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Game experts fear the new Nintendo console may end up as big a flop as the Wii U.The Nintendo Switch was announced this week boasting both a home console design as well as an impressive pick-up-and-go handheld unit.A video showing off the machine is all about being able to take your top gaming experiences straight from the telly screen out and about with the handheld unit as you leave the house.The controls even pull off the machine and you can split them up so that you can play multiplayer games with friends on the one unit.But while it all seems incredibly impressive technology-wise, the experts over at independent gaming analysts Ovum fear it might not be enough for the Nintendo Switch to eventually become a gaming success.

Charlotte Palfrey, Senior Analyst for the firm, said: “Nintendo fans have responded positively to the Switch, but there are still two big unknowns: price (the device has multiple batteries and radios and a big high-res screen, so may be expensive) and whether Nintendo has learned from the lessons of the past."The launch of the Wii U was a disaster for Nintendo - poor communication of the tablet controller meant the Wii U sold just over 13 million consoles compared to over 100 million Wii consoles."The Switch may well be Nintendo’s final go at a home console before general hardware such as set-top boxes, and streamer and cloud services take over.

"It is unlikely that the Nintendo Switch will be able to compete with the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in terms of power because it is a portable device, so Nintendo will have to compete on sheer gaming experience.

"The gaming industry has changed a lot in a short time and Nintendo, a famously conservative gaming company, might not have changed enough to keep pace.”

(Image: Nintendo)

TheWii U died off several years back when third party games makers gave up on it due to lack of sales.

Nintendo made a point this week of detailing the large numbers of third party developers backing the Switch console.

They included Call of Duty and Destiny owner Activision, Tomb Raider's firm Square Enix and Epic Games, behind the original Gears of War shooter trilogy.

“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,” said Satoru Shibata, president of Nintendo of Europe.

“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.”

The Nintendo Switch hits shops in March.