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Nintendo Unveils Switch Gaming Console

Nintendo's big bet on the future? That you won't want to leave Zelda, Mario or Skyrim at home when you head out the door. 

The Japanese gaming giant unveiled its next-generation Switch gaming console in a YouTube video Thursday morning.

The modular console, which features a tablet-like screen that docks into a base that connects to home TVs and detachable controller dongles, allows gamers to take home console-quality games on the road with them.

"Nintendo Switch allows gamers the freedom to play however they like," said Reggie Fils-Aime, the president and COO of Nintendo of America, in a statement. "It gives game developers new abilities to bring their creative visions to life by opening up the concept of gaming without boundaries."

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Nintendo of America
Nintendo's new Switch console, due for release in March 2017, which is modular and can be docked at home or played as a portable device.

The Switch is due to be released in March. Pricing was not announced. 

Nintendo said the console will feature games from its in-house game studio as well as dozens of other developers. The preview for the console features footage from Bethesda Softworks' open-world fantasy game Skyrim alongside teasers to several Nintendo titles. 

The long-rumored console was previously codenamed the Nintendo NX and is set to replace the beleaguered Wii U, which was released in 2012 and likewise featured a touchscreen controller.

The Wii U was the follow-up to the wildly successful Wii, but sales sagged as both consumers and game developers opted for the more high-powered Playstation 4 and Xbox One consoles.

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