westman98

@Overzeal
What matters to US consumers is how much the US is tariffing Vietnam, not the other way around.

The Mario Movie debuted on a Wednesday, that's why its Fri-Sat opening weekend was lower than that of Minecraft.

Big question will be the legs. The Mario Movie made $92 million in its 2nd weekend which is very impressive. The Minecraft Movie doesn't have much competition so has the runway for a good 2nd weekend drop, but the audience reception isn't exactly the best (B+ Cinemascore) which could sting.

The Switch 2's $450/500 price probably accounts for the impact of some tariffs (since Trump has talked about leveraging across-the-board tariffs throughout much of his 2024 presidential campaign), but absolutely nobody expected the tariffs to be as high as they ended up being.

If those Vietnam/Cambodia tariffs dont change soon, then I expect Nintendo to increase the price of the Switch 2 from $450/500 up to $600 at bare minimum.

@Pat_trick
Guess I should have clarified that I was referring to 1st party PS4 to PS5 upgrades ala The Last of Us, Uncharted, Ghost of Tsushima, Horizon, etc. 3rd party publishers can do whatever they want on both PlayStation and Nintendo.

@rushiosan
Have you seen the file size of non-Nintendo games?

Glad they were able to create a huge roster without doing a "Super Smash Kart"-style crossover-galore as many people have suggested in the past.

Makes sense, a ~10× jump is what one would expect when you see the two 3D Zeldas go from running at 810-900p 20-30FPS on Switch 1 to 4K 60FPS with their Switch 2 Editions

Apparently CD Projekt Red as able to get a playable version of Cyberpunk running on Switch 2 in just 7 weeks, this definitely bodes well for 3rd party support on Switch 2.

@Pat_trick
PS4 to PS5 upgrades are absolutely not free, they are almost always $10 upgrades, which is similar to what Nintendo is doing here with Switch to Switch 2 upgrade packs.

Amazing Direct, the only issue is the $80 pricing of certain Switch 2 games which is not really an issue with the Direct itself.

Good, the simpler the UI is, the less system resources will be allocated for the OS, which leaves more resources to be allocated for the actual game software.

You already see this kind of thing with some retail games on PS5 and Xbox Series, where the disc only contains a few hundred megabytes of data and you have to download the rest of the game (i.e. the actual game) feom the online store. For example, the last 3 Call of Duty games do this - not exactly a small IP to adopt this retail delivery method.

It's at least better than the digital-code-in-a-box method that many Switch retail games have adopted, since game key cards have actual resell value.

I figured $70 games would become the standard on Switch 2 but $80 is crazy.

There is the Mario Kart Switch 2 bundle that is only $50 than the standalone Switch (a $30 saving), which easily alleviates the issue for me, but any $80 games that don't come with a hardware bundle is going to struggle.

This is going to be a ROG Ally with an Xbox sticker, the actual Xbox handheld is allegedly a 2027 release.

@timp29
Because upscaling to 4K is completely useless if the hardware can't actually output at 4K to a TV.

Honestly I think Insider Gaming and their sources don't know anything about the Switch 2. The "3-phase launch plan" sounded like complete nonsense, and now the Switch 2 supposedly can't even output at a 4K resolution even though every credible rumor/leak/datamine from the last ~3 years says it can?

That movie description sounds like a description of any of the Zelda games, probably a placeholder summary IMO.

Nintendo isn't adding a dedicated button that requires a completely separate console for the button to function.

People really need to accept that the Switch 2 is a straightforward successor to the Switch, where the biggest new "feature" is improved specs/power (and mouse controls), not the return of a gimmick from a decade ago.

Can't wait for April 2 not just for the new game announcements, but also for Nintendo to once-and-for-all show everyone that they are not resurrecting dual screens.

@Henmii
This is easily the best-looking 60FPS game on Switch, you quite literally won't find anything better looking than this on the platform.

Nintendo is a Japanese company, if the "C" of the C button stands for something, it would need to make sense in Japanese as well (and probably other languages outside of English too).

@StewdaMegaManNerd
Don't see what that has to do, but yes, they did just show Z-A at the Direct.

Wouldn't be surprised if Prime 4 is a no show at the Switch 2 Direct at this point, they would have showed this trailer at the Switch 2 Direct if it was going to appear there.

Unless the game is shockingly bad, I think the next Mario Kart will be huge. The appetite for a new entry after 11+ years will be enormous (similar to how it is for GTAVI, albeit not quite to the same extent) and it will release alongside a brand new console in Switch 2 that is currently primed to be the fastest-selling game system ever.

2 general Directs within the same week, Nintendo is crazy.

GBA launched in June in America/Europe back in 2001, it's been a while since a June launch but it has happened before and worked out quite well.

Why drop a Switch 1 Direct the week before the Switch 2 Direct where it will largely get overshadowed when it could have happened earlier this year (like in February) or late last year (like in September/October, before the Switch 2 was officially announced)?

@Olliemar28
Smart Delivery is not the same as backwards compatibility. Smart Delivery is when you download or insert the disc of cross-generation Xbox game (that supports Smart Delivery) into you Xbox, and then your Xbox console automatically picks which version of the game to install based on whether you are playing on Xbox One or Xbox Series. There would still be two versions of the game since it is a cross-gen game, but your Xbox is smart about which version to install.

If Prime 4 is a pure a Switch 1 game that doesn't feature in the Switch 2 Direct and releases after the Switch 2 releases, it will get completely overshadowed.

@nocdaes
The "BEE" designator in the FCC filings has been used for all Switch 2-related hardware. That's how we know this controller is related to the Switch 2.

I know that handheld PCs are a different market, but an Xbox-branded device that can't play all Xbox games sounds like a total mess. Microsoft should just wait until 2027 for the "real" Xbox handheld and skip the 2025 device that looks to be a ROG Ally with an Xbox sticker.

@MrCarlos46
Whether or not the Switch 2 has a microphone has nothing to do with this patent, which itself has nothing to do with voice chat.

The patent has nothing to do with voice chat but rather how audio is simulated in a 3D game. AFAIK the diagrams and flow charts in the patent don't even mention a hardware microphone to pick up user inputs.

@larryisaman
Yes because GameFreak is usually the last Nintendo-associated developer to make the jump to new generation hardware.

People have been claiming that "X game looks too good for Switch, the developer/publisher must be showing off the Switch Pro/2 version" since like 2020. It's frankly getting tiring.

Mario is about to celebrate his 40th anniversary being about as popular as he has ever been, Pokemon will easily follow-suit. I don't see 100 years being a challenge whatsoever.

1 first party game per month is reasonable when you include remasters and remakes. The Wii U port well may be gone but Nintendo has a ton of legacy content to work off of from prior platforms.

@PikaPhantom
The author of that article is living in a very well-insulated online bubble, as is anyone who thinks Valve/Steam/SteamDeck will overthrow or even slightly damage Nintendo, Sony, or Microsoft (to be fair, Xbox isn't selling all that well, but it's not because of SteamDeck).

@Lightsiyd
I'm willing to change my view on the PC handheld market as more time progresses but right now it certainly looks like a stagnating market. IDCs projection for 2025 are only relatively modest increase over 2024 (still well below 2023) and that's with new market entrants accounted for.

@Lightsiyd
1. Nintendo absolutely went backwards sales-wise during the Wii U disaster era, thankfully they released Switch shortly after and massively rebounded.

2. We're just 2 months into 2025, of course I can only reference 2024 sales as the most recent annual data point, come on now. My bigger point is that Steam has been gradually growing for years, yet SteamDeck has not grown with Steam itself

@Lightsiyd
1. The market has evolved backwards with a big drops in sales in 2024.
2. True.
3. And one would think Steam growing each year in CCUs would help Steam Deck sales but that evidently isn't happening whatsoever.

An early sign that the Switch 2 will be priced in Japan with the weak Yen in mind.

@Lightsiyd
The issue isn't that the PC handheld market is small, it's that sales peaked in 2023 and then dropped dramatically in 2024, which means the market is already at saturation despite being very new.

PC handhelds wont be an impediment at all to Switch 2 at its current trajectory.

@Lightsiyd
https://www.theverge.com/pc-gaming/618709/steam-deck-3-year-anniversary-handheld-gaming-shipments-idc

6 million handheld PCs sold since the launch of the SteamDeck in 2022.

FYI Sean also speculates that the Switch 2 will be released during or before the summer at $399-449 USD.

@MrCarlos46
Nintendo already produces some Switch units in Vietnam and Cambodia, they'll absolutely do the same for Switch 2.

There is no way Legends Z-A doesn't show up at the next Pokemon Presents.

@MrCarlos46
Yes, that's almost certainly how it will be done.

I don't think dual screens are ever making a return, and I think it's ridiculous that you need to rotate the Switch 2 in order to attach the second screen. With that being said, I do like how the render shows a somewhat sturdy hinge system that won't snap under the slightest bit of force.

That webcam camera accessory looks cool, it's small and cheap enough that I could see Nintendo selling something like it, though I doubt more than a small handful of games would ever use it.

@Lightsiyd
Still probably won't have any impact, PC handhelds remain super niche and the most popular one (SteamDeck) doesn't even have a retail presence.

@KBuckley27
PS5 Digital retails at $449.

Makes sense as I expect Switch 2 games to be priced at $70 as the standard rather than $60. There's no way Nintendo will let people buy two Switch 2 games (worth $140) for just $100.

Biggest question is if Nintendo had a Switch 2-specific voucher program.

A few short years ago I would have said Miiverse is pointless.

But nowadays, with mainstream social media platforms becoming complete hellscapes, rebooting Miiverse for Switch 2 would be very much welcome.

Sadly, I don't see Nintendo doing that as it would probably require too much effort.

Launch price of new Nintendo platforms in the 21st century in the US:

GBA: $99.99
GCN: $199.99
NDS: $149.99
Wii: $249.99 (w/Wii Sports)
3DS: $249.99
Wii U: $299.99 (Basic) & $349.99 (Deluxe w/Nintendo Land)
NSW: $299.99

GCN, 3DS, and Wii U received price reductions within 4-8 months after launch due to lower-than-expected early sales.