Nintendo takes on Sony and Microsoft with new console

Nintendo has revealed its next video games platform, the Switch, which combines both a console and a handheld system for the first time.

Nintendo's Switch console will be released in March. Picture: Contributed

In a preview trailer posted on the Japanese gaming giant’s website, Nintendo showed the new system, which will enable players to detach the joystick and buttons from their console controller and attach them to a smaller screen slotted into the home console to create a handheld and mobile gaming device.

The video also showed how the two parts of the detachable controller – dubbed the Joy-Con – can be used without being attached to the mobile screen for a single player, and also as individual controllers for two people to play against one another.

Nintendo has not released a home gaming system since the Wii U in 2012 and has struggled to keep pace with the popularity of Sony’s PlayStation 4 and Microsoft’s Xbox One consoles.

Switch is set to go on sale in March next year. Its price and a full games line-up have yet to be revealed, although a new instalment in the Legend Of Zelda series, called Breath of the Wild, has already been announced and Nintendo said a number of game developers have pledged their support, including industry giants Capcom, Electronic Arts and Sega.

Satoru Shibata, president of Nintendo of Europe, said: “With this first look at Nintendo Switch, I hope fans are already imagining the possibilities of having the freedom to play when, where, and how they want to.

“Our teams at Nintendo, and many other developers, are all working hard to create new and unique experiences, and we look forward to showing you more.”

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