Banjo-

Congratulations! I love their videos, especially those by Richard Leadbetter and John Linneman. Tom Morgan is the only one I don't think is worth watching. I've been watching them since the Wii U days! I partly like newbie Oliver Mackenzie, but he pronouncing every sentence as a question drives me nuts.

Switch and Switch 2 need physical more than the other consoles. On Switch it was fine except those games that only had half of the game on the cartridge. On Switch 2, the game keys are unacceptable and it's Nintendo's fault because of their exorbitant prices.

There were some nice surprises in this Direct like Octopath Traveller 0, but most were last-gen ports that play better on Xbox/PS, anyway. It seems that Nintendo doesn't really care about third parties and that's they're fine with Switch 2 being a Mario Kart machine, as the sales data reveals.

@Questionable_Duck Exactly. The jobs descriptions (available on Windows Central) specifically focus on PS Studios games porting to Xbox & PC. The strategy is clearly defined. They are going to do the same with PC and Xbox, port the PS games after not achieving the success they expected with their service and mobile projects (except 1), in order to optimise profits with their traditional and renowned portfolio. Regarding Nintendo, as long as it's technically feasible and profitable, you can expect ports as well.

The legs of Mario Kart 8 rival those of the Four Giants of The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask.

@HaNks That was an even bigger mistake, considering not just the heat but the poor battery life of Switch 2. That and the screen, of course.

@blecch You need to soft mod the console using a definitive guide on Gbatemp. I even dumped my own discs using a Wii, as Wii U doesn't read Gamcube discs.The interesting thing about this is that Wii U has Wii and Gamecube circuitry inside, so it's native compatibility, unlike Switch 2. Nintendo never officially unlocked this capability, but it's there in every Wii U. Wii U is a 3-in-1 console, with the added bonus of HDMI that Wii and Gamecube don't have.

I hope that the Metroid Prime 2 and 3 remasters exist and they're not skipping them because of paid yet mediocre emulation on this service.

Too bad about the input lag and the poor analogue calibration of Nintendo Switch Online.

@mattitudemf Native compatibility with Wii and GC plus HDMI makes the Wii U a gem, same for 3DS and its compatibility with DS and GBA. ✌🏻

@Zyph We know that Nintendo hired him and he's doing his job. A different thing is liking him and censor comparisons, disapproval or disappointment. Same for Patricia Summersett, although she is criticised without a reference and that's revealing. People are free to like their work or not and that's not disrespecting. It's not personal and it's not about private life.

Yet Charles Martinet is infinitely better.

I like how we didn't go with the typical newest game is the best of all time that we've seen on NL so many times.

My favourites are Double Dash because of its more realistic physics, with the vehicles not glued to the ground unlike in Mario Kart 8. Secondly, I'd choose Super Mario Kart, because it's very tight and challenging.

@Metazoxan Not exactly. Microsoft has been busy making a gaming version and gaming UI of Windows for gaming devices and this handheld is the first to include it, while delaying their own handheld (console games) in order to get the gaming environment on Windows right.

To counter that, Team Xbox is working with the wider Microsoft team and ASUS to build a custom interface for the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally, meaning you'll boot into a more console-like UI when using this device. The standard Windows desktop will still be available if you want it, but when it's not being used, unnecessary Windows processes will be stopped in order to prioritise your gaming experience. That sounds like a potentially massive step up!

After getting a brief hands-on demo with the Xbox Ally X, I think we might be the closest we’ve been to having the ideal gaming handheld when it launches during the holiday season this year.

https://www.purexbox.com/features/five-reasons-why-im-incredibly-excited-for-the-rog-xbox-ally-handheld

@Jayenkai You are completely right. They must fix Windows for gaming. They even delayed their own handheld because of that.

@Jayenkai The good news is that Microsoft is focused on improving Windows for gaming on all devices.

@progx The PC market includes handheld PCs, it's the same market, OS and stores. Xbox is not making an exclusives platform like Nintendo. The hardware units of each PC device is completely irrelevant. Besides mobile phones, the PC market is the biggest by a large margin.

I don't understand these childish articles. Each brand has a different goal, Xbox will be more powerful and play all third-party and Microsoft's PC games well, the other is Nintendo's and will be known and loved for its first-party games.

This feels as niche as it gets.

I wouldn't say the PC market (that includes computers and handheld computers) is "niche". Besides that, the value is in the software and services like Game Pass, it's not as basic as paying more for better hardware. Hardware is just part of the equation. Nintendo makes exclusives consoles and it's a different approach entirely.

@DwaynesGames Obviously, when I say GTA related to this, I mean content and cohesive world, not violence!

@jkirchgessner07 Sounds like GTA in Mario's world. I like it. Too bad this world is empty.

@kmtrain83 I have the version 2 (same battery life as OLED) with OLED TV, so count me in. 😁

@Ramouz Yes, two hours will be for demanding games. For your brother's, if he doesn't know:

https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Support/Nintendo-Switch/Usage/How-to-Change-the-Nintendo-Switch-OLED-Model-Screen-Vividness-2055505.html#:~:text=Nintendo%20Switch%20%E2%80%93%20OLED%20Model%20consoles%20feature%20an,open%20System%20Settings.%20Scroll%20down%20and%20select%20System.

@Ramouz Yeah, I think that's going to be an awesome combo, next-gen Xbox and Switch 2, but I have to admit that I'm possibly going to wait for the next Switch revision for better battery life (2h is sh**) and OLED would be much better if available.

@Ramouz Apparently, the design was finalised in 2021 (there are reports you can find), and the reason why Switch 2 was delayed was, well, money. Switch has been selling very well until very recently and some of Nintendo's games and ports have made a fortune. The port of Mario Kart 8 became an ever-green seller.

My plan is also Series X and successor for third-party and Microsoft's games and Nintendo for exclusives only.

@Ramouz Right. When friends come, I still use the Wii or Wii U since they find it more fun and the Wii Remote much better than the joy-con. For one player and resolution aside, Wii games like Metroid Prime Trilogy still are the definitive version.

@Moistnado You aren't wrong. The chip is four years old (2021).

@Satans_Therapist I, too, started playing on Xbox because of backwards compatibility and then realised how great it is. I will also buy their next hardware and I'm looking forward to the reveal.

@Ramouz I love Nintendo, I mean, the games, not the company. Series X is the best console I've ever had and I also think that people would love it if they had it: enhanced and free backwards compatibility, Quick Resume, FPS Boost, Play Anywhere, Smart Delivery, the controller itself...

The fur doesn't look right. It looks more like feathers. At first, I didn't think the new design was that bad, but the more I see it, the less I like it.

@MeloMan There is something about those graphics and pixel art that is hard to improve. I tried the GBA version of Risky Revolution and it looks and sounds great.

Today's Nintendo is too money-grabbing, not just threatening users, but suing Youtubers that make fan content and other developers when Nintendo considers that they own every video game idea in the industry, even those that they "stole" from others. Makes you want to do the exact opposite of what they want you to do.

@Divide_and_Wander Indeed. Microsoft reported that they are working on a Windows interface for gaming devices. This leaked handheld is supposed to be the Asus-Xbox model that launches this year, while Microsoft is designing their own handheld Xbox that will launch in 2027, according to the rumours.

Every third-party game announced for Switch 2 has a last-gen version and the results are on a par with PS4, bar some more advanced lighting. GTA VI is an ambitious current-gen game, so it's skipping Switch 2. If you want it, you'd better get a Series S, at least.

@OldGamer999 Did you see the chart on Pure Xbox? It's more rigorous. So, the weird thing is that some consoles have a huge difference between regions and others don't, so pricing seems chaotic to a certain extent.

https://www.purexbox.com/news/2025/05/heres-how-the-new-xbox-prices-compare-to-ps5-and-nintendo-switch-2

Examples:

PlayStation 5 Pro £699.99 $699.99 €799.99

@Olliemar28 € is not Europe's currency but EU's currency. UK is part of Europe, like EU. Europe is not just EU either.

I have the Mario Kart 8 soundtrack CD. It was the first entry to have different songs for each circuit. Although Super Mario Kart and Double Dash are the best Mario Kart games in my opinion, there are other entries with awesome soundtracks, most of them, really. Super (SNES) has great tunes, but I have a soft spot for DS and Super Circuit (GBA). 7 (3DS) has some cool songs and better versions than newer editions, like Rainbow Road (SNES). Actually, Rainbow Road (SNES) on 7 is one of the best circuits and songs in the whole series.

@PerfectFrost But why don't they just let you log in and only one of the systems can play offline? There are easier ways to deal with this than this convoluted and restrictive system.

@Dfua82 I agree. This is the worst aspects of both worlds combined and much less convenient than on the other platforms.

The implication is that while the Switch 2 will be backwards compatible with digital Switch games, you'll need to 'move' your Virtual Game Card from the original Switch to the Switch 2. This would render your game unplayable on the original Switch if you've moved it to the Switch 2, at least unless you move it back.

Many people here were assuming that we would be able to play our games on both consoles easily, so I wonder what those people have to say now. I thought that the Nintendo accounts were a step forward compared to older Nintendo consoles, but apparently not so much.

Congratulations Nintendo on making every anti-consumer move look so cute.

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed on Series X at 60fps is very nice. I'm more excited about Sonic Racing: Cross Worlds than Mario Kart World, but I hope that Sega fixed those things that players complained about during the beta.

Wave Race, of course! Two of the best Nintendo 64 and Gamecube games by Nintendo and would be the best IP to show the power of their latest hardware, by the way!

Then he didn't beat the game like the headline says, but just beat the final boss.

I have the 3DS (fan-translated) and the Switch editions of the first one. The sequel was the first to launch on Xbox outside Japan, so I bought that one too for Xbox. In that sense, I was happy about a 4K sequel on Xbox along Tetris Effect Connected, not so much about the "S" version of the same game with pseudo-mouse controls on Nintendo Switch 2.

Moreover, I know that Nintendo might have overpriced the new cards for third parties so I'm not blaming third parties entirely, but a physical edition of a downloadable puzzle game is... weird, to say the least.

@Truegamer79 @Gamecuber I agree, Virtual Console is better in the long term. Nintendo Online/Classics is convenient and a good idea, but it's not possible to purchase any of the games, nor playing them without an online check. So, it's not bad, but should offer the purchase option like Game Pass. It would be a great combo, trying old games and buying what you want to keep! I still use my 3DS and Wii U because of the Virtual Console. Wii pioneered the idea with weekly releases and rare consoles added to the shop. If only Wii had HDMI. It's an amazing console.

@slampog I think he was joking. Otherwise, I don't get that comparison. Game Pass just got Avowed, South of Midnight and Oblivion Remastered, and it's about to get Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Doom The Dark Ages.

I hope that the "surprise" is not disabling hacked 3DS consoles. 😂

@OldGamer999 The price difference with their last console is very significant, indeed, especially considering that it's a reiterative model with power equivalent to base PS4 when docked, according to Digital Foundry. However, what I find immoral is the price of the accessories and games, including this new pro controller.

@StyrofoamCup Yes, stick drift is not exclusive to Nintendo controllers, but almost everyone agrees that the older Nintendo controllers didn't have as many issues as the Switch ones. They are comparing Nintendo with Nintendo. You would expect modern controllers to be better, not worse. I love my old Nintendo controllers.

@OorWullie Yeah, who needs the stick to be accurate and durable when there is ultra high definition rumble, huh? 😜

Of course it feels good when it's new, the problem is how it will feel one year later. Precedents aren't good. I can't wait for all the Switch 2 and its controllers teardowns. One of the reasons I haven't pre-ordered.

Are they introducing characters like Goomba and Cow because of popular goats and cows simulators and online memes, instead of my dear Koopalings? I could understand Link, because he belongs to another universe, but the Koopalings?