Gaming Nintendo Switch 2 | June 5th release
- Thread starter Ian Reus
- Start date
Didn’t make the cut for ShopTo.
Managed to get in with Game. Don’t really trust them though.
Managed to get in with Game. Don’t really trust them though.
Am I the only gobshite who preordered Mario Kart physical? Im a sucker for a box
hey, wait for a fella who‘s going to have his switch a bit later! Meep Meep
Typical long Havak post incoming when it's Nintendo related - you've been warned. Skip over if you're one of those guys that comes into the Nintendo thread to only hate on Nintendo. It's fun when we do it, not when you do!
Good news is I got my pre order on Argos right away and I already have a text message saying mine is going to be delivered for launch!
Nintendo Switch 2 Direct
I watched the UK stream and there were no technical issues like the US one had. I thought it was great. They went into more detail than I expected on the hardware side. I'm quite impressed with the console itself, it seems more powerful than I originally expected. They showed a lot of games with plenty of variety. I think something in the region of 50 games? I noticed that some titles, like Professor Layton, did not say "Nintendo Switch 2 Edition" on their brief clip in the quick roll content. However, since they were shown I would imagine they have at least some kind of boost which I'll touch on in a separate point. But in terms of a presentation to show what the Switch 2 is, what it can do the same and differently to its predecessor, and how games are (for the most-part) it was fantastic.
Games
Lots of variety as I said and while I'll surely get some backlash... I think this is probably the best launch day line-up of a console ever (definitely for Nintendo)? It might sound silly to say to some people who frequent gaming forums. However, when you look back at other console launches, I really think it's true. Sure, a lot of this is ports or enhanced Switch 2 games after Mario Kart, but you also have the GameCube app added day one. Also, considering that it might be difficult to get a console for the first 6 months~, not having as many crazy launch year titles could be a good thing. They're playing into the cross-gen stuff like others do, but at least you have Mario Kart, Donkey Kong, Kirby Air Riders, and Hyrule Warriors already confirmed as Switch 2 exclusives this year. There could even be more yet as I fully expect another couple of general Nintendo Directs by October once the Switch 2 is released. For now, it will be strong marketing leading up to launch and giving games like Donkey Kong some limelight to hopefully get strong sales.
Game Card Keys - I wanted to touch on this separately as this is one part where I don't think Nintendo explained it very well. It took me some time to digest which is one reason why I haven't posted in this thread immediately after watching. However, the more I've thought about these, the more I think the pros outweigh the cons. Sure, people want the physical game to be well, the physical game. That makes sense. But this is basically replacing the Code in a Box that happened (and has started to happen a lot more towards the end of the Switch) which sucks. So, I wish Nintendo had been more clear on that this is a better solution to digital games. You can at least make a decision if you want the Digital Game outright of this Game Card Key version that's tied to a cartridge. The question that came to my head was, why would I buy a cartridge that has to be plugged into my console to play what is effectively a digital copy? The answer is of course, so I can trade it in, or sell it on eBay, or lend it to a friend long-term (game sharing has fixed this to a degree also). I think this is actually a consumer friendly thing and it helps some publishers get their games on shelves at less cost.
Nintendo Switch cartridges for bigger games cost a lot to manufacture and this was actually the biggest reason why some games didn't come to Switch. Huge file sizes are a blocker, as is smaller gaming company's getting their games on shelves in stores that get foot traffic. This visibility will be huge for some - and they now have a cheaper way to get in as their game is still a download and these Key Cards won't cost much to produce. It isn't ideal that a lot of games probably won't be on the cartridge, but it's the way the world is going. I think it is the lesser of the evils when it's a choice of this, a code in a box, or the game not coming to the device at all. For me personally, when a game is multiplayer that I will likely put hundreds of hours into, I will buy it as a digital game now. But if it's a single player game, or a game I'm not 100% sure I'll like and want to keep, I buy it physical (or if it's Pokemon I'll collect the physical games as well). At least with this option, I will be able to sell the game later if I choose to. That's what this thing is fixing and I think it has gone a bit by the wayside in how much better this is than what it was replacing.
Game versions - Now, I think they largely explained this well, but I still need to do a bit more digging. I understand that there are games exclusive for Switch 2 and some games are on both consoles with Switch 2 Editions that have noticeable improvements. Some of these games with improvements you need to pay for, either by purchasing the Switch 2 Edition or upgrading your old copy via a fee. These fees seemingly vary game to game. Fine. Some Switch games get free updates and they have given an initial list. It's to be seen how substantial these improvements are, whether they are functionality such as Game Chat, or Game Share, or performance boosts etc. Fine again. What I am not as clear on, is if the Switch games they haven't yet mentioned in all of the above, that are certified to be playable on Switch, see any kind of difference as well? Do these games just perform better? Or do they act exactly a Switch game? If so, is there scope that any other older games will get the Free or Paid update treatment later? I think this could have been a bit clearer and I haven't done enough looking to find out if there's an answer yet.
Pricing
I'll get this out of the way now and feel free to laugh at me for being all-in on Nintendo. I suppose I have a bit of bias when I have only felt the need to purchase Nintendo machines since I got the GameCube in order to get my gaming fix. I did have a PS2 (last non-Nintendo machine I owned)! I think in the UK the pricing is fine. I expected the console to be £399.99 and it is technically slightly cheaper than that. With Mario Kart packed in, I thought it would be £449.99 and it is again cheaper than that by quite a bit. In the US and other markets, yes, I can see the backlash of it being a little bit too expensive, but with how things are in the US in particular, it is sadly far from surprising. Game pricing feels a bit heavier in the US again, but in the UK it's yet again ever so slightly cheaper than I expected. £66.99 for a Digital Copy of Mario Kart World where I expected that to just be £69.99. We'll see how this goes but when consoles launch, the games are always more and then adjust after a bit. I remember when the 3DS game out and a game like Pro Evo was £60 for it
but after a few months 3DS games were obviously £40 everywhere in shops. This will happen with a lot of physical Switch games being £60 or less IMO. But yeah, in general, I just don't think any of this is that bad at all... Bar that Nintendo Switch 2 Tour thing not being a free inclusion. That's just wild
We'll see how pricing goes throughout the next few years on games, but I do think variable pricing is going to be a thing. For me, I will get lots of time out of Mario Kart World. It will get free content updates as well as paid DLC over the years (yes, years). I think this game is absolutely worth more than a lot of others for the value you will get out of it. I will still be booting up Mario Kart World when we're back here in 5-7 years talking about ordering the next Nintendo console.
The odd thing to me will be how Switch games are now priced. Example being something like Pokemon Legends ZA. Let's say I manage to find a physical copy of this for Switch for about £38. I can assure you this is usually quite easy to do for a new Switch game in the UK. Let's say it costs £9.99 to upgrade it to the Switch 2 Edition. So it's £48 total. But if I want to download this on Switch 2 or buy the physical Switch 2 Edition copy, it's more like £65-70... Are Nintendo basically just not going to care how this money comes to them even if it's less overall? It also makes far more sense as a consumer to buy the Switch version as it's then still able to be lent out to a friend or sold online to the people, who only have a Switch. Maybe it was just more trouble than it was worth to prevent this kind of thing and they'll take the hit on some customers just not buying the outright Switch 2 Edition.
Although, this has just made me think about card read speeds. Maybe there is a caveat with the physical Switch versions that loading times might not be as fast? Due to the improved readability on Switch 2 cartridges and Express SD Cards... I'm not tech savvy enough to know the answer to this. Would the update portion being read from the internal Switch 2 storage / Express Micro SD be enough to load at the same speed?
Misc
As for anything else, I'm not bothered about the Camera and game updates in that regard. Glad we have voice chat. The game share stuff is great as is the download play. I love that GameCube is on this right away as I expected that to be a September thing. Speaking of which, I do think we will see an NSO price increase in September, so be prepared for that. But the games they've advertised to come to the service so far are great - especially because a few of them are extremely expensive to buy the physical GameCube disc to put it lightly... Fire Emblem Path of Radiance, Pokemon XD, and Chibi Robo to name a few (probably all £100+ these days). Nintendo got great third party support and I assume it will continue for a good few years as well. Hopefully the online is good, the eShop and UI is smooth, and we get a good rewards system etc.
But yeah, I'm largely impressed and am all-in.
Good news is I got my pre order on Argos right away and I already have a text message saying mine is going to be delivered for launch!
Nintendo Switch 2 Direct
I watched the UK stream and there were no technical issues like the US one had. I thought it was great. They went into more detail than I expected on the hardware side. I'm quite impressed with the console itself, it seems more powerful than I originally expected. They showed a lot of games with plenty of variety. I think something in the region of 50 games? I noticed that some titles, like Professor Layton, did not say "Nintendo Switch 2 Edition" on their brief clip in the quick roll content. However, since they were shown I would imagine they have at least some kind of boost which I'll touch on in a separate point. But in terms of a presentation to show what the Switch 2 is, what it can do the same and differently to its predecessor, and how games are (for the most-part) it was fantastic.
Games
Lots of variety as I said and while I'll surely get some backlash... I think this is probably the best launch day line-up of a console ever (definitely for Nintendo)? It might sound silly to say to some people who frequent gaming forums. However, when you look back at other console launches, I really think it's true. Sure, a lot of this is ports or enhanced Switch 2 games after Mario Kart, but you also have the GameCube app added day one. Also, considering that it might be difficult to get a console for the first 6 months~, not having as many crazy launch year titles could be a good thing. They're playing into the cross-gen stuff like others do, but at least you have Mario Kart, Donkey Kong, Kirby Air Riders, and Hyrule Warriors already confirmed as Switch 2 exclusives this year. There could even be more yet as I fully expect another couple of general Nintendo Directs by October once the Switch 2 is released. For now, it will be strong marketing leading up to launch and giving games like Donkey Kong some limelight to hopefully get strong sales.
Game Card Keys - I wanted to touch on this separately as this is one part where I don't think Nintendo explained it very well. It took me some time to digest which is one reason why I haven't posted in this thread immediately after watching. However, the more I've thought about these, the more I think the pros outweigh the cons. Sure, people want the physical game to be well, the physical game. That makes sense. But this is basically replacing the Code in a Box that happened (and has started to happen a lot more towards the end of the Switch) which sucks. So, I wish Nintendo had been more clear on that this is a better solution to digital games. You can at least make a decision if you want the Digital Game outright of this Game Card Key version that's tied to a cartridge. The question that came to my head was, why would I buy a cartridge that has to be plugged into my console to play what is effectively a digital copy? The answer is of course, so I can trade it in, or sell it on eBay, or lend it to a friend long-term (game sharing has fixed this to a degree also). I think this is actually a consumer friendly thing and it helps some publishers get their games on shelves at less cost.
Nintendo Switch cartridges for bigger games cost a lot to manufacture and this was actually the biggest reason why some games didn't come to Switch. Huge file sizes are a blocker, as is smaller gaming company's getting their games on shelves in stores that get foot traffic. This visibility will be huge for some - and they now have a cheaper way to get in as their game is still a download and these Key Cards won't cost much to produce. It isn't ideal that a lot of games probably won't be on the cartridge, but it's the way the world is going. I think it is the lesser of the evils when it's a choice of this, a code in a box, or the game not coming to the device at all. For me personally, when a game is multiplayer that I will likely put hundreds of hours into, I will buy it as a digital game now. But if it's a single player game, or a game I'm not 100% sure I'll like and want to keep, I buy it physical (or if it's Pokemon I'll collect the physical games as well). At least with this option, I will be able to sell the game later if I choose to. That's what this thing is fixing and I think it has gone a bit by the wayside in how much better this is than what it was replacing.
Game versions - Now, I think they largely explained this well, but I still need to do a bit more digging. I understand that there are games exclusive for Switch 2 and some games are on both consoles with Switch 2 Editions that have noticeable improvements. Some of these games with improvements you need to pay for, either by purchasing the Switch 2 Edition or upgrading your old copy via a fee. These fees seemingly vary game to game. Fine. Some Switch games get free updates and they have given an initial list. It's to be seen how substantial these improvements are, whether they are functionality such as Game Chat, or Game Share, or performance boosts etc. Fine again. What I am not as clear on, is if the Switch games they haven't yet mentioned in all of the above, that are certified to be playable on Switch, see any kind of difference as well? Do these games just perform better? Or do they act exactly a Switch game? If so, is there scope that any other older games will get the Free or Paid update treatment later? I think this could have been a bit clearer and I haven't done enough looking to find out if there's an answer yet.
Pricing
I'll get this out of the way now and feel free to laugh at me for being all-in on Nintendo. I suppose I have a bit of bias when I have only felt the need to purchase Nintendo machines since I got the GameCube in order to get my gaming fix. I did have a PS2 (last non-Nintendo machine I owned)! I think in the UK the pricing is fine. I expected the console to be £399.99 and it is technically slightly cheaper than that. With Mario Kart packed in, I thought it would be £449.99 and it is again cheaper than that by quite a bit. In the US and other markets, yes, I can see the backlash of it being a little bit too expensive, but with how things are in the US in particular, it is sadly far from surprising. Game pricing feels a bit heavier in the US again, but in the UK it's yet again ever so slightly cheaper than I expected. £66.99 for a Digital Copy of Mario Kart World where I expected that to just be £69.99. We'll see how this goes but when consoles launch, the games are always more and then adjust after a bit. I remember when the 3DS game out and a game like Pro Evo was £60 for it
but after a few months 3DS games were obviously £40 everywhere in shops. This will happen with a lot of physical Switch games being £60 or less IMO. But yeah, in general, I just don't think any of this is that bad at all... Bar that Nintendo Switch 2 Tour thing not being a free inclusion. That's just wild We'll see how pricing goes throughout the next few years on games, but I do think variable pricing is going to be a thing. For me, I will get lots of time out of Mario Kart World. It will get free content updates as well as paid DLC over the years (yes, years). I think this game is absolutely worth more than a lot of others for the value you will get out of it. I will still be booting up Mario Kart World when we're back here in 5-7 years talking about ordering the next Nintendo console.
The odd thing to me will be how Switch games are now priced. Example being something like Pokemon Legends ZA. Let's say I manage to find a physical copy of this for Switch for about £38. I can assure you this is usually quite easy to do for a new Switch game in the UK. Let's say it costs £9.99 to upgrade it to the Switch 2 Edition. So it's £48 total. But if I want to download this on Switch 2 or buy the physical Switch 2 Edition copy, it's more like £65-70... Are Nintendo basically just not going to care how this money comes to them even if it's less overall? It also makes far more sense as a consumer to buy the Switch version as it's then still able to be lent out to a friend or sold online to the people, who only have a Switch. Maybe it was just more trouble than it was worth to prevent this kind of thing and they'll take the hit on some customers just not buying the outright Switch 2 Edition.
Although, this has just made me think about card read speeds. Maybe there is a caveat with the physical Switch versions that loading times might not be as fast? Due to the improved readability on Switch 2 cartridges and Express SD Cards... I'm not tech savvy enough to know the answer to this. Would the update portion being read from the internal Switch 2 storage / Express Micro SD be enough to load at the same speed?
Misc
As for anything else, I'm not bothered about the Camera and game updates in that regard. Glad we have voice chat. The game share stuff is great as is the download play. I love that GameCube is on this right away as I expected that to be a September thing. Speaking of which, I do think we will see an NSO price increase in September, so be prepared for that. But the games they've advertised to come to the service so far are great - especially because a few of them are extremely expensive to buy the physical GameCube disc to put it lightly... Fire Emblem Path of Radiance, Pokemon XD, and Chibi Robo to name a few (probably all £100+ these days). Nintendo got great third party support and I assume it will continue for a good few years as well. Hopefully the online is good, the eShop and UI is smooth, and we get a good rewards system etc.
But yeah, I'm largely impressed and am all-in.
Pre-orders won’t be starting in America on the 9th as Nintendo want to assess the impact of tariffs.
Game is very reliable, I always get my pre-orders from there and they always get it to me on day 1 with no issues. I’ve used them for many pre-orders of consoles and games for over a decade and they’ve had a 100% success rate on day one morning delivery for me. Never had a single issue.
The only place I’d trust more than them is if I got it from Nintendo directly. I don’t particularly even like Game because of the shipping costs, but they’re absolutely reliable.
Me too, I love putting it in
It's a weird one with ShopTo - felt I would be nailed on to get one in the first batch having literally reserved a pre-order spot a minute or two after the initial reveal. I've done the same though - put a pre-order in with Game instead. It said estimated delivery June 11 which I'm totally fine with - no idea when I'd get one from ShopTo.
Incidentally, ShopTo did me over too. Not a reliable company in my experience so it doesn’t surprise me.
I'm assuming their allocation of day one units was way smaller than they thought it would be. I only went with them because I had a decent experience getting a PS5 day one.
Not too fussed about day one really, but it'd be nice to have it sometime in June/early July.
They're going to put the price up, aren't they?
Seems like they are now part of the Fraser Group which is Mike Ashley owned.
I ordered a Xmas present from game which never arrived. Refunded me fine but had to order elsewhere.
I’ve purchased from them since the takeover and it’s been as reliable as always. Sorted my PS5 and PSVR2 out no problem, as well as a bunch of game pre-orders including The Last of Us Part 2 with the massive Ellie statue.
Although there’s always the chance of issues no matter where you buy from, anything can happen.
The in-store experience has been complete dogshit since it moved to the back of Sports Direct though. Not that it was good before, and is now somehow even worse.
Yeah it’s been like that for a few years now. I used to work in Sports Direct and my staff discount was also usable for GAME (plus a few other retailers under the Fraser group)
In and out - do you also shake it all about?
Wait wait wait this comes out in 2 months?!
Yeah bro and we've organised a mario kart knockout tournament for those who get it on day 1. Hurry up.
When I saw the camera on the Nintendo Direct I was thinking ‘there’s absolutely no way I’m buying that’
Now I’ve seen the piranha plant camera all I can think about is buying it.
Now I’ve seen the piranha plant camera all I can think about is buying it.
Most likely. They wont just eat the costs. Have to pass it to the consumers and blame Trump even if not directly.
Oh I want in.
They've canned pre-orders from the US because of the tariffs, the price is going up and orange man will get the blame for sure!
Will Trump make the X-Box great again?
At this point, the situation is so dire the fanboys would settle for average.
I pre-ordered one just to be on the safe side, can always cancel or return it.
Price is fairly fecking insane.
I'll keep half an eye open on the xbox portable that ASUS is making.
Price is fairly fecking insane.
I'll keep half an eye open on the xbox portable that ASUS is making.
I do wish this had an OLED. Early reports are that HDR is going to be crap on this screen.
Not even trump could try and make the series consoles sound like a success.
This and the knowledge that there definitely will be a mid cycle "upgrade" version likely with OLED is keeping me from pre order. Plus the fact that I really dont see any day 1 must have games for me.
A bit late for April fools...
There's a fundamental misunderstanding of what HDR actually is going on all round. Same as stuff like Raytracing, Hz vs fps and VRR. Funny, though, how it wasn't a thing before despite being the same issue even on big expensive tvs with the other consoles.
No different to any other graphics settings that get confused. If you think you do/don't want something based on that, then the best advice I can give is don't even care about it. Worry only about the games you want to play.
As we all know, there will be an OLED at some point. And a "lite". Nintendo gonna Nintendo. But the games will always be there when people are ready, there's no need to jump straight in if you are unsure.
Who's Ray Tracing?
You obviously don't know who that is.
Ironically, if Ronnie rayed, then Ronnie wouldn't have stacked.
Was it Rayman? It gotta be.
Pre-ordering the switch or the xbox handheld?