WhiteUmbrella

Final confirmation that Nintendo are becoming a third-party publisher.

The only thing that would convince me to preorder is a steelbook.

Ok, so this is a tool to allow more "efficiency" in the development process, by automating the QA process, which would normally involve employing people. Even though the term A.I. isn't mentioned, this really invokes the exact same issues of people being replaced by software, and should therefore be subject to the exact same level of backlash and scrutiny, and yet ... I'm not seeing any.

In my mind, I hear the dulcet tones of Eddie Vedder.

I still really want a physical release of the original Resident Evil trilogy. The priority would be Switch, but I'd buy it for PS4/5 too. Some Metal Gear Solid would be nice, and our only hope of a properly physical release at this point.

@piecez I received Powerslave Exhumed and am waiting on Shin Chan and Alien Isolation. Shovelware? I think not.

I was absolutely going to buy this, but since my Switch collection is physical only, I'm out. We can but hope that Limited Run will strike a deal with Konami for a fully physical release, because that's the only way it will happen. These incomplete physical editions only exist because publishers know they can rack up sales to people who are unaware that the cart doesn't really contain the games. It's no better than a con, and the reason why I don't have one single Resident Evil title for Switch, because not one of those releases was ever complete on the cart. If they had been, even sold individually, I would have every title available.
So tired of this, but also thank you to Nintendo Life for bringing us this news, so we can make informed purchasing decisions.

This is an anti-trust lawsuit just waiting to happen.

The Last of Us 2, with its deliberately deceptive marketing, immediately springs to mind.

The sword has been designed to work in conjunction with a vr headset, launching with Nintendo's next-gen platform. The sword is entirely passive, but the headset can track points within the design via inside-out tracking, and translate these into 1:1 movements within the game. I know this because I made it up, myself.

I'm playing through Resident Evil: Village on hardcore in PSVR2, all assists turned off, while standing. It takes the game to a whole new level when you have to manually eject the magazine, grab another from a pouch at your waist, slap it in and then pull the slide back to chamber a round just to reload. Shotgun rounds are loaded one shell at a time, the pump-action used physically between each shell fired. It's intense, and one hell of a way to gain your vr legs, bombing around a mansion while standing still.

@maxence011 I read the same thing. It's close to the Spanish "cicatriz", meaning the same as the English word "scar".

@Stocksy LRG releases are at least available for months, to anyone who cares to place an order. I've followed Special Reserve and Strictly Limited links before, and it's typically pointless. Anything sold through their websites is sold out before the link is even placed.

The Japanese version of this game is available on PlayAsia, for both Switch and PS4. The PS4 version has multiple european subtitles, including English, but as far as I can tell, the Switch version is Japanese only. It's a possible alternative, for those that purchase games based on some kind of weird grudges or political ideologies I don't need to understand, but ... it wouldn't be any cheaper than LRG, I'm afraid.

@DaniPooo Nintendo acquired Monolith Soft back in 2007, and Nintendo don't make games for any other platform than their own, so they're absolutely exclusive.

With the caveat that they all need to be physical releases, my definite purchase list from this Direct is Baten Kaitos, Etrian Odyssey, Octopath 2 (already ordered), Metroid Prime and Tears of the Kingdom.
That said, I couldn't help but feel a sense of disappointment. It's clear that sticking with this hardware spec is holding Nintendo back, but they seem determined, for better or worse, to ride Switch into the ground. Bizarrely, there's a large contingent of Nintendo "fans" who object to the idea of Nintendo moving on, even six years in, and when they are desperately in need of new hardware. Even their own games and developers are struggling within the confines of developing with hardware seemingly designed to serve displays that are 20 years out of date.
I've seen some commenters say that Metroid Prime doesn't look any different, but in a side-by-side comparison, that is certainly not true. The game looks much cleaner, with obviously new assets and geometry. It's clear that a lot of hard work has been done, and yet ... I can't help feeling a certain pain that this remaster comes now, after so much time has passed and targeting this hardware spec. We won't see an update of the title again soon if ever, and it could have been so much more. It doesn't take much imagination to envisage how much better it would have looked on PS5 or Series X level hardware. Sure, power isn't everything, but we're not living in 2005 anymore. Even if Nintendo doesn't want to move on, display technology has moved on without them, and I write this as someone who still has a PS2, Wii, Wii U, PS3 and Xbox 360 hooked up. Just a few months ago I was playing RE2 on Gamecube, so I don't have a problem with lower resolutions and graphical targets, but that's on older hardware. I'll still buy what you're selling, Nintendo, but come on. Please wake up. You need new hardware and sooner rather than later.

@RainbowGazelle I have the trilogy on my PS3, which is thankfully still functional, but what I'm really wanting is a physical compilation, even Limited Run would do.

Ollie mentioning an original Resident Evil Trilogy release has me hoping that he knows something I don't, and that this will really happen. The only console to have the complete original trilogy released for it, to this day, is the first PlayStation.
I wouldn't say no to Dino Crisis or Silent Hill either. Some Metal Gear Solid.
Whatever happens, I'm looking forward to Tears of the Kingdom and hoping for some Metroid Prime of some kind.
My fantasy pick is Nintendo announcing a home version of the Switch, which targets docked performance, and is available in red, blue, green and yellow, and comes with a pro controller to match. I'd immediately buy two of them.

"The Switch version of Bayonetta 2 managed to hit 1.04 million units by December 2021, while it struggled to even reach 400k on the Wii U."

Viewed another way, that is an impressive attach rate on the Wii U, where the game was far more popular within the total playerbase.

@ModdedInkling Nintendo have spent and are already sinking vast sums into their next-gen offering, via R&D. Development likely began as soon as Switch launched, or soon thereafter. Sit on unreleased hardware long enough, the more outdated it becomes, the greater likelihood of cancelling release and shifting to another model which ... costs even more money.

@riChchestM These sticks use the "Hall Effect" effect system, which doesn't rely on physical contact to measure the stick movement, unlike the potentiometers in the retail Joycon.

I find this news odd, perhaps something is missing.Sales were reduced in the last fiscal year, and regarding production, Shuntaro Furukawa was widely quoted as having said in August last year, that "even if Nintendo could manufacture more Switches, they wouldn't be able to sell them".
A new Zelda and Mario don't seem to be a good reason to increase production either. One has to imagine that a special edition console would shift more units to the hardcore, but both those game series have already appeared on the hardware already, likely meaning most fans of those series who would be attracted by those games would already have purchased a system. Hmm ....

Wait ... Kirby's real?!

@SonOfDracula those two are just trolling, it may even be one person with two accounts. I set them to ignore when I came to believe reason was useless, but I admire your tenacity.

@duerer There is nothing in the terms of "fair use" specifying that both parties interests must be met. If there is any "agenda" here, it's going to be obvious to anyone reading this that you have at least as much "agenda" as I do, also that your most recent post is one of the most condescending replies to ever be posted anywhere. If I were you, I'd come back later once you have a cool head and delete it to save yourself future embarassment.

@duerer It's called fair use, which is also legal, since you're fond of regurgitating rules created by others, you should respect that concept too. Your post suggests you do not. It also didn't escape me that, while you replied, you didn't answer why you have such a vested interest in spouting what is clearly not so much an opinion as "the corporate line".

@Dylansuxx Twitch and Youtube.

@duerer What, exactly, do you get out of reinforcing this "corporate line"? Are you a major shareholder? These aren't your rules, so why do you feel so desperate to reinforce them?
I will reiterate. Games ARE NOT FREE. Some other things that are not free include internet access, devices that play games and allow streaming. Taking the argument you are perpetuating to its conclusion, do you then also believe that a musician should pay royalties to the maker of the instrument? No, they pay for the instrument, absolutely the work of many other people, and then they use that device in their own performance. Use of the instrument is transformative, and many people who play games online as performance have exceptional skill, and they are spending their own time and money and dedication to do it. Nothing is owed at all, and to suggest so is ridiculous to me.

@Ashunera84 I don't stream, I don't buy download games outside of Steam, I'm also fortunate enough not to suffer some kind of Napoleon complex that would drive me to try to spontaneously enforce the rules set by others so that I can feel some sense of power in my otherwise powerless life.

@Ashunera84 Conflating playing a game with broadcasting a movie or music is a fallacy, because there is an element of performance involved in streaming or, as you put it, "broadcasting" a game over the internet, which would not be present in simply streaming someone else's film or music. Inherently, when someone streams music or a movie they are making the entirety of that media available to the viewer, providing a 1:1 experience, something that is not true of a game. The true impact on sales of game streaming can't be defined, since it's impossible to ascertain just how many people might buy a game that they were previously unaware of having seen it streamed, vs those that would be put off of a game they were previously interested in.
Typically though, at least some streaming is considered beneficial to the sales of a game, part of the usual promotion of a game, and something that publishers would have to pay for, were streamers not to provide this service to them for free.

I have an opinion, you have the EULA. Why not just post a link? No need for all that typing.

@Ashunera84 "Being able to use someone else's work without paying them is a privelege".

The games aren't free.

@Ooccoo_Jr Specific titles that were already on other platforms not being removed is different from every single future title being multiplatform. That is clearly a ridiculous expectation. When Nintendo and Sony have acquired studios in the past, how much speculation or expectation is there that the studio in question will still produce titles for competing platforms? Outside of Sony's acquisition of Bungie (which seems to have been designed to strengthen their argument against microsoft), absolutely none.

Legacy ports for the Switch would be great. Put on physical carts complete. I fear I would buy them all. My wheels have been turning on this for a while though, and I had an inkling that Call of Duty might return to Nintendo if the acquisition is successful. Now, I'm also thinking that this gives Nintendo more motivation to consider a home console with a bit more power, just maybe. Also, the acquisition would mean that, as a developer for Nintendo, Microsoft would presumably have a devkit for any forthcoming hardware release, and know about Nintendo's future hardware plans. Strange times we're living in.

I would have watched it, but since I'm in the UK and it will run from 1am to 3.30am, I think I'll just watch any interesting reveals on Youtube.

"Nintendo’s strength is in creating new video game experiences, so when we release new hardware in the future, we would like to showcase unique video games that could not be created with pre-existing hardware."

If this has any foundation in actual direction (and it should be given credence, coming from Shigeru Miyamoto himself), the next generation hardware from Nintendo isn't going to be a more powerful Switch. Maybe Switch continues as a handheld and a new home console arrives alongside it? I guess that's the optimum outcome for those that want Switch to continue for another generation.

Oh lord please have mercy, not more microtransaction filled mobile garbage. Anything but that, I beg of you.

Interesting to see so many commenters come out with stereotyping and generalisations about an entire nation, in a time when none would have dared if the article had been about sales in India or Africa. They still would have been thinking it, though. Prejudice is just fine, apparently, as long as it's not aimed at a "protected group".

Sega are reentering the hardware race with their new console, codename: Super Game? Let's hope they change that before release.

Apart from referencing Resident Evil as an influence on the gameplay, neither the screenshots nor the descriptions in the review leave me with an impression of what this game would be like to play, which is pretty important in a review.

Predictably, eBay is now full of the preorders, at scalper prices. I registered my interest and got the email, but the closest I ever got to securing an order was the "come back later" message. It was always obvious that this release would be scalped, made even more certain by the limited numbers and availability through one single source. The scalpers know that they only have one target. It was inevitable that it would be all but impossible for most to make a direct purchase. This is where Limited Run have their business model right. Open the orders, leave them open for a month or two and take the payment at preorder. Once the listing is closed, round the final number of orders up for manufacture and everyone who wanted to order one can get one without frustration, site crashes or paying a scalper. The only downside is paying upfront (which I don't object to) and it surely beats paying the scalper mark-up.

@Ralizah Nintendo have been fielding a handheld console since the Gameboy. Even if Nintendo put out another traditional home console, the handheld would still be there, whether it is designated a "Switch" or not.

"Excited to get your hands on the Switch versions of these upcoming releases?"

Yes, but that will have to wait for a physical release.

Like other commenters, I too have a preorder with Base.com, that has been in place since June. Checking their site just now, the listing for Bayonetta is still there, but no price is displayed, and looking at the listing reveals the price, but it's unavailable for purchase. I'm guessing our preorders will be cancelled, but I guess it won't do any harm to wait and see, at least until the Nintendo Store listing is available. On a side note, I had preregistered for Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Collector's Edition. I received an email from Nintendo a little while ago, informing me that it would soon be available to order, but then ... nothing. Did they all sell to bots or something?

Edit: I just received an email that Xenoblade 3 Collector's edition will be open for preorder in the first half of October.

@ZealMajin I already have Bayonetta on PS3, Steam, Wii U, Switch as a download and Xbox One, so given that it's a title I've already played, I don't feel a sense of urgency about getting it on release day.

@ZealMajin My preorder with Base.com has been in place since July, when the Bayonetta physical release was first announced. Judging from the games absence on most sites, stock allocation has been delayed. I've used Base.com for many years and they've only let me down with a preorder once. Amazon has let me down more times than that. I've also had bad experiences with Zavvi (which I still use) and Shopto and 365games.co.uk (both of which I will never use again). I have quite a lot of faith in PlayAsia too, and had a delivery of three Switch imports from them just a few days ago. However, it's worth noting that PlayAsia also has disappearing listings for games that never materialise, for example, they were the only site to host a listing for a physical Portal Collection, which mysteriously disappeared. I think I will wait and see, since an import PlayAsia would cost more than a domestic release, especially to the UK right now.

@hayface Base.com still has the Switch Bayonetta available for preorder. It's where I preordered mine. I had a search around, but I couldn't find it anywhere else.

@Zverik Ok, I didn't follow your link, but I checked PlayAsia and they have a listing for a physical PS4 release in November. That said, my real point is that Stray won't run on hardware that is 1/4 the power of PS4, especially considering the Switch is around 1/2 the power. If Nintendo makes the successor to the Switch half the power of its predecessor, imagine the memes that would generate.

@Zverik How do you expect to play Stray on a console that's 1/4 the power of PS4, when Stray is only on PS5 and PC, and PS4 doesn't even have it?

@SwitchForce The Steam Deck is far more ergonomic than the Switch. I've owned a Steam Deck since June and have another one on the way for my son, it'll be here any day now.
Credible opinions on hardware are only reliable when coming from people who have actually owned and used the device they're sharing opinions on, otherwise it's just obvious fanboy nonsense.