<s>
The	O
is	O
a	B-General_Concept
hybrid	O
video	B-Application
game	I-Application
console	I-Application
developed	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
and	O
released	O
worldwide	O
in	O
most	O
regions	O
on	O
March	O
3	O
,	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
console	O
itself	O
is	O
a	B-General_Concept
tablet	B-Device
that	O
can	O
either	O
be	O
docked	B-Device
for	O
home	B-Device
console	I-Device
use	O
or	O
used	O
as	O
a	B-General_Concept
portable	B-Application
device	I-Application
,	O
making	O
it	O
a	B-General_Concept
hybrid	O
console	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
wireless	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
controllers	B-Device
,	O
with	O
standard	O
buttons	O
and	O
directional	O
analog	B-Device
sticks	I-Device
for	O
user	O
input	O
,	O
motion	O
sensing	O
,	O
and	O
tactile	O
feedback	O
,	O
can	O
attach	O
to	O
both	O
sides	O
of	O
the	O
console	O
to	O
support	O
handheld-style	O
play	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
can	O
also	O
connect	O
to	O
a	B-General_Concept
grip	O
accessory	O
to	O
provide	O
a	B-General_Concept
traditional	O
home	B-Device
console	I-Device
gamepad	B-Device
form	O
,	O
or	O
be	O
used	O
individually	O
in	O
the	O
hand	O
like	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
Remote	O
and	O
Nunchuk	O
,	O
supporting	O
local	O
multiplayer	O
modes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
's	O
software	O
supports	O
online	B-Application
gaming	I-Application
through	O
Internet	O
connectivity	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
local	O
wireless	B-General_Concept
ad	I-General_Concept
hoc	I-General_Concept
connectivity	O
with	O
other	O
consoles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
games	O
and	O
software	O
are	O
available	O
on	O
both	O
physical	O
flash-based	O
ROM	B-Protocol
cartridges	I-Protocol
and	O
digital	O
distribution	O
via	O
Nintendo	B-Application
eShop	I-Application
;	O
the	O
system	O
has	O
no	O
region	O
lockout	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	B-General_Concept
handheld-focused	O
revision	O
of	O
the	O
system	O
,	O
called	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
Lite	I-Device
,	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
September	O
20	O
,	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	B-General_Concept
revised	O
higher-end	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
system	O
,	O
featuring	O
an	O
OLED	B-Device
screen	I-Device
,	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
October	O
8	O
,	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
was	O
unveiled	O
on	O
October	O
20	O
,	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Known	O
in	O
development	O
by	O
its	O
codename	O
NX	B-Device
,	O
the	O
concept	O
of	O
the	O
Switch	O
came	O
about	O
as	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
reaction	O
to	O
several	O
quarters	O
of	O
financial	O
losses	O
into	O
2014	O
,	O
attributed	O
to	O
poor	O
sales	O
of	O
its	O
previous	O
console	O
,	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
,	O
and	O
market	O
competition	O
from	O
mobile	B-Application
games	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
's	O
then-president	O
Satoru	O
Iwata	O
pushed	O
the	O
company	O
towards	O
mobile	B-Application
gaming	I-Application
and	O
novel	O
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
's	O
design	O
is	O
aimed	O
at	O
a	B-General_Concept
wide	O
demographic	O
of	O
video	O
game	O
players	O
through	O
multiple	O
modes	O
of	O
use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
opted	O
to	O
use	O
more	O
standard	O
electronic	O
components	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
a	B-General_Concept
chipset	O
based	O
on	O
Nvidia	O
's	O
Tegra	B-Operating_System
line	O
,	O
to	O
make	O
development	O
for	O
the	O
console	O
easier	O
for	O
programmers	O
and	O
more	O
compatible	O
with	O
existing	O
game	O
engines	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
had	O
struggled	O
to	O
gain	O
external	O
support	O
,	O
leaving	O
it	O
with	O
a	B-General_Concept
weak	O
software	O
library	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
preemptively	O
sought	O
the	O
support	O
of	O
many	O
third-party	O
developers	O
and	O
publishers	O
to	O
help	O
build	O
out	O
the	O
Switch	O
's	O
game	O
library	O
alongside	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
first-party	O
titles	O
,	O
including	O
many	O
independent	O
video	O
game	O
studios	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
an	O
eighth-generation	B-Application
console	O
,	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
competes	O
with	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
and	O
Sony	O
's	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
also	O
competes	O
with	O
ninth	O
generation	O
consoles	O
such	O
as	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
Xbox	B-Device
Series	I-Device
X	I-Device
and	I-Device
Series	I-Device
S	I-Device
and	O
Sony	O
's	O
PlayStation	B-Device
5	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nearly	O
three	O
million	O
console	O
units	O
were	O
shipped	O
in	O
its	O
first	O
month	O
,	O
exceeding	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
initial	O
projection	O
of	O
two	O
million	O
and	O
within	O
a	B-General_Concept
year	O
of	O
release	O
achieved	O
over	O
14	O
million	O
units	O
sold	O
worldwide	O
,	O
outselling	O
total	O
lifetime	O
sales	O
of	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
,	O
all	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
models	O
have	O
sold	O
over	O
122	O
million	O
units	O
worldwide	O
,	O
making	O
it	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
best-selling	O
home	B-Device
console	I-Device
and	O
the	O
third-best-selling	O
game	O
console	O
of	O
all	O
time	O
,	O
behind	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
and	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sales	O
of	O
the	O
Switch	O
have	O
been	O
strongly	O
tied	O
to	O
sales	O
of	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
first-party	O
titles	O
,	O
with	O
seven	O
games	O
—	O
The	B-Application
Legend	I-Application
of	I-Application
Zelda	I-Application
:	I-Application
Breath	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Wild	I-Application
,	O
Mario	B-Device
Kart	I-Device
8	I-Device
Deluxe	I-Device
,	O
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
Odyssey	I-Application
,	O
Super	B-Application
Smash	I-Application
Bros	I-Application
.	I-Application
</s>
<s>
Ultimate	O
,	O
Pokémon	B-Application
Sword	I-Application
and	I-Application
Shield	I-Application
,	O
Animal	O
Crossing	O
:	O
New	O
Horizons	O
,	O
and	O
Pokémon	B-Application
Scarlet	I-Application
and	I-Application
Violet	I-Application
—	O
having	O
sold	O
over	O
twenty	O
million	O
units	O
each	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
had	O
seen	O
record	O
revenues	O
,	O
net	O
sales	O
,	O
and	O
profits	O
in	O
2009	O
as	O
a	B-General_Concept
result	O
of	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
and	O
Wii	B-Operating_System
in	O
2004	O
and	O
2006	O
,	O
respectively	O
,	O
but	O
in	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
subsequent	O
years	O
,	O
its	O
revenues	O
had	O
declined	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
had	O
posted	O
its	O
first	O
loss	O
as	O
a	B-General_Concept
video	O
game	O
company	O
in	O
2012	O
prior	O
to	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
's	O
introduction	O
that	O
year	O
and	O
would	O
have	O
similar	O
losses	O
in	O
the	O
following	O
years	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
console	O
's	O
poor	O
uptake	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
New	O
York	O
Times	O
attributed	O
Nintendo	O
lowering	O
financial	O
forecasts	O
in	O
2014	O
to	O
weak	O
hardware	O
sales	O
against	O
mobile	B-Application
gaming	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
About	O
three	O
years	O
prior	O
to	O
the	O
Switch	O
's	O
announcement	O
,	O
Iwata	O
,	O
Tatsumi	O
Kimishima	O
,	O
Genyo	O
Takeda	O
,	O
and	O
Shigeru	O
Miyamoto	O
crafted	O
a	B-General_Concept
strategy	O
for	O
revitalizing	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
business	O
model	O
,	O
which	O
included	O
approaching	O
the	O
mobile	O
market	O
,	O
creating	O
new	O
hardware	O
,	O
and	O
"	O
maximizing	O
 [ their ] 	O
intellectual	O
property	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Prior	O
to	O
his	O
death	O
,	O
Iwata	O
was	O
able	O
to	O
secure	O
a	B-General_Concept
business	O
alliance	O
with	O
Japanese	O
mobile	O
provider	O
DeNA	O
to	O
develop	O
mobile	O
titles	O
based	O
on	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
first-party	O
franchises	O
,	O
believing	O
this	O
approach	O
would	O
not	O
compromise	O
their	O
integrity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
initial	O
conception	O
for	O
the	O
Switch	O
started	O
shortly	O
after	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
in	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kimishima	O
stated	O
that	O
when	O
Nintendo	O
was	O
evaluating	O
what	O
new	O
hardware	O
they	O
wanted	O
to	O
produce	O
,	O
they	O
"	O
did	O
n't	O
just	O
want	O
a	B-General_Concept
successor	O
"	O
to	O
either	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
3DS	I-Operating_System
or	O
Wii	B-Device
U	I-Device
,	O
but	O
instead	O
asked	O
"	O
what	O
kind	O
of	O
new	O
experience	O
can	O
we	O
create	O
?	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
an	O
interview	O
with	O
The	O
Asahi	O
Shimbun	O
,	O
Kimishima	O
stated	O
that	O
the	O
Switch	O
was	O
designed	O
to	O
provide	O
a	B-General_Concept
"	O
new	O
way	O
to	O
play	O
"	O
that	O
would	O
"	O
have	O
a	B-General_Concept
larger	O
impact	O
than	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
of	O
America	O
president	O
and	O
COO	O
Reggie	O
Fils-Aimé	O
emphasized	O
the	O
console	O
's	O
appeal	O
as	O
a	B-General_Concept
device	O
that	O
would	O
provide	O
gamers	O
the	O
option	O
to	O
play	O
at	O
home	O
or	O
on	O
the	O
go	O
and	O
noted	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
enable	O
developers	O
to	O
create	O
new	O
types	O
of	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
commercial	O
failure	O
of	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
also	O
pressured	O
Nintendo	O
in	O
the	O
Switch	O
's	O
development	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Early	O
sales	O
of	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
were	O
weak	O
compared	O
to	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
major	O
third-party	O
studios	O
like	O
Electronic	O
Arts	O
and	O
Ubisoft	O
announced	O
they	O
would	O
not	O
support	O
the	O
console	O
near	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
's	O
first	O
year	O
,	O
further	O
hampering	O
its	O
sales	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Fils-Aimé	O
,	O
when	O
it	O
became	O
apparent	O
that	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
's	O
life	O
cycle	O
performance	O
would	O
underperform	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
expectations	O
,	O
the	O
Switch	O
became	O
a	B-General_Concept
"	O
make	O
or	O
break	O
product	O
"	O
for	O
Nintendo	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
design	O
of	O
the	O
Switch	O
was	O
aimed	O
to	O
bridge	O
the	O
polarization	O
of	O
the	O
gaming	O
market	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
creating	O
a	B-General_Concept
device	O
that	O
could	O
play	O
"	O
leisurely	O
"	O
video	O
games	O
along	O
with	O
games	O
that	O
are	O
aimed	O
to	O
be	O
played	O
"	O
deeply	O
"	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
Shinya	O
Takahashi	O
and	O
Yoshiaki	O
Koizumi	O
,	O
general	O
manager	O
and	O
deputy	O
general	O
manager	O
of	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
Entertainment	O
Planning	O
&	O
Development	O
Division	O
(	O
EPD	O
)	O
,	O
respectively	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
design	O
of	O
the	O
Switch	O
would	O
meet	O
both	O
cultures	O
,	O
and	O
certain	O
games	O
,	O
like	O
1-2-Switch	B-Device
,	O
could	O
potentially	O
make	O
social	O
gaming	O
more	O
acceptable	O
in	O
Western	O
culture	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Two	O
key	O
elements	O
that	O
were	O
set	O
to	O
address	O
this	O
mixed	O
market	O
were	O
the	O
ability	O
for	O
the	O
unit	O
to	O
play	O
either	O
on	O
a	B-General_Concept
television	O
screen	O
or	O
as	O
a	B-General_Concept
portable	O
and	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
detachable	O
controllers	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
"	O
Switch	O
"	O
name	O
was	O
selected	O
not	O
only	O
to	O
refer	O
to	O
the	O
console	O
's	O
ability	O
to	O
switch	O
from	O
handheld	B-Application
to	O
home	B-Device
console	I-Device
modes	O
,	O
but	O
to	O
present	O
"	O
the	O
idea	O
of	O
being	O
a	B-General_Concept
'	O
switch	O
 '	O
that	O
will	O
flip	O
and	O
change	O
the	O
way	O
people	O
experience	O
entertainment	O
in	O
their	O
daily	O
lives	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Part	O
of	O
the	O
inspiration	O
of	O
the	O
Switch	O
's	O
form	O
and	O
design	O
was	O
from	O
feedback	O
players	O
had	O
given	O
Nintendo	O
on	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
Remote	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
Shinya	O
Takahashi	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
games	O
like	O
Wii	B-Application
Sports	I-Application
and	O
Wii	B-Application
Fit	I-Application
,	O
players	O
had	O
asked	O
Nintendo	O
if	O
they	O
could	O
make	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
Remote	O
in	O
a	B-General_Concept
smaller	O
form	O
factor	O
,	O
potentially	O
strapped	O
to	O
a	B-General_Concept
part	O
of	O
their	O
body	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
led	O
to	O
Nintendo	O
envisioning	O
what	O
a	B-General_Concept
smaller	O
form-factor	O
controller	O
could	O
provide	O
in	O
both	O
hardware	O
and	O
gameplay	O
,	O
and	O
it	O
led	O
to	O
the	O
idea	O
of	O
a	B-General_Concept
console	O
that	O
was	O
small	O
enough	O
with	O
these	O
new	O
controllers	B-Device
to	O
also	O
be	O
portable	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
concepts	O
came	O
out	O
of	O
critical	O
consumer	O
feedback	O
of	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
.	O
Fils-Aimé	O
said	O
that	O
one	O
common	O
criticism	O
they	O
had	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
was	O
that	O
while	O
players	O
did	O
enjoy	O
using	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
GamePad	B-Device
and	O
would	O
want	O
to	O
play	O
games	O
on	O
it	O
anywhere	O
,	O
it	O
became	O
functionless	O
if	O
they	O
moved	O
a	B-General_Concept
distance	O
away	O
from	O
the	O
main	O
console	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
served	O
for	O
Nintendo	O
to	O
design	O
a	B-General_Concept
home	B-Device
console	I-Device
that	O
the	O
player	O
could	O
take	O
with	O
them	O
anywhere	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
included	O
developing	O
different	O
methods	O
of	O
how	O
the	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
controllers	B-Device
would	O
physically	O
connect	O
to	O
the	O
console	O
,	O
including	O
using	O
magnets	O
to	O
hold	O
them	O
in	O
place	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
the	O
form-factor	O
design	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
needed	O
to	O
balance	O
the	O
power	O
and	O
speed	O
of	O
the	O
console	O
's	O
central	B-General_Concept
processing	I-General_Concept
unit	I-General_Concept
with	O
battery	O
life	O
and	O
the	O
unit	O
's	O
size	B-General_Concept
,	O
coupled	O
with	O
limited	O
development	O
resources	O
and	O
deadlines	O
set	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
management	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
choice	O
made	O
by	O
the	O
development	O
team	O
was	O
to	O
use	O
an	O
existing	O
system	B-Architecture
on	I-Architecture
a	I-Architecture
chip	I-Architecture
(	O
SOC	B-Architecture
)	O
rather	O
than	O
creating	O
their	O
own	O
as	O
they	O
had	O
done	O
on	O
previous	O
consoles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Koizumi	O
said	O
that	O
this	O
break	O
from	O
tradition	O
was	O
done	O
to	O
gain	O
more	O
third-party	O
support	O
for	O
the	O
console	O
by	O
using	O
an	O
SOC	B-Architecture
to	O
which	O
developers	O
could	O
easily	O
port	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
was	O
not	O
focused	O
on	O
raw	O
processing	O
power	O
but	O
was	O
instead	O
looking	O
to	O
balance	O
the	O
overall	O
features	O
of	O
the	O
system	O
,	O
including	O
battery	O
life	O
and	O
size	B-General_Concept
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
keeping	O
in	O
mind	O
their	O
limited	O
development	O
resources	O
and	O
timeline	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
achieve	O
this	O
balance	O
,	O
they	O
did	O
not	O
opt	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
more	O
powerful	O
hardware	O
they	O
could	O
have	O
used	O
,	O
instead	O
using	O
a	B-General_Concept
middle-ground	O
approach	O
to	O
achieve	O
their	O
vision	O
of	O
the	O
Switch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
I	O
make	O
it	O
a	B-General_Concept
point	O
to	O
ensure	O
they	O
're	O
not	O
just	O
a	B-General_Concept
gamer	O
,	O
but	O
that	O
they	O
have	O
a	B-General_Concept
lot	O
of	O
different	O
interests	O
and	O
skill	O
sets.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Junior	O
developers	O
were	O
also	O
used	O
to	O
help	O
brainstorm	O
ideas	O
of	O
how	O
to	O
make	O
sure	O
the	O
Switch	O
had	O
a	B-General_Concept
longer	O
lifecycle	O
beyond	O
the	O
typical	O
five-to-six	O
years	O
as	O
most	O
other	O
consoles	O
had	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
Miyamoto	O
,	O
his	O
limited	O
involvement	O
allowed	O
him	O
to	O
spend	O
more	O
time	O
on	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
software	O
titles	O
being	O
developed	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
Run	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
this	O
stage	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
referred	O
to	O
the	O
console	O
under	O
the	O
codename	O
"	O
NX	B-Device
"	O
and	O
described	O
it	O
as	O
a	B-General_Concept
"	O
brand	O
new	O
concept	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
an	O
investor	O
's	O
meeting	O
in	O
April	O
2016	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
announced	O
that	O
it	O
planned	O
to	O
release	O
the	O
NX	B-Device
worldwide	O
in	O
March	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Nintendo	O
did	O
not	O
unveil	O
the	O
NX	B-Device
's	O
hardware	O
at	O
E3	O
2016	O
in	O
June	O
,	O
it	O
did	O
announce	O
that	O
The	B-Application
Legend	I-Application
of	I-Application
Zelda	I-Application
:	I-Application
Breath	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Wild	I-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
originally	O
announced	O
as	O
a	B-General_Concept
Wii	O
U-exclusive	O
,	O
would	O
also	O
be	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
NX	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
a	B-General_Concept
Nintendo	O
shareholders	O
 '	O
meeting	O
following	O
the	O
conference	O
,	O
Miyamoto	O
stated	O
that	O
the	O
company	O
had	O
concerns	O
that	O
competitors	O
could	O
copy	O
ideas	O
from	O
the	O
NX	B-Device
if	O
they	O
revealed	O
it	O
too	O
soon	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
following	O
month	O
,	O
rumors	O
began	O
to	O
surface	O
surrounding	O
the	O
nature	O
of	O
the	O
console	O
,	O
including	O
its	O
use	O
of	O
Nvidia	B-Operating_System
Tegra	I-Operating_System
hardware	O
,	O
being	O
a	B-General_Concept
"	O
hybrid	O
"	O
device	O
intended	O
for	O
both	O
home	O
and	O
mobile	O
use	O
,	O
controllers	B-Device
that	O
can	O
detach	O
from	O
the	O
main	O
device	O
and	O
be	O
played	O
separately	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
Nintendo	O
would	O
distribute	O
games	O
on	O
the	O
console	O
via	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
and	O
digital	O
downloads	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
October	O
20	O
,	O
2016	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
officially	O
announced	O
the	O
console	O
under	O
the	O
name	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
,	O
alongside	O
a	B-General_Concept
trailer	O
that	O
demonstrated	O
the	O
hardware	O
's	O
nature	O
as	O
a	B-General_Concept
hybrid	O
device	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Miyamoto	O
and	O
Fils-Aimé	O
presented	O
the	O
Switch	O
to	O
host	O
Jimmy	O
Fallon	O
on	O
a	B-General_Concept
broadcast	O
of	O
The	O
Tonight	O
Show	O
Starring	O
Jimmy	O
Fallon	O
in	O
December	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
showing	O
more	O
of	O
the	O
console	O
's	O
hardware	O
and	O
functionality	O
,	O
Fallon	O
was	O
given	O
the	O
opportunity	O
to	O
play	O
part	O
of	O
Breath	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Wild	I-Application
live	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
revealed	O
technical	O
details	O
of	O
the	O
Switch	O
,	O
including	O
its	O
worldwide	O
launch	O
date	O
and	O
price	O
,	O
at	O
a	B-General_Concept
press	O
event	O
in	O
Tokyo	O
on	O
January	O
13	O
,	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
event	O
was	O
livestreamed	O
,	O
with	O
an	O
English	O
voiceover	B-Operating_System
provided	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
of	O
America	O
through	O
their	O
broadcast	O
and	O
regional	O
Twitter	B-Application
accounts	I-Application
relaying	O
details	O
in	O
other	O
languages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	B-General_Concept
Nintendo	O
Treehouse	O
event	O
occurred	O
the	O
following	O
day	O
to	O
reveal	O
the	O
full	O
launch	O
lineup	O
and	O
upcoming	O
games	O
for	O
the	O
Switch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
with	O
an	O
MSRP	B-Protocol
of	O
in	O
Japan	O
,	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
Australia	O
;	O
with	O
standardized	O
pricing	O
for	O
the	O
European	O
market	O
varying	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
set	O
includes	O
a	B-General_Concept
Switch	O
console	O
,	O
a	B-General_Concept
dock	O
,	O
left	O
and	O
right	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
controllers	B-Device
and	O
accompanying	O
straps	O
,	O
a	B-General_Concept
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
grip	I-General_Concept
,	O
an	O
AC	O
power	O
adapter	O
and	O
an	O
HDMI	B-Protocol
cable	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
were	O
two	O
Switch	O
bundles	O
available	O
at	O
launch	O
,	O
one	O
with	O
grey	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
and	O
one	O
with	O
neon	O
red	O
and	O
blue	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
feared	O
that	O
a	B-General_Concept
higher	O
price	O
would	O
harm	O
sales	O
,	O
which	O
prompted	O
them	O
to	O
not	O
include	O
any	O
additional	O
hardware	O
or	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2018	O
,	O
CD	O
Media	B-General_Concept
,	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
official	O
distributor	O
in	O
Greece	O
and	O
the	O
Balkans	O
since	O
2016	O
,	O
announced	O
after	O
opening	O
their	O
new	O
offices	O
in	O
Istanbul	O
,	O
that	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
products	O
will	O
officially	O
be	O
distributed	O
in	O
Turkey	O
later	O
in	O
the	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
CD	O
Media	B-General_Concept
released	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
in	O
Turkey	O
in	O
July	O
2018	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
's	O
Singapore-based	O
distributor	O
,	O
Maxsoft	O
,	O
officially	O
launched	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
in	O
the	O
Philippines	O
on	O
November	O
30	O
,	O
2018	O
,	O
in	O
Thailand	O
on	O
March	O
29	O
,	O
2019	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
Malaysia	O
on	O
January	O
17	O
,	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
early-2019	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
of	O
Europe	O
signed	O
a	B-General_Concept
partnership	O
with	O
Tel	O
Aviv-based	O
distributor	O
TorGaming	O
Ltd.	O
,	O
making	O
them	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
official	O
distributor	O
in	O
Israel	O
,	O
and	O
launched	O
their	O
products	O
in	O
the	O
market	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
,	O
on	O
March	O
1	O
,	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
's	O
Dubai-based	O
distributor	O
,	O
Active	O
Gulf	O
,	O
officially	O
launched	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
in	O
Oman	O
on	O
September	O
27	O
,	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
had	O
not	O
officially	O
been	O
released	O
in	O
China	O
prior	O
to	O
December	O
2019	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
still	O
widely	O
available	O
in	O
the	O
country	O
due	O
to	O
grey	O
market	O
imports	O
from	O
Hong	O
Kong	O
and	O
other	O
regions	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2018	O
,	O
former	O
Nintendo	O
president	O
Tatsumi	O
Kimishima	O
said	O
in	O
an	O
interview	O
with	O
Chinese	O
news	O
website	O
QQ	B-Operating_System
that	O
Nintendo	O
has	O
tried	O
to	O
release	O
the	O
Switch	O
in	O
China	O
,	O
but	O
has	O
been	O
unable	O
to	O
do	O
so	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
partnered	O
with	O
Tencent	O
in	O
April	O
2019	O
to	O
gain	O
the	O
necessary	O
approvals	O
to	O
release	O
the	O
Switch	O
in	O
China	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
a	B-General_Concept
test	O
version	O
of	O
New	B-Device
Super	I-Device
Mario	I-Device
Bros	I-Device
.	I-Device
U	I-Device
Deluxe	I-Device
;	O
it	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
December	O
10	O
,	O
2019	O
,	O
at	O
a	B-General_Concept
base	O
price	O
of	O
or	O
about	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tencent	O
will	O
continue	O
to	O
help	O
Nintendo	O
bring	O
other	O
Switch	O
games	O
through	O
China	O
's	O
approval	O
process	B-Architecture
via	O
National	O
Radio	O
and	O
Television	O
Administration	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
,	O
Tencent	O
will	O
help	O
localize	O
various	O
titles	O
,	O
and	O
help	O
implement	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
Online	I-Application
service	O
within	O
the	O
country	O
,	O
integrating	O
its	O
offerings	O
with	O
the	O
WeChat	B-Application
payment	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
had	O
since	O
assigned	O
NC	O
Games	O
as	O
their	O
local	O
game	O
distributor	O
in	O
May	O
2017	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
local	O
company	O
had	O
committed	O
to	O
sell	O
some	O
officially	O
imported	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
units	O
in	O
small	O
quantities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Numerous	O
special-edition	O
models	O
and	O
bundles	O
have	O
been	O
released	O
,	O
including	O
those	O
for	O
Splatoon	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
the	O
2018	O
Black	O
Friday	O
shopping	O
day	O
,	O
Animal	O
Crossing	O
:	O
New	O
Horizons	O
and	O
Fortnite	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Japan-exclusive	O
"	O
2nd	O
Unit	O
Set	O
"	O
released	O
in	O
May	O
2018	O
on	O
the	O
My	O
Nintendo	O
Store	O
at	O
a	B-General_Concept
reduced	O
price	O
of	O
,	O
was	O
positioned	O
towards	O
households	O
which	O
already	O
owned	O
a	B-General_Concept
Switch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
did	O
not	O
include	O
a	B-General_Concept
dock	O
,	O
AC	O
adapter	O
,	O
HDMI	B-Protocol
cable	O
,	O
and	O
charging	O
grip	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
is	O
a	B-General_Concept
hybrid	O
video	B-Application
game	I-Application
console	I-Application
,	O
consisting	O
of	O
a	B-General_Concept
console	O
unit	O
,	O
a	B-General_Concept
dock	O
,	O
and	O
two	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
controllers	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
it	O
is	O
a	B-General_Concept
hybrid	O
console	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
classifies	O
it	O
as	O
"	O
a	B-General_Concept
home	B-Device
console	I-Device
that	O
you	O
can	O
take	O
with	O
you	O
on	O
the	O
go	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Furthermore	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
has	O
stated	O
that	O
the	O
Switch	O
and	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
3DS	I-Operating_System
are	O
meant	O
to	O
co-exist	O
,	O
considering	O
the	O
3DS	B-Operating_System
as	O
an	O
entry-level	O
product	O
for	O
younger	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
main	O
unit	O
of	O
the	O
Switch	O
is	O
the	O
console	O
,	O
a	B-General_Concept
battery-powered	O
tablet-like	O
monitor	O
that	O
consists	O
of	O
an	O
LCD	B-Device
screen	I-Device
measuring	O
on	O
its	O
diagonal	O
,	O
the	O
same	O
as	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
GamePad	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
screen	O
supports	O
ten-point	O
multi-touch	B-Application
capacitive	B-Device
sensing	I-Device
and	O
includes	O
haptic	B-Device
technology	I-Device
from	O
Immersion	O
Corporation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
LCD	B-Device
screen	I-Device
supports	O
resolutions	O
up	O
to	O
720p	O
(	O
1280×720	O
px	B-Algorithm
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
console	O
includes	O
a	B-General_Concept
3.5mm	O
audio	B-Device
jack	I-Device
,	O
stereo	O
speakers	O
on	O
the	O
bottom	O
face	O
of	O
the	O
unit	O
below	O
the	O
screen	O
,	O
a	B-General_Concept
USB-C	O
port	O
for	O
charging	O
,	O
and	O
a	B-General_Concept
kickstand	O
on	O
the	O
back	O
side	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
unit	O
also	O
includes	O
slots	O
for	O
a	B-General_Concept
game	B-Device
card	I-Device
(	O
cartridge-based	O
media	B-General_Concept
)	O
and	O
a	B-General_Concept
microSD	B-Device
card	I-Device
slot	O
located	O
under	O
the	O
kickstand	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
console	O
has	O
rails	O
on	O
the	O
side	O
,	O
into	O
which	O
the	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
controllers	B-Device
can	O
be	O
slid	O
to	O
attach	O
them	O
to	O
the	O
Switch	O
unit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
three	O
gameplay	O
modes	O
that	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
with	O
the	O
Switch	O
;	O
"	O
TV	O
mode	O
"	O
with	O
the	O
console	O
slid	O
into	O
the	O
dock	O
to	O
support	O
play	O
on	O
a	B-General_Concept
television	O
,	O
"	O
Tabletop	O
mode	O
"	O
with	O
the	O
console	O
placed	O
on	O
a	B-General_Concept
table	O
or	O
other	O
flat	O
surface	O
using	O
its	O
kickstand	O
for	O
shared	O
gaming	O
away	O
from	O
a	B-General_Concept
dedicated	O
screen	O
,	O
or	O
in	O
"	O
Handheld	B-Application
mode	O
"	O
as	O
a	B-General_Concept
standard	O
portable	O
tablet	B-Device
device	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
can	O
switch	O
between	O
these	O
modes	O
simply	O
by	O
placing	O
the	O
console	O
in	O
the	O
dock	O
or	O
removing	O
it	O
,	O
extending	O
or	O
retracting	O
the	O
kickstand	O
,	O
and	O
detaching	O
or	O
connecting	O
the	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Games	O
may	O
be	O
designed	O
to	O
play	O
only	O
in	O
specific	O
modes	O
;	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
Voez	B-Application
initially	O
could	O
not	O
be	O
played	O
in	O
TV	O
mode	O
and	O
relied	O
on	O
touchscreen	O
controls	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Support	O
for	O
controllers	B-Device
and	O
TV	O
mode	O
was	O
later	O
added	O
to	O
Voez	B-Application
in	O
January	O
2018	O
via	O
an	O
update	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
example	O
is	O
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
Party	I-Application
,	O
which	O
does	O
not	O
support	O
Handheld	B-Application
mode	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
stated	O
that	O
the	O
Switch	O
is	O
a	B-General_Concept
"	O
single-screen	O
experience	O
"	O
,	O
in	O
that	O
the	O
player	O
either	O
sees	O
the	O
content	O
on	O
the	O
console	O
when	O
it	O
is	O
out	O
of	O
the	O
dock	O
,	O
or	O
on	O
the	O
screen	O
attached	O
to	O
the	O
dock	O
when	O
the	O
console	O
is	O
docked	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Switch	O
cannot	O
feature	O
dual-screen	O
functionality	O
that	O
was	O
offered	O
through	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
via	O
its	O
GamePad	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
patented	O
a	B-General_Concept
means	O
of	O
using	O
multiple	O
Switch	O
consoles	O
to	O
create	O
a	B-General_Concept
multi-monitor	B-General_Concept
configuration	O
by	O
arranging	O
them	O
on	O
a	B-General_Concept
flat	O
surface	O
and	O
spanning	O
a	B-General_Concept
single	O
gameplay	O
environment	O
across	O
their	O
screens	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
technology	O
was	O
first	O
seen	O
in	O
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
Party	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
console	O
,	O
with	O
or	O
without	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
attached	O
,	O
can	O
be	O
placed	O
into	O
the	O
Switch	O
dock	O
,	O
a	B-General_Concept
docking	B-Device
station	I-Device
with	O
electrical	O
connectors	O
to	O
connect	O
the	O
console	O
to	O
a	B-General_Concept
power	O
supply	O
to	O
charge	O
its	O
battery	O
,	O
and	O
to	O
a	B-General_Concept
television	O
via	O
an	O
HDMI	B-Protocol
connection	O
for	O
video/audio	O
output	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
dock	O
also	O
includes	O
two	O
USB	B-Protocol
2.0	O
ports	O
and	O
one	O
USB	B-Protocol
3.0	O
port	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
docked	B-Device
,	O
the	O
unit	O
can	O
support	O
resolutions	O
up	O
to	O
1080p	O
and	O
a	B-General_Concept
maximum	O
frame	O
rate	O
of	O
60	O
frames	O
per	O
second	O
,	O
though	O
the	O
maximum	O
resolution	B-General_Concept
varies	O
depending	O
on	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
an	O
example	O
,	O
The	B-Application
Legend	I-Application
of	I-Application
Zelda	I-Application
:	I-Application
Breath	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Wild	I-Application
runs	O
at	O
a	B-General_Concept
maximum	O
900p	O
and	O
30	O
frames	O
per	O
second	O
while	O
the	O
Switch	O
is	O
docked	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
comes	O
with	O
two	O
controllers	B-Device
,	O
collectively	O
called	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
and	O
individually	O
called	O
the	O
"	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
(	O
L	O
)	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
(	O
R	O
)	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
controllers	B-Device
attach	O
to	O
the	O
Switch	O
console	O
via	O
side	O
rails	O
using	O
a	B-General_Concept
locking	O
mechanism	O
,	O
with	O
a	B-General_Concept
small	O
release	O
button	O
on	O
their	O
rear	O
face	O
to	O
allow	O
them	O
to	O
be	O
detached	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
detached	O
,	O
they	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
as	O
a	B-General_Concept
pair	O
by	O
a	B-General_Concept
single	O
player	O
,	O
attached	O
to	O
a	B-General_Concept
grip	O
that	O
emulates	O
a	B-General_Concept
gamepad	B-Device
form	O
factor	O
,	O
or	O
used	O
as	O
separate	O
controllers	B-Device
by	O
two	O
individual	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	B-General_Concept
single	O
Switch	O
console	O
can	O
support	O
up	O
to	O
eight	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
connections	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Straps	O
can	O
be	O
attached	O
to	O
the	O
sides	O
of	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
when	O
they	O
are	O
detached	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	B-General_Concept
charging	O
grip	O
is	O
available	O
for	O
the	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
,	O
which	O
provides	O
a	B-General_Concept
means	O
to	O
attach	O
a	B-General_Concept
USB-C	O
cable	O
for	O
power	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Alongside	O
that	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
released	O
a	B-General_Concept
charging	O
strap	O
that	O
allows	O
players	O
to	O
charge	O
an	O
individual	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
via	O
embedded	O
AA	O
batteries	O
on	O
June	O
16	O
,	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Switch	O
also	O
supports	O
a	B-General_Concept
wireless	B-Device
controller	I-Device
,	O
called	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
Pro	I-Device
Controller	I-Device
,	O
which	O
has	O
a	B-General_Concept
more	O
traditional	O
design	O
reminiscent	O
of	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
Classic	B-Device
Controller	I-Device
Pro	O
and	O
Wii	B-Device
U	I-Device
Pro	I-Device
Controller	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Pro	O
Controller	O
connects	O
to	O
the	O
Switch	O
via	O
wireless	O
Bluetooth	B-Protocol
communication	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
charged	O
through	O
a	B-General_Concept
standard	O
USB-C	O
port	O
on	O
the	O
controller	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
supports	O
a	B-General_Concept
wide	O
array	O
of	O
additional	O
accessories	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
Kimishima	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kimishima	O
suggested	O
that	O
the	O
Switch	O
is	O
part	O
of	O
a	B-General_Concept
large	O
ecosystem	O
of	O
devices	O
,	O
though	O
the	O
Switch	O
unit	O
remains	O
the	O
core	O
console	O
element	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Takahashi	O
suggested	O
the	O
possibility	O
of	O
other	O
units	O
besides	O
the	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
that	O
could	O
attach	O
and/or	O
connect	O
to	O
the	O
console	O
to	O
serve	O
as	O
alternate	O
input	O
devices	O
and	O
change	O
how	O
the	O
Switch	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
offers	O
a	B-General_Concept
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
Wheel	O
,	O
a	B-General_Concept
small	O
steering	O
wheel-like	O
unit	O
that	O
a	B-General_Concept
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
can	O
slot	O
into	O
,	O
allowing	O
it	O
to	O
be	O
used	O
for	O
racing	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
Mario	B-Device
Kart	I-Device
8	I-Device
Deluxe	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Standalone	O
docks	O
are	O
available	O
,	O
which	O
include	O
a	B-General_Concept
power	O
adapter	O
and	O
HDMI	B-Protocol
cable	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
4.0.0	O
system	O
update	O
enabled	O
support	O
for	O
GameCube	B-Device
controllers	I-Device
connected	O
via	O
USB	B-Protocol
with	O
the	O
GameCube	O
adapter	O
that	O
was	O
available	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
a	B-General_Concept
new	O
adapter	O
produced	O
for	O
the	O
Switch	O
;	O
GameCube	B-Device
controllers	I-Device
can	O
be	O
used	O
with	O
most	O
games	O
compatible	O
with	O
the	O
Switch	O
's	O
Pro	O
Controller	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Super	B-Application
Smash	I-Application
Bros	I-Application
.	I-Application
</s>
<s>
USB	B-Protocol
computer	B-Device
keyboards	I-Device
are	O
supported	O
for	O
certain	O
tasks	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
text	O
entry	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2018	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
announced	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Labo	I-Application
,	O
a	B-General_Concept
child-oriented	O
platform	O
that	O
combines	O
games	O
coupled	O
with	O
do-it-yourself	O
cardboard	O
projects	O
that	O
attach	O
or	O
wrap	O
around	O
the	O
Switch	O
Console	O
and	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
,	O
effectively	O
creating	O
toys	O
around	O
the	O
Switch	O
hardware	O
to	O
interact	O
with	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
cardboard	O
units	O
,	O
which	O
may	O
also	O
include	O
string	O
,	O
rubber	O
bands	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
pieces	O
,	O
are	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
Toy-Con	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
software	O
provides	O
instructions	O
for	O
the	O
Toy-Con	B-Application
construction	O
and	O
provides	O
the	O
interface	B-Application
to	O
control	B-Application
the	O
Toy-Con	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Such	O
examples	O
given	O
include	O
a	B-General_Concept
remote-controlled	O
"	O
car	O
"	O
,	O
where	O
the	O
two	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
attach	O
to	O
the	O
car	O
and	O
their	O
vibration	O
feedback	O
provide	O
the	O
motion	O
for	O
the	O
car	O
,	O
controlled	O
from	O
the	O
Switch	O
,	O
a	B-General_Concept
fishing	O
rod	O
where	O
the	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
are	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
reel	O
and	O
handle	O
of	O
the	O
rod	O
and	O
their	O
motion	O
controls	O
used	O
to	O
simulate	O
the	O
act	O
of	O
fishing	O
in	O
the	O
mini-game	O
,	O
and	O
a	B-General_Concept
small	O
toy	O
piano	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2018	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
Online	I-Application
,	O
Nintendo	O
introduced	O
NES	O
Controller	O
style	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
controllers	B-Device
alongside	O
its	O
classic	O
games	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2019	O
,	O
when	O
SNES	B-Application
games	O
were	O
added	O
to	O
the	O
service	O
,	O
wireless	O
SNES	B-Application
Controllers	B-Device
were	O
released	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2021	O
,	O
when	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
games	O
and	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
titles	O
were	O
added	O
to	O
the	O
service	O
alongside	O
the	O
Expansion	B-Application
Pack	I-Application
,	O
wireless	O
Nintendo	B-Device
64	I-Device
Controllers	I-Device
and	O
SEGA	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
Control	B-Device
Pads	I-Device
were	O
released	O
for	O
use	O
with	O
their	O
respective	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
released	O
Ring	B-Application
Fit	I-Application
Adventure	I-Application
in	O
October	O
2019	O
,	O
which	O
includes	O
a	B-General_Concept
Leg	O
Strap	O
to	O
mount	O
a	B-General_Concept
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
to	O
a	B-General_Concept
leg	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Ring-Con	O
,	O
a	B-General_Concept
flexible	O
hard	O
plastic	O
ring	O
with	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
mounting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
interacts	O
with	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
fashioned	O
after	O
a	B-General_Concept
console	O
role-playing	O
game	O
,	O
by	O
doing	O
various	O
exercises	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
running	O
in	O
place	O
,	O
squatting	O
,	O
and	O
squeezing	O
the	O
ring	O
,	O
to	O
perform	O
in-game	O
actions	O
of	O
running	O
,	O
jumping	O
,	O
and	O
attacking	O
and	O
defending	O
,	O
respectively	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Such	O
features	O
are	O
part	O
of	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
"	O
quality	O
of	O
life	O
"	O
goals	O
to	O
incorporate	O
physical	O
activity	O
alongside	O
the	O
Switch	O
,	O
similar	O
to	O
past	O
titles	O
like	O
Wii	B-Application
Fit	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2017	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
president	O
Tatsumi	O
Kimishima	O
stated	O
that	O
it	O
had	O
been	O
"	O
studying	O
"	O
virtual	B-Application
reality	I-Application
solutions	O
,	O
but	O
felt	O
that	O
comfort	O
was	O
a	B-General_Concept
main	O
concern	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
ultimately	O
unveiled	O
a	B-General_Concept
new	O
Labo	O
VR	O
kit	O
in	O
March	O
2019	O
,	O
using	O
a	B-General_Concept
cardboard	O
headset	O
and	O
viewer	O
placed	O
in	O
front	O
of	O
the	O
console	O
's	O
screen	O
,	O
in	O
combination	O
with	O
attached	O
accessories	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Switch	O
uses	O
a	B-General_Concept
system-on-chip	B-Architecture
from	O
the	O
Tegra	B-Operating_System
family	O
of	O
products	O
,	O
developed	O
in	O
partnership	O
with	O
Nvidia	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
No	O
specific	O
details	O
were	O
revealed	O
beyond	O
that	O
it	O
is	O
a	B-General_Concept
"	O
custom	O
"	O
Tegra	B-Operating_System
chip	O
"	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
same	O
architecture	O
as	O
the	O
world	O
's	O
top-performing	O
GeForce	B-Application
gaming	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
"	O
that	O
are	O
common	O
in	O
personal	O
computers	O
,	O
and	O
has	O
a	B-General_Concept
custom	O
API	B-General_Concept
known	O
as	O
"	O
NVN	O
"	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
designed	O
to	O
"	O
bring	O
lightweight	O
,	O
fast	O
gaming	O
to	O
the	O
masses	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Takeda	O
described	O
the	O
Nvidia	O
chipset	O
as	O
being	O
critical	O
for	O
delivering	O
gamers	O
a	B-General_Concept
level	O
of	O
performance	O
similar	O
to	O
that	O
which	O
they	O
experience	O
on	O
personal	O
computers	O
,	O
helping	O
to	O
achieve	O
"	O
high	O
performance	O
but	O
low	O
power	O
consumption	O
"	O
for	O
the	O
Switch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pre-release	O
reports	O
,	O
unconfirmed	O
by	O
either	O
Nintendo	O
or	O
Nvidia	O
,	O
stated	O
that	O
the	O
SoC	B-Architecture
would	O
be	O
a	B-General_Concept
standard	O
Nvidia	B-Operating_System
Tegra	I-Operating_System
X1	B-Device
instead	O
,	O
composed	O
of	O
four	O
ARM	O
Cortex-A57	O
and	O
four	O
ARM	O
Cortex-A53	O
CPU	B-General_Concept
cores	O
along	O
with	O
256	O
Maxwell-based	O
CUDA	B-Architecture
GPU	B-Architecture
cores	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
CPU	B-General_Concept
cores	O
are	O
clocked	O
at	O
1.020GHz	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
the	O
SoC	B-Architecture
features	O
8	O
CPU	B-General_Concept
cores	O
,	O
the	O
Switch	O
only	O
uses	O
the	O
4	O
Cortex-A57	O
cores	O
,	O
of	O
which	O
1	O
is	O
reserved	O
to	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
GPU	B-Architecture
cores	O
are	O
clocked	O
at	O
when	O
the	O
device	O
is	O
docked	B-Device
,	O
and	O
in	O
Handheld	B-Application
mode	O
,	O
fluctuating	O
between	O
the	O
following	O
speeds	O
:	O
,	O
,	O
and	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
gives	O
the	O
Switch	O
's	O
GPU	B-Architecture
a	B-General_Concept
theoretical	O
peak	O
performance	O
of	O
GFLOPS	O
in	O
TV	O
mode	O
and	O
GFLOPS	O
in	O
Handheld	B-Application
mode	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	B-General_Concept
later	O
iFixit	O
teardown	O
of	O
the	O
final	O
product	O
confirmed	O
4GB	O
of	O
LPDDR4	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
's	O
clocked	O
at	O
in	O
TV	O
mode	O
,	O
while	O
at	O
a	B-General_Concept
reduced	O
in	O
Handheld	B-Application
mode	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Switch	O
offers	O
Wi-Fi	O
5	O
(	O
dual-band	O
802.11ac	O
wireless	O
connectivity	O
compliant	O
with	O
802.11	O
a/b/g/n/ac	O
modes	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Up	O
to	O
eight	O
Switch	O
consoles	O
can	O
be	O
connected	O
in	O
a	B-General_Concept
wireless	B-General_Concept
ad	I-General_Concept
hoc	I-General_Concept
network	I-General_Concept
for	O
local	O
multiplayer	O
games	O
,	O
and	O
multiple	O
players	O
can	O
play	O
on	O
each	O
of	O
the	O
connected	O
Switch	O
consoles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
case	O
of	O
at	O
least	O
one	O
game	O
,	O
Splatoon	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
ten	O
Switch	O
consoles	O
can	O
connect	O
in	O
the	O
ad	O
hoc	O
network	O
,	O
though	O
only	O
eight	O
can	O
play	O
directly	O
while	O
the	O
other	O
two	O
can	O
watch	O
as	O
spectators	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Switch	O
uses	O
Bluetooth	B-Protocol
4.1	O
for	O
wireless	O
communication	O
between	O
the	O
console	O
and	O
its	O
controllers	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
can	O
purchase	O
a	B-General_Concept
third-party	O
USB	B-Protocol
LAN	B-General_Concept
adapter	I-General_Concept
for	O
wired	O
connectivity	O
when	O
the	O
console	O
is	O
docked	B-Device
for	O
TV	O
mode	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
's	I-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
LAN	B-General_Concept
adapter	I-General_Concept
accessory	O
is	O
also	O
compatible	O
with	O
the	O
Switch	O
via	O
USB	B-Protocol
ports	O
on	O
the	O
Switch	O
dock	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Switch	O
is	O
primarily	O
powered	O
in	O
Handheld	B-Application
mode	O
by	O
a	B-General_Concept
non-removable	O
4310	O
mAh	O
,	O
3.7	O
V	O
Lithium-ion	O
rechargeable	O
battery	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
gives	O
the	O
example	O
of	O
The	B-Application
Legend	I-Application
of	I-Application
Zelda	I-Application
:	I-Application
Breath	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Wild	I-Application
supporting	O
approximately	O
three	O
hours	O
of	O
battery	O
life	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
battery	O
can	O
be	O
charged	O
either	O
while	O
in	O
the	O
dock	O
,	O
or	O
through	O
a	B-General_Concept
standard	O
USB-C	O
connector	O
on	O
the	O
console	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
has	O
its	O
own	O
non-removable	O
525	O
mAh	O
,	O
3.7	O
V	O
Lithium-ion	O
battery	O
separate	O
from	O
the	O
console	O
,	O
with	O
an	O
estimated	O
twenty-hour	O
lifespan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additional	O
accessories	O
have	O
other	O
means	O
to	O
charge	O
the	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
the	O
basic	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
grip	I-General_Concept
that	O
ships	O
with	O
the	O
Switch	O
does	O
not	O
offer	O
charging	O
capabilities	O
,	O
a	B-General_Concept
separate	O
premium	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
grip	I-General_Concept
includes	O
a	B-General_Concept
USB-C	O
connector	O
port	O
that	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
charge	O
the	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
batteries	O
while	O
they	O
are	O
connected	O
to	O
this	O
grip	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Switch	O
includes	O
32	O
GB	O
of	O
internal	O
storage	B-General_Concept
,	O
25.9	O
GB	O
of	O
which	O
is	O
user-accessible	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
can	O
be	O
expanded	O
up	O
to	O
2TB	O
using	O
a	B-General_Concept
microSD	O
,	O
a	B-General_Concept
microSDHC	O
or	O
a	B-General_Concept
microSDXC	O
card	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	B-General_Concept
microSD	B-Device
card	I-Device
slot	O
is	O
located	O
under	O
the	O
Switch	O
's	O
kickstand	O
,	O
where	O
a	B-General_Concept
microSD	B-Device
card	I-Device
can	O
be	O
inserted	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
the	O
microSD	B-Device
card	I-Device
is	O
used	O
,	O
the	O
Switch	O
will	O
only	O
store	O
game	O
save	O
data	O
on	O
the	O
internal	O
memory	B-Architecture
,	O
leaving	O
data	O
that	O
can	O
be	O
re-acquired	O
on	O
the	O
microSD	B-Device
card	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Save	O
data	O
will	O
always	O
be	O
stored	O
on	O
the	O
console	O
,	O
regardless	O
if	O
the	O
source	O
is	O
a	B-General_Concept
physical	O
game	B-Device
card	I-Device
or	O
a	B-General_Concept
digital	O
download	O
copy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Save	O
game	O
and	O
profile	O
transfers	O
between	O
Switch	O
consoles	O
were	O
added	O
in	O
the	O
4.0.0	O
system	O
update	O
in	O
October	O
2017	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
10.0.0	O
system	O
update	O
in	O
April	O
2020	O
allowed	O
most	O
update	O
data	O
,	O
saved	O
games	O
(	O
i.e.	O
,	O
downloaded	O
from	O
eShop	B-Application
)	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
downloaded	O
content	O
to	O
be	O
swapped	O
between	O
the	O
internal	O
memory	B-Architecture
and	O
a	B-General_Concept
microSD	B-Device
card	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
MicroSD	O
and	O
microSDHC	O
were	O
supported	O
initially	O
,	O
and	O
microSDXC	O
card	O
support	O
was	O
later	O
added	O
to	O
the	O
Switch	O
's	O
software	O
via	O
a	B-General_Concept
system	O
update	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SD	B-Device
cards	I-Device
and	O
miniSD	B-Device
cards	O
do	O
not	O
fit	O
the	O
Switch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Switch	O
did	O
not	O
support	O
external	O
storage	B-General_Concept
units	O
at	O
launch	O
,	O
but	O
Nintendo	O
stated	O
that	O
they	O
were	O
looking	O
into	O
adding	O
this	O
feature	O
in	O
the	O
future	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Switch	O
console	O
has	O
a	B-General_Concept
3.5mm	O
headphone	B-Device
jack	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
launch	O
,	O
the	O
Switch	O
did	O
not	O
support	O
Bluetooth	B-Protocol
wireless	O
headphones	O
,	O
though	O
they	O
can	O
also	O
be	O
connected	O
if	O
a	B-General_Concept
Bluetooth	B-Protocol
adaptor	O
is	O
connected	O
to	O
the	O
headphone	B-Device
jack	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	B-General_Concept
system	O
update	O
in	O
October	O
2017	O
partially	O
resolved	O
this	O
issue	O
by	O
enabling	O
support	O
for	O
wireless	O
USB	B-Protocol
headphones	O
when	O
the	O
receiver	O
is	O
connected	O
to	O
the	O
USB	B-Protocol
port	O
on	O
the	O
console	O
when	O
docked	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
later	O
fully	O
resolved	O
in	O
a	B-General_Concept
system	O
update	O
in	O
September	O
2021	O
when	O
it	O
enabled	O
support	O
for	O
Bluetooth	B-Protocol
Wireless	O
headphone	O
devices	O
without	O
the	O
need	O
for	O
a	B-General_Concept
USB	B-Protocol
adapter	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Around	O
July	O
2018	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
quietly	O
released	O
Switch	O
units	O
with	O
minor	O
hardware	O
changes	O
and	O
updated	O
firmware	O
to	O
block	O
exploits	O
in	O
the	O
original	O
Switch	O
models	O
that	O
led	O
to	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
extract	O
ROM	B-Device
images	O
from	O
game	B-Device
cards	I-Device
and	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
claimed	O
in	O
its	O
case	O
against	O
Team	B-Device
Xecuter	I-Device
and	O
Gary	B-Device
Bowser	I-Device
in	O
February	O
that	O
this	O
hardware	O
change	O
was	O
specifically	O
the	O
result	O
of	O
Team	B-Device
Xecuter	I-Device
's	O
sales	O
of	O
modified	O
Switch	O
chips	O
that	O
used	O
the	O
exploit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
updated	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
under	O
model	O
number	O
"	O
HAC-001(-01 )	O
"	O
was	O
announced	O
on	O
July	O
17	O
,	O
2019	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
Japan	O
and	O
North	O
America	O
in	O
mid-August	O
2019	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
in	O
September	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
revision	O
uses	O
the	O
Tegra	B-Operating_System
X1+	O
SoC	B-Architecture
,	O
a	B-General_Concept
more	O
efficient	O
chipset	O
compared	O
to	O
the	O
Tegra	B-Operating_System
X1	B-Device
used	O
in	O
the	O
original	O
model	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
is	O
produced	O
between	O
Taiwan-based	O
Foxconn	O
and	O
Japan-based	O
Hosiden	O
,	O
with	O
Foxconn	O
accounting	O
for	O
the	O
largest	O
volume	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
did	O
not	O
plan	O
to	O
sell	O
the	O
Switch	O
below	O
manufacturing	O
cost	O
at	O
launch	O
,	O
as	O
they	O
had	O
done	O
for	O
both	O
the	O
3DS	B-Operating_System
and	O
Wii	B-Device
U	I-Device
at	O
their	O
respective	O
launches	O
;	O
Nintendo	O
affirmed	O
that	O
the	O
Switch	O
would	O
be	O
profitable	O
from	O
launch	O
during	O
its	O
2016	O
fiscal	O
year	O
earnings	O
report	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
company	O
saw	O
the	O
console	O
as	O
a	B-General_Concept
key	O
earnings	O
driver	O
for	O
2017	O
and	O
beyond	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Fomalhaut	O
Techno	O
Solutions	O
,	O
a	B-General_Concept
Japanese	O
product	O
teardown	O
firm	O
,	O
estimated	O
that	O
the	O
Switch	O
cost	O
$257	O
to	O
make	O
compared	O
to	O
its	O
$299	O
MSRP	B-Protocol
,	O
with	O
the	O
console	O
and	O
dock	O
at	O
$167	O
while	O
each	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
costs	O
$45	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kimishima	O
said	O
that	O
they	O
may	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
see	O
further	O
profitability	O
on	O
the	O
Switch	O
when	O
they	O
can	O
achieve	O
volume	O
discounts	O
on	O
components	O
once	O
they	O
reach	O
a	B-General_Concept
level	O
of	O
about	O
10	O
million	O
Switch	O
units	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Prior	O
to	O
launch	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
anticipated	O
shipping	O
two	O
million	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
units	O
by	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
console	O
's	O
first	O
month	O
,	O
and	O
assured	O
that	O
its	O
supply	O
chain	O
would	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
meet	O
demand	O
following	O
the	O
launch	O
period	O
to	O
avoid	O
the	O
shortage	O
situation	O
with	O
the	O
NES	B-Application
Classic	I-Application
Edition	I-Application
in	O
late	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kimishima	O
anticipated	O
that	O
the	O
Switch	O
will	O
have	O
lifetime	O
sales	O
numbers	O
similar	O
to	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
,	O
which	O
sold	O
101	O
million	O
units	O
by	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
initial	O
sales	O
report	O
numbers	O
in	O
April	O
2017	O
,	O
the	O
Financial	O
Times	O
reported	O
that	O
the	O
company	O
was	O
seeking	O
to	O
produce	O
18	O
million	O
Switch	O
units	O
in	O
its	O
2017	O
financial	O
year	O
as	O
to	O
avoid	O
"	O
customer	O
tantrums	O
"	O
with	O
poor	O
supply	O
levels	O
,	O
particularly	O
near	O
the	O
2017	O
holiday	O
season	O
and	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
Odyssey	I-Application
on	O
October	O
27	O
,	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
DigiTimes	O
reported	O
in	O
October	O
2017	O
that	O
Nintendo	O
had	O
further	O
shifted	O
the	O
production	O
rate	O
for	O
the	O
Switch	O
up	O
to	O
2	O
million	O
per	O
month	O
,	O
with	O
plans	O
to	O
ship	O
20	O
million	O
units	O
by	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
year	O
;	O
the	O
newspaper	O
also	O
stated	O
that	O
the	O
production	O
rate	O
was	O
limited	O
by	O
component	O
availability	O
,	O
and	O
not	O
by	O
other	O
factors	O
of	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
production	O
process	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
July	O
10	O
,	O
2019	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
announced	O
a	B-General_Concept
version	O
of	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
dedicated	O
to	O
handheld	B-Application
play	I-Application
called	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
Lite	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Switch	B-Device
Lite	I-Device
is	O
a	B-General_Concept
single	O
unit	O
,	O
integrating	O
the	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
main	O
unit	O
's	O
hardware	O
,	O
and	O
uses	O
a	B-General_Concept
smaller	O
screen	O
measuring	O
diagonally	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
a	B-General_Concept
regular	O
directional	B-Device
pad	I-Device
replaces	O
the	O
four	O
directional	O
buttons	O
on	O
the	O
integrated	O
left	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
using	O
a	B-General_Concept
smaller	O
battery	O
than	O
the	O
original	O
Switch	O
,	O
the	O
Switch	B-Device
Lite	I-Device
uses	O
a	B-General_Concept
more	O
power-efficient	O
chipset	O
,	O
the	O
16-nanometer	O
Tegra	B-Operating_System
X1+	O
,	O
to	O
extend	O
the	O
estimated	O
use	O
time	O
from	O
2.5	O
to	O
6.5	O
hours	O
to	O
3	O
–	O
7	O
hours	O
on	O
a	B-General_Concept
single	O
battery	O
charge	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
of	O
the	O
integrated	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
,	O
the	O
Switch	B-Device
Lite	I-Device
is	O
primarily	O
limited	O
to	O
those	O
games	O
that	O
can	O
be	O
played	O
in	O
Handheld	B-Application
mode	O
,	O
while	O
some	O
other	O
games	O
like	O
1-2-Switch	B-Device
require	O
separate	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
to	O
be	O
used	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Switch	B-Device
Lite	I-Device
was	O
released	O
worldwide	O
on	O
September	O
20	O
,	O
2019	O
,	O
with	O
an	O
MSRP	B-Protocol
of	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
July	O
6	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
officially	O
announced	O
a	B-General_Concept
new	O
model	O
called	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
–	O
OLED	B-Device
Model	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
OLED	B-Device
model	O
features	O
a	B-General_Concept
720p	O
OLED	B-Device
display	I-Device
,	O
and	O
when	O
docked	B-Device
,	O
output	O
to	O
1080p	O
resolution	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
it	O
features	O
64GB	O
of	O
internal	O
storage	B-General_Concept
,	O
enhanced	O
audio	O
functions	O
,	O
a	B-General_Concept
magnesium	O
alloy	O
body	O
and	O
a	B-General_Concept
wider	O
adjustable	O
stand	O
for	O
use	O
in	O
tabletop	O
mode	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
unit	O
ships	O
with	O
a	B-General_Concept
new	O
dock	O
that	O
includes	O
a	B-General_Concept
wired	O
LAN	B-General_Concept
port	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
unit	O
ships	O
in	O
two	O
bundles	O
:	O
one	O
that	O
includes	O
a	B-General_Concept
black	O
dock	O
and	O
red	O
and	O
blue	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
(	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
base	O
model	O
's	O
default	O
color	O
scheme	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
one	O
that	O
includes	O
a	B-General_Concept
white	O
dock	O
and	O
white	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
October	O
8	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
alongside	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Metroid	B-Application
Dread	I-Application
,	O
with	O
a	B-General_Concept
retail	O
price	O
of	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ahead	O
of	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
OLED	B-Device
version	O
on	O
September	O
13	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
reduced	O
the	O
base	O
price	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
Switch	O
model	O
in	O
Europe	O
from	O
to	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
the	O
UK	O
from	O
to	O
,	O
which	O
Nintendo	O
said	O
also	O
reflected	O
changes	O
in	O
currency	O
exchange	O
rates	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
other	O
regions	O
–	O
including	O
North	O
America	O
and	O
Australia	O
–	O
did	O
not	O
receive	O
a	B-General_Concept
price	O
cut	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Two	O
special-edition	O
models	O
were	O
released	O
:	O
those	O
for	O
Splatoon	B-Application
3	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Pokémon	B-Application
Scarlet	I-Application
and	I-Application
Violet	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
early	O
2019	O
,	O
reports	O
from	O
The	O
Wall	O
Street	O
Journal	O
and	O
The	O
Nikkei	O
claimed	O
that	O
Nintendo	O
had	O
plans	O
for	O
two	O
new	O
models	O
of	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
new	O
model	O
was	O
a	B-General_Concept
lightweight	O
revision	O
,	O
later	O
revealed	O
as	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
Lite	I-Device
;	O
the	O
other	O
was	O
to	O
be	O
a	B-General_Concept
more	O
powerful	O
console	O
to	O
be	O
released	O
in	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	B-General_Concept
notification	O
from	O
Nintendo	O
alerting	O
the	O
Federal	O
Communications	O
Commission	O
of	O
changes	O
to	O
the	O
Switch	O
's	O
hardware	O
in	O
July	O
2019	O
were	O
used	O
as	O
further	O
evidence	O
for	O
a	B-General_Concept
new	O
model	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
DigiTimes	O
later	O
corroborated	O
previous	O
reports	O
,	O
claiming	O
Nintendo	O
planned	O
to	O
release	O
a	B-General_Concept
model	O
with	O
an	O
improved	O
CPU	B-General_Concept
and	O
magnesium	O
alloy	O
body	O
in	O
the	O
second	O
half	O
of	O
2020	O
—	O
in	O
December	O
2019	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
denied	O
any	O
intent	O
to	O
release	O
a	B-General_Concept
new	O
model	O
in	O
2020	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
global	O
chip	O
shortage	O
beginning	O
in	O
2020	O
impacted	O
console	O
production	O
regardless	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bloomberg	O
continued	O
to	O
state	O
Nintendo	O
was	O
preparing	O
to	O
release	O
a	B-General_Concept
higher-end	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
model	O
with	O
an	O
OLED	B-Device
screen	I-Device
and	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
output	O
a	B-General_Concept
4K	B-Architecture
resolution	I-Architecture
,	O
and	O
the	O
model	O
would	O
release	O
in	O
late	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
announced	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
OLED	B-Device
model	O
in	O
July	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bloomberg	O
again	O
stated	O
that	O
a	B-General_Concept
higher-end	O
Switch	O
was	O
in	O
development	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
upgrades	O
were	O
scrapped	O
in	O
favor	O
of	O
only	O
the	O
OLED	B-Device
screen	I-Device
in	O
light	O
of	O
the	O
chip	O
shortage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Zynga	O
—	O
one	O
company	O
named	O
by	O
Bloomberg	O
as	O
having	O
received	O
a	B-General_Concept
development	O
kit	O
of	O
an	O
upgraded	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
model	O
—	O
also	O
denied	O
the	O
factuality	O
of	O
the	O
report	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Continued	O
rumors	O
of	O
a	B-General_Concept
high-end	O
model	O
were	O
fueled	O
by	O
a	B-General_Concept
leak	O
of	O
Nvidia	O
's	O
source	O
code	O
showing	O
a	B-General_Concept
custom	O
chip	O
with	O
DLSS	B-Device
support	O
made	O
for	O
Nintendo	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2022	O
,	O
Digital	O
Foundry	O
claimed	O
that	O
any	O
upgraded	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
model	O
was	O
no	O
longer	O
in	O
production	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
Nintendo	O
instead	O
is	O
focusing	O
on	O
the	O
system	O
's	O
successor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
runs	O
on	O
a	B-General_Concept
custom-made	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
named	O
Horizon	O
,	O
built	O
on	O
a	B-General_Concept
microkernel	B-Operating_System
architecture	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Switch	O
's	O
user	B-Application
interface	I-Application
features	O
tile-based	O
access	O
to	O
games	O
that	O
are	O
either	O
present	O
in	O
the	O
game	B-Device
card	I-Device
slot	O
or	O
stored	O
within	O
the	O
unit	O
's	O
storage	B-General_Concept
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
includes	O
quick	O
access	O
buttons	O
for	O
a	B-General_Concept
News	O
feed	O
from	O
Nintendo	O
,	O
eShop	B-Application
access	O
,	O
and	O
a	B-General_Concept
photo	O
album	O
for	O
screenshots	O
captured	O
during	O
gameplay	O
;	O
the	O
4.0	O
update	O
to	O
the	O
software	O
in	O
October	O
2017	O
also	O
enabled	O
capturing	O
and	O
sharing	O
video	O
from	O
select	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	B-General_Concept
single	O
Switch	O
console	O
supports	O
up	O
to	O
eight	O
user	O
profiles	O
,	O
which	O
each	O
can	O
be	O
tied	O
to	O
a	B-General_Concept
Nintendo	O
Account	O
user	O
ID	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Profiles	O
can	O
be	O
represented	O
by	O
either	O
a	B-General_Concept
pre-made	O
avatar	B-Application
from	O
an	O
internal	O
gallery	O
,	O
or	O
using	O
a	B-General_Concept
Mii	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Prior	O
to	O
the	O
4.0	O
update	O
,	O
players	O
discovered	O
that	O
the	O
Switch	O
's	O
firmware	O
included	O
an	O
Easter	O
egg	O
allowing	O
players	O
to	O
play	O
the	O
NES	O
Golf	B-Application
title	O
via	O
a	B-General_Concept
built-in	O
emulator	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Nintendo	O
has	O
not	O
confirmed	O
its	O
presence	O
,	O
journalists	O
and	O
players	O
believed	O
this	O
to	O
be	O
a	B-General_Concept
tribute	O
to	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
former	O
president	O
Satoru	O
Iwata	O
;	O
Golf	B-Application
was	O
programmed	O
by	O
Iwata	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
game	O
could	O
only	O
be	O
accessed	O
if	O
the	O
system	O
clock	O
was	O
set	O
to	O
July	O
11	O
–	O
the	O
day	O
when	O
Iwata	O
died	O
in	O
2015	O
–	O
and	O
the	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
are	O
moved	O
similarly	O
to	O
how	O
Iwata	O
would	O
move	O
his	O
hands	O
in	O
his	O
Nintendo	O
Direct	O
presentations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2018	O
,	O
a	B-General_Concept
Twitter	B-Application
user	O
found	O
files	O
on	O
the	O
Switch	O
's	O
firmware	O
while	O
reverse-engineering	O
the	O
console	O
,	O
which	O
suggested	O
that	O
Nintendo	O
was	O
possibly	O
testing	O
VR	O
functionality	O
for	O
the	O
Switch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Twitter	B-Application
user	O
was	O
able	O
to	O
activate	O
the	O
hidden	O
"	O
VR	O
Mode	O
"	O
,	O
which	O
split	O
the	O
screen	O
into	O
two	O
displays	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hackers	O
found	O
that	O
the	O
code	O
related	O
to	O
possible	O
VR	O
functionality	O
had	O
been	O
hidden	O
in	O
the	O
Switch	B-Operating_System
firmware	I-Operating_System
for	O
over	O
a	B-General_Concept
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
continued	O
its	O
white	O
hat	O
security	O
program	O
that	O
it	O
had	O
with	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
3DS	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2018	O
,	O
two	O
separate	O
groups	O
discovered	O
a	B-General_Concept
method	O
to	O
use	O
an	O
exploit	O
chain	O
in	O
the	O
Tegra	B-Operating_System
chip	O
system	O
that	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
boot	O
other	O
software	O
on	O
the	O
Switch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
exploit	O
could	O
not	O
be	O
patched	O
through	O
a	B-General_Concept
software	O
update	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
BootROM	O
of	O
the	O
Tegra	B-Operating_System
X1	B-Device
can	O
not	O
be	O
modified	O
after	O
the	O
chip	O
leaves	O
the	O
factory	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
studying	O
the	O
hardware	O
determined	O
that	O
Nintendo	O
has	O
the	O
capacity	B-General_Concept
to	O
permanently	O
ban	O
specific	O
Switch	O
consoles	O
used	O
to	O
obtain	O
software	O
via	O
this	O
exploit	O
from	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Network	I-Application
,	O
as	O
the	O
Switch	O
console	O
includes	O
a	B-General_Concept
unique	O
device	O
identification	O
code	O
used	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
validation	O
to	O
the	O
Network	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
games	O
downloaded	O
from	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Network	I-Application
include	O
encrypted	O
information	O
that	O
ties	O
the	O
Nintendo	O
ID	O
to	O
the	O
console	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
transmitted	O
to	O
Nintendo	O
when	O
users	O
start	O
playing	O
games	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
can	O
track	O
unapproved	O
software	O
downloads	O
and	O
take	O
action	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2018	O
,	O
two	O
hackers	O
found	O
a	B-General_Concept
way	O
to	O
run	O
the	O
Switch	O
system	O
's	O
developer	O
software	O
menu	O
on	O
non-developer	O
Switch	O
units	O
,	O
allowing	O
users	O
to	O
directly	O
load	O
games	O
onto	O
SD	B-Device
cards	I-Device
or	O
create	O
custom	O
avatars	B-Application
for	O
their	O
user	O
profile	O
,	O
including	O
pornographic	O
and	O
NSFW	O
pictures	O
,	O
which	O
violate	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
terms	O
of	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	B-General_Concept
Nintendo	O
spokesperson	O
responded	O
to	O
Kotakus	O
article	O
on	O
the	O
topic	O
,	O
saying	O
that	O
"	O
Modified	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
systems	O
have	O
been	O
banned	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shortly	O
after	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
Online	I-Application
in	O
September	O
2018	O
,	O
hackers	O
and	O
modders	O
were	O
able	O
to	O
figure	O
out	O
how	O
to	O
run	O
unauthorized	O
ROMs	B-Device
on	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
NES	O
emulator	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	B-General_Concept
Switch	O
hacker	O
who	O
goes	O
by	O
the	O
name	O
DevRin	O
,	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
to	O
discover	O
the	O
hack	O
and	O
posted	O
his	O
findings	O
on	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
,	O
which	O
prompted	O
a	B-General_Concept
modder	O
who	O
goes	O
by	O
the	O
name	O
KapuccinoHeck	O
to	O
investigate	O
the	O
matter	O
with	O
two	O
others	O
and	O
their	O
findings	O
were	O
later	O
posted	O
on	O
KapuccinoHeck	O
's	O
Twitter	B-Application
account	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
user	O
profiles	O
can	O
be	O
linked	O
to	O
a	B-General_Concept
Nintendo	O
Account	O
,	O
which	O
enables	O
access	O
to	O
online	O
features	O
and	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
download	O
and	O
purchase	O
software	O
from	O
Nintendo	B-Application
eShop	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	B-General_Concept
Nintendo	O
Account	O
can	O
be	O
created	O
with	O
an	O
account	O
from	O
a	B-General_Concept
third-party	O
social	O
networking	O
service	O
or	O
an	O
existing	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Network	I-Application
ID	O
from	O
a	B-General_Concept
3DS	B-Operating_System
or	O
Wii	B-Device
U	I-Device
.	O
Nintendo	O
does	O
not	O
plan	O
to	O
offer	O
first-party	O
social	O
networking	O
services	O
on	O
Switch	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Miiverse	O
or	O
StreetPass	B-Device
,	O
the	O
latter	O
owing	O
to	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
promotion	O
of	O
Switch	O
as	O
primarily	O
being	O
a	B-General_Concept
home	B-Device
console	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Instead	O
,	O
profiles	O
can	O
be	O
linked	O
to	O
existing	O
social	O
networks	O
such	O
as	O
Facebook	B-Application
and	O
Twitter	B-Application
for	O
social	O
and	O
sharing	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
can	O
register	O
friends	O
through	O
Friend	O
Codes	O
as	O
with	O
previous	O
Nintendo	O
systems	O
,	O
searching	O
for	O
friends	O
in	O
the	O
local	B-General_Concept
network	I-General_Concept
,	O
through	O
past	O
multiplayer	O
interactions	O
,	O
or	O
through	O
Nintendo	O
Account	O
profiles	O
registered	O
as	O
friends	O
on	O
Nintendo	O
mobile	B-Application
apps	I-Application
such	O
as	O
Mario	B-Application
Kart	I-Application
Tour	I-Application
and	O
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
Run	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2017	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
said	O
that	O
they	O
had	O
plans	O
to	O
provide	O
other	O
methods	O
for	O
registering	O
friends	O
,	O
including	O
through	O
third-party	O
social	O
media	B-General_Concept
and	O
via	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Network	I-Application
IDs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Support	O
for	O
registering	O
friends	O
on	O
the	O
Switch	O
via	O
Facebook	B-Application
and	O
Twitter	B-Application
was	O
added	O
on	O
March	O
13	O
,	O
2018	O
,	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
5.0.0	O
system	O
update	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Switch	O
has	O
no	O
native	O
support	O
for	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Network	I-Application
IDs	O
,	O
but	O
users	O
can	O
link	O
their	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Network	I-Application
ID	O
credentials	O
to	O
a	B-General_Concept
Nintendo	O
Account	O
profile	O
,	O
which	O
enables	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
add	O
friends	O
that	O
they	O
had	O
already	O
registered	O
on	O
their	O
3DS	B-Operating_System
or	O
Wii	B-Device
U	I-Device
,	O
and	O
share	O
an	O
eShop	B-Application
balance	O
between	O
all	O
three	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
line	O
with	O
Microsoft	O
and	O
Sony	O
consoles	O
,	O
a	B-General_Concept
subscription	O
is	O
required	O
to	O
access	O
online	O
multiplayer	O
in	O
most	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
Online	I-Application
subscription	O
includes	O
access	O
to	O
online	B-Application
play	I-Application
,	O
voice	O
chat	O
,	O
access	O
to	O
an	O
ongoing	O
library	O
of	O
Nintendo	O
Entertainment	O
System	O
(	O
NES	O
)	O
,	O
Super	B-Application
Nintendo	I-Application
Entertainment	I-Application
System	I-Application
(	O
SNES	B-Application
)	O
,	O
and	O
Gameboy	B-Device
games	O
,	O
cloud	O
storage	B-General_Concept
for	O
save	O
data	O
on	O
supported	O
games	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
other	O
special	O
offers	O
and	O
promotions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	B-General_Concept
paid	O
expansion	B-Application
pack	I-Application
released	O
in	O
October	O
2021	O
added	O
support	O
for	O
an	O
expanding	O
library	O
of	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
and	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
games	O
,	O
and	O
on	O
February	O
2023	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
added	O
Gameboy	B-Device
Advance	O
(	O
GBA	O
)	O
games	O
to	O
the	O
expansion	O
pass	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
expansion	B-Application
pack	I-Application
also	O
includes	O
access	O
to	O
some	O
paid	O
DLC	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
MarioKart	O
8	O
Booster	O
Course	O
Pack	O
DLC	O
,	O
Splatoon	B-Application
2	I-Application
Octo	O
Expansion	O
DLC	O
,	O
and	O
Animal	O
Crossing	O
New	O
Horizons	O
 '	O
Happy	O
Home	O
Paradise	O
DLC	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Free-to-play	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
Fortnite	B-Application
Battle	I-Application
Royale	I-Application
and	O
Warframe	B-Application
are	O
exempt	O
from	O
the	O
subscription	O
requirement	O
for	O
online	B-Application
play	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
Online	I-Application
mobile	B-Application
app	I-Application
allows	O
access	O
to	O
voice	O
chat	O
for	O
Switch	B-Application
Online	I-Application
subscribers	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
access	O
to	O
game-specific	O
microsites	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
its	O
competitors	O
,	O
voice	O
chat	O
is	O
not	O
supported	O
via	O
the	O
console	O
itself	O
,	O
requiring	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
app	O
on	O
a	B-General_Concept
smartphone	B-Application
instead	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	B-General_Concept
separate	O
app	O
provides	O
access	O
to	O
parental	O
controls	O
for	O
the	O
console	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Switch	O
did	O
not	O
launch	O
with	O
any	O
multimedia-oriented	O
features	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
a	B-General_Concept
web	B-Application
browser	I-Application
,	O
messaging	O
system	O
or	O
support	O
for	O
video	O
streaming	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Fils-Aimé	O
said	O
that	O
because	O
the	O
Switch	O
is	O
geared	O
as	O
a	B-General_Concept
gaming	O
console	O
that	O
is	O
far	O
different	O
from	O
what	O
their	O
competitors	O
offer	O
,	O
they	O
had	O
focused	O
on	O
achieving	O
that	O
goal	O
first	O
and	O
foremost	O
,	O
and	O
did	O
not	O
see	O
media	B-General_Concept
support	O
as	O
a	B-General_Concept
differentiator	O
from	O
their	O
competitors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Niconico	O
,	O
a	B-General_Concept
popular	O
Japanese	O
video	O
service	O
,	O
launched	O
for	O
the	O
Switch	O
in	O
Japan	O
on	O
July	O
13	O
,	O
2017	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
the	O
Switch	O
's	O
first	O
third-party	O
media	B-General_Concept
app	O
in	O
any	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hulu	B-Application
was	O
the	O
first	O
video	O
streaming	O
application	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Switch	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
on	O
November	O
9	O
,	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	B-General_Concept
YouTube	B-General_Concept
application	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
November	O
8	O
,	O
2018	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
November	O
4	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
a	B-General_Concept
trial	O
version	O
app	O
of	O
the	O
Tencent	O
Video	O
streaming	O
service	O
was	O
launched	O
exclusively	O
for	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
consoles	I-Device
officially	O
distributed	O
by	O
Tencent	O
in	O
mainland	O
China	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
official	O
version	O
app	O
will	O
be	O
launched	O
at	O
a	B-General_Concept
later	O
date	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Funimation	O
launched	O
their	O
own	O
streaming	O
app	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
,	O
featuring	O
a	B-General_Concept
reworked	O
layout	O
and	O
new	O
functions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
app	O
became	O
available	O
via	O
eShop	B-Application
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
and	O
Canada	O
on	O
December	O
15	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
and	O
will	O
launch	O
in	O
various	O
other	O
countries	O
at	O
a	B-General_Concept
later	O
date	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
and	O
Ireland	O
on	O
March	O
22	O
,	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	B-General_Concept
version	O
of	O
the	O
Twitch	O
app	O
launched	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
on	O
November	O
11	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
in	O
most	O
regions	O
worldwide	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
eShop	B-Application
version	O
of	O
the	O
app	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
watch	O
or	O
follow	O
any	O
live	O
or	O
recorded	O
content	O
on	O
Twitch	O
,	O
but	O
does	O
not	O
support	O
any	O
native	O
ability	O
for	O
Switch	O
players	O
to	O
contribute	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Korg	O
Gadget	O
,	O
a	B-General_Concept
music	O
production	O
app	O
,	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
on	O
April	O
26	O
,	O
2018	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
InkyPen	B-Application
,	O
a	B-General_Concept
comics	O
and	O
manga	O
subscription	O
app	O
,	O
launched	O
exclusively	O
on	O
the	O
Switch	O
worldwide	O
on	O
December	O
17	O
,	O
2018	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
FUZE4	O
,	O
a	B-General_Concept
text-based	O
programming	O
language	O
app	O
,	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
August	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Games	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
can	O
be	O
obtained	O
through	O
either	O
retail	O
channels	O
or	O
digitally	O
through	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
eShop	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Games	O
distributed	O
at	O
retail	O
are	O
stored	O
on	O
proprietary	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
,	O
similar	O
in	O
design	O
to	O
the	O
game	B-Device
cards	I-Device
used	O
for	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
3DS	I-Operating_System
games	O
,	O
albeit	O
smaller	O
and	O
thinner	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
the	O
world	O
's	O
first	O
major	O
hybrid	O
console	O
,	O
the	O
console	O
is	O
the	O
first	O
major	O
home-playable	O
video	O
game	O
system	O
to	O
make	O
use	O
of	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
since	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
their	O
small	O
size	B-General_Concept
at	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
coats	O
each	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
with	O
denatonium	O
benzoate	O
,	O
a	B-General_Concept
non-toxic	O
bitterant	O
used	O
to	O
discourage	O
children	O
from	O
ingesting	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
offered	O
a	B-General_Concept
suggested	O
retail	O
price	O
for	O
Switch	O
games	O
at	O
the	O
console	O
's	O
launch	O
of	O
,	O
equivalent	O
to	O
the	O
price	O
for	O
new	O
games	O
on	O
either	O
the	B-Device
Xbox	I-Device
One	I-Device
and	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
otherwise	O
allows	O
publishers	O
to	O
set	O
the	O
price	O
for	O
a	B-General_Concept
game	O
,	O
only	O
requiring	O
the	O
list	O
price	O
be	O
the	O
same	O
for	O
physical	O
and	O
digital	O
releases	O
,	O
if	O
a	B-General_Concept
physical	O
release	O
is	O
made	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
has	O
caused	O
some	O
games	O
also	O
available	O
on	O
other	O
consoles	O
to	O
be	O
priced	O
higher	O
on	O
the	O
Switch	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
costs	O
of	O
manufacturing	O
the	O
game	B-Device
card	I-Device
for	O
the	O
Switch	O
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Online	O
media	B-General_Concept
outlets	O
have	O
colloquially	O
referred	O
to	O
this	O
price	O
hike	O
as	O
the	O
"	O
Switch	O
tax	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Game	B-Device
cards	I-Device
at	O
the	O
time	O
of	O
the	O
Switch	O
's	O
release	O
had	O
a	B-General_Concept
32GB	O
capacity	B-General_Concept
;	O
Nintendo	O
had	O
planned	O
to	O
introduce	O
64GB	O
game	B-Device
cards	I-Device
by	O
the	O
second	O
half	O
of	O
2018	O
,	O
but	O
had	O
to	O
push	O
this	O
back	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
physical	O
games	O
may	O
still	O
require	O
content	O
to	O
be	O
installed	O
to	O
internal	O
storage	B-General_Concept
,	O
with	O
some	O
games	O
using	O
a	B-General_Concept
significant	O
portion	O
of	O
the	O
internal	O
memory	B-Architecture
if	O
a	B-General_Concept
microSD	B-Device
card	I-Device
is	O
not	O
available	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
physical	O
games	O
which	O
have	O
a	B-General_Concept
large	O
amount	O
of	O
content	O
may	O
require	O
a	B-General_Concept
microSD	B-Device
card	I-Device
to	O
be	O
present	O
in	O
the	O
Switch	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
NBA	B-Application
2K18	I-Application
;	O
such	O
games	O
are	O
clearly	O
marked	O
on	O
the	O
cover	O
to	O
show	O
these	O
requirements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Switch	O
supports	O
the	O
ability	O
for	O
cloud	B-Application
gaming	I-Application
to	O
run	O
games	O
that	O
require	O
more	O
hardware	O
capabilities	O
than	O
the	O
Switch	O
allows	O
,	O
running	O
these	O
games	O
over	O
a	B-General_Concept
network	O
with	O
the	O
game	O
computations	O
performed	O
on	O
server	O
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Early	O
examples	O
of	O
such	O
games	O
on	O
the	O
Switch	O
include	O
Resident	B-Application
Evil	I-Application
7	I-Application
:	I-Application
Biohazard	I-Application
,	O
Phantasy	B-Protocol
Star	I-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
2	I-Protocol
and	O
Assassin	B-Application
's	I-Application
Creed	I-Application
:	I-Application
Odyssey	I-Application
which	O
were	O
primarily	O
limited	O
to	O
Japanese	O
releases	O
,	O
while	O
more	O
recently	O
Control	B-Application
and	O
Hitman	B-Application
3	I-Application
will	O
be	O
offered	O
through	O
cloud	B-Application
gaming	I-Application
worldwide	O
in	O
2020	O
and	O
beyond	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
previous	O
Nintendo	O
home	B-Device
consoles	I-Device
,	O
the	O
Switch	O
is	O
region-free	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
allows	O
players	O
to	O
use	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
or	O
downloaded	O
content	O
from	O
any	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
world	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
exception	O
of	O
Chinese	O
game	O
content	O
which	O
can	O
only	O
be	O
played	O
on	O
Switch	O
units	O
manufactured	O
for	O
that	O
country	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
recommends	O
using	O
the	O
appropriate	O
regional	O
eShop	B-Application
for	O
digital	O
purposes	O
for	O
obtaining	O
the	O
best	O
post-purchase	O
support	O
if	O
needed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
opted	O
to	O
go	O
region-free	O
to	O
reduce	O
the	O
amount	O
of	O
workload	O
and	O
cost	O
to	O
both	O
themselves	O
and	O
developers	O
in	O
having	O
to	O
manage	O
two	O
or	O
more	O
regional	O
certification	O
processes	O
and	O
different	O
ROM	B-Protocol
cartridge	I-Protocol
production	O
pathways	O
for	O
those	O
regions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Further	O
,	O
eShop	B-Application
purchases	O
,	O
while	O
still	O
tied	O
to	O
the	O
Nintendo	O
Account	O
,	O
are	O
not	O
tied	O
to	O
the	O
specific	O
Switch	O
console	O
,	O
as	O
was	O
the	O
case	O
for	O
previous	O
Nintendo	O
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Once	O
the	O
user	O
re-registers	O
their	O
account	O
to	O
a	B-General_Concept
Switch	O
,	O
they	O
have	O
access	O
to	O
download	O
all	O
previous	O
purchases	O
;	O
however	O
,	O
a	B-General_Concept
user	O
can	O
only	O
have	O
their	O
account	O
registered	O
on	O
one	O
console	O
at	O
a	B-General_Concept
time	O
,	O
and	O
downloaded	O
software	O
tied	O
to	O
an	O
account	O
cannot	O
be	O
used	O
if	O
that	O
account	O
is	O
not	O
registered	O
to	O
the	O
device	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
console	O
's	O
6.0.0	O
system	O
update	O
,	O
alongside	O
the	O
launch	O
of	O
the	O
Online	O
service	O
in	O
September	O
2018	O
,	O
a	B-General_Concept
user	O
can	O
play	O
games	O
that	O
they	O
have	O
purchased	O
from	O
the	O
eShop	B-Application
on	O
a	B-General_Concept
second	O
Switch	O
console	O
,	O
though	O
requiring	O
continuous	O
online	O
connection	O
and	O
other	O
restrictions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Switch	O
does	O
not	O
use	O
optical	B-Device
discs	I-Device
,	O
and	O
as	O
such	O
does	O
not	O
have	O
native	O
backward	B-General_Concept
compatibility	I-General_Concept
with	O
software	O
from	O
any	O
previous	O
Nintendo	O
console	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Switch	O
is	O
also	O
not	O
backwards	B-General_Concept
compatible	I-General_Concept
with	O
other	O
digital	O
titles	O
from	O
previous	O
consoles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Emulated	O
versions	O
of	O
games	O
from	O
previous	O
Nintendo	O
systems	O
are	O
offered	O
through	O
eShop	B-Application
and	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
Online	I-Application
service	O
,	O
although	O
the	O
blanket	O
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
brand	O
used	O
for	O
these	O
releases	O
on	O
Wii	B-Operating_System
,	O
Wii	B-Device
U	I-Device
,	O
and	O
3DS	B-Operating_System
has	O
been	O
dropped	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
of	O
the	O
generally	O
perceived	O
failures	O
of	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
was	O
a	B-General_Concept
lack	O
of	O
support	O
from	O
third-party	O
developers	O
,	O
leading	O
to	O
a	B-General_Concept
weak	O
library	O
of	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
was	O
more	O
aggressive	O
in	O
trying	O
to	O
bring	O
on	O
third-party	O
developers	O
,	O
early	O
in	O
the	O
Switch	O
's	O
development	O
,	O
to	O
ensure	O
a	B-General_Concept
stronger	O
lineup	O
of	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Electronic	O
Arts	O
 '	O
executive	O
Patrick	O
Söderlund	O
said	O
that	O
Nintendo	O
had	O
taken	O
a	B-General_Concept
different	O
track	O
with	O
attracting	O
third-party	O
developers	O
to	O
the	O
Switch	O
and	O
have	O
engaged	O
Electronic	O
Arts	O
and	O
other	O
major	O
developers	O
throughout	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
the	O
Switch	O
,	O
listening	O
to	O
their	O
input	O
,	O
to	O
help	O
make	O
the	O
Switch	O
more	O
successful	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
had	O
tried	O
to	O
draw	O
in	O
indie	O
developers	O
near	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
's	O
lifetime	O
,	O
providing	O
indie	O
game	O
demos	O
that	O
were	O
highlighted	O
during	O
E3	O
2015	O
,	O
but	O
by	O
this	O
point	O
,	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
had	O
already	O
been	O
considered	O
a	B-General_Concept
failure	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
sees	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
Snipperclips	B-Device
as	O
a	B-General_Concept
model	O
of	O
their	O
target	O
for	O
indie	O
games	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
they	O
worked	O
to	O
help	O
provide	O
Switch	O
implementation	O
support	O
and	O
software	O
tools	O
to	O
these	O
parties	O
early	O
in	O
the	O
console	O
's	O
lifecycle	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
Takahashi	O
and	O
Koizumi	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
,	O
like	O
Yacht	O
Club	O
Games	O
,	O
who	O
have	O
ported	O
Shovel	B-Application
Knight	I-Application
to	O
the	O
Switch	O
,	O
noted	O
that	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
major	O
innovations	O
in	O
the	O
Switch	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
,	O
were	O
not	O
revealed	O
to	O
them	O
until	O
just	O
prior	O
to	O
the	O
January	O
2017	O
announcement	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
of	O
America	O
reached	O
out	O
to	O
many	O
independent	O
developers	O
and	O
publishers	O
,	O
including	O
Chucklefish	O
,	O
Team17	O
,	O
and	O
Devolver	O
Digital	O
,	O
to	O
gain	O
titles	O
for	O
the	O
platform	O
and	O
make	O
the	O
process	B-Architecture
of	O
publishing	O
easier	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
still	O
curates	O
which	O
titles	O
they	O
allow	O
on	O
the	O
system	O
,	O
using	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
past	O
portfolio	O
for	O
evaluation	O
,	O
and	O
still	O
carefully	O
time	O
releases	O
to	O
keep	O
a	B-General_Concept
steady	O
stream	O
of	O
new	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
once	O
a	B-General_Concept
game	O
is	O
greenlit	O
,	O
pushing	O
out	O
patches	O
and	O
updates	O
can	O
be	O
done	O
rapidly	O
and	O
at	O
no	O
further	O
cost	O
to	O
the	O
developer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
also	O
offers	O
the	O
Switch	O
's	O
dev	O
kit	O
at	O
50,000	O
yen	O
,	O
or	O
about	O
$450	O
,	O
far	O
under	O
the	O
cost	O
of	O
a	B-General_Concept
comparable	O
dev	O
kit	O
for	O
other	O
consoles	O
,	O
making	O
it	O
more	O
amenable	O
for	O
smaller	O
developers	O
to	O
afford	O
and	O
build	O
for	O
the	O
unit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
offers	O
several	O
of	O
these	O
indie	O
games	O
as	O
"	O
Nindies	O
"	O
through	O
the	O
eShop	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
had	O
anticipated	O
that	O
they	O
would	O
have	O
at	O
least	O
sixty	O
indie	O
games	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Switch	O
through	O
2017	O
,	O
but	O
ended	O
up	O
with	O
over	O
320	O
titles	O
by	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
2017	O
as	O
a	B-General_Concept
result	O
of	O
the	O
console	O
's	O
popularity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Indie	O
developers	O
have	O
found	O
that	O
Nintendo	O
has	O
also	O
had	O
a	B-General_Concept
significant	O
role	O
in	O
the	O
promotion	O
and	O
marketing	O
of	O
their	O
games	O
,	O
including	O
using	O
the	O
games	O
to	O
help	O
promote	O
the	O
Switch	O
itself	O
,	O
in	O
contrast	O
to	O
Microsoft	O
or	O
Sony	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
developers	O
also	O
found	O
Nintendo	O
tries	O
to	O
keep	O
a	B-General_Concept
better	O
rapport	O
with	O
fans	O
of	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
products	O
,	O
and	O
help	O
these	O
fans	O
identify	O
Switch	O
indie	O
games	O
they	O
feel	O
they	O
will	O
like	O
the	O
most	O
,	O
including	O
those	O
games	O
that	O
build	O
on	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
classic	O
games	O
from	O
the	O
NES	O
,	O
SNES	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
eras	O
that	O
can	O
draw	O
in	O
a	B-General_Concept
more	O
global	O
audience	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Baker	O
says	O
that	O
while	O
they	O
do	O
try	O
to	O
encourage	O
indie	O
developers	O
to	O
release	O
their	O
games	O
as	O
a	B-General_Concept
Switch	O
console	O
exclusive	O
,	O
they	O
do	O
not	O
force	O
developers	O
towards	O
this	O
,	O
knowing	O
that	O
the	O
developers	O
must	O
have	O
a	B-General_Concept
good	O
business	O
case	O
for	O
doing	O
so	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
many	O
independent	O
developers	O
have	O
praised	O
Nintendo	O
for	O
better	O
support	O
for	O
the	O
Switch	O
,	O
others	O
,	O
speaking	O
anonymously	O
through	O
Nintendo	O
Life	O
,	O
noted	O
that	O
Nintendo	O
seemed	O
to	O
have	O
a	B-General_Concept
"	O
walled	B-Application
garden	I-Application
"	O
approach	O
with	O
independent	O
developers	O
,	O
a	B-General_Concept
remnant	O
from	O
the	O
WiiWare	O
program	O
that	O
allowed	O
a	B-General_Concept
great	O
deal	O
of	O
shovelware	O
to	O
be	O
pushed	O
onto	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
anonymous	O
developers	O
found	O
that	O
Nintendo	O
was	O
either	O
eschewing	O
some	O
developers	O
completely	O
,	O
or	O
requiring	O
them	O
to	O
have	O
a	B-General_Concept
well-known	O
publishing	O
partner	O
or	O
an	O
inside	O
person	O
within	O
Nintendo	O
to	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
gain	O
the	O
rights	O
to	O
publish	O
for	O
the	O
Switch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
Baker	O
does	O
anticipate	O
that	O
Nintendo	O
will	O
be	O
much	O
more	O
open	O
in	O
the	O
future	O
,	O
once	O
they	O
have	O
addressed	O
the	O
necessary	O
issues	O
for	O
curation	O
and	O
discovery	O
of	O
titles	O
via	O
the	O
eShop	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
its	O
official	O
unveiling	O
in	O
October	O
2016	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
deliberately	O
opted	O
not	O
to	O
provide	O
a	B-General_Concept
list	O
of	O
games	O
for	O
the	O
system	O
,	O
as	O
they	O
"	O
want	O
people	O
to	O
touch	O
the	O
device	O
in	O
January	O
 [ 2017 ] 	O
and	O
experience	O
the	O
software	O
for	O
themselves	O
"	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
Kimishima	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Instead	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
announced	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
partners	O
that	O
had	O
committed	O
to	O
supporting	O
the	O
Switch	O
;	O
contrasting	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
struggles	O
to	O
gain	O
third-party	O
support	O
on-launch	O
for	O
previous	O
platforms	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
initially	O
listed	O
48	O
third-party	O
publishers	O
,	O
studios	O
,	O
and	O
middleware	B-General_Concept
developers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
Switch	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
went	O
a	B-General_Concept
different	O
route	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Takahashi	O
,	O
"	O
we	O
have	O
been	O
aiming	O
to	O
realize	O
an	O
environment	O
in	O
which	O
a	B-General_Concept
variety	O
of	O
different	O
third-party	O
developers	O
are	O
able	O
to	O
easily	O
develop	O
compatible	O
software	O
"	O
,	O
taking	O
advantage	O
of	O
the	O
Nvidia	O
chipset	O
's	O
support	O
for	O
many	O
standard	O
libraries	O
that	O
allows	O
for	O
ease	O
of	O
transition	O
from	O
other	O
platforms	O
to	O
the	O
Switch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unity	B-Application
Technologies	O
,	O
Epic	O
Games	O
,	O
and	O
the	B-Library
Khronos	I-Library
Group	I-Library
pledged	O
support	O
to	O
help	O
developers	O
bring	O
games	O
to	O
the	O
Switch	O
using	O
their	O
game	O
engines	O
and	O
middleware	B-General_Concept
,	O
Unity	B-Application
,	O
Unreal	O
Engine	O
4	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Vulkan	B-Application
and	O
OpenGL	B-Application
graphical	O
APIs	B-General_Concept
,	O
respectively	O
;	O
for	O
instance	O
,	O
the	O
Unreal	O
Engine	O
toolkit	O
was	O
updated	O
in	O
February	O
2017	O
to	O
provide	O
beta	O
testing	O
for	O
native	O
support	O
for	O
Switch	O
games	O
,	O
with	O
full	O
support	O
added	O
by	O
May	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2018	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
announced	O
it	O
had	O
also	O
gained	O
support	O
of	O
YoYo	O
Games	O
 '	O
GameMaker	B-Operating_System
Studio	I-Operating_System
2	I-Operating_System
engine	O
for	O
the	O
Switch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Miyamoto	O
said	O
that	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
own	O
developers	O
have	O
"	O
mastered	O
"	O
engines	O
like	O
Unreal	O
,	O
so	O
that	O
while	O
it	O
would	O
be	O
unlikely	O
that	O
Nintendo	O
would	O
release	O
a	B-General_Concept
first-party	O
title	O
using	O
such	O
software	O
,	O
they	O
can	O
help	O
support	O
developers	O
using	O
these	O
tools	O
on	O
the	O
Switch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
these	O
third-party	O
middleware	B-General_Concept
solutions	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
developed	O
its	O
own	O
NintendoWare	O
Bezel	O
Engine	O
for	O
first	O
-	O
and	O
third-party	O
developers	O
,	O
first	O
announced	O
in	O
2018	O
,	O
aimed	O
"	O
to	O
provide	O
an	O
environment	O
that	O
can	O
create	O
interesting	O
games	O
in	O
a	B-General_Concept
short	O
period	O
of	O
time	O
while	O
keeping	O
development	O
costs	O
as	O
low	O
as	O
possible	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Games	O
like	O
Tetris	B-Application
99	I-Application
and	O
Clubhouse	B-Application
Games	I-Application
:	I-Application
51	I-Application
Worldwide	I-Application
Classics	I-Application
were	O
developed	O
in	O
this	O
engine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
2022	O
,	O
the	O
Switch	O
was	O
generally	O
considered	O
to	O
have	O
reversed	O
the	O
trend	O
of	O
flagging	O
third	O
party	O
support	O
for	O
Nintendo	O
consoles	O
and	O
game	O
platforms	O
,	O
something	O
that	O
was	O
attributed	O
to	O
Nintendo	O
having	O
made	O
concerted	O
outreach	O
efforts	O
towards	O
third	O
parties	O
to	O
bring	O
them	O
on	O
board	O
;	O
several	O
major	O
third	O
party	O
franchises	O
and	O
developers	O
,	O
including	O
Grand	B-Application
Theft	I-Application
Auto	I-Application
,	O
The	B-Application
Elder	I-Application
Scrolls	I-Application
,	O
The	B-Application
Witcher	I-Application
,	O
Alan	B-Application
Wake	I-Application
,	O
Nier	B-Application
,	O
Persona	O
,	O
Diablo	B-Application
,	O
Dark	B-Application
Souls	I-Application
,	O
Life	B-Application
Is	I-Application
Strange	I-Application
,	O
Borderlands	O
,	O
Overwatch	B-Application
,	O
Devil	B-Application
May	I-Application
Cry	I-Application
,	O
Dragon	B-Application
's	I-Application
Dogma	I-Application
,	O
Saints	B-Application
Row	I-Application
,	O
Danganronpa	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Portal	B-Application
making	O
their	O
Nintendo	O
home	B-Device
console	I-Device
debuts	O
on	O
the	O
Switch	O
,	O
and	O
several	O
others	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Doom	B-Application
,	O
Wolfenstein	B-Application
,	O
Civilization	O
,	O
Assassin	B-Application
's	I-Application
Creed	I-Application
,	O
Tales	O
,	O
Monster	B-Application
Hunter	I-Application
,	O
Resident	B-Application
Evil	I-Application
,	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
,	O
Dragon	B-Application
Quest	I-Application
,	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Burnout	O
making	O
their	O
return	O
to	O
Nintendo	O
hardware	O
after	O
prolonged	O
absences	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Application
Legend	I-Application
of	I-Application
Zelda	I-Application
:	I-Application
Breath	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Wild	I-Application
,	O
originally	O
announced	O
as	O
a	B-General_Concept
Wii	B-Device
U	I-Device
exclusive	O
,	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Switch	O
as	O
a	B-General_Concept
launch	O
title	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
console	O
's	O
reveal	O
trailer	O
showcased	O
footage	O
from	O
new	O
titles	O
in	O
Nintendo	O
franchises	O
,	O
including	O
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
Odyssey	I-Application
,	O
Mario	B-Device
Kart	I-Device
8	I-Device
Deluxe	I-Device
,	O
and	O
Splatoon	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
footage	O
from	O
NBA	B-Application
2K18	I-Application
and	O
The	B-Application
Elder	I-Application
Scrolls	I-Application
V	I-Application
:	I-Application
Skyrim	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
least	O
ten	O
games	O
were	O
shipped	O
or	O
digitally	O
available	O
alongside	O
the	O
Switch	O
in	O
time	O
for	O
its	O
North	O
American	O
launch	O
,	O
including	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
first-party	O
titles	O
The	B-Application
Legend	I-Application
of	I-Application
Zelda	I-Application
:	I-Application
Breath	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Wild	I-Application
and	O
1-2-Switch	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Fils-Aimé	O
said	O
that	O
Nintendo	O
planned	O
a	B-General_Concept
"	O
steady	O
cadence	O
of	O
content	O
"	O
for	O
the	O
Switch	O
after	O
launch	O
,	O
avoiding	O
the	O
perceived	O
situation	O
with	O
gaps	O
between	O
major	O
releases	O
for	O
Wii	B-Device
U	I-Device
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Journalists	O
noted	O
that	O
Nintendo	O
appeared	O
to	O
be	O
pledged	O
to	O
this	O
approach	O
following	O
their	O
schedule	O
of	O
planned	O
releases	O
of	O
first-party	O
games	O
for	O
the	O
Switch	O
as	O
announced	O
during	O
E3	O
2017	O
,	O
with	O
a	B-General_Concept
new	O
title	O
roughly	O
every	O
month	O
into	O
early	O
2018	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	B-General_Concept
key	O
part	O
of	O
marketing	O
the	O
Switch	O
was	O
to	O
be	O
"	O
crystal	O
clear	O
in	O
our	O
communication	O
of	O
what	O
the	O
product	O
was	O
and	O
what	O
the	O
product	O
could	O
do	O
"	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
Fils-Aimé	O
,	O
so	O
as	O
to	O
avoid	O
similar	O
issues	O
with	O
how	O
they	O
presented	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
was	O
designed	O
as	O
a	B-General_Concept
home	B-Device
console	I-Device
unit	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
lack	O
of	O
clarity	O
on	O
this	O
point	O
led	O
to	O
a	B-General_Concept
general	O
assumption	O
that	O
the	O
unit	O
,	O
principally	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
GamePad	B-Device
,	O
was	O
more	O
like	O
a	B-General_Concept
tablet	B-Device
,	O
overshadowing	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
's	O
other	O
features	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
dual-screen	O
play	O
modes	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
also	O
believed	O
that	O
some	O
consumers	O
had	O
mistaken	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
GamePad	B-Device
as	O
being	O
an	O
accessory	O
for	O
the	O
existing	O
Wii	B-Operating_System
console	I-Operating_System
,	O
rather	O
than	O
being	O
the	O
flagship	O
feature	O
of	O
an	O
entirely	O
new	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Instead	O
,	O
for	O
the	O
Switch	O
,	O
Fils-Aimé	O
said	O
the	O
company	O
was	O
"	O
very	O
aggressive	O
and	O
clearly	O
communicating	O
the	O
proposition	O
that	O
it	O
's	O
a	B-General_Concept
home	B-Device
console	I-Device
you	O
can	O
take	O
on	O
the	O
go	O
wherever	O
and	O
whenever	O
you	O
want	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	B-General_Concept
large	O
amount	O
of	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
launch	O
marketing	O
for	O
the	O
console	O
focused	O
heavily	O
on	O
the	O
launch	O
title	O
Breath	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Wild	I-Application
;	O
Nintendo	O
of	O
America	O
marketing	O
executive	O
,	O
Nick	O
Chavez	O
,	O
stated	O
that	O
the	O
decision	O
to	O
showcase	O
the	O
new	O
Zelda	O
game	O
was	O
meant	O
to	O
promote	O
it	O
to	O
both	O
older	O
viewers	O
,	O
who	O
may	O
have	O
grown	O
up	O
with	O
the	O
franchise	O
's	O
earliest	O
games	O
and	O
are	O
accustomed	O
to	O
modern	O
open	O
world	O
games	O
,	O
and	O
to	O
a	B-General_Concept
new	O
generation	O
of	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Set	O
to	O
the	O
Imagine	O
Dragons	O
song	O
"	O
Believer	O
"	O
,	O
the	O
ad	O
showcased	O
the	O
various	O
play	O
modes	O
with	O
the	O
Switch	O
and	O
its	O
launch	O
titles	O
,	O
particularly	O
Breath	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Wild	I-Application
,	O
and	O
upcoming	O
releases	O
;	O
while	O
an	O
ad	O
to	O
celebrate	O
the	O
20th	O
anniversary	O
of	O
Pokémon	B-Application
was	O
broadcast	O
the	O
previous	O
year	O
during	O
Super	O
Bowl	O
50	O
,	O
this	O
ad	O
was	O
paid	O
for	O
by	O
The	O
Pokémon	B-Application
Company	O
and	O
not	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Chavez	O
emphasized	O
that	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
overall	O
marketing	O
for	O
Switch	O
was	O
not	O
be	O
"	O
just	O
a	B-General_Concept
six	O
to	O
eight	O
week	O
launch	O
campaign	O
"	O
,	O
but	O
"	O
really	O
a	B-General_Concept
15	O
month	O
campaign	O
for	O
us	O
,	O
to	O
say	O
nothing	O
of	O
our	O
plans	O
for	O
2018	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kimishima	O
also	O
said	O
that	O
the	O
company	O
was	O
"	O
running	O
a	B-General_Concept
guerrilla	O
marketing	O
program	O
where	O
we	O
're	O
just	O
dashing	O
around	O
and	O
trying	O
to	O
have	O
as	O
many	O
events	O
as	O
possible	O
and	O
get	O
it	O
in	O
the	O
hands	O
of	O
players	O
so	O
they	O
can	O
experience	O
the	O
difference.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2018	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
announced	O
it	O
was	O
partnering	O
with	O
Disney	O
Channel	O
to	O
help	O
produce	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
Family	O
Showdown	O
,	O
a	B-General_Concept
televised	O
competition	O
where	O
families	O
competed	O
in	O
challenges	O
around	O
various	O
Switch	O
games	O
in	O
August	O
2018	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Market	O
analysts	O
had	O
a	B-General_Concept
mixed	O
response	O
to	O
the	O
October	O
2016	O
announcement	O
of	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
expressed	O
concern	O
that	O
the	O
Switch	O
failed	O
to	O
address	O
the	O
issues	O
that	O
led	O
to	O
poor	O
Wii	B-Device
U	I-Device
sales	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
aimed	O
at	O
a	B-General_Concept
small	O
audience	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
January	O
2017	O
press	O
conference	O
revealing	O
the	O
unit	O
's	O
pricing	O
and	O
release	O
date	O
,	O
journalists	O
expressed	O
concern	O
at	O
the	O
apparently	O
high	O
system	O
price	O
,	O
comparable	O
to	O
the	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
consoles	O
but	O
lacking	O
some	O
of	O
their	O
capabilities	O
,	O
the	O
cost	O
of	O
the	O
paid-for	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
Online	I-Application
service	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
small	O
number	O
of	O
games	O
that	O
were	O
confirmed	O
for	O
launch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
other	O
analysts	O
found	O
that	O
the	O
pricing	O
factors	O
indicated	O
the	O
Switch	O
was	O
a	B-General_Concept
more	O
robust	O
console	O
,	O
and	O
would	O
likely	O
sell	O
better	O
than	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
,	O
with	O
The	B-Application
Legend	I-Application
of	I-Application
Zelda	I-Application
:	I-Application
Breath	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Wild	I-Application
being	O
a	B-General_Concept
key	O
sales	O
driver	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
analysts	O
also	O
figured	O
the	O
Switch	O
fills	O
an	O
appropriate	O
gap	O
in	O
hardware	O
for	O
those	O
seeking	O
more	O
complex	O
gameplay	O
that	O
is	O
not	O
offered	O
in	O
tablet	B-Device
and	O
mobile	B-Application
gaming	I-Application
but	O
who	O
did	O
not	O
need	O
to	O
purchase	O
a	B-General_Concept
powerful	O
"	O
boxy	O
"	O
console	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
analysts	O
agreed	O
that	O
the	O
success	O
of	O
the	O
Switch	O
depends	O
on	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
support	O
and	O
avoiding	O
mistakes	O
the	O
company	O
had	O
made	O
in	O
marketing	O
and	O
promoting	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Analysis	O
firms	O
estimated	O
the	O
Switch	O
would	O
have	O
a	B-General_Concept
slow	O
start	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
risk	O
of	O
the	O
system	O
and	O
high	O
price	O
,	O
but	O
could	O
still	O
clear	O
up	O
to	O
40	O
million	O
units	O
by	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Game	O
and	O
hardware	O
developers	O
were	O
more	O
positive	O
towards	O
the	O
Switch	O
,	O
seeing	O
the	O
system	O
as	O
"	O
a	B-General_Concept
more	O
unifying	O
experience	O
between	O
their	O
handheld	B-Application
and	O
console	O
divisions	O
"	O
,	O
but	O
expressed	O
concern	O
on	O
unanswered	O
hardware	O
specifications	O
,	O
and	O
how	O
Nintendo	O
would	O
market	O
the	O
unit	O
to	O
draw	O
in	O
developers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Developer	O
Hideo	O
Kojima	O
compared	O
the	O
notion	O
of	O
the	O
Switch	O
to	O
his	O
idea	O
of	O
"	O
transfarring	O
"	O
that	O
he	O
presented	O
in	O
2011	O
,	O
allowing	O
players	O
to	O
take	O
a	B-General_Concept
game	O
from	O
a	B-General_Concept
home	O
platform	O
to	O
a	B-General_Concept
portable	O
one	O
,	O
which	O
became	O
the	O
basis	O
of	O
Sony	O
's	O
cross-buy	O
program	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bethesda	O
's	O
Todd	O
Howard	O
stated	O
,	O
"	O
I	O
think	O
Nintendo	O
is	O
the	O
only	O
company	O
that	O
could	O
pull	O
something	O
like	O
this	O
off	O
,	O
"	O
commenting	O
on	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
's	O
design	O
and	O
functionality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Phil	O
Spencer	O
,	O
head	O
of	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
division	O
,	O
said	O
he	O
was	O
impressed	O
with	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
ability	O
to	O
"	O
state	O
a	B-General_Concept
bold	O
vision	O
and	O
build	O
a	B-General_Concept
product	O
that	O
delivers	O
on	O
that	O
vision	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Retailers	O
were	O
also	O
generally	O
positive	O
with	O
the	O
Switch	O
;	O
GameStop	O
CEO	O
Paul	O
Reines	O
stated	O
the	O
unit	O
was	O
transformative	O
in	O
the	O
market	O
and	O
would	O
be	O
a	B-General_Concept
"	O
game-changer	O
"	O
that	O
could	O
"	O
expand	O
the	O
audience	O
for	O
gaming	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
October	O
2016	O
reveal	O
trailer	O
became	O
Nintendo	O
of	O
America	O
's	O
most-viewed	O
video	O
on	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
within	O
24	O
hours	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
the	O
top	O
trending	O
video	O
on	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
for	O
about	O
a	B-General_Concept
day	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Upon	O
release	O
,	O
the	O
Switch	O
was	O
praised	O
by	O
reviewers	O
for	O
having	O
a	B-General_Concept
lot	O
of	O
potential	O
,	O
but	O
they	O
were	O
underwhelmed	O
by	O
the	O
limited	O
number	O
of	O
titles	O
available	O
at	O
launch	O
that	O
did	O
not	O
show	O
the	O
full	O
extent	O
of	O
the	O
console	O
's	O
abilities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Even	O
with	O
the	O
day-one	O
update	O
,	O
there	O
were	O
numerous	O
reports	O
of	O
hardware	O
problems	O
,	O
in	O
particular	O
the	O
Bluetooth	B-Protocol
connectivity	O
of	O
the	O
Switch	O
console	O
with	O
the	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
(	O
L	O
)	O
controller	O
,	O
and	O
ease	O
with	O
which	O
the	O
console	O
screen	O
could	O
be	O
scratched	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
About	O
a	B-General_Concept
week	O
after	O
release	O
,	O
Fils-Aimé	O
said	O
the	O
company	O
is	O
in	O
"	O
fact-finding	O
mode	O
"	O
to	O
try	O
to	O
diagnose	O
these	O
issues	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
late	O
March	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
reported	O
that	O
the	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
(	O
L	O
)	O
desync	O
issue	O
was	O
a	B-General_Concept
"	O
manufacturing	O
variation	O
"	O
on	O
a	B-General_Concept
small	O
number	O
of	O
the	O
units	O
,	O
which	O
could	O
be	O
easily	O
fixed	O
;	O
as	O
noted	O
by	O
CNET	O
's	O
Sean	O
Hollister	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
repaired	O
affected	O
controllers	B-Device
by	O
placing	O
a	B-General_Concept
bit	O
of	O
foam	O
near	O
the	O
antenna	O
within	O
the	O
unit	O
to	O
better	O
shield	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
users	O
also	O
reported	O
issues	O
with	O
defective	B-General_Concept
pixels	I-General_Concept
on	O
the	O
LCD	B-Device
screen	I-Device
of	O
the	O
console	O
,	O
which	O
Nintendo	O
has	O
stated	O
"	O
are	O
normal	O
and	O
should	O
not	O
be	O
considered	O
a	B-General_Concept
defect	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
companies	O
in	O
the	O
video	O
game	O
industry	O
such	O
as	O
Sony	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
,	O
Sega	O
,	O
Bethesda	O
,	O
Ubisoft	O
and	O
Unity	B-Application
Technologies	O
congratulated	O
Nintendo	O
on	O
the	O
Switch	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
fast	B-Application
food	I-Application
companies	O
such	O
as	O
Arby	O
's	O
and	O
Domino	O
's	O
Pizza	O
,	O
which	O
made	O
a	B-General_Concept
practice	O
of	O
posting	O
game-inspired	O
artworks	O
on	O
social	O
media	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Using	O
statistics	O
collected	O
by	O
the	O
system	O
for	O
the	O
primary	O
player	O
on	O
the	O
console	O
,	O
they	O
found	O
that	O
30%	O
of	O
users	O
operate	O
the	O
console	O
in	O
Handheld/Tabletop	O
mode	O
more	O
than	O
80%	O
of	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
slightly	O
more	O
than	O
50%	O
of	O
users	O
operate	O
the	O
console	O
in	O
both	O
TV	O
mode	O
and	O
Handheld/Tabletop	O
mode	O
equally	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
remaining	O
users	O
preferring	O
TV	O
mode	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
implementation	O
of	O
firmware	O
version	O
5.0.0	O
,	O
several	O
Switch	O
users	O
began	O
reporting	O
that	O
their	O
consoles	O
became	O
unusable	O
after	O
having	O
been	O
docked	B-Device
within	O
a	B-General_Concept
third-party	O
"	O
portable	O
"	O
dock	O
manufactured	O
by	O
Nyko	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nyko	O
commented	O
on	O
the	O
issue	O
,	O
stating	O
that	O
they	O
were	O
aware	O
of	O
the	O
issue	O
and	O
thought	O
it	O
to	O
be	O
caused	O
by	O
the	O
Switch	O
's	O
handling	O
of	O
A/V	O
output	O
,	O
while	O
Nintendo	O
advised	O
users	O
against	O
docking	O
their	O
systems	O
inside	O
unlicensed	O
docking	O
peripherals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
purchasing	O
the	O
dock	O
at	O
a	B-General_Concept
Walmart	O
store	O
in	O
Jacksonville	O
,	O
Florida	O
,	O
and	O
losing	O
usability	O
of	O
his	O
console	O
upon	O
using	O
the	O
dock	O
,	O
Switch	O
owner	O
Michael	O
Skiathitis	O
filed	O
a	B-General_Concept
class	O
action	O
lawsuit	O
against	O
Nyko	O
,	O
alleging	O
the	O
dock	O
to	O
be	O
"	O
prone	O
to	O
causing	O
numerous	O
problems	O
to	O
the	O
devices	O
they	O
are	O
intended	O
to	O
support	O
"	O
against	O
the	O
knowledge	O
of	O
purchasers	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
noting	O
that	O
Nyko	O
had	O
not	O
put	O
much	O
effort	O
into	O
warning	O
consumers	O
about	O
the	O
issue	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Japan	O
,	O
first	O
weekend	O
sales	O
exceeded	O
330,000	O
units	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
on	O
par	O
with	O
the	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
during	O
its	O
launch	O
period	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Media	B-General_Concept
Create	O
estimated	O
that	O
more	O
than	O
500,000	O
Switch	O
units	O
were	O
sold	O
in	O
Japan	O
within	O
its	O
first	O
month	O
,	O
beating	O
out	O
the	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
to	O
this	O
figure	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Retailer	O
GameStop	O
reported	O
that	O
initial	O
sales	O
of	O
the	O
Switch	O
were	O
"	O
phenomenal	O
"	O
and	O
on	O
track	O
to	O
surpass	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
based	O
on	O
their	O
historical	O
sales	O
data	O
,	O
with	O
merchandising	O
director	O
Eric	O
Bright	O
saying	O
the	O
Switch	O
has	O
had	O
"	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
highest	O
attach	O
rates	O
of	O
software	O
and	O
accessories	O
to	O
a	B-General_Concept
device	O
that	O
we	O
've	O
seen	O
in	O
a	B-General_Concept
long	O
time	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Console	O
sales	O
in	O
Japan	O
,	O
which	O
had	O
been	O
languishing	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
strength	O
of	O
the	O
mobile	B-Application
game	I-Application
market	O
,	O
saw	O
its	O
first	O
annual	O
growth	O
of	O
14.8	O
%	O
in	O
2017	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
Switch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Physical	O
sales	O
for	O
Switch	O
games	O
were	O
at	O
5.46	O
million	O
worldwide	O
in	O
its	O
first	O
month	O
,	O
with	O
2.76	O
million	O
copies	O
of	O
Breath	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Wild	I-Application
for	O
the	O
Switch	O
making	O
up	O
nearly	O
half	O
of	O
those	O
sales	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
large	O
sales	O
within	O
the	O
first	O
month	O
forced	O
Nintendo	O
to	O
increase	O
their	O
production	O
capacity	B-General_Concept
,	O
and	O
to	O
temporarily	O
use	O
air	O
freight	O
to	O
ship	O
Switch	O
units	O
instead	O
of	O
their	O
usual	O
overseas	O
shipment	O
,	O
costing	O
an	O
estimated	O
$45	O
per	O
console	O
,	O
rather	O
than	O
the	O
less-costly	O
overseas	O
shipment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kimishima	O
stated	O
that	O
having	O
a	B-General_Concept
Switch	O
user	O
base	O
of	O
10	O
million	O
"	O
will	O
give	O
publishers	O
and	O
the	O
rest	O
of	O
our	O
business	O
partners	O
a	B-General_Concept
sense	O
that	O
the	O
future	O
of	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
is	O
more	O
promising	O
"	O
and	O
spur	O
further	O
game	O
development	O
for	O
the	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kimishima	O
said	O
that	O
a	B-General_Concept
key	O
goal	O
in	O
their	O
production	O
ramp	O
up	O
would	O
be	O
to	O
make	O
sure	O
they	O
have	O
enough	O
Switch	O
inventory	O
near	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
2017	O
for	O
holiday	O
sales	O
,	O
as	O
to	O
avoid	O
the	O
issue	O
with	O
Wii	B-Operating_System
shortages	O
that	O
occurred	O
during	O
its	O
first	O
holiday-season	O
period	O
,	O
while	O
balancing	O
the	O
near-term	O
high	O
demand	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Kimishima	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
now	O
believed	O
that	O
if	O
they	O
could	O
reach	O
10	O
million	O
in	O
Switch	O
sales	O
in	O
2017	O
,	O
they	O
expected	O
the	O
Switch	O
would	O
have	O
lifetime	O
sales	O
comparable	O
to	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
,	O
which	O
had	O
sold	O
over	O
100	O
million	O
units	O
in	O
its	O
lifetime	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
its	O
financial	O
report	O
released	O
in	O
October	O
2017	O
for	O
the	O
quarter	O
ending	O
September	O
30	O
,	O
2017	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
reported	O
worldwide	O
sales	O
of	O
the	O
Switch	O
at	O
7.63	O
million	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
expectation	O
to	O
sell	O
more	O
than	O
14	O
million	O
by	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
its	O
current	O
financial	O
year	O
,	O
exceeding	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
's	O
lifetime	O
13.56	O
million	O
sales	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Five	O
software	O
titles	O
had	O
achieved	O
at	O
least	O
one	O
million	O
in	O
sales	O
by	O
this	O
point	O
:	O
Breath	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Wild	I-Application
(	O
4.7M	O
)	O
,	O
Mario	B-Device
Kart	I-Device
8	I-Device
Deluxe	I-Device
(	O
4.42M	O
)	O
,	O
Splatoon	B-Application
2	I-Application
(	O
3.61M	O
)	O
,	O
1-2	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
(	O
1.37M	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
Arms	O
(	O
1.35M	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shortly	O
after	O
this	O
financial	O
report	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
reported	O
that	O
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
Odyssey	I-Application
for	O
the	O
Switch	O
sold	O
more	O
than	O
two	O
million	O
copies	O
within	O
three	O
days	O
of	O
its	O
release	O
on	O
October	O
27	O
,	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
November	O
2017	O
Black	O
Friday	O
,	O
Small	O
Business	O
Saturday	O
,	O
and	O
Cyber	O
Monday	O
sales	O
that	O
kicked	O
off	O
the	O
holiday	O
shopping	O
season	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
,	O
Adobe	O
Digital	O
Insights	O
 '	O
analysis	O
showed	O
the	O
Switch	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
top-five	O
selling	O
items	O
,	O
outpacing	O
the	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
or	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
NPD	O
Group	O
adjusted	O
their	O
future	O
performance	O
of	O
the	O
Switch	O
to	O
follow	O
more	O
closely	O
with	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
's	O
lifetime	O
sales	O
rather	O
than	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
's	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shortly	O
after	O
this	O
announcement	O
,	O
Kimishima	O
said	O
that	O
Nintendo	O
has	O
a	B-General_Concept
target	O
of	O
20	O
million	O
units	O
sold	O
within	O
the	O
console	O
's	O
second	O
year	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
releasing	O
new	O
games	O
that	O
"	O
enables	O
new	O
ways	O
of	O
playing	O
"	O
to	O
continue	O
the	O
sales	O
momentum	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
2017	O
year	O
end	O
Japanese	O
sales	O
data	O
from	O
Media	B-General_Concept
Create	O
,	O
the	O
Switch	O
became	O
the	O
fastest-selling	O
home	B-Device
console	I-Device
in	O
Japan	O
in	O
first	O
year	O
sales	O
,	O
with	O
its	O
total	O
sales	O
of	O
3.2	O
million	O
units	O
exceeding	O
the	O
3.0	O
million	O
units	O
of	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
during	O
its	O
first	O
year	O
of	O
release	O
,	O
while	O
Famitsu	O
reported	O
that	O
these	O
sales	O
had	O
eclipsed	O
the	O
lifetime	O
sales	O
of	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
in	O
the	O
country	O
,	O
and	O
helped	O
to	O
support	O
the	O
first	O
growth	O
in	O
sales	O
within	O
Japan	O
's	O
console	O
market	O
in	O
eleven	O
years	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
of	O
America	O
also	O
reported	O
that	O
with	O
4.8	O
million	O
units	O
sold	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
by	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
2017	O
,	O
1.5	O
million	O
units	O
in	O
December	O
2017	O
alone	O
,	O
the	O
Switch	O
was	O
the	O
fastest-selling	O
console	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
in	O
its	O
first	O
10	O
months	O
,	O
outpacing	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
's	O
performance	O
of	O
4million	O
units	O
in	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
period	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Switch	O
was	O
also	O
the	O
fastest-selling	O
console	O
in	O
Canada	O
,	O
having	O
shipped	O
400,000	O
units	O
in	O
its	O
first	O
10	O
months	O
,	O
narrowly	O
outpacing	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
's	O
performance	O
of	O
392,000	O
units	O
in	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
period	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
TechVibes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
analysis	O
firm	O
GBH	O
Insights	O
,	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
was	O
the	O
fifth-best-selling	O
technology	O
product	O
in	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
January	O
2018	O
,	O
the	O
Switch	O
has	O
sold	O
more	O
than	O
300,000	O
units	O
in	O
Spain	O
,	O
surpassing	O
the	O
total	O
lifetime	O
sales	O
of	O
one	O
of	O
its	O
competitors	O
,	O
the	B-Device
Xbox	I-Device
One	I-Device
,	O
in	O
the	O
region	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Switch	O
sold	O
8.7	O
million	O
units	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
in	O
its	O
first	O
21	O
months	O
of	O
availability	O
,	O
surpassing	O
the	O
sales	O
of	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
and	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
during	O
their	O
first	O
21	O
months	O
in	O
the	O
same	O
region	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
May	O
2019	O
,	O
the	O
Switch	O
had	O
overtaken	O
the	O
PS4	B-Operating_System
's	O
lifetime	O
sales	O
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
,	O
Nintendo	O
has	O
shipped	O
122.55	O
million	O
Switch	O
units	O
,	O
with	O
over	O
88.67	O
million	O
original	O
Switch	O
units	O
,	O
20.40	O
million	O
Switch	B-Device
Lite	I-Device
units	O
,	O
and	O
13.49	O
million	O
Switch	O
OLED	B-Device
units	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
these	O
numbers	O
the	O
Switch	O
has	O
surpassed	O
lifetime	O
sales	O
of	O
all	O
but	O
one	O
Nintendo	O
game	O
console	O
following	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
this	O
point	O
,	O
it	O
also	O
surpassed	O
sales	O
of	O
all	O
other	O
game	O
consoles	O
,	O
leaving	O
it	O
third	O
behind	O
the	O
DS	B-Device
and	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
.	O
the	O
Switch	O
had	O
been	O
the	O
highest	O
selling	O
console	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
for	O
22	O
consecutive	O
months	O
,	O
starting	O
from	O
December	O
2018	O
,	O
taking	O
the	O
record	O
from	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
which	O
stood	O
for	O
21	O
months	O
(	O
–	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
the	O
Switch	O
had	O
remained	O
the	O
best-selling	O
console	O
on	O
monthly	O
sales	O
based	O
on	O
NPD	O
Group	O
data	O
for	O
33	O
months	O
from	O
November	O
2018	O
through	O
August	O
2021	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
5	I-Device
breaking	O
its	O
streak	O
in	O
September	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Super	B-Application
Smash	I-Application
Bros	I-Application
.	I-Application
</s>
<s>
Pokémon	B-Application
:	I-Application
Let	I-Application
's	I-Application
Go	I-Application
,	I-Application
Pikachu	I-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
and	O
Let	B-Application
's	I-Application
Go	I-Application
,	I-Application
Eevee	I-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
the	O
price	O
still	O
trailed	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
peak	O
price	O
by	O
about	O
half	O
,	O
back	O
in	O
2007	O
when	O
it	O
had	O
just	O
released	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
's	O
stock	O
was	O
further	O
boosted	O
a	B-General_Concept
few	O
days	O
later	O
to	O
meet	O
its	O
eight-year	O
high	O
following	O
Capcom	O
's	O
announcement	O
of	O
plans	O
to	O
release	O
the	O
popular	O
Monster	B-Application
Hunter	I-Application
XX	I-Application
for	O
the	O
Switch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2017	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
announced	O
a	B-General_Concept
partnership	O
with	O
Tencent	O
,	O
the	O
leading	O
publisher	O
for	O
mobile	B-Application
games	I-Application
in	O
China	O
,	O
to	O
bring	O
their	O
title	O
Arena	B-Application
of	I-Application
Valor	I-Application
,	O
the	O
international	O
version	O
of	O
their	O
mainland	O
Chinese	O
game	O
Wangzhe	B-Application
Rongyao	I-Application
,	O
to	O
the	O
Switch	O
following	O
its	O
December	O
2017	O
release	O
in	O
Western	O
markets	O
on	O
mobile	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	B-General_Concept
result	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
stock	O
price	O
rose	O
overnight	O
on	O
the	O
news	O
by	O
7%	O
,	O
reaching	O
a	B-General_Concept
nine-year	O
high	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
's	O
quarterly	O
reports	O
,	O
for	O
the	O
period	O
ending	O
September	O
30	O
,	O
2017	O
,	O
showed	O
a	B-General_Concept
profit	O
of	O
$209	O
million	O
,	O
the	O
first	O
profitable	O
quarter	O
in	O
several	O
years	O
,	O
due	O
to	O
both	O
success	O
of	O
the	O
Switch	O
and	O
its	O
mobile	B-Application
gaming	I-Application
strategy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
's	O
quarterly	O
profit	O
jumped	O
by	O
44%	O
in	O
the	O
first	O
fiscal	O
quarter	O
of	O
2018	O
and	O
their	O
net	O
profit	O
totalled	O
$274.9	O
million	O
during	O
April	O
–	O
June	O
2018	O
due	O
to	O
new	O
titles	O
being	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Switch	O
such	O
as	O
Donkey	B-Application
Kong	I-Application
Country	I-Application
:	I-Application
Tropical	I-Application
Freeze	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2017	O
,	O
Los	O
Angeles-based	O
tablet	B-Device
peripheral	O
manufacturer	O
Gamevice	B-Application
,	O
Inc	O
.	O
filed	O
a	B-General_Concept
lawsuit	O
against	O
Nintendo	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
District	O
Court	O
for	O
the	O
Central	O
District	O
of	O
California	O
,	O
alleging	O
that	O
the	O
design	O
of	O
the	O
Switch	O
conflicts	O
with	O
its	O
patent	O
on	O
the	O
design	O
for	O
the	O
Wikipad	B-Application
,	O
an	O
Android-based	O
gaming	O
device	O
that	O
also	O
features	O
a	B-General_Concept
tablet	B-Device
with	O
a	B-General_Concept
detachable	O
controller	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
lawsuit	O
was	O
voluntarily	O
dismissed	O
by	O
Gamevice	B-Application
in	O
October	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2018	O
,	O
Gamevice	B-Application
initiated	O
a	B-General_Concept
second	O
patent	O
infringement	O
lawsuit	O
on	O
Nintendo	O
related	O
to	O
a	B-General_Concept
different	O
set	O
of	O
patents	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gamevice	B-Application
also	O
sought	O
action	O
through	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
International	O
Trade	O
Commission	O
related	O
to	O
patent	O
infringement	O
under	O
Section	O
337	O
of	O
the	O
Tariff	O
Act	O
of	O
1930	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
seeking	O
to	O
block	O
imports	O
of	O
the	O
Switch	O
into	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
March	O
2020	O
,	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
Patent	O
and	O
Trademark	O
Office	O
had	O
reviewed	O
Gamevice	B-Application
's	O
patents	O
and	O
deemed	O
all	O
of	O
its	O
claims	O
to	O
be	O
unpatentable	O
,	O
a	B-General_Concept
ruling	O
in	O
favor	O
of	O
Nintendo	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gamevice	B-Application
stated	O
they	O
would	O
be	O
challenging	O
the	O
Office	O
's	O
decision	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
appealing	O
the	O
Patent	O
Office	O
's	O
determination	O
on	O
its	O
patents	O
,	O
Gamevice	B-Application
initiated	O
a	B-General_Concept
third	O
infringement	O
claim	O
against	O
Nintendo	O
in	O
March	O
2020	O
against	O
a	B-General_Concept
newly	O
published	O
patent	O
it	O
had	O
obtained	O
in	O
August	O
based	O
on	O
a	B-General_Concept
game	B-Device
controller	I-Device
that	O
would	O
wrap	O
around	O
a	B-General_Concept
smart	B-Application
phone	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gamevice	B-Application
sought	O
to	O
block	O
imports	O
of	O
the	O
Switch	O
from	O
Japan	O
while	O
the	O
lawsuit	O
was	O
in	O
progress	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	B-General_Concept
class	O
action	O
lawsuit	O
was	O
filed	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
District	O
Court	O
for	O
the	O
Western	O
District	O
of	O
Washington	O
in	O
July	O
2019	O
concerning	O
a	B-General_Concept
joystick	O
defect	O
in	O
the	O
console	O
's	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
controllers	B-Device
,	O
commonly	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
"	O
drift	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
suit	O
alleges	O
that	O
Nintendo	O
is	O
aware	O
of	O
a	B-General_Concept
defect	O
that	O
causes	O
the	O
controllers	B-Device
to	O
register	O
movements	O
without	O
the	O
joysticks	O
being	O
touched	O
,	O
but	O
does	O
not	O
"	O
disclose	O
the	O
defect	O
and	O
routinely	O
refuses	O
to	O
repair	O
the	O
joysticks	O
without	O
charge	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Three	O
days	O
after	O
the	O
filing	O
,	O
an	O
internal	O
Nintendo	O
company	O
memo	O
was	O
leaked	O
by	O
Vice''	O
;	O
the	O
memo	O
instructed	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
customer	O
service	O
employees	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
to	O
begin	O
offering	O
repairs	O
for	O
drifting	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
controllers	B-Device
free	O
of	O
charge	O
regardless	O
of	O
warranty	O
status	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
lawsuit	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
continued	O
,	O
and	O
following	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
Lite	I-Device
where	O
some	O
on	O
social	O
media	B-General_Concept
reported	O
the	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
drift	O
problem	O
after	O
20	O
hours	O
of	O
play	O
,	O
additional	O
complaints	O
related	O
to	O
the	O
Lite	O
were	O
added	O
to	O
the	O
lawsuit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
the	O
court	O
refused	O
to	O
grant	O
Nintendo	O
a	B-General_Concept
dismissal	O
of	O
the	O
case	O
,	O
it	O
did	O
agree	O
to	O
send	O
the	O
case	O
into	O
arbitration	O
as	O
a	B-General_Concept
first	O
step	O
as	O
outlined	O
in	O
the	O
EULA	O
for	O
the	O
Switch	O
in	O
a	B-General_Concept
ruling	O
made	O
in	O
March	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
successfully	O
obtained	O
an	O
injunction	O
in	O
December	O
2019	O
against	O
a	B-General_Concept
distributor	O
of	O
a	B-General_Concept
hack	O
made	O
by	O
Team	B-Device
Xecuter	I-Device
that	O
enabled	O
Switch	O
users	O
to	O
obtain	O
and	O
run	O
copyright-violating	O
copies	O
of	O
Switch	O
games	O
on	O
the	O
console	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Subsequently	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
filed	O
lawsuits	O
initially	O
against	O
several	O
resellers	O
of	O
Team	B-Device
Xecuter	I-Device
products	O
in	O
2020	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
one	O
case	O
,	O
settled	O
with	O
the	O
reseller	O
for	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
members	O
of	O
Team	B-Device
Xecuter	I-Device
were	O
arrested	O
and	O
charged	O
with	O
eleven	O
felony	O
counts	O
by	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
Department	O
of	O
Justice	O
in	O
October	O
2020	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
filed	O
another	O
lawsuit	O
against	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
arrested	O
members	O
,	O
Gary	B-Device
Bowser	I-Device
,	O
asserting	O
two	O
counts	O
of	O
trafficking	O
and	O
one	O
count	O
of	O
copyright	O
infringement	O
.	O
</s>
