Nintendo Switch is both a home and portable video game console

As someone who was born in the 1980's, Nintendo was a huge part of my childhood. My first console from the company was the iconic NES. My family did not have much money, but my parents ended up surprising me with it one day. Hilariously, we hooked it up to a black-and-white TV at first -- I only saw color in my games when playing at a friend's house. Nintendo nostalgia is common with folks that grew up in the 80's and 90's.

Unfortunately, the company hit a rough patch with the Gamecube, but redeemed itself with the gimmicky Wii. Sadly, the next home console from the company, the Wii U, was a horrific flop, making some wonder if the game-maker should exit the hardware business entirely. Today, Nintendo looks to hush the haters with the all-new 'Switch' console. This tablet system (formerly known as NX) is a hybrid of sorts, as it has the ability to serve as both a portable or home console. Will millennials and other consumers care?

"At home, Nintendo Switch rests in the Nintendo Switch Dock that connects the system to the TV and lets you play with family and friends in the comfort of your living room. By simply lifting Nintendo Switch from the dock, the system will instantly transition to portable mode, and the same great gaming experience that was being enjoyed at home now travels with you. The portability of Nintendo Switch is enhanced by its bright high-definition display. It brings the full home gaming system experience with you to the park, on an airplane, in a car, or to a friend’s apartment", says Nintendo.

The Mario-maker further shares, "gaming springs into action by removing detachable Joy-Con controllers from either side of Nintendo Switch. One player can use a Joy-Con controller in each hand; two players can each take one; or multiple Joy-Con can be employed by numerous people for a variety of gameplay options. They can easily click back into place or be slipped into a Joy-Con Grip accessory, mirroring a more traditional controller. Or, if preferred, the gamer can select an optional Nintendo Switch Pro Controller to use instead of the Joy-Con controllers. Furthermore, it is possible for numerous people to bring their Nintendo Switch systems together to enjoy local multiplayer face-to-face competition".

You can see the console in action by watching the video below. It is hard to deny the genius of its design. Unfortunately, there are some concerns. Nintendo is using memory cards for games, reminiscent of old-school cartridges. Why is this bad? They are small and easy to lose -- parents in particular will know this pain. The company should have invested in an 'app store' concept for buying and managing games.

The bigger issue, however, is that the Nintendo Switch is yet another tablet. Many consumers already own smartphones, tablets, and more -- will they want to lug even more devices? There is certainly redundancy here, and the economy still isn't great. Switch may be a hard sale for families, and Nintendo has not revealed pricing.

As always, Nintendo consoles will be home to first-party titles like Mario and Zelda, and Switch will not deviate from that. In recent years, however, third-party developers have not shown the company's home consoles much love. This may change, as Nintendo shares the following third party developers that have already pledged support.

• 505 Games

• Activision Publishing, Inc.

• ARC SYSTEM WORKS Co., Ltd.

• ATLUS CO., LTD.

• Audiokinetic Inc.

• Autodesk, Inc.

• BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc.

• Bethesda

• CAPCOM CO., LTD.

• Codemasters®

• CRI Middleware Co., Ltd.

• DeNA Co., Ltd.

• Electronic Arts

• Epic Games Inc.

• Firelight Technologies

• FromSoftware, Inc.

• Frozenbyte

• GameTrust

• GRASSHOPPER MANUFACTURE INC．

• Gungho Online Entertainment, Inc.

• HAMSTER Corporation

• Havok

• INTI CREATES CO., LTD.

• KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD.

• Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd.

• LEVEL-5 Inc.

• Marvelous Inc.

• Maximum Games, LLC

• Nippon Ichi Software, Inc.

• Parity Bit Inc.

• PlatinumGames Inc.

• RAD Game Tools, Inc.

• RecoChoku Co., Ltd.

• SEGA Games Co., Ltd.

• Silicon Studio Corporation

• Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.

• SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD.

• Starbreeze Studios

• Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.

• Telltale Games

• THQ Nordic

• Tokyo RPG Factory Co., Ltd.

• TT Games

• UBISOFT

• Ubitus Inc.

• Unity Technologies, Inc.

• Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

• Web Technology Corp

Want to buy the Nintendo Switch as a gift for someone this holiday season? Tough luck. Sadly, Nintendo will miss this very important time for shopping. Actually, the Switch will not launch until March of 2017 -- an absolute eternity for the tech world. Gamers are certainly excited about the console today, but can that last? For Nintendo's sake, hopefully it will.

Will you be buying the Nintendo Switch? Tell me in the comments.