Topic: Next Nintendo Direct?

I don’t know if we should expect anything new to be shown from Nintendo themselves at the February Direct apart from maybe a new trailer for Metroid Prime 4 and Xenoblade Chronicles X. Everything they’re working on internally will be for Switch 2.

@PikminMarioKirby I think considering XCX is the only upcoming game with a release date (Prime 4 and Legends Z-A timings are as vague as the Switch 2), announce on the 4th for airing on the 5th makes sense. I think Nintendo's going to want to avoid talking about Switch 2 until April 2nd so it would be an easy way to shift the focus back to Switch 1.

Also earlier this week Sony leaked a PS version of Fantasy Life i and that game has only been getting news in Directs and Level-5 events so I figure Direct would share news about the game and outside the Direct the PS version is officially announced.

Nintendo has data transfer maintenance on February 4th, and network services maintenance on February 5th. Haven't Directs previously lined up with maintenances? The 5th is feeling more likely, if true I wonder if Pyoro will be actively talking about it this time (would be first Direct since the one they essentially caught him last June, but he has still been getting some stuff right since)

@PikminMarioKirby There have been, but there have also been similar maintenances not before directs. I don't recall if there are usually maintenance right after financial meetings.

Tomorrow I'm curious to see the weekly eShop releases... the number of them always drops significantly the week before directs.

@FishyS I wouldn't think the maintenances would relate to the investor meeting but I don't really know much about that stuff.

I didn't realize that eShop pattern...idk how to check the amount anymore since they changed what they do with the what's new eShop news articles on the Switch, but I guess we'll see tomorrow!

tbh, I am sort of wondering if they stopped the weekly articles on purpose to make it less obvious. Granted, there were usually also other leaks at around the same time the eShop implied a probable direct.

A February Direct makes a lot of sense for me.

They're gonna bill it as a "Switch 1" Direct, obviously, but super fans like us realize pretty much anything shown in it is also a Switch 2 title, so it's exciting regardless.

As for the date, I can buy the first week, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's the second week of February.

Well... the answer was that this week had a near-record high for number of eShop games 😆 I think... the eShop articles stopping messes up the comparison with my prior data so I'm not 100% sure and I don't have a handy cvs file of all prior Switch release dates so I can't recalculate easily unless I decide to be unlazy. So, I have no idea what to think. If the number had been super low I would have predicted it meant a direct but since it is super high it could mean anything or nothing — maybe there is a surge to get Switch 1 games out before Switch 2 steals everyone's money. Assuming we don't have a direct this week I'll check again next Friday.

@FishyS That's interesting, surprised we'd get so many, especially if we don't get as many before Nintendo Directs.

There's a lot of signs pointing towards next week (specifically the 5th), but I wouldn't be shocked if it was the week after. I think it's better to get it out earlier, but we don't even know if we're getting one in February.

@rallydefault I’m not even expecting anything related to Switch 2 for a February Direct, but what a massive bonus if that’s the case!

I’d actually say (which may have been indicated already here in this thread) that if there’s no Direct by Feb 12, then there’s no Direct until the one in April. With no major first party content yet announced for the month, it would have to be in the first half to properly fill the remainder of February with at least one title, which I think would be perfectly cast by something like MP2 Remastered. I suppose they could push it back, but that might conflict with another show (Pokémon has been mentioned), and hamper the Feb fever marketing in getting the most out of an imminent product release.

If there’s a show in Feb, just give me those remasters and remakes. That will tide us over until the main course in April

@Enriesto
I'm just saying that since the Switch 2 is backwards compatible, then essentially any games revealed for Switch 1 are also games for Switch 2.

I'm also going to take this chance to throw a friendly barb at all of the people on this forum who keep swearing that they actually use backwards compatibility a lot - you guys should be super stoked! I know when the Switch 2 comes out you won't be concerned with frivolous stuff like Mario Kart 9 - you'll be playing the Metroid Prime 2 remaster that is also playable on Switch 1 lol

@rallydefault
Yes, I'm pretty sure most of my time spent on Switch 2 during the first year will consist of me playing Switch 1 games, if not the first two years. It'll take time to build a Switch 2 exclusive library.

I'm tending towards a direct the week of the 9th given the lack of solid rumours this weekend and the failing of my own eShop numerology. Since February directs are usually either the week of the financial meeting or the week after, I wouldn't think it would be later unless we get no full direct and just a partner showcase.

I suspect I'll spend a ridiculous amount of time my first year just transferring all of my games to Switch 2 and testing them all to see if they play the same or not 😅 Also, I'll probably still be playing occasional Switch 1 backlog games on Switch 2 by the time Switch 3 comes out....

@rallydefault gotcha.

And yes, I’m incredibly excited to take all my games along for the next-gen ride. Hopefully a couple new ones as a result of the Direct

So is the rumor for a direct this upcoming week?

@NintendoByNature The rumour is for this month... which would most likely mean in the next 2 weeks. I don't think we've gotten any solid leaks on specific days. Over at famiboards they are near 50% predicting next week versus the week after.

@FishyS got it. So sometime this month, but we aren't sure when.

It's a weird situation, there's stuff which does line up for next week (e.g. Nintendo earnings report, no February 1st party game yet, they'd be able to have Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered be present in the Direct) but on the other hand there is Rockstar's silence about GTA6 when Take Two's earnings report is next week.

Same. There's so many great Switch games, why would we stop playing them when a new system releases? Heck, there's a reason why people want more games on NSO. Old games can still be a lot of fun. And I'm positive many Switch 1 games will stand the test of time as well.

@sheztephan
If you're being serious, and I mean this with all due respect: That's kind of sad lol This is just my opinion of it, obviously.

When the Switch 2 comes out, I'm playing Switch 2 exclusives, period. But - and I know this is shocking - I will keep my old Switches around in case I ever get the hankering to play a Switch 1 game. Just like I keep my Gameboy and SNES when I want to play those games. But my Switch 2 will be for my Switch 2 games.