Nintendo’s Switch: where’s the big-screen graphics wow factor to back up bold console bet?

New games such as anime-like Arms, Super Mario Odyssey and Zelda among only a handful available for players who will fork out more than HK$2,300 for a machine offering only incremental improvements

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A still from the game Super Mario Odyssey.

Published: 11:45am, 17 Jan 2017Updated: 11:45am, 17 Jan 2017

Nintendo’s new Switch gaming console won’t be in stores until March 3, but the machine is fully baked and ready to play. The press tried it in Tokyo last week, and events will be held in Japan and North America to let people experience the product before its official debut.

So far, investors aren’t convinced the device will replicate the runaway success of the Wii console a decade ago, with Nintendo shares dropping 5.9 per cent on Friday after its US$300 price (HK$2,325) and other details were released. The stock fell as much as 3.6 per cent on Monday, bringing the decline in the company’s market value to about US$2.7 billion over the two trading days.

The Switch is Nintendo’s biggest bet in years. It’s a bold attempt to unify gameplay at home and on the go with a tablet sporting wireless controllers that can be used anywhere, but also connects to TVs.

Whether that wager pays off depends on whether people are willing to pay US$300 for a machine that offers a lot of incremental improvements and ideas, but no single technological or conceptual breakthrough that makes Switch easy to understand.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a new title for the Nintendo’s Switch launch.

Here’s how the machine stacks up.