Nintendo Switch: The first pictures

Nintendo unveiled the first images of its next-gen game console formerly known as the Nintendo NX. The official name is Nintendo Switch.

It's a combo console: a tablet that resides in a docking station. But you can lift the tablet out and take it on the road. Snap on the "Joy-Con" side controllers, and you don't need to cover the screen with your fingers, as you do on an iPad.

Here's the Switch tablet in "portable" mode, with the JoyCon side controllers attached.

It also offers a traditional gamepad: the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller. Not surprisingly, it's reminiscent of the Wii U Classic Controller Pro.

The JoyCon side controllers can also be assembled into this configuration with the JoyCon Grip accessory.

Here's what the Joy-Con Grip looks like after you slide one controller off.

Nintendo's initial video trailer puts an emphasis on "anytime, anywhere" social gaming.

From Nintendo's press release: "One player can use a Joy-Con controller in each hand; two players can each take one; or multiple Joy-Con can be employed by numerous people for a variety of gameplay options."

Speaking of anywhere: These guys are gaming on the Switch in the backseat of a car. Certainly looks more fun than watching an old DVD.

Here, the Switch is being used on the plane.

The Switch is powered by a custom Nvidia Tegra chip that's apparently capable of running Skyrim, the classic RPG.

From this angle, the Switch doesn't look too different from the PlayStation Vita.

Yes, that's a standard headphone jack.

The kickstand is perfect for tray table viewing.

The rumors said the Switch/NX would use cartridges, and that certainly appears to be the case in the teaser video.

Another shot of the Switch in action, with the JoyCons attached.

It looks like Wii fave Splatoon will be making an appearance on the Switch.

The same goes for the new Zelda game, Breath of the Wild.

Third-party support has long been Nintendo's achilles' heel, but it looks like the company has some notable names on board for the Switch, including Activision, Sega, Konami, Capcom, Bethesda and Square Enix.

Nintendo's press shot for the Switch shows a well-lit version of the console in both "home" and "away" mode.

Expect to see a lot of this Switch logo over the next six months.

Nintendo had previously confirmed the Switch for March 2017. Happily, the company is sticking to that date. But pricing remains a mystery.