It's great that SS2 is coming to the Switch. Hopefully we'll also see enhanced editions of Thief and Thief 2 in the future. These three games all use the Dark engine.
Yeah, I think with all the hints that they've dropped, namely that 1) S2 will be more of an evolution and 2) that they're taking affordability into consideration, we'll see a similar price to the current lineup.
People expecting Xbox Series S, let alone PS5, levels of performance are going to be disappointed, however. The patent applications are already showing that upscaling (i.e. DLSS) is going to be a cornerstone tech. It's good that they have Nvidia in their corner, in that regard.
Given the worldwide economic situation, they are holding off on the RRP.
Cutting the S1 price right now would indirectly reveal the S2 price bracket they are aiming for, so that's the likely reason for keeping prices unaltered for now.
EUR/USD 399 seems plausible, given inflation since 2017, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was a bit less than that, say 369-379. I think we'll see a significant S1 LCD price cut after launch, with the OLED being phased out.
The one gaming event I'm most looking forward to this year is the release of Metroid Prime 4. We know it's coming to Switch 1, so I'm less hyped for new hardware. April's direct might change my mind, but it depends on what new, S2-exclusive games they're going to announce then.
@dew12333 I like the idea of it being a concept video. We are obviously going to get a new MK at some point in the future, so there are no real surprises spoiled by showing some early footage. This way the real launch lineup is still kept secret.
The Deck is intended as a way to play your existing Steam library on a handheld. I don't think Valve envisioned it as a genuine competitor to Switch. The sales numbers are not comparable.
I'm sure we'll see a similar temporary drop in interest in the Deck when the Lenovo handheld with SteamOS support launches. But I don't think Valve would mind. They don''t make any money on the hardware.
As for myself, I bought a Deck mainly for game development and only play it on the rare occasion a title is not available on Switch. Parking Garage Rally Circuit and Sonic & All Stars are the only two titles that come to mind.
Mario and Rabbits: Donkey Kong Adventure. The DKCR release reminded me that I had this on the backlog. Played the main campaign years ago, but never got around to this DLC.
Also playing Super Mario Galaxy for the first time. Another backlog item. Looks great on the OLED. At first, I felt it was a significant step back from SMG2, but the levels get better as you progress.
@carlos82 That's exactly my point. If they wanted to maximize the surprise, in terms of new games, they would've saved the MK9 reveal for April. You can't buy the game or the hardware anyway, so what's the point of revealing the sequel months in advance, while MK8 is still selling well?
But I get the thinking. MK is their best-selling title by a huge margin, so from that perspective it's an obvious part of the presentation.
The hardware part felt more like an Apple presentation, tbh. So, yes, aimed at shareholders. But shareholders didn't get any relevant information like a concrete release date or price. It could be released in Q4 for EUR/USD 500 for all we know.
@Lofoten The MK9 part is clearly tacked on. There's a very obvious cut between the two parts of the reveal. They wanted to keep their options open as to what they were about to reveal. Now whether they decided to include it at the last minute because of the leaks, we can't say of course.
If you ask me, the smarter thing might have been to include some new MP4 footage instead. MK9 doesn't look that next-gen, tbh, and they might've saved that reveal for April.
I think Switch 1 can be compared to the original Game Boy generation. I.e. lasting a much longer time than anticipated. If Switch 2 turns out to be a stopgap model, it will be more like the GBA, which was succeeded by the DS only a few years later.
Reading between the lines, this long wait basically tells you the games aren't ready. They're taking their time to create a strong launch lineup, with a steady supply of releases in the first 2-3 years, as they don't have the Wii U back catalogue to fall back on this time.
The presentation was good, even though all the info was already leaked.
The long wait for the next Direct and the hands-on tour tells me that this reveal was only done to fulfill their obligation to shareholders. They committed to making an announcement before the end of the financial year and did just that and nothing more.
The next Direct (in April) is scheduled right at the start of the upcoming financial year. I get the feeling they just wanted to get the announcement out of the way sooner rather than later, otherwise they would've scheduled that Direct at the end of March.
So I wouldn't be surprised if, in the April Direct, they just focus on the games, but still won't commit to a price or specific release date. It would be wise of them to first await the effect of the supposed Trump tariffs, for one.
Okay, so the leaks were accurate. Still, this reveal feels very underwhelming, like it's only there to fulfill the obligation of having made the announcement during the current financial year.
I guess they're waiting for world economy events to settle before revealing more important details like the price.
I'm currently playing Super Mario Galaxy for the first time and while it's a great game in and of itself, SMG2, which I played on Wii U, took all the lessons learned and improved upon the level design to such a degree that it makes its predecessor redundant, at least in terms of gameplay.
This review is giving me a similar feeling. If you already played the sequel, there's little reason to go back.
But @Max_the_German is right. This game is targeted at younger players who may never have played a DK game. I'm assuming this one is easier than Tropical Freeze overall?
If these ports let you skip the Ubisoft account registration, like the Switch version of Prince of Persia, then that would be a killer "feature" for me.
Interested in AC Mirage, and could buy it on Xbox or PC, but refuse to pay with my e-mail address when I already paid for the game.
If they follow the 2016 playbook, the actual launch will still be 5 months away, so May/June.
My prediction is that we'll see a glimpse of Elden Ring, as one of the generation-defining games now running on Nintendo hardware, much like Skyrim in the OG Switch reveal.
But seeing is believing. It seems odd to reveal it on the same day DKC Returns is released, so I'm skeptical. Apart from his banana stash, poor DK would get all his thunder stolen as well.
Loved it back in the day, because it shook up the formula, but playing the remake last year, I feel the set piece-driven gameplay does not hold up. I like RE better when it's constrained to a few locations and focuses more on exploration. RE4 basically goads you from one location to the next.
I'm just as interested in this as I was in the LM2 HD version. That is to say, not at all. When the superior sequel has already been available for years, this seems redundant. Never played this or LM2.
These leaks seem to be coming from unofficial accessory makers, enjoying their 15 minutes of fame. I don't think we'll see any leaks from the likes of Hori.
Anyway, these leaks are doing Nintendo a favour, because they get the boring parts of the official announcement out of the way. "Here's the New Switch and it's bigger."
Your eyesight is not getting better when you get older, so I'm happy to see a modest increase in size. Hopefully the extra size will also make the Joy-Cons more comfortable. Looking at the leaks so far, I don't think they put in any particular effort in making them more ergonomic.
@Jeronan Not sure what you mean here. EU customers can order a Deck just fine. In fact, the EU distribution centre is here in The Netherlands. My Deck arrived within a day.
First of all, best wishes for a Switch 2(025) year to everyone! I'm looking forward to reading about the games everyone will be playing in the new year. From this topic, I've picked up quite a few titles that I hadn't heard of before and I'm sure this year will bring some more little-known indie gems to my attention.
Anyway, finally started Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. Already bought its DLC, so I expect it will keep me occupied for the next few weeks.
Also, Parking Garage Rally Circuit, on Steam Deck. It's a nice little indie drift racer, that's likely to be ported to Switch.
@Kiwi_Unlimited More likely, Nintendo doesn't care, as long as it doesn't affect their stock. If anything, these leaks only keep the buzz alive, without them having to do any marketing. We all know it's coming very soon, what does a few months' difference make at this point?
The most important and exciting details - the launch date, price and launch titles - are still unknown.
On page 32, the patent specifically talks about generating data sets on versions of a game that is capable of outputting higher resolutions, for use with versions of the game that output lower resolutions.
Now the obvious application here is to enhance resolutions for older, backwards-compatible titles. This might, however, also be a strategy to future-proof the Switch platform. I.e. continue to train new titles, developed during the next decade or so, on higher resolutions (on developer workstations) and provide game-specific DLSS data sets either with the game itself or through system updates.
Pepper Grinder. Played the demo earlier this year, but did not get around to buying the full game until now. Finished the first world yesterday and loving it so far. This may be one of the year's best indies.
Also, Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed. Sadly, this is not available on Switch, so playing on the Deck. The single-player is more fun than Mario Kart, tbh.
@Truegamer79 The excitement is because, this time, they gave a rough indication for the next gen announcement well in advance. Everyone knows it's coming in the next 3 months.
Actually, the "successor" messaging has always been aimed at the shareholders. That's also why they've been explicit in managing expectations for subsequent Directs.
Backwards-compatibility and Switch Online continuity is the only concrete technical info that they did reveal, and that, too, seems to be targeted at shareholders. Not having backwards-compatibility would risk alienating the existing user base. That's why they were so keen to at least drop this info ahead of the actual reveal.
It looks like the most important factor for a platform's success is the digital library. The PC handhelds are designed to give people access to their existing Steam library. I.e. for portable play Switch is no longer the only choice.
At the same time, the fragmentation in the PC market makes it hard for any single OEM to gain a majority share in the handheld segment. The Steam Deck sells in the millions, sure, but not tens of millions. And for Lenovo, the Legion Go revenue is just a rounding error on their balance sheet.
The digital library is also the reason why Xbox is losing to PlaySation again this generation. People are not willing to give up their, in this case, investment in PS4 games and want continuity.
So it's likely that the Switch audience will stick around for next gen, no matter how underpowered the hardware may be compared to other handhelds. And that's aside from the advantage of Nintendo having first-party exclusives, which Xbox and PS have mostly given up on it seems.
If it really looks like the leaks, there's no real surprise for Nintendo to reveal anyway, at least as far as the form factor is concerned. So I can understand why they're delaying the announcement as much as possible.
The more interesting info are the system specs and the games.
I think he was lead artist on Skyrim while at Bethesda, so it's not some random guy. He left Bethesda during Starfield's development and is now an indie developer. Looks like roles with more creative freedom are better suited to him.
For me, the only real highlight is TTYD. Even though it's a remake, I missed out on the original. I now understand why it's held in such high regard, as it's in my top 5 of all-time favourite games.
It makes up for a rather lacklustre year for Switch, tbh. I had high hopes for EoW, but despite the high production values and fun mechanics, I found it to be too short and easy to be truly memorable.
Looking forward to MP4 next year. This generation is going out with a bang.
Speculating here. The EU delay could be due to pending age ratings in Germany. Same situation as Dying Light, which isn't available on the EU e-shop, because, in Germany, it's age-restricted. Since Nintendo cannot guarantee that a buyer is, indeed, at least 18 years of age, they don't carry it at all.
Problem is that PS5/Xbox blockbuster titles cost too much to make. See Concord for a recent example of an expensive failure. They have to recoup their investment somehow and leaving it on one platform is too risky. A possible way forward would be for consoles to focus on exclusives with a smaller scope and lower budget.
But, yeah, all you need is a Switch, a PC and some patience waiting for PS5 titles to be ported to PC eventually. Maybe Astrobot will stay PS5 exclusive, but that's the only game of note that you'll miss out on.
Comments 559
Re: 'System Shock 2' Remaster Is Coming To Nintendo Switch With A New Name
It's great that SS2 is coming to the Switch. Hopefully we'll also see enhanced editions of Thief and Thief 2 in the future. These three games all use the Dark engine.
Re: Best Mario Sports Games Of All Time
I agree with picking N64 Mario Tennis as the best one. The GC version is also good, but the power shot animations ruin the flow.
Re: Rumour: Placeholder Retail Listing Suggests Switch 2 Price Might Be Cheaper Than Expected
Yeah, I think with all the hints that they've dropped, namely that 1) S2 will be more of an evolution and 2) that they're taking affordability into consideration, we'll see a similar price to the current lineup.
People expecting Xbox Series S, let alone PS5, levels of performance are going to be disappointed, however. The patent applications are already showing that upscaling (i.e. DLSS) is going to be a cornerstone tech. It's good that they have Nvidia in their corner, in that regard.
Re: Don't Worry, Nintendo's Thinking About Affordability With Switch 2 Pricing
Given the worldwide economic situation, they are holding off on the RRP.
Cutting the S1 price right now would indirectly reveal the S2 price bracket they are aiming for, so that's the likely reason for keeping prices unaltered for now.
EUR/USD 399 seems plausible, given inflation since 2017, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was a bit less than that, say 369-379. I think we'll see a significant S1 LCD price cut after launch, with the OLED being phased out.
Re: Opinion: With Forecasts Slashed (Again), Absolutely Everyone's Antsy For Switch 2 ASAP
The one gaming event I'm most looking forward to this year is the release of Metroid Prime 4. We know it's coming to Switch 1, so I'm less hyped for new hardware. April's direct might change my mind, but it depends on what new, S2-exclusive games they're going to announce then.
Re: Nintendo Reconfirms Release Windows For Major Upcoming Switch Games
@dew12333 I like the idea of it being a concept video. We are obviously going to get a new MK at some point in the future, so there are no real surprises spoiled by showing some early footage. This way the real launch lineup is still kept secret.
Re: Ex-PlayStation Boss On Switch 2's Name: Nintendo Created So Much "Brand Value"
The numbering scheme is the best and smartest choice, but I wouldn't have minded a more edgy name, like Power Switch or, my favourite, Switch Please.
Re: EA's Share Price Plummets After Reports Of Disappointing Financial Performance
@Keman Yeah, FIFA Street, NBA Street, Burnout 1 and 2, and, of course, SSX. Those were the days!
Re: Nintendo's Switch 2 Announcement Reportedly Impacted Steam Deck Sales
The Deck is intended as a way to play your existing Steam library on a handheld. I don't think Valve envisioned it as a genuine competitor to Switch. The sales numbers are not comparable.
I'm sure we'll see a similar temporary drop in interest in the Deck when the Lenovo handheld with SteamOS support launches. But I don't think Valve would mind. They don''t make any money on the hardware.
As for myself, I bought a Deck mainly for game development and only play it on the rare occasion a title is not available on Switch. Parking Garage Rally Circuit and Sonic & All Stars are the only two titles that come to mind.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (18th January)
Mario and Rabbits: Donkey Kong Adventure. The DKCR release reminded me that I had this on the backlog. Played the main campaign years ago, but never got around to this DLC.
Also playing Super Mario Galaxy for the first time. Another backlog item. Looks great on the OLED. At first, I felt it was a significant step back from SMG2, but the levels get better as you progress.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Re: Nintendo's Share Price Dips Following Its Big Switch 2 Reveal
@carlos82 That's exactly my point. If they wanted to maximize the surprise, in terms of new games, they would've saved the MK9 reveal for April. You can't buy the game or the hardware anyway, so what's the point of revealing the sequel months in advance, while MK8 is still selling well?
But I get the thinking. MK is their best-selling title by a huge margin, so from that perspective it's an obvious part of the presentation.
Re: Nintendo's Share Price Dips Following Its Big Switch 2 Reveal
The hardware part felt more like an Apple presentation, tbh. So, yes, aimed at shareholders. But shareholders didn't get any relevant information like a concrete release date or price. It could be released in Q4 for EUR/USD 500 for all we know.
@Lofoten The MK9 part is clearly tacked on. There's a very obvious cut between the two parts of the reveal. They wanted to keep their options open as to what they were about to reveal. Now whether they decided to include it at the last minute because of the leaks, we can't say of course.
If you ask me, the smarter thing might have been to include some new MP4 footage instead. MK9 doesn't look that next-gen, tbh, and they might've saved that reveal for April.
Re: Reaction: Nintendo Pins Hopes On Familiar Fun With Switch 2
I think Switch 1 can be compared to the original Game Boy generation. I.e. lasting a much longer time than anticipated. If Switch 2 turns out to be a stopgap model, it will be more like the GBA, which was succeeded by the DS only a few years later.
Foldable displays might be the next frontier.
Re: Reaction: Nintendo Pins Hopes On Familiar Fun With Switch 2
Furukawa already said back in May that "Switch next model is the appropriate way to describe it"
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2024/05/nintendo-switch-successor-announcement-is-coming-this-fiscal-year
Re: Nintendo Will Hold A Switch 2 Direct Presentation In April
Reading between the lines, this long wait basically tells you the games aren't ready. They're taking their time to create a strong launch lineup, with a steady supply of releases in the first 2-3 years, as they don't have the Wii U back catalogue to fall back on this time.
Re: Poll: So, What Did You Think Of The Switch 2 Reveal?
The presentation was good, even though all the info was already leaked.
The long wait for the next Direct and the hands-on tour tells me that this reveal was only done to fulfill their obligation to shareholders. They committed to making an announcement before the end of the financial year and did just that and nothing more.
The next Direct (in April) is scheduled right at the start of the upcoming financial year. I get the feeling they just wanted to get the announcement out of the way sooner rather than later, otherwise they would've scheduled that Direct at the end of March.
So I wouldn't be surprised if, in the April Direct, they just focus on the games, but still won't commit to a price or specific release date. It would be wise of them to first await the effect of the supposed Trump tariffs, for one.
Re: Nintendo Switch 2 Reveal Trailer Gives First Official Look At The New Console
Anyone noticed the fine print: Certain Nintendo Switch games may not be supported on or fully compatible with Nintendo Switch 2.
Re: Joy-Con Mouse Functionality Seemingly Confirmed In Switch 2 Trailer
Combined with the wider kickstand, tabletop play seems to get more attention.
Re: Nintendo Switch 2 Reveal Trailer Gives First Official Look At The New Console
Okay, so the leaks were accurate. Still, this reveal feels very underwhelming, like it's only there to fulfill the obligation of having made the announcement during the current financial year.
I guess they're waiting for world economy events to settle before revealing more important details like the price.
Re: Nintendo Is "Very Upset" About The Switch 2 Leaks, It's Claimed
Looks like the leaks were BS, but the day is not over yet.
I hope they now run the announcement during Trump's inauguration just to troll him.
Re: Review: Donkey Kong Country Returns HD (Switch) - Aping A Retro Classic
@Bigmanfan I'm going by this review. But you're not the first on this forum to say that Returns is still worth playing, so I'll keep an open mind.
Re: Review: Donkey Kong Country Returns HD (Switch) - Aping A Retro Classic
I'm currently playing Super Mario Galaxy for the first time and while it's a great game in and of itself, SMG2, which I played on Wii U, took all the lessons learned and improved upon the level design to such a degree that it makes its predecessor redundant, at least in terms of gameplay.
This review is giving me a similar feeling. If you already played the sequel, there's little reason to go back.
But @Max_the_German is right. This game is targeted at younger players who may never have played a DK game. I'm assuming this one is easier than Tropical Freeze overall?
Re: Rumour: Ubisoft Has "More Than Half A Dozen Games" Planned For Switch 2
If these ports let you skip the Ubisoft account registration, like the Switch version of Prince of Persia, then that would be a killer "feature" for me.
Interested in AC Mirage, and could buy it on Xbox or PC, but refuse to pay with my e-mail address when I already paid for the game.
Re: Rumour: 'Switch 2' Will Reportedly Be Officially Revealed This Thursday
If they follow the 2016 playbook, the actual launch will still be 5 months away, so May/June.
My prediction is that we'll see a glimpse of Elden Ring, as one of the generation-defining games now running on Nintendo hardware, much like Skyrim in the OG Switch reveal.
But seeing is believing. It seems odd to reveal it on the same day DKC Returns is released, so I'm skeptical. Apart from his banana stash, poor DK would get all his thunder stolen as well.
Re: Anniversary: Resident Evil 4, One Of The Greatest Games Ever Made, Turns 20
Loved it back in the day, because it shook up the formula, but playing the remake last year, I feel the set piece-driven gameplay does not hold up. I like RE better when it's constrained to a few locations and focuses more on exploration. RE4 basically goads you from one location to the next.
Re: So, Have You Pre-Ordered Donkey Kong Country Returns HD For Switch?
@WheresWaveRace Thanks, I'll keep an open mind then.
Re: Nintendo Breaks Silence On 'Switch 2' Image And Video Leaks
@Everythingnotsaved Dull maybe, but effective. Sony and Apple seem to be doing alright with a simple numbering scheme.
Re: 'Switch 2' And Software Listings Spotted On French Retailer's Internal Database
Bandai Namco x 2 = Tekken + Elden Ring.
Re: So, Have You Pre-Ordered Donkey Kong Country Returns HD For Switch?
I'm just as interested in this as I was in the LM2 HD version. That is to say, not at all. When the superior sequel has already been available for years, this seems redundant. Never played this or LM2.
I did double-dip for Tropical Freeze.
Re: Nintendo Breaks Silence On 'Switch 2' Image And Video Leaks
These leaks seem to be coming from unofficial accessory makers, enjoying their 15 minutes of fame. I don't think we'll see any leaks from the likes of Hori.
Anyway, these leaks are doing Nintendo a favour, because they get the boring parts of the official announcement out of the way. "Here's the New Switch and it's bigger."
Re: Talking Point: Is The Switch 2 Going To Be Too Big?
Your eyesight is not getting better when you get older, so I'm happy to see a modest increase in size. Hopefully the extra size will also make the Joy-Cons more comfortable. Looking at the leaks so far, I don't think they put in any particular effort in making them more ergonomic.
Re: Random: Let's Be Thankful The 'Switch 2' Won't Be As Big As Acer's Ridiculous New Handheld
@Toastmaster @Jeronan, I see the confusion here: EU = European Union. Norway is not part of the EU, so that's why it's not available there.
Re: Random: Let's Be Thankful The 'Switch 2' Won't Be As Big As Acer's Ridiculous New Handheld
@Jeronan Not sure what you mean here. EU customers can order a Deck just fine. In fact, the EU distribution centre is here in The Netherlands. My Deck arrived within a day.
EDIT: I guess you mean retail availability.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (4th January)
First of all, best wishes for a Switch 2(025) year to everyone! I'm looking forward to reading about the games everyone will be playing in the new year. From this topic, I've picked up quite a few titles that I hadn't heard of before and I'm sure this year will bring some more little-known indie gems to my attention.
Anyway, finally started Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. Already bought its DLC, so I expect it will keep me occupied for the next few weeks.
Also, Parking Garage Rally Circuit, on Steam Deck. It's a nice little indie drift racer, that's likely to be ported to Switch.
Re: Tech Fans Have Gone Full 'Layton' In Analysing The 'Switch 2' Motherboard
@Kiwi_Unlimited More likely, Nintendo doesn't care, as long as it doesn't affect their stock. If anything, these leaks only keep the buzz alive, without them having to do any marketing. We all know it's coming very soon, what does a few months' difference make at this point?
The most important and exciting details - the launch date, price and launch titles - are still unknown.
Re: New Patent Seemingly Confirms Nvidia 4K AI Upscaling For Switch 2
On page 32, the patent specifically talks about generating data sets on versions of a game that is capable of outputting higher resolutions, for use with versions of the game that output lower resolutions.
Now the obvious application here is to enhance resolutions for older, backwards-compatible titles. This might, however, also be a strategy to future-proof the Switch platform. I.e. continue to train new titles, developed during the next decade or so, on higher resolutions (on developer workstations) and provide game-specific DLSS data sets either with the game itself or through system updates.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (New Year Edition)
Pepper Grinder. Played the demo earlier this year, but did not get around to buying the full game until now. Finished the first world yesterday and loving it so far. This may be one of the year's best indies.
Also, Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed. Sadly, this is not available on Switch, so playing on the Deck. The single-player is more fun than Mario Kart, tbh.
Enjoy the weekend. See you all next year!
Re: Best Of 2024: Pepper Grinder's Solo Dev Digs Into Scope, Smash Bros. & "Crunchy Feedback"
Bought this in the current sale. Loving it!
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (Christmas 2024 Edition)
Wrapping up Ace Combat 7, only 2 missions left. After that, getting onboard the Loco Motive again, now that the patch is out.
Merry X-mas everyone!
Re: Nintendo's Share Price Reaches All-Time High Ahead Of New 'Switch 2' Hardware
@Truegamer79 The excitement is because, this time, they gave a rough indication for the next gen announcement well in advance. Everyone knows it's coming in the next 3 months.
Actually, the "successor" messaging has always been aimed at the shareholders. That's also why they've been explicit in managing expectations for subsequent Directs.
Backwards-compatibility and Switch Online continuity is the only concrete technical info that they did reveal, and that, too, seems to be targeted at shareholders. Not having backwards-compatibility would risk alienating the existing user base. That's why they were so keen to at least drop this info ahead of the actual reveal.
Re: Point-And-Click Whodunnit 'Loco Motive' Lands New Update, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
Played the first few chapters at launch. Enjoyed it a lot, but put it on the backlog, awaiting this patch. Can't wait to get on board again!
Re: Surprise Leak Reveals Lenovo Is Releasing Another Switch-Like Gaming Handheld
It looks like the most important factor for a platform's success is the digital library. The PC handhelds are designed to give people access to their existing Steam library. I.e. for portable play Switch is no longer the only choice.
At the same time, the fragmentation in the PC market makes it hard for any single OEM to gain a majority share in the handheld segment. The Steam Deck sells in the millions, sure, but not tens of millions. And for Lenovo, the Legion Go revenue is just a rounding error on their balance sheet.
The digital library is also the reason why Xbox is losing to PlaySation again this generation. People are not willing to give up their, in this case, investment in PS4 games and want continuity.
So it's likely that the Switch audience will stick around for next gen, no matter how underpowered the hardware may be compared to other handhelds. And that's aside from the advantage of Nintendo having first-party exclusives, which Xbox and PS have mostly given up on it seems.
Re: After Sharing Switch 2 Images, Dbrand Is Back With Actual Measurements
If it really looks like the leaks, there's no real surprise for Nintendo to reveal anyway, at least as far as the form factor is concerned. So I can understand why they're delaying the announcement as much as possible.
The more interesting info are the system specs and the games.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (14th December)
Yet more Ace Combat 7. Still 8 missions left. At this rate, I'll be playing this game next week as well.
Have a good weekend everyone!
Re: Random: Metroid Prime 3 Dev Left Retro Studios After "Unhealthy Relationship" With Nintendo Micromanagement
I think he was lead artist on Skyrim while at Bethesda, so it's not some random guy. He left Bethesda during Starfield's development and is now an indie developer. Looks like roles with more creative freedom are better suited to him.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (7th December)
More Ace Combat 7. Haven't played any flight games since the late 90s, but this game reminds me that flying is fun.
Re: Rate Your Favourite Switch Games Of The Year 2024
For me, the only real highlight is TTYD. Even though it's a remake, I missed out on the original. I now understand why it's held in such high regard, as it's in my top 5 of all-time favourite games.
It makes up for a rather lacklustre year for Switch, tbh. I had high hopes for EoW, but despite the high production values and fun mechanics, I found it to be too short and easy to be truly memorable.
Looking forward to MP4 next year. This generation is going out with a bang.
Re: Surprise! Nightdive's 'The Thing: Remastered' Is Out Now On The eShop
Speculating here. The EU delay could be due to pending age ratings in Germany. Same situation as Dying Light, which isn't available on the EU e-shop, because, in Germany, it's age-restricted. Since Nintendo cannot guarantee that a buyer is, indeed, at least 18 years of age, they don't carry it at all.
Re: Ex-PlayStation Boss Questions Future Of Consoles, But Not Nintendo Hardware
Problem is that PS5/Xbox blockbuster titles cost too much to make. See Concord for a recent example of an expensive failure. They have to recoup their investment somehow and leaving it on one platform is too risky. A possible way forward would be for consoles to focus on exclusives with a smaller scope and lower budget.
But, yeah, all you need is a Switch, a PC and some patience waiting for PS5 titles to be ported to PC eventually. Maybe Astrobot will stay PS5 exclusive, but that's the only game of note that you'll miss out on.
Re: Review: Fitness Boxing 3: Your Personal Trainer (Switch) - Terrible Tunes, But 'Box & Bond' Adds A Personal Touch
Now I'm Inclined to get this just for the Danger Zone rendition. Maybe the cheesy music is intended to induce rage?