Raiders has shown me how interesting single player can be. I put 300 hours into Splatoon 3 turf war, ranked and salmon run (which is basically what Raiders is, kind of), but never touched the single player. I’m now itching to buy Splatoon 2+DLC and the Splatoon 3 DLC to get all the single player experience. I’m pretty burnt out on online S3 as that game got horribly unbalanced despite all the seasonal balance updates. They ruined online IMHO.
@SpaceboyScreams I understand what you’re saying and it’s true, but from my perspective this world keeps on pushing and pushing and I just wonder what is NL’s rush.
0/10 because you are asking way too early. I have only had time to play 1 hour so far. I’m a healthy adult with important things going on. Why does NL act as if we should all binge our games? What’s the rush NL? What is stopping you from asking us in two weeks from now?
If I were to give preliminary thoughts, I do not like Nintendo tutorials. So far it is over bearing. I would rather have a free room like the lobby in S3 with the bean plants and water board for example so that we could mess around there and just discover how things work on our own. So maybe a 7/10, but I really don’t have a good feel for it yet.
These are digital sales and it represents how proud of digital Nintendo is. Nintendo is no different than Sony. Nintendo will remove physical sooner than you think, as a way to help avert rising hardware cost; by extracting more profit from each digital sale.
I can see it now SE plans to delist the digital Switch 1 versions of these games. Can’t have those on sale and this be full price. Just following Sony’s lead in greed. I personally won’t be buying any Switch 2 upgrades that are done like this.
Nintendo of America’s promotional material repeatedly calls Raiders a “single‑player focused” game. I’ve been desperately trying to understand the multiplayer aspect that all media outlets seem to be failing to report on. Teamwork is what made Salmon Run so fun in Splatoon 3. I can’t imagine a single player Salmon Run.
The Japanese listing is more explicit and upfront about the co‑op systems. Online 2-4 player Treasure Hunt for friends or players who share the same “PASSWORD” can form a group and hunt together. So the idea of lobbies for playing random people worldwide probably do not exist like in Splatoon 3. Online really is locked down to only those you know with whom you’ve already shared a secret password with.
The Japanese eShop page also says that you can also request “Help” from random players or respond to someone else’s help request, allowing temporary 3‑player sessions. We already knew this but it helps to have it clearly worded.
So unless they specifically say there is a lobby like in Splatoon 3, then there isn’t. I’ll have to wait for reviews. Without teamwork I don’t think I would be very interested.
A few days ago TechSpot reported that chip prices are forecasted to go up another 40% this year for Q3 and up another 30% for Q4 this year. Nintendo may desire to keep physical alive but it is this AI price fixing that will force Nintendo out of physical. As for Sony, disc are not chips.
Does it have a lobby for randoms or must we have friends who have the game? How is an inherently multiplayer mode made into a full game going to play out and balance when playing solo? It is the team work that I find so satisfying. I just don’t know how single player would be anything but lonely and overwhelming.
Probably a cheaper worse performing screen to help reduce Bill of materials. Remember that Nintendo is losing money on each SW2 sold, especially with this memory crunch.
Not much competition when it’ll probably cost $1500 or more. PS6 will probably cost $2-3000. Reference: price of every handheld currently on market other than SW2. Heck, in a years time I’m willing to bet SW2 goes up to $650-700.
@Markiemania95 Yes this is what I’m talking about. The direct said experience the prologue in a new way. To me that is gameplay. As for the other commenters, I’ll just say that Nintendo Super Fans don’t like critique.
@Dee123 Actually chopped up fuzzy recording would fly because it is what is called diegetic audio. Diegetic sounds, music and voices are what make movies and games believable, not clinically clear audio.
As nice as Zelda OOT and StarFox 64 remakes are, the Switch 2 now has two to many remakes at this stage of its life cycle. And as cool as Xenoblade Genesis is, it looks way too similar to FE 3H and is yet another school setting.
My God, he is left-handed, always had been until the mirrored version ofTwilight Princess on Wii demanded that he be right-handed because of waggle controls.
The Switch 2 is equal parts a HANDHELD. Why not talk equal parts about that experience? How is the gyro camera? How is the frame rate? How is the resolution?
It feels like the talking flower belongs in a different era from like 15 years ago, and even then it would have been an embarrassing mistake to have existed. I say kill it asap.
@Serpenterror I 1000% agree with you on all points. I too own a Switch 2, but have yet to buy a single Switch 2 game. So far I am playing SW 1 games as if this is a Pro device. I am waiting for a big game like Luigi’s Mansion, Zelda, Mario, a new Xenoblade. Because Nintendo has yet to prove why I should have even bought this machine I often think I’ve made a mistake placing blind faith in Nintendo. I noticed about two years ago that Nintendo was slipping. I figured they were prepping for a new generation but we are 9 months into that generation and Nintendo has yet to release or announce anything huge or meaningful that demands the $450 price. With the way game prices are, the way the recent games have been mediocre at best, I too have been thinking, is the Switch Pro worth it if I only buy LM, Zelda, Xeno, maybe a Mario, maybe Fire Emblem, maybe Pikmin, and that’s it for the entire gen? What if half of those suck? What if I only buy Luigi’s Mansion and Xenoblade? Will the Switch Pro still be worth it to me?
There is also a battery life downgrade. The Switch 2 version of XBX DE last 3.5 hr while the Switch 1 version pre update runs for 5 hrs on the Switch 2. I’ve timed it myself. Another example, Final Fantasy XII TZA runs for 5 hrs 40 min on my Switch 2. If the Switch 2 Edition really did enhance the graphics then I would take the battery hit. But given all the visual downgrades, I would like my battery life back.
If Nintendo can’t be bothered to ensure that handheld games look fantastic on Switch 2 then why did they make the Switch a switchable machine? And by ensure, I mean go way above and beyond on support, documentation, and efficiency tricks, sleight of hand optimizations, shared with all 1st, 2nd, and 3rd party’s. I mean to the point that Nintendo mandates that handheld look indistinguishable from docked.
The vistas in Xenoblade games are gorgeous! They are worth stopping and looking, even walking slowly through.
For those saying that you got to keep moving fast, else you see the issues, well you are wrong. People should stop and bask in the beauty, take squad pics.
It is then that you realize that it is more than a $5 loss, but a loss of beauty. The beauty is ruined. Not even a free update is worth that, for any game.
It’s not texture upscaling, it is the entire rendered image. This update claims to increase render resolution for both handheld and docked but the resolution is in fact the same 540 and 1080 as before. So then what did they do? They are upscaling the entire rendered frame with some sort of ai machine learning upscaler, similar to waifu2x. They are not using SMAA (which is not an upscaler) or DLSS, but a very old and incompetent ai upscaler, like I said, something like waifu2x.
Many on Reddit have discovered the cause of the shimmering and worse aliasing. It appears that the entire rendered frame is split into many tiny squares. You can see the seams of each square if you look closely. This is the cause of the shimmering.
Each square is individually ai upscaled. There is no temporal information for DLSS. The AI is so basic that each square tile is unaware of what the neighboring tile contains. This is the cause of all the seams, shimmering, and increased aliasing.
The effects are most notable on handheld but are also very much there in docked.
Aside from the shimmering and increased aliasing, the ai upscaler is producing a swirled, paint like appearance to each tile across the entire rendered frame for both handheld and docked. It appears that high frequency data (fine detail) is destroyed and thus smeared into a blurry painterly mess. The sharpness and the illusion of increased resolution are maintained because this ai implementation does retain contrast boundaries on the edges of each swirl. Sharpness is contrast after all.
Therefore, the illusion of increased resolution is two fold, first the reduction of high frequency (denoising) and second, edge contrast. All it is, is a denoised and edge contrast sharpened image. Then each tile is upscaled resulting in a final rendered frame of fake 1080 handheld and fake 4K docked.
Yes, we all know that most 4K, and especially that on Switch 2 is upscaled and not true 4K. But never does anyone set out to mangle the original frame before upscaling, as Monolith has done here.
I wonder if Monolith thought that the low resolution textures will look horrible upscaled to 4K. But look at true 4K emulated videos on YouTube, this game looks fantastic, even with the original textures. But who ever did this port must have thought that the low resolution high frequency detail would look horrible so the applied so sort of cheap ai to it.
Which brings me to another idea. Monolith for what ever reason must have not figured that the Switch 2 could actually render true raw pixels higher than 540 handheld and 1080 docked while aiming for a new 60 frames per second, which could be why they combined this ai cleanup with the upscaler. Maybe breaking the frame into tiles and applying all the mangled ai was the most performant method to create the illusion that they are delivering a true 1080/4K experience.
It is unfortunate. The Switch 2 should be powerful enough for a raw pixel 1080 render in handheld of a Switch 1 game without needing to resort to these subpar ai results. And at the very least ran at 40fps handheld.
No way! These should have been remade in Let’s Go style with multi language support, online, HOME, and on a cartridge! These are ugly, pixilated, lazy rom dumps. $5 a piece would have been a better price for such a bare bones package.
I think the biggest problems are not with the game but with comparisons to Dino Crisis, everyone dog-piling on the game while never having touched the game, assuming what the game is based on a vague trailer, and a lack of honest reviews that are not heavily biased in favor of the rage hate crowd.
If Nintendo Life would actually review this game in a fair non-bias way, explaining what the game even is, then I will accept what ever score they give. But right now, nobody seems interested in imaginative, quirky, and unique gameplay. At least that’s what it looks like to me without actually having touched the game or had honest coverage of it.
@Anachronism I really enjoyed DQ IV and DQ IX, but DQ XI felt so boring, battling was either too easy or the draconian quest challenge was too broken. Strategy, thought, planning, felt inconsequential. It’s unfortunate that DQ VII Reimagined looks to be this way from what l’ve read.
Not cheap enough: $54 usd conversion for the game + $25 for 1/4th of a 512GB (477 useable) SDExpress card. A $79 game. This is what happens when game key cards pass the storage price onto the consumer.
I joined the Switch family late and have many games unplayed, I would really like all 1st party, 2nd party and most 3rd party games updated to 1080p, 30/60 fps stable, and give the enhancements that a docked Switch 1 would provide some games like better shadows and less over sharpening (example Xenoblade 2) when played in handheld. Handheld is the only way I play.
I’ve heard some guess that we will see a $50 markup. My guess is that we may see higher. The Switch 2 has 12GB of HBM type memory. This high bandwidth type memory has gone up something like 4x in price since 6 months ago. Just because the Nintendo Switch 2 is a toy does not mean Nintendo gets away with a simple $50 markup while the “serious” electronics go higher, unless Nintendo absorbs the markup. Who knows what the actual cost to Nintendo is, but I’m sure that cost is increasing by 4x sometime soon.
After Nintendo abandoned handheld game systems and their $40 games, and merged them with their home console line, you could argue that Nintendo abandoned the budget gamer. The Switch Lite and seldom 1st party sales plus the used market helped keep Nintendo gaming affordable to a degree. But with $70-$100 (game + dlc, hello Pokémon) Switch 2 games, plus an increased Switch 2 price due to RAM, this generation of Nintendo may priced out the budget gamer completely. The used market isn’t cheap enough for Switch 2 and the global price increase may affect the used market as well.
I myself did get a Switch 2 this Christmas but have yet to buy a Switch 2 game. My Switch 1 library is about 24 games large but I feel that my Switch 2 library might be 1/3rd of that.
The original Switch and OLED are slipping because they have been outclassed and replaced by the Switch 2. The Switch Lite takes a surprising but understandable 2nd place because this model does have a reason to exist when standing next to the giant Switch 2.
Yoshi is pronounced ヨ(yo) ッ(brief pause and very slight and tight short blending of next sound with previous sound = yo…shh [still sounding like yo as in yo-yo the toy]), シ(shi and in she), ー(draw out last sound(shiii as in sheee).
(tight, quick)Yo + (very brief pause and subtle blend with next sound Yo.s) Shi + (continue to draw out last sound) iiiii (as in eeee of sheeee). Yo.sShiiii.
If you have an iPhone, highlight and translate ヨッシー。Listen to the translation.
With the newly released 1.1.0 update for Switch and Switch 2, it looks like, according to Nintendo product page the game has grown to 12.1 and 16.3GB for Switch and Switch 2. For the content included in the update, it seems like a rather large data size increase from the original 8.3GB, especially considering the Switch version isn't high resolution like the Switch 2.
I have a Switch 2 and took a screen shot of the opening level before and after updating. I only see two changes to the graphics, less aliasing (but it is still there, almost as if it’s not very strongly used or this reduction is simply due to going from 720 to 1080p), and DK’s fur is much lighter brown. Those are the only two visual changes I see.
If what she said is what you quoted there, she didn’t introduce herself very much. Sounded like she’s hosting the NY Game Awards or that they are sponsoring her.
Hi, I’m Devon. I’d like to thank NY Game Awards for 15 years of excellence. Fighting bosses and going together with friends is a wonderful thing. Believe in yourself, you belong in the game.
She’s the President of Nintendo of America? When will she say that?
I thinks Square-Enix’s thinking and Nintendo Life’s sub heading are toxic for the gaming industry.
The thought process should be that Square-Enix set out to make the best game possible knowing that such excellence would bring about enough sales to continue their desire to create more games of higher and higher excellence.
The deciding factor should not lay in the consumers banding together to “get it done” by throwing money towards SE. The deciding factor should be in SE mindset of excellence breeds success.
As for SE being unsure if strategy games sell, and that being a deciding factor on future strategy games. Over the last 8 years, the Switch has enjoyed high sales from SE own strategy games as well as Nintendo’s Mario & Rabbids and Fire Emblem games, and do forget all the other SRPG’s on Switch, which have done well enough.
The messaging from SE and NintendoLife sound destructive and encourage rewarding a games company before the game is even proven to be worthy of your money.
It’s the first $80 Nintendo Switch 2 game, MKW is free seeing as the pack-in with system is the only option at retailers for $500, and DKB is $70. At such a premium price, the game is too short and the graphics are near identical to the $60 Switch 1 game. If you haven’t played it already on Switch 1, this Switch 2 title only gives you 2.5hrs extra gameplay. I wouldn’t score it to high because it’s a poor value for the money.
Increase by 75% is not how numbers work. That would be a decrease. Did you mean to say 175%? I don’t know anyone who owns one and my 8 switch splatoon online friends don’t have one either.
I don’t expect a single one of those in poll. I don’t have any expectations for third parties. Have third parties become very excited by Switch 2? That’s what I curious to see.
Who is Circanan? The numbers are an estimation but there is no traceable link back to this Circana and how they arrived at this number. Poor reporting by NL and whoever this Stephen Totilo is as well.
My opinion is that the all sales this past month primarily reflect purchases from super fans, but only those whom also have money to burn.
Comments 232
Re: Talking Point: Which Developer Is Working On The Zelda: Ocarina Of Time Remake?
Bungie Studios or Bethesda. All the layoffs because the game is just about complete.
Re: Splatoon Raiders' User Scores Are Off To A Splashing Start On Metacritic
Raiders has shown me how interesting single player can be. I put 300 hours into Splatoon 3 turf war, ranked and salmon run (which is basically what Raiders is, kind of), but never touched the single player. I’m now itching to buy Splatoon 2+DLC and the Splatoon 3 DLC to get all the single player experience. I’m pretty burnt out on online S3 as that game got horribly unbalanced despite all the seasonal balance updates. They ruined online IMHO.
Re: Splatoon Raiders' User Scores Are Off To A Splashing Start On Metacritic
I enjoy the music, it reminds me of Pikmin 2’s underground dungeon music. Really weird, eerie and somehow groovy.
Re: Poll: What Review Score Would You Give Splatoon Raiders?
@SpaceboyScreams I understand what you’re saying and it’s true, but from my perspective this world keeps on pushing and pushing and I just wonder what is NL’s rush.
Re: Poll: What Review Score Would You Give Splatoon Raiders?
0/10 because you are asking way too early. I have only had time to play 1 hour so far. I’m a healthy adult with important things going on. Why does NL act as if we should all binge our games? What’s the rush NL? What is stopping you from asking us in two weeks from now?
If I were to give preliminary thoughts, I do not like Nintendo tutorials. So far it is over bearing. I would rather have a free room like the lobby in S3 with the bean plants and water board for example so that we could mess around there and just discover how things work on our own. So maybe a 7/10, but I really don’t have a good feel for it yet.
Re: Here Are Japan's Best-Selling Switch 1 & 2 eShop Games For The First Half Of 2026
These are digital sales and it represents how proud of digital Nintendo is. Nintendo is no different than Sony. Nintendo will remove physical sooner than you think, as a way to help avert rising hardware cost; by extracting more profit from each digital sale.
Re: Octopath Traveler 1 & 2 Announced For Switch 2 With Improved Performance And Visuals
I can see it now SE plans to delist the digital Switch 1 versions of these games. Can’t have those on sale and this be full price. Just following Sony’s lead in greed. I personally won’t be buying any Switch 2 upgrades that are done like this.
Re: Upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 Games & Accessories For July & August 2026
Nintendo of America’s promotional material repeatedly calls Raiders a “single‑player focused” game. I’ve been desperately trying to understand the multiplayer aspect that all media outlets seem to be failing to report on. Teamwork is what made Salmon Run so fun in Splatoon 3. I can’t imagine a single player Salmon Run.
The Japanese listing is more explicit and upfront about the co‑op systems. Online 2-4 player Treasure Hunt for friends or players who share the same “PASSWORD” can form a group and hunt together. So the idea of lobbies for playing random people worldwide probably do not exist like in Splatoon 3. Online really is locked down to only those you know with whom you’ve already shared a secret password with.
The Japanese eShop page also says that you can also request “Help” from random players or respond to someone else’s help request, allowing temporary 3‑player sessions. We already knew this but it helps to have it clearly worded.
So unless they specifically say there is a lobby like in Splatoon 3, then there isn’t. I’ll have to wait for reviews. Without teamwork I don’t think I would be very interested.
Re: Talking Point: As Sony Bins Physical, How Long Until Nintendo Follows Suit?
A few days ago TechSpot reported that chip prices are forecasted to go up another 40% this year for Q3 and up another 30% for Q4 this year. Nintendo may desire to keep physical alive but it is this AI price fixing that will force Nintendo out of physical. As for Sony, disc are not chips.
Re: Talking Point: As Sony Bins Physical, How Long Until Nintendo Follows Suit?
Remove cartridge slot, reduce screen to 60hrz non HDR version. Stave off price hike above $500 until Spring or Summer 2027.
Re: Preview: Splatoon Raiders Promises The Single-Player Splatting I Always Wanted
Does it have a lobby for randoms or must we have friends who have the game? How is an inherently multiplayer mode made into a full game going to play out and balance when playing solo? It is the team work that I find so satisfying. I just don’t know how single player would be anything but lonely and overwhelming.
Re: Rumour: Nintendo Might Be Updating The Switch 2's LCD Panel
Probably a cheaper worse performing screen to help reduce Bill of materials. Remember that Nintendo is losing money on each SW2 sold, especially with this memory crunch.
Re: It's Looking Likely That Switch 2 Will Have A Handheld PS6 Competitor
Not much competition when it’ll probably cost $1500 or more. PS6 will probably cost $2-3000. Reference: price of every handheld currently on market other than SW2. Heck, in a years time I’m willing to bet SW2 goes up to $650-700.
Re: Poll: What Review Score Would You Give Star Fox On Switch 2?
@Markiemania95 Yes this is what I’m talking about. The direct said experience the prologue in a new way. To me that is gameplay. As for the other commenters, I’ll just say that Nintendo Super Fans don’t like critique.
Re: Poll: What Review Score Would You Give Star Fox On Switch 2?
@TCKuma in the direct. In Kit and Krista’s review they even lamented that Star Wolf amounted to just a cinematic.
Re: Poll: What Review Score Would You Give Star Fox On Switch 2?
Star Wolf isn’t even a playable campaign. They made it seem like it would be. Such a lack of content and way too short for such expense. 6/10.
Re: Talking Point: Have You Bought A 1TB Micro SD Express Card Yet?
I got 2 512’s from eBay, GameStop brand for $50 each. If Nintendo starts releasing games then I plan on swapping between these two cards.
Re: Star Fox Switch 2 English Voice Actors Officially Revealed
@Dee123 Actually chopped up fuzzy recording would fly because it is what is called diegetic audio. Diegetic sounds, music and voices are what make movies and games believable, not clinically clear audio.
Re: Zelda: Ocarina Of Time Description May Suggest A Faithful 1:1 Remake
As nice as Zelda OOT and StarFox 64 remakes are, the Switch 2 now has two to many remakes at this stage of its life cycle. And as cool as Xenoblade Genesis is, it looks way too similar to FE 3H and is yet another school setting.
Re: Talking Point: Is Legend Of Zelda's Link Left Or Right-Handed? Let's Look At The Evidence
My God, he is left-handed, always had been until the mirrored version ofTwilight Princess on Wii demanded that he be right-handed because of waggle controls.
Re: Poll: Who's Your Favourite Resident Evil Playable Character?
Moria Burton. The author missed alooot of RE characters. Where is Barry!!!
Re: Review: Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake (Switch 2) - Great Atmosphere But Never Quite Comes Into Focus
The Switch 2 is equal parts a HANDHELD. Why not talk equal parts about that experience? How is the gyro camera? How is the frame rate? How is the resolution?
Re: Talking Point: Are You Tired Of The Talking Flower Yet?
It feels like the talking flower belongs in a different era from like 15 years ago, and even then it would have been an embarrassing mistake to have existed. I say kill it asap.
Re: Poll: Box Art Brawl - Duel: Tales Of Symphonia (GameCube)
I like the Nintendo Switch one the very best.
Re: Fans Are Asking Nintendo To Refund Xenoblade Chronicles X's Switch 2 Upgrade
@Serpenterror I 1000% agree with you on all points. I too own a Switch 2, but have yet to buy a single Switch 2 game. So far I am playing SW 1 games as if this is a Pro device. I am waiting for a big game like Luigi’s Mansion, Zelda, Mario, a new Xenoblade. Because Nintendo has yet to prove why I should have even bought this machine I often think I’ve made a mistake placing blind faith in Nintendo. I noticed about two years ago that Nintendo was slipping. I figured they were prepping for a new generation but we are 9 months into that generation and Nintendo has yet to release or announce anything huge or meaningful that demands the $450 price. With the way game prices are, the way the recent games have been mediocre at best, I too have been thinking, is the Switch Pro worth it if I only buy LM, Zelda, Xeno, maybe a Mario, maybe Fire Emblem, maybe Pikmin, and that’s it for the entire gen? What if half of those suck? What if I only buy Luigi’s Mansion and Xenoblade? Will the Switch Pro still be worth it to me?
Nintendo is such a wildcard currently.
Re: Fans Are Asking Nintendo To Refund Xenoblade Chronicles X's Switch 2 Upgrade
There is also a battery life downgrade. The Switch 2 version of XBX DE last 3.5 hr while the Switch 1 version pre update runs for 5 hrs on the Switch 2. I’ve timed it myself. Another example, Final Fantasy XII TZA runs for 5 hrs 40 min on my Switch 2. If the Switch 2 Edition really did enhance the graphics then I would take the battery hit. But given all the visual downgrades, I would like my battery life back.
Re: Fans Are Asking Nintendo To Refund Xenoblade Chronicles X's Switch 2 Upgrade
If Nintendo can’t be bothered to ensure that handheld games look fantastic on Switch 2 then why did they make the Switch a switchable machine? And by ensure, I mean go way above and beyond on support, documentation, and efficiency tricks, sleight of hand optimizations, shared with all 1st, 2nd, and 3rd party’s. I mean to the point that Nintendo mandates that handheld look indistinguishable from docked.
Re: Fans Are Asking Nintendo To Refund Xenoblade Chronicles X's Switch 2 Upgrade
The vistas in Xenoblade games are gorgeous! They are worth stopping and looking, even walking slowly through.
For those saying that you got to keep moving fast, else you see the issues, well you are wrong. People should stop and bask in the beauty, take squad pics.
It is then that you realize that it is more than a $5 loss, but a loss of beauty. The beauty is ruined. Not even a free update is worth that, for any game.
Re: Fans Are Asking Nintendo To Refund Xenoblade Chronicles X's Switch 2 Upgrade
It’s not texture upscaling, it is the entire rendered image. This update claims to increase render resolution for both handheld and docked but the resolution is in fact the same 540 and 1080 as before. So then what did they do? They are upscaling the entire rendered frame with some sort of ai machine learning upscaler, similar to waifu2x. They are not using SMAA (which is not an upscaler) or DLSS, but a very old and incompetent ai upscaler, like I said, something like waifu2x.
Many on Reddit have discovered the cause of the shimmering and worse aliasing. It appears that the entire rendered frame is split into many tiny squares. You can see the seams of each square if you look closely. This is the cause of the shimmering.
Each square is individually ai upscaled. There is no temporal information for DLSS. The AI is so basic that each square tile is unaware of what the neighboring tile contains. This is the cause of all the seams, shimmering, and increased aliasing.
The effects are most notable on handheld but are also very much there in docked.
Aside from the shimmering and increased aliasing, the ai upscaler is producing a swirled, paint like appearance to each tile across the entire rendered frame for both handheld and docked. It appears that high frequency data (fine detail) is destroyed and thus smeared into a blurry painterly mess. The sharpness and the illusion of increased resolution are maintained because this ai implementation does retain contrast boundaries on the edges of each swirl. Sharpness is contrast after all.
Therefore, the illusion of increased resolution is two fold, first the reduction of high frequency (denoising) and second, edge contrast. All it is, is a denoised and edge contrast sharpened image. Then each tile is upscaled resulting in a final rendered frame of fake 1080 handheld and fake 4K docked.
Yes, we all know that most 4K, and especially that on Switch 2 is upscaled and not true 4K. But never does anyone set out to mangle the original frame before upscaling, as Monolith has done here.
I wonder if Monolith thought that the low resolution textures will look horrible upscaled to 4K. But look at true 4K emulated videos on YouTube, this game looks fantastic, even with the original textures. But who ever did this port must have thought that the low resolution high frequency detail would look horrible so the applied so sort of cheap ai to it.
Which brings me to another idea. Monolith for what ever reason must have not figured that the Switch 2 could actually render true raw pixels higher than 540 handheld and 1080 docked while aiming for a new 60 frames per second, which could be why they combined this ai cleanup with the upscaler. Maybe breaking the frame into tiles and applying all the mangled ai was the most performant method to create the illusion that they are delivering a true 1080/4K experience.
It is unfortunate. The Switch 2 should be powerful enough for a raw pixel 1080 render in handheld of a Switch 1 game without needing to resort to these subpar ai results. And at the very least ran at 40fps handheld.
Re: Poll: Will You Be Getting Pokémon FireRed Or LeafGreen On Switch?
No way! These should have been remade in Let’s Go style with multi language support, online, HOME, and on a cartridge! These are ugly, pixilated, lazy rom dumps. $5 a piece would have been a better price for such a bare bones package.
Re: Missed Potential Or A Campy Classic? Switch 2 Exclusive 'Tokyo Scramble' Hasn't Been A Hit
I think the biggest problems are not with the game but with comparisons to Dino Crisis, everyone dog-piling on the game while never having touched the game, assuming what the game is based on a vague trailer, and a lack of honest reviews that are not heavily biased in favor of the rage hate crowd.
If Nintendo Life would actually review this game in a fair non-bias way, explaining what the game even is, then I will accept what ever score they give. But right now, nobody seems interested in imaginative, quirky, and unique gameplay. At least that’s what it looks like to me without actually having touched the game or had honest coverage of it.
Re: Poll: What Review Score Would You Give Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined?
@Anachronism I really enjoyed DQ IV and DQ IX, but DQ XI felt so boring, battling was either too easy or the draconian quest challenge was too broken. Strategy, thought, planning, felt inconsequential. It’s unfortunate that DQ VII Reimagined looks to be this way from what l’ve read.
Re: Hollow Knight's Latest Update Is Now Live On Switch 1 & 2, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
I didn’t know a docked Switch could support those aspect ratios. That’s really cool!
Re: PSA: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Is Surprisingly Cheap On The UK eShop Right Now
Not cheap enough: $54 usd conversion for the game + $25 for 1/4th of a 512GB (477 useable) SDExpress card. A $79 game. This is what happens when game key cards pass the storage price onto the consumer.
Re: Talking Point: Nintendo Direct February Partner Predictions - What Do You Want To See?
Final Fantasy XIII trilogy ports (no reimagining), both Metal Gear Solid 5 ports (again no remakes or reimagining), both Death Stranding’s.
Re: Nintendo Explains Why Switch Games Are Still Getting Free Updates
I joined the Switch family late and have many games unplayed, I would really like all 1st party, 2nd party and most 3rd party games updated to 1080p, 30/60 fps stable, and give the enhancements that a docked Switch 1 would provide some games like better shadows and less over sharpening (example Xenoblade 2) when played in handheld. Handheld is the only way I play.
Re: Nintendo Will "Carefully Consider" A Switch 2 Price Increase, Says Furukawa
I’ve heard some guess that we will see a $50 markup. My guess is that we may see higher. The Switch 2 has 12GB of HBM type memory. This high bandwidth type memory has gone up something like 4x in price since 6 months ago. Just because the Nintendo Switch 2 is a toy does not mean Nintendo gets away with a simple $50 markup while the “serious” electronics go higher, unless Nintendo absorbs the markup. Who knows what the actual cost to Nintendo is, but I’m sure that cost is increasing by 4x sometime soon.
Re: Nintendo Will "Carefully Consider" A Switch 2 Price Increase, Says Furukawa
After Nintendo abandoned handheld game systems and their $40 games, and merged them with their home console line, you could argue that Nintendo abandoned the budget gamer. The Switch Lite and seldom 1st party sales plus the used market helped keep Nintendo gaming affordable to a degree. But with $70-$100 (game + dlc, hello Pokémon) Switch 2 games, plus an increased Switch 2 price due to RAM, this generation of Nintendo may priced out the budget gamer completely. The used market isn’t cheap enough for Switch 2 and the global price increase may affect the used market as well.
I myself did get a Switch 2 this Christmas but have yet to buy a Switch 2 game. My Switch 1 library is about 24 games large but I feel that my Switch 2 library might be 1/3rd of that.
Re: Japanese Charts: Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade Emerges Victorious In A Quiet Week
The original Switch and OLED are slipping because they have been outclassed and replaced by the Switch 2. The Switch Lite takes a surprising but understandable 2nd place because this model does have a reason to exist when standing next to the giant Switch 2.
Re: Super Mario Galaxy Movie's New Trailer Shares A "First Look" At Yoshi
@gcunit ヨッシークラフトワールド (Yoshi Crafted World NSW)
Yoshi is pronounced ヨ(yo) ッ(brief pause and very slight and tight short blending of next sound with previous sound = yo…shh [still sounding like yo as in yo-yo the toy]), シ(shi and in she), ー(draw out last sound(shiii as in sheee).
(tight, quick)Yo + (very brief pause and subtle blend with next sound Yo.s) Shi + (continue to draw out last sound) iiiii (as in eeee of sheeee). Yo.sShiiii.
If you have an iPhone, highlight and translate ヨッシー。Listen to the translation.
It is not YaaShiii. ヤッシー！
Re: Review: Hit Box Ultra Arcade Controller - The Ultimate Partner For Fighting Fans
@canaryfarmer With a thumb like that, makes sense.
Re: Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Gets A Free Switch 2 Update And Adds Dixie Kong
With the newly released 1.1.0 update for Switch and Switch 2, it looks like, according to Nintendo product page the game has grown to 12.1 and 16.3GB for Switch and Switch 2. For the content included in the update, it seems like a rather large data size increase from the original 8.3GB, especially considering the Switch version isn't high resolution like the Switch 2.
I have a Switch 2 and took a screen shot of the opening level before and after updating. I only see two changes to the graphics, less aliasing (but it is still there, almost as if it’s not very strongly used or this reduction is simply due to going from 720 to 1080p), and DK’s fur is much lighter brown. Those are the only two visual changes I see.
Re: "I'm Excited To Meet You" - Devon Pritchard Makes Her First Public Appearance As President Of NoA
If what she said is what you quoted there, she didn’t introduce herself very much. Sounded like she’s hosting the NY Game Awards or that they are sponsoring her.
Hi, I’m Devon. I’d like to thank NY Game Awards for 15 years of excellence. Fighting bosses and going together with friends is a wonderful thing. Believe in yourself, you belong in the game.
She’s the President of Nintendo of America? When will she say that?
Re: Strong Final Fantasy Tactics Sales May Lead To More Remasters And Sequels
I thinks Square-Enix’s thinking and Nintendo Life’s sub heading are toxic for the gaming industry.
The thought process should be that Square-Enix set out to make the best game possible knowing that such excellence would bring about enough sales to continue their desire to create more games of higher and higher excellence.
The deciding factor should not lay in the consumers banding together to “get it done” by throwing money towards SE. The deciding factor should be in SE mindset of excellence breeds success.
As for SE being unsure if strategy games sell, and that being a deciding factor on future strategy games. Over the last 8 years, the Switch has enjoyed high sales from SE own strategy games as well as Nintendo’s Mario & Rabbids and Fire Emblem games, and do forget all the other SRPG’s on Switch, which have done well enough.
The messaging from SE and NintendoLife sound destructive and encourage rewarding a games company before the game is even proven to be worthy of your money.
Re: Poll: What Review Score Would You Give 'Kirby & The Forgotten Land + Star-Crossed World'?
It’s the first $80 Nintendo Switch 2 game, MKW is free seeing as the pack-in with system is the only option at retailers for $500, and DKB is $70. At such a premium price, the game is too short and the graphics are near identical to the $60 Switch 1 game. If you haven’t played it already on Switch 1, this Switch 2 title only gives you 2.5hrs extra gameplay. I wouldn’t score it to high because it’s a poor value for the money.
Re: Switch 2 Sales In The US Are Outpacing The Original Console By 75%
Increase by 75% is not how numbers work. That would be a decrease. Did you mean to say 175%? I don’t know anyone who owns one and my 8 switch splatoon online friends don’t have one either.
Re: Feature: Nintendo Partner Direct Predictions - What Do You Expect To See?
I don’t expect a single one of those in poll. I don’t have any expectations for third parties. Have third parties become very excited by Switch 2? That’s what I curious to see.
Re: Nintendo Switch 2 System Update 20.3.0 Is Now Live, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
Gearing up for Nintendo’s August 1st price and policy changes perhaps?
Re: Around 1 In 3 Switch 2 Owners Bought New Pro Controller Despite High Price Point (US)
Who is Circanan? The numbers are an estimation but there is no traceable link back to this Circana and how they arrived at this number. Poor reporting by NL and whoever this Stephen Totilo is as well.
My opinion is that the all sales this past month primarily reflect purchases from super fans, but only those whom also have money to burn.
Re: Prominent YouTuber Doubles Down On Belief That A Nintendo Direct Is Due This Month
Who is this guy? He work for Nintendo? What does he get out of being right other than prolonging an illusion that he’s got something special.
As for a Nintendo Direct, I only care for Switch 1 games releases. Give me NSMB 2 3DS HD, NSMB DS HD, and Luigi’s Mansion 3DS HD.