With the Nintendo Switch presentation creeping ever closer the anticipation is undoubtedly building. It's been over four years since the launch of Wii U and nearly six years of the 3DS, so the prospect of new generation hardware is undeniably exciting. We have our usual batch of 'what we expect' and other editorial articles on the way before the live blog / chat for the presentation itself, but before all of that we wanted to share some of our team's expectations and hopes for the presentation.

When is the Nintendo Switch Presentation?

The full presentation, live from Tokyo, will take place at the following times.

8pm Pacific / 11pm Eastern on 12th January, which is 4am UK / 5am CET / 1pm Tokyo / 3pm AEDT on 13th January.

Without further pre-amble, let's get to it.

Mitch Vogel

My expectations of the Switch event are fairly conservative; when you look at all the information that needs official confirmation, it doesn't seem like there'll be a whole lot of surprises. It's a given that the new Mario will be shown off, the price will probably be somewhere in the $250-$300 range, Zelda will be confirmed for a launch in March, and so on. Considering that this is the first time that we're really getting any information on the console since that initial tease a few months ago, they'll be covering all the basics and ensuring that the message is made clear. I'm not expecting there to be many (if any) left-field announcements that totally broadside expectations, but then again this is Nintendo, so who knows?

That all being said, I can still dream. I know that Pikmin has already been confirmed for 3DS, but I'm hoping the Pikmin 4 that's been spoken of in the past was referring not to the upcoming 2D game on the portable (as expected), but a full-scale followup to Pikmin 3. Pikmin 3 was easily in my top three Wii U games, and I feel there's a lot of ideas and concepts that could be further explored in a sequel. Another thing—admittedly more likely to actually happen here—is the introduction of the GameCube to the Virtual Console. I'm completely expecting the Virtual Console to be just as disappointing at launch as it was for both the Wii U and 3DS, but that blow would be significantly softened if I knew I could be playing Super Mario Sunshine on the go.

On the whole, I think this will go over as a positive event for Nintendo. Despite the hybrid nature of the Switch, it feels very much like Nintendo is keen on playing things safe now that the Wii U is rapidly becoming a fading memory. The company will be focused less on blazing new trails and telling us what we want, and more focused on winning back lapsed fans that've been burned by the somewhat meandering route the company has taken over the past few years. Any way you cut it, I can't wait to see what becomes of this presentation; we're sure to have a much clearer view of Nintendo's path afterwards.

Conor McMahon

Nintendo has an important opportunity on the horizon with their upcoming Switch presentation, and I find myself approaching the big reveal with an equal mix of excitement and nerves. There's plenty of reason to be optimistic, but also quite a few ways this could go wrong as well. With an hour to stuff full of information, I reckon that Nintendo has to nail three things in order to make this a real home-run and cash in on the frenzied attention they've gathered over the past few months.

The price will likely be the first sticking point, with the grim potential to send away early adopters if it isn't at that sweet spot. You can hardly poke your head online without being bombarded by leaks and rumours putting the price somewhere around a reasonable $250, but any more than that and I think there's an uphill battle ahead. Hopefully some decent bundles will be available at launch to allow for some choice when it comes to packed-in games, storage and accessories as well, so announcing these upfront will be vital. This plays into my second point - a strong launch lineup. While we know Breath of the Wild is coming soon, as well as an unannounced 3D Mario game, there's surely room for a few more surprises as well. There's so much potential for using this opportunity to tease projects in the pipeline, feeding the hype machine and keeping momentum going. In fact,all Nintendo really has to do is port over some souped-up versions of Splatoon, Mario Kart 8 and Smash Bros as rumoured, and they're off to a great start already. Bolster this with a major new title ready for launch and a revamped Virtual Console and I'll be there on day one.

Finally, the most intriguing challenge will be pitching the console itself. There's still so much we don't know, and everyone is eager to get some hard facts on what this console can and can't do. Since it isn't a powerhouse looking to take over a PS4-shaped slot in your living room, Nintendo needs to put forward a clear demonstration of its potential and follow through on some of the scenarios seen in the reveal trailer. Battery life is going to be particularly important if they're selling this as a portable, and anything less than 3 - 4 hours will be a serious issue right out of the gate. Fingers crossed that it'll be a confident, concise presentation and the final specs don't disappoint. Nintendo needs to broaden their appeal and get into the mass-market, so hopefully the jargon will be at a minimum and we get some clear info in digestible chunks.

Oh and if you want to go ahead and announce Metroid Prime 4 that'd be great too. Thanks Nintendo.

Ron DelVillano

Conceptually, the Nintendo Switch is hands-down all that I have ever wanted out of a gaming console. It takes what we were teased with the PS4/Vita combination and promises to deliver on that fantasy. As much as I want to see groundbreaking games, stunning visuals and bountiful third-party support, my hope for the Switch, above all else, is that the core mechanic works and that it works well.

It's important to keep in mind that the Switch trailer that we've seen so far is exactly that: a trailer. It's a video crafted to show off the console's unique features in the most appealing way possible, but it was designed for the purpose of marketing to a broad audience. The concept behind the Switch's titular mechanic is incredible, so I'm really hoping that it works as well as the trailer makes it out to.

That said, if we're throwing all caution to the wind and revealing our wildest fantasies, I'm hoping that the Switch is backwards compatible with the Wii U eShop. Before you jump up to point and laugh at my ignorance, I am well aware that the Switch will use cartridges rather than discs, but that doesn't mean it can't play all of the Wii U games that we purchased digitally. I would be ecstatic if Nintendo revealed that the Wii U GamePad can sync up with the Switch and that players can re-download their entire Wii U eShop and Virtual Console libraries to the new console. It's a stretch, but it can't hurt to be hopeful, right?

Lee Meyer

I've learned to expect the unexpected when it comes to Nintendo. The Switch presentation will be no different; besides what we learned in that three-minute video, we know very little about Nintendo's plans for its newest console. I'm hoping to get a thorough and comprehensive look at what the Switch is and does from this event, but I'm truly excited for the games.

Nintendo has spent the past year being very quiet on the software front, hopefully because they've been hard at work making games for the Switch. We know that Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is coming, but I want to know about the new Mario, as well as what other exciting titles Nintendo's planning. Will we see what Retro's been working on? What about Mr. Sakurai, who's been responsible for Kirby, Kid Icarus and Smash Bros. at different points in his career? We may, of course, see nothing but the launch lineup. Either way, it's an exciting time to be a Nintendo fan.

Ben Stegner

I expect to see most of the basics at the Switch events. Pricing, release date and release games are all obvious topics. I also think we'll see some third-party and indie developers; if not in person than via a video or slideshow. I also expect there to be more than one model of the Switch at different price levels. Hopefully these differences will include some extra peripherals, controllers, or games instead of limiting the storage of the cheaper set.

In terms of personal hopes, I'd love to see something on swappable controller paddles for the system. I've seen some concept art floating around and if Nintendo could use these to have a GameCube controller for Smash, a trigger for shooters, etc. I think that would be awesome. The huge thing I'm hoping for is announcements of long-lost franchises, specifically WarioWare. Especially with the aforementioned peripherals, I think the Switch is perfect for a new WarioWare game. Aside from that, a new Metroid game, even just a teaser, would be fantastic. Finally, I hope/think we'll see some new information about the Switch's online capabilities, including the new account system, My Nintendo integration, and the eShop/Virtual Console.

Overall, I'm happy with what I've seen of the system so far. I really want a no-gimmicks system that I can enjoy awesome Nintendo-quality games on at home. I'm planning to get it day one, and the event would have to take my expectations in a complete 180 to ruin that. I want Nintendo to do what they do best, but a little surprise wouldn't hurt at the event, either!

James Churchill

I personally hope for a machine that is close enough in specs to PS4 and Xbox One, but which loses little quality when portable and makes wireless multiplayer a doddle. And for its portable purposes, a battery life of five hours would be great. A new unified account system with the ability to bring over digital purchases from 3DS and Wii U would be amazing, but I'm not so sure that will be on the cards.



But of course the most exciting aspect of any new console is the games lineup. I'd personally be excited at some new IPs, with at least one from Nintendo and one being a Switch exclusive from a third party developer (presumably someone from Nintendo's previously released Wall O' Logos). However, I can't deny that the return of an old series would make me extremely giddy, and if by some miracle a new Advance Wars game was announced I would probably faint due to the excitement and disbelief.



Also, it'll be strangely exciting to see which leaks and rumours turn out to be true. GameCube Virtual Console titles would be a joy, as would a Smash Bros. variant on Switch. And I know it's unreasonable to want, but if Nintendo made new wireless GameCube controllers I honestly would jump for joy, if only at the thought that people would still be using GameCube controllers in 2017 to smash each other's virtual faces in.

Daniel Thompson

Around 2013 I became a reformed PlayStation fan. I say reformed because I traded in my Wii U and my 3DS for a shiny new PlayStation 4 and Vita. Thinking that I'd never go back to Nintendo, I eventually came back to the fun Japanese company that grew me.

If there was one thing that I took from my time over at PlayStation, it's that they could do an incredibly conference. Every single E3 and PSX conference I had seen from them had me in shock and awe, it was a giddy excitement that had long-since-been absent after Nintendo turned away from the giant industry events and relied on the intimate and pre-recorded 'Nintendo Direct' streams. One of the bullet points that made these presentations so exciting was Sony's focus on showing the 'games'. There wasn't monotonous talk about technicalities, as they surprised us with title after title (E3 2015 and E3 2016 come to mind). Personally, I'm hoping that Nintendo takes this approach as well, as we already know what the console is based off of the reveal trailer - it's time to focus on the games.

Considering games that I'm excited to see, I'm anticipating our first look at the new Mario Switch title. It's been a long time since we've had a non-linear Mario game in the style of Super Mario 64 and Sunshine, and I'm crossing my fingers that we get a flagship Mario in that vein. Apart from my morbid curiosity regarding the rumoured Rabbids/Mario crossover game, I'm hoping that we get other big 3rd party titles that are exclusive for the Nintendo Switch, as there's a lot of possibilities that Nintendo has regarding how they can team up with other development teams. Apart from that, I'm hoping for a laid-out plan of games releasing for the Switch, the first year is very important. The 3DS was plagued by a harsh launch line-up - the Wii U had a strong first year, but was plagued by multiple droughts well into the system's life. I'm hoping that my Switch isn't going to collect dust 6 months after it's in my hands for the first time - it's time to show me the games.

Matthew Forde

Since the first mention of the Nintendo Switch in early 2015 (back when it was known as the NX), I've been chomping at the bit to unearth what the console will actually be. Rumours circulated for months that it will be a hybrid console marrying both their home and handheld divisions together. Then in October last year to my delight the rumours came true. In a slick 3 minute video, Nintendo showed to me that they are finally understanding their audience and where they belong in the market place. Now so close to the January presentation I'm hopeful that they can build on this and eliminate any qualms about them being a company behind the times.

To become a success the Switch needs to come flying out the gates, and if tracking how the Wii U fared Nintendo should know to start the presentation on a high note. I expect a big hitter exclusive like 3D Mario to start proceedings with a date in 2017 for release. If at launch even better. Then we have Zelda. No ifs. No but's. Get it out the door. Imagine having both Mario and Zelda at launch? Throw in Splatoon as a pack in deal along with some third-parties and we have potentially one of the best launch line-ups ever. Speaking of third-parties, these need to be addressed and I hope we possibly get an exclusive. The talk of a Raving Rabbids/Mario RPG sounds very enticing along with the rumoured Beyond Good and Evil sequel, which would get heads turning. Saying all this I believe the biggest draw without a doubt would be a console mainline Pokémon; tell me I'm wrong after the year that has just past. Still riding high on its popularity please say we get the rumoured Stars game which will be the combination of Pokémon Sun & Moon. Mario is no longer king of the castle - that crown now belongs to everyone's favourite electric mouse.

We know already the Switch won't be a powerhouse, so take advantage of the portable aspect by showing all Nintendo Virtual Console and third-party titles that will be available from day one. Sort the account system too, it's far from a joke anymore. The Switch could be the system that finally has the ultimate library of Nintendo software where you don't need to purchase everything five times. Specs wise the most important issue is battery life, with run time needing to be 3-4 hours at least. Regardless if it's 10 hours my wish is that they show how you extend the battery life significantly, whether through battery extenders or some crazy witchcraft invention that only Nintendo would figure out. Another is online, which with everyone on the go now needs to be a main selling point; filings cast doubt on the system supporting something like 4G, though.

Lastly I just want to be wowed. Show me something new, something exciting to keep the momentum going all year long. Yes have Mario, Zelda, Pokémon, Mario Kart, Smash Bros, Metroid, F-Zero, Pikmin etc, but also show the world that Nintendo are still the most creative company on the planet. They did it with Splatoon and can do it again. I want to believe.