After announcing the Switch 2 on January 16, Nintendo has finally released details of the console. During a one-hour online presentation streamed on YouTube, the Japanese gaming giant showed what fans can expect from the new flagship gadget, and how much it will cost.
Three developers who worked on the Switch 2 – Kouichi Kawamoto, Takuhiro Dohta and Tetsuya Sasaki – each presented an exciting addition to the console. Here, we look at the major announcements and details revealed during the presentation.
Same, but better
The short announcement in January made it clear that the Switch 2 would be a very similar playing experience to its predecessor, with improvements. Details of these improvements led the way at yesterday’s presentation.
Firstly, the Switch 2’s 7.9-inch LCD screen is 1.6 times larger than the Switch. However, the console’s thickness has not changed. The new screen also supports a higher fidelity picture quality at 1080p.
The two detachable controllers on the side of the screen, named joycons, have been improved too. They attach to the screen with a magnet rather than the slide mechanism of the Switch. Each can also be used as a mouse on a flat surface for some games that require the function.
A new addition for any Nintendo console is the ability to communicate with fellow gamers via audio and video calls while playing. The Switch 2 will support the ability to stream video and audio between a friends group online, allowing for a more communicative experience.
A cooling fan is an important improvement to the dock that holds the Switch 2 during home play and charging. Switch players had complained that the console would heat up while playing some games.
New Mario Kart
Mario Kart fans can look forward to a new game, which will launch on day one of the release, titled Mario Kart World. This has a new open world mode which allows for cruising and exploration across the map.
New additions to the experience have also been revealed, such as races going through different worlds. Players can also participate in one grand race across the whole map which eliminates slower drivers with every checkpoint.
Mario Kart World will be the first game made exclusively for the Switch 2. It will also probably be the first game played by many who buy the console.
Other games
As announced in January, the Switch 2 will have access to most of the Switch’s library of games. It was also announced that some of the Switch’s major titles will be receiving an improved version for the Switch 2 which will upgrade the graphics.
It was also revealed that Nintendo GameCube games will be made available to play on the Switch 2 through an online subscription. Fans of the console which released in 2002 will be given access to some its best titles, with the list set to grow.
Popular titles such as Split Fiction and WWE 2K will also be playable on the Switch 2.
Release date and price
The Nintendo Switch 2 will be released worldwide on June 5. The console has different price points in different regions. In the US, the Switch 2 will cost $449.99 for the base model and $499.99 for the Mario Kart World bundle.
In the UK it will retail at £395 ($517.83), or £429 ($562.40) with Mario Kart. In Japan, there are two version of the base model. The first is a Japanese language-only version which will cost 49,980 yen ($339.36) and a normal base model that costs 69,980 yen ($475.19). The Mario Kart bundle will cost 53,980 yen ($366.51).
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Polarised public
31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all
Source: YouGov
