Nintendo plans a kick-off tour for the Nintendo Switch to follow its reveal stream, with a plan to take the console to six cities across the U.S. and Canada for gamers to try it out.
Plenty of gamers are excited about the upcoming Nintendo Switch, but hardly anyone has had a chance to actually try out the console just yet. That's about to change, as a North American tour will soon be held to give fans a chance to try out the Nintendo Switch.
Following the January 12th reveal stream for the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo will take the Switch on the road, beginning in New York City, according to VG24/7. The console will make a stop in six major cities across the United States and Canada, where for three days select players will be given an opportunity to try out the console for themselves. On the first two days of each stop, players will only be allowed in by invitation, but on the third day, the event will be open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis as time allows.
Some gamers have been lucky enough to receive invitations for the first two days of the Nintendo Switch event. Nintendo sent out invitations to certain MyNintendo loyalty program users informing them of the event and including a link to a webpage where users could secure their tickets. However, there are surely a lot of gamers who won't have an opportunity to grab tickets, and some may not be willing to stand in the freezing temperatures between January and early March just in hope of getting in to try out the console.
The full tour dates are as follows:
- New York City, NY - January 13-15
- Toronto, Canada - January 27-29
- Washington, D.C. - February 10-12
- Chicago, IL - February 17-19
- San Francisco, CA - February 24-26
- Los Angeles, CA - March 3-5
Gamers who can't make it to this event shouldn't give up hope, however. Nintendo typically demos consoles more than once, and often hosts Best Buy demos to highlight games or gaming systems prior to release. Considering that the Switch is expected to release in March of 2017, if gamers haven't had a chance to try it out by the time the North American tour ends, the console will probably pop up in stores shortly thereafter to encourage customers to pre-order the system.
Some controversy still surrounds the Switch, since Nintendo has remained fairly tight-lipped regarding the system. The Switch's capabilities are still unclear, and a new report suggests that the Switch is inferior to the PlayStation 4. However, many gamers were pleased to learn that the entire system is contained within the portable screen, meaning that it truly will be a completely portable console, unlike any of the other systems currently on the market. By the time Nintendo completes its reveal stream and gamers get to try out the system, there should be a more solid understanding of what the Switch is capable of and whether it's worth buying.
The Nintendo Switch is estimated to release in March 2017.