Well, at first I was worried it would be a late port, but then I realized WWE 2K entries tend to come earlier in the year than other sports series, so this is coming just 4 months after the other versions.
Hopefully its debut won't be botched this time, and a good hint of that effort is the fact The Island mode, only avaliable on current-gen, will indeed be avaliable on this version.
And even if it runs better than what 2K18 ran on the Switch 1, it'll be interesting to compare it with the other versions!
Also, what about the musical datamine found in the game's code? Does it still hint at some currently unavaliable functionality for the console?
It's not very likely but I feel the recommended price tag should be 29.99 if it truly won't offer much more beyond what was announced. Even with free updates, that's how much Rocket League costed before becoming free-to-play I think. The controls are at least very intuitive, but I worry this will be overshadowed easily by what could also be coming to the hardware the next months.
@SalvorHardin Asset streaming issues, even with Nanite and fast SSD? Haven't seen those cases yet, but the only thing I know about UE is that it's becoming a popular choice for games to look that shiny and fancy. Even the Switch made decent use of them with Pikmin 4 and SMT V. It may not be perfect, but it also depends on how the developer makes use of it. GF could simply make use of Unreal 4 if they can't handle UE5. Maybe it depends on how Beast of Reincarnation runs and how scalable it could be.
Considering how bad the original game tendend to drop, these small hitches seem to be related to asset streaming or anything related to the engine. Considering Game Freak will seemingly use Unreal Engine for Beast of Reincarnation, I kinda hope they switch to that for Gen 10 too.
I don't know, image quality docked seemss too high to be just 1080p, it was seemingly stated because that's the same resolution as the Series S while running at a stable 60fps. Any comparison point? Also, portable mode could be 1080p as well, if it still struggles while running it so low at 720p
But yeah, maybe a performance/quality mode could help with those instabilities. The first game was a benchmark for the PS4/Xbox One, that's interesting.
Are you kidding me? Do you realize this is exactly the kind of buzzword that damaged Wii U's reputation from third-parties in the first place? The "Nintendo gamers only buy Nintendo games" stigma was practically done thanks to the Switch's portability, it should have disappeared already.
This is very worrisome and deserves an insight. Maybe it was the first week and of course players were more interested on the first-party games. And the game-key card worries are nothing compared to supporting these big games on Nintendo's console. They need to be decently succesful on Switch 2 at least, especially the worthwhile ones. I mean, why else would Cyberpunk appear on the first places on UK charts? Portability, that's the reason you would get it on Switch 2.
How could I put it on simple personal words? I loved it! It brought me faith again on standalone Directs, this is Peak Nintendo and one of the best uses of current-gen hardware. The only concern I have is if all these content teased won't matter if it's going to be as short as Mario Odyssey, which was it's only and biggest flaw. Please make that higher price worthwhile, I hope it's truly packed with content.
This truly looks more like a Rare game the more I see it, those transformations and designs are just so creative! I just hope the bosses have more screentime than the Broodals. Besides, there's still some mystery from why some enemies look like Crocodiles.. And the Zebras themselves, they look like they're gonna sound like Chris Rock at any moment lol.
How funny. I just remembered how even the 3DS Chibi-Robo platformer had the best kind of amiibo support where you train a character up to higher levels of RPG-like stats. Fortunately the game is looking exciting enough to consider this a bump. I hope there is some way to build up things with anything you have in the overworld.
Hold on, I thought this was Mario's anniversary, yet Donkey Kong is already set to steal his spotlight! lol
But honestly, not even MKW has something quite like this, it's a perfect usage of a console's new features, and also made me realize I want Media Molecule's Dreams to come to Switch 2. Mouse Mode would be perfect for it.
When a 'Direct' is just 15 minutes long, you know it's just an extended overview trailer, like Mario Kart World... But hey, at least this one had new information! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0m_uNaSres
In general, the noticeable lack of Switch 2 announcement during recent summer events reflects how recent the console is and how much devs actually had dev kits not long until recently. My guess is they're working on a COD game for Switch 2, but they won't reveal it right now.
Just, since this is a yearly franchise, please don't bring a late port for the same price just to announce a new entry months after. If this game doesn't come to Switch 2 at launch, then give it a window of at least 1 month and a half to release it or not to release it.
Interesting announcement that definitely has a lot of people talking abot hardware capabilities and positioning..
The base Xbox Rog Ally seems to have specs more inline with Steam Deck (maybe even higher), but with noticeable more memory. The Rog Xbox Ally X on the other hand... that surely sounds like a portable powerhouse. 24GB sound exaggerating though, who knows how much of it will be actually directed to games, but it'll surely make it very future-proof.
In comparison, an optimised Switch 2 game has results similar to the original Rog Ally in terms of resolution and framerate, but on handheld mode that has a big price on battery life. The battery on the Switch 2 itself is..not that big and that has already resulted on the reported lower battery runtime.
Thing is, the Switch 2 is $450 in comparison (and likely $400 had not been for the dock), it's a more console-like prospoition, and a bigger battery would've likely make the product more expensive, and that is non doubt the main advantage of Nintendo's hybrid. It's like comparing a console to a PC, these beefier rigs will always be more expensive and less accesible to the general audience, especially when we're still waiting for this gen's consoles to recieve a general price cut. Nintendo's good positioned in that respect, they're essentially selling current-gen to the mainstream if the sales are an indicator.
Who knows what kind of revisions we could see ahead the generation, but right now they want to future-proof the most they can without making it too niche.
Digital Foundry once said that the Steam Deck was "closer to Xbox Series S than what the Switch was compared to PS4 and Xbox One". That should be enough buzzword.
The first PS4 comparison was made when the console was just revealed. Now it's good to hear that from the devs themselves, and it's better that way to be honest.
Basically... PS4/XOne - PS4 Pro/Series S - /One X --- Series X/PS5.
Where does the Switch 2 find in-between? Probably between PS4 and Series S, but it does have some inner tech like DLSS that makes scalability easier, which means it should find itself closer to the middle. Considering how compromised current-gen games can look on Series S it's definitely something to consider.
Wild Hearts for example, was severly compromised on Series S, to the point I thought they just couldn't optimise it properly, especially for the shading. The Switch 2 version has seemingly modified the lighting system to allow for more contrast between shadow and lighting, which will probably make it better-looking than the Series S version in some moments. Not to mention Hyrule Warriors will seemingly run at 60fps with high-quality graphics, which looks promising.
But anyway, the PS4 is still very surprisingly powerful in terms of numbers. It obviously got outclassed by current-gen, but more specifically, for the more expensive higher-end consoles. The Series S was made to be more accessible and it honestly does a good job at that. Thing is, with Rog Xbox Ally recently announced and probably promising outright Series S-level performance (maybe something a bit more with overclocking), the Switch 2 needs to find itself with a price advantage yet comparable performance when docked at least.
But to be honest I still have to see Dragon's Dogma 2 running on it. Games devs made specifically for the PS5 can sometimes look very compromised on Series S without much scalability offered by the majority, so how say, Final Fantasy XVI could run on Switch 2 is a good question.
Interesting to see the first ever Splatoon spin-off game.. and the fact this could've been a perfect announcement to kick off a Nintendo Direct implies there won't be the need to see one... or at least not one with first-party games. Well maybe excluding Bananza and Drag X Drive since both are coming soon. Not to mention, had it been a Direct, our research man Nogami-san would've been the one diving us into the game. Oh well....
But yeah this looks very slick both artistically and technically, heck maybe it looks even higher quality than Splatoon 3's free update! What is a mystery though is the gameplay, it's not very clear what genres it will explore, but maybe it could involve exploration and island survival.
Nice to see this game still showing life on Switch 2, maybe we could even get new Splatfests thereafter like the the second entry. I'll be interesting to see how it'll compare to Switch 1, and it looks slick and nice enough to finally be comparable to those high-quality screenshots they showed ever since Splatoon 2
I see this version has the 30fps on World Tour cap during fihts too, a drawback from last-gen. Instead of optimizing it further to make it reach 60fps, they decided to hold on that target and implement a motion blur effect that at least makes it more acceptable for some. Well except for those who dislike the effect... But what matters more is that this great game is now avaliable on Switch 2, and even includes some unique features, apart from the amiibo of course
With Mario Kart World (currently) not showing much interest on introducing non-Mario characters, something tells me SEGA is seeing this as a chance to turn this into the Smash Bros of Kart Racing games, they even got Steve there too!
They've already done this before on the All-Star games with Banjo & Kazooie and Wreck-It Ralph, but this sounds like a chance to turn it up to 11. Interesting!
To be honest, it's a nice upgrade, but not a revelation for this game. Not that it's not enough, it's just the fact this is one of the most refined and polished first-party game on Switch, the rendering features are PS4-level and how it achieved 60fps with so many visual splendour was impressive back then (and even gave the impression the Switch was more powerful than its specs suggested). The only drawback was that it was a bit blurry, and even with that improved the 60fps feeling is simply immersive no matter where or how you play it
I just can't wait for the next 3D Mario game that hopefully won't be a tough act to follow compared to Odyssey, just keeping the concept and make it bigger and longer would be great.
No surprises for the first-party games. Well maybe except for Welcome Tour. Fast Fusion is still better value after all, right? Oh well, it does indeed make for a fine title that wants you to download it, but you know the buzzword.
In terms of third-party releases though, it's even more interesting. I'm guessing the biggest ones are being bought "physically" (aka Key Card) while the smaller-scale ones are being downloaded or simplicity sake.
Nintendo prepared a lot of genres for the launch. Want an open-world cyberpunk setting? Try Cyberpunk 2077. Want a fantasy adventure where you play as a wizard in the Harry Potter universe? Hogwarts Legacy is waiting. Wanna try Yakuza 0? It feels good to play! Or the trending fighting game? You gotta play SF6. And don't forget Split Fiction, a game that uses the most of the joy-cons
It's a smart strategy, though one I hope doesn't feel too overwhelming to negatively affect the relevance of some titles. That was after all one of the Wii U's first mistakes that affected its reputation among developers. Of its 22 launch titles, only 5 or so of them actually became profitable.
I once had a dream of playing Fortnite at 60fps on a Switch Pro on handheld mode. That dream once had to wait... until now, and even better than what I imagined! There's a question many are asking though, will ray-tracing be avaliable? I'm guessing likely not at launch, but it could arrive eventually. It works on 30fps on the Steam Deck and even higher on other PC Handhelds, and that's hardware-based to booth!
So, a 2015 chipset took 500 engineers, that's believable. But the Switch's X1 was only different on clock speeds and RAM. Its true advantage over the previous X1 was its custom API which allowed any console graphical feature to work on it, but the numbers were basically the same.
Howeve it was still indeed a revelation to see console-quality games on mobile (either something a little more impressive than an Xbox 360 game, or a compromised PS4/Xbox One-quality game), and it surely enjoyed some years with that fine reputation, at least until the Steam Deck came out. I think that was the moment when suddenly seeing a console-quality game ported to Switch became less impressive. Steam Deck felt like the generational leap Nintendo didn't deliver back then.
But now we're finally seeing Switch's successor arrive, and from either being a "technical marvel" or "the most advanced graphics ever in a mobile device". I wonder if that resonates with "most powerful mobile chipset ever build". Thing is, it's indeed impressive on its early days, but we'll have to see how it'll stack up on launch. It at least has a reasonable price for its value, so we'll see what would make handheld mode
so efficent when running anything on that 1080p screen.
The thing is, ultra low power yet incredible performance? If that's true, then what would happen if someone decided to overclock the hardware, especially docked with its special fan? Maybe that would be the equivalent of the 25-30W output modes on a PC Handheld.
Resolution actually seems to be dynamic with a common number being 1080p on the open-world, and maybe higher on moments like Tera Raid Battles, but with a very effective anti-aliasing method. Besides framerate, the biggest change stems on loading times. In fact, if online is cross-gen we could be seeing an advantage with Switch 2 players, it seems at least considering how quick it took to activate Terastalization.
Not everything's optimized though, and it seems the incredibly quick loading times also stem from the fact textures and assets look the same as before. The worst fiasco though, is that the shadow draw distances are still as bafflingly low as before, and the higher resolution only makes it more noticeable. That issue is definitely a drawback on the game's settings and needs to be patched too.
Still, it gives a positive outlook on what a Switch 2 only Pokémon RPG could look, and what Game Freak could achieve on Gen 10.
I imagine it would be very crazy if higher modes applied to the open world too, that would be an interesting test for the hardware's memory reading speed.
Besides resolution and framerate, the main improvements are hopefully draw distances and not needing a loading screen for Mesagoza. I wish they could've gone further and improved texture and shadow quality too, but maybe that would've required more time. I also just noticed the Terastal animation is quite different. Besides probably not skipping frames, the terastal symbol and the particle effects all look and animate a bit different. It suggest there will likely be some small improvements there and there. Can't wait to see all the upgrades in action soon
Processing optimisations right? Like the player prediction methods from Tears of the Kingdom... they weren't enough this time to deliver their vision. Welcome to what it feels porting a PS4 game to the original Switch, Nintendo
I truly makes sense to make it a launch title then. At first I thought the graphics were a little too unimpressive because the lighting was more subdued, but now that I'm looking at it at every angle, the image quality, the rendering pipeline, everything feels truly modern here. In fact, I think it wasn't until they recieved the later kits that they discovered they could upgrade the resolution to 1440p docked, and boy does that make a huge first impression, the clarity is simply new territory for the game franchise, even bigger than the HD leap that was NSMBU on the Wii U's launch.
On Switch 1 the game could've simply been 30fps with less visual splendour, since more things here are running in real-time, it would not have looked as good as Mario Kart 8, not to mention potential memory limitations, so as a first impression for the new console it's doing great! Who knows what they could achieve on the future...
For someone who lived through the whole Switch era, it's amusing to see we're now expecting improvements over PS4 games instead of compromises, I do see some lighting modifications but apart from that, even the textures look the same , and those were made for its original 512MB platform in mind
This game was originally made for the PS3, then upgraded to the PS4 where it used its capabilities to the maximum 1080p60fps it could achieve, so it's not surprising it can reach higher on Switch 2, it looks 4K indeed.
This game could even run on the original Switch, even if it decides between 1080p30 or 720p60. With that in mind, it truly feels like a generational leap to expect 1080p60 on handheld mode.
But I'm more interested in how it'll handle the more recent Like a Dragon games that are even avaliable on PS4, it first needs to be a decent sales success at least.
When I see games that even "non-Nintendo gamers will pick up later", I think of titles such as Wii Sports, or more recently Switch Sports. Not even Nintendo Land or 1-2 Switch were able to reach those milestones. I think it would've been nice to include a Switch 2 Sports or something as a budget launch title, especially to accompany the core games, which are indeed plenty of.
I guess most of them could also technically run at 120fps, if Metroid Prime 4 will, I mean, that game is indeed packing a higher visual punch than the majority of the selected titles. As time passes, hopefully MK8 Deluxe would be another great showcase for maximum settings.
I'll also be interested on seeing to how much extent the framerate will be improved on Scarlet and Violet. Though I would also hope they could improve draw distances and popping, as those were also the biggest visuals distractions originally.
It's pretty good to hear that. Thanks to the engine's scalability, they likely won't need to make many changes. Generally, it'll be interesting to see how Switch 2 will fare in current-gen games.
Lifestyle ads were key to the commercial successes of both the Wii and the Switch, showcasing general audiences and the mainstream rather than simply children or families. This time, factoring the Switch 2's exclusive games and unique capabilities are key, maybe also adding something like "the power in your hands" for the third-party games on handheld mode, that would've been nice.
"On the other hand, over the course of these eight years and counting, it has become necessary to increase hardware processing performance in order for software developers to realize one of Nintendo's most valued tenets: offering new gameplay experiences."
That's exactly what I thought. Donkey Kong Bananza proves it full time.
Mario Kart World on the other hand, maybe that is actually possible on Switch 1, just not a 60fps.
Besides, who knows? They could come with a Nintendo Labo-like product eventually.... hm?
I know this talk is mostly about its battle system, but gosh those visuals are just gorgeous, even on Series S. I really hope the next Monolith Soft game looks at least close to this, the Final Fantasy inspiration is on touch there too.
I guess EA is waiting to see how Madden NFL 26 performs sales-wise on Switch 2 to see if bringing entries in the College Football series would be viable. It's understandable since it's a separate title, so hopefully we won't see another The Journey-like fiasco for us Nintendo players.
I hope they can bring some of their library soon, the Jedi games for example, they would map out decent success considering its based on a renowed IP.
But, why would it cost more digitally than physical? Isn't that ironic? I really wonder if that strategy's gonna work out, what if someone wants to install all the launch games digitally?
71GB? Wow, for a mobile device that would be prohibitely high, but how much does it weight on other platforms by comparison? Maybe it's understandable they wouldn't have used a 64GB cartridge since it would've made the price more expensive, but even for some a Game-Key card would've been preferable. Besidses, I thought they were using their new AI-upscaling tech to reduce game file sizes, still early days I guess.
The Hyperjump feature really looks like it'll make use of the improved memory, it's gonna be crazy I think. All those new modes just speak "New F-Zero features" for me though, it's a perfect example of what new innovations you could do with a new entry.
I wonder if they are using DLSS, but it actually seems they won't need it, it's looking promising.
The trailer's not looking like 4K though, in fact it looks a bit blurrier than even 1080p, but the screenshots do look high resolution. It's still looking like a tech showcase for the system already, and good to see they seemingly finally have the updated, 4K-supported dev kits, that way I'm sure they'll soon show a version closer to the final release.
It's a shame it won't support 120fps at launch though, but considering how it's going to show off a lot of modes I think it could be possible there, Mario Kart World wants that too after all.
@Jester676 You know what? Nevermind that. I think you were misleading my comment into calling Mario Kart World a last-gen title, when the only thing I'm stating is, the game probably has visual roots on Switch 1, it's quite evident when you look at the model/texture quality and the fact the visual touches look neat CGI, but not necessarily super VGX CGI or anything like that. Everything else? Open-world, 24 racers at 60fps? A 120 fps mode maybe? That is definitely Switch 2 territory.
Donkey Kong Bananza, on the other hand, does indeed look like a game developed from the ground-up for the Switch 2 in mind, just like SMO was for the Switch 1.
@Jester676 The engine at least, not the overall output, since I doubt that open-world would be feasible at 60fps on Switch 1. It's just that, the game does look stylized enough to resemble some Switch games.
So now that the game's out, it's been discovered the Xbox Series S is approximately 1260p but upscaled from very low resolutions (likely with FSR2/3)... I guess it probably won't run on Switch 2 without DLSS. At least that's an option hopefully Virtuos can manage, they're the ones who bought The Outer Worlds to the Switch after all.
If there's something the PC Handhelds have demonstrated, it's that overclocking the CPU and GPU ridiculous levels can let them achieve performance parity with the higher-end consoles, even if the visuals still stack at medium.
Um, actually, the Street Fighter 6 demo has a higher image quality than even Series S, it's pretty evident there: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvKaQpYNSjA
The visuals though, are a clear holdover from the PS4 version, even the textures in fact. That's a bit disappointing, it's not much different from Series S, but it lack some of its extra detail and shading. It does hint that reducing image quality would bring visual parity with XSS though.
Hogwarts Legacy is a bit worrying though, you'd expect they could hold at least 1080p docked without any meaningfulhitch to performance, but seeing frame drops while running at apparently 720p is not a good showcase of the hardware capabilities.. There's still time for it to be optimized, and since it doesn't seem to be using DLSS, there's potential for that too.
Meanwhile, Donkey Kong Bananza seems like the perfect answer to the question if its CPU is on the current-gen standard levels at least, it's like an evolved Knack system of combat and phsyics. Heck, even if it keeps that (likely native) 1080p picture, it'd still be comparable to a typical Xbox Series S release.
Also, many haven't noticed that Mario Kart World apparently runs on the same "LunchBox" engine that powered the Zelda BOTW/TOKT and Splatoon games on Switch, it's pretty evident by the physically-based lighting, physics engine, subdued art style and the fact even the reflection method is very similar to the one used in Breath of the Wild. It's an engine designed to bring modern visual features in a way that feels less taxing and more artistic, and also hints that the game was likely first designed for the original Switch in mind, but then they decided to boost it to the new generation machine as an exclusive. It's good if even the open-world is meant to run at 60fps after all.
Anyway, them calling the Switch 2 "future-looking" is a good enough sign from them. Even with the supposedly constrained clock speeds, it's still packing enough tech for the potential of higher clock speeds to be there, I guess...
I still think they need to be more convinced to call this more inline with a current-gen machine than the last-gen ones though.
So, it will fully support VRR for handheld mode, but not for TV mode? That doesn't make any sense. Seriously, they must clarify why they would change that out of random.
If it can run well on Xbox Series S, and especially, if Virtuos also works on it, then a faithful Switch 2 port would be pretty feasible.
But first things first, it'll need to prove it has the install base for it!
So here begins, the first Switch 2 marketing... They're doing the right thing in promoting the console as an evolved, better Switch. No focus on gimmicks, no confusing peripherals... and whatever affected the 3DS marketing message on its first months. Also, I just realized how Hasta la Vista Bowser looks.
Nintendo has their roadmap to the Switch 2's launch, and I'm guessing that involves some kind of... balanced game announcement/release saga, I'm sure they'll eventually talk about games many are intrigued how they'll look and run on Switch 2.
I think the Switch work on The Witcher is more Saber Interactive's work. They were the ones who made the impossible true, so who knows what they could achieve with the Switch 2. The Upgraded Next-Gen edition has tons of improvements and visual enhancements, it would be nice to see them on the new console too.
At least not everything was fully shown, but what is a disappointment is that they seemingly confirmed 4-player split-screen is once again capped to 30fps. Why, and what does that mean for the alleged 120fps mode? I don't know, but I doubt it'll be avaliable on the free roam modes
On the bright side, they could justify that by upgrading Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, that game was truly max settings on the Switch 1 already.
It looks slick, but still kinda subdued. It still feels they used the Mario Kart Tour art style (not engine, that was Unity!), which was already inferior to Mario Kart 8's visual approach. That's not my main issue though, I wonder why they couldn't add more detail to the tracks, did they wanted to avoid pop-in?
Comments 1,686
Re: WWE 2K25 Is Finally Confirmed For Switch 2 Alongside Release Date
Well, at first I was worried it would be a late port, but then I realized WWE 2K entries tend to come earlier in the year than other sports series, so this is coming just 4 months after the other versions.
Hopefully its debut won't be botched this time, and a good hint of that effort is the fact The Island mode, only avaliable on current-gen, will indeed be avaliable on this version.
And even if it runs better than what 2K18 ran on the Switch 1, it'll be interesting to compare it with the other versions!
Also, what about the musical datamine found in the game's code? Does it still hint at some currently unavaliable functionality for the console?
Re: Nintendo Confirms The Release Date For Drag X Drive On Switch 2
It's not very likely but I feel the recommended price tag should be 29.99 if it truly won't offer much more beyond what was announced. Even with free updates, that's how much Rocket League costed before becoming free-to-play I think.
The controls are at least very intuitive, but I worry this will be overshadowed easily by what could also be coming to the hardware the next months.
Re: Digital Foundry Delivers Its Tech Review For Pokémon Scarlet & Violet On Switch 2
@SalvorHardin Asset streaming issues, even with Nanite and fast SSD? Haven't seen those cases yet, but the only thing I know about UE is that it's becoming a popular choice for games to look that shiny and fancy. Even the Switch made decent use of them with Pikmin 4 and SMT V.
It may not be perfect, but it also depends on how the developer makes use of it. GF could simply make use of Unreal 4 if they can't handle UE5. Maybe it depends on how Beast of Reincarnation runs and how scalable it could be.
Re: Digital Foundry Delivers Its Tech Review For Pokémon Scarlet & Violet On Switch 2
Considering how bad the original game tendend to drop, these small hitches seem to be related to asset streaming or anything related to the engine. Considering Game Freak will seemingly use Unreal Engine for Beast of Reincarnation, I kinda hope they switch to that for Gen 10 too.
Re: Review: Hitman World Of Assassination - Signature Edition (Switch 2) - Not Yet The Showstopping Port 47 Deserves
I don't know, image quality docked seemss too high to be just 1080p, it was seemingly stated because that's the same resolution as the Series S while running at a stable 60fps. Any comparison point? Also, portable mode could be 1080p as well, if it still struggles while running it so low at 720p
But yeah, maybe a performance/quality mode could help with those instabilities. The first game was a benchmark for the PS4/Xbox One, that's interesting.
Re: Third-Party Launch Games On Switch 2 Reportedly Sold "Very Low Numbers"
Are you kidding me? Do you realize this is exactly the kind of buzzword that damaged Wii U's reputation from third-parties in the first place? The "Nintendo gamers only buy Nintendo games" stigma was practically done thanks to the Switch's portability, it should have disappeared already.
This is very worrisome and deserves an insight. Maybe it was the first week and of course players were more interested on the first-party games. And the game-key card worries are nothing compared to supporting these big games on Nintendo's console. They need to be decently succesful on Switch 2 at least, especially the worthwhile ones. I mean, why else would Cyberpunk appear on the first places on UK charts? Portability, that's the reason you would get it on Switch 2.
Re: Donkey Kong Bananza Features Two-Player Co-Op, And You Can Even GameShare To Switch 1
Considering how heavy this game is looking this is very impressive. I hope there's enough latency for it to work.
Re: Donkey Kong Bananza Direct: Every Announcement - How Would You Rate It?
How could I put it on simple personal words? I loved it!
It brought me faith again on standalone Directs, this is Peak Nintendo and one of the best uses of current-gen hardware. The only concern I have is if all these content teased won't matter if it's going to be as short as Mario Odyssey, which was it's only and biggest flaw. Please make that higher price worthwhile, I hope it's truly packed with content.
Re: Check Out Donkey Kong Bananza's All-New Kong Cast Members & Animal Transformations
This truly looks more like a Rare game the more I see it, those transformations and designs are just so creative! I just hope the bosses have more screentime than the Broodals. Besides, there's still some mystery from why some enemies look like Crocodiles..
And the Zebras themselves, they look like they're gonna sound like Chris Rock at any moment lol.
Re: Say Hello To Pauline In Donkey Kong Bananza
This was a truly big surprise. I didn't expect a Donkey Kong game at all to have such an engaging story pitch. Now I'm really interested in the story.
Re: Donkey Kong Gets A New amiibo, Nintendo Details How They Work In DK Bananza
How funny. I just remembered how even the 3DS Chibi-Robo platformer had the best kind of amiibo support where you train a character up to higher levels of RPG-like stats.
Fortunately the game is looking exciting enough to consider this a bump. I hope there is some way to build up things with anything you have in the overworld.
Re: Donkey Kong Bananza Channels Super Mario 64 Energy With Its 'DK Artist' Mode
Hold on, I thought this was Mario's anniversary, yet Donkey Kong is already set to steal his spotlight! lol
But honestly, not even MKW has something quite like this, it's a perfect usage of a console's new features, and also made me realize I want Media Molecule's Dreams to come to Switch 2. Mouse Mode would be perfect for it.
Re: Donkey Kong Bananza Direct Revealed For Wednesday, 18th June 2025
When a 'Direct' is just 15 minutes long, you know it's just an extended overview trailer, like Mario Kart World...
But hey, at least this one had new information!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0m_uNaSres
What I just hope here is probably something more akin to this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKWBv-djiKk
Re: Yes, Call Of Duty Is Still On The Way To Nintendo Hardware
In general, the noticeable lack of Switch 2 announcement during recent summer events reflects how recent the console is and how much devs actually had dev kits not long until recently. My guess is they're working on a COD game for Switch 2, but they won't reveal it right now.
Just, since this is a yearly franchise, please don't bring a late port for the same price just to announce a new entry months after. If this game doesn't come to Switch 2 at launch, then give it a window of at least 1 month and a half to release it or not to release it.
Re: Xbox Officially Enters The Handheld Space, But Nintendo Won't Be Worried
Interesting announcement that definitely has a lot of people talking abot hardware capabilities and positioning..
The base Xbox Rog Ally seems to have specs more inline with Steam Deck (maybe even higher), but with noticeable more memory. The Rog Xbox Ally X on the other hand... that surely sounds like a portable powerhouse. 24GB sound exaggerating though, who knows how much of it will be actually directed to games, but it'll surely make it very future-proof.
In comparison, an optimised Switch 2 game has results similar to the original Rog Ally in terms of resolution and framerate, but on handheld mode that has a big price on battery life. The battery on the Switch 2 itself is..not that big and that has already resulted on the reported lower battery runtime.
Thing is, the Switch 2 is $450 in comparison (and likely $400 had not been for the dock), it's a more console-like prospoition, and a bigger battery would've likely make the product more expensive, and that is non doubt the main advantage of Nintendo's hybrid. It's like comparing a console to a PC, these beefier rigs will always be more expensive and less accesible to the general audience, especially when we're still waiting for this gen's consoles to recieve a general price cut. Nintendo's good positioned in that respect, they're essentially selling current-gen to the mainstream if the sales are an indicator.
Who knows what kind of revisions we could see ahead the generation, but right now they want to future-proof the most they can without making it too niche.
Re: Forget The PS4, Koei Tecmo Reckons Switch 2 Is Closer To Xbox Series S
Digital Foundry once said that the Steam Deck was "closer to Xbox Series S than what the Switch was compared to PS4 and Xbox One". That should be enough buzzword.
The first PS4 comparison was made when the console was just revealed. Now it's good to hear that from the devs themselves, and it's better that way to be honest.
Basically... PS4/XOne - PS4 Pro/Series S - /One X --- Series X/PS5.
Where does the Switch 2 find in-between? Probably between PS4 and Series S, but it does have some inner tech like DLSS that makes scalability easier, which means it should find itself closer to the middle. Considering how compromised current-gen games can look on Series S it's definitely something to consider.
Wild Hearts for example, was severly compromised on Series S, to the point I thought they just couldn't optimise it properly, especially for the shading. The Switch 2 version has seemingly modified the lighting system to allow for more contrast between shadow and lighting, which will probably make it better-looking than the Series S version in some moments. Not to mention Hyrule Warriors will seemingly run at 60fps with high-quality graphics, which looks promising.
But anyway, the PS4 is still very surprisingly powerful in terms of numbers. It obviously got outclassed by current-gen, but more specifically, for the more expensive higher-end consoles. The Series S was made to be more accessible and it honestly does a good job at that. Thing is, with Rog Xbox Ally recently announced and probably promising outright Series S-level performance (maybe something a bit more with overclocking), the Switch 2 needs to find itself with a price advantage yet comparable performance when docked at least.
But to be honest I still have to see Dragon's Dogma 2 running on it. Games devs made specifically for the PS5 can sometimes look very compromised on Series S without much scalability offered by the majority, so how say, Final Fantasy XVI could run on Switch 2 is a good question.
Re: Splatoon Raiders, A New Splatoon Spin-Off, Is Confirmed For Switch 2
Interesting to see the first ever Splatoon spin-off game.. and the fact this could've been a perfect announcement to kick off a Nintendo Direct implies there won't be the need to see one... or at least not one with first-party games. Well maybe excluding Bananza and Drag X Drive since both are coming soon. Not to mention, had it been a Direct, our research man Nogami-san would've been the one diving us into the game. Oh well....
But yeah this looks very slick both artistically and technically, heck maybe it looks even higher quality than Splatoon 3's free update! What is a mystery though is the gameplay, it's not very clear what genres it will explore, but maybe it could involve exploration and island survival.
Re: Splatoon 3 To Get Free Switch 2 Update Later This Week
Nice to see this game still showing life on Switch 2, maybe we could even get new Splatfests thereafter like the the second entry.
I'll be interesting to see how it'll compare to Switch 1, and it looks slick and nice enough to finally be comparable to those high-quality screenshots they showed ever since Splatoon 2
Re: Review: Street Fighter 6: Years 1-2 Fighters Edition (Switch 2) - Just One Caveat Holds Back Capcom's Finest
I see this version has the 30fps on World Tour cap during fihts too, a drawback from last-gen. Instead of optimizing it further to make it reach 60fps, they decided to hold on that target and implement a motion blur effect that at least makes it more acceptable for some. Well except for those who dislike the effect...
But what matters more is that this great game is now avaliable on Switch 2, and even includes some unique features, apart from the amiibo of course
Re: Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Switch 2 Version Announced Alongside "Paid Upgrade" For Switch
With Mario Kart World (currently) not showing much interest on introducing non-Mario characters, something tells me SEGA is seeing this as a chance to turn this into the Smash Bros of Kart Racing games, they even got Steve there too!
They've already done this before on the All-Star games with Banjo & Kazooie and Wreck-It Ralph, but this sounds like a chance to turn it up to 11. Interesting!
Re: Video: Super Mario Odyssey Shines On Switch 2 In This Side-By-Side Graphics Comparison
To be honest, it's a nice upgrade, but not a revelation for this game. Not that it's not enough, it's just the fact this is one of the most refined and polished first-party game on Switch, the rendering features are PS4-level and how it achieved 60fps with so many visual splendour was impressive back then (and even gave the impression the Switch was more powerful than its specs suggested). The only drawback was that it was a bit blurry, and even with that improved the 60fps feeling is simply immersive no matter where or how you play it
I just can't wait for the next 3D Mario game that hopefully won't be a tough act to follow compared to Odyssey, just keeping the concept and make it bigger and longer would be great.
Re: Switch 2 eShop "Top-Selling" Games At Launch Revealed
No surprises for the first-party games. Well maybe except for Welcome Tour. Fast Fusion is still better value after all, right? Oh well, it does indeed make for a fine title that wants you to download it, but you know the buzzword.
In terms of third-party releases though, it's even more interesting. I'm guessing the biggest ones are being bought "physically" (aka Key Card) while the smaller-scale ones are being downloaded or simplicity sake.
Nintendo prepared a lot of genres for the launch. Want an open-world cyberpunk setting? Try Cyberpunk 2077. Want a fantasy adventure where you play as a wizard in the Harry Potter universe? Hogwarts Legacy is waiting. Wanna try Yakuza 0? It feels good to play! Or the trending fighting game? You gotta play SF6. And don't forget Split Fiction, a game that uses the most of the joy-cons
It's a smart strategy, though one I hope doesn't feel too overwhelming to negatively affect the relevance of some titles. That was after all one of the Wii U's first mistakes that affected its reputation among developers. Of its 22 launch titles, only 5 or so of them actually became profitable.
Re: 60FPS, Higher Resolution, Mouse Controls - Fortnite On Switch 2 Sounds Like A Big Step Up
I once had a dream of playing Fortnite at 60fps on a Switch Pro on handheld mode. That dream once had to wait... until now, and even better than what I imagined!
There's a question many are asking though, will ray-tracing be avaliable?
I'm guessing likely not at launch, but it could arrive eventually. It works on 30fps on the Steam Deck and even higher on other PC Handhelds, and that's hardware-based to booth!
Re: Nintendo Switch 2 Chip "Unlike Anything We've Ever Built Before" Says Nvidia CEO
So, a 2015 chipset took 500 engineers, that's believable. But the Switch's X1 was only different on clock speeds and RAM. Its true advantage over the previous X1 was its custom API which allowed any console graphical feature to work on it, but the numbers were basically the same.
Howeve it was still indeed a revelation to see console-quality games on mobile (either something a little more impressive than an Xbox 360 game, or a compromised PS4/Xbox One-quality game), and it surely enjoyed some years with that fine reputation, at least until the Steam Deck came out. I think that was the moment when suddenly seeing a console-quality game ported to Switch became less impressive. Steam Deck felt like the generational leap Nintendo didn't deliver back then.
But now we're finally seeing Switch's successor arrive, and from either being a "technical marvel" or "the most advanced graphics ever in a mobile device". I wonder if that resonates with "most powerful mobile chipset ever build". Thing is, it's indeed impressive on its early days, but we'll have to see how it'll stack up on launch. It at least has a reasonable price for its value, so we'll see what would make handheld mode
so efficent when running anything on that 1080p screen.
The thing is, ultra low power yet incredible performance? If that's true, then what would happen if someone decided to overclock the hardware, especially docked with its special fan? Maybe that would be the equivalent of the 25-30W output modes on a PC Handheld.
Re: Early Impressions Of Pokémon Scarlet And Violet On Switch 2 Are Very Positive
Resolution actually seems to be dynamic with a common number being 1080p on the open-world, and maybe higher on moments like Tera Raid Battles, but with a very effective anti-aliasing method. Besides framerate, the biggest change stems on loading times. In fact, if online is cross-gen we could be seeing an advantage with Switch 2 players, it seems at least considering how quick it took to activate Terastalization.
Not everything's optimized though, and it seems the incredibly quick loading times also stem from the fact textures and assets look the same as before. The worst fiasco though, is that the shadow draw distances are still as bafflingly low as before, and the higher resolution only makes it more noticeable. That issue is definitely a drawback on the game's settings and needs to be patched too.
Still, it gives a positive outlook on what a Switch 2 only Pokémon RPG could look, and what Game Freak could achieve on Gen 10.
Re: Mario Kart World Doesn't Include A 200cc Difficulty Mode
I imagine it would be very crazy if higher modes applied to the open world too, that would be an interesting test for the hardware's memory reading speed.
Re: Pokemon Scarlet & Violet Footage Shows 60fps Gameplay For Switch 2
Besides resolution and framerate, the main improvements are hopefully draw distances and not needing a loading screen for Mesagoza. I wish they could've gone further and improved texture and shadow quality too, but maybe that would've required more time.
I also just noticed the Terastal animation is quite different. Besides probably not skipping frames, the terastal symbol and the particle effects all look and animate a bit different. It suggest there will likely be some small improvements there and there. Can't wait to see all the upgrades in action soon
Re: Mario Kart World Was Originally In Development For Switch 1
Processing optimisations right? Like the player prediction methods from Tears of the Kingdom... they weren't enough this time to deliver their vision. Welcome to what it feels porting a PS4 game to the original Switch, Nintendo
I truly makes sense to make it a launch title then. At first I thought the graphics were a little too unimpressive because the lighting was more subdued, but now that I'm looking at it at every angle, the image quality, the rendering pipeline, everything feels truly modern here. In fact, I think it wasn't until they recieved the later kits that they discovered they could upgrade the resolution to 1440p docked, and boy does that make a huge first impression, the clarity is simply new territory for the game franchise, even bigger than the HD leap that was NSMBU on the Wii U's launch.
On Switch 1 the game could've simply been 30fps with less visual splendour, since more things here are running in real-time, it would not have looked as good as Mario Kart 8, not to mention potential memory limitations, so as a first impression for the new console it's doing great! Who knows what they could achieve on the future...
Re: Yakuza 0 Comparison Video May Give Switch 2 The Edge Over PS4
For someone who lived through the whole Switch era, it's amusing to see we're now expecting improvements over PS4 games instead of compromises, I do see some lighting modifications but apart from that, even the textures look the same , and those were made for its original 512MB platform in mind
This game was originally made for the PS3, then upgraded to the PS4 where it used its capabilities to the maximum 1080p60fps it could achieve, so it's not surprising it can reach higher on Switch 2, it looks 4K indeed.
This game could even run on the original Switch, even if it decides between 1080p30 or 720p60. With that in mind, it truly feels like a generational leap to expect 1080p60 on handheld mode.
But I'm more interested in how it'll handle the more recent Like a Dragon games that are even avaliable on PS4, it first needs to be a decent sales success at least.
Re: Nintendo: "Appetite" For Mario Kart And Series' Accessibility Makes It Ideal For Switch 2's Launch
When I see games that even "non-Nintendo gamers will pick up later", I think of titles such as Wii Sports, or more recently Switch Sports. Not even Nintendo Land or 1-2 Switch were able to reach those milestones. I think it would've been nice to include a Switch 2 Sports or something as a budget launch title, especially to accompany the core games, which are indeed plenty of.
Re: Zelda Fans Are Concerned About The Free Switch 2 Updates, But Don't Worry
I guess most of them could also technically run at 120fps, if Metroid Prime 4 will, I mean, that game is indeed packing a higher visual punch than the majority of the selected titles. As time passes, hopefully MK8 Deluxe would be another great showcase for maximum settings.
I'll also be interested on seeing to how much extent the framerate will be improved on Scarlet and Violet. Though I would also hope they could improve draw distances and popping, as those were also the biggest visuals distractions originally.
Re: "It's Very Powerful" - Borderlands 4 Dev Hypes Up The "Perfect" Switch 2
It's pretty good to hear that. Thanks to the engine's scalability, they likely won't need to make many changes. Generally, it'll be interesting to see how Switch 2 will fare in current-gen games.
Re: Video: Nintendo Kicks-Off Switch 2's Marketing Campaign Down Under
Lifestyle ads were key to the commercial successes of both the Wii and the Switch, showcasing general audiences and the mainstream rather than simply children or families.
This time, factoring the Switch 2's exclusive games and unique capabilities are key, maybe also adding something like "the power in your hands" for the third-party games on handheld mode, that would've been nice.
Re: Nintendo Defends Switch 2's Perceived Lack Of Innovation
"On the other hand, over the course of these eight years and counting, it has become necessary to increase hardware processing performance in order for software developers to realize one of Nintendo's most valued tenets: offering new gameplay experiences."
That's exactly what I thought. Donkey Kong Bananza proves it full time.
Mario Kart World on the other hand, maybe that is actually possible on Switch 1, just not a 60fps.
Besides, who knows? They could come with a Nintendo Labo-like product eventually.... hm?
Re: Opinion: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's Best Gameplay Feature Is Straight Out Of Mario's Playbook
I know this talk is mostly about its battle system, but gosh those visuals are just gorgeous, even on Series S. I really hope the next Monolith Soft game looks at least close to this, the Final Fantasy inspiration is on touch there too.
Re: Madden NFL 26 Confirmed For Switch 2, But College Football Isn't In The Starting Lineup
I guess EA is waiting to see how Madden NFL 26 performs sales-wise on Switch 2 to see if bringing entries in the College Football series would be viable. It's understandable since it's a separate title, so hopefully we won't see another The Journey-like fiasco for us Nintendo players.
I hope they can bring some of their library soon, the Jedi games for example, they would map out decent success considering its based on a renowed IP.
But, why would it cost more digitally than physical? Isn't that ironic? I really wonder if that strategy's gonna work out, what if someone wants to install all the launch games digitally?
Re: Switch 2 "Code-In-A-Box" Physical Game Listing Spotted Online
71GB? Wow, for a mobile device that would be prohibitely high, but how much does it weight on other platforms by comparison?
Maybe it's understandable they wouldn't have used a 64GB cartridge since it would've made the price more expensive, but even for some a Game-Key card would've been preferable.
Besidses, I thought they were using their new AI-upscaling tech to reduce game file sizes, still early days I guess.
Re: Exclusive: Shin'en Talks 'Fast Fusion' On Switch 2, Reveals First-Look Trailer
The Hyperjump feature really looks like it'll make use of the improved memory, it's gonna be crazy I think. All those new modes just speak "New F-Zero features" for me though, it's a perfect example of what new innovations you could do with a new entry.
I wonder if they are using DLSS, but it actually seems they won't need it, it's looking promising.
The trailer's not looking like 4K though, in fact it looks a bit blurrier than even 1080p, but the screenshots do look high resolution. It's still looking like a tech showcase for the system already, and good to see they seemingly finally have the updated, 4K-supported dev kits, that way I'm sure they'll soon show a version closer to the final release.
It's a shame it won't support 120fps at launch though, but considering how it's going to show off a lot of modes I think it could be possible there, Mario Kart World wants that too after all.
Re: Digital Foundry Delivers First Impressions Of Switch 2 - "It Stands Alone In What It Does"
@Jester676 You know what? Nevermind that. I think you were misleading my comment into calling Mario Kart World a last-gen title, when the only thing I'm stating is, the game probably has visual roots on Switch 1, it's quite evident when you look at the model/texture quality and the fact the visual touches look neat CGI, but not necessarily super VGX CGI or anything like that. Everything else? Open-world, 24 racers at 60fps? A 120 fps mode maybe? That is definitely Switch 2 territory.
Donkey Kong Bananza, on the other hand, does indeed look like a game developed from the ground-up for the Switch 2 in mind, just like SMO was for the Switch 1.
Re: Digital Foundry Delivers First Impressions Of Switch 2 - "It Stands Alone In What It Does"
@Jester676 The engine at least, not the overall output, since I doubt that open-world would be feasible at 60fps on Switch 1. It's just that, the game does look stylized enough to resemble some Switch games.
Re: Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered Is Out Now, But Switch 2 Is Unconfirmed
So now that the game's out, it's been discovered the Xbox Series S is approximately 1260p but upscaled from very low resolutions (likely with FSR2/3)... I guess it probably won't run on Switch 2 without DLSS. At least that's an option hopefully Virtuos can manage, they're the ones who bought The Outer Worlds to the Switch after all.
Re: Digital Foundry Delivers First Impressions Of Switch 2 - "It Stands Alone In What It Does"
If there's something the PC Handhelds have demonstrated, it's that overclocking the CPU and GPU ridiculous levels can let them achieve performance parity with the higher-end consoles, even if the visuals still stack at medium.
Um, actually, the Street Fighter 6 demo has a higher image quality than even Series S, it's pretty evident there:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvKaQpYNSjA
The visuals though, are a clear holdover from the PS4 version, even the textures in fact. That's a bit disappointing, it's not much different from Series S, but it lack some of its extra detail and shading. It does hint that reducing image quality would bring visual parity with XSS though.
Hogwarts Legacy is a bit worrying though, you'd expect they could hold at least 1080p docked without any meaningfulhitch to performance, but seeing frame drops while running at apparently 720p is not a good showcase of the hardware capabilities.. There's still time for it to be optimized, and since it doesn't seem to be using DLSS, there's potential for that too.
Meanwhile, Donkey Kong Bananza seems like the perfect answer to the question if its CPU is on the current-gen standard levels at least, it's like an evolved Knack system of combat and phsyics. Heck, even if it keeps that (likely native) 1080p picture, it'd still be comparable to a typical Xbox Series S release.
Also, many haven't noticed that Mario Kart World apparently runs on the same "LunchBox" engine that powered the Zelda BOTW/TOKT and Splatoon games on Switch, it's pretty evident by the physically-based lighting, physics engine, subdued art style and the fact even the reflection method is very similar to the one used in Breath of the Wild. It's an engine designed to bring modern visual features in a way that feels less taxing and more artistic, and also hints that the game was likely first designed for the original Switch in mind, but then they decided to boost it to the new generation machine as an exclusive. It's good if even the open-world is meant to run at 60fps after all.
Anyway, them calling the Switch 2 "future-looking" is a good enough sign from them. Even with the supposedly constrained clock speeds, it's still packing enough tech for the potential of higher clock speeds to be there, I guess...
I still think they need to be more convinced to call this more inline with a current-gen machine than the last-gen ones though.
Re: Paul Rudd Returns In An Awesome SNES-Style Switch 2 Commercial
It's a nice touch, but they could've also promoted it with "You're playing with (handheld) power".
Re: Assassin's Creed Shadows Switch 2 Rating Spotted Online
Not really surprising since it was recently made Steam Deck-ready, but still pretty good to see!
Re: Nintendo Removes Variable Refresh Rate TV Mention On Switch 2 Websites
So, it will fully support VRR for handheld mode, but not for TV mode? That doesn't make any sense. Seriously, they must clarify why they would change that out of random.
Re: Oblivion Remaster May Be Launching This Month, But Will It Come To Switch 2?
If it can run well on Xbox Series S, and especially, if Virtuos also works on it, then a faithful Switch 2 port would be pretty feasible.
But first things first, it'll need to prove it has the install base for it!
Re: Nintendo Kicks Off Mario Kart World Marketing In Japan With A Trio Of New Trailers
So here begins, the first Switch 2 marketing... They're doing the right thing in promoting the console as an evolved, better Switch. No focus on gimmicks, no confusing peripherals... and whatever affected the 3DS marketing message on its first months.
Also, I just realized how Hasta la Vista Bowser looks.
Re: CD Projekt Red Coy On Witcher 3 Upgrade For Switch 2
Nintendo has their roadmap to the Switch 2's launch, and I'm guessing that involves some kind of... balanced game announcement/release saga, I'm sure they'll eventually talk about games many are intrigued how they'll look and run on Switch 2.
I think the Switch work on The Witcher is more Saber Interactive's work. They were the ones who made the impossible true, so who knows what they could achieve with the Switch 2. The Upgraded Next-Gen edition has tons of improvements and visual enhancements, it would be nice to see them on the new console too.
Re: Nintendo Direct: Mario Kart World: Every Announcement - How Would You Rate It?
At least not everything was fully shown, but what is a disappointment is that they seemingly confirmed 4-player split-screen is once again capped to 30fps. Why, and what does that mean for the alleged 120fps mode? I don't know, but I doubt it'll be avaliable on the free roam modes
On the bright side, they could justify that by upgrading Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, that game was truly max settings on the Switch 1 already.
Re: Gallery: Fresh Mario Kart World Screenshots Give Us Our Closest Look Yet At The New Racers
It looks slick, but still kinda subdued. It still feels they used the Mario Kart Tour art style (not engine, that was Unity!), which was already inferior to Mario Kart 8's visual approach. That's not my main issue though, I wonder why they couldn't add more detail to the tracks, did they wanted to avoid pop-in?