After the unveiling of the Nintendo Switch yesterday N-Europe staff discussed what they thought of the console and whether or not they're sold on the concept already.

Ashley Jones - Editor-In-Chief

Prior to the announcement I was under the impression that the Eurogamer leak would be pretty much on the money and my biggest concern was the details - how much will it cost? How will it all work? How long will it last? Who is going to support it.

I was curious but cautious.

After the announcement I'm still pretty much the same. From a tech point of view I'm really excited as it's a great concept and could really provide a decent desirable change in the industry. The idea of smoothly taking some from home to out and about has been promised with a lot of tech for a while but sometimes falls short, but it is looking like the Switch could very well do it for gaming.

What's making me hesitant is the lack of details at the moment and I think finding out those will help me decide. It looks like a premium product and the technology can't come cheap, so I'm not expecting it to be. Battery life could be an issue, but we'll have to wait. The controllers not only have a silly name (Joy-Con), but also look quite small when used by themselves for most people other than Donald Trump. Nintendo has usually been pretty good with ergonomics so I'm not overly worried, but would like to get my hands on one to find out how it feels after some substantial gaming. The GamePad felt fine at first, but after a few hours I found it to be uncomfortable.

The games issue concerns me. It's great that Nintendo has come out swinging and seems to have a lot of studios on board, more so than they did with the Wii U, but given that the console looks to punch around the same level as the PS4/Xbox One (and until we hear from Nintendo we're just relying on screenshots) it could be left in the dust if Sony/Microsoft continue with their hardware upgrades like they have with the Pro and Scorpio. If they can get game parity it would really help them, but if they get 'special' versions then we might end up in another Wii U situation.

For now I'm going to wait and see how all this shakes out and hope Nintendo doesn't remain too tight-lipped for long, although they've said they won't discuss specs and release until next year.

Josh Phillips - News Reporter

The Nintendo Switch has finally been revealed and they’ve won me over with the concept. In the seemingly endless months leading up to the reveal the one thing we knew (whilst not officially, it was all but confirmed) is the fact that this console would be a hybrid and I just was not keen on the idea of snapping controllers on and off the system as it sounded awkward. Thankfully though my fears have been calmed as the system seems to transform as easily as a robot in disguise.

It’s surprising just how much information Nintendo was able to convey in a 3-minute video, demonstrating just how easy and uncomplicated the hybrid concept is, especially as they seemed to explain everything clearer in that space of time than they have for the whole 4 years of Wii U. As a devilishly handsome fellow goes from a plane journey to a car ride and finally to his home you can see three ways in which the Nintendo Switch seamlessly changes form to suit the situation, either to stand on a desk similar to an iPad setup, a typical 3DS style handheld in the palm of your hands or a home console with a Wii U Pro Controller style pad.

Watching the transitions the system can take in action really made me realise how streamlined the setup is, so as a concept I’m sold but I’m still wary in some areas. A concern for me with it being a hybrid is the power and battery life we can come to expect and from the games shown so far it seems to be able to provide Wii U levels of performance. To have something like Skyrim on the handheld is a big deal, but as Skyrim is a 2011 title, I can’t help but feel we’ll be in the same situation as Wii U in being a generation behind as far as the console setup is concerned.

Still, if third parties are on board then the handheld side of things should make up for the lack of power somewhat. I guess for me my initial fears have been calmed, but I need to know more about the launch titles, third party support and power of the system before I can truly let my anxieties slip away. With Mario Kart, a new Mario platformer, Splatoon and Zelda from Nintendo, along with some third party delights, it at least seems as though Nintendo will come out fighting this March.

Sam Gittins - Reviewer/Feature Writer

Pre-trailer thoughts

What a day to wake up late, so this is finally it then? After a year and a half of speculation, rumours, craziness and tension you could cut with a Wii remote slicing gesture; it looks like we're finally going to get an actual glimpse of the console which will likely shape the future of Nintendo.

Three minutes isn't exactly a long time but in another sense it might just be enough, should we dare to expect a sizzle reel or just a simple proof of concept video with a brief look at the console at the end? Perhaps there will be a big third-party announcement? Or maybe we'll get to see a brand new Mario title alongside a glimpse of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild showing off what the machine can do seeing as we already know it's confirmed.

At this point, anything would be better than nothing but at least we know now that we're expecting to see a new home console of some sort thanks to Nintendo's wording rather than a handheld machine which will at least belay a few fears I'm sure. In any case there's really not that much more to say, for now we wait but for me personally all I'll need to know is whether the machine will support a Virtual Console from day one... if the answer is "Yes" which I fully expect it to be and providing the machine is a significant upgrade to the Wii U then you can almost consider it purchased.

One thing I'm not expecting it to be is anything like a VR machine, Nintendo hhas experimented in this area before long ago with the Virtual Boy and I don't think they'll be seen to be jumping on the bandwagon here seeing as they've previously stated that the NX will be a brand new concept; for now it's all aboard the hype train but going at a steady speed because it has been known to become derailed at a moments notice.

Post trailer thoughts

Well that happened! Nintendo went and unveiled a home console which appears to give the full experience on the big screen, whilst being able to take a tablet-like device out of the dock with two detachable controllers on the side to take on the go, with very little in the way of compromise. If this doesn't cause a serious Switch in attitudes towards gaming, then I don't know what else will!

Personally I like the idea of having the detachable Joy-Con controllers for perhaps simpler gaming on the go but I can already see one major potential drawback when it comes to classic games; the lack of a conventional D-Pad, this is no small thing either as I couldn't see myself ever wanting to compromise personally so as a handheld device I can't see this replacing the Nintendo 3DS... at least not yet. But we likely don't know all the details yet so perhaps there will be other optional controller variants available, as a home console though I'm more than happy with the idea of using it with the Pro Controller as it looks both substantial and comfortable.

The thing which impressed me the most is the fact that there appears to be a version of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim running on the machine (it appears to be the Remastered Edition at that!) yet the media is card based? Which makes me think that to have such a game on the machine or indeed The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, it must mean that the cards are either higher capactiy than your standard 3DS games, the compression technology is masterful or simply a combination of the two; either way to see such a strong third-party offering shown in the trailer in addition to all the other big names we've seen who have pledged their support is very encouraging indeed.

Of course the devil is indeed in the details, we don't know much about the battery life when in portable form or how much the machine will cost (I'd guess £299.99) but at least we now finally have a proof of concept and what a concept it is, plus that all important March 2017 release date which is probably as good as it gets for now. At the very least it should now put to rest some of the speculation even if it will undoubtedly give rise to even more rumours which will arise from this sudden wealth of information.

Taken at face value though, this appears to be Nintendo making the Switch to a new console for the better.

Derek Wheatley - Reviewer

I'm not blown away by the concept behind it, and the gimmick of things breaking apart like Soundwave's cassette tapes worries me also.

This is probably something I won't be getting at release unless there are some confirmed quality games lined up, along with assurances of more on the way. I bought the Wii and Wii U in good faith and whilst it does have some great titles, I don't feel that the experience was enriched by my buying them day one. I'll definitely be holding off for the moment.

Dennis Tummers - Reviewer

Aw damn, dirty trick of N to reveal the Switch while I am on holiday! Luckily I am at a WiFi zone now so here are my thoughts:

First of all the reveal trailer was very good, showing a lot of options and ways to play without going into technical detail. Want to take it? Just click it out. Want to play controller style on the go? Here is a handy kickstand.

It is nice to see both first and third party titles teased. Splatoon on the go sounds good, and Skyrim on the go even better! Dare I ask for a Monster Hunter 5 not too long from now?

A lot of course still remains in the dark, and I cannot shed the feeling that this will end both the Wii U and the 3DS's lives. Now we wait to get the details in terms of battery time, resolution, framerate, power and so on. But my first impression: I am impressed!

Nick Lone - Reviewer

This is the first time in a long time I have watched a Nintendo stream and been impressed, wait - absolutely floored, from start to finish. My jaw was open for the entire 3 minutes. Yeah, it was only three minutes, but they really, really nailed it. Gone are the grandparents, the families gathered round the sofa, this was marketed to us, the gamers, the 20/30-something Nintendo fans. The design is sleek as hell and I love the matte finish (Still hoping for purple and spice orange colours though)! The name is a bit meh to be honest, but so was Wii, and I came to love that. The 'click' noise in the trailer is beyond satisfying.

I'm so glad form-factor rumours are over. In 3 minutes Nintendo outlined exactly what it does and how it works. For me personally, there are a million more questions running around my head than there were at 2:59pm this afternoon, but the months and months of endless, wild speculation are finally over and those questions now become much more relevent and have something tangible to exist on.

I am extremely pleased with what we saw today, and I'm cautiously optimistic that they are not going to make the same mistakes they made with the Wii U (mostly regarding marketing and 3rd parties, but I'll come on to that in a minute). I love the idea of there being just one Nintendo machine, and since the first announcement and rumours I've wanted a hybrid. It will hopefully just streamline everything instead of splitting the auidence and development processes, ending the first party droughts. Though, honestly, I'm quite disappointed if we really are losing the second screen, for me it was up there with the analogue stick in terms of game-changing innovation.

I can't wait for more news, and the fact it's only 5-months away is insane. I need to get my huge 3DS and Wii U backlog out of the way over Christmas. I am getting this day 1. I am completely sold already. Gamecube and (decent) N64 VC would be god-tier levels of awesome. Also still hoping for some kind of VC streaming service.

Finally, third parties. My time is such that I have relatively little or no interest in 3rd party games, but I understand that to be a real commercial success Nintendo need them. I really hope that both sides will put a decent effort into making things work. I don't want to see butchered versions of AAA software, or 6-month-late full-price releases, as they are destined to fail before they even hit the shops. Add features for Switch, sure, but don't take stuff away (I'm specifically looking at you here EA). They have to be met in the middle by Nintendo though. This is 2016 and the online NEEDS to be there for many third-parties. Get that wrong and it's over before it's begun. People will pay for decent online as Xbox and Playstation have proved. There is a specific demographic (with a lot of spare time and money, no less) that demands this, give it to them or you can wave goodbye to them forever.

As for funding these commercially unviable experiments and/or sequals. PLEASE KEEP DOING THIS, NINTENDO. PLEASE. Bayonetta is one of my favourite gaming experiences of ever, and without your hot cash, I would never have known this. FYI, FACTOR 5 WERE SITTING ON A COMPLETED ROUGE TRILOGY IN 2010, ok? Make the call to The Eggebrecht. Also: F-Zero, Metroid and Waverace... maybe something new as well. Thanks, keep up the good work. Nicktendo, age 30.

Your thoughts?

 What do you think of the Nintendo Switch?  Does the form factor excite you?  What about the games that were teased?  Let us know using the comments section below or on our forum where our members are sharing their thoughts on Nintendo's exciting new future.

Our Twitter followers certainly seem to love the Nintendo Switch, with nearly 50% of you saying you'd get it on day one already!

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">How likely are you to get a Nintendo Switch based on what we already know?</p>&mdash; N-Europe (@N_Europe) <a href="https://twitter.com/N_Europe/status/789123641095098369">October 20, 2016</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>