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I'll be in if we get both games on carts.

I wish he would come around but he has every reason to be salty. In some ways, Nintendo has been very good to indies, but only if they control the field. Nintendo has blocked a lot of quality titles from being ported to the Switch so far because they aren't "new or improved versions" of existing games or launching simultaneously with other platforms.

From Nintendo's perspective, they want to avoid the situation wherein they are receiving late ports that sell at full price (Wii U) and offer no additional content. If it's a deluxe - or expanded - version of the game, they see that as a positive.

It's too bad Lanning and Nintendo can't see eye to eye. As an Oddworld and Nintendo fan, I would love to see the "Soulstorm" on Switch.

@GrailUK I feel the same way. I'm legitimately thinking about buying my first sports title in many years.

@Octane Metroid is the only win. 2015 was an abysmal failure largely because Prime 4 had been speculated for so long and we basically got a slap the the face (in the form of Federation Farce) and an informal acknowledgement that the Wii U really was facing an early grave at the same time.

This game is honestly looking pretty bad. I am a Kickstarter backer, a huge fan of Castlevania, and was fine with the delay. What we are seeing is mostly footage from last year and the animations, along with the environments lack "texture". It's not so much that they are sparse, but that the characters, backgrounds, and effects all seem to be completely disconnected.
There is no visual sense that they even take up the same "physical" space, let alone make up a living, breathing world. It's unfair to compare this to Mighty Number 9, but the similarities in production are striking. Here's hoping improvements are made before release.

@Totaldude911 Yeah, I loved Halo CE - Reach (the Bungie years were great), but Destiny really didn't do it for me. I eventually just traded it back in while it still had some value.

I love the honesty. I like that he's not trashing the platform, just saying that it's not likely at all - and not inflating expectations.

I would imagine that they will begin "investigating" a port (as others usually say) if the Switch moves 12M or more units first-year.

I'd love to see Battlefield. COD doesn't interest me much, but, if the new one is good (and a decent port), I wouldn't mind supporting FPSs on the Switch.

I probably will be buying Payday 2. The portable element really trumps graphics for me, so to have relatively faithful versions of these franchises on the go honestly makes them a more appealing proposition.

No way I'm picking up the new COD on my PS4.

@JohnGrey the Ultra HDMI is definitely not dodgy. I'm thinking of getting that mod very soon.

@Deanster101 I agree. I have my NES hooked up to an EDTV ( a 4:3, 480p display doesn't make the 240p over composite look so fugly), and the AVS is hooked up to my projector via a receiver.

AVS is definitely king of the clones:
https://youtu.be/tb3ZmRTS_FU

@bezerker99 I'll believe it when I see a few teardowns. Retron is notorious for telling fairy tales. I'm guessing it's still emulating games.

@Nik-Davies Got Deadpool at random the other day. Very funny but quite boring and repetitive (gameplay wise).

Bayonetta 3 or bust! I'm happy with my Wii U versions of the first two games. Gimme that Switch-exclusive sequel.

Didn't choose Super Mario Maker and Bayonetta because I want those to get NEW entries.

Switch is 2-for-2 in terms of comparing favorably against the PS4 in ports (Snake Pass being the other). Neither of the games are graphical giants by ANY means, but these breakdowns bode well for A and AA multi-plats, even if we won't get games from the bleeding edge graphically speaking.

@LordGeovanni I would say this estimate is likely a little high, as Nintendo REALLY doesn't want to sell at a loss. On the other hand, it isn't necessarily too far off. Nintendo could break even (or take a marginal profit) in exchange for creating an install base that will drive massive software profits in the future.

If it's successful now, and the right software gets ported over, Nintendo will be able to turn a bigger profit on the hardware down the line. Right now it's all about building the audience to gobble up content that gets released for the thing.

I think Overwatch would be great for the Switch ecosystem. Honestly, any Western AAAs at all would be a huge boon. That is where the console will face it's biggest challenge.

@gatorboi352 I think most everybody here has a PS4. I'm very pleased with the Switch's capabilities as a handheld and quite content with it as a home console.

Nintendo did great things with the Wii U hardware and devs that don't mind optimizing for performance on the Switch should be able to turn out some great experiences.

Whether third parties bother to tinker with the hardware will be determined by how well the console sells over there next 8-12 months.

At first I was a little disappointed that the Switch didn't launch with these apps, but many devices hooked up to my projector have Netflix, ect. My phone has Netflix, etc. My desktop and laptop have Netflix, etc. When given the option, I probably won't download the apps seperately.

For the time being, I think it's smart to put the focus on games for early adopters.

I'll be pleased be the sales landmarks when we have some numbers to look at. Even if Nintendo is flighty about it, their quarterly report is coming up.

Signs are looking mostly positive in regions that have given us numbers - up on Wii U across the board.

@setezerocinco Me too. Hoping for an instruction booklet to go with it. I'll happily throw down $40 bucks for a cart - I'm just going physical only for the Switch.

I loved Fast Racing Neo on the Wii U and also Nano Assault and Art of Balance.

I'll be picking this up as soon as it gets a physical release. I'm not purchasing anything over 1GB digitally for Switch. So glad they went back to carts.

I pre-ordered a Switch in anticipation that they'd be hard to find. The launch line-up and light information about the online are a big concern. I honestly think Nintendo is scrambling to avoid a PR disaster with that aspect.

I NEED to play BotW and Mario Odyssey. Outside of those two, there are a handful of games that interest me. I'll be re-buying MK8, am excited for Splatoon 2 and Xenoblade Chronicles 2, and will give Arms a shot. As for third parties: Konami is getting an early purchase from me with Super Bomberman R at launch, Bethesda has me on lock for portable Skyrim, and Square-Enix will get me with the mainline Dragon Warrior games if they come West.

Capcom needs to prove to me that there is more to Ultra SF2 before I lay down my cash (a $40-$50 price tag wouldn't hurt, either). Ubisoft needs to bring something that I'm interested in — Beyond Good and Evil 2, anyone?

If this gets a physical release, I am buying again all the way. Have "Neo" on Wii U digital - skipped the disc version since the cover art was the ugly "Selects" line.

EDIT: Redout might be a pickup as well, if physical. I'm skipping digital for Switch on everything but VC titles and small indies. If the download is over 3GB, forget it. I'll pick up a 64GB SD card, but there's no way I'm filling ~5% of my storage space with a single game.

@Pod you're probably right. I don't think Nintendo will be playing that game (pun intended) with their first-party line-up, but they have to provide a platform for the third-party publishers that wish to do that. The Wii U failed on that front as much as from an install base standpoint. It can be argued that with continued third-party support, the Wii Us failure would have been less dramatic.

Somehow Best Buy just let me pre-order two? One has a delivery date of the 3rd and the other has no info... Just waiting for this mess to sort out. I really just want one lol.

Oh, boy! More discounts on games that I already own physically.

This has to change when the Switch launches...

The iconic imagery here is fantastic!

Looks great!

So... basically Nintendo tanked the NES classic to create false demand and get news coverage in the ramp up to their Super Mario Run/Switch media tour.

So very shady.

I have had a full year and a half since E3 2015, and I'm done lamenting the fall of the Wii U. We knew back then that Nintendo was finished with the system, though many denied it.

Smash/Kart/Bayonetta in mid-to-late 2014 was the Wii U's peak, and when those games failed to drive hardware to desired numbers, Ninty pulled the plug on all future developments. They've been finishing off completed projects since then.

All else was moved to the Switch. We'll see just how well that move has paid off on January 12th and E3 2017. Here's to finger crossing that Nintendo has been crafting some awesome games in the shadows these last two years.

This worries me too! If there is anyone who can screw up the hype that's surrounding the Switch, it's Nintendo.

Seems like they are charging us for VC titles a third time, as well - which is a sign that not too many things have changed, and not enough lessons learned.

@gatorboi352 That's something a lot of Nintendo Fanboys don't own up to. I have has a second console since N64 and last gen the 360 was my main console.

The Wii U has taken up more of my gaming time this gen because of the portable element and I see the same holding up for the Switch. What I'd rather not carry over to the Switch is the need to purchase all of the usual multiplats on another system.

I'd prefer to buy the majority of my games on Ninty consoles and a few choice exclusives from the competition. Unfortunately, that hasn't been a reality since the Gamecube.

Good to see more games confirmed for the Switch. Period. Not too excited about this port, but healthy shelves in stores will help push reluctant backers into the ecosystem. Nintendo needs to prove to gamers that there will be (A) a steadier flow of their first-party stuff, and (B) much more third-party support.

Nintendo needs people to see that there will be options when they go shopping for games on the Switch. If the Wii U was your only console, you'd have been more or less compelled to buy any good game that was released on the console, regardless of whether it was your particular cup of tea or not. It's nice to be able to choose from multiple solid releases of various styles - but that requires healthy sales to draw the publishers in.

I'm waiting on "Skyrim: Special Edition" because I'm excited about portable play AND I want to show Bethesda that there is a market for their open-world titles on the Switch (I certainly hope that's true).

@AlienX Anytime you scale an image to something other than an integer scale, you get shimmer. The 4:3 image of the Mini looks to be an NTSC full-screen approximation. "True" 4x3 pixel scaling looks quite a bit fatter than what the Mini pumps out.

Anyone who's thinking of paying more than $200 for a Mini should consider the AVS by RetroUSB. It provides HDMI output, adjustable aspect ratio, adjustable scanlines, built-in Game Genie codes, online leaderboards for games with high scores, and it plays all original carts, repros, flashcarts, and homebrews. Best of all, unlike the Mini and the Retron 5 - the AVS is not an emulator. It uses FPGAs to mimick original NES hardware to near perfection, and plays games straight off of the cart - just like a real toaster! The AVS also supports Famicom carts and the Famicom Disk System. I would definitely recommend!

Already have both games and wouldn't spend gold coins on discounts anyway. Platinum, sure. Gold coins should be rewarded with full games or physical merch....

As a PQ nerd, I've already avoided buying a few N64 titles because of how dark they are by comparison to the N64 releases. This is yet another reason to hope Nintendo gets the Switch VC right this time.

So, with 13.4M Wii Us sold through September, how many units do you think will have been produced total?

Nintendo REALLY wants to make sure there are no Wii U's on retail shelves when the Switch lands in March.

@CTMike The IR sensor is said to be at the top of the Switch screen, which protrudes from the dock.

@Alshain01 Nintendo needs to wake up on social media. Fighting over pennies with their biggest fans and inhibiting the modern world's greatest engine for free promotion and growth is not just old-fashioned - it's fatal. If Nintendo would stop resisting change while simultaneously crying "innovation", they would become a relevant worldwide force again.

@Frank90 Agreed. I'll pay a premium for "Fast Racing" physical, as it was underpriced to begin with.

Long story short: it's time for a reveal. Nintendo needs time to clearly illustrate what the NX is and does. Otherwise, we have another Wii U on our hands.

Classy. Everything about this project was/is top-notch.

@OGGamer What other systems do you own? With a Wii U and PS4, plus most likely an NX, the XBO is a ways off for me (once it's under that $200 "sweet spot", I'll pick it up). The AVS is really competitively priced for what it is.

@CB85 There is a big reason for 720p output, aside from cost. 480 and 720 are perfect multiples of 240p - the original output resolution of the NES.

Upscaling to those resolutions makes the process fast (lag free) and pixel-perfect. Moving to 480 and 720 from 240 is less a process of "upscaling" as it is a process of "line-doubling" or tripling. Upscaling to 1080p requires more processing (causing lag) and introduces all sorts of undesirable visual artifacts.

With a 720 native output, the AVS is able to shave a solid $60 off of it's build price, and still output a picture that most purists would call optimal. If you mind the letter-boxing, you can always let your TV get the picture the rest of the way to 1080p.

Most modern HDTVs are fairly adept at upscaling a 720p HDMI signal to 1080p without introducing too much lag or ugliness. The same cannot be said of how they handle upscaling from 240p over composite (shudder).

I've already pre-ordered. This thing is what most retro gamers were hoping for out of an "NES Mini". The price is actually the most attractive aspect. The Analogue NT (another HDMI NES) costs around $400 for the base model, and modding an original NES sets you back about $300 after parts and labor.

You can't even compare this thing to the likes of the Retron 5, either. They are two wholly different kinds of devices.

Unlike the slew of cheap Famiclones to hit the market since 2000, the AVS does not emulate software. Meaning, unlike the Retron, it's not just a low-end computer with SNES 9x and other emulators installed. It actually runs the games off of cartridges, rather than just having a program that recognizes the rom and plays from the stored file.

The AVS is a painstaking replication of the NES hardware using new parts. This means it plays every game on the system flawlessly, with none of the glitches and innacuracies common to emulation, supports all of the original peripherals, and is linked online to a community of very dedicated Nintendo fans via Scoreboard.

I'm not thinking of the AVS as a replacement for my toaster (NES), but as the best way to play my carts on my projector with sharp pixels. Anyone who's seen an NES composite image blown up above 100 inches can attest to the horror lol.

Now is a great time to get into retro gaming and or collecting and I see the AVS as a launchpad for people getting into the scene, as opposed to something that only caters to those with massive NES libraries already.

This thing looks slick. Emulation is probably a little spotty, considering the hardware, but a step up in terms of functionality from the official Mini.

Personally, I have my dollars at the ready for the AVS! That thing will play all my carts natively, no software emulation required. A big step up from a Retron or one of these "mini" emulation boxes.

Blastball has put me off as well. I'll still pick it up, else risking Nintendo mistaking bad sales for no interest in the series at all.

@whanvee I would call any device that unifies Nintendo's mobile and home markets, packs "Zelda" in it's first year, and is profitable in each unit sold a success. If this is THE Nintendo console this gen, the 20m shipped first year Ninty predicted sounds reasonable. If that is the case, Nintendo will have very much made the right choice. One piece of hardware to support, each unit profitable, and a larger market for all of its titles... That might not be your ideal as a gamer, but that sounds like a killer business plan for Nintendo.

The fact that the new mainline Sonic game (fall 2017) is coming to NX and this (spring 2017) isn't confirmed is strange... Unless SEGA knows something that Nintendo isn't telling us.