Nintendo Switch Launch Guide
This page will contain detailed information the launch of the Nintendo Switch - including release, pricing, bundles, and day one titles.
Sections
Release Date | Ordering |
Launch Games | Preparing Your Entertainment Center |
Set Up Parental Controls | How to Connect to the Internet |
Release Date
Nintendo has announced that the Switch console will be released on March 3, 2017. The Switch will launch simultaneously in Japan, North American, major European territories, Australia and other regions.
Ordering
Pre-orders are available in the US through Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy and Game Stop. There are currently no official game bundles from Nintendo, but there are two pre-orderable versions of the Nintendo Switch.
The Nintendo Switch comes with the standard grey Joy-Con or the neon Joy-Con.
Read IGN's Nintendo Switch Review
Watch IGN's Nintendo Switch Review
Launch Games
The following games are confirmed to be available to purchase the day that the Nintendo Switch launches in March - and whether they are retail or digital/e-shop only.
Game | Developer | Review | Retail or Digital |
1-2-Switch | Nintendo | Read | Watch | Retail |
Just Dance 2017 | Ubisoft | Read | Retail |
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild | Nintendo | Read | Watch | Retail |
Skylanders: Imaginators | Activision | Read | Retail |
Super Bomberman R | Konami | Watch | Retail |
I Am Setsuna | Tokyo RPG Factory | | Digital |
Little Inferno | Tomorrow Corporation | | Digital |
Human Resource Machine | Tomorrow Corporation | | Digital |
World of Goo | Tomorrow Corporation | | Digital |
Snipperclips | Nintendo | | Digital |
Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove | Yacht Club Games | | Digital |
Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment | Yacht Club Games | | Digital |
More Nintendo Switch launch game reviews will be added as they're posted.
Japan Launch Titles
The following games below have been confirmed ONLY for Japan on March 3rd, in addition to the games listed above. While they may not be initially available in the US, they can still be played thanks to and end of Nintendo's region locking
Game | Developer |
Disgaea 5 Complete | NIS |
I Am Setsuna | Square Enix |
Nobunaga's Ambition: Sphere of Influence | Koei Tecmo |
Puyo Puyo Tetris S | Sega |
Romance of the Three Kingdoms 13 | Koei Tecmo |
Snipperclips | Nintendo |
Dragon Quest Heroes 1 & 2 | Square Enix |
Preparing Your Entertainment Center
Depending on how your home theater or speaker system is set up, you’ll likely be routing the signal from the switch through one or two sources.
Home Theater Receiver
To add the Nintendo Switch into your home theater system, simply connect the HDMI output from the Switch dock into an available HDMI input on your theater’s receiver, then ensure your outgoing connections from the receiver are in their normal place.
Next, enter the System Settings menu on your Switch and navigate to the TV Settings tab, just beneath Controllers and Sensors. Select TV Sound and choose Surround Sound from the available options.
TVs With External Speakers
To enable surround sound on a television with external speakers, run the HDMI from the Switch dock to an available HDMI input on your television, then ensure your other audio output connections are properly in place.
Go to the TV Settings tab of the System Settings screening choose Surround Sound (or Mono/Stereo) from the available options under TV Sound.
Set Up Parental Controls
The Switch offers a comprehensive set of restrictions to ensure certain types of content is blocked for some or all users.
Nintendo Switch Parental Controls App
The full suite of parental controls can be controlled from the Nintendo Switch Parental Controls app, which will soon be available on both Android and iOS smartphones.
The app can control what content an individual user is able to access, based on several factors including the software's recommended age or rating,if a user can post to social media from their Switch, or even how much play time a user can experience before being locked out of the device.
Console Restrictions
Currently, Parental Controls are limited to restricting access for all users of the console. To enable them, enter the Parental Controls tab of the System Settings menu and select Parental Controls Settings.
On the next screen, select Use This Console to set the restrictions for the system itself. You may choose one of the presets based on the age of people in your home, or choose to customize these settings yourself. Press Next to create a PIN for the Switch, which will be used to access or change the parental control settings.
If you chose Custom Settings for your restriction level, you will be able to set the following parameters:
- Restricted Software: Choose which age-rated software players can access.
- Posting to Social Media: Enabling this will allow users to share their screenshots and other content directly to their social media feeds from the Switch.
- Communicating With Others: Disabling this option will prevent players from interacting with other people in online multiplayer or community social spaces.
- Software Rating Organization: Select which SRO you prefer to receive your rating guidelines from. This is usually based on your global location, but can be altered if you so choose.
Don't forget to register for a Master Key from Nintendo by going to support.nintendo.com/switch/parent when the console is released. This will allow you to access and reset your parental controls / initialize the system should you forget the PIN you created.
How to Connect to the Internet
Below are instructions on how to connect to the internet via both over wifi and through a wired connection.
To Set Up WiFi On Switch
Navigate to your system settings menu and down to the Internet tab.
Select Internet Settings from the menu, and once the list of available networks appears, select the one you would like to connect to.
If it requires a password, enter it on the next screen and the Switch will connect to the network.
How to Connect via Ethernet
While the Switch does not support an on-board Ethernet Port, it is possible to set up a hard-wired internet connection on your Switch dock.
It requires players to purchase a LAN to USB adapter, available from many retailers. If you have one that was compatible with the Wii or Wii U, it will also work with the Nintendo Switch.
Run the ethernet cable from your network router into the adapter, then plug the USB end into one of the three open USB ports on the switch.
The Switch will automatically recognize the hard-wired connection, and display the symbol for Wired Internet in the top-right corner of the home screen.
Take a look at these pages for other helpful information and tips: