Nintendo Switch InkyPen App Turns It Into A Comics Reader

Very few will argue that the Nintendo Switch is a great gaming handheld/console/what have you. Many, however, will contend that it could be so much more than just a gaming device. It could be an all-around time killer/waster with video, audio, and web browsing support. Except Nintendo so far hasn't allowed it. It may, however, be making an exception with an upcoming InkyPen app that will turn it into the content consumption device you least expected: a comic book reader.

It's easy enough to want the Nintendo Switch to do so much more than play games. Unlike its handheld cousin, the Nintendo DS system, its hardware is built and designed like a mobile device, specifically an NVIDIA Tegra-powered tablet. It already supports video streaming via Hulu anyway, so why not expand?

In a few months, it will indeed, but reading comics on the primarily landscape screen is probably not what immediately comes to mind. Especially if you use the Switch in TV mode. But thanks to the Joy-cons, you can fly around the page to your heart's content. And it's still better than having nothing at all.

The capability will come via a new app and subscription service called InkyPen. For $7.99 a month, you will be able to read comics on the go from the likes of IDW, Valiant, Dynamite, and a few more publishers, reports io9. Unsurprisingly, Marvel and DC are a no go.

Exact details of what that subscription entails are still unknown at this point. The app is scheduled to launch in November, so we'll hopefully hear more before then. Hopefully, it will be popular enough to convince the bigger players to bring their pages to the Switch as well and, maybe, even convince Nintendo to open up the device to more experiences.