Ralizah

Eh. These companies would have gone the code-in-a-box route otherwise. It's a straight-up improvement on that.

That said, absolutely reward publishers who are putting the entire game on the cartridge if you care about this issue. CDPR shelled out a decent amount to secure those 64GB Cyberpunk 2077 physicals.

@AnonyQ At least in the U.S., the Switch version of BotW is $60... $10 less than the Switch 2 version.

TotK is $70... $10 less than the Switch 2 version.

I think you can probably reliably expect the difference in price between MSRPs for the Switch and Switch 2 editions will also be the upgrade price.

In terms of purchases?

Metroid Prime 4 (might play on Switch 1, though)
Mario Kart World
Donkey Kong Bananza
Upgrade pack for Kirby to play the expansion content

That's all atm. I'll have access to BotW and TotK's upgrades anyway via the Expansion Pack, so I'm not worried about listing those.

Any non-exclusive third party stuff will be better on my Steam Deck.

@thenikdavies

"I really want to play Split Fiction, but I don't know if I've got a friend to be able to play the whole thing with (which sounds super depressing)."

LOL Not necessarily. Maybe your friends don't play games. Maybe your schedules don't line up.

Just saying: not being able to wrangle friends for a game like this doesn't mean you're #foreveralone

So two From Software games, but one doesn't even have a real physical version, alienating a lot of potential early purchasers, and the other is some weird multiplayer thing and not a real Soulslike.

The monkey's paw curls.

What I thought every time I heard people mentioning the mouse mode.

Joycons aren't mice, and they won't feel good being used like mice.

Touchpads like on the Steam Deck would have been much better.

This isn't anywhere near a mid-range PC specs-wise. And that shows in the performance of games like Cyberpunk.

My current PC build is VERY outdated and mid, but it still runs circles around this thing, even when docked.

It's fine. It's a small portable console. Expectations should be kept in check, though.

@AlonditeFE ❤️ Thanks, Mr. Stalker. It felt right in the moment.

It's like a lot of people's brains stop working when it comes to electoral politics in this country. I guess that's what rampant tribalism writ large gets you!

Americans getting what they deserve, honestly. 😂

Just too bad the rest of the world has to suffer with us.

@Not_Soos Honestly, dude, no, this ain't it. The Democrats sucking is never an excuse to vote for something unfathomably worse.

Like, if I order a piece of chicken and it's undercooked, I won't enjoy it, and I'll definitely complain, but I definitely wouldn't eat out of the nearby dumpster instead.

540p on a 1080p screen is rough. 😬

Hopefully they can boost that up a bit in the retail release when it comes to handheld play.

Seems like Switch 2 will be kind of like base PS5 in terms of how it's a great place to play last-gen titles with superior performance.

The thing is that people want to explore lonely, dangerous worlds filled with secrets and wonder in From Software games. Not play "matches."

I won't write this off entirely yet, but this feels like a VERY wasted opportunity for Nintendo to have its own cool Souls-like title.

The off-screen footage looks surprisingly sharp. Really hope it holds up well in handheld form as well.

Lunar is a day one. Probably on Switch.

So are Last Defense Academy and Fantasy Life i... on Steam.

@Mgalens Nocturne wasn't a great port technically on any platform, although the changes to the fusion system still make it the only way I'm willing to (legally) play the game.

Kinda wish it'd been a remake instead. Although I suppose, in some respects, they already attempted that with SMT V, whose exploration is a little closer to the original concept for Nocturne, as I recall.

Very cool.

After Raidou 2, I suppose that just leaves Digital Devil Saga, doesn't it?

Already pre-ordered on Steam. Haven't really been thrilled with the Too Kyo games I've played thus far, but I'm hopeful this one will capture my attention again the way their work with Spike Chunsoft did (Danganronpa, Zero Escape, and AI: The Somnium Files are all fantastic series). If nothing else, the demo was pretty fun.

@BenAV Nintendo almost never fully dumps support for the previous gen right away, and it's difficult to imagine Switch 1 releases like Metroid Prime 4 won't be enhanced on the newer hardware.

Based on the wording, cross-gen games should still be good, so vouchers will likely still be useful for at least a couple more years.

@TenEighty You and @Anti-Matter should become a power couple and stream yourselves burning M-rated video games or something. I'd watch it.

It's hard to imagine Microsoft won't be on Switch 2 in launch year with games that they couldn't port to the previous hardware. When a new platform releases, you want stuff to play on it, after all.

@Anachronism Picking a fight with Valve? All of their games are on Steam, and it's even looking likely that you'll be able to play your Steam games on the next Xbox hardware.

@shining_nexus I only buy at launch now for Nintendo games (since there's virtually no point in waiting for sales) and the odd third-party release I'm really excited about (like the upcoming Lunar remasters). Everything else only makes sense after price depreciation has maxed out. You get a more polished version of the game at a fraction of the price.

Yeah, I'm trying to buy games more consciously. They know gaming people with sales, launch discounts, etc. can make it harder for us to resist, even when we have multiple years worth of games in our backlogs and buying much of anything doesn't make a whole bunch of sense.

Honestly, I could never buy another game for the next ten years and probably still have stuff to play in my backlog across the various platforms! I won't fully get off the new game bandwagon (no way in hell am I missing the next Shin Megami Tensei, next 3D Mario, next Ace Attorney, next Persona, next Zelda, next Animal Crossing, etc.), but it's time to accept there just isn't enough time to play all of the games I want to play in one lifetime and just make do with the ones I own already, by and large.

@Splash_Woman Even if you can't stomach the films, you can definitely appreciate how an unknown filmmaker with virtually zero budget behind his films (the original cost $35,000 to make lmao) basically created the first major slasher icon of the 21st century.

Also, the success of Terrifier 3, in particular, has turned conventional wisdom about the potential profitability and viability of unrated films on its head.

@Olliemar28 I just feel like starting with the first film could scare off potential fans. It's not terrible, but Terrifier 2 is leaps and bounds better. Like, it's crazy how much better it is. And Terrifier 3 is much closer to 2 both narratively and production-wise.

@OldManHermit Tonally, the films tend to approach their gruesome subject matter with a surprising amount of levity, and the hilarious character acting of David Howard Thornton, the man behind the clown makeup, makes it difficult not to giggle even when objectively horrifying things are happening on-screen.

The first film is probably the most grindhouse in terms of its approach, and you can safely skip it, but the second film is really just a blast to watch if you can stomach the tremendously, outrageously violent images on-screen. The third film is kind of a mix of the first two in this regard.

I'd say give Terrifier 2 a shot, and if you enjoy it, consider watching the others as well.

Exclusive remaster of a game in a fairly niche JRPG series coming in second to the mainline release of a powerhouse Western AAA series that's multiplatform? Not exactly shocked.

@shining_nexus Oh yeah, no FOMO or hunting here. I'll buy the exclusives I'm interested in physically near launch (after I get one, anyway). Everything else will be on Steam.

I do inevitably have a moderately large physical Switch collection, but nothing compared to my digital library lol. I really loved the system and supported the hell out of it, and I loved the little ways they incentivized digital purchases. I grabbed big games, little games, exclusives, third-party ports, everything.

Since they're going the $70 and no discounts route, my purchases will drop sharply.

Of course Monolith has worked on both my favorite 2D and 3D Zelda games, in addition to Xenoblade 3, my favorite JRPG lol

Honestly, they're as much, if not more of a draw for me now than the teams working on Mario and Zelda games. I am super excited to see what they do going into the future.

I'd preloaded XCX lol.

Gal Guardians is also well under MSRP atm due to a pricing error, which will be corrected soon. Might pay to preorder now if you're going to want to play it anytime soon.

Some people want to contribute to society and make a living doing what they love without being recognized constantly in public. I feel this dude.

I hope there's not too much running and hiding from this Horned Man, ugh.

Beyond that, it's promising looking. If a little too stylized to be scary.

Cool beans. I have one voucher and $5 in Gold Coins left. I'll use the Gold Coins to get a discount on Lunar, a voucher for one of the inevitably final cross-gen/S1 releases later this year, and then go 100% physical for any and all Switch 2 games I buy.

The base game of Xenoblade 3 and Torna: The Golden Country are definitely my favorite Xenoblade experiences.

XC1 is a slog in any form, and Future Redeemed felt more like a sequel to it than I cared for.

@LXP8 Nah. The way the exploration and world open up almost simultaneously combined with some of the best plot beats in the series makes Ch. 5 peak Xenoblade. XC1 has nothing on par with it narratively. XC2 might hit similar highs across its second half, but never in such close succession.

I've never seen a game pop off to the extent that XC3 did in Chap. 5.

XC3 is possibly my favorite game of all time. Just wonderful from beginning to end. Exactly the sort of experience I buy consoles to play. The expansion is excellent as well, although I very much prefer the direction the main game took with its story.

XC2 has some major issues, but I enjoyed it. Very much a 7/10, but it worked for me in the areas that mattered most. Torna is at least a 9/10, though: addressed nearly every issue I had with the base game, and is, to date, my favorite expansion in the series.

XC1 is... not my thing. I've played it across three different systems, and only managed to get through it on Switch, but even with all of the improvements, it was still a slog. Easily my least favorite game in the series. Haven't touched the expansion yet in the DE.

XCX had some annoyances, and I didn't get far enough in to judge it fairly. I'm going to play through it fully on Switch, though, so I'm definitely looking forward to that.

Overall, it's a series that, broadly speaking, improves from entry to entry, and to a pretty dramatic extent as well. Can't wait to see what Monolith is cooking up next.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 might be my favorite game of all time, so it gets my vote.

Breath of the Wild is also high up there. What a superb game to play alongside a brand new console!

I mean, that's still a pretty strong start for an expensive set of PS1 ports.

I feel like 18+ Princess Peach sets would go over even better.

Wife Quest on the Steam Deck. It's quite a bit of fun! Really enjoy Wonder Boy-style action platformers like this.

It's a 10. There aren't a lot of GB titles that I think have aged particularly well, but this one requires no nostalgia to enjoy fully. Just fantastic from beginning to end.

Donkey Kong '94 is so good. Top ten GB game, for sure.

@BenAV Rise worked really well because it was designed around the target specs of the platform. A new exclusive portable MH that pushes the Switch 2 hardware will look and feel fantastic, whereas Wilds is clearly suffering from the multiplat approach they took with its development.

Pity they appear to have messed up the Ever17 re-release. Really loved the original PC version back in the day.

@Rob3008 Really hard to imagine they'd port Wilds to Switch 2, considering how poorly optimized it is for vastly more powerful platforms.

I'm guessing the Rise devs are already working on something for the new console.

@wanghosom Sure, but Switch is also wildly more popular in Japan. These are good numbers for a PS5 game. Especially one that's not exclusive or available on last gen hardware.

A lot of Switch games can't manage 720p undocked. What's the point of a 1080p screen?

Easily Nintendo's golden age for me. So many great releases and memories. Hopefully Nintendo can carry that momentum into 2025 with Switch 2.

@Banjo- It's just their most lucrative generation, period. By such a huge margin that their Switch-era profits exceed those of all their previous generations combined, apparently.

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2024/05/nintendos-profit-during-the-switch-generation-is-absolutely-wild

Absolutely unfathomable.

RE Engine is a mess with these more open worldy games.

Honestly would rather just have an exclusive from B Team that isn't washed out and technically sloppy like Wilds.

Is it easier to heal and revive in this version? It was absolutely miserable running out of TP and being unable to revive party members, and trying to rely on annoying mechanics like Soul Voices to heal your party a bit.

I've never had this particular issue with any other Xenoblade game, but it was a major roadblock when I played X.

In general, I also just found the systems and customization to be confusing. Even moreso than XC2.

@NintendoByNature A lot of people aren't when they say it.

Yeah, that's the big danger of announcing things way too early in development. Silksong will be successful, of course, but the wave of hype for the game has largely crested for most people.

A much more recent announcement, leading into a release window, would have maintained a ton of momentum up to release.

The demo seems to run really well on Steam Deck in the limited time I played it. Excited to see more tomorrow. This interests me quite a bit more than Rain Code.

@NintendoByNature I see people saying something is "vaporware" any time it's announced too earlier and takes years to come out.

Games take time to develop. Especially ones from small developers with detailed, hand-drawn animation like this.

Yuck.

Their loss. I spent a LOT of money on the Switch 1 eShop with the existing incentives. I'll just transition to full physical and exclusives only for Switch 2 when I get it, and continue making PC my go-to platform for everything else, since Valve is continually making their ecosystem and services more and more attractive and consumer friendly.

@nhSnork I dunno, even one of my friends who isn't all that bent out of shape about performance issues found it to be almost nigh on unplayable.

I'm glad you were able to enjoy the experience on its own terms, though.