Everyone wants everything to come to the Switch, Nintendo’s beloved portable-hybrid console that’s spent the past year evolving from “that machine you can play Breath of the Wild on” to “no wait let me play everything on this, including Grandia 2!” But now, surprisingly, it’s also becoming a platform to read comics on.
That’s thanks to the announcement of a new app coming to the Switch’s online store, InkyPen, this spring. For $US8 ($11) a month (Australian pricing not yet confirmed), the app will let users read from a roster of comics, manga and bandes dessinées from a variety of publishers on the go — using the Switch’s controllers (or using the touch interface on the screen) to flick through pages or zoom in on individual panels. Plus, it’s usable in both the console’s TV or handheld forms.
Although not fully detailed yet, InkyPen promises “thousands” of comics available at launch, including content from Valiant, IDW, Dynamite Entertainment, les Humanoïdes Associés and Andrews McMeel. Given its indie roots, maybe don’t expect big hitters such as Marvel and DC, but it’s shaping up to be a decent variety for the price.
At first it might seem like a bit of a weird thing to come to a platform that is primarily designed for playing games, but given that its tablet-esque portability has made the Switch such a huge hit since it launched, bringing comics to the platform is a really interesting move.
If InkyPen takes off, who knows, maybe more services such as Comixology Unlimited or even specific publisher offerings such as Marvel Unlimited and DC Universe could head on over to Nintendo’s console. A future where you can play Splatoon AND read Mister Miracle on the go? That has us very intrigued.
InkyPen is set to head to the Nintendo eShop in November.
Comments
3 responses to “Soon You’ll Be Able To Read Comics On Your Nintendo Switch”
Awesome! I really enjoyed using kindle on my phone at work (i’m a rebel) when i tried amazon prime so this will be cool as long as they have some decent titles. However i’d really love the virtual console and Netflix to come out. Just.. Do it. I would like that heaps.
Don’t think Netflix will come out. They don’t want to support yet another platform. Netflix is already everywhere else.
I wouldn’t even use it that much, I just like having it. I’m complex. 😛