The Nintendo Switch is inching ever-closer to release, with an upcoming Tokyo webcast in under a month and a press event following. However, earlier today Nintendo announced general details regarding when and where the public can get an early hands-on preview with Nintendo's next home console.
The information was slow to leak, originally being sent yesterday to select My Nintendo (Nintendo's rewards program) members -- notably all in New York. Later today, a full FAQ was released by Nintendo regarding the preview event.
According to the FAQ, the following dates and cities are:
- New York City -- January 13-15
- Washington, D.C. -- February 10-12
- Chicago -- February 17-19
- Los Angeles -- February 24-26
- San Francisco -- March 3-5
The exact locations haven't been announced yet, and all of these dates and cities are subject to change.
The good news? The entire event is free to everyone. The bad news: for this first event in New York, the first two days are reserved as invitation-only to the select My Nintendo members (who have the option of bringing a friend). The final day will be open to the public -- first come, first serve.
It isn't clear whether the other upcoming events will follow the same format, but My Nintendo members would be well advised to be particularly active in the next few months if they want to secure an invitation.
As many know, Nintendo Switch is Nintendo's next home console -- promoting a hybrid experience between the TV and handheld gaming. Little is known about the system besides a general March launch date and sporadic game support announcements and statements of interest from developers. The first working gameplay footage on the system was only spotted a week ago on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
However, finer details into the console -- including an exact launch date, launch lineup of games, price point, and more -- will certainly be revealed in the upcoming Tokyo Webcast on January 13, 2017.