Experience Nintendo Switch Now Before Its March 3 Release Date; Price and Where to Buy

Feb 22, 2017 10:52 AM EST

The Nintendo Switch is the Japanese gaming company’s upcoming next-generation hybrid console that looks set to offer a new way to play games, and it is set to hit the masses this coming March 3. Well, you might be all geared up for it, but what about experiencing it for yourself before the console actually hits the market? The whole idea of the Nintendo Switch is to make quality gaming portable. By this, Nintendo does not mean enjoying some simple games that you see on the likes of smartphones, but rather, complex titles such as RPGs as well as triple AAA titles that are meant to be played only on a console -- except that Nintendo has now made it portable enough to be brought around virtually anywhere and everywhere to be enjoyed. This means playing in the middle of a desert, or even when you are on a ski slope, or perhaps sitting high up on the mountains, it does not matter.

As an interesting and unique way to enjoy such an unprecedented style of console gaming, Nintendo would like to get the message across not through more snazzy ads, but rather, to provide highly visual, interactive living room-inspired spaces in places that one would never have expected to see. Surely this is a very special way to market the upcoming hybrid console, and you can experience the Nintendo Switch for yourself in the most unlikely of places such as in the middle of the desert,. The very first Nintendo Switch experience is located right smack in the desert at Blue Cloud Movie Ranch on February 23, where invited guests will be able to step into the interactive space while playing different kinds of Nintendo Switch games, not to mention enjoying the surrounding view.

Just in case Mario’s star power is not strong enough, Nintendo decided to add another pulling factor with John Cena at the helm, being a special guest at the Blue Cloud Movie Ranch. This WWE Superstar and actor is also highly versatile just like the Nintendo Switch console, which would make Cena, a Nintendo fan himself, the perfect person to flag off such a special tour. John Cena will showcase the face-to-face off-TV functionality of 1-2-Switch, where it will involve quirks that Nintendo is famous for-- including milking a cow as well as being part of a Wild West duel. Thankfully, no one is going to die from bullet wounds in such a duel.

The other Nintendo Switch experience will be located at Aspen, Colorado, on February 27 at the hugely popular Snowmass ski resort. Certainly this is a cool (literally!) place to enjoy the Nintendo Switch, showcasing its versatility to be played even in the most remote of places.

Last but not least, the thriving pulse of New York City, Madison Square Park, will be where the Nintendo Switch makes its final stop on launch day, March 3. Do expect Mario and Luigi to flag off that event as the $299.99 console launches. Below are the specific details for the Nintendo Switch booth experience if you are in the area and interested to attend.

The Desert – Invite only
Feb. 23, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. PT
Blue Cloud Movie Ranch
20019 Blue Cloud Rd.
Santa Clarita, CA 91390

Aspen – Open to the public
Feb. 27, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. MT
Snowmass Village
45 Village Square
Snowmass Village, CO 81615

New York – Open to the public
March 3, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. ET
Flatiron Plaza
Broadway between 23rd and 24th St.
New York, NY 10010

If you won't be able to make it to any of these events and would like to get your hands on the latest Nintendo gaming console, you can purchase it at any of the major retailers like Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Target, Amazon, GameStop, ToysRUs and Nintendo's official website. The official price for Nintendo Switch is listed at $299 is the US, £280 in the UK and 29,980 Yen ($260) in Japan.