Comments 7,628

Re: Hands On: Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition - A Decade On, Mira's Still Got It

RupeeClock

@PJOReilly
It's possible that the game has dynamic resolution during the busier moments, but I saw Nintendo Life's YouTube Channel has a comparison video live that I'm looking forward to checking out later.
One of Xenoblade 2's tricks was that they afforded more detail and fidelity during the cutscenes, since they can control everything in the scene. It helps to mask how fuzzy the game can look during gameplay.

Re: Hands On: Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition - A Decade On, Mira's Still Got It

RupeeClock

I'm curious about the resolution, is it actually proper 1080p docked / 720p handheld, or is it using sub-native resolutions with "super-resolution" tricks like Tears of the Kingdom's docked 900p using FidelityFX?

Either way, it sounds like a big upgrade over the Wii U version that I never got to play, and am really looking forward to playing the one Xenoblade entry I've yet to experience.

Re: Be Warned, Two NES Titles From Limited Run Games May Damage Your Console

RupeeClock

@Astropez
The actual physical media for Switch and PS4/PS5 games should not be the issue here, those are made by the usual game pressing facilities that Nintendo and Sony use for everyone. The physical failures you're describing seem highly unlikely.

It could mean that LRG are failing in their development or publishing duties (where applicable) and sending or allowing bad data to be sent for pressing.
This sort of thing isn't unheard of, like Mighty No. 9 reportedly "bricking" Wii U systems.

Re: Tetris Forever Is Getting Its Own Collectable Handheld Console

RupeeClock

@SillyG
Realistically, the handheld is probably just one of those "retro handhelds" you see going for like $15-30 at most, where it's just a Famiclone with a baked-in ROM.
It probably doesn't cost much to make at all, more money is probably spent just on making it a proper licensed product with a custom shell and some quality control.

Re: Metroidvania 'Chronicles Of The Wolf" Takes A Few Cues From Castlevania II

RupeeClock

Nice to see Migami games making more stuff after Wallachia: Reign of Dracula.
Trailer's pretty nice and I look forward to trying this one.

This is actually the second Bloodstained cross-over they've had. Wallachia had a Miriam skin for the main character.
Oh and of course Robert Belgrade's back for voice work, dude loves playing Alucard and Alucard fascimiles at any opportunity.

Re: Bandai Namco Studios Has Reportedly Reduced Its Staff By Over 100 People

RupeeClock

Is comparing a company statement to Japan's Pension Service database a reliable metric for assessing precise employment numbers within a company?
As in, does every employer provide a pension fund as part of employment, could there be cases where some employees waive this new pension fund to instead receive payments into a pre-existing pension?

Re: Nintendo Taking "All Possible Measures" To Combat Switch 2 Scalpers

RupeeClock

@LoroTalby
Yeah it was my bad, I'm usually more careful about sharing things factually or as I understand them.

As you say, the Wii was known to be an iteration of the GameCube and they had to work with what they had.
The Wii sold gangbusters and they probably weren't prepared to match the demand and had to ramp up production, and that falls upon all of their supply chains too.

It also reminds me of how they ultimately repurposed Wii systems or parts. The Wii mini was there to wrap up the Wii system, the NES and SNES Classic mini-systems re-used Wii connectors and probably things like NAND chips and other components.

Re: Nintendo Taking "All Possible Measures" To Combat Switch 2 Scalpers

RupeeClock

@LoroTalby
Ah, please don't misconstrue my comment as trying to mislead for fun. I was just trying to explain what I remember myself.
There was no doubt speculation and rumour surrounding Wii shortages back then, probably with some basis in NES shortages too.

The reality is probably more that Nintendo themselves are limited by supply chain shortages, much like how the global chip shortages from 2020 to 2023 impacted everyone, and may've been a major factor in the Switch 2's late reveal.

Re: Nintendo Taking "All Possible Measures" To Combat Switch 2 Scalpers

RupeeClock

What the My Nintendo UK Store did for people interested in limited collector's editions previously, was require you to register interest in advance to even be allowed to place an order.
This is what they did for things like the Tears of the Kingdom collector's edition, NES World Championships Deluxe set, and Xenoblade 3 collector's edition.

It ended up being a mostly good system because it used a queue system coupled with a unique invite link sent by email, but the issue was that they didn't set a schedule for when the pre-orders would open so you're still at risk of missing your opportunity if you can't respond ASAP (not everyone checks their emails or gets notifications all the time).
The system was in response to botched pre-orders for a Bayonetta 1 reprint, they ended up doing a second reprint because they missed the mark there.

The other big issue My Nintendo UK Store has is their payment system is unreliable.
You can't use Paypal on pre-orders, it must be a debit or credit card. You can't change the payment details on pending orders either, in the event that you need to update your payment method (e.g. card expiration). Support will tell you to cancel your current order and place a new one which may be impossible. This was my experience years back for the Metroid Dream special edition.
There can also be unexpected issues with supplying your address, things like validation errors in a saved address that are invisible until you try to edit your selected address, problems like this can cost them sales through abandonment.

Re: Mysterious Patent Hints At "Predictive Input" For Nintendo Switch 2

RupeeClock

This reminds me of two things.
First is Branch Prediction, a technique in all modern CPUs that improve performance by predicting which way a conditional branch will go; the most common outcome is pre-emptively executed and improves performance as a result.

Secondly is Retroarch's Run-Ahead and pre-emptive frames features, where it effectively is running additional ephemeral instances of the emulated game's memory states and calculates the results of different inputs, and then proceeds with the user's actual inputs. The end result is a reduction in latency and more responsive game experience, but comes at the cost of increased performance requirements.

Re: Japan's Switch eShop Will Soon No Longer Accept Overseas Payment Methods

RupeeClock

@Bobb
Yeah, there's a part of me that's worried that the Switch 2 might not be region free.
This happened before with Nintendo DS; DSi enhanced or exclusive software is actually region locked.
A few Nintendo DS games like the 5th Generation Pokémon B/W/B2/W2 games, Pokémon Conquest, Sonic Classic Collection, are DSi enhanced and enforce a region lock on DSi systems, but not on earlier DS systems.

Re: Japan's Switch eShop Will Soon No Longer Accept Overseas Payment Methods

RupeeClock

@Bobb
Despite being a region free system, Nintendo still don't like it if you use Nintendo accounts outside of your actual geographical location.
There seems to be some changes to how payment processors are operating in Japan right now though, so this might be in response to that.
Historically, Nintendo issued a 3DS firmware update exclusively to European systems which removed the ability to store payment card details on the 3DS system. This was comply with an EU regulation concerning payment card security.

Re: Of Course Nintendo Switch 2 Experience Tickets Are Being Listed On eBay

RupeeClock

@Folkloner
The ticket is explicitly tied to your Nintendo account.
To access the event, you need to sign in with your Nintendo account, and show them the (possibly time-sensitive) QR code generated on your phone. This might be done through the Nintendo Switch Online app, or logging into a website like https://accounts.nintendo.com/qrcode

Your Nintendo Account's profile picture is just that of a Mii by the way. The icon shown on your Switch is different.

If they do indeed send ticket winners a QR code by email though, that does actually make it a lot easier to bypass security.
However, the QR code when decoded likely contains information that the ticket entry will be able to read, such as your email address.
If the QR code's email does not match the attendee's email (such as via a forwarded email), they're busted.
The QR code might also just be an authentication URL (as to prevent multiple people entering with the same code), it's not something I can check because I wasn't a ticket winner lol.

Re: PSA: Trading Is Finally Live In Pokémon TCG Pocket, But It's A Real Headache

RupeeClock

This is like the "Transfer to Home" feature of Pokémon Go, where there's a limit on how many Pokémon you can send before you can send more.
Common Pokémon can be sent with virtually no restriction, but legendary, shiny, and mythical Pokémon are heavily restricted and you can only send around 5 at a time with a full meter; you pay up to 1000 coins (equivalent of $10) to recharge the meter to send any more, or have to wait up to 7 real time days for the meter to fully recharge.

What TCG Pocket has done here has the same intention of stopping people from completing their collections far too quickly whilst also mitigating cash-for-trades, but this looks like an unnecessarily complicated system that flies in the face of a TRADING card game.

Re: Graded Prototype Pokémon Cards Worth Millions May Be Fakes, According To Hidden 'Metadata'

RupeeClock

With how graded copies are put in those sealed cases, intended to never be re-opened, that's got to be a nightmare for proving the authenticity of the pieces after the fact if you can't reliably scan them whilst encased.

That's also massively damaging for the grading companies involved; they graded counterfeit goods as authentic, highlighting a major flaw in their grading processes.

Re: New Pokémon HOME Distribution Dishes Out Rare Shinies For Completing Select Pokédexes

RupeeClock

So far, Enamorous has only been available in two games: Legends Arceus, and Pokémon Go. It has been shiny locked in both.
So this dex-completion gift Enamorus in Home is the first time you'll be able to get this one shiny.
The Hisui dex is one of the easiest regional dexes to complete as you can encounter every single Pokémon in a single game.
It doesn't require you to register Manaphy and Darkrai, since they are part of crossover content with Brilliant Diamond / Shining Pearl, so I'm curious if completing the Hisui Dex in Home requires these two.

Enamorous debuted in Go last year for elite raids on Valentine's day, which was an unpopular move due to the difficulty in organising these in-person only raids, falling on a Wednesday.
However, it's returning this year to regular legendary raid battles for two weeks, from February 6th to 15th, still shiny locked though.

Re: Lexar Is Apparently Releasing A Switch 2 'microSD Express' Card

RupeeClock

@Rhaoulos
UHS 2 and Express actually are different formats though.
Untitled
They have additional connection pins that allow for faster data transfer speeds, but have the same pins as the original cards so they can still be used on older devices that lack UHS2 or Express support.

This'll be an issue with Switch 2, people will put in old microSD cards and either get slower load times, or the cards outright won't be supported.