The launch of the Nintendo Switch is only a month and a bit away (March 3) and there are still lots of things we want to know about it.
Unfortunately the Big N is remaining tight-lipped about certain specifics of the system at launch and its long-term plans, but they have let a few Meowths (ba-dum!) out of the bag.
Speaking to our friends over at Kotaku, the games giant revealed that “the Nintendo Switch system is not backward compatible with games designed for other systems, and is not currently compatible with controllers designed for other systems”.
This answer was in direct response to a question about Nintendo’s two most recent home consoles, the Wii and the Wii U: the latter of which uses a similar touchscreen tablet device to the Switch.
The company did add that “support for certain controllers may be considered for a future update”, which could mean anything from Wii Remotes to GameCube controllers for Super Smash Bros. to the Donkey Kong bongos (pretty please).
Despite announcing that its as-yet-unpriced online subscription service will include a monthly free NES or SNES title, Nintendo said: “we have nothing to announce regarding Virtual Console or other types of digital purchases at this time”.
After saying “we have nothing to announce at this time” quite a lot, Kotaku asked about popular video streaming services like Netflix and Amazon, to which Nintendo said they had nothing to announce, but in more words this time.
“All of our efforts have gone toward making the Nintendo Switch system an amazing dedicated video game platform, so it will not support any video-streaming services at launch. However, support for video-streaming services is being considered for a future update.”
One thing the Switch will have is Mii characters, although this feature will be located in the Settings rather than a dedicate home page app.
“Mii characters can be used to represent a user profile, Nintendo added, “but are not required. Mii characters can still be used in games if developers choose to include them.”
The Switch will launch on March 3 for £279.99 in the UK and $299.99 in the US. The company has said it is preparing enough stock to avoid a shortage like last year’s NES Classic.
Launch titles include The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and some other games that aren’t Zelda.
