The Latest On How Trump's Tariffs Could Impact The Switch 2 And More Of The Week's Top Stories
This week, all eyes continue to be on the Switch 2, Trump's tariffs, and how the latter could impact the former. With the president putting a 90-day pause on the bulk of his announced tariffs and instead maintaining a 10-percent across-the-board tax, Nintendo is stockpiling consoles in the U.S. in advance of the planned June 5 launch date. In other news, new puzzle game Blue Prince has taken critics by storm, becoming the highest-rated game so far this year, and the developers of No Mercy, a visual-novel-style game with subject matter many find reprehensible, announced that they will be pulling the game from Steam, though they also defended the game in the same announcement. Read on for these stories and more.
Switch 2 preorders were originally supposed to go live today but were halted by Nintendo in the U.S. and Canada after President Trump's latest round of tariffs threatened to torpedo its original $450 price. The White House is now suddenly backing off the most extreme import taxes less than a day after they went into effect. Is the Switch 2 in the clear, or will the latest act of brinkmanship just lead to more questions amid the uncertainty? - Ethan Gach Read More
The studio behind No Mercy, a recently released 3D visual novel featuring non-consensual sex and incest, has announced that it plans to remove the game entirely from Steam after the game attracted controversy online. Valve pulled the game from the United Kingdom version of Steam after a government official slammed Valve for allowing No Mercy to be sold on the storefront. - Zack Zwiezen Read More
Blue Prince is an ingenious first-person adventure about exploring a house and uncovering its tantalizingly unexpected secrets. It's already the highest-rated game of 2025 on Metacritic so far, and it also happens to be hitting Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus the day it comes out. - Ethan Gach Read More
The Final Fantasy Universes Beyond set for Magic: The Gathering doesn't drop until June 13, but previously unrevealed cards have already been spotted in the wild after a starter kit seemingly got into someone's hands early. Thanks to the decks inside, fans have now gotten early looks at Steiner from Final Fantasy IX, Barret Wallace from Final Fantasy VII, and a bunch of other favorites from the Square Enix RPG. - Ethan Gach Read More
All of the cool stuff revealed in last week's Switch 2 Direct was quickly overshadowed by worries about its higher prices, including $450 for the console and Mario Kart World being Nintendo's first $80 game. Then the company halted pre-orders in the U.S. in the face of unprecedented tariffs that could push prices even higher. Now Nintendo has gone on record to defend those prices and claim tariffs weren't part of the original arithmetic. - Ethan Gach Read More
Hollow Knight Fans have been waiting years for the metroidvania's sequel Silksong to appear at a new gaming showcase alongside an actual release date. Last week, the game finally was briefly featured during the Nintendo Direct for Switch 2, but a 2025 launch window wasn't all fans were blessed with. A new screenshot over on Nintendo Japan website offers a new glimpse of a scene we also saw in the original 2019 reveal over six years ago. - Ethan Gach Read More
Marathon is Bungie's first new project in over a decade. It feels like a lot is riding on the extraction shooter as the studio behind Halo and Destiny becomes slowly subsumed into the larger PlayStation portfolio. But in the meantime, all we know is Marathon continues to be one of the coolest-looking shooters around and is about to get its big gameplay showcase reveal later this month. - Ethan Gach Read More
The Switch 2 is shaping up to be one of the messiest console launches ever in the U.S., at least from Nintendo's point of view. The company's new $450 console is set to come out on June 5, but it's also being forced to navigate a chaotic circus around tariffs that could torpedo the rollout at any moment. Bloomberg now reports that the Mario maker has been diverting Switch 2 shipments to stockpile them in the U.S. before tariffs potentially skyrocket again, but even in the current environment some analysts believe Nintendo would be selling the console at a potential loss. - Ethan Gach Read More
On April 2, Nintendo revealed a lot about the Switch 2 via a big Direct. And in the days since that event we've learned more about the Switch 2 via statements from Nintendo, interviews, and more. For example, did you know that Nintendo confirmed Friend Codes are back, or that the Switch 2 carts will taste disgusting? - Zack Zwiezen Read More
Big gaming showcases shouldn't just be for major console makers and Geoff Keighley, which is why the team behind Dead Cells' ongoing support, Evil Empire, launched the Triple-i Initiative last year. The event puts the spotlight on smaller projects ahead of Summer Game Fest season and returned this year with updates on a whopping 36 games, including world premieres for a few that look really cool. - Ethan Gach Read More
For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
19 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Switch 2 update footage shows the "notorious frame drop lake" running at 60fps, and fans say it might be "the best possible advertisement" for the new console
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The Switch 2 is officially out tomorrow, and with it, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are getting a free update to improve their performance on the new console, with improved draw distance to load in even more wild Pokemon, as well as a boosted frame rate, finally bringing the adventures to 60fps. Considering how notoriously poorly Scarlet and Violet run on the original Switch – with problems like frame drops and stuttering still an issue over two years since launch – this is a massive deal, and the first gameplay footage and extended preview looks shown ahead of release have fans in a frenzy. Not only does everything look buttery smooth, but it remains that way even when embarking on Casseroya Lake. If you've spent any time at all in Scarlet and Violet's Paldea region, you'll know why this is a big deal. While far from the only location in the games to experience performance issues, it's largely considered one of the worst – stuttering and considerable frame rate drops while traveling across the water are commonplace. Or, at least, they were on the OG Switch, because Nintendo has jumped at the opportunity to show off what exploring the lake looks like now. As one stunned fan puts it, "the Casseroya Lake footage literally made me get up and stare at the screen like a 60-year-old father witnessing his football team score a goal on TV." Another adds that "showing the notorious frame drop lake at a crisp framerate was such a power play," while one fan argues that "this is the best possible advertisement they could have done for the Switch 2 oh my god." Again, it's not just a frame rate boost, as improved draw distance means a lot more wild Pokemon now populate the screen than ever before (potentially a huge boon for shiny hunters, might I add). Former Pokemon world champion Wolfe "Wolfey" Glick suspects that "if you tried to put that many Pokemon in the lake on my Switch from 2017 I think it would actually explode." All of these reactions were to the few short seconds of footage posted on the Nintendo Today app earlier this week, but since then, the owner of Pokemon news site Serebii, Joe Merrick, has shared even more from a preview event. His footage takes things to the next level, because that 60fps apparently remains consistent even in the rain, folks. "It is so beautiful," Merrick adds. It's just one day to go now before the Switch 2 is out and we can all try Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's update for ourselves – from what we've seen so far, it looks like there's never been a better time to explore Paldea. Keeping up with all the Nintendo Switch 2 news before launch? Be sure to check out our roundup of upcoming Switch 2 games, too.
Yahoo
19 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Street Fighter 6 sees Capcom follow the road Nintendo abandoned in Animal Crossing by adding a collection of stone-cold NES bangers
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Capcom has added NES games to its roster of retro titles included in Street Fighter 6, and I fear it's a better drop than most of the Nintendo Switch Online NES games. We haven't seen this kind of game-within-a-game generosity since Animal Crossing on the GameCube. Out of all the third party Nintendo Switch 2 launch games, Capcom's Street Fighter 6 is arguably the best of the bunch (and by arguably, I mean it is but I don't want the Cyberpunk fans to come after me). Alongside the game's arrival on the Switch 2 this week, Capcom has released the final fighter of the games DLC Season 2 – that being Elena from Street Fighter 3 – as well as dropping a new balance patch into the game. Since it launched, Street Fighter 6 has allowed you to play some Capcom arcade classics within it, from the likes of classic Street Fighter titles, the all-time banger Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, and even out there choices like Savage Bees. However, with this new update, Capcom has folded NES titles into the game (presumably in celebration of its arrival on a Nintendo platform. The four titles included are a great selection of some of the best games on the NES and Street Fighter 2010 (spotted by Push Square). Included are Mighty Final Fight, which is a chibi remake (demake?) of Capcom's classic arcade beat 'em up which is canon to the Street Fighter universe. On the Street Fighter side there is Street Fighter 2010: The Final Fight, which is a really rough side scroller that feels like a different game that had the Street Fighter brand slapped on it at the last second. Finally there's a one-two punch of two of the best NES games ever made: Bionic Commando and Mega Man 3. Bionic Commando is a 2D side-scroller where you're unable to jump and must rely on your robot arm to get business done, and still holds up as a classic today (although the Xbox 360 remake is better). And Mega Man 3 is, to put it simply, a banger. It's arguably the best Mega Man game there is, and probably the best game available in SF6's classic game roster (except Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, no one's touching that). Despite being a big supporter of Nintendo usually, Capcom has barely touched the Nintendo Switch Online apps, with Ghosts and Goblins being the only series that consistently gets releases on there. Granted, the Mega Man games are all in the Mega Man Legacy Collection, but Bionic Commando is a glaring omission that's finally going to be on Switch 2. Over a decade ago, Nintendo fans started getting used to the idea of NES games coming as free pack-ins with then-modern titles. We had examples like the extensive selection of retro titles in the original Animal Crossing, or the version of NES Metroid you could unlock by connecting Prime and Fusion together. Of course, the Wii Virtual Console a few years later taught Nintendo that fans were more than willing to pay extra for access to NES, and that's culminated in the Nintendo Switch Online library we can subscribe to today. Here's hoping Capcom doesn't get wind of the idea that these games could be sold with us to stay in the loop for all the upcoming Switch 2 games you need to known about.
Yahoo
19 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Donkey Kong creator Shigeru Miyamoto explains the big ape's redesign was all in service of making him "more expressive"
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. One of the hot topics among Nintendo fans this year has been Donkey Kong's new redesign. When Nintendo Switch 2 was first unveiled back in January, the tiny snippet of Mario Kart World gameplay had a new design for the big ape that was more in-line with the version seen in The Super Mario Bros Movie. Then the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct showed us what Nintendo was cooking with the new design, with the reveal of Donkey Kong Bananza. Speaking to IGN, Donkey Kong (and Zelda, Mario, Pikmin, the list goes on) creator Shigeru Miyamoto was asked about the new design, and revealed just why it was time for Rare's DK to move over. "When we were talking about trying to create new versions, evolving Donkey Kong, we created the game called Jungle Beat," Miyamoto explained, adding, "With the technology that was available at the time, we were able to make Donkey Kong more expressive." However, DK's expressions were clearly not quite cartoonish enough, as Miyamoto said, "going back to the design that Rare came up with, we reevaluated; what can we do with the design to make it more expressive? And then when it comes to the movie, we decided to move forward with this new generation Donkey Kong design." Expressiveness seems to be a high priority for Donkey Kong at Nintendo, as Masahiro Sakurai used the character's segment in the E3 2018 Smash Bros. presentation to show off how expressive the new fighters were. Plus, the person behind his Rare redesign – Kevin Bayliss – has been a vocal supporter of the new design, saying "His face is way more expressive now – it's really ace!"Even if he isn't confirmed for Mario Kart World or Donkey Kong Bananza yet, Nintendo has also redesigned Diddy Kong, on the sly.
