Nintendo Won't Be Revealing More Details On The Nintendo Switch Until Next Year

Now that everyone has had the chance to see what the Nintendo Switch looks like, many are wondering on its specifications and pricing. Unfortunately, Nintendo says that it will be withholding additional info on the console until 2017.

“We haven’t shown everything,” a Nintendo spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal (via GameSpot). The same spokesperson also said that it would only be releasing more details on the Nintendo Switch next year just before its scheduled release date in March. The company has not disclosed an exact release date as well.

Nintendo has declined to comment what Nvidia chipset the Switch is using. The company has also not given details on the tablet’s additional features, screen resolution, weight and dimensions and third-party controller support, as pointed out by Polygon.

The Nintendo Switch, which was codenamed “NX” not so long ago, is a hybrid console combining mobile and home console gaming. It comes with a tablet that detaches from the main dock allowing users to continue playing on the go. This has brought on a lot of speculation as to how the console works which prompted Nintendo to clarify the difference between the dock and the detachable LCD screen tablet.

“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,” a Nintendo representative told IGN.

“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.” The representative also confirmed that the Joy-Con controllers will be included with the Nintendo Switch.

This means that the main console is the detachable LCD screen and not the dock itself. The dock doesn’t contribute to the system’s overall performance. This has a lot of people worried as the tablet part of the console is small and it may not deliver a gaming experience that meets today’s standards.

However, one thing is for certain: the Nintendo Switch will come with Unreal Engine 4 support, as revealed by Unreal Engine on its official Twitter account. Unreal Engine is a game engine by Epic Games and it is used most prominently on PC games and mobile games for iOS and Android devices. Unreal Engine is also used for some games for the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4. For example, Square Enix’s upcoming “Kingdom Hearts III” is using this game engine. This possibly hints at what the Switch is capable of when it comes to graphics performance.

Last Friday, Nintendo’s stock value dropped by 6.5 percent, which is a bigger drop when it first announced the Wii U back in 2011. Although the upcoming console has stirred a lot of buzz, analysts doubt the console’s ability to appeal to a wide audience. Perhaps revealing more details on the console’s feature may put investors and consumers at ease.