have one more March game in its Switch lineup: the weirdly titled Snipperclips. Similarly, the Wii U’s CPU architecture is a few years’ shy of 20 years old, and even its newer GPU core is based on technology almost a decade old at this point.

“It is a console with a complicated controller setup and that means game makers have to create titles to fit with that, which is a problem”, said Kenji Ono, an independent gaming journalist.

In Ball Count, players shake and tilt their Joy-Con around in their hand, and try to guess how many marbles are rolling around inside. In Safe Crack, players slowly rotate the Joy-Con until they feel the ever-so-subtle click of tumblers falling into place in a lock.

The company planned a similar presentation in the US later Friday.

Nintendo needs the Switch to help it recover from disappointing sales from the Wii U and the 3DS handheld.

Nintendo is doing something nearly unprecedented with a spring launch for the Switch, and that creates a unique case that for the console’s first holiday, it actually has about eight months to build up steam. The tracker will also be able to detect exactly how far an object is from the controller. All we know right now is that it’ll have some of the latter built in, but it doesn’t sound all that great. And playing console-quality Mario, Zelda and even Skyrim anywhere is an exciting prospect. But what really makes it all work is the incredibly flexible and functional new controllers called Joy-Con. In terms of controls, each Joy-Con features the previously depicted 4 face buttons, a large shoulder button, an analog stick; also confirmed today is that on the inside, rail edge of the Joy-Cons are a pair of smaller shoulder buttons for when a single Joy-Con is used as a controller. They’re surprisingly comfortable – but only in short bursts. Then you have the online fee and the aforementioned fully priced retail games, and potential amiibo functionality (recent figures have encroached $20 territory, like the Monster Hunter and the Guardian Zelda toys).

The Nintendo Switch battery life is said to be between 2.5-6 hours depending on the game played. Removing the console from its base switches it into a mobile mode. As long suspected, the Switch features a 1280x720p capacitive touch screen LCD.

The console, which will use cartridges instead of discs as games, can also be played at home by connecting the Switch to a dock and using the Joy-Cons wirelessly. It’s a sort of futuristic boxing competition where both of the participants have huge spring-loaded arms and you use the console’s detachable controllers to move them. Mizuho Financial Group Inc.’s Takeshi Koyama last week wrote he expects the Switch to go for around US$249 to $279.

Here’s what you need to know about Nintendo Switch pre-orders, and why it’s best that you get your debit or credit card ready as soon as possible to get your device reserved.

Odyssey launches for Switch this holiday.

Intersting to note the monthly game download will include an NES or SNES title for free for a month. Still, the higher-than-anticipated price cast a cloud over the announcement: Wal-Mart Stores listed the new device on its Canadian website at a price that was above analysts’ estimates and slightly more than rival gadgets, and Nintendo shares fell as much as 3.9 per cent.