The Nintendo Switch is all set for its March 3 global launch, when it will be hitting markets with a $299 price tag.
While that date is just over a month away, many questions still remain regarding the upcoming hybrid console. Thankfully, the U.K. version of the official Nintendo website published the official technical specifications of the Nintendo Switch, providing gamers with more information regarding the highly anticipated device.
Nintendo Switch Official Specifications
According to the Nintendo U.K. website, the Nintendo Switch measures 102 millimeters x 239 millimeters x 13.9 millimeters with the Joy-Con controllers attached, though the thickest point is actually 28.4 millimeters from the tips of the analog sticks of the Joy-Con to the protrusions of the ZL and ZR buttons. The hybrid console will weigh 398 grams with the Joy-Con attached, and only 297 grams without them.
The display of the Nintendo Switch is a 6.2-inch LCD with a capacitive touchscreen and resolution of 1,280 pixels by 720 pixels, though when connected to a TV through an HDMI cable, the maximum resolution goes up to 1,920 pixels by 1,080 pixels, at 60 frames per second. There will be a brightness sensor located just below the display, and a headphone jack will be at the top of the hybrid console, where the power switch, volume buttons, and game card slot are placed.
The official specifications also confirm battery life details, including that the Nintendo Switch battery can last for over six hours but will depend on the game being played, with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild returning a playing time of about three hours. In sleep mode, the Nintendo Switch will take about three hours to full charge up from a depleted battery.
Questions Remain For The Nintendo Switch
Amid the released technical specifications for the Nintendo Switch, the CPU and GPU of the console is only stated as an NVIDIA customized Tegra processor, depriving gamers of the specific details regarding what powers the device.
Ever since the Nintendo Switch was unveiled, Nintendo and NVIDIA have refused to reveal the details of the custom Tegra processor for the hybrid console. Several sources, however, have said that the processor of the Nintendo Switch will be using the previous-generation Maxwell architecture and not the next-generation Pascal architecture, which makes the hybrid console less powerful than Sony's PlayStation 4.
Among the other remaining questions for the Nintendo Switch, probably the biggest is whether Nintendo would be able to keep up with the demand for the hybrid console, as demand is already reaching massive proportions and only 2 million units available upon launch.
Analysts from DFC Intelligence have predicted that the Nintendo Switch will sell 40 million units by the end of 2020, which is almost three times the number of Wii U units sold over the first four years of its life. However, the research firm noted that this is still a conservative estimate, as it had to dial back its forecast due to the poor track record held by Nintendo in launching new products and the limited launch games lineup of the Nintendo Switch.
Will Nintendo be able to keep up with the massive demand for the Nintendo Switch and propel the hybrid console to overwhelming success? That question will require answers coming from beyond technical specifications, as Nintendo and gamers gear up for March 3.
