Ever since Nintendo was founded in 1889, The company has been devoted to the idea of innovation in the video game industry. The company has left a huge mark on gaming history and still continues to this day with the debut of their brand new console, The Nintendo Switch.

The Nintendo Switch is the company’s latest console iteration. Newly innovative detachable Joy-Con controllers can be slid on and off of the device adding versatility for both travel and living room use alike. The controllers can be attached to the switch pad, held separately, or attached to a dock that can transform it into a more traditional controller.

The Nintendo Switch may be one of the first Nintendo consoles to market itself almost solely to an older teen and young adult audience.  The left Joy-Con controller has a share button to immediately share screenshots to social media. Nintendo has made a step fowards into the current culture by allowing players to share their gaming experiences to social media. This is a huge improvement from the almost unusable Miiverse of the past.

Along with the new social media features available the Switch will also showcase a new service called the Online Switch Service. This online service will be much like the Playstation and Xbox online services that are available on competing systems. However, This does mean that eventually Nintendo will begin charging subscription fees to access online game play. Previous online services for the Wiiu and Wii alike were unbearable to use and induced cringe upon every use. Nintendo promises that this new Online Switch Service will be much more user friendly and work with minimal lag, something the company has struggled with in the past.

The Switch also has a no region lock, which means players will now be able to  purchase games without suffering from restrictions that exclude them from titles that players from other countries may have access to. Many players will be thrilled to download whatever games that Japan gets as well. Region locking for Nintendo has been a problem in the past, but in the last few years titles such as Pokemon  have been releasing internationally.

The switch was launched on March 3,  and is priced at $299.99. The Nintendo Switch will launch with five titles which include, The Legends of Zelda Breath of the Wild, 1 2 Switch, Skylanders Imaginators, Just Dance 2017, and Super Bomberman R. The launch titles seem lack luster aside from the new Legends of Zelda Game, however during the holiday season Super Mario Odyssey will become available.

Aside from the lack of truly entertaining launch titles the Nintendo Switch may launch with great success. The design of the console is sleek and the idea is innovative and exciting. It’s a console that encourages socializing with friends and even travel while still having the option to sit at home and play while sitting on the couch. The online play looks promising as well, so much so that a subscription fee seems completely understandable. The Nintendo Switch looks extremely promising and shows off Nintendo’s drive for innovation and harkens back to their golden past.