Topic: Nintendo Switch 2

We still have a few more creators voices coming before launch though, no? They just released the FFVii remake one comfirming the whole series is coming to Switch 2. Or are those all out already?

@FragRed In June I feel like DK might just get an extended trailer or in-depth gameplay video (as opposed to anchoring a whole direct).

What is of interest in the next direct is whether it's exclusively focused on Switch 2 upcoming games or whether it also includes a bit of Switch 1 news. There must still be quite a bit of Switch 1 news to come - even if it's not the stuff that's likely to set the pulse racing anymore - but it's much cleaner marketing-wise for the direct to be Switch 2 exclusively. Does Switch 1 never get another full direct (with as yet unannounced games just announced on Twitter/other channels)? Does Metroid Prime 4 get primarily presented as a Switch 2 title and promoted through Switch 2 directs?

I don't think we're getting another Direct until September.

I can see a DK Bonanza extended look or something like @StuTwo said, but I think this is just gonna be the summer of MK World, word of mouth, selling through the initial stock, and stuff like that. It would sort of be overkill to step on their own toes, really - just let the new machine breathe for a couple months and show people how awesome it is.

Then everyone takes a breath in August and readies themselves for the onslaught that will (hopefully) be an insane September Direct taking us into the Fall and holidays.

@rallydefault There are a lot of games without release dates though, including ones which might come out in August or September. We can guess Pokemon will be November and we know Hyrule Warriors is somewhere October - December, but we know nothing about release date for Prime 4 or Kirby Air Riders or several of the biggest third party games. And Kirby Air Riders needs to show real gameplay.

For Switch 1 they had the long presentation with basically the whole years worth of games, then had the launch, then had a direct a month after the launch which revisited a bunch of the already announced games and filled in details. I don't really see why they wouldn't do that again. Granted, they have been super random with directs lately, so who knows.

TBH I kinda wish it was included because as it is it's going to end up being a side-feature rarely used. Also I remember reading somewhere that it's just a standard USB web-cam which makes it slightly more appealing to me. I'm not sure I'd bother with the official one personally..... but I could probably justify upgrading the cheap ~10 year old webcam I have on my desktop and occasionally use for work and moving the old one to the Switch 2

@FishyS
How many more Directs do we need for that Pokémon game? Even Prime 4? Tweets are fine at this point for those games.

I don’t see Air Riders releasing sooner than the fall. The Warriors game might end up being August, in my opinion, but again - we really need an actual Direct to reveal that date or show us more about it? We’ve had a million of those games.

@skywake
Yea don’t get me wrong, I’m gonna weep a bit when I waste money buying it, but my daughter will get a hoot out of it.

@rallydefault Nintendo just told us Oct - Dec for Warriors so I doubt it will come early and that one can definitely wait for a September direct. If Nintendo is going to space out their games like usual, either Prime or Kirby pretty much has to land in August or September. We know Drag x Drive is summer so I would personally guess August for Drag x Drive, September and October in some order for Kirby and Prime.

Perhaps:

July - DK
Aug - Drag x Drive
Sep - Prime
Oct - Kirby
Nov - Pokemon
Dec - Warriors

I feel like Air Riders is the game which needs the most attention.

@FishyS Technically they never said oct-dec for warriors, they just said winter. Since 2025 wasn't actually mentioned, it could be an early 2026 game, cause that would still be winter.

Hmm... it says Winter 2025 in the official Nintendo infographic in the financial brief but I suppose that is open to interpretation unless it literally means December. Early 2026 would make more sense tbh. NL and a few other websites saw the 2025 and interpreted that as 4th quarter 2025.

@Banjo- Yeah, the discounts they had were nice for sure. Just kinda wish they let us download the 3DS versions of VC games at no cost after getting them on Wii U, but eh, it is what it is I suppose. Going back to the Switch 2, they're doing a similar thing in that you'd get upgrade packs for some Switch games if you already have them - you'd just shell out $10 or $20, depending on what's being offered. (I'm really only interested in the upgrade pack for Kirby and the Forgotten Land, personally.) I remember the Player's Choice prints of games like it was yesterday, lol. Some of the games I had back then were the Player's Choice prints, actually.

@FishyS Oh I didn't see that infographic I guess. The direct trailer just said winter I think which was what I was going off of. So yeah, you're probably right.

@FragRed mid to late June, July at the first week of July at the latest.

One thing that a direct could drop at any point would be S2 exclusive DLC for Mario Wonder. As others have pointed out - it’s conspicuous by its absence in not having a S2 edition. An upgrade path with lots of levels would be - whilst secondary to a full sequel - still well received.

@StuTwo I feel like going forward Nintendo may just go all in on pushing the Switch 2 in Directs and anything that’s coming to Switch can be done via social media. This isn’t the same situation as in 2017 when there was a need to keep 3DS relevant in case the Switch bombed.

So just go all the way on focusing on new shiny hardware and get as many third party games onto it as possible to showcase in Directs or wherever is how I would handle things. Start giving as many reasons for people to upgrade as early as possible.

@Buizel Yeah I can see that. The day one games are all set in stone. My thoughts were Nintendo may need to keep pushing out new game announcements from third parties so it doesn’t seem the games we heard about in April aren’t the only games on the horizon and that there is more.

@Qwertyninty July feels like it could be a little late, given Nintendo also likes to have a Direct in September which would be only a couple of months later. So definitely mid June seems more likely to be latest in my mind.

@StuTwo I think that maybe something held off for next year. Donkey Kong seems to be filling that Mario game this year. Also I do wonder if a Switch 2 edition of a 2D Mario with a bunch of new levels screams a little too much of Super Mario Bros U which was a launch window game for Wii U.

@FragRed Good point with regards NSMB. They know that 2d Mario games sell but they're not system sellers and their experience with Wii U must have given them some insight into the idea that a 2d Mario game - no matter how good and technically pretty it looks - can actually lead to a console being perceived as weaker than it is (the whole "oh that could have been done on PS1" discourse).

SMBW DLC in year 2 maybe does make more sense.

I'm relatively confident that it will come at some stage though. Otherwise they're really pulling a non-sensical move by not having either a Switch 2 edition at launch or at the very least a "runs better on S2 patch" like NSMBU, Echos of Wisdom, Link's Awakening etc.

@StuTwo The idea of 2D games making consoles look weak goes all the way back to the PS1 era. There was a deliberate effort to not release such games in the West because people would see it as something of the Mega Drive/SNES generation and this new console was capable of 3D polygon games.

We'll inevitably get another Direct this year. I'm guessing September. But I think Nintendo wants all eyes on launch and launch window games for now.

I will be very surprised if we don't get a June Direct in the last half of the month. It's usually the biggest one of the year. Can't see them changing that now. What better way to dial up the hype for your new console than a huge Direct. I think the only year there hasn't been one since they started was 2020, pandemic year. Nintendo hasn't revealed too much and we don't even know what the big holiday game will be.

I expect in June they'll reveal a major title for release in November/ December, perhaps Splatoon 4 for early next year, a couple of new Switch 2 Editions, a couple of Switch 1 reveals, dates for the likes of MP4. As well as some big 3rd party and indies. Silksong perhaps.

In my view, a June Direct is all but guaranteed and coming right after the release of their powerhouse new console, it will be an absolute belter.

2022 had a partner mini instead of a real one which is the year after E3 stopped. So there have only actually been 2 June directs in the post-E3 era though they were both pretty big ones.

@FishyS
Yea, I think Air Riders will be Fall and will get a nice spot in the September Direct.

I just don't think anything up until that point necessitates an entire Direct.

I really do think Nintendo just wants people focused on the Switch 2 launch lineup for the summer. I would bet they have tournaments/events planned in MK World, Bonanza is right around the corner and will likely get some supplemental videos, but they want everything to just get a chance to latch in before they bring another deluge of games and news.

I think the third parties, for instance, would appreciate having a month or two around launch when their games can shine without instantly being overshadowed by another Nintendo Direct redirecting eyes to newer games. On that note, I really hope Cyberpunk does well. I appreciate what they're doing with the cartridge release, and this will be the first time I'm playing the game.