Why your kids will love the Nintendo Switch

What's better than your kid's favourite console and handheld device? A video game system that can do both, of course! That's what the Nintendo Switch—Nintendo's latest creation—is all about.

Launching March 3, the Nintendo Switch is pretty much the ultimate home gaming system for families because you can play it anywhere in the house or on-the-go.

For classic family gameplay, you can connect it to your TV at home, which will also give you a bigger screen. Once Mom or Dad decide it's their turn with the TV, the kids can simply take the screen and the controllers (called Joy-Cons) and head to another room to play. And when one sibling decides they've had enough video games for the day, the remaining kid can decide to play solo in his room and just attach the two Joy-Cons to the left and right side of the screen so it turns into a handheld device. How cool is that? The handheld mode also makes it perfect for long car rides, travelling, and for when the kids are forced to go somewhere "booooring."

The Joy-Cons also have cool built-in features that makes the experience that much more interactive. Not only do both Joy-Cons come with HD Rumble (the thing that makes the controller shake during select games), but the left Joy-Con has a Capture Button so your kid can take instant screenshots of his gameplay to share with friends. The right Joy-Con has a feature that makes it possible to interact with amiibo figures (yes, your kid can still use the ones she has), and it also has a motion camera that detects distance, shape and motion of objects nearby for certain games.

Like the Nintendo WiiU, up to four players can play on the Nintendo Switch and it will support online Wi-Fi gaming. However, a feature exclusive to the Switch is that up to eight systems will be able to connect for local wireless play.

And let's not forget about the awesome games that will be available on the Nintendo Switch! For the first time ever, users will be able to play games with each other without staring at the screen in the new game called 1-2 Switch. Like Wii Sports, 1-2 Switch is filled with a variety of mini games like Quick Draw, where players draw out their guns in the Wild West, and Milk, where you get to virtually milk a cow!

Also coming to the Nintendo Switch are Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Splatoon 2, Super Mario Odyssey, Just Dance 2017 and kid-favourite Skylanders Imaginators. As for the new kid-favourite? It'll definitely be Snipperclips—Cut it out, together!, a new Nintendo Switch-exclusive game where players cut out their characters into shapes through a series of levels. This game requires a lot of communication between the two players, making it super fun and just a bit challenging.

The Nintendo Switch will retail for $399 and will be available at Best Buy, EB Games and Amazon.ca.

Read more: Is this the new Pokémon Go? 7 best new video games for kids How to play Pokémon GO with your kids