It seems that Nintendo may be keeping a few surprises about the Nintendo Switch up their sleeves– especially with regards to its controls.
The same leakers who accurately described the Nintendo Switch’s console/handheld hybrid design with detachable controllers have come forward with some interesting new specs about the system. The screen’s specs, for instance, seem like something that would be worth advertising: 720p, 6.2″, and– most notably– multi-touch.
It seems baffling that Nintendo wouldn’t want to advertise this, especially given that all previous Nintendo touchscreen technology was single-touch, and less precise. This seems like an important feature. Well, it is, and that’s likely the problem. Handhelds sell like wildfire in Japan, but in the West, consoles are the big sellers, and the Wii U was seen as less powerful and “gimmicky” with some decent exclusives. Nintendo wants to market this as a console first and a handheld second, so while it wants to support optional touch controls (as most tablets do), it wants to make sure people know it’s a “serious” gaming device, too– hence the trailer prominently featuring the optional, more classic controller options, and not the handheld-only touch controls.
And speaking of optional controls, it seems the touchscreen will have a Wii-like parallel when the system is docked: The right JoyCon (the controller that doubles as the handheld’s sides) has an infra-red sensor.
For now, Nintendo has nothing official to say, except that there will be a live presentation on January 12th, 2017. We’ll likely have to wait until then to hear anything official, or definite, about a touchscreen, or anything else.