@SirLink I forgot to mention it. 4K on a 15inch screen is also totally bonkers.
My previous Dell work laptop ( 2021-2024 ) had this exact same 15,6inch 4K touchscreen and it was just too much. You literally had to use 300% scale with 4K on such a small screen. And touch was one of the first things I disabled.
This game is just not for me. I have watched some streams last night and it's just shooting, rolling and scanning and that is a bit too monotonous for me.
I like games with a bit more gameplay variety.
ROFLMAO! I have seen my share of outright scams, but this one takes the cake for the moment.
650 gbp = 750 Euro / USD for a cheap-ass 60Hz 15,6 inch LCD touchscreen with 9ms response time, which you find in midrange laptops. (yes this is just a bog-standard laptop screen)
And to use it with the Switch 2, you have to add another 60 gbp for their proprietary usb-c to hdmi cable.
Let that sink in for a moment.
For that same price you can buy a 34inch 240Hz QD-OLED or high-end IPS panel with sub 1ms response time (16:9 4K or Ultra Wide 1440p).
And touch is completely useless on these kind of screens anyway.
@Simu001 It was the exact same problem with Dragon Age: Veilguard.
The game play and core story was amazing in this game, but the dialog writing was one of the worst I have seen.
It's like they wrote it for small 3-4 year old todlers.... constantly lecturing you.
Nothing is more off putting, then constantly being told what to do and where to go and worse of all... describing everything all the time (and thus ruining any suspense, surprise). Like I cannot figure it out myself!
@rallydefault Yes and this is just a complete mess Nintendo has created with the Switch 2 and these editions and using misleading marketing.
Switch 2 only games that have an "actual" game on cart come on the much faster newer Switch 2 carts and have a red color. Like CypberPunk 2077 for example. They have an extra notch or something and cannot be inserted in the Switch 1.
Switch 1 games come on the old slow Switch 1 cart and is black. These can be inserted and run on both Switch 1 and Switch 2.
Then you have these so called Nintendo Switch 2 editions that come on hybrid cards that are also red, but are basically just the slow Switch 1 carts in disguise that contain the Switch 1 version of the game + upgrade pack. These can be used on both Switch 1 and Switch 2 consoles as well.
But seeing how huge the Switch 1 userbase is, most new games will continue to be released on both Switch 1 and Switch 2 for the foreseeable future. So you just being ripped off / mislead with the physical Switch 2 edition of these games where you just getting these slow Switch 1+2 hybrid carts in a red color.
So if you only have a Switch 2 console / traded in your switch 1 for a Switch 2..... I would not buy these Switch 2 editions, but buy them digital on eShop instead. As you will get better performance and faster load times.
These Switch 2 Editions are only interesting for people that have both Switch 1 and 2 consoles in their house hold and want to share a single copy of the game between Switch 1 and 2. Then I can maybe see some value in it. Though, at least here, you can often get the (old) Switch 1 versions at a discount. So it's often just cheaper to buy the Switch 1 version and then buy the digital upgrade on your Switch 2 console.
PS. And to make it all even more confusing, we now also have these so called Game Key carts. Which are basically just empty carts with chip that contains the game serial code, so you will still have to download the entire game on internal storage.
@rallydefault It clearly says on the box that it's just the Switch 1 edition with the Switch 2 upgrade pack.
It's a complete farce that the Physical Switch 2 edition doesn't contain the actual Switch 2 edition on a switch 2 cartridge!
They cheaping out with just dumping it all on a Switch 1 cartridge.
It's basically Nintendo themselves admitting that their own switch 2 cartridges are too expensive even for them and hurting their precious profit margins.
If this is the route that Nintendo is taking, with Switch 2 games being Game key cards and games that launch on both Switch 1 and 2, where both editions are on switch 1 carts.... then you are just better off going all Digital on the Switch 2. At least you can download and run your game from much faster NVME internal storage and/or the new MicroSD Express cards and not having to bother swapping carts just to read the license code (GKC ).
@Hwatt Then you buy the Switch 1 version, which already works with both Switch 1 and 2! And then buy the digital Switch 2 upgrade when you want!
So no! This is just inexcusable to sell a separate Switch 2 physical edition with an outdated switch 1 cart, instead of the new Switch 2 cart, which has significantly faster read speeds!
People buy the more expensive Switch 2 edition to run it on their Switch 2 console! and rightfully expect it to come with the new switch 2 cart that gives significant read speed boost (= much faster load times).
This is just another nail in the coffin for Physical games as why bother. After the whole Game key card thing and now Nintendo basically admitting the Switch 2 carts are too expensive even for them. You can just as well just stick to Digital download then.
Why even have and sell a separate Switch 2 physical version, if it ain't on a Switch 2 cart, that has ridiculously faster read speeds than the old Switch 1 cart! Not to mention that you pay more than 10 bucks extra for the Switch 2 version. ( 80 Euro for the Switch 2 physical edition ).
So you literally being ripped-off by Nintendo!
Nintendo is quickly rising in the charts as my most hated company right now. This is getting worse and worse and I hate what Nintendo has become and seriously beginning to regret buying the Switch 2 console.
Next to all the crazy patenting stuff, hefty price hikes and now these kind of crazy inexcusable actions.... it's seriously off-putting.
@slowpoke_tail This has nothing to do with Open World.
The problem is that to do Open World correctly, it requires significant effort and dev time, none of what these major studios want to invest in. Instead they have butchered the Open World concept to cash in on the hype (after Skyrim and Witcher 3 massive success), by just doing the absolute minimum possible.
Result is just an empty open world devoid of soul and atmosphere, with just some easy repetitive filler quests / missions dropped in to pad the content and game time count and that's it.
There is a reason, why so many people still play and make mods for old games like Skyrim today. Nothing after has been able to come close it, yet alone beat it. Breath of the Wild came close, but still fell short of a mostly empty game world, with not much content in it and the Shrines eventually became a repetitive slog.
Ugh I really wish Atlus would get their fingers out their ass and release resolution fixes for their games on Switch 2! It really can't be that hard to fix something simple as that!
I would love to replay Persona 5 Royal on my Switch 2, but god it looks like a blurry mess. /sigh
@OldGamer999 I agree. I know Ubisoft has received a lot of critique and flack lately ( and the CEO rightly deserved it!), but they have so far been the only Major studio here in the West that has consistently supported Nintendo consoles.
Unlike other major studios like EA, that just served us butchered/mutilated ports and selling them for the same price as the fullblown experience on other platforms.
@molkom CDProjectRed had to do the same with Cyberpunk 2077.
The amount of roaming NPCs and cars have been reduced quite a lot with the Switch 2 port.
Don't get me wrong. CP2077 is an incredible port that has a near the same visual fidelity as on my PS5, but it feels a lot less like a busy city on Switch 2 compared to when I play it on my PS5 and PC.
@UpsideDownRowlet Are you prepared to pay 20 bucks extra for such a physical release?
This is all on Nintendo for sticking with an outdated Cartridge system, where anything more than a 8GB cartridge will become too expensive and hit Game Publisher's bottomline too hard.
We also need to accept the fact that games these days almost all launch with a Day 1 patch that is close to the same size of the game itself.
These are not the 80's and 90's anymore, where the game you bought is what you got. No fixes, nada.
These days games have become so big and complicated, coupled with harsh deadlines that force games out of the door before they are ready and as such require huge day 1 patches to make them playable... completely defeats the purpose of having a physical game, when in the future when the eShop inevitably closes and you can no longer download the patches.... your physical copy is outright useless with a broken/horribly buggy game on a cartridge.
When it comes to game preservation. They need to evolve with the times and change to digital storage. Digitally storing games and keep them updated with the updates and patches, when they release.
This is simply the reality of today and the shift to digital medium.
The Pokemon Company is equally owned by Gamefreak, Creature Inc. and Nintendo. But then Create Inc is 50/50 owned by Nintendo and Gamefreak. So in essence, Nintendo owns 50% of The Pokemon Company.
@Henmii Its also releasing on the Switch 1, that's why! Just look at Pokemon Legends:Z-A.
If both these games released on the Switch 2 only, they would have looked a lot better and not being hold back by the 10 year old hardware of the Switch 1.
@PikminMarioKirby While the main game is fantastic and I greatly enjoy it.
The sudden drop of the DLC already in December, feels very rushed and solely based on padding their profits before end of the year. Since NIntendo has no major Holiday title for December.
The DLC in how its presented, feels very minimal effort and lack luster and an outright rip-off for the price its being sold for. As its almost the same price as the double DLC packs we got with Sword/Shield and Scarlet/Violet and those added significantly more to the game than this Mega Dimension DLC.
But this seems to be the direction Nintendo is going in, with increased game console price and accesories, increased game prices and expensive minimal effort DLC's, like we already saw this summer with Donky Kong Bonanza. That was another sudden drop of a DLC that added very little with an outrageous price tag.
@JJtheTexan Yep it's quite crazy to be honest how Nintendo can get away with this, while companies like Apple have been under constant fire and pressure to get rid of their proprietary tech.
This is the new Nintendo and the direction they are going in. Remember they partly own and have controlling stake in The Pokemon Company.
You already see it with Nintendo's own games, that have gotten more expensive, adding more and more DLC's that are so minimal effort and rushed, they are not good value for money. Season and Battle passes will be next and soon after, gacha will arrive too.
In this game, it just means they saw it was too easy to F2P players and missing out on money, so they now changing it into a more aggressive monetization model.
Or it was simply planned all along, to get people hooked on the game and then make this change to fleece money out of their pockets going forward.
Typical F2P practice.
@OmnitronVariant I am not defending GamePass in any way.
I am still buying a lot of games outright, as not every game launches on GamePass day one or ever!
It's mostly MS own first party titles that launch Day One and a handful of MS sponsored titles, which is no different than all the exclusivity deals Sony buys from Studios to cut out XBOX gamers.
All I am saying is the whole GamePass outcry is just hysterical and pure overreacting.
Especially when EA, Ubisoft, Amazon (Prime), etc have had their own launchers, digital stores and subscription service long before GamePass.
GamePass was actually created as answer to MS losing the exclusivity war with Sony, who was buying up major studios left and right and turn their games and major franchises into Playstation Exclusives.
@OmnitronVariant There are always ups and downsides with everything in life. So in business as well.
There will always be cases were a GamePass release didn't work out for a studio.
But for a lot of (especially) smaller studios, GamePass actually helped them get their game out of the door and made the difference of going bankrupt and not releasing their game or finishing it and launching on GamePass. So we have plenty of those examples as well.
And of course, like in any Capitalistic scenario, larger studios that develop bigger games will get more money from MS to launch on GamePass.
This is only logical, as bigger budgets are involved and hence they will get better compensation, as such games also generate more hype and exposure.
Either way, a game studio is not forced to launch their games on XBOX GamePass. Plenty of games, both indie and AAA titles still release normally in the XBOX Store.
But the fact remains, that GamePass wasn't even the first subscription service for games. Both EA and Ubisoft had already their own game launchers with own online store for their games and offered a monthly subscription to access their game catalog.
So of course those big bobo's have tried to take down XBOX GamePass and try to feed negativity around it over the years, to try kill off any competition. While at the same time still going in bed with MS and offer subscription add-ons to GamePass to gain access to their titles. Corporate capitalism and hypocrisy at its finest.
@OmnitronVariant Tell that to the Indie developers who have actually massively profited from GamePass, as it helped them exposing their games to a large audience.
Those big capitalistic corpo studios you talking about, like EA, Activision and Ubisoft, etc... they didn't release their games day one on GamePass anyway. Only MS first party titles were day one on GamePass, along with smaller studios that got sponsored by MS to launch day one on GamePass. And again, those smaller studios actually massively profited from this.
For us gamers it's actually worse on Playstation, as Sony wants you to double dip in both PS+ Premium and buying their first party titles at full price. As Sony only releases their own titles at least a year later on their most expensive subscription tier.
So honestly, you have it all backwards and you are just repeating the echo chamber of those greedy corporate suits at EA and Ubisoft and their ilk! Which are actually the worst to have happened to the Game industry, with infesting all our games with micro transactions, DLCs, season passes, etc.... just to fleece as much money out of our pockets!
They don't deserve our sympathy at all!
Gamepass isn't going away. In fact, GamePass was actually quite late to the party... as the whole Movie and TV series business already went full on subscription mode long before that. So the game industry is just catching up.
PS. Completely forgot about this, but unless you have been living under a rock.... both EA and Ubisoft have had their own subscription service for years already! Hence why they try to bring down MS and GamePass, as it's competition!
@OmnitronVariant for us gamers, GamePass was actually incredible value for money.
I have had GamePass Ultimate for years and saved myself a lot of money.
I have been able to try out games that end up not being worth their money and so saved myself for wasting a lot of money over the years.
So to each their own. Gamepass was actually very popular for Microsoft, as even Sony started offering their variant with PS Plus Premium.
If it was such a disservice by evil Microsoft as you say, then Sony wouldn't have started offering a similar service.
But the problem now is the Microsoft CFO imposed a 30% profit margin requirement on XBOX Division (which is unheard of in the game industry and outright impossible), is why we suddenly see the console price hike and the crazy price hike on GamePass Ultimate.
So I downgraded my GamePass to Premium for now.
Its absolutely nuts to be honest, as XBOX Division was actually doing really well and delivered around 12-14% profit margins, compared to Sony Playstation division that barely makes 6-7% in profit margins.
@RoboCube That's why it's so deeply worrying what is happening with XBOX at the moment.
And people are absolutely nuts cheering and celebrating for XBOX to go down, completely unaware of the dire consequences when that happens.
The result will be that Sony will have pretty much a monopoly of the Major console market and will drive prices up even more and do even less effort on hardware and software front.
So you will end up paying even more for less!
We need XBOX as a competition lever against Sony and now also Nintendo, who has gone down the wrong path too with price hikes, delevering less for more, with expensive DLC packs that contain less and less, filing ridiculous patents, etc.
It's a crying shame what is happening with XBOX right now, due to a clueless CFO at Microsoft.
I have both XBOX Series X and a PS5 and the XBOX is a superior console. /sigh
@LoneWolfSones Nintendo themselves have finally seen the writing on the wall.
It already happened with the Switch 1, where 3rd party devs just pay for the smallest 4GB cart that doesn't even contain the entire game and you had to download an additional 10 to 20+ GB before you could play the game.
So the whole point of buying physical was already lost with the Switch 1. As what's the point of a physical copy, when only a fraction of the game is pre-loaded on the cart.
Fact is, cartridges are heavily outdated and too expensive to produce. Especially the large capacity ones that are now definitely needed for the Switch 2.
Its different with the big XBOX / PS consoles.
A blanc Bluray only costs 1-2 USD, whereas a high capacity Switch 1 / 2 cartridge cost 15+ USD.
Publishers are not willing to take that huge of a cut on their profits and they know they won't sell the game on the Switch 1 / 2 if they have to raise the price with 15 USD.
So the reality is that GKC is the way to go with Switch 2.
And when it comes to game preservation. Well that is pretty much dead too, unless they digitally store the games somewhere and keep them patched up.
As the vast majority of games these days are rushed and of poor quality and need months of large patches, before most of the major bugs and problems are fixed!
So having the initial game on a cart or Bluray for game preservation is just pointless as well, when the 1.0 version is often just broken and/or bugged to hell and requires at least a large day 1 patch (which is often the same size of the entire game) before its playable.
@SwitchplayerJohn The merchandise, next to the TCG generates the most profit for The Pokemon Company.
Sadly but true, the games only bring in small pennies compared to the TCG and Merchandise. Hence, why Gamefreak will never get the budget and dev time they need.
The sole purpose of the games and the TV Anime is just to support the TCG and Merchandise.
@TomSupreme Unless you have been living under a rock these past couple years? It's already happening.
Tried calling Customer Support for various Online Stores, transport companies, insurance, etc?
Chat support had already been widely replaced by AI.
And now recently, many phone Support lines have also been replaced by AI. Its incredibly hard or neigh on impossible to get a human support agent.
Many of them had been fired during COVID and the execs used that as opportunity to accelerate AI implementation, so the human employees didn't need to be hired back.
All these stupid support AI's do, is just repeating the same useless FAQ slop you can find on their websites. The reason you call Support is to talk to a human about whats NOT in the useless FAQ!.
I work in IT myself and Its a terrible development, as its being rushed way too quickly. This isn't going to end well, as the technology is far from ready yet, to be used in this way!
@OmnitronVariant Yep. This is the new "Corporate" Nintendo. Get used to it!
High price for their base game and then bare minimum effort DLC's at a premium price.
This Mega Dimension DLC is just another disgrace to add to the Bonanza DLC pile of Nintendo shame.
The DLC's in both Sword/Shield and Scarlet/Violet were 35 euro and added substantial new content and several hundred new Pokemon. Especially the second DLC in Scarlet/Violet was insane. They ended up being actual value for money in terms of what you got in content!
This Mega Dimension DLC is 30 euro and just being rushed out of the door, to increase the end of year profits! It just feels like a rushed mess and bare minimum effort! An outright rip-off compared to the Sword/Shield and Scarlet/Violet double DLC packs at almost the same price!!
@kal_el_07241 The whole DLC just looks bland and boring.
Just existing Lumious City, but with all NPCs removed, heavily desature the color and add a rainbow shine and then just some wandering Pokemon thrown in.
With Hoopa, I had expected an interesting story and for example going to different parts in time, like far in the past with a very lush ancient and small Lumious City with forests, etc and then maybe another dimension towards the future with a very futuristic Lumious City where they could have added those Violet Paradox Pokemon in it.....
Just more interesting Dimension zones with more variation.
This is such a missed opportunity and as low effort as it can get. Especially compared to the great DLCs in Sword Shield and the amazing second DLC of Scarlet Violet....
This is a huge disappointment and a huge rip-off, as they're charging almost the same price for this DLC ( 30 euro ) as the double DLC pack of Scarlet/Violet ( 35 euro )!
And people keep wondering why the Pokemon games are what they are.
The money the Pokemon games make are literally pocket change compared to the billions they make on the TCG and now also the digital TCG. /shrug
It’s a CATCH22 situation for Gamefreak and why they don’t get a higher budget and more dev time.
All the while the TCG is literally printing money for TPC with little effort.
@metaphysician It's the CFO at Microsoft that shouldn't be anywhere near the XBOX division that forced this 30% profit margin.
She just doesn't understand the gaming industry and thinks it's easy to hit 30% profit margins like the current AI boom and Cloud business, while in reality the gaming industry in general struggles to hit even 20% profit margins. 30% is literally not possible and realistic. Especially in todays economy!
To enforce this 30% profit margin on the XBOX division, they literally destroying the XBOX brand and pricing themselves out of the market.
And like it or not, if XBOX dies, SONY wins and we gamers loose!
As when SONY then gets Monopoly on the Home console market, with XBOX out of the way, you can bet SONY will heavily increase their prices on everything and will have free reign to do whatever they want and how they want, with all competition out of the way.
As like it or not, Nintendo lives in its own niche in a completely different segment of the gaming market, as the vast majority of major AAA games only launch on PC, XBOX and Playstation.
Especially all the upcoming Unreal Engine 5 games will not even be able to run on the Switch 2, without too much effort and compromises. Since a lot of the current UE5 games already struggle on the regular PS5 and XBOX Series X.
We need XBOX to stay alive, to keep SONY in check and enforce competition in the market.
Lets pray and hope both the CEO and CFO come back to their senses, before it's too late. /sigh
I have always had almost all consoles. Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo.
I always found the Microsoft console experience the best and Sony and Nintendo the worst.
Right now, the XBOX Series X is superior over the PS5. My PS5 has a noisy drive, that always spins up even when playing digital games and the coil whine is a b!tch too.
All the while my XBOX Series X is quiet as mouse and my old XBOX One X Scorpio edition is still going strong at the house of my Mother in law (when we're there during holidays), thanks to XBOX cloud working excellent on it.
Again, when it comes to Remote play, XBOX wins again. The PS Remote App is the absolute worst and after years it's still garbage. All the wile XBOX Cloud (which had its pains in the beginning) works like a charm today.... on any device.
Same with Sony PS+ Cloud. I have the PS Portal, which is an amazing device now it supports PS Cloud gaming, but it only offers a very restrictive library of games and I can still not Stream my digital purchased games! Absolute nuts!
All the while, Nintendo lives on in its own outdated bubble (when it comes to UX and Online experience) and only survives on their 1st party exclusives.
I am 100% sure, if the playing field was completely even with all games being available on all platforms, then both PC and XBOX would win, just for the hardware, UX and Online experience alone.
@iLikeUrAttitude It's that witch in Microsoft top management, which is driving all this.
Phil Spencer is literally powerless in all this and is forced to cave to the demands like 30% profitability per year, which is unheard of in the game industry and simply not possible.
That's why so many people had to be fired and why XBOX game pass and consoles got that price hike.
This is just really tragic and the result of a clueless hack overriding Phil Spencer and meddling with the XBOX division she has no business meddling with.
All the while, Sataya Nadella is enjoying his huge bonus stock payout and not paying attention to the XBOX division that is being destroyed on his watch.
It's also surprising, as I thought Phil Spencer had enough power and sway within Microsoft, but maybe he has grown too tired to fight back and has thrown the towel in the ring.
The Halo Masterchief Collection is over 120GB, so will never come to the Switch 2.
Unless Nintendo will allow piece meal download via the MasterChief launcher, like on XBOX, where you can individually manage which game to install, to manage storage.
So might be more reasonable to think they will start with the announced remaster first.
@1UP-HUSKY This is the first Pokemon game that actually offers a lot of side content. There are like 150 side missions, which explains why there are so many static NPC's in the city.
They are and/or will be mission givers at some point in the game.
Like I said in another thread. People struggle interacting with moving NPCs, that's why mission NPC's are often static.
You see this (and continue to see this) in all RPG games.
You actually see quite a few people moving around in Lumiose City and those are non-interactable NPC's.
Yes they could definitely have added even more moving NPC's, but I think its simply the Switch 1 holding them back at this point, which is annoying for us with a Switch 2 that just expect more out of the Switch 2 version.
But it is what it is, when Gamefreak has to operate with a small budget and only get max. 2 year development time per game.
And this is never going to change, as the games and Anime are just there to support the TCG and physical merchandise, which makes them way more money.
We were going through something called COVID and lockdowns back then, so gaming sales were out of the ordinary, as people were stuck at home. So game sales across the board were much higher than normal.
Today is totally different. Game sales have tanked worldwide due to current economic situation with high interest rates on mortgages, mass lay-offs in gaming industry and other areas. Game prices have gone up by 10-20 USD/Euro. Etc.
Then we have a console generation switch, going from Switch 1 to Switch 2.
If you just look at the sales figures, then they are impressive in today's market.
It's also not surprising that the Switch 1 version outsold the Switch 2 version, since the Switch 2 is new and is vastly outnumbered by Switch 1 users.
This also makes me worried that next year's new mainline Pokemon games will be mainly developed for the Switch 1 again (Like Legends Z-A) and the Switch 2 version will just be an afterthought again with just a resolution and fps bump.
It's a bit of Catch22 situation, as Nintendo probably still thinks they don't want to alienate that huge Switch 1 base out there, but on the other hand they really need to start selling way more Switch 2 consoles and then you really need to keep releasing great games that show the capabilities of the Switch 2.
Legends:Z-A was definitely not that! It's a good game and I immensely enjoy it on my Switch 2, but I am not blind to see they could have done way more for the Switch 2 version.
But again, I wouldn't pass it by Nintendo being still stuck in ancient thinking in that they don't want to alienate Switch 1 base by making the Switch 1 version look too inferior to the Switch 2 version. /shrug
@Dr_Lugae What people (and this article) also don't get is that the vast majority of these so called static NPC's are static for a reason. There are like 150 side quests in this game, so that means at least 150 static NPCs. So there is no way around this, as people will struggle to engage with a moving NPC. Literally all RPG games with quest/mission systems are designed like this and still are today.
Combine this with a fairly small and condense map and you get what you see. A city filled with static NPC's. But they did try to add a handful roaming NPCs in the city, like I described in detail in my earlier posts that got nuked.
From all the Pokemon games, Legends:Z-A actually has the most roaming NPCs in the game. So you can at least call that an improvement. Could they have added more? Of course! Sure! But I feel like they either ran out of time or it's just the Switch 1 that is holding them back at this point. Or both.
Comments 1,725
Re: Hands On: Espresso Pro 15 - A Portable 4K Monitor For Switch 2, But With A Catch
@SirLink I forgot to mention it. 4K on a 15inch screen is also totally bonkers.
My previous Dell work laptop ( 2021-2024 ) had this exact same 15,6inch 4K touchscreen and it was just too much. You literally had to use 300% scale with 4K on such a small screen. And touch was one of the first things I disabled.
Re: After Years Of Waiting, Metroid Prime 4's Launch Trailer Is Finally Here
Hope you guys/girls enjoy it.
This game is just not for me. I have watched some streams last night and it's just shooting, rolling and scanning and that is a bit too monotonous for me.
I like games with a bit more gameplay variety.
Re: Hands On: Espresso Pro 15 - A Portable 4K Monitor For Switch 2, But With A Catch
ROFLMAO! I have seen my share of outright scams, but this one takes the cake for the moment.
650 gbp = 750 Euro / USD for a cheap-ass 60Hz 15,6 inch LCD touchscreen with 9ms response time, which you find in midrange laptops. (yes this is just a bog-standard laptop screen)
And to use it with the Switch 2, you have to add another 60 gbp for their proprietary usb-c to hdmi cable.
Let that sink in for a moment.
For that same price you can buy a 34inch 240Hz QD-OLED or high-end IPS panel with sub 1ms response time (16:9 4K or Ultra Wide 1440p).
And touch is completely useless on these kind of screens anyway.
Re: Nintendo Reveals New Line Of Metroid Merch, And We Want It All
@PixelTavern Probably because that Ice cube tray not passing the food grade regulations in Europe. lol.
The stuff and products they can get away with in Japan (and in the US too) is crazy to be honest.
Re: Review: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition (Switch 2) - Samus Returns In Prime Form
@Simu001 It was the exact same problem with Dragon Age: Veilguard.
The game play and core story was amazing in this game, but the dialog writing was one of the worst I have seen.
It's like they wrote it for small 3-4 year old todlers.... constantly lecturing you.
Nothing is more off putting, then constantly being told what to do and where to go and worse of all... describing everything all the time (and thus ruining any suspense, surprise). Like I cannot figure it out myself!
Re: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Has Been Updated To Ver. 1.1.0, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
@rallydefault Yes and this is just a complete mess Nintendo has created with the Switch 2 and these editions and using misleading marketing.
Switch 2 only games that have an "actual" game on cart come on the much faster newer Switch 2 carts and have a red color. Like CypberPunk 2077 for example. They have an extra notch or something and cannot be inserted in the Switch 1.
Switch 1 games come on the old slow Switch 1 cart and is black. These can be inserted and run on both Switch 1 and Switch 2.
Then you have these so called Nintendo Switch 2 editions that come on hybrid cards that are also red, but are basically just the slow Switch 1 carts in disguise that contain the Switch 1 version of the game + upgrade pack. These can be used on both Switch 1 and Switch 2 consoles as well.
But seeing how huge the Switch 1 userbase is, most new games will continue to be released on both Switch 1 and Switch 2 for the foreseeable future. So you just being ripped off / mislead with the physical Switch 2 edition of these games where you just getting these slow Switch 1+2 hybrid carts in a red color.
So if you only have a Switch 2 console / traded in your switch 1 for a Switch 2..... I would not buy these Switch 2 editions, but buy them digital on eShop instead. As you will get better performance and faster load times.
These Switch 2 Editions are only interesting for people that have both Switch 1 and 2 consoles in their house hold and want to share a single copy of the game between Switch 1 and 2. Then I can maybe see some value in it. Though, at least here, you can often get the (old) Switch 1 versions at a discount. So it's often just cheaper to buy the Switch 1 version and then buy the digital upgrade on your Switch 2 console.
PS. And to make it all even more confusing, we now also have these so called Game Key carts. Which are basically just empty carts with chip that contains the game serial code, so you will still have to download the entire game on internal storage.
Re: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Has Been Updated To Ver. 1.1.0, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
@rallydefault It clearly says on the box that it's just the Switch 1 edition with the Switch 2 upgrade pack.
It's a complete farce that the Physical Switch 2 edition doesn't contain the actual Switch 2 edition on a switch 2 cartridge!
They cheaping out with just dumping it all on a Switch 1 cartridge.
It's basically Nintendo themselves admitting that their own switch 2 cartridges are too expensive even for them and hurting their precious profit margins.
If this is the route that Nintendo is taking, with Switch 2 games being Game key cards and games that launch on both Switch 1 and 2, where both editions are on switch 1 carts.... then you are just better off going all Digital on the Switch 2. At least you can download and run your game from much faster NVME internal storage and/or the new MicroSD Express cards and not having to bother swapping carts just to read the license code (GKC ).
Re: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Has Been Updated To Ver. 1.1.0, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
@Hwatt Then you buy the Switch 1 version, which already works with both Switch 1 and 2! And then buy the digital Switch 2 upgrade when you want!
So no! This is just inexcusable to sell a separate Switch 2 physical edition with an outdated switch 1 cart, instead of the new Switch 2 cart, which has significantly faster read speeds!
People buy the more expensive Switch 2 edition to run it on their Switch 2 console! and rightfully expect it to come with the new switch 2 cart that gives significant read speed boost (= much faster load times).
This is just another nail in the coffin for Physical games as why bother. After the whole Game key card thing and now Nintendo basically admitting the Switch 2 carts are too expensive even for them. You can just as well just stick to Digital download then.
Re: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Has Been Updated To Ver. 1.1.0, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
@Hwatt Which is absolutely nuts and inexcusable.
Why even have and sell a separate Switch 2 physical version, if it ain't on a Switch 2 cart, that has ridiculously faster read speeds than the old Switch 1 cart! Not to mention that you pay more than 10 bucks extra for the Switch 2 version. ( 80 Euro for the Switch 2 physical edition ).
So you literally being ripped-off by Nintendo!
Nintendo is quickly rising in the charts as my most hated company right now. This is getting worse and worse and I hate what Nintendo has become and seriously beginning to regret buying the Switch 2 console.
Next to all the crazy patenting stuff, hefty price hikes and now these kind of crazy inexcusable actions.... it's seriously off-putting.
Re: Round Up: The Reviews Are In For Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
@slowpoke_tail This has nothing to do with Open World.
The problem is that to do Open World correctly, it requires significant effort and dev time, none of what these major studios want to invest in.
Instead they have butchered the Open World concept to cash in on the hype (after Skyrim and Witcher 3 massive success), by just doing the absolute minimum possible.
Result is just an empty open world devoid of soul and atmosphere, with just some easy repetitive filler quests / missions dropped in to pad the content and game time count and that's it.
There is a reason, why so many people still play and make mods for old games like Skyrim today.
Nothing after has been able to come close it, yet alone beat it.
Breath of the Wild came close, but still fell short of a mostly empty game world, with not much content in it and the Shrines eventually became a repetitive slog.
Re: Here's Another Look At Elden Ring Running On Switch 2
@maulinks I think Sony messed up something with the recent PS5 OS update.
As I am getting occasional frame stutters and hangs in other games too now, while I did not experience those before.
Re: More Switch Games Receive Compatibility Updates For Switch 2
Ugh I really wish Atlus would get their fingers out their ass and release resolution fixes for their games on Switch 2!
It really can't be that hard to fix something simple as that!
I would love to replay Persona 5 Royal on my Switch 2, but god it looks like a blurry mess. /sigh
Re: Assassin's Creed Shadows Switch 2 Port Technical Rundown Detailed By Ubisoft
@OldGamer999 I agree. I know Ubisoft has received a lot of critique and flack lately ( and the CEO rightly deserved it!), but they have so far been the only Major studio here in the West that has consistently supported Nintendo consoles.
Unlike other major studios like EA, that just served us butchered/mutilated ports and selling them for the same price as the fullblown experience on other platforms.
Re: Assassin's Creed Shadows Switch 2 Port Technical Rundown Detailed By Ubisoft
@molkom CDProjectRed had to do the same with Cyberpunk 2077.
The amount of roaming NPCs and cars have been reduced quite a lot with the Switch 2 port.
Don't get me wrong. CP2077 is an incredible port that has a near the same visual fidelity as on my PS5, but it feels a lot less like a busy city on Switch 2 compared to when I play it on my PS5 and PC.
Re: Nintendo Expands Switch Online's NES And Game Boy Library With Four More Titles
@Polvasti You mean the Pokemon dungeons games? Yes sure, but we are talking about the mainline games.
They never added any of the mainline games and probably never will.
Re: Nintendo Expands Switch Online's NES And Game Boy Library With Four More Titles
@Bolt_Strike They have never added any Pokemon game ever and probably never will.
Re: Assassin's Creed Shadows' Beefy Switch 2 File Size Has Been Revealed
@UpsideDownRowlet Are you prepared to pay 20 bucks extra for such a physical release?
This is all on Nintendo for sticking with an outdated Cartridge system, where anything more than a 8GB cartridge will become too expensive and hit Game Publisher's bottomline too hard.
We also need to accept the fact that games these days almost all launch with a Day 1 patch that is close to the same size of the game itself.
These are not the 80's and 90's anymore, where the game you bought is what you got. No fixes, nada.
These days games have become so big and complicated, coupled with harsh deadlines that force games out of the door before they are ready and as such require huge day 1 patches to make them playable... completely defeats the purpose of having a physical game, when in the future when the eShop inevitably closes and you can no longer download the patches.... your physical copy is outright useless with a broken/horribly buggy game on a cartridge.
When it comes to game preservation. They need to evolve with the times and change to digital storage. Digitally storing games and keep them updated with the updates and patches, when they release.
This is simply the reality of today and the shift to digital medium.
Re: Pokémon Unite Is Discontinuing Aeos Coins In Its December Game Update
@Dee123 What is false about that?
The Pokemon Company is equally owned by Gamefreak, Creature Inc. and Nintendo.
But then Create Inc is 50/50 owned by Nintendo and Gamefreak.
So in essence, Nintendo owns 50% of The Pokemon Company.
Re: ICYMI: More Pokémon Legends: Z-A DLC News Is Coming Our Way Tomorrow
That was one big nothing burger. It just shows the DLC will be a massively overpriced rip-off, if this is all they have to show for it.
Re: Round Up: The Final Previews Are In For Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
@Henmii Its also releasing on the Switch 1, that's why!
Just look at Pokemon Legends:Z-A.
If both these games released on the Switch 2 only, they would have looked a lot better and not being hold back by the 10 year old hardware of the Switch 1.
Re: Pokémon Legends: Z-A Is Now The "Best-Selling" Physical Game In The US This Year
@PikminMarioKirby While the main game is fantastic and I greatly enjoy it.
The sudden drop of the DLC already in December, feels very rushed and solely based on padding their profits before end of the year. Since NIntendo has no major Holiday title for December.
The DLC in how its presented, feels very minimal effort and lack luster and an outright rip-off for the price its being sold for. As its almost the same price as the double DLC packs we got with Sword/Shield and Scarlet/Violet and those added significantly more to the game than this Mega Dimension DLC.
But this seems to be the direction Nintendo is going in, with increased game console price and accesories, increased game prices and expensive minimal effort DLC's, like we already saw this summer with Donky Kong Bonanza. That was another sudden drop of a DLC that added very little with an outrageous price tag.
Re: Poll: Is Your Third-Party Switch 2 Dock Still Working After This Week's System Update?
@JJtheTexan Yep it's quite crazy to be honest how Nintendo can get away with this, while companies like Apple have been under constant fire and pressure to get rid of their proprietary tech.
Re: Pokémon Unite Is Discontinuing Aeos Coins In Its December Game Update
This is the new Nintendo and the direction they are going in. Remember they partly own and have controlling stake in The Pokemon Company.
You already see it with Nintendo's own games, that have gotten more expensive, adding more and more DLC's that are so minimal effort and rushed, they are not good value for money. Season and Battle passes will be next and soon after, gacha will arrive too.
In this game, it just means they saw it was too easy to F2P players and missing out on money, so they now changing it into a more aggressive monetization model.
Or it was simply planned all along, to get people hooked on the game and then make this change to fleece money out of their pockets going forward.
Typical F2P practice.
Re: Sony Once Again Takes A Leaf From Nintendo's Playbook In Japan
@OmnitronVariant I am not defending GamePass in any way.
I am still buying a lot of games outright, as not every game launches on GamePass day one or ever!
It's mostly MS own first party titles that launch Day One and a handful of MS sponsored titles, which is no different than all the exclusivity deals Sony buys from Studios to cut out XBOX gamers.
All I am saying is the whole GamePass outcry is just hysterical and pure overreacting.
Especially when EA, Ubisoft, Amazon (Prime), etc have had their own launchers, digital stores and subscription service long before GamePass.
GamePass was actually created as answer to MS losing the exclusivity war with Sony, who was buying up major studios left and right and turn their games and major franchises into Playstation Exclusives.
Re: Sony Once Again Takes A Leaf From Nintendo's Playbook In Japan
@OmnitronVariant There are always ups and downsides with everything in life. So in business as well.
There will always be cases were a GamePass release didn't work out for a studio.
But for a lot of (especially) smaller studios, GamePass actually helped them get their game out of the door and made the difference of going bankrupt and not releasing their game or finishing it and launching on GamePass. So we have plenty of those examples as well.
And of course, like in any Capitalistic scenario, larger studios that develop bigger games will get more money from MS to launch on GamePass.
This is only logical, as bigger budgets are involved and hence they will get better compensation, as such games also generate more hype and exposure.
Either way, a game studio is not forced to launch their games on XBOX GamePass. Plenty of games, both indie and AAA titles still release normally in the XBOX Store.
But the fact remains, that GamePass wasn't even the first subscription service for games. Both EA and Ubisoft had already their own game launchers with own online store for their games and offered a monthly subscription to access their game catalog.
So of course those big bobo's have tried to take down XBOX GamePass and try to feed negativity around it over the years, to try kill off any competition. While at the same time still going in bed with MS and offer subscription add-ons to GamePass to gain access to their titles. Corporate capitalism and hypocrisy at its finest.
Re: Sony Once Again Takes A Leaf From Nintendo's Playbook In Japan
@OmnitronVariant Tell that to the Indie developers who have actually massively profited from GamePass, as it helped them exposing their games to a large audience.
Those big capitalistic corpo studios you talking about, like EA, Activision and Ubisoft, etc... they didn't release their games day one on GamePass anyway. Only MS first party titles were day one on GamePass, along with smaller studios that got sponsored by MS to launch day one on GamePass. And again, those smaller studios actually massively profited from this.
For us gamers it's actually worse on Playstation, as Sony wants you to double dip in both PS+ Premium and buying their first party titles at full price. As Sony only releases their own titles at least a year later on their most expensive subscription tier.
So honestly, you have it all backwards and you are just repeating the echo chamber of those greedy corporate suits at EA and Ubisoft and their ilk! Which are actually the worst to have happened to the Game industry, with infesting all our games with micro transactions, DLCs, season passes, etc.... just to fleece as much money out of our pockets!
They don't deserve our sympathy at all!
Gamepass isn't going away. In fact, GamePass was actually quite late to the party... as the whole Movie and TV series business already went full on subscription mode long before that. So the game industry is just catching up.
PS. Completely forgot about this, but unless you have been living under a rock.... both EA and Ubisoft have had their own subscription service for years already! Hence why they try to bring down MS and GamePass, as it's competition!
Re: Sony Once Again Takes A Leaf From Nintendo's Playbook In Japan
@OmnitronVariant for us gamers, GamePass was actually incredible value for money.
I have had GamePass Ultimate for years and saved myself a lot of money.
I have been able to try out games that end up not being worth their money and so saved myself for wasting a lot of money over the years.
So to each their own. Gamepass was actually very popular for Microsoft, as even Sony started offering their variant with PS Plus Premium.
If it was such a disservice by evil Microsoft as you say, then Sony wouldn't have started offering a similar service.
But the problem now is the Microsoft CFO imposed a 30% profit margin requirement on XBOX Division (which is unheard of in the game industry and outright impossible), is why we suddenly see the console price hike and the crazy price hike on GamePass Ultimate.
So I downgraded my GamePass to Premium for now.
Its absolutely nuts to be honest, as XBOX Division was actually doing really well and delivered around 12-14% profit margins, compared to Sony Playstation division that barely makes 6-7% in profit margins.
Re: Sony Once Again Takes A Leaf From Nintendo's Playbook In Japan
@RoboCube That's why it's so deeply worrying what is happening with XBOX at the moment.
And people are absolutely nuts cheering and celebrating for XBOX to go down, completely unaware of the dire consequences when that happens.
The result will be that Sony will have pretty much a monopoly of the Major console market and will drive prices up even more and do even less effort on hardware and software front.
So you will end up paying even more for less!
We need XBOX as a competition lever against Sony and now also Nintendo, who has gone down the wrong path too with price hikes, delevering less for more, with expensive DLC packs that contain less and less, filing ridiculous patents, etc.
It's a crying shame what is happening with XBOX right now, due to a clueless CFO at Microsoft.
I have both XBOX Series X and a PS5 and the XBOX is a superior console. /sigh
Re: Pokémon Pokopia Gets March 2026 Release Date, Brand New Trailer Coming This Week
@LoneWolfSones Nintendo themselves have finally seen the writing on the wall.
It already happened with the Switch 1, where 3rd party devs just pay for the smallest 4GB cart that doesn't even contain the entire game and you had to download an additional 10 to 20+ GB before you could play the game.
So the whole point of buying physical was already lost with the Switch 1. As what's the point of a physical copy, when only a fraction of the game is pre-loaded on the cart.
Fact is, cartridges are heavily outdated and too expensive to produce. Especially the large capacity ones that are now definitely needed for the Switch 2.
Its different with the big XBOX / PS consoles.
A blanc Bluray only costs 1-2 USD, whereas a high capacity Switch 1 / 2 cartridge cost 15+ USD.
Publishers are not willing to take that huge of a cut on their profits and they know they won't sell the game on the Switch 1 / 2 if they have to raise the price with 15 USD.
So the reality is that GKC is the way to go with Switch 2.
And when it comes to game preservation. Well that is pretty much dead too, unless they digitally store the games somewhere and keep them patched up.
As the vast majority of games these days are rushed and of poor quality and need months of large patches, before most of the major bugs and problems are fixed!
So having the initial game on a cart or Bluray for game preservation is just pointless as well, when the 1.0 version is often just broken and/or bugged to hell and requires at least a large day 1 patch (which is often the same size of the entire game) before its playable.
Re: 'PokéPark Kanto', The New Pokémon Theme Park, Opens Its Doors In February
@SwitchplayerJohn The merchandise, next to the TCG generates the most profit for The Pokemon Company.
Sadly but true, the games only bring in small pennies compared to the TCG and Merchandise. Hence, why Gamefreak will never get the budget and dev time they need.
The sole purpose of the games and the TV Anime is just to support the TCG and Merchandise.
Re: Pokémon Legends: Z-A's Mega Dimension DLC Scores December Release Date
@OmnitronVariant Same. I thoroughly enjoy Legends:Z-A and was really looking forward to the Mega Dimension DLC.
Re: Square Enix Aims To Automate 70% Of QA With Generative AI By 2027
@TomSupreme Unless you have been living under a rock these past couple years? It's already happening.
Tried calling Customer Support for various Online Stores, transport companies, insurance, etc?
Chat support had already been widely replaced by AI.
And now recently, many phone Support lines have also been replaced by AI. Its incredibly hard or neigh on impossible to get a human support agent.
Many of them had been fired during COVID and the execs used that as opportunity to accelerate AI implementation, so the human employees didn't need to be hired back.
All these stupid support AI's do, is just repeating the same useless FAQ slop you can find on their websites. The reason you call Support is to talk to a human about whats NOT in the useless FAQ!.
I work in IT myself and Its a terrible development, as its being rushed way too quickly. This isn't going to end well, as the technology is far from ready yet, to be used in this way!
Re: Pokémon Legends: Z-A's Mega Dimension DLC Scores December Release Date
@OmnitronVariant Yep. This is the new "Corporate" Nintendo. Get used to it!
High price for their base game and then bare minimum effort DLC's at a premium price.
This Mega Dimension DLC is just another disgrace to add to the Bonanza DLC pile of Nintendo shame.
The DLC's in both Sword/Shield and Scarlet/Violet were 35 euro and added substantial new content and several hundred new Pokemon.
Especially the second DLC in Scarlet/Violet was insane.
They ended up being actual value for money in terms of what you got in content!
This Mega Dimension DLC is 30 euro and just being rushed out of the door, to increase the end of year profits!
It just feels like a rushed mess and bare minimum effort! An outright rip-off compared to the Sword/Shield and Scarlet/Violet double DLC packs at almost the same price!!
Re: Pokémon Legends: Z-A's Mega Dimension DLC Scores December Release Date
@kal_el_07241 The whole DLC just looks bland and boring.
Just existing Lumious City, but with all NPCs removed, heavily desature the color and add a rainbow shine and then just some wandering Pokemon thrown in.
With Hoopa, I had expected an interesting story and for example going to different parts in time, like far in the past with a very lush ancient and small Lumious City with forests, etc and then maybe another dimension towards the future with a very futuristic Lumious City where they could have added those Violet Paradox Pokemon in it.....
Just more interesting Dimension zones with more variation.
This is such a missed opportunity and as low effort as it can get. Especially compared to the great DLCs in Sword Shield and the amazing second DLC of Scarlet Violet....
This is a huge disappointment and a huge rip-off, as they're charging almost the same price for this DLC ( 30 euro ) as the double DLC pack of Scarlet/Violet ( 35 euro )!
Re: Pokémon Legends: Z-A's Mega Dimension DLC Scores December Release Date
Compared to the mainline game DLC's, this is anti-climactic as it can be.
Why in earth do they rush this DLC? Why not wait til February, spend more time on it and make it amazing, instead of this rushed mess of a DLC.
Re: Pokémon TCG Pocket Pulled In Almost $1.3 Billion In Its First Year Alone
And people keep wondering why the Pokemon games are what they are.
The money the Pokemon games make are literally pocket change compared to the billions they make on the TCG and now also the digital TCG. /shrug
It’s a CATCH22 situation for Gamefreak and why they don’t get a higher budget and more dev time.
All the while the TCG is literally printing money for TPC with little effort.
Re: Persona 5 Series Sales Just Won't Slow Down As Games Soar Past 13 Million
It’s a fantastic game. It’s a shame we don’t get a resolution/ framerate patch for the Switch 2. 😞
Re: Warframe's Switch 2 Version Is Officially Launching In 2026
@SalvorHardin They don’t have to go that far. They can use 1080p and use DLSS.
Re: Warframe's Switch 2 Version Is Officially Launching In 2026
Yeah can't wait, as current version of Warframe looks terrible on the Switch 2.
Re: Nintendo's Pokémon Catching-Related Patent Has Been Rejected In Japan
@breach187 You actually bring up an interesting point.
Fishing is essentially also throwing items, this case lures, at fish to try to catch them.
Re: Microsoft On Its Gaming Business Going Forward: "We Want To Be Everywhere"
@metaphysician It's the CFO at Microsoft that shouldn't be anywhere near the XBOX division that forced this 30% profit margin.
She just doesn't understand the gaming industry and thinks it's easy to hit 30% profit margins like the current AI boom and Cloud business, while in reality the gaming industry in general struggles to hit even 20% profit margins. 30% is literally not possible and realistic. Especially in todays economy!
To enforce this 30% profit margin on the XBOX division, they literally destroying the XBOX brand and pricing themselves out of the market.
And like it or not, if XBOX dies, SONY wins and we gamers loose!
As when SONY then gets Monopoly on the Home console market, with XBOX out of the way, you can bet SONY will heavily increase their prices on everything and will have free reign to do whatever they want and how they want, with all competition out of the way.
As like it or not, Nintendo lives in its own niche in a completely different segment of the gaming market, as the vast majority of major AAA games only launch on PC, XBOX and Playstation.
Especially all the upcoming Unreal Engine 5 games will not even be able to run on the Switch 2, without too much effort and compromises. Since a lot of the current UE5 games already struggle on the regular PS5 and XBOX Series X.
We need XBOX to stay alive, to keep SONY in check and enforce competition in the market.
Lets pray and hope both the CEO and CFO come back to their senses, before it's too late. /sigh
Re: Monster Hunter Wilds Sales Hit The Brakes So Hard Last Quarter, Even 'Rise' Outsold It
@MamaSymphonia Yep didn't like Wilds much either and got bored real quick.
MH:World was a way better game. The maps were much more interesting due to all the verticality and the Monsters were more interesting too.
MH:Wilds just felt really flat and boring by comparison. Boring map design and the monsters weren't all that interesting either.
Re: "Go Tell Nintendo" - Ex-Blizzard President Responds After Xbox Calls Exclusives "Antiquated"
I have always had almost all consoles. Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo.
I always found the Microsoft console experience the best and Sony and Nintendo the worst.
Right now, the XBOX Series X is superior over the PS5. My PS5 has a noisy drive, that always spins up even when playing digital games and the coil whine is a b!tch too.
All the while my XBOX Series X is quiet as mouse and my old XBOX One X Scorpio edition is still going strong at the house of my Mother in law (when we're there during holidays), thanks to XBOX cloud working excellent on it.
Again, when it comes to Remote play, XBOX wins again. The PS Remote App is the absolute worst and after years it's still garbage. All the wile XBOX Cloud (which had its pains in the beginning) works like a charm today.... on any device.
Same with Sony PS+ Cloud. I have the PS Portal, which is an amazing device now it supports PS Cloud gaming, but it only offers a very restrictive library of games and I can still not Stream my digital purchased games! Absolute nuts!
All the while, Nintendo lives on in its own outdated bubble (when it comes to UX and Online experience) and only survives on their 1st party exclusives.
I am 100% sure, if the playing field was completely even with all games being available on all platforms, then both PC and XBOX would win, just for the hardware, UX and Online experience alone.
Just my opinion and 2 cents.
Re: Xbox Reiterates Its Support For Switch 2
@iLikeUrAttitude It's that witch in Microsoft top management, which is driving all this.
Phil Spencer is literally powerless in all this and is forced to cave to the demands like 30% profitability per year, which is unheard of in the game industry and simply not possible.
That's why so many people had to be fired and why XBOX game pass and consoles got that price hike.
This is just really tragic and the result of a clueless hack overriding Phil Spencer and meddling with the XBOX division she has no business meddling with.
All the while, Sataya Nadella is enjoying his huge bonus stock payout and not paying attention to the XBOX division that is being destroyed on his watch.
It's also surprising, as I thought Phil Spencer had enough power and sway within Microsoft, but maybe he has grown too tired to fight back and has thrown the towel in the ring.
Re: Xbox Reiterates Its Support For Switch 2
The Halo Masterchief Collection is over 120GB, so will never come to the Switch 2.
Unless Nintendo will allow piece meal download via the MasterChief launcher, like on XBOX, where you can individually manage which game to install, to manage storage.
So might be more reasonable to think they will start with the announced remaster first.
Re: Pokémon Legends: Z-A Sold 5.8 Million Copies Globally In Its First Week
@1UP-HUSKY Yes same here. They play roblox 90% of the time.
Re: Pokémon Legends: Z-A Sold 5.8 Million Copies Globally In Its First Week
@1UP-HUSKY This is the first Pokemon game that actually offers a lot of side content. There are like 150 side missions, which explains why there are so many static NPC's in the city.
They are and/or will be mission givers at some point in the game.
Like I said in another thread. People struggle interacting with moving NPCs, that's why mission NPC's are often static.
You see this (and continue to see this) in all RPG games.
You actually see quite a few people moving around in Lumiose City and those are non-interactable NPC's.
Yes they could definitely have added even more moving NPC's, but I think its simply the Switch 1 holding them back at this point, which is annoying for us with a Switch 2 that just expect more out of the Switch 2 version.
But it is what it is, when Gamefreak has to operate with a small budget and only get max. 2 year development time per game.
And this is never going to change, as the games and Anime are just there to support the TCG and physical merchandise, which makes them way more money.
Re: Pokémon Legends: Z-A Sold 5.8 Million Copies Globally In Its First Week
@johnedwin You cannot compare from back then.
We were going through something called COVID and lockdowns back then, so gaming sales were out of the ordinary, as people were stuck at home. So game sales across the board were much higher than normal.
Today is totally different. Game sales have tanked worldwide due to current economic situation with high interest rates on mortgages, mass lay-offs in gaming industry and other areas. Game prices have gone up by 10-20 USD/Euro. Etc.
Then we have a console generation switch, going from Switch 1 to Switch 2.
If you just look at the sales figures, then they are impressive in today's market.
It's also not surprising that the Switch 1 version outsold the Switch 2 version, since the Switch 2 is new and is vastly outnumbered by Switch 1 users.
This also makes me worried that next year's new mainline Pokemon games will be mainly developed for the Switch 1 again (Like Legends Z-A) and the Switch 2 version will just be an afterthought again with just a resolution and fps bump.
It's a bit of Catch22 situation, as Nintendo probably still thinks they don't want to alienate that huge Switch 1 base out there, but on the other hand they really need to start selling way more Switch 2 consoles and then you really need to keep releasing great games that show the capabilities of the Switch 2.
Legends:Z-A was definitely not that! It's a good game and I immensely enjoy it on my Switch 2, but I am not blind to see they could have done way more for the Switch 2 version.
But again, I wouldn't pass it by Nintendo being still stuck in ancient thinking in that they don't want to alienate Switch 1 base by making the Switch 1 version look too inferior to the Switch 2 version. /shrug
Re: Opinion: Pokémon Legends Z-A Is The Creepiest Entry Yet, Not In A Good Way
@Rhaoulos it is for the TCG and physical merchandise.Those earn them way more than the games.
Gamefreak is very much treated like an Indie dev studio with the small budget and 2 year time they get per game.
Both Nintendo and The Pokemon Company are to blame for this.
Re: Opinion: Pokémon Legends Z-A Is The Creepiest Entry Yet, Not In A Good Way
@Dr_Lugae What people (and this article) also don't get is that the vast majority of these so called static NPC's are static for a reason. There are like 150 side quests in this game, so that means at least 150 static NPCs.
So there is no way around this, as people will struggle to engage with a moving NPC.
Literally all RPG games with quest/mission systems are designed like this and still are today.
Combine this with a fairly small and condense map and you get what you see. A city filled with static NPC's.
But they did try to add a handful roaming NPCs in the city, like I described in detail in my earlier posts that got nuked.
From all the Pokemon games, Legends:Z-A actually has the most roaming NPCs in the game. So you can at least call that an improvement.
Could they have added more? Of course! Sure! But I feel like they either ran out of time or it's just the Switch 1 that is holding them back at this point. Or both.