Nintendo Switch will launch on 3 March for £280

The Nintendo Switch has finally been officially unveiled, and we now have a launch date and price. However the price will come as a bit of a surprise to many. We expected it to come in around the £200 mark, but Nintendo has put a £280 price tag on it in the UK, $300 in the US and 29,980 Yen ($260) in Japan.

• Nintendo Switch: Release date, price, specs and everything you need to know

There will be two versions of the console, one with a set of grey Joy-Con controllers and a version with a neon blue and a neon red Joy-Con controllers, both will cost £280.

The main tablet, that is docked when playing at home on a TV, or carried around for on-the-go gaming, features a 6.2-inch screen. If you do take it with you for portable gaming, the battery is said to last up to six hours, but it wholly depends on how much you use it. Nintendo says The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, one of the launch titles, can only be played for around three hours on a single charge. You can keep it powered up by connecting the charger to the USB Type-C connector.

The Joy-Con controllers offer various ways of gaming, they can be attached to either side of the Joy-Con grip to use as a controller at home, used independently in each hand, attach to the sides of the main console for handheld mode, or be split between two people for multiplayer gaming.

Each left and right Joy-Con controller has its own set of buttons, accelerometer and motion sensor. The left controller has a built-in capture mode for taking instant screenshots to share online, while the right controller has an NFC touchpoint for connecting to Amiibo figures and an infrared camera for detecting distance, shape and motion of objects in certain games.

Both controllers also support what Nintendo is calling HD Rumble, which is said to deliver subtle vibrations that are “much more realistic than before”.

Nintendo has built the Switch to be as much of a multiplayer gaming platform as it is single, as up to eight consoles can be connected together for wireless party play. You will need to subscribe to Nintendo’s online service to do so, but a free trial will be supplied with each console. The full paid service will be available in the autumn.

• Nintendo Switch games: The games revealed so far and what we’d like to see

Nintendo has confirmed details of seven games for the Switch, which along with The Legend of Zelda, include Mario Kart 8 Deluxe which will launch on 28 April for £50, Super Mario Odyssey which launches in the “holiday season”, and Splatoon 2 which will launch in the summer.

Here are all the trailers from the Nintendo Switch event

When Nintendo revealed its mysterious NX game console as the Switch in October, we still didn’t know much. Yes, it was a hybrid portable game console with new games in the Super Mario, Legend of Zelda and Splatoon franchises — but how much was it going to cost? When was it coming out? What else would we be able to play? Now that the console’s official reveal is over, we have answers: $299, March 3rd and a whole lot. On top of teasing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey, Nintendo’s Switch reveal event showed us trailers for a new Fire Emblem game, a second Xenoblade Chronicles, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and so much more.

Not all of these games will make it out during the console’s launch window, but if you’re thinking about picking up a Switch, they’re all worth looking at. Lucky for you that we just happened to compile them in one easy to watch gallery.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from Nintendo’s Switch event.

Watch the Nintendo Switch event in less than 12 minutes

What a night. While you were (probably) fast asleep, Nintendo ended months of speculation by revealing a ton of new info about its upcoming console. Most importantly, the Switch launches globally on March 3rd, and will cost $300.

Nintendo also announced a number of new games for the system, including Super Mario Odyssey, Splatoon 2, a custom Switch version of FIFA, Xenoblade 2, Skyrim and a weird but fun-looking new IP – Arms. There are also new titles and ports from big hitters like Ubisoft and Square Enix, and we’re even promised a sequel to No More Heroes.

We’ll stop short of spoiling all the fun. As we’re nice people, we saved a few surprises and condensed all the event’s best bits into one bite-size video. Merry Switchmas!

Click here to catch up on the latest news from Nintendo’s Switch event.

Lyft is doing great despite losing hundreds of millions in 2016

Lyft lost a lot of money last year, but it’s doing better than ever. The ride-hailing company doesn’t disclose its earnings, but according to The Information, it lost around $600 million in 2016 after generating $700 million in revenue. Sure, that loss is no joke, but its $700 million revenue is 250 percent higher than the $200.6 million the service generated in 2015. That’s when it also also lost $412 million, which is twice the money it made. No wonder a spokesperson told the publication that they “have never been more optimistic about [their] future.”

While the ride-sharing service did well overall, it wasn’t all smooth-sailing for Lyft the whole year. The second quarter of 2016 was its worst quarter ever due to subsidies, marketing and incentives to get both drivers and riders to sign up. It only started recovering in the second half of the year by taking certain measures: it stopped offering free coupons, controlled the entry of new hires and reduced how much it spent in marketing. It also expanded and promoted its shared ride option Lyft Line, which makes more money than the standard Lyft

The publication says it’s encouraging that both Uber’s and Lyft’s losses “as a percentage of total revenue are falling.” However, they still need to find more ways to achieve profitability, such as getting drivers to stay, since it’s spending so much to entice them to sign up. The company aims to keep reducing losses every quarter until it becomes profitable by 2018.

Source: The Information

Google Maps Users Can Now Book and Pay for an Uber Ride Without Ever Leaving the App

Google is rolling out an update to Google Maps for iOS that lets users request a ride from Uber without ever having to leave the app.

Previously, users of Maps could get a ride cost estimate and start the process of hailing a ride, but would eventually be kicked into the Uber app proper for confirmation and payment.

Now however, users can book and pay for an Uber directly within Google Maps, without having to have the official Uber app installed on their device, thanks to a redesigned “ride services” section.

Google announced the update on Thursday in a blog post, explaining that Maps users need only to sign in to their existing Uber account (or create one) in order to book an Uber ride, track the driver on the map, and connect with the driver, all from within the Maps app.

Users are also able to take a look at information about their destination while en route, with menus, hours, and other details available in-app. Though listed in the ride services section, Lyft currently doesn’t appear to support the same booking process as yet. The Maps update is currently being rolled out globally and should appear on user’s phones any time now.

Google Maps is a free download for iPhone and iPad available on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Tags: Google Maps, Uber
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Safari Users Unable to Play Newer 4K Video on YouTube in Native Resolution

Reddit users have recently discovered that YouTube refuses to stream newly uploaded 4K video in its native resolution if the website is accessed through Safari web browser.

The issue was first raised almost a month ago by Reddit user GezimS, who wondered why the option to view 4K videos in 2160p was no longer available.

Other users soon chimed in to confirm the anomaly, noting that it only seemed to occur in recently uploaded 4K video and that accessing the same content in Chrome or Firefox still offered up the preferred 2160p resolution as a viewing option.

After some digging, user themcfly recently discovered that the issue is being caused by a change to the way YouTube encodes video and serves it through its website.

Specifically, YouTube appears to be storing video on its servers using either the more efficient VP9 codec or the older H.264 codec. Safari only supports the latter, which explains why recently uploaded 4K videos are only able to be viewed in up to 1440p.

Funnily enough, the same videos can be streamed by Safari in native 4K as long as they’re embedded in another website, suggesting that the VP9 codec support requirement only applies to videos viewed directly on YouTube’s website.

Until Apple updates Safari to support the VP9 codec, Mac users who want to access newer 4K video on YouTube in native 2160p resolution are advised to use a different browser.

Tags: YouTube, Safari, 4K
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The Nintendo Switch costs $300

The Nintendo Switch will cost $300 (£280) when it hits store shelves (of the digital and physical variety) on March 3rd. Nintendo revealed the price and release date — we only had a release month previously — during its Switch live stream on the evening of Thursday, January 12th.

#NintendoSwitch will be available for $299.99. pic.twitter.com/Dwgduo0sT7

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) January 13, 2017

The Switch is Nintendo’s latest console, and it’s designed for both the living room and portable play. The Switch itself is a tablet-like device that has detachable controllers on either side; players can either set the screen up on a TV-connected dock for the living room, or take it out and use the gamepads as mobile controllers.

The gamepads, called Joy-Con controllers, connect to a main grip to become a traditional gamepad (similar in style to the N64 controller) for living room play. Or, they can be used as individual motion controllers.

The Joy-Con’s motion-sensing system is able to differentiate among rock, paper and scissors hand motions. They also have an HD Rumble system that Nintendo says allows players to feel individual ice cubes falling into a glass, or water filling up a vessel.

The Switch features a capacitive touchscreen, as opposed to Nintendo’s previous consoles (the DS, 3DS and Wii U), which have resistive touchscreens.

Also revealed today, the Switch won’t be region-locked, allowing players to load up games from any territory without issue. Additionally, the system will offer online multiplayer, but it won’t be free.

Nintendo showed off a handful of games heading to the Switch, including Splatoon 2, Super Mario Odyssey, Minecraft: Story Mode, Skylanders Imaginators, Rayman Legends, Skyrim, Minecraft, NBA 2K18, Arms and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which is officially a launch title due out on March 3rd.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from Nintendo’s Switch event.

Nintendo Switch software won’t be region locked

Nintendo has always been aggressive with region locking, but that’s changing with the Switch. That’s right, the Switch will be able to play games from any territory. Meaning, importing games from Japan and playing them on your US-based console will be totally doable — no need to buy a region-specific hardware for those anymore. Nor will you have to wait for a certain game to get translated to English. Hey, alright!

Nintendo will not apply region-locking to #NintendoSwitch software.

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) January 13, 2017

Click here to catch up on the latest news from Nintendo’s Switch event.

Nintendo Switch online multiplayer won’t be free

There’s a lot to love about Nintendo, but it’s always been a generation behind the curve when it comes to online services. The Nintendo Wii was hampered by an awkward friend code system, and the Wii U’s network services were weird, goofy and heavily monitored. With the Switch that all might change: Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima just announced Nintendo Online Services — the company’s latest attempt to figure out online multiplayer. Kimishima didn’t reveal much about the service, but the in general the news is good: Nintendo Online Services sounds a lot like Sony and Microsoft’s multiplayer services. The bad news? Just like those services, it’ll cost you a monthly fee.

According to Kimishima, Nintendo Online Services will let players set play appointments, chat with friends and, of course, play games online. The interesting part, however, is he described all of that being done on a “smart device,” not on the Nintendo Switch. The details of that aren’t clear, unfortunately — and neither is the service’s monthly fee. There’s a couple of silver linings, though: the service will be free until fall of 2017, and subscribers will get to download one free NES or SNES game per month — some of which may be patched to have online multiplayer. Not bad, Nintendo. Maybe you’ll figure this out after all.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from Nintendo’s Switch event.

Nintendo finally discovered capacitive touch screens

At Nintendo’s Switch press conference today, the company revealed that its upcoming gaming console will have — wait for it — a capacitive touch screen. This is a pretty big move for Nintendo, which has traditionally gone with resistive touch displays — the DS, the 3DS and the Wii U all had resistive touch screens and had to be used with a stylus. Resistive touch screens are typically not as finger-friendly as capacitive displays that are widely used in smartphones and tablets today. Capacitive screens also allow for multi-touch gestures, which is lacking on resistive models. It’s a small difference, perhaps, but it’s a move that makes the Switch that much more enticing to a modern audience.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from Nintendo’s Switch event.