
New Nintendo Switch 2 bundle announced as console breaks another sales record
The Nintendo Switch 2 is being bundled with Pokémon Legends: Z-A, as the latest Pokémon Presents reveals new surprises.
The Pokémon Company has held its latest Pokémon Presents showcase, and the results were strangely underwhelming.
Anyone hoping for a Gen 10 tease, or a surprising new spin-off, will have come away disappointed, as it mostly featured only updates on mobile games and a new Pokémon Legends: Z-A trailer.
It was not without a few surprises, but the most significant of the lot wasn't actually shared during the showcase: a new Nintendo Switch 2 bundle that'll be available for pre-order in less than 24 hours.
The news was revealed on Nintendo's social media accounts, once the showcase wrapped, and as you can probably guess, it will include both the console and a copy of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It will launch the same day as the game on October 16.
Nintendo doesn't specify if the bundled game will be a physical or digital version, but it's almost certainly the latter, if the Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza bundles are anything to go by.
Expert, exclusive gaming analysis
Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning.
There's also no pricing at the moment, but with pre-orders opening tomorrow on July 23, you won't need to wait long to find out. Although we can estimate based on the prices of the other two Switch 2 bundles.
While the Mario Kart World bundle costs £429.99, and thus saves money on the game itself, the Donkey Kong Bananza bundle is £454.98, which is exactly how much you'd spend if you bought the Switch 2 console and a digital copy of the game separately.
Assuming Nintendo is handling the Pokémon Legends: Z-A bundle the same way, it would cost the same amount as the Donkey Kong one, since the Switch 2 version of the game is priced at £58.99.
The Switch 1 version is cheaper at £49.99 and can be upgraded to the Switch 2 version, but with the additional fee, you'd only be saving £1.
Every new announcement at Pokémon Presents July 22
A proper teaser for Pokémon's collaboration with Wallace & Gromit studio Aardman was shown, confirming the two companies are producing a stop-motion animated series called Pokémon Tales: The Misadventures Of Sirfetch'd & Pichu that will start in 2027 and is set in the UK-inspired Galar region from Pokémon Sword & Shield.
A permanent outdoor attraction called PokéPark Kanto is scheduled to open in early 2026 in Japanese amusement park Yomiuriland. Exact details of what it entails are slim, but it's described as 'a space where pokémon will always be, and where people and pokémon can have fun together.'
A new mobile app called Pokémon Friends is already available on Switch as well as the Apple and Google Play stores, and offers simple pokémon-themed puzzles that reward you with in-game plush toys you can use to decorate rooms with.
A new trailer for Pokémon Legends: Z-A revealed some of the new characters you'll meet, as well as rogue mega evolutions, where certain wild pokémon are able to mega evolve without a trainer. It also confirmed the game's first new mega evolution – Mega Dragonite – and that pre-orders net you a Ralts that can later mega evolve to Mega Gardevoir.
This announcement comes after it was reported by Japanese outlet Yomiuri that, according to data compiled by Famitsu, the Switch 2 has broken another sales record, pushing more than 1.5 million units in Japan one month after its June launch.
If accurate, this would mean the Switch 2 is selling three times faster than its predecessor and has even outpaced the PlayStation 2, the best-selling console of all time, in its first month in Japan.
What's more staggering is that, according to analyst Dr Serkan Toto, Famitsu's data doesn't include units sold directly by Nintendo, so the real sales figure is even higher.
Nintendo itself has yet to formally share any sales data, but after it smashed records worldwide the company is likely to exceed its target of 15 million Switch 2s sold by the end of March 2026.
Will you be pre-ordering Pokémon Legends ZA (The Pokémon Company)
Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter.
To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here.
For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.
Arrow MORE: Nintendo Switch 2 sales: an overnight success as UK stock shortages loom
Arrow MORE: Man opened £1,500 mystery container to uncover a Pokémon treasure trove
Arrow MORE: Pokemon voice actor James Carter Cathcart dies aged 71
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Jason Momoa hits back at 'nepo baby' claims as his son makes film debut
Jason Momoa has hit back at anyone who has claimed that he used his connections to get his son a part in a Hollywood film alongside A-Listers like Timothee Chalamet. Jason Momoa has dismissed any claims that his son is a nepo baby as he makes his film debut. The actor, 45, has been one of the biggest names in Hollywood for decades now and that his son Nakoa-Wolf, 16, has landed a part in Dune: Three alongside the likes of Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya, but felt the need to dismiss any sort of speculation that he had used his connections to get him the part. He told Extra: "He's in for a rude awakening is what he's in for. He's into the workforce for the first time. It's going to be good. He did it on his own. I don't want to help him, and he's done it all on his own, and good for him." The Aquaman star was also keen to talk about just how talented his son is, adding: "You want your children to be better than you, and I really, actually believe he is. I couldn't do what he's doing at his age. There's no way I could sit in a room with ['Dune 3' director] Denis Villeneuve and hold my own." Jason is also father to Lola, 18, with his ex-wife Lisa Bonet, while she has Zoe, 36, with her ex-husband Lenny Kravitz. Now, Jason is dating Adria Arjona and added to the outlet that being able to have his family around him at the premiere of his new drama series Chief of War just 'meant the world ' to him. In the Apple+ series, he plays Kaʻiana, a historical drama which sees his character become one of the 'most famous' figures to emerge from Hawaii. Last year, Jason and his love interest made their romance Instagram official, and sources close to the couple have revealed that they share a deep connection. An insider told PEOPLE: "He cares about her. It's real." They added: "She's good to him - and a lovely and genuine person and real like he is. She has a good sense of humour and is easy to be with. They relate to each other." Momoa split from his wife Lisa Bonet in 2022 after five years of marriage. Before going public with their relationship, Momoa hinted at his romance during a Q&A session at a Comic Con event, revealing he was "very much in a relationship". However, he didn't disclose Adria's name at the time, saying he was "enjoying the privacy". Responding to a question about his relationship status, Momoa said: "I'm very much in a relationship. You'll find out very soon! I'm very much in a relationship, I've been in a relationship for a while." "I'm just really enjoying privacy because back in the day no one gave a f--- and now everyone does, but I'm still the same guy. It's been really nice because everyone has kind of [left me alone], but ... yeah, thank you very much!"


Metro
12 hours ago
- Metro
No Sleep For Kaname Date – From AI: The Somnium Files review
GameCentral reviews the newest AI: The Somnium Files game to see how it fares without series creator Kotaro Uchikoshi as the lead writer. At a time when video games need to be multimillion dollar hits to even get a shot at a sequel, it's refreshing to see a modest success like AI: The Somnium Files continue to receive new entries, despite being far from a household name. Neither the original game nor its sequel sold particularly well when they came out (certainly not enough for developer and publisher Spike Chunsoft to share sales numbers), but they've reportedly enjoyed long-term successes and have cultivated an enthusiastic fanbase. Even so, it was a shock to see a third game be announced at the June Nintendo Switch 2 presentation, as one of the console's first games. As its title indicates though, this isn't a full sequel but a shorter spin-off that puts the first game's protagonist, Kaname Date, back in the lead role. What's most surprising is that series director and writer Kotaro Uchikoshi is only involved in a supervisory role, leaving writing responsibilities to Kazuya Yamada. And unfortunately it shows, as No Sleep For Kaname Date feels like a lesser version of the games that came before. Set in-between the events of the last two games, No Sleep For Kaname Date begins with internet idol Iris (who's dressed as a sexy rabbit for reasons the game barely explains and no one even questions) being kidnapped, seemingly by an alien reptilian woman, and forced to play through a series of escape rooms. While Date can communicate with her to assist with the puzzles, he also has to uncover the truth behind Iris' kidnapping and whether aliens really are involved. Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. Like the other two games, your time is split between Ace Attorney style point 'n' click investigations and escape room style Somnium sections, where you dive into a person's dreams to uncover information they're either unwilling or unable to share. In a series first, you also have traditional escape rooms where you use items to solve logic puzzles, much like Uchikoshi's Zero Escape games It's probably more accurate to say there are really only two gameplay sections, since the investigation scenes take a backseat this time around. There are no puzzles to solve in these and you spend all your time speaking with other characters to gain info and move the plot along, like an ordinary visual novel. As the series' bread and butter, the Somnium sections work the same as previous games. You move around a 3D space, interacting with objects to bypass mental locks while under a six minute time limit, with every movement and interaction you make taking precious seconds off the clock. However, you can earn TIMIEs to help reduce how much time interactions take, providing a layer of strategy to how you progress. Sometimes it can be worth picking the wrong action just to grab a specific TIMIE. Since Somniums are literal dream worlds, their biggest problem in previous games was that, sometimes, the logic you needed to follow didn't always make sense and progressing often required trial and error. That's still the case here but, in what we assume is an attempt to circumvent the issue, the Somnium sections are far more streamlined, with very few incidental items to distract you with. While this does make them more straightforward, this streamlining doesn't really solve the issue and is akin to throwing a rug over a hole in the floor. Visually, The Somniums are still surreal, but they feel toned down and less interesting compared to some of the more warped examples of previous games. There's also a real lack of fun and unique scenarios, like the second game's Pokémon Go inspired Somnium. It's easy to assume this is because more time has been put into the new escape rooms, which are structurally similar to the Somniums but don't rely on weird dream logic or a time limit… except for specific sections where you're given two unfavourable solutions to a puzzle and need to think of a third option before a timer runs out. However, these escape rooms aren't much better than the Somniums and are far more linear than they first appear. Unlike Zero Escape, where you could often solve puzzles in any order, No Sleep For Kaname Date railroads you into tackling them one after the other. This wouldn't be too much of a problem if the puzzles were fun to solve but we found most of them pretty unengaging and a few annoyingly frustrating. Admittedly, the problem with critiquing puzzles is that it's difficult to discern whether they're poorly designed or we're just stupid, but we can say we never got to enjoy that satisfying lightbulb moment where you feel like a genius for cracking a clever puzzle. None of No Sleep For Kaname Date's escape rooms come close to the highs of Zero Escape, which is especially disappointing when they're supposed to both be from the same team. The Somnium and escape room sections have their own hint systems, but the former's are too abstract to be all that useful. The latter's includes a search function that helps point you to what you need to investigate next and can only be used a limited number of times, but repeatedly failing puzzles also prompts discussions from the characters about what the solution should be. For some reason, though, simply looking at an item in your inventory automatically triggers hints from the characters as well, which will be annoying for anyone trying to solve puzzles without assistance. What's more, in our experience, the hints seem to wildly vary between annoyingly vague and outright giving away the answer. However, the game is considerate enough to offer inexperienced players adjustable difficulty options, which provide more generous time limits and hints, while puzzle fiends can try a hard mode that has a more restrictive hint system for the escape rooms. Perhaps the game's greatest sin is how lacklustre the overall story and writing are. This is no doubt a consequence of its short length, as there's less time for a complex mystery to form. Although given how things only get less interesting over time, its short length is ironically a bit of a blessing. Not to be mean to the new guy, but the weak story is clearly because Uchikoshi didn't pen the script this time. His involvement is still felt in the game's sense of humour and how the story broaches topics like the Anunnaki conspiracy theory (although that's quickly dropped), but the core mystery is notably lacking in outrageous twists and gets disappointingly predictable towards the end. 'Predictable' is not the word we should be using to describe a story that opens with multiple UFOs appearing in the sky but some of the game's mysteries are only mysteries because Date's own allies deliberately withhold info from him, for frankly shoddy reasons considering he's investigating a kidnapping. There aren't even any alternate timeline shenanigans, which are a staple of Uchikoshi's writing, in both Zero Escape and the other Somnium Files games. You can unlock some alternate endings throughout the story, but you need to go out of your way to find them and even then they're purely for the sake of comedy, with each one capping off with hilariously abrupt credits. The writing and dialogue throughout can be genuinely funny in places, which is in part thanks to the English voice acting. Even after three games, Greg Chun and Erika Harlacher-Stone are clearly having a ball as the double act that is Date and his AI partner Aiba. Unfortunately, the game seems to think porno mag jokes are the height of comedy, because it repeatedly revisits that well to the point of obnoxiousness. Such jokes aren't uncommon for the series, and Date has always been established as something of a pervert, but it happens so often here that it almost becomes his defining character trait. This is a problem that extends to the rest of the cast. Everybody is consistent with their previous appearances, but they also feel like they've been broken down to their most basic traits. If anybody unfamiliar with the series picks this game up, they'd likely find everyone worryingly one dimensional. Not that we would recommend this game for newcomers. While it barely alludes to the plot of the first game, and its status as an interquel means it can comfortably ignore the second, No Sleep For Kaname Date does the bare minimum to establish who everyone is and what their relationships are. It's very much a game for the fans, but some will struggle to care thanks to the lack of continuity, simplified characters, and no meaningful stakes. Even the very small number of new characters aren't that interesting, despite the game's best efforts. Without spoiling anything, there is one section of the story that serves as a continuation to a subplot from the first game, but it's the only moment where we felt emotionally invested in what was happening. The big climax tried and failed to tug at our heartstrings, and it ties things up far too cleanly, especially when compared to the bittersweet conclusions of the last two games. In an interview with Automaton, Uchikoshi and Yamada explained that, due to the former's busy schedule, there was no clear plan for an AI: The Somnium Files 3. Even so, they wanted to give fans something, but since Uchikoshi wouldn't be leading it, they didn't want to do a proper sequel and instead chose to concoct a more experimental spin-off. While the sentiment is appreciated, No Sleep For Kaname Date feels like the worst kind of filler. From a story perspective, nothing is really gained and from a gameplay perspective it's not as engaging or thrilling as either of its predecessors. More Trending During the epilogue, Date says, 'This case was a whole lot of nothing, wasn't it?' This is clearly supposed to be a cheeky joke, but it comes across as the game throwing its hands up in the air and admitting nothing mattered, as if this level of self-awareness can help absolve it of its problems. Obviously, its status as a smaller-scale spin-off doesn't mean it should get a pass. And whether it's a game, movie, book, or whatever, no audience willl appreciate reaching the end and being told by the story itself that everything they went through was 'a whole lot of nothing.' With any luck, Uchikoshi will be back in the driver's seat for a proper sequel but unless you're extremely desperate for something new starring Kaname Date and friends, you can comfortably skip this spin-off. In Short: A competently made but disappointingly inferior follow-up to the excellent AI: The Somnium Files games, featuring mediocre puzzles and an uncharacteristically simple mystery for a game with Kotaro Uchikoshi's name in the credits. Pros: Can be genuinely funny at times. Generous difficulty options. The Switch 2 version has mouse controls and runs very smoothly. Plenty of post-game bonus content. Mercifully short. Cons: The solid premise is quickly wasted on a core mystery that grows less intriguing and more predictable as it goes. Characters are borderline one-note. Somnium and escape room sections are too streamlined. Too many porno mag jokes. Score: 5/10 Formats: Nintendo Switch 2 (reviewed), Nintendo Switch, and PC Price: £34.99 Developer: Spike Chunsoft Publisher: Spike Chunsoft Release Date: 25th July 2025 Age Rating: 16 Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy review – no reason to object MORE: Master Detective Archives: Rain Code review – the unofficial Danganronpa 4 MORE: Danganronpa 1•2 Reload review – trials by fire


Metro
12 hours ago
- Metro
Games Inbox: Are gamers too entitled about video games?
The Friday letters page tries to figure out Nintendo's future plans for Mario Kart World, as one reader wishes Battlefield 6 didn't have a story mode. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@ Value for money I had a good laugh at the story about the fan trying to get a refund after playing a game for 35,000 hours but I think there's a serious point to be made here, in that it shows just how entitled most gamers are. We've seen on these pages the total lack of empathy from some people, towards the developers that make their game, but there's also this strange insistence that once you buy a game the publisher is honour bound to change it in any way you demand and make sure it works online for all eternity. There is absolutely no other product in the world that is treated this way, especially not at that price level. I'm not defending publishers for stopping support of a game early but there's got to be a sensible limit here. A video game is less than £100, often half that, and you're looking for lifetime support and instant changes? If this guy paid £40 for a video game four years ago, and he's put 35,000 hours into, I'd say he's had his money's worth. Coolsbane Split opinion I just finished Split Fiction with my girlfriend and we really enjoyed it. That developer is really good at these co-op games and I'm now automatically interested in anything else they do. But is it just me but is the story and characters kind of bad? Making writers your main characters is always a danger, just ask Alan Wake, but these two weirdos seem to have invented the least original fantasy and sci-fi worlds imaginable. The dialogue is also pretty bad. Not funny bad or anything, just really boring and obvious. Maybe it's meant to be that way on purpose, so as to not put off casual gamers, but it's so bland it really feels like a trick has been missed. Even the bad guy is terrible, and his plan is so obvious and also stupid. It Takes Two wasn't really much better either, it was just the game that was good. I hope they do better for next time. Firegon Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. Unwanted story I get the negativity around Battlefield 6 but I am looking forward to the game and I think that it probably will be good, despite EA. I'm a bit worried about how they're going to handle classes, but other than that I like what I'm hearing and seeing (given the amount of footage that has leaked). The other reader was right that it's not a complicated game, but you wouldn't have thought that given how many times it's been messed up over the years. The only thing that really worries me about this game is that they're once again wasting time on a story campaign. Stop it! They've never been good, nobody cares whether they exist or not, and you're just wasting time and money on something that could be used for more important stuff. Other than that though, I'll give it a chance. Bosley Email your comments to: gamecentral@ Link to the photorealism Personally, I'm optimistic about the live action Zelda movie. Not for the film itself but a realistic portrayal of Link, if received well, could pave the way for a realistic looking game. Don't get me wrong I've loved the recent Zelda games, and The Wind Waker is one of my all-time favourite games ever, but Ocarina Of Time, at the time, just felt so groundbreaking. The game sure, but the graphics were for the time the best around. I understand why Nintendo have gone the path they chose but I long for that Link from the Space World demo. And yes, I know we subsequently got that with Twilight Princess but it's not aged well and wasn't really cutting edge at the time. Imagine a Zelda game that looks like the Demon's Souls remake, looking up and a dragon flying over the volcano in that style. With a more story driven game, where the Zelda and Link interact like Ellie and Joel. The swordplay could be exactly the same and I'll leave it to Nintendo to find that gameplay hook they do so well. Or at least an Ocarina Of Time remake will do, just give us one more realistic 4K Link, please. Phil No reason I am actually glad to hear that people are not buying Mario Kart World separately on digital. If you want a physical copy then fine but I can't see one single reason why you'd buy a Switch 2 and then, days or weeks later, buy Mario Kart digitally. You'd have to either hate Mario Kart and then suddenly come round to it (after playing it on someone else's Switch 2?) or… not know it was out and then act shocked when you find out? To be honest, I'm surprised it was even the third most popular game on the eShop, because every single person that bought it really needs to think about their money saving skills. Renton It's the children who are wrong People are right to question exactly how much the PlayStation 6 is going to cost, if it's both a portable and a home console. A PS5 Pro and a PlayStation Portal is already £900 and I don't see any chance that the PlayStation 6 combo is going to be any cheaper. I really don't see how there's that many people that're going to be interested in throwing down that sort of money for a console whose graphics are barely going to look any better and probably won't have many exclusives. At the very least a Switch style hybrid approach seems a better idea, but none of the rumours seem to say that at all. Either I'm completely out of the loop or Sony are getting high on their own fumes. I just cannot imagine any situation where they suddenly announce the PlayStation 6 and everyone goes crazy for it and starts pre-ordering. What games are they going to use to promote it? How are they going to do or look anything different to the PlayStation 5? Maybe I'm missing something. Maybe Sony has a secret plan that's definitely going to work but I don't see it at all. To be honest I'm kind of worried about the future of gaming right now. Mapes Gonna take you for a ride Bargain alert: Marvel Vs. Capcom Fighting Collection for PlayStation 4 is on sale for £23.80 (usual price £44.99) on Amazon for a limited time. The Switch version is on sale too but it is a digital code in a box. Andrew J. PS: The people who made the Rubber Keyed Wonder documentary about the Spectrum and the documentary about the PlayStation, called the PlayStation Revolution, are now making an expanded Blu-ray of the ZX Spectrum computer, covering various topics about the Spectrum including its games, the hardware design, and peripherals. It's on sale for £25 plus postage for the next seven days. Wider World Everything tells me that Mario Kart World is definitely going to be treated like a live service game, that's constantly updated with characters from upcoming games. I'd almost bet on it, except I can't think of any reason why Nintendo hasn't already told us about it. It seems so obvious that something is going on with Donkey Kong, but it's been out for a week now so why haven't they announced it? Maybe it'll be at the rumoured Nintendo Direct this month but why did it have to wait till then? I don't get it. But if it does happen, it could explain everything. It would explain all the missing characters that were in Mario Kart 8 (maybe we're getting a new game with the Koopalings!) and it would be a way to slowly introduce characters from other franchises. You could use Hyrule Warriors to add Zelda characters, Kirby Air Riders to add Kirby, and Metroid Prime 4 to add Samus, ideally with custom cars. I don't know if they'd do that many at once, maybe they'd want to wait until mainline entries, but they could just add extra costumes and cars for that. Whether they'd go as far as adding new areas of the map I don't know but if they don't I'm not sure how else bigger DLC is going to work. The ones on Mario Kart 8 did great, so they're going to want to copy that, but are they going to start plugging in new areas on the map, like a jigsaw? Or maybe this is all just too much of a good idea and they're going to do nothing. With Nintendo you just never know. Occo Inbox also-rans As usual with Nintendo I can't tell if they're being purposefully evil in cheaping out over the Switch 2 version of Mario Party or if they just didn't see how it would come across. Either way I'm definitely not getting it, if it's so half-assed. Lurch That Lego Game Boy is amazing. I imagine it'd be really easy to make it actually work too. The innards of a Game Boy must be something you could make a system on a chip for that's the size of a pinhead nowadays. All you'd have to do is get the buttons working, which I bet you can do with Lego. Qwark More Trending Email your comments to: gamecentral@ The small print New Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers' letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content. You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader's Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot. You can also leave your comments below and don't forget to follow us on Twitter. MORE: Games Inbox: Why has the Nintendo Switch 2 been so successful? MORE: Games Inbox: Will there ever be a new Mass Effect game? MORE: Games Inbox: Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Commodore Amiga