I can't believe the Nintendo Switch ride is almost over, folks. I started writing about the Switch back in July 2015 back when it was the "NX," and since then I've pushed out dozens upon dozens of articles on the hardware. Tonight Nintendo will finally end the wild speculations with its official Nintendo Switch 2017 Presentation reveal.
On the eve of the handheld-and-console's unveiling, we discuss all the predictions and summarize more than a year's worth of coverage. Tonight at 11PM EST, Nintendo will reveal full pricing, availability, launch date, games lineup, and much more, showcasing the entirety of its Switch hardware. It's a weird feeling to know the ride is almost over, but I do understand that it won't ever really be done: this hypetrain will continue rolling throughout the months, especially given Nintendo's mysterious nature.
We hope you've enjoyed our Nintendo NX and Nintendo Switch content over the years, and don't worry, we're not abandoning the subject. Far from it. I think 2017 will bring tons of Switch coverage, but it won't be the same crazy reports, speculations, rumors and patent-rifling reveals.
I can honestly say I've learned a lot by covering the Switch, especially about patents--I've looked through about five different Switch patents now, much to the dismay of my poor eyes!
But in reality, there's not much we can say now that we haven't said before, and you can find a huge catalog of everything we know about the Switch below, aligned and sorted in bullet points.
We'll be sure to keep you updated when the Nintendo Switch Presentation kicks off at 11PM EST, so be sure to keep an eye out for our coverage.
Expected Nintendo Switch specs and performance
(Note: most of this information has not been officially confirmed)
Console Mode
- Chip type: highly-customized, revamped Tegra, possbily 20nm Maxwell or 16nm Pascal
- Power: USB Type-C, charged docked
- Video out: HDMI
- GPU clock: 768MHz (max, could be variable based on game/app/program, won't always hit max perf)
- CPU clock: 1020MHz (consistent perf)
- System RAM: 4GB unified memory (unified VRAM and DRAM)
- Resolution output: native 1080p switched over from handheld's 720p resolution
- Unreal Engine 4 GFX display settings: High
Handheld Mode
- Chip type: highly-customized, revamped Tegra, possbily 20nm Maxwell or 16nm Pascal
- Power: USB Type-C, external charger
- Video out: N/A
- GPU clock: downclocked to 302MHz (maximum based on game/app/program, won't always hit max perf)
- CPU clock: 1020MHz (consistent perf)
- System RAM: 4GB unified memory (unified VRAM and DRAM)
- Battery Life: ~3 Hours?
- Resolution output: 720p resolution in 6.2-inch tablet handheld
- Unreal Engine 4 GFX display settings: Medium
Nintendo Switch Info and Specs
- Nintendo Switch handheld tablet uses non-removable, rechargable 3.7V Li-Ion battery
- Both 2.4GHz and 5GHz 802.11ac MIMO Wi-Fi supported
- No LTE/cellular internet support
- USB Type-C confirmed
- No Ethernet port in the Switch cradle/dock, requires USB-to-ethernet adapter, compatible with Wii's LAN adapter
- Switch handheld supports MicroSD for expanded memory
- Laptops can be hooked directly to the cradle
- Detachable JoyPad controllers are connected via Bluetooth
- Low-power Bluetooth, likely Bluetooth 4.0 +
- AC Adapter output (from dock to handheld) DC 5 V - DC 15 V, 2.6 A - Switch has max power draw of 39W while charging on cradle, supports Type-C quick-charge*
- AC Adapter input (from wall to dock) AC 100 - 240 V, 50 / 60 Hz, 1 A - standardized power, hinting the Switch may be region-free (the Wii U's adapter, however, is similarly rated and isn't region-free)
*Basic formula to convert volts to watts is Watts = Volts x Amps, so we plug in the Switch's 15V times the 2.6A to get 39W, meaning the Switch will draw a max of 39W while docked.
At TweakTown we've extensively covered all Switch reports and news, and you can find a full catalog of our content here. You can also scroll down below for a bullet list of all the pertinent details.
The Nintendo Switch launches in March 2017, possibly at a $249 and $299 price point, with a major reveal including full specs, launch lineup and more being held on January 13-15, 2017. Check below for everything we know about the Nintendo Switch so far, including confirmed details, analyses, rumors, specs and more.
Everything we know about Nintendo Switch so far:
- Massive array of Nintendo Switch accessories leaked, includes fight sticks, USB Ethernet adapters and much more
- Leaked GameStop docs reveal Switch launch lineup?
- What if Nintendo Switch has its own game rental service?
- New Zelda will reportedly be Nintendo Switch launch game
- Nintendo Switch listed for 399 Euros on GameStop
- Nintendo Switch to launch March 17, according to leaks
- Nintendo Switch launch games lineup leaked
- Nintendo Switch and Wii U third party partners compared
- Nintendo Switch to get 'lots' of Unreal Engine 4 games
- Nintendo Switch adverts go up, delay unlikely
- EA only bringing a 'game or two' to Nintendo Switch
- Nintendo Switch certified for Vulkan and OpenGL 4.5
- Nintendo Switch portable GPU speeds halved to 302MHz, docked GPU speeds only hit 768MHz max
- Nintendo Switch has higher GPU, CPU perf while docked?
- Nintendo Switch may support head-tracking mobile VR
- Nintendo Switch switches to full 1080p while docked
- Nintendo Switch to have Gamecube Virtual Console games
- Nintendo Switch listed at $245, to release March 17?
- Porting games over to Nintendo Switch might be easy
- Nintendo Switch to get full HD Pokemon Sun and Moon port
- Nintendo Switch price to start at $249, deluxe at $299
- Nintendo Switch launch games teased, 2017 will be huge
- Nintendo Switch to let you play modded Skyrim on-the-go
- Zelda Breath of the Wild may not be a Switch launch game
- Nintendo Switch may have 4GB unified memory pool
- Nintendo Switch handheld delivers console-quality gaming
- 3DS won't be cannibalized by new Switch console, Nintendo President confirms
- Nintendo Switch to have wide array of hardware add-ons
- Nintendo Switch may use USB Type-C for power
- Nintendo Switch has 6-inch 720p display with 10-point capacitive multi-touch
- Nintendo investors hate the Switch hybrid
- Everything you need to know about the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo's new transforming handheld console hybrid
- Nintendo to reveal Switch pricing, specs, launch games and more on January 12, 2017
- 3DS won't be cannibalized by Switch, says Nintendo
- Nintendo Switch gameplay graphics and features are subject to change
- Nintendo Switch is single-screen only, says Nintendo
- Nintendo Switch to launch only as complete bundle
- Nintendo expect 2 million Switch console sales at launch
- Nintendo Switch may have extra power while docked
- Nintendo Switch isn't backward compatible with Wii U games
- Nintendo Switch's battery may only last 3 hours?
- Nintendo won't reveal full Switch console specs until 2017
- Nintendo Switch gets a much-needed splash of color
- Nintendo's new Switch console powered by NVIDIA Tegra
- Nintendo Switch may sport dedicated game video recording
- Skyrim hasn't yet been confirmed for the Nintendo Switch
Everything we know about the Nintendo NX so far:
- Is the NX officially named Nintendo Duo?
- NX to meld mobile, console gaming with seamless syncing
- Nintendo NX rumored to be 3-4x faster than Wii U
- Nintendo NX might be transforming hybrid handheld, not a console
- Nintendo NX to have AAA games from Square Enix, Ubisoft, Activision
- Pokemon CEO hints Nintendo NX is console handheld hybrid
- Pokemon games coming to Nintendo's next-gen NX console
- Nintendo expected to reveal its NX console in October
- Bethesda games could show up on Nintendo's new NX
- Nintendo NX dimensions and design possibly leaked
- Nintendo NX may have split D-pad and share button
- Nintendo admits it has to communicate better with the NX
- NVIDIA's new 'Parker' SoC should power Nintendo NX
- NX getting a MMORPG hints at home console component
- Nintendo NX graphics are between PS3 and PS4
- NVIDIA's new 'Parker' SoC should power Nintendo NX
- Nintendo NX will have Zelda, Mario and Pokemon games within 6 months
- Nintendo NX might support Pokemon Go and other mobile games
- Nintendo successfully patents external console upgrade box, could support the NX
- Ubisoft might've dropped some major Nintendo NX clues
- Nintendo is officially researching VR
- Nintendo NX might use both cartridges and discs
- Nintendo NX launches March 2017 globally
- Nintendo NX will launch with a 'full software lineup'
- Nintendo focusing on 'greatness of games' over hardware performance
- Nintendo says Zelda: Breath of the Wild will be an 'immediate reason' to buy an NX console
- Nintendo NX will powered by an NVIDIA Tegra processor, not an AMD chip
- The NX is rumored to feature gaming at 900p 60FPS with 4K video support
- The NX is rumored to use AMD's new 14nm Polaris GPU
- Devs claim the NX is incredibly easy to develop games for
- The NX won't have a disc drive, games will be on cartridges
- The console will also have a portable Wii U-like controller that allows gaming on-the-go somewhat like a 3DS
- The NX will support Frostbite, Unreal Engine 4 and Unity
- Nintendo's new console will also interact with smartphones and PCs as well as existing Nintendo hardware like the Wii U and 3DS handheld