Nintendo Switch is going on a tour across America — will it land in your city?

By Gabe Gurwin December 16, 2016

nintendo switch demo tour tonight show — Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Nintendo Switch isn’t going to hit store shelves until next March, but if you live in a select few cities across North America, you’ll have a chance to try out the innovative new console well in advance.

“After the Nintendo Switch system is unveiled to the world during the ‘Nintendo Switch Presentation 2017’ in Tokyo on January 12, Nintendo’s next home gaming system is traveling across North America to provide hands-on time for fans, gamers, families, and everyone in between,” Nintendo said in the official announcement.

The tour will begin in New York City on January 13 before heading to Toronto; Washington, D.C.; Chicago; San Francisco; and Los Angeles. Each stop will last three days, with the third of these being open to the public — offerin the chance to play will be on a first-come, first-served basis on this day — and will be completely free. Dates for each stop are listed below.

New York City: January 13-15
Toronto: January 27-29
Washington, D.C.: February 10-12
Chicago: February 17-19
San Francisco: February 24-26
Los Angeles: March 3-5

If you don’t live near one of these cities, you’ll still have a chance to try out the Switch before launch. At PAX South in San Antonio, Texas, from January 27-29, PAX East in Boston from March 10-12, and South By Southwest in Austin, Texas, from March 16-18, Nintendo will demonstrate the console, as well as its launch titles.

The Nintendo Switch is shaping up to be a very exciting console for the company. On The Tonight Show last week, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé showed off The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild to host Jimmy Fallon, and the game ran at a super-smooth frame rate — a contrast to the somewhat inconsistent performance seen on the Wii U’s version thus far. It’s still unclear, however, if the game will actually launch with the Switch, as reports suggest localization has delayed its development by several months.

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Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…

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