Nintendo Switch / Platform

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The Wii U put Nintendo in a rough spot; it followed up Nintendo's best-selling home console by being their worst-selling one, and became the company’s biggest flop since the Virtual Boy. There were many reasons for this, but one of the more commonly cited ones was that its GamePad tablet controller failed to capture the imagination or attention of developers and players alike in the same way motion controls did for the Wii. However, most Wii U owners agreed that the GamePad had one good feature going for it: Off-TV Play. While games with second-screen features^note didn't catch on, most games for the system did not require a television to be played, as they could be played on the GamePad screen. While this gave players the ability to enjoy their Wii U games even when a TV was unavailable, it lacked the versatility and flexibility of a true portable system since the GamePad was ultimately still tethered to the console.

Meanwhile, despite an initially slow and painful start, the Nintendo 3DS had managed to maintain Nintendo's hold on the portable gaming market and keep them afloat. While it wouldn't go on to sell as much as any of their other handhelds, it still defeated the PlayStation Vita in a Curb-Stomp Battle and proved that dedicated gaming handhelds still had their place despite mobile phone games gaining dominance in the 2010s.

With their home console dying and their portable console, well, not necessarily thriving, but still doing far more than just surviving, Nintendo had a lot to think about going forward. One of these things being their whole development pipeline. Since the Game Boy, the technology behind their handhelds and home consoles have been vastly different, meaning the handheld and home console teams couldn't really share any tips or tricks when it came to developing games. While this was fine in a pre-HD world, HD development was proving to be quite the expensive endeavor, so it was decided that they needed to make sure their next pair of consoles at least shared the same development platform in order to streamline things. That way, it would be easier to continue making the experiences that both Eastern and Western players wanted; after all, dedicated handhelds and smartphone games dominated Japan, while in the West, there was a preference for home consoles and PCs. Sure, it would be great if they could have a single device that could do both in order to streamline things even further for both themselves and other developers who would like to target both markets at once with reduced dev costs, but surely mobile technology hasn't advanced quickly enough to allow such an endeavor, right?

Enter the Nintendo Switch.

The Nintendo Switch is Nintendo's seventh home gaming console, released worldwide on March 3, 2017. The console was first announced in March 2015 by Satoru Iwata, just months before his death, as a means to quell rumors that Nintendo was exiting the console business after the failure of the Wii U and recently announced plans to start making smartphone games. Simply referred to as codename "NX", it was simply stated to be a "brand-new concept" that would exist as a third pillar to the Wii U and 3DS.^note After over a year of silence, rumors and speculation, the console was officially revealed in October 2016 as a "hybrid" device, consisting of a touchscreen monitor and detachable controllers known as Joy-Con, that can smoothly switch between TV Mode (using a docking station for the monitor) and portable play (boasting a Handheld Mode with the controllers attached, and a Tabletop Mode with the controllers detached and the monitor propped up with an integrated kickstand). Meanwhile, the Joy-Con, though normally used vertically in pairs as a split controller or placed in a grip, can be turned horizontally and used individually, allowing many games to have instant out-of-the-box two-person multiplayer.^note And if you aren't fond of the Joy-Con, just like the Wii and Wii U, you can grab a more traditional "Pro Controller" that can be used in Tabletop and TV modes.

The Nintendo Switch, to put it bluntly, was an overnight success. It sold 2.74 million units by the end of its first month to become the best launch for any Nintendo system to-date, and would proceed to spend each subsequent year beating the lifetime sales of at least one of its predecessors. Nintendo themselves predicted before the system's launch that the Switch could sell as much as the Wii by the end of its lifecycle, something that it would accomplish in its fifth year. As of March 2024, the system has sold 141.32 million units, making it the third highest-selling console of all time behind the Nintendo DS and PlayStation 2, with Nintendo now anticipating it to outsell the former by the end of March 2025. This overwhelming success carried over to the console's software, as nearly every Nintendo franchise that made an appearance on the system — from niche series like Pikmin to established big-sellers like Pokémon — would break franchise records to become among the best-selling (if not the best-selling) entries in their franchises, with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe in particular not only doing so by ridiculous margins, but becoming among the Top 20 best-selling games of all-time in the process.

One year after release, Nintendo would try to increase that success with Nintendo Labo, a series of DIY development kits for the Switch that consists of gaming software and cardboard cutouts that can be assembled into accessories called Toy-Cons. Releasing on April 20, 2018, the first sets were released: the "Variety Kit" and the "Robot Kit". The "Vehicle Kit" would be released in September and Labo "VR Kit" the following April.

In September 2018, after a year-and-a-half of free online play, Nintendo introduced their first paid online service in Nintendo Switch Online. In addition to continued access to online play, players got cloud saves, exclusive games and avatars, and (replacing the role of the Virtual Console) a downloadable library of classic titles. While only Nintendo Entertainment System titles were available at launch, other Nintendo (and Sega) systems would be added over time as part of both the base tier and the "Expansion Pack" tier, the latter being introduced in October 2021 and also granting access to the paid DLC of select games for no extra charge. See the page on this service for more details on its features as well as the list of games available for it.

In September 2019, in addition to quietly releasing a new V2 revision of the Switch that incorporated a more power-efficient chipset for increased battery life and improved build quality to address some of physical Joy-Con issues present in launch version, Nintendo released an entirely new model called the Nintendo Switch Lite. Positioned as a $200USD budget alternative to the $300 base model, the Lite lacks TV-Out and has the controls integrated with the system (albeit with HD Rumble and the IR Camera removed, and the split D-pad swapped out for a standard one), thus acting purely as a dedicated handheld, though external Joy-Con can still be paired for multiplayer and any games that require individual Joy-Con use, such as 1-2-Switch or Nintendo Switch Sports. This was followed in October 2021 with the Nintendo Switch - OLED model, positioned as a $350 premium option with more storage memory, a bigger kickstand, improved speakers, a magnesium alloy case, and a larger OLED screen. While the OLED can be used with the old dock, it comes with a revised one that features a dedicated wired LAN port, which the standard Switch model can also use.

As an aside, due to its hybrid nature, the Switch follows the lead of Nintendo's previous handhelds in using Game Cards, a proprietary type of ROM cartridge based on the SD Card (flash memory) format, as its physical media instead of optical discs. Also in following the lead of (most of) their handhelds, the Switch is first Nintendo home console system to be region-free, something Nintendo themselves noted during the Switch's launch presentation. There is another aspect of the hardware is less interesting or beneficial than these, though: "Joy-Con drift", where the Joy-Con control sticks start outputting inappropriate movement due to dust and debris entering its internals; the only real workaround is to either buy new Joy-Cons or send them in for free repair.^note

Finally, while the popularity of the Nintendo Switch would inspire similar products, it didn't come in the form of their competitors in the console space, who have since settled into their own comfortable niches in the home console space. Instead, the Switch — as well as Valve's Steam Deck and ASUS' ROG Ally — would result in the revitalization of the handheld PC market, which would restructure itself into offering devices that would act as alternatives to gaming laptops.

Technical-specs

Processors

Powered by a NVIDIA Tegra X1 system-on-a-chip, chip number ODNX02-A2.
- CPU: Octa-core, 4x ARM Cortex A57 + 4x ARM Cortex A53 using a proprietary core migration system devised by Nvidia, all cores run at 1.02GHz regardless of mode. The Switch has a 64 bit CPU with a 128 bit GPU bus. The system is capable of running both 32- and 64-bit software, with many ports from older systems such as the Wii U opting to run in 32-bit mode. Also, the system will only report 4 cores as each A57 core is “shadowed” by an A53 core and the scheduler on the SOC will decide which core to use based on workload.
- GPU: Second-generation NVIDIA Maxwell with some ISA/CG backported from Pascal ^note, 256 CUDA cores, runs at 768MHz in console mode or 307.2MHz in handheld and tabletop modes. Can reclock its speed on the fly as the device switches between console and handheld/tabletop modes. Games can also force the GPU run at 768MHz.

Memory

4GB of RAM provided by two 2GB Samsung LPDDR4 modules, uses HSA to share video and system memory. Low compared to the PS4 and Xbox One, but more than adequate when compared to a contemporary mainstream Android tablet or TV box. RAM operates at 1.6GHz in console mode and 1.33GHz in handheld/tabletop mode. The memory management unit has the capability of reclocking the RAM's speed on-the-fly as the device switches between console and handheld/tabletop mode. Games can also force the MMU run at 1.6GHz.
Internal storage is 32GB for Switch models with LCD screens (the 2017 and 2019 models, as well as the Switch Lite) and 64GB for the 2021 OLED model. Interestingly, this is mounted on a removable breakout board. The Switch also accepts MicroSDXC cards for storage expansion — which considering the aforementioned amount of storage, is quite necessary for anyone looking to go digital — with the maximum compatible card size said to be 2TB, and unlike the 3DS, do not need to be reformatted from exFAT to FAT32 to be usable, though they do require a small update.^note The card reader is UHS-I compliant, theoretically offering a maximum read speed of up to 95-104MB/s and a maximum write speed of up to 60-65MB/s.
Like the Nintendo DS and 3DS, it uses proprietary flash memory cartridges called "Game Cards". Unlike previous cards, these have dimensions very similar to those of a standard SD Card, and save files do not write onto the card, but into internal storage instead. The minimum storage capacity of these cartridges is 1GB and maximum is 32 GB. Multiple software applications (as in, separate titles in Switch menus) can be loaded onto a single card.^note However, due to manufacturing costs, very few publishers utilize the high end cards, and sizable games like Mortal Kombat 11 and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus often come incomplete in lower capacity cards, forcing the player to download the rest of the data via online updates. Due to the cartridge's size presenting a possible choking hazard, Nintendo has each one sprayed with denatonium benzoate, the most bitter chemical compound known to exist, in order to make sure a child spits it out right away if they attempt to swallow it. Naturally, it became a brief trend among grown adults to lick the cartridges out of sheer curiosity.

Graphics

The console have a 1280x720 capacitive 10-point multi-touch screen, with size differing between models. The original V1 model and V2 revision have 6.2-inch LCD screens, the Lite has a 5.5-inch screen, and the OLED has a 7-inch screen.
When docked and connected to an external display, the system can output resolutions up to 1920x1080 or 1080p at 60hz. Some games render internally at lower resolutions and then upscale the video to 1080p when docked to keep frame rates high, while others use dynamic resolution scaling and adjust their render resolutions in real-time to keep frame rates smooth.

Connectivity

Dual-band 802.11-AC WiFi with 2T2R MIMO matrix for better reception.
Ethernet port (HEG-007 model dock only).
Bluetooth 4.1 for communication with the Joy-Cons and Pro Controller. The Switch originally had no native compatibility with Bluetooth headsets, with the feature being added in the Version 13.0.0 system update. Prior to this, USB and auxiliary Bluetooth adapters were the only option for wireless audio.
One USB Type C port. Can be charged while docked or while outside of the dock using any USB Type C compatible charger.^note Despite the official dock outputting HDMI for video, the USB Type C port uses USB 3.0 + 3-lane Display Port mode to interface the dock, a very common mode also supported by most laptop docks and some monitors that supports Type C ports. The Switch will behave as if it is connected to the official Dock when connected to a laptop dock with external display attached.
The dock contains 3 USB Type A ports: 2 2.0 ports on the outside of the dock and a 3.0 port on the inside (HAC-007 model dock only)^note with the USB-C AC in and HDMI output. These can be used to charge wireless controllers and connect wired controllers, as well as to use other accessories like USB Ethernet adapters.
When the Switch is docked, most standard and cordless USB devices are supported, such as keyboards and audio devices. USB mice are supported in handful of games, namely Fortnite and Game Builder Garage. Many of these accessories can also be used in portable mode as well if they support USB-C or by using a USB C-to-A adapter or hub.

Other

All variants of the console utilize active cooling systems not unlike those found on a standard laptop.
For the first time ever on a Nintendo home system, and for the first time on a Nintendo handheld system since the original Nintendo DS, games are region-free.
Powered by a 4310mAh Lithium-ion rechargeable battery. The 2017 V1 model and the Lite that can last from 2 to 6.5 hours on single charge, depending on the demands of a given game. The 2019 V2 model and 2021 OLED model sport a more power-efficient chipset, increasing battery life up to 4.5 to 9 hours. The OLED model's battery may also last slightly longer with certain games due to how OLED technology works with black lighting. The battery is not designed to be user-replaceable, though it can easily be accessed by removing the back cover.
The Joy-Con controllers have accelerometers and gyroscopes for motion control and HD Rumble^notemarketing term for linear resonant actuators, to distinguish it from the ERM rumble of previous controllers. for more precise tactile feedback. The Joy-Con R has an NFC reader on the control stick for amiibo functionality, as well as an IR camera for tracking movement & distance, and recognizing shapes. Each has its own batteries which can be charged while attached to the console. Interestingly, the Joy-Cons use a standard Bluetooth HID profile and work with PCs (both Windows and Linux), Macs, and Android devices out of the box.
- The accelerometers are some of the most advanced on the commercial market, being even more sensitive than the Wii Motion Plus, to the degree that they can act as pointers even without any sensors near the screen, allowing for solid and accurate ports of Wii titles such as Super Mario Galaxy, No More Heroes, and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword^note, in addition to newer titles. The Updated Rereleases and remakes of games such as The World Ends with You and Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker also uses them as a substitute for the original touchscreen controls when docked.
When the Switch is not docked, a kickstand in the back (which doubles as the cover for the SD card slot) can be opened to prop up the unit, and played with the Joy-Cons detached. This is referred to by Nintendo as "Tabletop mode". The V1 and V2 models have small kickstands, while the OLED model has a larger one that extends across the entire back of the system for better stability.
The Switch features a hard fork of the 3DS operating system, known internally as Horizon, with many components rewritten. The kernel is derived from the 3DS kernel, though some code from the FreeBSD kernel^note was used according to the system software's licensing information. Nintendo also used some high-level libraries from Android such as the Stagefright multimedia framework, NFC library and cURL downloader library. Nonetheless, due to the kernel, the proprietary NVN API and the proprietary binary executable format, it is not capable of running Android apps, although due to the use of high-level Android libraries, porting is as simple as making some minor adjustments and recompiling the source code to target the Switch (which is probably Nintendo’s intention, to woo developers.)^note The console also makes use of the ARM TrustZone instead of a security coprocessor.
Unlike the Virtual Console of previous Nintendo systems, emulators for classic titles are made for entire systems — which take the form of the various Nintendo Switch Online apps — rather than each game being packaged with their own individualized emulator.
Parental Control settings.
The Switch retains the Miis introduced all the way back on the Wii and introduces new customization features. However they seem to be heavily Demoted to Extra - rather than being available forefront in the main menu, their tab is tucked in the back in the Settings menu, and there's no connectivity with Miis from the Wii U or the 3DS. The only way to transfer an old Mii is by having one stored on an amiibo figure.