The Nintendo Switch (Japanese: ニンテンドー スイッチ) is the seventh home video game system developed by Nintendo. Known during development by the codename NX, it was announced in October 2016 and released worldwide on March 3, 2017. The Nintendo Switch is considered a "hybrid" console; It was originally designed as a home gaming system, with the main unit mounted on the lap station to connect to a TV. Alternatively, it can be removed from the dock for tablet-like use via the LCD touchscreen, or placed in a standalone tabletop style visible to a group of players. The Switch uses two wireless Joy-Con controllers, each containing standard buttons and a directional joystick for user input, a motion sensor, and high-precision haptic feedback. The Joy-Con can be attached to either side of the device to support handheld gameplay, attached to an accessory grip to provide the look of a traditional game system using a GamePad, or used individually using a hand like the Wii Remote, supporting local multiplayer mode. The Switch software supports playing on the Internet by connecting to it, in addition to the local connection to the Adhoc wireless network with other Switch devices. The Switch games and software are available in physical ROM cartridges, flash and digital distribution, and do not use regional locking technology.
The idea for the Switch came about as a result of Nintendo's reaction to the financial losses it suffered in several quarters of 2014, attributed to poor sales of its predecessor, the Wii U, due to competition in the market with portable games. Then-Nintendo President Satoru Iwata pushed the company into the field of portable games and novel devices. The Switch's design is aimed at a more expansive demographic of video game players by offering multiple modes of use. Nintendo chose to use more standard electronic components in its device, such as an electronic chip based on the NVIDIA TETRA architecture, to make system development easier for programmers and more compatible with current game engines. As the previous console, the Wii U, had struggled to gain external support, being left with a weak software library, Nintendo proactively sought support from several third-party developers and publishers to help build the Switch's game library side by side. With company-owned first-party developers, including several independent game studios. Before the console was even released, Nintendo announced that about 100 games were being developed by 70 developers.
The device shipped around 2.74 million units in its first month of release, exceeding Nintendo's initial forecast of 2 million units, making it the fastest-selling home console in its history. Sales of the console were closely tied to the critically acclaimed The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which was released worldwide alongside the Switch's launch date.
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Nintendo counted 2014 as one of its biggest financial losses in recent history, attributed to poor sales of its hardware versus mobile games. Previously, the company was hesitant about this market, as the company's president, Satoru Iwata, considered at the time that they "won't be Nintendo" and lose their identity if they tried to enter that field. About three years before the Switch was announced, Iwata, Tatsumi Kimishima, Genio Takeda and Shigeru Miyamoto devised a strategy to reinvigorate Nintendo's business model, which included approaching the mobile market, creating new hardware, and maximizing intellectual property. Prior to his death, Iwata was able to secure a business alliance with Japanese mobile service provider DNA to develop mobile games based on Nintendo's first-party series, believing this approach would not compromise their integrity. After Iwata's death in July 2015, Kimishima became president of Nintendo, while Miyamoto was promoted to "Creator Fellow".
Kimishima stated that when Nintendo was evaluating what new hardware it wanted to produce, it did not "want a successor" to either the Nintendo 3DS or Wii U, but instead asked "what kind of new experience could we create?" In an interview with the Asahi newspaper, Kimishima stated that the Switch was designed to provide a "new way to play" that would "have a bigger impact than the Wii U". The president and director of operations of Nintendo of America, Reggie Face-Ameh, confirmed that the device will give players the option to play at home or on the go, and indicated that it will allow developers to develop new types of games.
Shinya Takahashi, general manager of Nintendo Entertainment Planning and Development (EPD), considered that the Switch's design addressed cultural differences between Western and Japanese gamers, particularly students; While Japanese students typically spend more time together after school and gaming is an integral part of that social time, Western students tend to have busier programs that limit this, making the Switch's features able to cater to both lifestyles. . In some cases, Switch games are designed to encourage social interactions in groups, such as 1-2 Switch which requires players to look face-to-face rather than at the screen. Since Nintendo is an entertainment company, Kimishima said, they see Switch games that encourage fun social interactions as supportive of their ultimate goals. The name "Switch" was chosen not only to refer to the console's ability to switch from portable media to mainstream media, but to present "the idea that the 'Switch' will upend and change the way people experience entertainment in their everyday lives"