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@SLIGEACH_EIRE What are you on about? Have you used one? We own two and several friends have one as well. Each and every one of us adores the thing and none have experienced any problems outside of one person who's joycon desyncs when he puts it under the coffee table.

Every device has some issues at launch, I waited out at launch for both the GCN and Wii U only to come home with completely bum systems that wouldn't boot. Be careful not to blow typical accounts of launch struggles out of proportion. In fact, I'd refrain from sharing your perspective on the matter unless it's based on first hand experience.

We have two Switches being used extensively, as in "switched" in and out of two separate docks several times daily with not even the faintest hint of a scratch on either. Don't foresee that being a problem and I feel for all the people scared to use their Switch due to the fear of scratches. I definitely feel it has been wildly overblown.

Also none of our four Joycons appear to have any desyncing issue. I can't even replicate it with our setup, though we have minimal signal interference. Maybe we lucked out, but both of our systems are in perfect order--even the screens appear identical with no distinguishable variation in calibration.

@cleveland124 Now that another DF video has come out comparing the two versions can you read my above posts and still claim I'm flaming Wii U players? That's absurd and you know it. I was simply trying to illuminate some of the issues outside of this video so people could make an informed decision rather than happily settle on the Wii U version due to this misleading video.

The Switch version over the course of the game performs much better and is completely playable the Wii U version performs so bad at times that it is harder cope with. It's not condescending, it's fact and I hope not too many Wii U players find the problems too troubling because beyond $60, I would hate to spend tens of hours before encountering issues that make me want to wait for a better version.

Bought this and the DLC for two Wii Us and again day one for two Switches. No regrets at all. We love you Shin'en!

Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised at how many tweaks were made beyond visuals to this version, making it feel like more of a sequel than a port/remaster. As a result RMX is much more approachable. Neo was a little too punishing with one crash leaving you hopeless and tracks that were nearly impossible for most to avoid crashing on.

@Dakt Because they chose to use double buffer. That means whenever the engine is under load it will drop to a straight 20 rather than a few frames. The benefit is a consistent refresh with no frame pacing issues or stuttering and no tearing. They likely chose to use double for less input lag compared to triple buffering. Though this performance makes it debatable whether Nintendo should have gone this route for BotW.

I've been preaching this to jaded gamers since 1-2Switch was revealed. Even though it is easy for a typical gamer to dismiss, it's not without virtue nor purpose. Somewhat reminiscent of what Wii Sports did for gamers with one capable arm. Would be great to see more games utilize HD rumble to its fullest and hopefully that could help facilitate more accessiblilty on this sort of level.

@cleveland124 I don't know why you feel the need to generalize me, I'm just a gamer. But I would rather play an FPS like Half-Life 2 or even the original over 95% of modern FPS games.. So...

I mean, performance does matter. Beyond that, I'm not too worried about which looks better. But the Switch version performs much better when portable and somewhat better with increased fidelity when docked. The Wii U version performs worse at later areas than what is being shown here. I also said I don't like how the Wii U version requires the Gamepad at parts. I'm not arguing about minor differences, I'm elaborating on the differences between both versions that are not highlighted by Digital Foundry, for instance the Gamepad thing may seem minor to some but is a pretty big deal to me.

Guys, keep in mind this is not an end-all be-all. DF did not test areas later in the game that the Wii U really struggles with, if you buy the Wii U version from this video you should be warned of this. Early on, they perform relatively similar, but certain areas really tank the Wii U version and are fine on Switch docked+undocked. I'm not talking simple frame drops either, it fully locks up for seconds at times.

Look back at their video of Bayonetta on Wii U vs. 360. They determined the Wii U version was superior due to similar performance and the addition of v-sync, but it turned out that later areas in the game caused significant frame drops that were not present on 360. If you have a chance play BotW on Switch.

Something to keep in mind about how BotW drops frames is that it is usually fairly clean drop to a certain number which it operates at for a short time until refreshing back to 30, this is less obnoxious than when a game displays a more inconsistent framerate, regularly operating in a range from, say, 24-30 but rarely sticking at a consistent number. This is likely why BotW's frame drops are not being regarded as significantly hindering the gameplay and are fairly easy to look past for most gamers playing the game currently.

@JaxonH I agree, having both versions really emphasizes how unappealing the Wii U version is in comparison.

I have both and the Switch version is far superior to me, both on the TV and off. In particular, several areas after the Great Plateau are really choppy on Wii U while the Switch docked seems to smooth out after the GP. Also, the Wii U is prone to locking up for several seconds at times. Another thing to consider is that you need to use the Gamepadin parts of the Wii U version whereas you can use the pro controller the entire game on Switch. I would not recommend the Wii U version unless forced to settle. Besides the Switch is quite an impressive device, certainly surpasses my expectations.

Not bad, I'd love it if a 2nd player could control the fairy as it's the kind if thing kids would get a kick out of. Rather than simply watch, they could play along without worrying about jumping and dieing.

This is a great get for the Switch. It's something special. Cannot wait!

I do not pass up good Shmups. Looks good (if chaotic) so far! Please don't let me down.

I did not like Runner 2 near as much as the original and its classic, arcade-oriented spirit.

What I see here is more of 2, which is ok but it does remind me of being disappointed in the aesthetic in that it was nice and different than the original, but not necessarily as compelling and adding little to the actual game. Made me wish at the time they went for a more 3D perspective or something to freshen up the formula being that I preferred the levels of the first.

Runner 3 definitely looks to be much more dynamic and that's awesome to see. I hope they mix it up a bit in other ways as well.

I'm thrilled, yet always apprehensive at these projects. Of course I want new iterations of the forgotten 8-bit classics of my childhood... But too similar and I will ultimately prefer to go back to the original, dust and warts and all. Then again, if they veer off into too many new dimensions it would be better to play an original homage rather than a direct descendant...

I have faith in Inti Creates to make a fun game, but I desperately hope they have the opportunity and ambition to walk that narrow path and realize the untapped potential of Blaster Master while retaining the charm of a the original.

Money spent. Cannot resist. I expect bring the crushing challenge.

Finally something to do when I take my kids to the park. (Just kidding, play with or at least pay attention to your kids while you have the chance.)

Anyway, this could deliver on the promise of Retro City on a much higher level... I'm pretty sure this is the kind of 16-bit game a lot of us kids imagined finding in the back of some rental store on any given weekend. So hopefully the same amount of passion has been poured into Shakedown Hawaii, but maybe with a little more addictive progression structure and an emphasis on compelling individual levels (missions).

Right on. This will be ace in tabletop mode. Though this game really makes me pine for a new miniature handheld in the vein of a NGPC or, rather, a GBA Micro. You know, with modern features like WIFI and internal storage... Would never leave the house without one in my pocket!

Shows that making Switch a pack-in would have been pointlessly negative for both third-party sales and Nintendo's bottom line. Of course, in the future it will be easy to pack a game such as that in to increase sales or interest, no need to now when you are going to sell every system you can produce. And it really does a solid for third-parties because it's a lot easier to pass/wait on an extra game with BotW at launch when you have a pack-in.

Love it. I preordered right off the bat and have no problem with waiting a few weeks. Actually I'm inordinantly hyped for the instruction booklet, of all things. Partially for the nostalgia of living vicariously through them as a kid, but more so because BoI is an ideal candidate for a pocket reference. I mean, I keep screenshots of all the items with explanations on my phone to keep tabs during my runs, so ideally the booklet will at least include a full list. That would be a big service to offer any new players.

The last comment about Android apps on Switch is both ominous and ridiculous. That he said it suggest a desire within Square Enix to shove their mediocre mobile games/ports onto the Switch, which I don't see as a positive in any capacity.

More so, the idea that Switch should run Android apps is absurd and only allows for a torrential flood of poorly optimized software that makes poor use of the system's capabilities. Doing so could overwhelm the marketplace and encourage cheap, low effort ports instead of establishing a platform where developers can be rewarded for their effort and overall investment.

Yeah, it looks far better, but isn't near as comfortable.

Nintendo can sell us their IP in any state, form, or function. Makes no difference.

@gatorboi352 You start to look silly fixating on resolution with no other considerations. Having not played BotW in either portable or docked mode or on Wii U it makes any sort of comparison pointless. According to impressions (keep in mind we've only seen Treehouse play the newest, most optimized version... Most are playing the e3 build) the Switch version has better draw distance and lighting along with more foliage. That taxes the hardware as well.

The fact that the Switch is a handheld will generally prevent it from brute-forcing its way to top performance even running Wii U games due to major difference in architecture and form. There are things like memory bandwidth (likely a major factor for BotW as Wii U has an expensive RAM setup to minimize bandwidth issues) and thermal constraints that need to be considered, even in docked mode.

Anyway, the thought of playing BotW on a handheld is more alluring than anything I've played on my launch Xbone. Many of the games I own run at 900p anyway and as far as I can tell none as as interactive as BotW, so...

@gatorboi352 Splatoon running at 720p only means they are currently optimizing the game for the lowest denominator (portable mode). Whether or not docked mode supports a higher resolution at launch is up in the air. There is little doubt they can do it, it's just a matter of maintain a standard of the best possible framerate across both modes. If one mode provides a choppier performance, even slightly, it puts a damper on the competitive play across modes.

To clarify my earlier disdain for damage up, I want to point out it's an issue with consistency. Bomb blast radius, charger charge-time, blaster range, burst bomb damage, etc... These are all affected by damage up with a negative effect on competitive balance because you can't rely on the consistency of the game design when damage up is abused.

Same with Quick Respawn. The respawn loop is key to the competive balance of Splatoon, but quick respawn needlessly slants this loop when there are other options (quick super jump, comeback, movement buffs, etc.) that achieve similar results without breaking the loop.

In the end these are far and away the two most common perks in high level Splatoon play and the resulting lack of variety and creativity in loadouts is disappointing particularly at the cost of consistent game balance.

As a Luna hopper, I am quite nervous about the change in stick placement and jump being remapped to the 'b' button. I know I will adapt, but I've really grown to love the current setup that's become second nature.

The change in specials could be a godsend too, as I've always had a problem with two specials acting as an effective "nope" button, it's poor form. Also bomb rush is superfluous with the way it contributes to major frame drops with several going off (splat zones is occasionally unplayable due to this).

Finally, this is probably an unpopular opinion, but I wouldn't mind them removing damage up entirely. It's become far too prolific and largely, largely as a way to compensate for a lack of aim or to buff burst-canceling to the point of absurdity. As a blaster user I can how helpful it can be, but it feels unfair and I would rather boost my movement speed anyway.

Anyway, I will take whatever they give me as long as they don't mess with my dear Luna Blaster.

Thinking on this news for a bit, it might be a pretty big deal. I mean, I never bother to hack or run homebrew on any of my consoles, but this has me looking at my NES mini out of the corner of my eye. Is it a little ridiculous? Yeah, because I really just want a tiny little NES to take everywhere that plays all the games I want.

Obviously I can run emulators on many devices, but I don't even bother with that because it sort of ruins the appeal... There is something special about buying an OG NES, hooking it up to your TV, and hunting for all the cartridges for your perfect collection, but you aren't going to take all that out of the house...

Now I'm wondering if a hacked mini is the best solution to that dream.

@jaymacx Good choices in Strider, Ikari Warriors and Faxanadu. These along with a few others like Metal Storm and Crystalis would really add a lot of value. Makes it hurt to think, "what if?"

@SuperToe Pretty solid list (Tiny Toons is one I don't see get enough love). I could harp on a few, like @PlywoodStick mentioned...

But most of all I find the lack of Shmups quite disconcerting. To that end I respectfully add Zanac, Life Force, Guardian Legend, and Legendary Wings. Zanac is probably the one game lacking on the mini that eats at me the most (right alongside Contra and TMNT ll). I need something that scratches the highscore-chasing itch. I need some Compile.

EDIT: I might add S.C.A.T. as well... If for no other reason than having another co-op shmup. Though it is a great game on its own.

Who doesn't pump their fists after s***ing some bricks?

@Rhydas THEY KNOW EVERYTHING

Argh, this is going to be frustrating. Beyond the potential space constraints on Switch... I don't love discs nor wearing out disc drives, so I'm usually OK with forgoing a disc version for a download version. But I'm the opposite with cartridges... Smaller, no spinning, no scratches. I think they are the ideal format and a better investment.

I worry that many Switch games will be download-only and it will hurt both gamers and publishers.

@Simbabbad Excite Truck was such a better racing game than Bots, though. Bots added some neat ideas, but those clashed with what made Truck so great. The sense of speed, impressive crash physics (that encouraged hard-nosed racing), incredible AI, and well-balanced dichotomy between the best racing line and collecting the most stars. In effect, Bots diluted the best aspect of Truck, the pure racing that was as solid and dynamic as any other arcade racer I can recall.

I like Bots for all the bat-s**t ways they shook up the racing formula, but it was ultimately to the detriment to the ultimate feel of racing, which was second to none in Truck. Honestly if they had just taken Excite Truck and added a slew of standout tracks, fleshed out modes (for instance, a better "crash" mode and/or a royal rumble mode like in Monster Truck Madness), transforming vehicles (because that was too awesome in Bots), and true multiplayer with online + leaderboards I don't know if it could be topped.

@TerrapinJess Right on! Those were the days... We didn't know how good we had it with all the arcade racers back then. Nowadays we're relegated to Mario Kart and generic open world racers that tend to lack the balls-to-the-wall feeling that typifies arcade-style racing games. Thinking about it now, Excite Truck was probably the last one to really nail the feel, then again I consider it among the best ever...

I know I'm not the first to say so, but it is a real shame that Nintendo is solely focused on Mario Kart (which I love, of course) to the exclusion of any other racing franchises. What I wouldn't give for a revival of F-Zero, Waverace, Excite Truck, Cruisin', 1080, or even Diddy Kong Racing (maybe with a more off road vehicle focus other than karts... Really, DKR would make for a great Nintendo-style answer to the wave of open world racers currently dominating the shelf).

Here's hoping the Switch compels them to better fill out these other genres in an attempt to grow and feed a wider audience.

Very fond memories of eating nachos and playing lots of Excitebike 64 with my gaming buddies as a teen. It's a little rough, but the mechanics still hold up and there are some pretty neat outdoor tracks with cool shortcuts. It was certainly one of better racers on N64...

Although it does really make me pine for the San Fransico Rush and Beetle Adventure racing games. We spent way too much time cruising around looking to cheese the biggest air opportunities. And, of course, there was the stunt mode that would consume our nights...

Actually thinking about it reminds me of the royal rumble or king of the hill mode from Monster Truck Madness. It was secretly one of the best party games on the system. Now that is a mode that needs to be resurrected. In fact a new Excite Truck would be the perfect outlet. Hear that, Nintendo?

@PlywoodStick What? I was simply pointing out that the FW sales of Sun/Moon are higher than X/Y if you count each individual game sold. That means doubling the dual pack, as you said, giving a FW sales total of 1,893,387 compared to 1,866,570 FW sales of X/Y. The article states that X/Y sold more while counting each dual pack sale as a single game sold, which I was pointing out isn't a proper comparison since X/Y didn't have a dual pack option at launch.

The issue isn't combining the two SKUs as one, that's what all the launch numbers represent. The issue is with the dual pack counting as one sale even though it is effectively two games sold. The FW sales of the other Pokemon games are counting each individual game sold without any such bundle, so it's fair to count the dual pack as two individual games for Sun/Moon if we are making a comparison.

@cfgk24 While digital could add significantly to sales (usually in the realm of 10-20%), it's unlikely to be enough to put Sun/Moon at the top. B/W is the highest launch of any game ever in Japan at over 2,500,000 copies sold first week. That number may never be topped...

@Capital70Q That figure counts the dual pack as 2 games, which makes for an equivalent comparison to past releases.

According to those Media Create numbers, Sun/Moon have opened higher than X/Y when you combine both listings at 1,893,387. Second only to B/W, I believe.

Delayed gratification is lost on modern society. The internet made sure of that.

Considering price, I feel Nintendo should mitigate a higher price with some attractive pack-ins. If the Switch is launching with enhanced ports of SSB, MK, and Splatoon, then at least one if them better come with the console, maybe even two. Not only will this make the price far more attractive, I feel it is a fair gesture for diehard Wii U owners who would be inclined to buy these games a second time.

One of the best games in years. I can see myself playing it ten years from now, no joke. However I don't think they've been flawless in updating/balancing the game. For instance the new weapon sets actually iterated on some of the most common and/or lag-inducing weapons rather than offer alternatives for the less common ones. I'll never understand why Splattershot users were given Splat Bombs, Aerospray were given Kraken, etc...

I liked how the game differentiated the loadouts before as, for example, you knew someone with a shooter and Splat Bombs either were using a Splattershot Jr., NZap, or Dual Squelcher and were able to respond accordingly. Giving Splattershot users Splat Bombs, when they already had access to Suction Bombs (unlike those other shooters) unnecessarily muddied the game and only really catered to proir Splattershot users.

This has been known since the GCN days. One of my high school friends pulled it off when we were playing through it with our Melee group after school. Don't recall if he just tried it or had heard about it prior, but we didn't think it was a big deal. Sorta neat, I guess.

Though, I could have sworn people were talking about it on message boards in those days...

For a single player experience I feel Runbow needs a few additional mechanics, methods of traversal and what not. In a multiplayer setting I find the controls and mechanics to be only serviceable. A bit bare bones and lacking in a certain sense of momentum, which are of course factors that serve a multiplayer audience.

That said, considering my wife and kids love it and since we have no shortage of players, I enjoy Runbow on Wii U quite a bit. Obviously I want it to be great on the N3DS as well, so I hope there are some additional features in the pocket version to push the single player forward.

Anyone who appreciates the sublime comfort and accuracy of the Wiimote + Nunchuk simply must choose the Wii U version. Like I said before, it's sort of akin to a 2D Star Successor feel. Touchscreen works, but it's not the same.

Speaking of Treasure influence... I think this game works better when you think of it more as a 2D Star Successor. Comparisons to Gunstar Heroes, Astro Boy, etc. does it no favors since the controls are so different and the gameplay feel doesn't quite invoke that sort of 2D action. NL:D looks like those games, sure, but the the actual gameplay has as much in common with Sin & Punishment, in a good way.

Bring backs fond memories of the GCN launch when so many were fauning over Star Wars: "Rouge" Leader...

Anyway, I like the game a lot, but it's in desperate need of control options. Both the aforementioned button-mapping and the ability to use whichever controller as player 1/solo.

Without a patch it's unlikely I can convince my group of friends to keep coming back, which is unfortunate since we all like the game in principle. The lack of control options really hinders the couch co-op appeal as I don't want to have to wield the Gamepad around a stuffed couch, with no elbow room and drinks everywhere, unless I have to. And even worse are the buzzed friends who can't wrap their minds around "up" switching weapons on them.