The Nintendo Switch is less than a week away now, and excitement for Nintendo’s eccentric new console/handheld hybrid is at an all time high. Whilst the fervent anticipation for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has understandably taken the spotlight in recent days, many have been questioning the third party support for the Switch, with a specific emphasis on whether the capacitive touch screen controls on the device will enable titles from the App Store to make the, well, switch over to this new console. While there has yet to be a concrete answer to the breadth of support we can expect on the Switch, recent developments suggest that a Switch eShop/iOS App Store symbiosis isn’t as far fetched as one might expect. Today, VOEZ (Free) has been announced for the Nintendo Switch, and marks the first upcoming title for the new console that can only be played in the handheld configuration.

As any rhythm game enthusiasts will be well aware of, VOEZ actually launched on the App Store back in May of last year, and in my review was acclaimed for its daring and dynamic take on the typically stale touch screen music game genre. VOEZ also achieved significant commercial success, having being downloaded over 10 million times since launch, which suggests why it has quickly made the transition to the marginally larger screen. However, interestingly VOEZ is releasing for 2500 yen, which is the equivalent of around $23 – considering VOEZ was a free-to-play title on the iPhone, this is an interesting reversal of the game’s monetisation, and perhaps hints to a more general approach that Nintendo has taken with the Switch’s eShop. Nevertheless, it’s fantastic to see iOS games make the transition to Nintendo’s new console so quickly, as well as portable-only titles actually making use of the Switch’s touch screen. Hopefully this is the start of an interdependent relationship between the two systems, which can only be a good thing for the continued development of iOS as a serious and respected gaming platform.

[via Gematsu]