TECHNOLOGY SATURDAY, JANUARY 14, 2017

TOKYO: ’s new video game console Switch is displayed at a presentation in TOKYO: Visitors play Nintendo’s new video game console Switch during its presentation Tokyo yesterday.—AFP Photos in Tokyo yesterday. Nintendo reboots with new switch game console

‘An immersive experience with realistic physical sensations’

TOKYO: Nintendo unveiled its new Switch what is happening on-screen, the firm said. A dropped 5.75 percent to 23,750 yen. phone game market. Last year, the Super game console yesterday, which works both at remote control feature means players don’t and Donkey Kong maker released home and on-the-go, as it tries to offset disap- always have to keep their eyes on screen ‘Nintendo-esque’ “Miitomo”-a free-to-play and interactive pointing sales and compete with Sony’s while punching the air in a boxing game or Switch will be crucial for Nintendo, which game-as it tries to compete in an industry that big-selling PlayStation 4. The hybrid device getting into a gun duel. Only eight games will needs a hit product to offset the flagging for- has increasingly gone online. It scored anoth- which goes on sale March 3 for $299.99 be available when the system goes on sale in tunes of the Wii U and 3DS, as rival Sony racks er hit with the Pokemon Go app released in comes as Nintendo also dips its toe into the March including a Legend of Zelda offering. up huge sales of the PS4 — it has sold more July, but the impact on Nintendo’s profits will mobile gaming market following its big brand But there are some 80 more games in the than 50 million units globally since its debut be limited. win after Pokemon Go’s worldwide success. pipeline, Nintendo said. in late 2013. In November, Sony started sell- The company is the creator of the At a Tokyo media briefing, the company said Yesterday’s launch is “a key turning point ing the $400 PS4 Pro, which promises even Pokemon franchise but does not own the the console is packed full of Nintendo’s for Nintendo’s earnings and share price”, sharper graphics than earlier versions. Switch license for the game, which was developed “entertainment DNA”, taking elements of ear- Daiwa Securities said before the event. underscores how Nintendo tends to look at and distributed by US-based Niantic, a spinoff lier devices including the 3DS handheld and Similar briefings were held in Paris, London, gaming as fun play while Sony’s big focus has of Google. Last month, Nintendo released the motion-sensor Wii. Frankfurt and New York later yesterday. been on visuals, said gaming specialist Super Mario Run game for iPhones, which Switch has a removable screen that lets Switch got off to an inauspicious start in Hirokazu Hamamura. “It’s a Nintendo-esque topped download charts and drew more than players dock it at home and also use it on the October when a sneak peak at the console game console that shows how the company 40 million downloads globally in the first four go like a tablet computer with detachable left gamers and analysts underwhelmed sees gaming as ‘play’ rather than image arts,” days after its release, according to the compa- controllers called Joy-Con on both sides. It and with many unanswered questions. Hamamura said at the event. ny. But analysts warned its popularity could uses cartridges rather than discs. The idea is Nintendo’s Tokyo-listed stock dived after it After struggling to fix its weak finances, be hampered by a relatively high $10 price to give users a more immersive experience released a three-minute video about the Nintendo abandoned a long-held consoles- tag for access to the full game, since many with realistic physical sensations matched to product on YouTube. Yetserday, its shares only policy and decided to enter the smart- online offerings are free.—AFP

TOKYO: People make line up for Nintendo’s new video game console Switch during its TOKYO: President of Nintendo Tatsumi Kimishima speaks during a presentation event of presentation in Tokyo yesterday. the new in Tokyo, yesterday.