shazbot

In other news, FF7 remake pt. 2 delayed 5 years while the project director starts a sourdough baking YouTube channel, finally finishes that garden project he's been working on and finishes that last bit of Celest he never completed when commuting to the office.

It sounds like this guy put more effort into getting Doom running on G&W than I put into a good couple weeks at work.

Hat tip, sir. Well done.

@Kalteas lol, fair enough. I never played it, just heard it had an in game reason why the characters came together.

@PaulBizkit

I think it's difficult to do that because I believe the first hyrule warriors had a plot, and this isn't a continuation of that (though I agree, your solution is more elegant).

@ComposedJam

I think the disconnect you're experiencing between my comment, @park_triolo 's comment and your joy con issues is one of inference.

Park (and his friends) had a different experience than you, described in anecdote.

There's a general consensus that there's serious Joycon issues. (Though I don't think anyone has hacked Nintendo's product database to know statistically return/failure rates, all we have are a greater number of anecdotes)

You seem to have inferred that someone having a different experience than the majority of Joycon users, and describing it, is tantamount to denying a problem. This is not the case.

Explaining that people can have different experiences with the same thing, is now (low level) trolling.

The wonders of the internet!

@countzero Yeah, I realized that by comment 67. I guess in 2020 it's hard for me to compute the year is over. I keep thinking we're really far from December, why are they announcing dlc in this detail? ... And then we're 2 weeks from December

@TheFrenchiestFry

I don't think it's an accusation of copying the implementation, it's an accusation of copying the concept. Like the analog stick to dualshock, like the wii motion controls to PS3 batarang, like the wii speaker to the dualshock speaker.

I don't think anyone would Nintendo innovates a ton on the hardware/implementation front, but noone can accuse them of not being aggressive in conceptual innovation since the Blue Ocean Wii strategy.

Yes please, I would gladly buy this.

Also, I didn't know ToG was from Pakistan. Fun fact.

EDIT: Looks like it was fake news @Liam_Doolan I see ToG all over here in SG and was really surprised article said they were from Pakistan. Darn it, now I'm going to Google 'largest Pakistani retailer'.

@Park_Triolo

Haven't you heard? It's THEIR TRUTH, so for you to describe your personal experience that is different than theirs is to deny their TRUTH.

Probably because you're a bigot or something.

@Amrulez

Fair enough, I was tuned out at the Switch's launch, so I did not see this.

After further reflection, and realizing how close this is to launch, I'm realizing the game is likely code complete and they're in testing. I retract my earlier criticism.

@Amrulez I thought they just announced there would be DLC, not the details of what it would contain? That I'm less concerned with because it means they're not taking (significant) development resources from launch, but am I misremembering? I thought we didn't know what was actually in BotW DLC until shortly before it came out? Just generics like 'more story'

@BenAV @quinnyboy58 @Silly_G

Yeah, I guess I'm just so used to switch getting ports so long afterwards they have to throw in the dlc to be interesting to people (one positive about day 2 ports).

It feels like they're chopping the legs out from under their own game. If they had said we'll support it with dlc, that's one thing, but they're clearly devoting time and resources to ongoing dlc development pre-launch. Does that mean it's fair for me to expect this game to launch completely bug free? Or might they have been better served on creating an excellent core experience, with ongoing support promised vaguely. TBD, but I'm disappointed.

I'm confused, is this common to announce dlc in this level of detail pre release? If they've planned this far out, what's the justification for not including it at launch? (Other than games-as-a-service make more money)

@dBackLash @NateM94 @ancientlii

Also RE Revelations 2, swing your hand over IR sensor to reload.

If we're calling out their sketchy track record, is there any cases in which they've been correct? The examples are that new games will come from various publishers for switch, and then being wrong twice?

Doesn't seem particularly compelling.

@westman98 Yeah, but my point isn't that we can know, it's that you can use the same data point (2017 peak ps4) and contextualize it differently to support a different narrative. That said, I think it's unknowable.

@johnvboy Yes, I understand Switch has outperformed initial expectations, but I'm not a 'hater.'

I'm saying there have been demonstrably unique circumstances this year, that produced clearly inflated sales. The next year will bear out whether I'm right or wrong, but unless pandemic/lockdowns continue indefinitely (which they won't), and they don't cause a recession (which they already have), I really cannot see the Switch replicating these sales next year.

I'm not saying it'll be 1 million units or something, but I think it will be lower. Feel free to necro this comment if Switch sells 26m+ next year.

@ryancraddock Thanks for the clarification.

Also, !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There are 10% as many Switches in Japan as people?!

@johnvboy Yeah, I don't think it's critical to see a Pro, but I think we are at a juncture where we are seeing Switch development support split. We've seen current gen titles launched on Switch as streaming titles and, despite performance for me being great, I know that's not the same for everyone.

Because of Wii U's untimely death the Switch is midcycle with PS & XB & we've seen Nintendo do multiple refreshes for handheld SKUS, GB mini, GBC, GBASP, DSXL, 3DSXL, 2DS, New 3DS XL, so it's at least precedented (and New 3ds was virtually exclusively a performance boost).

I don't think sales will fall off a cliff or anything, but I think the circumstances of this year are unique. I think without COVID this was another 20 million year, and I don't think Animal Crossing would have hit 20 million + sales. By virtue of this being such a great sales year, and the unique circumstances of this year, I just can't imaging this not being peak Switch (sales).

@westman98 Sure, and as I said, I don't think we can answer that definitively, but it seems reasonable to assume that Sony thought that the Pro launch in 2016 would have extended its lifecycle more than it actually did.

And, in a Switch context, I think it's an easy statement to make that this was not just the Switch's best year in terms of sales, it was its best POSSIBLE year, with Animal Crossing and lockdowns striking social media perfectly to boost Switch uptake in the first 3/4 of the year. I think it's a progressive down trend over the next 3 years, unless there really is a Switch Plus / Pro / X in the offing for next year.

@CodyDogg I generally don't feed trolls, but I'm curious where this is going. What other words have you learned to capitalize?

@westman98 I can see these comments getting heated, and I generally agree team X/N/P/PC is irrelevant. Not piling on here, but I want to point out a (possible) flaw in the logic of your most recent comment.

Without direct knowledge of consumer's minds we can't say whether or not the Switch impacted PS4 sales. But the evidence you provide, could also be evidence that Switch in fact DID impact PS4 sales.

It is widely known that Switch was extremely supply constrained in 2017 (through early 2018, and longer in some cases). Every unit shipped also sold.

One could argue, using the same statement (I haven't personally verified it) that the PS4 peaked in 2017 that once Switches became generally available they resulted in steady declines in PS4 sales leading to it peaking the year before Switch broad availability (2017).

And, in terms of industry trends, I think the bigger impact on new console uptake is the likely ongoing economic recession from COVID & lockdowns, limited international trade, the near-death of the service sector (the actual death of the travel sector), and increased demand for government provided healthcare, leading to either increased taxation or sovereign debt issues that would affect disposable income for frivolities like videogames.

@CodyDogg I think you're confused about how elections work.

When I say I voted for someone, it means I cast a ballot for them. It doesn't mean I claim they won.

It's okay, I can wait while you reread my comment(s) for where I said he won.

Let me know if you need assistance.

@ryancraddock Just a practical question:

can someone confirm whether the Switch's sales and lifetime units sold are inclusive or exclusive of the Lite?

Is 119,109 (13,121,994) just for OG Switch, or is it actually 99,000 and 20,000 on Lite for this week, with 10.2 million lifetime sales and 2.8 million for Lite?

@CodyDogg I don't understand what your tirade has to do with my comments, or why it's targeted at me.

@Xenobound94

I just don't understand how their worldview is so triumphalist that everyone who has a different opinion is awful. I'm able to disagree with other reasonably held alternative positions without dehumanizing someone, insulting them or some other ridiculous behavior.

@nessisonett As I said,

"But it belies the intolerance of the left that making a choice they don't like in a free and fair election makes me persona non grata"

I have made no ad hominems nor presented my reasoning. But my choice is indicative of my intelligence (and presumably also my morality and bigotry, right?).

This is quality argumentation.

I wish I was so confident in my moral superiority and supreme intelligence that I could just believe everyone with a different perspective than me was repugnant. Seems like you should perhaps organize some trials for people unlike you to account for that crime?

@Xenobound94 @BLD @nessisonett

Since @ryancraddock popped this can with the headline, if I recall correctly, there's only one side of the American political aisle using the tools of media (social and mainstream) to attempt to censor and gaslight the other side. Only one party saying speech is violence, but violence isn't violence. Saying all political disagreement is bigotry - racism, misogyny, transphobia, islamophobia - and that there are no legitimate counterarguments to their political perspective. Saying their opponents following legal structures they don't like is illegitimate and them ignoring legal structures they don't like is fine.

I'm a mixed race Trump voter. I am happy to share the polity with people with a different vision than me for what American domestic, foreign and economic policy should be. I was presented with a choice, and I made a choice. If that makes me inhuman, so be it. But it belies the intolerance of the left that making a choice they don't like in a free and fair election makes me persona non grata.

It also suggests something about the nature of discourse today that despite the headline, despite the already present comments from others, I hesitated to post this because of the inevitable backlash it will receive.

In a pluralistic, tolerant society you must coexist with people who disagree with you on a range of issues. If you can't deal with that, the problem is in the mirror.

(Like kotaku's ps5 review, what a carwreck)

EDIT: Also, this game looks like it sucks

Always better to under promise and over deliver, in business and in life.

Good on them for dominating sales this year.

Gotta take wins where you can find them.

@Dragonslacker1 can you (or anyone else) explain what's going on in that picture?

Is she playing something, and hit home for the overlay on to combine the two?

Has something changed with Nintendo life's layout?

This page is rendering very oddly. I'm using chrome on Android in dark mode, and the page is rendering white text on black backgrounds with huge white borders. Very odd. Never done that before, and isn't doing it on other pages.

To topic, I might give this a go on sale. I remember playing this briefly on a demo unit as a kid and being thoroughly confused.

To each their own, but I picked up Control day 1 when I saw how it ran at my place. I was very pleasantly surprised at the graphics, the latency and the price, tbh.

I don't currently have any other systems or a gaming pc (though I'll pick up a laptop when mobile rtx3000/rx 6000 become available), and this was my first foray into cloud gaming.

I can understand the desire for local / physical copies, but my priority 1 is to play fun games while I'm breathing, so I'm all in. It doesn't hurt that the developers are Suomalaiset, and I hope that this leads to continued Switch support (cyberpunk anyone?). I would prefer a subscription model, like game pass, but just happy to get to play a critically acclaimed game.

I'm in Singapore, and I started with graphics version of the demo. Was initially worried because it was quite hitchy / inconsistent framerate.

Switched to performance mode and I literally cannot believe it's streaming. The input / controls feel great and the graphics still look awesome. Got in the demo firefight and no hitches/lag that I noticed.

Also, only $40?! Instabuy. (It probably helps that the developers are Finnish. Suomi! Suomi!)

He's really going for that... Blue ocean strategy.

I'll show myself out.

People commenting know reviews are subjective, right? You can describe your experience as some other number out of ten, but that doesn't make @BrettPF's critique of his experience wrong?

I'm sorry, but this guy has consistently seconds that he's a moron. He might know the financials, but he certainly doesn't know the industry and these opinions are clearly not in touch with the 66m+ switch owners

How is this not part of NSO?!

I can understand that they want to recoup the cost of localization, but what's the point of paying an annual sub for retro games if the most interesting titles will be shifted to individual purchases/limited releases?

They just said a while back they have 26m+ subs. They couldn't have taken a portion of that $720m+ to this localization as an NSO exclusive?

That's really lame.

... And I'll pick it up because I want to play it. Dammit.

@MS7000 thanks for the link. Looking forward to those more details, I hope they're 'ultra spicy!'

It was inevitable... Meat boy for smash confirmed.

Is there confirmation that the video is representative of the Switch version of the game?

I'm getting increasingly wary of the bait (trailers) and Switch - Cloudpunk, outer worlds, mothered...

Finally! I can experience the joys of driving a truck while driving a truck!

@MS7000 i haven't seen any details yet on how the difficulty modes work so if you have a source would be great to read.

@BenAV @brunojenso good news, 3 deluxe has 2 additional difficulty modes, hard and ultra spicy.

I'm hoping ultra spicy has some special quirks (I mean it's not called very hard, it's ultra spicy, right?) Beyond just extra health and easier pikmin deaths.

I never played 2, and I was young enough that when I played 1 it traumatized me to see all my Pikmin die, so I was hesitant, but played and loved the demo, so I'm all in for day 1

@Dm9982 TBH, the only way I see that happening is if they buy nintendo... Though it would be awesome to see gamepass on switch.

@Dm9982 that's the problem. I strongly suspect it's Nintendo preventing gamepass from coming over.

It would:
1) expose the flaws in their online infrastructure even further
2) expose the deficiencies of content provided by NSO
3) reduce their cut from digital game distribution
4) require complex legal agreements about revenue split, and lifetime return. Acquisition is the most expensive part of sales. Nintendo will want a lifetime stake in that customer, xbox will want a switch only stake

Would be cool, but I think it's extremely unlikely

@bobzbulder Yeah, I don't a ton because there's not a lot of Nintendo coverage, and they're based out of SF so they've become overtly political, but nothing that would make me say, "Ick, I don't want to support them." @JayJ 's comment made me think there was some sort of scandal or something.

@JayJ ? What's up with IGN?

@Liam_Doolan Sorry to necro, but is there an update on this? I don't see anywhere what the 'announcement' was, and I saw the cover art for 9/20 ND mag in Japanese, and it's nothing special.

@BTB20 can we assume that they're at least consistent? As in, if skewed, they're not skewed in one console's favor? Or are there credible allegations of pro-Sony/Nintendo numbers?

Because if not, the point stands.

Can Microsoft or Sony produce enough hardware if the demand is there?

Nintendo has been 1.5-2x plus in unit sales in Q4 vs Q1-3 in the US for the last 3 years. This year Switch has sold over 16 million units Q1-3, [Source].

Even if we assume it's only a 0.75x for Q4, that gets us to almost 30 million units for the year. Given the purported manufacturing issues I'm pretty sure it's physically impossible for either Sony or MS to match units available for sale.

What's more interesting is how next year will shape up, with availability increasing, a likely medium-term international recession and increased protectionism. Is there sustained demand for this next gen of consoles whose major feature (4k) is in 31% of households, with a smaller percentage having HDMI 2.1.

@Faucet I can't imagine that being possible. The PS2 is the best-selling console of all time at 150m+. In year 1 it shipped (not sold) less than 11 million units, and its first holiday (September - Jan 1) it shipped 3 million worldwide. There's no way they have that kind of capacity, and the switch is averaging almost 2m/mo this year...outside the holidays...with supply shortages.

This holiday Switch will curb stomp XSX and PS5. Next year will be more telling though.

@Donnerkebab The flipside of that argument is people being petty that because something is old they think they have the right to someone else's assets. They don't.

This dovetails with @JimmySpades point above. Nintendo's reasoning is irrelevant. They get to control their intellectual PROPERTY.

Could it be bad PR? Sure. Lots of people on the internet feel entitled to other people's work, and they'd prefer it free and they'll throw a hissy fit if their game/asset/video/blah blah isn't free, but that didn't change the legal justification for that position. It's still illegal.