An alternative codename for Nintendo’s upcoming tablet-console games platform might be “Nintendo Drip.” We first learned its codename, “NX,” back in early 2015. Then Nintendo’s new president confirmed it wouldn’t be the next version of the Wii or Wii U in December.
This year, Nintendo maintained radio silence until October, when it dropped a teaser video with the system’s name, Nintendo Switch, then showed off a few play scenarios. But it’s still holding essential metrics—like how much Switch will cost, and when you can buy it—close to its Pantone 293-blue overalls.
In January, everything changes. Nintendo promised this fall that it would tell all (or at least a whole lot more) about the system come early January, and now it’s laid out the specific time. If you want to know how much Switch will cost, when in March 2017 you’ll be able to buy one, and, I assume, a bit more about the system’s raison d’être, bookmark www.nintendo.com/switch, then set a reminder for January 12 at 11:00 p.m. ET.
Why so late? Because the presentation’s going to stream live from Tokyo. I have no idea how long it’ll be, but presumably more than two or three minutes.
The Tokyo event will be followed by a hands-on press event in New York on Jan. 13. TIME’s been invited and I’ll be there. Nintendo says the New York event will be a deeper dive on whatever’s coming in the Tokyo presentation the night prior. With any luck, that’ll include hang time with some of the totable tablet’s launch titles, as well as its local screen-versus-screen multiplayer angle.
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Write to Matt Peckham at matt.peckham@time.com