Cakefish

@Tyranexx Split Fiction can be played in online co-op. That’s how I played it (twice actually!)

Nintendo community apparently unaware just how good Split Fiction is. It’s a 10/10 game in my opinion. Thoroughly recommend.

What is Metroid Prime 4's release date? Come on just tell me already! What is the file size? When can I preorder from eShop?

Does the VRR support have low framerate compensation (LFC) in both handheld and docked modes? I have LG CX so it's supported on my TV. Question is whether Switch 2 itself supports it. XSX supports LFC while PS5 does not, so it's not a guarantee - but would be the cherry on top of the tasty VRR desert.

Can we set the display to 60Hz and SDR to save battery life? Is it even worth doing so?

Themes! Will we get any themes other than basic white/black? What extra software features will we get this time around? (aside from GameChat that they already announced). Will it actually track game hours played on our profiles in a sane manner?

I'm also curious how much better Switch 1 games will run on Switch 2 via backwards compatibility, i.e. those that don't get any free patches nor Switch 2 Editions. I have to assume better loading times are pretty much guaranteed, but better performance too would be so very welcome - ironing out all the stutters and fps drops that plague so many Switch games.

And I also await the nerdy detailed tech specs that Digital Foundry will no doubt cover when that info becomes available.

Is there any benefit to ordering direct from Nintendo? I have received one of the coveted invites, but I already managed to nab an order with Very (after a friend recommended the Hotstock app). Is there any benefit to changing to Nintendo direct? I’m not really sure which retailer is more reliable for successfully fulfilling preorder deliveries.

I swear if they make access to Metroid Prime 2/3 locked behind subscription only I will huff and puff and… BE VERY ANGRY ONLINE!!!

£509. So this costs more than Switch 2 Mario Kart bundle + 2nd gen Pro controller combined. Wowzers.

It’s annoying that in UK the only way to buy 512GB/1TB options is importing from the US. I can’t find any native retailers selling anything larger than 256GB cards and considering that I’ve already got that amount of Switch games it seems a bit too tight for Switch 2. So I’ve been forced to order from US Amazon. I initially ordered the 1TB option (£171.52) but realised it wouldn’t have been delivered until 4 weeks after launch, so changed over to 512GB (£94.01) which should arrive just before Switch 2 launch day. Hopefully that’ll keep me going for a while.

I’ve got an invite (nice to know I’m worthy!), but I already managed to get a preorder in with Very so I guess I can’t really take advantage. I’ll order a 256GB SD Express card from the store though. I’ll probably replace it with a higher capacity one eventually, but want something to store my legacy Switch collection on at launch and the higher capacity 512GB/1TB options from Lexar are US only for now (boo!).

Edit: nevermind, I ordered a 512GB SD express card from Amazon instead. It’s a US import, but hopefully should arrive in one piece!

What. How is it possible to camp for two months? That’s pure insanity.

My friend managed to get me a preorder. Super cool of them as all other UK retailers have already sold out of launch stock, but Amazon invites are still being sent out. Mine will arrive on the 7th. A relief I can read this article without feeling FOMO!

The lack of availability of micro SD express cards is a bit annoying, but hopefully this announcement will kick the manufacturer’s arses into gear to ramp up production by June.

Game prices honestly don’t really bother me much. On eShop Donkey Kong is £59 and Mario Kart is £67. Both cheaper than the typical XSX/PS5 £70 standard for AAA games. So how can I really be mad at that? The catch of course is that first party Nintendo games hardly ever go on sale and the discount is usually much lower when they do. So yeah, I do get the wider backlash to an extent for that reason. I’ll just be very selective when choosing which Nintendo games to buy. Metroid Prime 4 is a guaranteed must have, the rest currently announced not so much.

I’m also still a little bummed by no OLED but 120Hz VRR is really helping to soften that blow. I’m really excited to see Nintendo go so hard on these specifications, not even Steam Deck has VRR so this is a huge win for gaming handhelds!

Overall I’m just super pumped to be involved with a console launch. I wasn’t there for Switch launch nor XSX launch. This is my first time getting a games console at launch in my entire life and I’m feeling the hype.

Super rude of them to sneakily break preorder embargo like this. Nintendo announces the 8th and then all the alternative retailers decide to disregard that and ninja launch their preorders - and not even bother to send email notifications. WTF?! By the time I realised they’d all sold out. Now Amazon and Nintendo’s own lotteries are my only hope.

The highlight of all the announcements for me. Even the mighty Steam Deck OLED does not have VRR. This is significant.

VRR support is wonderful, definitely helps to soften the blow from a lack of OLED.

£396 is almost exactly what I expected (I was predicting £399). I’m okay with that.

Existing MicroSD cards not being supported is a bit of a bummer. Express cards only seem to be available in 128GB and 256GB formats. Seems a little tight when Switch 2 will likely be similar to modern Xbox/PlayStation games.

I’m disappointed by the lack of Metroid Prime 4 release date. The wait continues… (though a Switch 2 edition is cool!)

The art direction is lovely so the game still looks absolutely beautiful just like Prime Remastered. It’s worth the compromises for the delicious silky smooth 60fps.

£399 for my final pricing prediction.

Already pre-emptively bummed out by the lack of OLED but hopefully they soften the blow by supporting VRR, which would be revolutionary for handhelds (not even Steam Deck supports VRR).

I am really eager to finally get a release date for Metroid Prime 4 too. They can announce all the Mario games they want, it’s Metroid Prime that I really care about right now!

Mii gusta!

That’s it, that’s the joke. Now I’m just padding to meet minimum word count.

Well that’s just immensely disappointing. Sony and Microsoft botched their console launches too. Nvidia messed up RTX 50 series GPUs and AMD followed suit with RX 90 series. Seems like the only company that’s actually competent at supplying enough stock is Apple. Every other tech company always falls flat on their face.

@Fulkaffe Nintendo explicitly stated there was no Switch 2 content in that Direct. So unless they are caught bare face lying then that is indeed Switch footage. Looks a lot like Prime Remastered to me so I can believe it is Switch gameplay. Retro are a talented bunch of people.

Metroid Prime 4 release date?! Oooooh that would be spicy

Do I buy NSO vouchers for the £4.20 in Gold points or nah? I want to preorder Metroid Prime 4, but then the question is what do I use the other voucher on if it can’t be redeemed for Switch 2 exclusives… nothing is screaming at me as a must buy except for Prime 4.

…I think I’ve answered my own question.

@mattesdude me too, I’ve used Gold points for getting discounts on indies that I may have otherwise overlooked.

I’m glad Prime 4 isn’t Switch 2 exclusive!

Disappointing.

Surprising too as both Xbox and PlayStation still have equivalent reward systems for purchasing digital products from their stores.

Gold points have incentivised me to buy games that I otherwise wouldn’t have on an few occasions.

I predict £400 launch RRP. I confess that I would even be willing to pay £500 for an OLED SKU, but sadly for me we know that isn’t on the cards for this year.

Only for the online enthusiast communities. The proportion of potential Switch 2 customers who passively saw some the leaks was probably something like 1% and probably 0.1% for those actively following and digesting them online. Sites like this one and Reddit communities are the teeniest tiniest fraction of the general population. It will not affect sales in the slightest and by the end of the year even we online enthusiasts will have long since forgotten about this whole leaky saga.

Is it just my imagination or are those bezels noticeably larger than Switch OLED?

Bold move to build a competitor to Deku Deals but I respect the effort that’s gone into this! More the merrier I say, because Nintendo certainly aren’t improving the actual eShop anytime soon. I’ll be sure to check it out.

Super curious about battery life vs the SWOLED.

At this point I’m mostly worried about battery life. I’m used to Switch OLED longevity and anything less would feel like a notable downgrade. I suppose it’s inevitably going to be worse, but I just hope it’s at least better than the original launch Switch. Praying for a miracle that it uses Samsung 5nm rather than the 8nm that is currently favoured by the experts. Also hoping the LCD will not be too much of a downgrade from OLED.

It’s not going to be easy saying goodbye to my SWOLED, with the lovely display and decent battery life.

Last console where I bought physical was 3DS. With Switch the only physical game I’ve ever purchased is Ring Fit Adventure. I just find the instant access and convenience of digital impossible to beat, even if it does mean I’m often paying a little bit more for the privilege.

Crypt Custodian is very good. The article is right, the gameplay is good but what really elevates it is the fantastic soundtrack and lovely artwork.

@Friendly We already know Nintendo will definitely officially reveal Switch 2 by 31st March. I see virtually 0% chance that they would then drag out the release all the way into 2026. November 2025 at the very latest.

I think late January for an announcement. A week or so after Donkey Kong HD releases.

Could be February, the typical Direct month, but if so a Q1 release almost certainly goes out of the window in that case.

Even now, 7.5 years in, Switch can still hold its own against the mighty PS5. Congrats Nintendo.

Money can be exchanged for presents and experiences!

Everything about Switch 2, or Super Switch as I still like to call it, sounds super promising except for the lack of OLED. I’ve been spoilt rotten by the gorgeousness of Switch OLED display. It’s going to be a real shock to go back to LCD and it’ll take some adjusting for sure. Problem is that I know OLED model is inevitably coming a couple years down the line so it’s tempting to hold off until then, but the allure of generational better performance in all games will likely be too great to resist. I am going to mourn the tragic loss of OLED for sure.

@TheBigK I’m not convinced, I’m gonna need to see a rumour confirming that the rumours that these rumours are true, are true.

Whatever arbitrary cut off date they set is brutal. It says I only played Crypt Custodian for 2 hours. Nope, I finished the game earlier this month after over 15 hours. Then I’ve also gone back to Splatoon 3 to dabble in Side Order, but again that hasn’t registered. It means my stats aren’t really truly reflective of the year, which is a shame

Digital Foundry’s comments on the bezels being the same size as original Switch LCD and it being very hot and very power hungry are worrying. Sounds like a downgrade from Switch OLED in some regards, which would be quite disappointing. I hope that’s not true and it delivers a true upgrade in every way from my Switch OLED.

It was fun, though I only dipped my toes in a bit by getting to Defender rank. Loved the effort they went to be designing a whole new hub, it looked really cool, great atmosphere. I hadn’t participated in a Splatfest at all for about a year or so as I managed to completely burnout on the game by excessively grinding for the catalogue rewards during the first few seasons. I’ve only just started playing the Side Order DLC for the same reason. Hopefully Splatoon 4 can better manage the catalogue rewards, as getting to level 100 felt extremely grindy - it drive me to the brink of insanity. Now that I’m mostly recovered from the burnout I’ll definitely come back to Splatoon 3 for those seasonal Splatfests and Big Runs (and finish Side Order).

Splatoon 3 became my favourite game on the Switch, though I partially ruined it for myself by religiously grinding for the catalogues during the first few seasons. I ended up burning out on the game completely and only partially came back for the grand festival (loved the huge effort they put into the unique festival area). It’s a shame that after I gave it a decent break and recovered from the burnout the game is now ending content updates. Hopefully Splatoon 4 will manage the seasonal catalogue content in a better way to help prevent burnout.

Whatever happened to the Panzer Dragoon Zwei remake?

Is there much incentive to announce all that much this side of Christmas? It would dampen whatever momentum Switch has left for its last festive season. It would make more sense to me to start making noise about successor Switch in January, but alas I’m no businessman.

@Truegamer79 Super Switch is strongly rumoured to be backwards compatible with the current Switch library. So no game’s being left behind as far as we currently know. They’ll just run better on the new hardware. That’s one reason why people are so hungry for it. I have so many Switch games that drop frames all over the place, that should be tidied up quite nicely by a successor system. I’m just bummed out that there’s apparently not going to be an OLED model like the current Switch has.

Islets is a fantastic little game and I have eShop Gold points that are due to expire at the end of August - now I know exactly what to spend them on!

Switch’s swan song. Looks great! And yay for 60fps! I’ve been waiting so many years…

If this is true, it’s a pretty seismic shift as most assumed 2024 was a given, including myself.

Now if this is indeed true then what does it mean for my beloved Metroid Prime 4? Don’t tell me we have to wait another entire year! 😭

@Dav74833 @HADAA so you can unlock more lives? That’s a relief. I just hope that the permadeath system doesn’t mean there’s excessive repetition in the campaign. Also having to finish the entire campaign in just one continuous sitting sounds absolutely exhausting. I don’t fully understand this concept, but if any company can successfully introduce me to a new genre it’s Nintendo.

Keeping an open mind because I trust Nintendo and I enjoyed Octo Expansion, but permadeath with only one life and no checkpoints sounds really intimidating.

Panzer Dragoon!

Sega, please.