Nintendo Switch : everything about Nintendo's new $300 console coming this week

After years of waiting, Nintendo finally has a new video game console on the way: Nintendo Switch.

It's a hybrid console — you can play it at home on your living room television, or you can take it on the go. Here are the basics:

• It's called Nintendo Switch.
• It's scheduled to launch on March 3.
• It starts at $300.
• Nintendo has a gaggle of games starring its most prominent creations in the works.

This is everything that comes in the $299 package.

Here's what's in the box:

• A Switch tablet — the console itself is the tablet.

• A set of Joy-Con controllers.

• The Switch dock, for connecting to your TV.

• The Joy-Con dock/gamepad.

• Two wrist straps for making sure you don't lose the Joy-Con while playing a motion game.

• Two cables (power and HDMI).

Exactly what'll come in the box when Nintendo Switch arrives on March, 3: the Nintendo Switch dock, the tablet-like console, and a home gamepad with the detachable Joy-Con in tow.

Notably, the controller is called the Joy-Con Grip. Since you can detach each of the Joy-Con bits and attach them to the Switch tablet, the Grip turns the Joy-Con into a more traditional gamepad. Unfortunately, the Joy-Con Grip that comes with the Switch isn't capable of charging the Joy-Con — you need to re-connect them to the Switch tablet while it's docked to charge the Joy-Con.

The Grip is a shell that holds the two Joy-Con controllers.

 They slide in on each side of the Grip, and rails on each side of the Grip enable a Joy-Con to be easily attached. It's not a perfect gamepad solution, but it's the easiest one for the Switch that doesn't require buying a separate gamepad. 

Here's a good look at the portable version of Nintendo Switch.

Each side of the Joy-Con slide onto the sides of the screen, turning it into a portable handheld game console. Each Joy-Con has a thumbstick and four main buttons. They can be used with the screen, detached from the screen, or used at home with the Nintendo Switch dock.

Nintendo says the Switch lasts about three hours while playing a game in portable mode. In my experience, the battery hasn't been a major issue. I also haven't been marathoning any games while in handheld mode, so take that with a grain of salt.

And here's a good look at the Joy-Con.

Nintendo offers different-colored Joy-Cons. To start, it'll have the neon blue and red ones seen above, in addition to the standard set of gray Joy-Con.

A record button is built into the gamepad, just like the PlayStation 4 "share" button.

The Nintendo Switch can capture screenshots of games. The system even has a button dedicated to capturing screenshots. The button is said to also enable the sharing of screenshots over social media, directly from the console.

Using the screenshot button is a ton of fun — it's incredibly quick and enables some gorgeous in-game photography. 

Speaking of games, there are some fantastic-looking ones headed to the Switch — like "Super Mario Odyssey," for instance.

Nintendo has a stable of games cooking for the Switch:

• A new 3D "Super Mario" game, "Super Mario Odyssey."

• A new "Mario Kart" game, "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe."

• A new NBA game in "NBA 2K18."

• Bethesda Game Studios' 2011 masterpiece, "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim."

And that's not all: "Splatoon 2" is planned for launch this summer, while "1, 2, Switch" and a handful of others are arriving at launch on March 3. Unfortunately, "Super Mario Odyssey" is expected to arrive in "holiday 2017."

Electronic Arts also confirmed it's bringing the "FIFA" soccer series to Switch, and a handful of Japanese role-playing games are in the works. And a delightful little indie game named "Snipperclips" is also available at launch on March 3.

We saved the best for last. Here are all the technical specs you're thirsting for!

Nintendo hasn't detailed the internal specs of the console just yet, and it may never. What we do know is the internal storage (32 GB, but it can be expanded easily using microSD cards) and the screen size (6.2 inches, 1280 x 720 resolution).

The screen is also of the touch variety, which is employed more as a means of navigating menus on the go than as a gameplay input device. In my experience with the Switch so far, the touchpad isn't used for anything in terms of gameplay — just menu navigation.

In terms of the internal horsepower, that's unknown. Nintendo's using a "custom" chip from Nvidia, which is described as a "high-efficiency scalable processor." In terms of what's powering graphics, that's a "Nvidia GPU based on the same architecture as the world's top-performing GeForce gaming graphics cards."

Rather than using discs, the Switch used game cards.

Most important, perhaps, the battery is said to last "roughly three hours" while playing "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild" on the handheld version of Switch.

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