Topic: Next Nintendo Direct?

@Bolt_Strike Yea, I wouldn't expect a new main game announcement or overview trailer either. I completely agree that those will remain tied to Pokemon Presents. All I'd expect is either a trailer with some new Pokemon reveals (like the September Z-A Direct) or a focus on a singular feature (like the Z-A Royale in the March Direct). I definitely wouldn't expect much more than that to appear in a general Direct, as far as mainline Pokemon is concerned. I still think a Nintendo Direct trailer before September but after Pokemon Day is possible though.

@UpsideDownRowlet You're probably not going to get those reveals before September in the first place though, those types of reveals tend to happen after the overview trailer so you'd miss the typical Direct timeslots before September. This would be doubly true if they repeat SV's schedule and they hold off the overview trailer until August. So these predictions are practically contradictory, it'll likely be one or the other (and I would put money on no Pokemon in a General Direct before September).

@Bolt_Strike That's a pretty fair point against a feature-focused trailer showing up. Z-A did indeed have a mini overview trailer in February 2025 which did precede the March Direct. However, Scarlet and Violet did have a second trailer that revealed a handful of new Pokemon, including Koraidon and Miraidon, before the game got its overview trailer (although that trailer was released standalone; not part of any Direct). Likewise, its DLC got a trailer just showing off gameplay as part of the June 2023 general direct. We could possibly see a trailer in that style, though I could easily see that only being in June. It all really depends on when Nintendo holds a Direct and how much they want Pokemon to appear in it.

@Bolt_Strike It's possible if the next general Direct is in June, Nintendo could just alternate between general Directs and Partner Showcases. So like:

• September 2023 - General Direct
• February 2024 - Partner Showcase
• June 2024 - General Direct
• August 2024 - Partner Showcase
• March/April 2025 - General Direct (the 2 Directs were only a week apart so treating them as 1 gigantic one)
• July 2025 - Partner Showcase
• September 2025 - General Direct
• February 2026 - Partner Showcase
• June 2026 - General Direct
• August/September 2026 - Partner Showcase
• February 2027 - General Direct
• June/July 2027 - Partner Showcase
• September 2027 - General Direct
  ...etc.

Nintendo's Youtube is being quiet again, their uploads this week are just late uploads of things that happened earlier in February like Chappell Roan being the current Fortnite Festival headliner and Yakuza Kiwami 3 launching.

Last time that happened, they had a wave of standalone announcements soon after (DKC Returns HD update, SMB Wonder Switch 2 Edition release date, Galaxy movie Direct). So I'm guessing the big thing tomorrow is the Resident Evil Requiem Creator's Voice video.

Seems Nash Weedle was wrong about there being a General Direct third week of Feb. Think he also said that if it wasn't it would be fourth week, or first week of March, but that's so broad it just feels like he's guessing.

@Grumblevolcano rhythm heaven update is another option. Yoshi will probably be with MAR10.

i still got 2 billion hours of mewgenics to play so i can wait for a direct if we have to

@Grumblevolcano Only one first-party Direct throughout the entirety of 2026 would be devastating... We're already starving for first-party content as it is.

If this is starving then god forbid you try going through the late Wii years, and all of the Wii U.

Even though it's not a full first-party direct, we will more than likely get stuff (I would hope and think a direct) for Zelda's 40th on Saturday, and ofc Pokemon day the following Friday. That will at least be a little bit of juice until June🤷🏻‍♂️

@Haruki_NLI I have been through both of them. At the very least Wii and Wii U had cool gimmicks. When you already have another platform for playing third-party games, it's hard to justify owning a Switch 2 if there are no gimmicks and no new first-party titles or even enough upgrades (free or paid) for existing Switch games.

Pokémon is being advertised during Olympic hockey.
They are really pushing the 30th marketing this year.

@Strawblaze, more games available to choose from over hardware gimics any day of the week. Just the gimic of being able to swap between TV mode and handheld mode any time is enough, and I do hope that useful feature is here to stay.

As much as I want a direct - I have a hard time seeing it happening this month. I hope that I'm wrong, but unless we have a Direct announcement tomorrow, it's likely March, if at all.

@Nep-Nep-Freak If the Switch is your main platform, sure, the gimmicks won't really be missed. But either way, one does not stop the other from happening. Wii, DS and 3DS all had tons of games, despite their gimmicks. And I'm not sure I'd call the hybridity a gimmick. At least not a fresh one. Plenty of consoles have done it first, such as the SEGA Nomad and most especially the PSP.

I don’t think it’s a fair complaint for people to claim that we’re ‘starving’ for first party content in the Switch 2 era. The fairer complaint would be to say that you’re starving for first party content that specifically interests YOU, which is entirely fair. Or even to say the first party content has been lackluster based on your expectations.

But to act like in the 8 months since launch the following below constitutes Nintendo ‘starving’ us for content is just being dishonest:

• Mario Kart
• 3D Donkey Kong
• Enhanced Zelda’s
• Kirby DLC
• Drag x Drive
• Mario Party DLC
• New/enhanced Pokemon
• Hyrule Warriors
• Kirby Air Ride
• Prime 4
• Enhanced Animal Crossing
• Mario Tennis
• Splatoon content
• NSO Updates
• Tons of performance enhancements

And there is probably more I’m forgetting. Anyone that owned a Wii U knows we are living in an amazing time for content drops from Nintendo. I feel the honest discussion (which is primarily what I see on this thread and why I like to follow it) should remain about the quality, expectations, and roadmap around Nintendos content, not the quantity.

@Kizzi Sure, whatever makes it sound better — I'm starving for first-party content that meets my expectations. Now, if we are meant to focus on the quality, I'll have to point out that over half of what you have mentioned is pretty humdrum.

• Mario Kart World is a fun game, but it's lacking content updates. The game has potential for much more and it's being wasted.
• Donkey Kong Bananza — didn't really like the game's level design, but since I don't really care about Donkey Kong either way, I'll say this one is on me.
• Zelda Upgrades. I have played so much Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom already throughout Switch 1 that these "releases" mean nothing to me, especially as I'd have to pay for them. Besides, I would rather have new Zeldas with the original streamlined/intricate game design than ones that have me explore "creative freedom", as that makes everything too easy.
• Kirby and the Forgotten Land's DLC doesn't add much to the game, and what was added doesn't really make much of a difference for those who have already played it.
• Drag x Drive lacks personality, it feels like a tech demo. I have tried out the demo and I felt like I was damaging my joycons even while using the sliders.
• Jamboree TV? The new mouse-based minigames look cool, but otherwise, I don't see much of a reason to upgrade.
• Pokémon Legends Z-A, well, don't get me started on that one. I loved Legends Arceus and Z-A sure didn't live up to the experience I had with Arceus, for many reasons.
• Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity looks fun, but I'm tired of the BOTW timeline and don't really feel like diving into another game based on it. Suppose not digging this one is also on me.
• Kirby Air Riders? My absolute favorite Switch 2 game so far. Easy to learn, hard to master. High skill ceiling and fun gameplay all around.
• As for Metroid Prime 4, I'd usually say not liking this one is on me, as I have never been a fan of the Prime subseries. However, we know this game is a tough nut to crack. The troubled development history left its mark.
• The paid upgrade for New Horizons and free update is something I have considered playing and I even started a new save file (as I lost my original one) to experience it on launch. It only served to confirm my harsh thoughts about the game in comparison to New Leaf. It's missing a crushing amount of content from previous games and doesn't really capture the Animal Crossing feeling.
• I'm totally willing to try out Mario Tennis Fever sometime. But it's a very short game and not something I see spending much time playing online, so I don't think it'd be a great deal for me on $70. More than that, as Nintendo not only doesn't provide regional pricing but also incorrectly converts the prices.
• Splatoon 3, other than the free enhancements, there are no content updates anymore. It's just previous Splatfests and Salmon Run events rotating. Still, I haven't played it on the original Switch, so it is a game I have been playing and enjoying on Switch 2. It's not something I need a Switch 2 for, though.
• NSO Updates - I have a wide collection of retro consoles and games, as well as a setup I have dedicated a lot of blood and sweat into, meaning that pretty much anything released on NSO's virtual console is just a worse way to play in my case.
• "Tons of performance enhancements". For which games? I feel that the ones that need it the most still haven't received enhancements. Fire Emblem, Xenoblade, Astral Chain, Bayonetta 3 and many others which would extremely benefit from upgrades have yet to see them released.

As you have said yourself, if we are to consider all this as a good quantity, I'd rather have less quantity but better quality. Pretty much why I just go ahead and say there isn't enough to chew yet. Now, something I am indeed excited for and looking forward to is the Nintendo Switch Online: Playtest Program game.

@Kizzi It is mostly a quality debate, yes, but even quantity wise there's a major issue with a larger reliance on recycling older content than putting out new content, and most of the new content they actually ARE putting out is smaller/niche games. We're getting too few of those AAA first party experiences. Specifically, here's the issue with the games you're mentioning:

-The S2Es tend not to be very substantial, most of which are performance upgrades that are barely noticeable and even the ones that add new content, it's not a substantial amount (you could blow through it in less than 6 hours).
-Welcome Tour and Drag x Drive are shallow tech demos that feel like they should be more pack-in titles rather than paid games, they're something you'd get bored of in an hour.
-Prime 4, Hyrule Warriors, and Air Riders are niche IPs that don't sell a whole lot, so most people are probably not going to be personally interested in those IPs.

Really that only leaves Mario Kart World and Bananza. And both of those released within about the first month of the Switch, we didn't get any during the holiday season, and there's no further games of that caliber announced yet. We really need a big AAA first party that a lot of people enjoy and can play for hours on end. Something like 3D Mario, 3D Zelda, new generation Pokemon games, Smash 6, Splatoon 4, a new Animal Crossing, Luigi's Mansion 4 (and I know some of these have no chance of coming anytime soon, but these are the types of games people are waiting for when they think the lineup is too shallow, but 3D Mario and Luigi's Mansion 4 in particular feel like they have to be soon so it's fair to question why we don't have those announcements yet). There's been a lengthy drought in those types of experiences and the absence of those types of announcements on the horizon (with the likely exception of a Gen 10 Pokemon announcement on the 27th) is what's leaving people feeling starving. If you want to put it in terms of food metaphors, people are saying they're "starving" because Nintendo is trying to hold us off with a series of appetizers and they're not filling, everyone's waiting for the main course and wondering why we don't have it yet.

@Strawblaze @Bolt_Strike I really appreciate reading both your thoughts on the 1st party content thus far; I actually tend to agree with a lot of what you mentioned. To reiterate, my listing of the 1st party content was not meant to be an endorsement of it full stop. It was meant only to push back against the idea that Nintendo has been in any sort of content "drought" since the Switch 2 launched. Nintendo deserves just as much scrutiny as it does praise for some of its decisions: I just feel strongly that the general stance of "Nintendo is not providing enough content for its fans since the Switch 2 launched" is objectively false when compared to its history.

As you've both reiterated, the real meat of the discussion is in how people perceive the quality and value of the content Nintendo has put out (i.e. cost vs perceived value, AAA vs niche games, DLC vs new game, expectations vs reality, supporting a game long term vs moving those resources elsewhere, etc). Every Nintendo fans mileage of Nintendo's content is going to vary based on a whole plethora of gaming/life differences, and seeing people bring those differing perspectives to these forums is part of what makes them special, in my opinion.

To share my own thoughts on the content I listed:

Mario Kart World - I thoroughly enjoy the driving mechanics and high skill ceiling. I enjoyed collecting in Free Roam but feel there is a lot of missed potential with the World theme as a whole. A story mode integrated in the world would have been awesome. I was also really hoping battle mode would be reworked into a battle royal for karts that utilized the whole map. Had I paid the full $80 instead of the bundle, I would feel the value was lacking a bit

Donkey Kong Bananza - Loved every second of the game. 100% completed it. However, didn't feel compelled to revisit the DLC based on what was offered.

Enhanced Zelda’s - I replayed through both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom hitting just the main story content. Really enjoyed revisiting both games and the performance enhancement were definitely felt.

Kirby Forgotten Land DLC - played through the base game on Switch and really enjoyed it, but did not see enough to interest me in the DLC

Drag x Drive - the concept was certainly interesting, but the lack of any personality in the game kept me from trying it out

Mario Party Jamboree DLC - loved the base game, but felt the implementation of the DLC was bad. Have not been interested

Pokemon Legends Z-A - have never been a big Pokemon fan, so this was not for me

Hyrule Warriors Age of Imprisonment - Loved Age of Calamity. This is on my wish list, but haven't had the time to play it yet

Kirby Air Riders - Love the concept and the very existence of this game. However, the demo didn't sell me on the game, and for me the $70 seems tough to swallow for what value I would expect to get out of the game

Prime 4 - Huge Prime fan. Can definitely see some of the shortcomings of the game, but enjoyed all 20ish hours of my 100% play through. This is a good example of even though the game is $70 (like Air Riders), the value was there for me and it was worth the price.

Animal Crossing Updates - Never gotten into the series, so not for me

Mario Tennis Fever - Big fan of Aces gameplay, but didn't have long term staying power for me. This is another game that the $70 price tag is playing a large role in my decision to add to my wish list or not. Currently undecided.

Splatoon content - Huge Splatoon fan. 30 new weapons, new map, and gameplay changes have breathed even more new life into a game I regularly returned to

NSO Updates - Love the inclusion of GameCube games. However, revisiting some of these games has been on the backlog for when time is available

Tons of performance enhancements - this has certainly been carried by third party. To keep it to Nintendo, some immediate examples that come to mind or Mario Odyssey, 3D Land, and Arms. Mario Odyssey is one in particular that I am keen to replay at some point

For me then, I've engaged in less than half of what Nintendo itself has offered in the last 8ish months, and yet I have not felt like I have nothing to play. Of course, that is my subjective experience, shaped by my gaming preferences, available time, expectations, etc. There are just as many who feel otherwise for their own specific reasons; all valid and all incredibly interesting to read on these forums.

I share my thoughts purely to add to the perspective of all others contributing. I am just wary of the impact when those with subject thoughts and experiences treat them as though they are objective facts.