> Nintendo will send out invitations for "priority" purchasing of the Switch 2, direct from the company, starting on May 8. Those who have purchased a Switch Online membership as of April 2, have had it for a minimum of 12 months, have opted to share gameplay data, and have logged at least 50 hours get priority. There will be a 72-hour window in which to use priority purchasing invitations.
So they're trying to circumvent retailers, while "rewarding" people for allowing telemetry and having a long running credit card subscription, by offering them a time-limited fomo pre-release.
I think I won tech-MBA bingo, why do I still feel so empty inside?
As far as MBA schemes go, this is pretty benign. Realistically,they are putting consoles into the hands of the most vocal, most dedicated, and most enthusiastic customers first. This makes a ton of sense, and if gets around scalping, I'm all for it.
At least you are getting "something" for having telemetry turned on, usually you get zilch.
They're rewarding loyal customers, makes sense to me. The telemetry thing is kind of gross, but necessary if they want to base it on how much you've actually played and not just how long you've subscribed.
This was obviously designed as a customer-friendly way to cut scalpers out of at least part of the initial supply chain. Scalping has been an incessant problem in console gaming due to supply shortages, and it makes everyone miserable except the scalpers. Valve provided a similar release strategy with the Deck as what Nintendo appears to be doing here, and it was extremely successful and welcome by the community.
Anybody talking about how much they like (or dislike) Nintendo's plan needs to compare it to the alternative which is "insane levels of scalping" and not some kind of mythical ideal zero-scalping world where supply precisely meets demand on day 1.
This is flip/scalping prevention. Gang-type groups would arrange squatting campaigns at retailers to soak up stocks, some shipping to China in bulk. It fizzles launches and it had been damaging to brands just as pirating, if not more, and so a loyal customer purchasing program is absolutely necessary.
I suppose scalping hadn't been as severe globally or in US until recent NVIDIA GPU launches? But it's been a major problem for past ~15 years in Japan for all sorts of hyped products.
I suppose scalping hadn't been as severe globally
or in US until recent NVIDIA GPU launches?
For years, it was absolutely massive for iPhone launches.
It was amusing, if not a little frustrating. News coverage would always show it as evidence of fanatical Apple fans. But (especially after the first year or two) it was pretty clearly mostly flippers/scalpers.
Well... they could just make enough stock for everybody, and there would be no need for scalpers. Just delay the launch a bit, fill up the warehouses, and when they start selling, everyone gets one, and the scalpers lose.
But no, any scarcity is a must in modern times, so people don't think twice before buying if they see it in stock somewhere.
isn't the whole issue that they have no good way of knowing how many to make until launch? you don't want to wind up like Atari burying copies of ET in the desert
Can't the person register their device on the Nintendo website, with a serial number and date of purchase? That's often needed for electronics repairs. That alone should be enough to determine whether the person is a scalper or true fan.
There was a time where Nintendo clearly made consoles and games for children. I think the price of the console and the game (80€ by now) is just too high for most children. When I was a child I was always a console generation behind and bought games off the flea market or borrowed them from video rental stores. With physical copies going away or being discouraged heavily by higher prices, I feel like Nintendo is not even competing in financially accessible gaming anymore and it's sad to see. And since they are so expensive now, you might as well buy a Steam Deck. The only reason to buy Nintendo now really is just Zelda and Mario Kart. Also how many years ago was it that publishers released announcements about 60€ games not being sustainable anymore? Three maybe? The physical copy of Mario Kart World will be 90€! They got by without an increase for almost 10 years and now they increase it by 50% in just three years. I hate that we live in a time, where allowing someone to raise a price by 10€ will just lead to them doing it as many times as they can as quickly as they can.
Despite all of the negative/critical takes, I think the switch 2 looks great. The hardware improvements look nice. The top usb-port is a great addition with the kickstand, so you can actually charge while you play (this was a bust with switch 1).
I think the camera is also good. I actually really look forward to playing mario games with my nieces. And for those who don't want it, it's no extra cost.
120fps and 1080p w/ upscaling to 4k look good but ambitious. I wonder how much AI is used. The fans inside the dock are a clever way to maintain performance.
Also, I have a lot of friends who casually stream games in discord, so the chat/sharing functionality seems aptly timed.
> 120fps and 1080p w/ upscaling to 4k look good but ambitious. I wonder how much AI is used.
Given the hardware architecture it's probably safe to assume it supports a variant of DLSS. When that big Nvidia leak happened a few years ago there were even references to the Switches NVN API in the DLSS code.
Speaking of 120hz, it's going to be embarrassing if Apple keeps making new 60hz devices even after Nintendo's famously conservative hardware moves to 120hz.
Haven't heard much complaints about the hardware. Seems like a good iterative evolution. even the $450 price point was somewhat expected.
As always, it's the software pricing that makes everything absurd. They jumped straight to $80 in a mere 2-3 years for them after Tears of the Kingdom's $70. And Mario Kart hits further beyond with $90. I wonder how that will fare in this economy. Will consumers still take upon that because Mario?
$90 if you buy it, $80 if you ~rent~ ehm I mean "acquire" a temporary digital license.
my point being: due to the risks assumed (someone can click a button and rob the product from you), the rights lost (cannot exchange games with your cousin), and the general lack of consumer protections on digital rentals aka. licenses, I'm a firm believer that their price should be 20 to 50% of what a proper physical copy costs; starting from the fact that you cannot spend $80 on a game, enjoy it, then resell it for $60 or so as we all ought to be able to do in all cases no matter what.
Nintendo is going to be doing digital game lending now so that's an interesting addition. I'll probably still buy physical since the first-party games hold their value so well.
The trailer for GameChat shows audio background noise removal and image segmentation with the camera. I suspect modern AI is used everywhere even outside of games.
For games, DLSS and other upscaling techniques are widely used and accepted, despite gamers' anonimosity for generative AI.
I hate that port, because they removed the USB-A ports from the dock in favour of this. This means their flagship camera needs to be plugged in every time you dock. It's classic Nintendo ridiculousness of one step forward, two steps back.
The dock seem to have two USB-A to the left, outside of the cover. No way the camera can't be plugged in there... I hope. Or maybe they're not expecting the camera to be all that popular.
Despite giving no shits about the new features (possible durability improvements aside) this'd be a month-one purchase for me (availability allowing), but the price is... bad.
I'd been counting on buying this this year, like, nearly sure I would be, it was my one planned splurge in a year of uncertainty and belt-tightening, and still would be if we got the Japanese-version pricing, but this is gonna be a no.
Interestingly Japan will have 2 versions, a japanese language only (+region locked to japan accounts) and a global one. Mostly because of the weak yen + the insane amount of scalping that happened previously.
It's fascinating because its the reverse of the usual way to solve this problem. Typically, games would be region-locked. For the first time Nintendo has locked the console itself to a language and a region.
I guess the benefit for Nintendo is that outside of the reduced price, there are zero benefits for players to having a Japanese version. It used to be that a Japanese 3DS was cool to have.
Mmm. All I wanted was a Switch with bumped specs and a lot more durability. They could have come up with something out of left field that I cared about, like they often do, but cameras and a dedicated chat button? Things I've been intentionally avoiding or being annoyed by on other consoles since either thing has existed?
I hope there's a way to disable the chat button entirely, so I'm not accidentally triggering a function that I never want to use and my kids certainly won't be using, like the damned "share" button on the PS5. Talk about an anti-feature.
If the camera were built-in, I'd pay a little extra for a version without that and without the chat button. This is the opposite of an upgrade, for this shopper. At least I can just not-buy the camera.
The spec bump looks mediocre, if durability's not a lot better I'll just be replacing my half-broken switch with a used model of same. I'd been assuming this'd be my first-ever near-launch console purchase, I'm usually like 2-3 years behind on these things, but IDK, this is underwhelming. If there's also a more-than-tiny price hike, I'll be delaying.
[EDIT] Oh snap, pricing's on there? I'd read elsewhere they'd delayed announcing that. Shiiiiit, at that price maybe we'll get a family Steam Deck and put pirated versions of all the Switch games we already own (... and all the games we have on prior consoles) on there, instead. I can wait for used or discounted console prices to play the new Zelda or whatever, we still have hardly touched half the games we have on the current Switch. How's the Deck with multiple Switch Pro controller support? Anyone tried to use it as an actual multiplayer-friendly TV-attached console?
We've burned through two Switches, both of which still semi-function but with major components broken. Both provided a constant bonus game of "where the hell did the kickstand go now?" until that part just got permanently lost about 3 months in (both times!) and the Joycon rails can get fucked up and stop charging properly if a kid squeezed kind-of hard (raise your hands if you never squeezed a controller in frustration as a kid? Zero hands up? Great; Never throw one? Just a couple hands? That's what I thought)
>I hope there's a way to disable the chat button entirely, so I'm not accidentally triggering a function that I never want to use and my kids certainly won't be using, like the damned "share" button on the PS5.
Nintendo is very concious about parental features, so I'm sure there's some way to disable the chat button. I'm honestly surprised to begin with they took the step to work with live chat.
>How's the Deck with multiple Switch Pro controller support?
I've had no issues connecting a variety of console controllers all at once to the Deck. PS5, PS4, XSX, and Switch Pros worked fine.
Nintendo stated in the Direct and on the website that Parental Controls must be set up for any accounts under 16 years old, the Parental Controls phone app must be installed, and the parent must approve every participant, before chatting can take place. (A parent can also just choose to not pay for Switch Online).
Yeah, I'm just hoping that makes the button do nothing, not pop some UI element that goes "Sorry, this is disabled! Ask your parent!" I somehow still manage to trigger that crap once every couple hours of game play on the PS5, and on a tiny joy con this'll be even more accidentally-pressable.
Well, that's just called a terrible user experience and a return magnet. Maybe the parent deliberately wants to enable access, they are mashing the "C" button, and nothing happens, before they give up and assume the console is physically defective.
I like that Nintendo recognises that the mouse is a superior input device, but their vertical joycon implementation seems more like a gimmick than an actually useful device. Balancing and sliding a vertical joycon doesn’t seem like it would be particularly stable. I foresee an actual traditionally shaped mouse sold by Nintendo in the future.
I can't really think of anywhere in my living room this wouldn't mean wrist-pain-inducing wrist angles or adding new furniture or something, so kinda skipped over it as something I would only use when a game forces me to. But good point, that's a new feature.
A lot of kids these days socialize together and talk on the phone while playing games. I think the camera and seeing each other's screens on Minecraft or Fortnite will be huge for them. I can relate though, I'm also on enough video calls to not want this in my free time.
Late Super Nintendo and early N64 games went up to even $70/$75, if memory serves. I remember an uncle getting me NBA Hangtime for my birthday one year at $75.
I think it definitely contributed to the PS1 outselling the N64. There were many reasons, of course, but seeing those Toys R' Us flyers where the PS1 games were marked $40-50 and the N64 games at $60-70...I'm sure it gave some parents pause about which systems they were buying their children.
I got the NES Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game for christmas in 1990. My mom left the price tag on so I could see how ridiculously overpriced it was: $69 CDN. It was a crap game.
> and I’m surprised it was Nintendo that crossed that particular Rubicon.
Not only that, but one thing that really bothers me with Nintendo as apposed to Steam for example is, those prices basically never change. There never seems to be a sale or special offers.
The counter to this though, the used market for Switch physical games is really efficient. You can buy a used game for $30. Play the snot out of it. Turn around and sell it for $30.
Sure, I’d be happy to spend less money on games, but there’s a certain honesty and transparency with buying Nintendo games that’s missing on the other platforms. No FOMO, no preorder bonuses, no pressure tactics, no nothing. You know the value proposition, and either you’re happy with it, or you’re not.
Most Nintendo games are on modest -33% sale from time to time. The only exception is Pokemon games. These are never on sale. Just look up on Deku Deals.
Or, more to the point, as a publisher Nintendo stands by their products. They come out finished and aren't riddled with microtransactions. The fact that years later people still want to buy Zelda BotW is a real testament.
If you look close, they seem to have been always committed to create and maintain an impression that a) Nintendo makes perfect products that just works, and b) you can't negotiate a deal to your advantages with Nintendo. And I think it has to be part of their hardwired company policy as a surviving hanafuda card manufacturer in Kyoto - those cards were used in literally yakuza-controlled underground gambling for a long time.
I mean, just go watch The Godfather, and think how would you sell him a product, or worse yet, manufacture mass-market products that isn't intended for his acquaintances but he would be extremely interested with purchasing and using in substantial numbers. Lots of Nintendo behaviors and customer horror stories start making total sense.
(and Valve behaviors too. they have their own, no less adamant than Nintendo policies that you start noticing after a while)
I have no idea why you're getting downvoted. A lot of highly-paid software developers are complaining that nintendo doesn't cheapen their offerings by discounting them to $5 a game like steam sales. why not cheapen your product's offering as it continues down the x-axis of time?
I've always respected Nintendo for this. They know they're offering a quality product, and the price will be the same if you buy now or in a year, so buy it if you want it.
It also means if you want to resell your game, you'll get a fair price for it.
IIRC it took six years for Switch Breath of the Wild to get a price cut and that was a port. Just have to wait for the Switch 2 successor announcement to get a Switch 2 Nintendo game sale.
90 EUR in Europe. This completely deflated my interest in the Switch 2, I'd rather finish my combined Switch 1 and Steam backlog than support this price creep, considering that Nintendo games practically never get discounted.
Yeah, same here. My Switch is essentially a indie game console (~indish, e.g. Hades, Darkest Dungeon), as I didn't want to pay the absurd prices of the first party titles.
With the Steam Deck coming out in the meantime, I'll likely pick that up soon instead of a Switch 2. Around the same price, much better specs (and also Bluetooth support, which the Switch 2 will supposedly be missing again), and access to a much bigger library of games.
Nintendo is the Apple of videogames, especialy with the vertical integration and pricing.
Their games were always incredibly expensive. 30 years ago, I remember being stunned to hear that my friend's SNES copy of Mortal Kombat II was GBP 70. From this Reddit post, I'm seeing Canadian prices were equally absurd. CAD 95 for Batman Forever on SNES.
The physical game cards are going to be expensive to manufacture because they need to be much faster. Look at the cost of microSD Express cards. I thought they might go entirely virtual with required installation.
Needless to say, 80 USD is too high for me, personally. 70 is pushing it, honestly. Most of the time you can use sites like isthereanydeal and even get new releases under 60, but that's a no-go with Nintendo.
The carts will be expensive to make if they actually have the game on them, but some will just be a DRM dongle which allows you to download and play the game.
Purchasing Power is a function of inflation and income - so it always "keeps up" with inflation. You might've been trying to say that income hasn't kept up with inflation, but that's not supported by any data. Real wages have remained roughly flat since 2021. https://www.statista.com/chart/32428/inflation-and-wage-grow...
purchasing power takes into account expenses as well. Even if "income has kept up with inflation", it means little if your rent and groceries skyrocted and you had little/no raises in the meantime.
AAA games have already been doing this for years with "pay $30 more for a 'DLC Pass' to get the actual complete game, oh and also you can't resell this part of it'"
The PS2 era didn't have the infinite cash machine that is GTA online. They're milking it for as long as they can. It also doesn't make sense to release something for latest-gen consoles when a huge chunk of the market are still on PS4s and XB1s.
Wow, no wonder they didn't feature that in the Direct.
(In their defense, games have been unusually cheap for a while. SNES games were $160 after inflation. N64? $120. GameCube titles? $90. Wii? $75. Nintendo Switch Games back in 2017? $78!)
One interesting thing is that they seem to have multiple types of physical cards. I am assuming they will have normal physical games but they also have these "key cards" [1] which I assume will be for MASSIVE games or games from really small teams who are short on cash. Since the digital purchase is tied to a physical game I assume you can resell/buy these used as well.
Holy smokes, it's big news that Nintendo is bringing this functionality in-house so to speak. There were many third-party Switch games that implemented similar features with codes in the box or required downloads that would confuse users.
Coupled with those confusing cartridges, Nintendo sells cards that could be redeemed for a copy of a game. They're shaped like credit cards, and I always thought they made for horrible gifts. They just don't look good as a gift. These cartridges solve that problem.
This is a clean interface in terms of the software and the sales experience, is as cheap as possible for the devs, and preserves the resale value (so long as Nintendo keeps their store open). This, my friends, is the future of physical games.
If I were Microsoft or Sony, I would pay attention to the reception of these cards. I wouldn't be surprised if Sony's next console has a cheap card reader to allow physical copies with a similar system.
It does, but so do the NVMe drives used in the Playstation and Xbox, and neither of those systems have been successfully attacked through that interface as far as I know. I'm sure they're using IOMMU to sandbox the exposed PCIe lanes as much as they can.
This is the first consumer device I know of to use MicroSD Express. I hope this begins a trend with other devices using it, I would love to see more laptops, phones, or the Steam deck support these cards in the future
There is a new Zelda. It's just another Hyrule warriors game instead of a core Zelda adventure title.
I do wonder how the upgrades for BOTW/TOTK will be though. I'm a bit disappointed that they didn't seem to add anything (especially a DLC expansion for TOTK).
Kirby Air Ride was one of the best and most unique Gamecube games. A sequel to do the original justice would be a big deal.
Sadly, Nintendo has made a reputation for itself as a copyright troll, most notoriously their legal takedowns of YouTube lets plays. As a result, I have boycotted Nintendo for over ten years now. While the new releases are tempting, Nintendo's recent legal actions against Palworld sour that proposition. Although I admittedly only can have so much respect for a Windows-only game with anti-cheat.
Back in the day, we'd play city trial in sandbox mode and drive all the vehicles we unlocked up on top of the floating platform. The achievement system was also great.
Did Nintendo mention anything about accessibility in the presentation? It's shameful if they still don't have a screen reader when both Xbox and PlayStation do.
The price being almost the same as a Steam Deck is really surprising. Since the Wii (maybe even the GC? I can't remember, I only had a PS2 from that generation when it was active, and only got that about the time the PS3 was about to come out, so I don't remember their relative price positioning that generation) they've been the "sure you'll spend more on games because they don't have meaningful sales and used prices remain high, and the hardware's 'underpowered', but the games will be really good and the console price is pretty low!" console.
I had luck with WD-40. Bought Switch ca. 1 year after Zelda, small drift was mitigatable through whiggling the joys a long time. Then, Witcher, I had enough of it and sprayed a tiny amount into both. Working like a Charm since then. YMMV
I replaced mine with sticks using hall effect sensors. The stick replacement process isn't easy, but also not too bad. When I first opened my joycon, a spring flew across the room and I had a hell of a time trying to find it.
449 usd is pretty disappointing. A steam deck is pretty much the same price but is repairable and i don't have to pay for an online subscription. And even the steam deck doesn't appeal to me much since i like FPS games, which are better if played from a proper PC. At this point i'm sticking with my Nintendo 3DS for gaming away from home.
470€ vs 570€ for OLED 512GB. With 80€ (digital, 90€ physical) base price for a game, you'd probably go break even in like 2-3 games, especially when buying games on sales (Nintendo don't do that) and older titles (Nintendo don't discount these either)
Though the Switch 2 doesn't have 512GB of storage or an OLED screen. The cheaper Steam Deck that's a closer match is $50 cheaper than the Switch 2, $400 in the US.
In the past month i was also considering to buy a Wii to play some games with friends, but i waited to see if the switch 2 could be worth it. Now i'm seriously considering the Wii.
You will never run out of games to play with a softmodded Wii plus a massive SD card. Make sure your Wii has the correct ports and get some Gamecube controllers too.
It's way easier to use Dolphin. You haven't truly lived until you've played Mario Kart Wii in 4k HDR :) They make USB powered sensor bars. Wiimotes connect over Bluetooth, you just need to get a BT adapter that is compatible (many chipsets are finicky with Wiimotes).
I sure hope those “microSD Express” cards end up being relatively inexpensive… I really appreciated being able to buy cheap, high-capacity microSD cards for the 3DS and Switch when I bought each console such that I then basically never had to worry about storage ever again.
I'm curious if the switch 1 would back support mouse mode if one were to use the new joypads on the old models. Probably not but maybe in the homebrew ones?
It seems pretty much a software update as one can already connect any BT device to a patched switch.
As an owner of a bucket of overpriced Joy-Cons I've long since stopped bothering shipping to Nintendo to get fixed, they should have made it clear they addressed the drift issue, even if they had to do it subtly.
The 3DS (and relatedly the Wii U) bombed because they had fatal, expensive gimmicks. The Switch 2 is a hardware iteration that everyone has been asking for.
Most people I know that own a Switch use it rarely and casually. For them a mere hardware iteration isn't enough of a reason to get the new one. I would suspect that a good 60% of Switch owners fall into that category. However, even if it only gets half of the sales that the switch had, that would make it the most successful current generation console.
Both also had a massive own-goal branding problem, in that nobody who wasn't a gaming nerd could figure out they were totally new consoles, not new editions of an existing one, from the name.
The 3DS had it even worse than the Wii U, since the DS line had several versions with very-similar names some of which were variants of existing ones, and a couple of which were actually totally new platforms (was it the DSi that was the other one? I can't even fully remember and I'm way farther down the console-nerd path than the vast majority of people)
At least they just put a number after this one, so folks will get it this time.
Announcing a solution to joycon drift would require acknowledging drift at all, which would open them to another class action. The camera is sold separately, so you can just not plug it in. The parental controls also lets you turn off chat.
Technically they could market "the Joy-Con 2 sticks uses Hall Effect for better precision" to convey the implication that they will avoid drift without admitting culpability (and being factually true about better precision). If they were using HE, they likely would have noted it IMO.
> Nintendo will send out invitations for "priority" purchasing of the Switch 2, direct from the company, starting on May 8. Those who have purchased a Switch Online membership as of April 2, have had it for a minimum of 12 months, have opted to share gameplay data, and have logged at least 50 hours get priority. There will be a 72-hour window in which to use priority purchasing invitations.
So they're trying to circumvent retailers, while "rewarding" people for allowing telemetry and having a long running credit card subscription, by offering them a time-limited fomo pre-release.
I think I won tech-MBA bingo, why do I still feel so empty inside?
As far as MBA schemes go, this is pretty benign. Realistically,they are putting consoles into the hands of the most vocal, most dedicated, and most enthusiastic customers first. This makes a ton of sense, and if gets around scalping, I'm all for it.
At least you are getting "something" for having telemetry turned on, usually you get zilch.
They're rewarding loyal customers, makes sense to me. The telemetry thing is kind of gross, but necessary if they want to base it on how much you've actually played and not just how long you've subscribed.
This was obviously designed as a customer-friendly way to cut scalpers out of at least part of the initial supply chain. Scalping has been an incessant problem in console gaming due to supply shortages, and it makes everyone miserable except the scalpers. Valve provided a similar release strategy with the Deck as what Nintendo appears to be doing here, and it was extremely successful and welcome by the community.
Yeah, absolutely.
Anybody talking about how much they like (or dislike) Nintendo's plan needs to compare it to the alternative which is "insane levels of scalping" and not some kind of mythical ideal zero-scalping world where supply precisely meets demand on day 1.
This is flip/scalping prevention. Gang-type groups would arrange squatting campaigns at retailers to soak up stocks, some shipping to China in bulk. It fizzles launches and it had been damaging to brands just as pirating, if not more, and so a loyal customer purchasing program is absolutely necessary.
I suppose scalping hadn't been as severe globally or in US until recent NVIDIA GPU launches? But it's been a major problem for past ~15 years in Japan for all sorts of hyped products.
It was amusing, if not a little frustrating. News coverage would always show it as evidence of fanatical Apple fans. But (especially after the first year or two) it was pretty clearly mostly flippers/scalpers.
Well... they could just make enough stock for everybody, and there would be no need for scalpers. Just delay the launch a bit, fill up the warehouses, and when they start selling, everyone gets one, and the scalpers lose.
But no, any scarcity is a must in modern times, so people don't think twice before buying if they see it in stock somewhere.
They create artificial scarcity by buying up all stocks everywhere nationwide. They've got capitals to do so.
The gray market price under presence of organized scalpers just isn't the natural point of equilibrium on supply-demand curve.
Tell me you don't work in the hardware business without telling me you don't work in the hardware business!
isn't the whole issue that they have no good way of knowing how many to make until launch? you don't want to wind up like Atari burying copies of ET in the desert
If the person doesn't share gameplay data, then Nintendo can't know if the person played at least 50 hours
Can't the person register their device on the Nintendo website, with a serial number and date of purchase? That's often needed for electronics repairs. That alone should be enough to determine whether the person is a scalper or true fan.
Seems like a way to combat scalping. Which is a massive problem
Ah, share gameplay data. The thing every modded switch has turned off.
Why would Nintendo give special treatment to owners of modded switches?
Not Nintendo, but you as a modder need to block Nintendo's servers when inside the custom firmware, otherwise you risk being banned.
Keep in mind that this is Nintendo's store policy. If you buy your Switch 2 from any other retailer, we do not yet know what the requirements will be.
I don’t think it’s is very GDPR compliant if they do that in Europe. Sometimes I wish the GDPR had teeth.
There was a time where Nintendo clearly made consoles and games for children. I think the price of the console and the game (80€ by now) is just too high for most children. When I was a child I was always a console generation behind and bought games off the flea market or borrowed them from video rental stores. With physical copies going away or being discouraged heavily by higher prices, I feel like Nintendo is not even competing in financially accessible gaming anymore and it's sad to see. And since they are so expensive now, you might as well buy a Steam Deck. The only reason to buy Nintendo now really is just Zelda and Mario Kart. Also how many years ago was it that publishers released announcements about 60€ games not being sustainable anymore? Three maybe? The physical copy of Mario Kart World will be 90€! They got by without an increase for almost 10 years and now they increase it by 50% in just three years. I hate that we live in a time, where allowing someone to raise a price by 10€ will just lead to them doing it as many times as they can as quickly as they can.
Despite all of the negative/critical takes, I think the switch 2 looks great. The hardware improvements look nice. The top usb-port is a great addition with the kickstand, so you can actually charge while you play (this was a bust with switch 1).
I think the camera is also good. I actually really look forward to playing mario games with my nieces. And for those who don't want it, it's no extra cost.
120fps and 1080p w/ upscaling to 4k look good but ambitious. I wonder how much AI is used. The fans inside the dock are a clever way to maintain performance.
Also, I have a lot of friends who casually stream games in discord, so the chat/sharing functionality seems aptly timed.
> 120fps and 1080p w/ upscaling to 4k look good but ambitious. I wonder how much AI is used.
Given the hardware architecture it's probably safe to assume it supports a variant of DLSS. When that big Nvidia leak happened a few years ago there were even references to the Switches NVN API in the DLSS code.
Speaking of 120hz, it's going to be embarrassing if Apple keeps making new 60hz devices even after Nintendo's famously conservative hardware moves to 120hz.
They are using AI, they have a patented process apparently: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonevangelho/2025/03/17/updat...
Haven't heard much complaints about the hardware. Seems like a good iterative evolution. even the $450 price point was somewhat expected.
As always, it's the software pricing that makes everything absurd. They jumped straight to $80 in a mere 2-3 years for them after Tears of the Kingdom's $70. And Mario Kart hits further beyond with $90. I wonder how that will fare in this economy. Will consumers still take upon that because Mario?
$90 if you buy it, $80 if you ~rent~ ehm I mean "acquire" a temporary digital license.
my point being: due to the risks assumed (someone can click a button and rob the product from you), the rights lost (cannot exchange games with your cousin), and the general lack of consumer protections on digital rentals aka. licenses, I'm a firm believer that their price should be 20 to 50% of what a proper physical copy costs; starting from the fact that you cannot spend $80 on a game, enjoy it, then resell it for $60 or so as we all ought to be able to do in all cases no matter what.
Nintendo is going to be doing digital game lending now so that's an interesting addition. I'll probably still buy physical since the first-party games hold their value so well.
> I wonder how much AI is used.
The trailer for GameChat shows audio background noise removal and image segmentation with the camera. I suspect modern AI is used everywhere even outside of games.
For games, DLSS and other upscaling techniques are widely used and accepted, despite gamers' anonimosity for generative AI.
> The top usb-port is a great addition
I hate that port, because they removed the USB-A ports from the dock in favour of this. This means their flagship camera needs to be plugged in every time you dock. It's classic Nintendo ridiculousness of one step forward, two steps back.
The dock seem to have two USB-A to the left, outside of the cover. No way the camera can't be plugged in there... I hope. Or maybe they're not expecting the camera to be all that popular.
Well the camera is USB-C so you're going to need an adapter.
I also thought they had removed USB-A ports given how the camera is plugged in but there's still there at 4:39 in this video:
https://youtu.be/9flte56erE8?si=GtulVntN9yMQemiM&t=279
Eh, it was bad when Apple removed USB-A ports, but here, I don't really care; I have never once used them in the all years I owned the Switch.
Despite giving no shits about the new features (possible durability improvements aside) this'd be a month-one purchase for me (availability allowing), but the price is... bad.
I'd been counting on buying this this year, like, nearly sure I would be, it was my one planned splurge in a year of uncertainty and belt-tightening, and still would be if we got the Japanese-version pricing, but this is gonna be a no.
Wouldn't be surprised at all if Nintendo was getting ahead of tarriffs. Would also explain the region locking coming back for Switch 2.
Interestingly Japan will have 2 versions, a japanese language only (+region locked to japan accounts) and a global one. Mostly because of the weak yen + the insane amount of scalping that happened previously.
Switch 2 JP Only: 49,980 Yen (~333 USD)
Switch 2 Global: 69,980 Yen (~466 USD)
https://www.nintendo.com/jp/hardware/switch2/lineup/index.ht...
And the JP only version's launch price is still almost double of the Switch 1's (30,000 Yen)
But I'm actually glad that they look after the local market!
It's fascinating because its the reverse of the usual way to solve this problem. Typically, games would be region-locked. For the first time Nintendo has locked the console itself to a language and a region.
I guess the benefit for Nintendo is that outside of the reduced price, there are zero benefits for players to having a Japanese version. It used to be that a Japanese 3DS was cool to have.
Cripes that’s incredibly expensive for a lower spec handheld
The specs seems to exceed that of the Steam Deck. And that was barely selling at a profit for a while. I'm not really mad at the specs.
But no linux or steam
I mean, yes?. Also no Playstation or Xbox. If Linux/steam is your deal breaker nothing Nintendo did would change your mind.
I suspect they also know full well that the global ones will be resold in China.
Mmm. All I wanted was a Switch with bumped specs and a lot more durability. They could have come up with something out of left field that I cared about, like they often do, but cameras and a dedicated chat button? Things I've been intentionally avoiding or being annoyed by on other consoles since either thing has existed?
I hope there's a way to disable the chat button entirely, so I'm not accidentally triggering a function that I never want to use and my kids certainly won't be using, like the damned "share" button on the PS5. Talk about an anti-feature.
If the camera were built-in, I'd pay a little extra for a version without that and without the chat button. This is the opposite of an upgrade, for this shopper. At least I can just not-buy the camera.
The spec bump looks mediocre, if durability's not a lot better I'll just be replacing my half-broken switch with a used model of same. I'd been assuming this'd be my first-ever near-launch console purchase, I'm usually like 2-3 years behind on these things, but IDK, this is underwhelming. If there's also a more-than-tiny price hike, I'll be delaying.
[EDIT] Oh snap, pricing's on there? I'd read elsewhere they'd delayed announcing that. Shiiiiit, at that price maybe we'll get a family Steam Deck and put pirated versions of all the Switch games we already own (... and all the games we have on prior consoles) on there, instead. I can wait for used or discounted console prices to play the new Zelda or whatever, we still have hardly touched half the games we have on the current Switch. How's the Deck with multiple Switch Pro controller support? Anyone tried to use it as an actual multiplayer-friendly TV-attached console?
> if durability's not a lot better
The kickstand and controllers at least look so much higher quality.
We've burned through two Switches, both of which still semi-function but with major components broken. Both provided a constant bonus game of "where the hell did the kickstand go now?" until that part just got permanently lost about 3 months in (both times!) and the Joycon rails can get fucked up and stop charging properly if a kid squeezed kind-of hard (raise your hands if you never squeezed a controller in frustration as a kid? Zero hands up? Great; Never throw one? Just a couple hands? That's what I thought)
>I hope there's a way to disable the chat button entirely, so I'm not accidentally triggering a function that I never want to use and my kids certainly won't be using, like the damned "share" button on the PS5.
Nintendo is very concious about parental features, so I'm sure there's some way to disable the chat button. I'm honestly surprised to begin with they took the step to work with live chat.
>How's the Deck with multiple Switch Pro controller support?
I've had no issues connecting a variety of console controllers all at once to the Deck. PS5, PS4, XSX, and Switch Pros worked fine.
If you want an almost new original switch unpatched and are in EU, let me know :D
Nintendo stated in the Direct and on the website that Parental Controls must be set up for any accounts under 16 years old, the Parental Controls phone app must be installed, and the parent must approve every participant, before chatting can take place. (A parent can also just choose to not pay for Switch Online).
Yeah, I'm just hoping that makes the button do nothing, not pop some UI element that goes "Sorry, this is disabled! Ask your parent!" I somehow still manage to trigger that crap once every couple hours of game play on the PS5, and on a tiny joy con this'll be even more accidentally-pressable.
Well, that's just called a terrible user experience and a return magnet. Maybe the parent deliberately wants to enable access, they are mashing the "C" button, and nothing happens, before they give up and assume the console is physically defective.
A tiny "toast" that doesn't interrupt gameplay or cover much of the screen wouldn't bother me.
You missed the mouse mode of the new joycons, tilt them down and use as a mouse.
I like that Nintendo recognises that the mouse is a superior input device, but their vertical joycon implementation seems more like a gimmick than an actually useful device. Balancing and sliding a vertical joycon doesn’t seem like it would be particularly stable. I foresee an actual traditionally shaped mouse sold by Nintendo in the future.
The legion go has a mouse mode but its more like a flight stick that doesn't tilt.
I can't really think of anywhere in my living room this wouldn't mean wrist-pain-inducing wrist angles or adding new furniture or something, so kinda skipped over it as something I would only use when a game forces me to. But good point, that's a new feature.
this is what consumers demand. despise your fellow man
A lot of kids these days socialize together and talk on the phone while playing games. I think the camera and seeing each other's screens on Minecraft or Fortnite will be huge for them. I can relate though, I'm also on enough video calls to not want this in my free time.
The real takeaway is $80 MSRP games, and I’m surprised it was Nintendo that crossed that particular Rubicon.
For comparison, some of the original NES games were MSRP $45. That's the equivalent of over $100 today.
(Although, of that $45, 15% went to distributors and another 15% went to retailers).
Late Super Nintendo and early N64 games went up to even $70/$75, if memory serves. I remember an uncle getting me NBA Hangtime for my birthday one year at $75.
I think it definitely contributed to the PS1 outselling the N64. There were many reasons, of course, but seeing those Toys R' Us flyers where the PS1 games were marked $40-50 and the N64 games at $60-70...I'm sure it gave some parents pause about which systems they were buying their children.
I got the NES Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game for christmas in 1990. My mom left the price tag on so I could see how ridiculously overpriced it was: $69 CDN. It was a crap game.
I paid $90 US for Bart Vs The Space Mutants around that time. I think Street Fighter 2 CE for Genesis was $80 around 1993? Different times for sure.
Was that the arcade port one or the other one, with the infamously hard underwater bomb-diffusion level?
I don't even know. I never made it past the second level.
Sounds like the first TMNT game, not the arcade
Volume was way, way, way lower.
But in fairness, so were development costs.
> and I’m surprised it was Nintendo that crossed that particular Rubicon.
Not only that, but one thing that really bothers me with Nintendo as apposed to Steam for example is, those prices basically never change. There never seems to be a sale or special offers.
The counter to this though, the used market for Switch physical games is really efficient. You can buy a used game for $30. Play the snot out of it. Turn around and sell it for $30.
Yeah but now there is another 10$ premium for that physical copy. Nintendo is really trying to squeeze every aspect
Honestly, I respect them for it.
Sure, I’d be happy to spend less money on games, but there’s a certain honesty and transparency with buying Nintendo games that’s missing on the other platforms. No FOMO, no preorder bonuses, no pressure tactics, no nothing. You know the value proposition, and either you’re happy with it, or you’re not.
https://www.ign.com/wikis/mario-kart-8/Pre-Order_Bonus
https://www.nintendo-insider.com/super-mario-maker-2-limited...
etc.
Most Nintendo games are on modest -33% sale from time to time. The only exception is Pokemon games. These are never on sale. Just look up on Deku Deals.
Or, more to the point, as a publisher Nintendo stands by their products. They come out finished and aren't riddled with microtransactions. The fact that years later people still want to buy Zelda BotW is a real testament.
If you look close, they seem to have been always committed to create and maintain an impression that a) Nintendo makes perfect products that just works, and b) you can't negotiate a deal to your advantages with Nintendo. And I think it has to be part of their hardwired company policy as a surviving hanafuda card manufacturer in Kyoto - those cards were used in literally yakuza-controlled underground gambling for a long time.
I mean, just go watch The Godfather, and think how would you sell him a product, or worse yet, manufacture mass-market products that isn't intended for his acquaintances but he would be extremely interested with purchasing and using in substantial numbers. Lots of Nintendo behaviors and customer horror stories start making total sense.
(and Valve behaviors too. they have their own, no less adamant than Nintendo policies that you start noticing after a while)
I have no idea why you're getting downvoted. A lot of highly-paid software developers are complaining that nintendo doesn't cheapen their offerings by discounting them to $5 a game like steam sales. why not cheapen your product's offering as it continues down the x-axis of time?
I've always respected Nintendo for this. They know they're offering a quality product, and the price will be the same if you buy now or in a year, so buy it if you want it.
It also means if you want to resell your game, you'll get a fair price for it.
IIRC it took six years for Switch Breath of the Wild to get a price cut and that was a port. Just have to wait for the Switch 2 successor announcement to get a Switch 2 Nintendo game sale.
90 EUR in Europe. This completely deflated my interest in the Switch 2, I'd rather finish my combined Switch 1 and Steam backlog than support this price creep, considering that Nintendo games practically never get discounted.
Yeah, same here. My Switch is essentially a indie game console (~indish, e.g. Hades, Darkest Dungeon), as I didn't want to pay the absurd prices of the first party titles.
With the Steam Deck coming out in the meantime, I'll likely pick that up soon instead of a Switch 2. Around the same price, much better specs (and also Bluetooth support, which the Switch 2 will supposedly be missing again), and access to a much bigger library of games.
Nintendo is the Apple of videogames, especialy with the vertical integration and pricing.
Their games were always incredibly expensive. 30 years ago, I remember being stunned to hear that my friend's SNES copy of Mortal Kombat II was GBP 70. From this Reddit post, I'm seeing Canadian prices were equally absurd. CAD 95 for Batman Forever on SNES.
https://www.reddit.com/r/snes/comments/12aq8zu/snes_games_pr...
The physical game cards are going to be expensive to manufacture because they need to be much faster. Look at the cost of microSD Express cards. I thought they might go entirely virtual with required installation.
Needless to say, 80 USD is too high for me, personally. 70 is pushing it, honestly. Most of the time you can use sites like isthereanydeal and even get new releases under 60, but that's a no-go with Nintendo.
The carts will be expensive to make if they actually have the game on them, but some will just be a DRM dongle which allows you to download and play the game.
https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/...
That's what I meant when I said I predicted the game cards would be virtual. I didn't know that was actually the case.
To be fair, when the Switch launched in 2017, games cost $78 after inflation.
That's true. Unfortunately, the purchasing power hasn't kept up with inflation.
Purchasing Power is a function of inflation and income - so it always "keeps up" with inflation. You might've been trying to say that income hasn't kept up with inflation, but that's not supported by any data. Real wages have remained roughly flat since 2021. https://www.statista.com/chart/32428/inflation-and-wage-grow...
The link says income (in terms of “real” wages) has not kept up with inflation.
It further says “In times of high inflation…real wages go down, meaning that workers see (and feel) the purchasing power of their income decline.”
Sounds like parent poster and your link are in agreement.
purchasing power takes into account expenses as well. Even if "income has kept up with inflation", it means little if your rent and groceries skyrocted and you had little/no raises in the meantime.
GTA VI will be 100$
AAA games have already been doing this for years with "pay $30 more for a 'DLC Pass' to get the actual complete game, oh and also you can't resell this part of it'"
The hype around GTA VI is going to be crazy hard for it to live up to.
People been speculating for years and years now and that could lead to a lot of unrealistic expectations.
One thing I do respect Rockstar for though is they never caved to pressure to release the sequel fast
> One thing I do respect Rockstar for though is they never caved to pressure to release the sequel fast
You respect them for taking 12+ years to make a sequel?
The Playstation 2 had five GTA's whereas GTA V has three console generations.
The PS2 era didn't have the infinite cash machine that is GTA online. They're milking it for as long as they can. It also doesn't make sense to release something for latest-gen consoles when a huge chunk of the market are still on PS4s and XB1s.
No pressure to make a seuquel when your MTX in the existing game net you a billion a year for a decade+. It's their own mini-Steam at this point.
Mario Kart World is kind of like the kid safe version maybe?
tbh I vividly remember paying $60+tax for Super Metroid in 1994, which is about $130 in today's dollars ...
$80 for a copy of a software +$10 to get the cartridge, I wonder how much the cartridges cost to make? $0.10 maybe
Please provide citation - I can't find this documented anywhere.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2025/04/02/nintendo-s...
Which games are $90?
Wow, no wonder they didn't feature that in the Direct.
(In their defense, games have been unusually cheap for a while. SNES games were $160 after inflation. N64? $120. GameCube titles? $90. Wii? $75. Nintendo Switch Games back in 2017? $78!)
One interesting thing is that they seem to have multiple types of physical cards. I am assuming they will have normal physical games but they also have these "key cards" [1] which I assume will be for MASSIVE games or games from really small teams who are short on cash. Since the digital purchase is tied to a physical game I assume you can resell/buy these used as well.
[1] https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/...
Holy smokes, it's big news that Nintendo is bringing this functionality in-house so to speak. There were many third-party Switch games that implemented similar features with codes in the box or required downloads that would confuse users.
Coupled with those confusing cartridges, Nintendo sells cards that could be redeemed for a copy of a game. They're shaped like credit cards, and I always thought they made for horrible gifts. They just don't look good as a gift. These cartridges solve that problem.
This is a clean interface in terms of the software and the sales experience, is as cheap as possible for the devs, and preserves the resale value (so long as Nintendo keeps their store open). This, my friends, is the future of physical games.
If I were Microsoft or Sony, I would pay attention to the reception of these cards. I wouldn't be surprised if Sony's next console has a cheap card reader to allow physical copies with a similar system.
Doesn't microSD Express rely on DMA over a PCI-e lane?
Curious if that could become a future attack vector to get homebrew running.
It does, but so do the NVMe drives used in the Playstation and Xbox, and neither of those systems have been successfully attacked through that interface as far as I know. I'm sure they're using IOMMU to sandbox the exposed PCIe lanes as much as they can.
This is the first consumer device I know of to use MicroSD Express. I hope this begins a trend with other devices using it, I would love to see more laptops, phones, or the Steam deck support these cards in the future
No new Zelda, no new Mario. I don't know what Nintendo is doing but I am not a hyped up for the Switch 2 as I thought I'd be.
Same. Also the prices are quite steep. 470 euros for the console and games cost 90 euros now? That feels quite unreasonable.
Why would there be a new Zelda? There were two new games in the past two years.
Yeah, it has been 8 years since the last new 3D Mario game.
ToK was a rehash, and the zelda game was not made to be serious like the Botw series is.
There is a new Zelda. It's just another Hyrule warriors game instead of a core Zelda adventure title.
I do wonder how the upgrades for BOTW/TOTK will be though. I'm a bit disappointed that they didn't seem to add anything (especially a DLC expansion for TOTK).
A Kirby Air Ride successor?
Kirby Air Ride was one of the best and most unique Gamecube games. A sequel to do the original justice would be a big deal.
Sadly, Nintendo has made a reputation for itself as a copyright troll, most notoriously their legal takedowns of YouTube lets plays. As a result, I have boycotted Nintendo for over ten years now. While the new releases are tempting, Nintendo's recent legal actions against Palworld sour that proposition. Although I admittedly only can have so much respect for a Windows-only game with anti-cheat.
I don’t dare boycott gaming companies because then I’d be stuck with indie games on itch.io. While they aren’t always bad, they’re not my cup of tea.
All 3 major gaming companies are horrible in their own ways. Just like both major smartphone platforms. The times we live in…
The original battle royale. My friend was addicted to this game as kids but I never enjoyed it because he always stomped me.
Back in the day, we'd play city trial in sandbox mode and drive all the vehicles we unlocked up on top of the floating platform. The achievement system was also great.
Same, such fun memories. Those were some good times.
>Windows-only game
Huh? Palworld is available on Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and macOS.
Sorry, I meant in the context of desktop operating systems. Steam page says only Windows is supported. Not sure why Wikipedia says MacOS.
It’s in the Mac App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/palworld/id6503918400?mt=12
Did Nintendo mention anything about accessibility in the presentation? It's shameful if they still don't have a screen reader when both Xbox and PlayStation do.
I'm not super fan of first party Nintendo so this doesn't tempt me much over getting a steamos handheld or similar.
The price being almost the same as a Steam Deck is really surprising. Since the Wii (maybe even the GC? I can't remember, I only had a PS2 from that generation when it was active, and only got that about the time the PS3 was about to come out, so I don't remember their relative price positioning that generation) they've been the "sure you'll spend more on games because they don't have meaningful sales and used prices remain high, and the hardware's 'underpowered', but the games will be really good and the console price is pretty low!" console.
This is... a weird departure from that.
Will they have fixed joycon drift though?
I had luck with WD-40. Bought Switch ca. 1 year after Zelda, small drift was mitigatable through whiggling the joys a long time. Then, Witcher, I had enough of it and sprayed a tiny amount into both. Working like a Charm since then. YMMV
Or just grab a replacement sticks from aliexpress. A set of 4 sticks is around 2-3$. I've changed them twice in 8 years of using a console.
I replaced mine with sticks using hall effect sensors. The stick replacement process isn't easy, but also not too bad. When I first opened my joycon, a spring flew across the room and I had a hell of a time trying to find it.
449 usd is pretty disappointing. A steam deck is pretty much the same price but is repairable and i don't have to pay for an online subscription. And even the steam deck doesn't appeal to me much since i like FPS games, which are better if played from a proper PC. At this point i'm sticking with my Nintendo 3DS for gaming away from home.
470€ vs 570€ for OLED 512GB. With 80€ (digital, 90€ physical) base price for a game, you'd probably go break even in like 2-3 games, especially when buying games on sales (Nintendo don't do that) and older titles (Nintendo don't discount these either)
P.S. $450 vs $550 for US
Though the Switch 2 doesn't have 512GB of storage or an OLED screen. The cheaper Steam Deck that's a closer match is $50 cheaper than the Switch 2, $400 in the US.
In the past month i was also considering to buy a Wii to play some games with friends, but i waited to see if the switch 2 could be worth it. Now i'm seriously considering the Wii.
You will never run out of games to play with a softmodded Wii plus a massive SD card. Make sure your Wii has the correct ports and get some Gamecube controllers too.
Doesn’t Wii only support sd cards up to 4GB?
It's way easier to use Dolphin. You haven't truly lived until you've played Mario Kart Wii in 4k HDR :) They make USB powered sensor bars. Wiimotes connect over Bluetooth, you just need to get a BT adapter that is compatible (many chipsets are finicky with Wiimotes).
I recommend getting an unpatched switch, if you have more than 5 games you would like to play.
I sure hope those “microSD Express” cards end up being relatively inexpensive… I really appreciated being able to buy cheap, high-capacity microSD cards for the 3DS and Switch when I bought each console such that I then basically never had to worry about storage ever again.
microsd express is a standard, the cards are available today. the nintendo branded ones will probably be extra $.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1868814-REG/sandisk_s...
I remember being seriously tempted to pull the trigger on a 1GB MicroSD card at this same price over a decade ago. Crazy.
Doesn't look too bad price-wise—nice!
I'm curious if the switch 1 would back support mouse mode if one were to use the new joypads on the old models. Probably not but maybe in the homebrew ones?
It seems pretty much a software update as one can already connect any BT device to a patched switch.
As an owner of a bucket of overpriced Joy-Cons I've long since stopped bothering shipping to Nintendo to get fixed, they should have made it clear they addressed the drift issue, even if they had to do it subtly.
Love it, but usual Nintendo prices. I'll wait a bit (or an improved version)
I don't believe this will get cheaper
If it bombs, it will. The Nintendo 3DS set a precedent for this.
The 3DS (and relatedly the Wii U) bombed because they had fatal, expensive gimmicks. The Switch 2 is a hardware iteration that everyone has been asking for.
It won't bomb.
> that everyone has been asking for
That hardcore Switch gamers have been asking for.
Most people I know that own a Switch use it rarely and casually. For them a mere hardware iteration isn't enough of a reason to get the new one. I would suspect that a good 60% of Switch owners fall into that category. However, even if it only gets half of the sales that the switch had, that would make it the most successful current generation console.
Both also had a massive own-goal branding problem, in that nobody who wasn't a gaming nerd could figure out they were totally new consoles, not new editions of an existing one, from the name.
The 3DS had it even worse than the Wii U, since the DS line had several versions with very-similar names some of which were variants of existing ones, and a couple of which were actually totally new platforms (was it the DSi that was the other one? I can't even fully remember and I'm way farther down the console-nerd path than the vast majority of people)
At least they just put a number after this one, so folks will get it this time.
I'd normally agree, but we are not in normal times at all. Definitely not the time to do a price hike if you're still expecting record sales.
But then again, consumers can be surprisingly loyal despite such economic factors. So it may still end up running off like a bandit.
not looking for a discount, looking for subtle improvements on the hardware (i.e. maybe magnetic joycons will fail fast and be fixed in Switch 2.0.1)
This is a device from a super community-dev-hostile company btw.
Dupe: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43556124
> mouse for Metroid Prime 4
I would do horrible, horrible things to get keyboard + mouse controls for Metroid Prime 3: Corruption on Wii.
I played through MP3C with PrimeHack on PC - great experience.
https://github.com/Kekun/primehack
https://github.com/SirMangler/PrimeHack-Updater
Where do they get off making an Android tablet that costs more than a PS5?
Joy Con Drift. Can they please solve for that ?
Chat Button ? Camera ? are they intentionally driving away parents who buy Switch for their kids ?
Announcing a solution to joycon drift would require acknowledging drift at all, which would open them to another class action. The camera is sold separately, so you can just not plug it in. The parental controls also lets you turn off chat.
Technically they could market "the Joy-Con 2 sticks uses Hall Effect for better precision" to convey the implication that they will avoid drift without admitting culpability (and being factually true about better precision). If they were using HE, they likely would have noted it IMO.
These guys are so cheap you know they didn’t add them in
In the direct they took several moments to describe how parents can lock away this feature from children using the Nintendo app.