TOKYO, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Nintendo Co Ltd will launch the Switch, its first new game console in about four years, on March 3 for $299.99 in the United States and 29,980 yen in Japan, the video game maker said on Friday.

The price of the Nintendo Switch, a hybrid home console and handheld device, compares with the $299.99 in the U.S. and the 25,000 yen in Japan that it costs for the firm's existing Wii U console.

Shares of Nintendo were down 3 percent after the announcement.

(Reporting by Makiko Yamazaki; Editing by Christopher Cushing)