Japan's Nintendo Co Ltd has launched Nintendo Switch

Japan's Nintendo Co Ltd has launched Nintendo Switch, its next-generation gaming console, as the company looks to catch up with rivals Sony Corp and Microsoft Corp. Nintendo Switch, the company's first console since Wii U in 2012, is a hybrid device, doubling up as a traditional console as well as a handheld device. The Kyoto-based games company, which plans to launch the console globally in March, did not reveal pricing details on Thursday (October 20). The console's success will be crucial to Nintendo as the firm still places console gaming at the centre of its business, even as casual gaming shifts from living rooms to smartphones.