Nintendo's new gaming system launches worldwide on Friday.
It's hoping the new console,
called the Switch,
will be the next big thing in gaming.
The goal is to attract a range of customers,
from nostalgic fans of classic games, like "The Legend of Zelda,"
to people who don't even think of themselves as gamers.
VICE's Dexter Thomas got an early preview of the new system.
— In this game we're each following a joycon controller,
and it's going to act like a cow's udder.
Go ahead and press the SLSR buttons,
and we can feel the HD rumble as we milk the cow,
using these buttons here.
And you, actually, are pretty good at this game.
— I've been told, yes.
This is apparently one of my most—
you're trying to throw me off my game now by
saying nice things about me is I'm staring at you
and we're milking cows...
This is vaguely creepy.
I don't know if I did well that time. — Oh, you won again!
— Really?!
What can I say? I was born on a farm.
— This game isn't just weird because you're milking a cow,
but because you have to play with another person.
You can't really play by yourself.
Nintendo's trying to revolutionize the way
gamers interact with each other,
by encouraging them to play each other anytime, anywhere.
The entire console is portable,
so you can play at home on the TV, or on the go.
This wouldn't be the first time
Nintendo's changed the way people play.
In 1989, they made gaming portable with the Gameboy,
and, in 2006, the Wii made even non-gamers want to play.
But Nintendo's last system, the Wii U,
only sold a tenth of what the original sold.
The big question now is whether Nintendo
can make something totally new,
but at the same time keep its traditional core gamer audience happy.
This new change still leaves a big question, though:
is Nintendo's new in-person multiplayer push useful,
or are they trying too hard?
Wouldn't the dedicated fans rather just play classic franchises,
like "Legend of Zelda"?
— There's some people who... they just want Zelda.
Why make a new machine?
— The Wii was really good at picking up people
who weren't traditional gamers,
they're not hardcore gamers.
What happened, though, is a lot of those people
went over to mobile gaming.
Are you worried that you're not going to be able to do this again, twice?
— Some Switch games don't even require looking at the screen.
It feels more like playing a card game, or a board game.
— Nintendo has been around for more than 100 years and,
while other game companies are working on VR or online experiences,
Nintendo's gone back to basics.