blecch

Interesting collection of mini classic consoles on the right. I wonder if he was disappointed by the PS Classic?

@DaniPooo It's poison to normal humans. For Sakurai it just makes him stronger.

@MarkyVigoroth I'm surprised I haven't seen an article here about Nintendo sweeping the top 30 in Japan.

@Friendly hahaha

I bought sonic mania when it came out, but I still haven't figured out why sonic games are supposed to be fun.

So nintendolife managed to extract two articles from this interview so far...

Green tea would probably be healthier than zero cola, but I wish him well.

Haha, cool video. Best wishes to Mr. Sakurai and everyone who has made Super Smash Bros. such a great game series!

@BurgundyFlame I was a bit surprised that so many Switch owners apparently don't own Mario Kart!

I imagine single-player/handheld game enthusiasts may be more likely to land in the Animal Crossing/Zelda/Pokémon/Super Mario camps.

But MK8 is definitely a brilliant and genre-defining game.

Shout out to Ring Fit Adventure for making the top 10.
Interesting to see Smash ahead of Zelda.
A bit surprising to see the stock price drop when the Switch has already outsold the PS3 and may outsell the Wii and PS1.

@luckiernut Considering all of the revisions the DS and 3DS hardware went through, I could imagine a bunch of Switch hardware revisions as well.

Remember that some games were exclusive to the New 3DS, which tripled the CPU clock rate, doubled the RAM, increased the cache, etc.. Even old games saw a better frame rate on the New 3DS. Not to mention that games that required the second analog circle pad/nub need a clunky external peripheral on the older 3DS.

@BenAV I think I might have trouble adapting to having the d-pad and buttons right next to the analog stick.

Then again most games in my Steam library don't work well with a controller (even Valve's Steam controller) so it may not matter.

@falconlord5 Because you won't waste as much time trying to get controllers to work with your Steam games. Or maybe you will... ;_;

Come to think of it, Valve (Bellvue) is about 6 miles away from Nintendo of America (and Microsoft) in Redmond.

So if Mr. Peterson moves back to Nintendo he won't have far to go.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

NVMe version is priced comparably to a PS5, but this will probably be easier to order.

I'm hoping that Wasm-based Flash players/emulators will allow old games to keep running (as well as new HTML5 games) on Newgrounds and elsewhere.

Whatever its issues, Flash seems like it was a productive game authoring environment.

I watched a bunch of adventure time on hulu on 3DS. It was perfectly watchable on the small screen. Sadly it no longer works.

It's sad when online and streaming services get cut on older devices which could still be used.

Kotaku: "It doesn’t matter to Sony whether a PlayStation fan or a reseller buys a PS5, because they’ve made the sale"

It does matter to Sony when customers become angry that PS5 consoles are only available at huge markup over retail. That markup doesn't go to Sony, to game developers, or to gamers but instead stays in the scalper's pocket. And you can bet that scalpers aren't buying stacks of PS5 games or PSN subscriptions.

@jorel262 bots, almost certainly.

Isn't it great that software can monitor online stores 24/7 and purchase items the instant they become available, much faster than any human?

And isn't it convenient that an online retailer like Amazon allows resellers to immediately re-list the items they just purchased - so they don't even have to leave Amazon's warehouse! And Amazon gets commissions for both the original sale and the scalper's sale.

"Hayden focused his attention on goods that were in high demand during the pandemic, such as patio heaters and gaming systems, including the PS5 and Xbox Series X. He has sold 'dozens' of the latter items for as much as $1,100 each, double the typical ticket price. He's hoping to have just as good a year in 2021, once again targeting items that are in short supply and high demand."

Thanks to the WSJ for commending this enterprising young man as he embarks upon his journey to become a beloved secondary market reseller. How lucky we are to have people like him who resell game console "tickets" at such reasonable prices.

But why limit yourself to "non-essential" goods like game consoles that bring a tiny bit of happiness to children (and adults) who are stuck in lockdown and suffering from social isolation and depression? If he had wanted to make even more money during the pandemic, he could have scalped other high-demand items like toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and disinfectant wipes. Or vaccine doses. What a lost moneymaking opportunity!

That is surprisingly not terrible. Looks fine for handheld.

One interesting thing about the Switch is because the market is large enough to make it worthwhile, some developers seem to be re-learning the lost art of optimization to try to get a big game to run on a small, underpowered system.

Optimization can really do a lot; consider the things that developers were able to get out of systems like the NES, SNES and PS2 late in their life cycles, or the crazy things that demoscene developers were able to do with very limited systems.

The headline could have been:

Apex Legends Switch frame rate locked at 30FPS, resolution is 720p docked and 576p handheld

My Wii U is the Super Mario Maker version.... ;-(

It is sad that online services only last a few years. Nintendo seems to kill some things pretty quickly too.

I particularly miss MiiVerse (especially its posts appearing in WaraWara plaza on the Wii U). It didn't even last 4 years on the 3DS. There was so much creativity and amazing art drawn on the Wii U and 3DS and posted to MiiVerse, and it seems to have been mostly lost to the sands of time.

I hope that since Switch Online is a paid service it will last a bit longer. A Switch Pro could potentially give more longevity to Switch Online as well.

At least the Wii Shop Channel lasted 13 years, comparable to the lifespan of the PlayStation store on PS3. (And until last November the PSN store also sold PS1 classics, which could run on the PS3/PSP/PSVita/PSTV.) The DSi shop lasted some 8.5 years though I think you can still buy DSIware on the 3DS (though they seem to be deleting some games?!?!)

PC gamers can still buy pretty much any major PC game on Steam and/or gog.com, but many multiplayer PC games are no longer playable because they depended on servers that are offline.

@TJM Are you suggesting that Amazon may be breaking UK tax laws and the relevant authorities are doing nothing about it?

Very surprising. In other countries the tax authorities are relentless.

Apparently the world didn't actually end with you.

Final Fantasy XIV is definitely it. Always something to do, or just hang out. The vast soundtrack also has some amazing music.

Though I would also give votes to Animal Crossing (especially on Saturdays) and Ring Fit Adventure, which occupies mind and body. And Streetpass Mii Plaza on the 3DS was a go-to relaxing game on that system.

Also discord - text chat with people I play games with is much better than twitter or facebook. (Though I wish there was an easy/built-in way to post Switch screenshots directly to discord.)

@Shiro28 Probably the same way they grab anything else that's supply constrained - shoes, game consoles, hand sanitizer, etc. - software bots that buy everything faster than humans can.

It's a flaw in the system that doesn't benefit normal human buyers (who find that it's sold out instantly and only available at absurd markup) or original manufacturers like Nintendo. It does benefit resellers like eBay and Amazon however, since they get extra commissions.

Nintendo and opportunistic resellers/botters, a match made in hell...
At least there is the eShop which doesn't run out of stock.

The constant botting of consoles and games is really annoying, and manufacturers (Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft) and resellers (Amazon) don't seem to be doing much to improve the situation. One obvious thing that a reseller like Amazon could do would be to list the markup percentage over MSRP, the same way they tell you savings for a below-MSRP listing, to discourage people from overpaying.

I do wish that people would stop patronizing opportunistic scammers, but I do have some sympathy for people who are tempted to overpay for a Switch to play Animal Crossing, or a copy of Ring Fit Adventure, as those are pretty perfect lockdown games that I've been playing constantly.

Nonetheless, I still despise the botters and their absurd markups.

> "I don’t really understand the whole hybrid concept"

That says it all. I've been a fan of the hybrid concept ever since the PSP and PSVita/TV. (And Nintendo has actually been doing hybrid ever since the Super Game Boy.)

I use docked mode every day for Ring Fit Adventure, and it's the primary mode for all local competitive or cooperative gaming. But I always use handheld mode for single-player Mario Kart or Super Smash Bros.

The mode I have only used a few times is tabletop mode, but there are certainly use cases for it (e.g. travel.)

I am sure Nintendo doesn't want to cannibalize regular Switch sales, and they also want to save space and lower cost, but I still wish that there were an adapter or something to allow you to connect the Switch Lite to an external display, like you could with the PSP2000/3000 or the full-sized Switch. Certain games like Ring Fit Adventure are technically playable on the Switch Lite (if you get two joy-cons) but would be better with a larger screen.

I really miss the online/offline networking features of the 3DS, notably Streetpass! Streetpass was amazing at conventions but I also always passed by Nintendo Zones (!) every day to pick up additional Streetpasses. At the moment I seem to have 1907 Mii characters (apparently you can keep up to 3000?) in my plaza, nearly all of them from Streetpass. The peer-to-peer nature of Streetpass was something special, and I enjoyed being able to magically get game data (e.g. view homes or get villagers in ACNL) from other players just by walking near them. And sending/receiving greetings and "fantastic" ratings. I really enjoyed StreetPass Mii Plaza and all of the minigames (always got a lot of game coins from carrying the system around.) I also liked Spotpass for Mii Plaza and gold pants Miis from Nintendo - I still have my Iwata, Reggie, and Aonuma Miis,

Download play was a great feature, allowing local multiplayer with a single cartridge/copy of the game! I wish they would bring that back.

MiiVerse was cool as well - I thought the drawing-based forum idea was great, and I always enjoyed seeing what people had drawn and posted. It was sad to see all of that creativity lost when it shut down.

I also remember Nintendo Video (and its voting mechanic) and SwapNote. I was sad when Nikki stopped sending me letters. ;-(

@sanderev 15" or 17" is quite a bit larger than the built-in display - these are basically laptop displays vs. the Switch's smaller phablet-size display. Their clear use case is for tabletop 2-player gaming (aka the often-forgotten "third mode" of the Switch) but they might also help with the "tiny text" problem of many games in handheld mode.

The PSP/Vita were handheld JRPG powerhouses with so many games like Persona 1-4, Final Fantasy 1-9/Tactics/Crisis Core, etc.... I found that RPGs were a great fit for handhelds because of the instant-on/play-anywhere aspect. (Smartphones seemed like they would be good for RPGs and I've enjoyed a couple of games but I usually dislike touch controls and gacha.) Now of course we are stuck at home but fortunately the Switch can connect to a TV (much like the PSP 2000 or the PSTV, come to think of it...)

Yes! Ring Fit Adventure is currently my most played Switch game, followed by Animal Crossing.

> We remember a time when you could return any physical product to a store — opened or otherwise — as long as it was in pristine order

Ah.... before even the before times!

I'm not a huge fan of Steam (especially having messed with it a lot recently), but their refund policy is fine. Being able to transfer games you haven't played is also great. Then there's GOG, which goes the extra mile and allows refunds after up to 30 days, whether you've played the game or not - that's more like it!

It's also easy to gift Xbox games via the Microsoft store (assuming you know the recipient's gamertag or email address), but good luck trying to send gift games via Nintendo's eShop (or Sony's PSN Store, which is similarly deficient.) Do you not like money, Nintendo (and Sony?)

@Piyo Pretty much. I don't think I've seen anything last longer than a year after an announcement that "we have no plans to discontinue" it.

@KingBowser I don't think Nintendo Zones exist anymore.

Great, 3DS online services will continue working until... March 2021.

I wish Nintendo could sort out its supply issues; it took me forever to order a copy of Ring Fit Adventure at the actual MSRP and not at some insane markup.

Fortunately I already own the actual console; every new Switch that appears on Amazon or elsewhere at MSRP seems to be snapped up and instantly relisted at absurd markup by opportunistic reseller bots. This doesn't benefit Nintendo, and it doesn't benefit customers who want to buy a Switch console at the normal, non-inflated price. This isn't a new problem with the Switch and Covid-19– the Wii had supply issues for years, and the Switch was in short supply for many months after launch in 2017. Then there was the NES Classic...

At least games that don't rely on special hardware like the Ring-Con can be downloaded from the eShop with zero supply issues.

As far as Nintendo advertising videos go, I do like the Nintendo Direct format, though I still miss Mr. Iwata. But I also like the bite-sized chunks that they push out via Switch's "News" feed, because it's easier to navigate to the games that you're most interested in.

I still find Nintendo Minute annoying, but I have watched it anyway.

Who do they think they are, Apple or something? Imagine limiting all of your digital download sales to a single eShop!

At least with the Switch there are, you know, physical games. The kind you can share with your friends; the kind you can resell if you want to on eBay – or for pennies on the dollar to opportunistic pawn shops like GameStop. The kind you can lick for some appallingly horrible taste along with coronavirus. The kind that can fall into the cracks between seat cushions and be lost forever. Well played, Nintendo.

I doubt Capcom is just being mean and anti-Nintendo by refusing to port MHW to the Switch; more likely it's the game's PS4/Xbox graphics that didn't translate well to the Switch's mobile-class hardware. I'm pleasantly surprised whenever a PS4 game like Dragon Quest XI makes it onto the Switch, even with graphical downgrades (actually in the case of DQXI my main reason to play it on Switch is because it adds 2D mode which previously was only available on 3DS in Japan!)

That being said, Monster Hunter thrives on handhelds, so I expect we'll see another Switch iteration – it just won't be Monster Hunter World (which is actually an excellent game, just not handheld.)

@Crockin I wish that Prima and BradyGames still existed as publishers of print strategy guides.

edit: I just discovered that Future press apparently makes an Animal Crossing New Horizons guide that looks pretty good. I can't imagine this won't sell thousands of copies. They also appear to have a deluxe guide for Bayonetta.

@HydroTendonMan Yeah, I love how Nicalis games for the Switch actually come with printed instruction manuals. Are there any other developers that include printed manuals with Switch games?

It always makes me sad when I open up a Switch game to see that lonely instruction manual clip with no instruction manual.

In contrast, every time I open up a 3DS game with a printed instruction manual (or play any 3DS game for that matter, since they all have digital instruction manuals built into the cartridge) I bask in the glow of instruction manual happiness!

The sad thing is that Mario Kart 8 and other games had terrific printed instruction manuals on the Wii U. I would probably pay for a Switch version of that instruction manual to insert into that lonely game case.

Heheh "admits" implies being a Nintendo fan is something that Neil should be ashamed of, but it really isn't!

Hmm, I like it when NintendoLife takes the time to remind us that we're all on Team Video Games! And that Nintendo fans can be found across the gaming industry.

I'm not at all surprised that someone at Naughty Dog would like Nintendo (see Jak & Daxter, Crash Bandicoot, CTR) or that Reggie has an appreciation for Xbox and PS games as well.

New games are great, but I am pretty sure ACNH and Fire Emblem are going to keep me busy for months.

Sometimes I wish that the availability of Nintendo things were better, then I remember trying to buy the {Wii, Switch, NES/SNES Classic, any CE game, any special 3DS model, etc.}; heck even the Wii U was tough to find for some time. With demand spiking and manufacturing offline during the epidemic I wouldn't be surprised if the shortages continue for a while...

Hmm, if only Nintendo would develop an "e-shop" for the Switch...

Anyway, if you only need it on two consoles then download + game sharing should work.

>How does such a underpowered and lackluster GPU and outdated hardware BEAT a ps4 pro.

By fitting in your pocket?

> When it comes to legendary JPRGs in the West, you can rattle off the usual suspects pretty easily. Final Fantasy VII, Persona 4, Chrono Trigger...

One of those is on Switch so far. I'm surprised that Chrono Trigger hasn't made it yet.
P4G is basically a reason to get a PSVita/PSTV (also FF1-10 and Chrono Trigger. And P3P.)
The original P4 is also available as a PS2 classic for PS3 but not PS4 for some reason...