January 12 can't come soon enough for fresh details about the Nintendo Switch, but last night we got to see the Switch in action live on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
Nintendo is starting to get serious about a marketing push for its next console launch. And just before we all settle down to play on an Xbox One S or PS4 Pro this Christmas, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aimé and legendary Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto turned up on TV, complete with what looked to be a fully-functioning Switch.
The showcase starts of with Super Mario Run for smartphones, but that's really just a lead in to unveiling the Switch hardware, which Fallon seems genuinely excited about. The fact it's running The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild should come as no surprise, as that's the only Switch game we've been shown before beyond other games' quick appearances in the Switch teaser trailer.
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The live presentation shows us nothing new in terms of gameplay, but Nintendo clearly wanted the focus to be on the hardware and its dual functionality as a handheld and a home console.
Unfortunately, the actual transition from playing on the big screen to the tablet is covered up. What happens when you lift the Switch out of its dock during play? What exactly did Reggie see on the tablet and press to allow the game to be playable again for Fallon?
Maybe that transition state and experience isn't finalized yet, but it needs to be for the January presentation. Every aspect of the Switch experience will be scrutinized at that point and used by the media to either get behind the Switch, or treat it with some degree of suspicion until review units are sent out.