We are now less than two weeks away to one of the most exciting days in the video game industry, the release of a mainline console. For the last 20 or more years, the video game market has been ruled by the big 3; Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo. Nintendo single handedly saved the video game industry in America, Sony created fierce competition, and Microsoft differentiated from the rest. On March 3^rd, a struggling Nintendo is releasing a very promising console in the Nintendo Switch, and here are the 5 things are going to get people excited.

5 – The Joy Cons

These controllers are the first truly new, different, and innovative controllers that have come around since the Wii Motion controls in 2007. These controllers have the ability the both be connected to the console itself and be used freely in each hand. The Joy Cons can also be used separately as stand-alone controllers in multiplayer games such as Mario Kart and Super Bomberman R. These modular controllers have garnered very positive feedback in recent weeks, and the public cannot wait to get their hands on them.

4 – Online Multiplayer

The Switch will be Nintendo’s first true foray into the online multiplayer world. I say true effort because while Nintendo has had online multiplayer in the past, it has been very lackluster in that it was very unreliable and did not include voice chat, which is something that has been industry-standard for some time now. Launching with the Switch will be a companion smartphone app that will work in tandem with the console for online multiplayer. This app will allow people to voice chat with their friends during online games, as well as start groups to play games together. This app has received mixed reviews thus far, however, the inclusion of voice chat and strong online play in and of itself will speak volumes when the console is released.

3 – Local Multiplayer

Nintendo has always prided itself on having the best gaming experiences that one can possibly have. One of their ideals of gaming is that you should be sharing it with your friends and family that are right there with you. The Nintendo Switch will be trying to revive the “lost” era of local multiplayer gaming through a multitude of ways. Firstly, the console will be the first mainstream console in over a generation that ships with more than one controller in the box; the two Joy-Cons in the box can both be used together as one controller and separate as two controllers for two people. Moreover, up to eight consoles can be linked together over local wireless for multiplayer. It is gaming like this that make Nintendo truly unique.

2 – The Games

The Nintendo Switch is going to launch with what many hope will be the best game on the console during its lifespan, possibly this gaming generation as a whole. Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has been in development for over 5 years now and only recently was announced as complete. The game has already received rave reviews, and the public can hardly contain their excitement to explore the new world that has been created within the game. On top of that, the switch is launching with other notable games such as Super Bomberman R, Just Dance 2017, and Snipperclips. Moreover, the first year of the Switch is riddled with many triple-A titles such as Skyrim, Fifa 18, NBA 2k18, Dragonball Xenoverse, and the Switch will end the year with a new Mario game titled Super Mario Odyssey. The Switch will have many options and styles of play for everyone to enjoy.

1 – The Innovation

Perhaps the most enticing thing about the entire console is the fact that it can be two game systems in one. The Switch comes as a tablet that the Joy-Cons can attach to, and the console can be taken anywhere and completely portable. When the Joy-Cons detach, there is a dock that the Switch can slide into. This dock then streams the console on to any television for full high definition gameplay. The transition between these two styles of play is seamless, and it is ushering in a new era of video games for the general public. People will be able to take their favorite home console games anywhere they want any time at all, and it is this innovation, among many others, that have caused the Nintendo Switch to have high amounts of buildup before its launch on March 3^rd. The world is waiting with bated breath, and the last 12 days cannot go fast enough.