Putting Nintendo Switch launch games into perspective

Nintendo's brand new Switch handheld-console hybrid will launch on March 3 with only 11 games, and half of them are Japanese. Is this enough games? Why aren't there more? We put this launch line up into perspective, and talk about why people are upset--but more importantly, we discuss what the Switch actually is and why it's launching with these specific games.

Like the PS4 and Xbox One before them, the Nintendo Switch's launch games are rather...sparse. But the Switch has major advantages those consoles didn't have--unique, innovative hardware, and games that fully leverage said hardware. But gamers are upset, and rightly so.

A huge portion of the rumored games just didn't make an appearance at Nintendo's reveal event...but was that Nintendo's fault, or our own for believing the console would launch with Smash 4, Mother 3 VC, Gamecube Virtual Console support, and a new Monster Hunter game?

Read Also: Nintendo Switch hardware specs revealed

The Nintendo Switch will launch with these 11 games on March 3, 2017:

• Zelda: Breath of the Wild (NA, JP and EU)
• Dragon Quest Heroes 1 & 2
• 1, 2 Switch!
• Snipper Clips: Cut it Out Together!
• Just Dance 2017
• Super Bomberman R

Japanese Switch launch games:

• Disgaea 5: Complete
• Nobunaga's Ambition - Sphere of Influence
• Puyo Puyo Tetris
• Romance of the 13 Kingdoms
• Spelunker

Still, though, I can see the points of certain arguments. Although the Switch is region free and can play Japanese games, the lineup is still rather lackluster. With the exception of a few games including Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Disgaea 5: Complete, Dragon Quest Heroes 1-2, and 1-2 Switch, there isn't a lot for me here. And I think a lot of people feel that same way. But the Switch is something new; Nintendo is asking us to trust them.

For all we know, 1-2 Switch or Snipper Clips: Cut it Out Together might be the most fun game ever made. That's the thing: we have to try this games out to really understand what makes them special, and in a way, Nintendo is facing the same kind of barriers that VR faced over the last few years in that "seeing is believing."

In the video above, I add some perspective to this launch lineup, to the Switch itself, and it's upcoming games. Zelda will carry the console for 2-3 months at least, and by that team we'll have even more games rolling out--fresh indies, new first-party releases, Virtual Console games, etc--to bolster the lineup.

The Nintendo Switch will launch on March 3, 2017 for $299. Check below for a catalog of everything we know about the Nintendo Switch so far.

Everything we know about the Nintendo Switch:

• Nintendo Switch supports 2TB Micro SDXC cards
• Nintendo Switch online chat requires smartphone app
• Here's why Nintendo Switch doesn't come with any games
• Nintendo will soon charging gamers to play online multiplayer via subscription service
• Nintendo Switch UI revealed, let's take a closer look
• Nintendo Switch touchscreen has haptic feedback tech
• Nintendo stock drops after Switch unveil event
• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on Switch runs at 1080p when docked
• Nintendo Switch hardware specs revealed
• Nintendo Switch costs $299, coming March 3
• Nintendo Switch battery life is 2.5 hours to 6 hours
• New Mario: Odyssey game won't be Nintendo Switch launch title
• Zelda: Breath of the Wild is Switch launch game