Latest news with #OGSwitch
Engadget
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Engadget
Mario Kart World was initially planned for the original Switch
The upcoming Switch 2 launch title Mario Kart World was originally intended for the OG Switch console, according to an interview with the game's developers . This was the goal until the dev team realized that the console couldn't handle it. "It was difficult for us to incorporate everything we wanted, so we were always conscious of what we were giving up in return,' said programming director Kenta Sato. A big sticking point seemed to be that the original Switch would have had to run the game at 30FPS. Mario Kart games have always run at 60FPS, for obvious reasons. You can't simulate speed without, uh, simulating speed. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. Developers pecked away at the "tough situation" until finally deciding to create more DLC for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as a way to bide time as the team figured out what to do. "As we'd decided to release Mario Kart 8 Deluxe — Booster Course Pass , we thought that would give us a bit more time to continue development," said producer Kosuke Yabuki. "That's when the conversation of moving it to the Nintendo Switch 2 system came up, and this suddenly opened up a bunch of possibilities on what we could do. It was truly a ray of hope.' This interview also revealed that the game has been in development since 2017, which is a heck of a long time. However, it makes a certain amount of sense given that the original Mario Kart 8 came out in 2014. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. The upcoming racer was always set in an open world and it was never going to be called Mario Kart 9. The developers wanted to "take the series to the next level." The big, connected world seems to do just that. "I felt that in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe , we were able to perfect the formula that we'd been following in the series up to that point, where players race on individual courses," Yabuki continued. "That's why, this time, we wanted the gameplay to involve players driving around a large world, and we began creating a world map like this.' I personally think the company made the right call by delaying this game until the Switch 2. Recent first-party Switch titles have experienced massive framerate issues, and there's no way the console could have handled races with 24 participants. In any event, we only have a couple of weeks until we get to play Mario Kart World , if you've successfully reserved the Switch 2 for the June 5 launch.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Switch 2 launch could be "significantly bigger" than the OG Switch's, but only if Nintendo can keep up: "When in history [...] did a launch for a popular new console go smoothly?"
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. We're fast approaching the launch of the Switch 2, and despite cries to "drop the price," pre-orders have been selling out around the world. Some analysts are already expecting a "significantly bigger" launch than what we saw with the OG Switch, but it all hinges on one key factor: supply. Dr. Serkan Toto, CEO of Japan games industry consultancy Kantan Games, is one analyst who's expecting a "significantly" larger release for the console compared to the Switch 1. Speaking to GamesRadar+, he says that "the initial momentum for Switch 2 vs 1 is like night and day," pointing out that in 2017, Nintendo had "just suffered from the massive failure with the Wii U," meaning that "not too many people took the Switch seriously." With the Switch 2, he expects the console "will be not only sold out at launch (a banality) but also hard to get for weeks or perhaps even months after." He adds: "Sorry, but we as an industry have seen so many console launches now: When in the history of the video gaming business did a launch for a popular new console go smoothly?" He continues: "I hope I am wrong and I understand Nintendo will try their best, but I would be very surprised if you can just walk into a store and buy a Switch 2 before late summer at the earliest." This sentiment is echoed by David Cole, CEO of research and consulting firm DFC Intelligence. He tells us that "the main issue is whether Nintendo can meet initial demand, and then continue to have enough units available this fall and into the holiday season," noting that "supply shortages could be a major issue in coming months." Games industry researcher Joost van Dreunen, who writes the SuperJoost Playlist and teaches at NYU Stern School of Business, also believes that "acquiring a Switch 2 at launch will likely be challenging." He adds: "I anticipate stock shortages to persist through the holiday season and potentially into Q1 2026. The current global trade situation and tariff uncertainties have likely prompted Nintendo to be even more cautious with their manufacturing and distribution strategies." Mat Piscatella, games industry analyst at Circana, reiterates "the success of the launch will depend on how many units will be available," noting: "Demand will likely be there globally, but that doesn't mean the units necessarily will be." If Nintendo is able to supply enough consoles, "I don't see why the launch of Switch 2 should not be bigger than the original Switch," he explains. The console's price and announced Nintendo Switch 2 launch games apparently don't matter too much in the immediate future, either, as he suggests: "Pricing and available games becomes much more important once we get outside the launch window, and we move away from the price insensitive Nintendo hyper-enthusiast day-one buyers more towards general gaming enthusiasts." Nintendo has predicted that it'll sell 15 million Switch 2 consoles in its first year, as well as 45 million games, but has already indicated that the demand for the device has exceeded its expectations. Let's just hope everyone who really wants one doesn't have to wait too long at the console's release. Keeping up with all the Nintendo Switch 2 news? Be sure to check out our roundup of upcoming Switch 2 games, too.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Switch 2 launch could be "significantly bigger" than the OG Switch's, but only if Nintendo can keep up: "When in history [...] did a launch for a popular new console go smoothly?"
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. We're fast approaching the launch of the Switch 2, and despite cries to "drop the price," pre-orders have been selling out around the world. Some analysts are already expecting a "significantly bigger" launch than what we saw with the OG Switch, but it all hinges on one key factor: supply. Dr. Serkan Toto, CEO of Japan games industry consultancy Kantan Games, is one analyst who's expecting a "significantly" larger release for the console compared to the Switch 1. Speaking to GamesRadar+, he says that "the initial momentum for Switch 2 vs 1 is like night and day," pointing out that in 2017, Nintendo had "just suffered from the massive failure with the Wii U," meaning that "not too many people took the Switch seriously." With the Switch 2, he expects the console "will be not only sold out at launch (a banality) but also hard to get for weeks or perhaps even months after." He adds: "Sorry, but we as an industry have seen so many console launches now: When in the history of the video gaming business did a launch for a popular new console go smoothly?" He continues: "I hope I am wrong and I understand Nintendo will try their best, but I would be very surprised if you can just walk into a store and buy a Switch 2 before late summer at the earliest." This sentiment is echoed by David Cole, CEO of research and consulting firm DFC Intelligence. He tells us that "the main issue is whether Nintendo can meet initial demand, and then continue to have enough units available this fall and into the holiday season," noting that "supply shortages could be a major issue in coming months." Games industry researcher Joost van Dreunen, who writes the SuperJoost Playlist and teaches at NYU Stern School of Business, also believes that "acquiring a Switch 2 at launch will likely be challenging." He adds: "I anticipate stock shortages to persist through the holiday season and potentially into Q1 2026. The current global trade situation and tariff uncertainties have likely prompted Nintendo to be even more cautious with their manufacturing and distribution strategies." Mat Piscatella, games industry analyst at Circana, reiterates "the success of the launch will depend on how many units will be available," noting: "Demand will likely be there globally, but that doesn't mean the units necessarily will be." If Nintendo is able to supply enough consoles, "I don't see why the launch of Switch 2 should not be bigger than the original Switch," he explains. The console's price and announced Nintendo Switch 2 launch games apparently don't matter too much in the immediate future, either, as he suggests: "Pricing and available games becomes much more important once we get outside the launch window, and we move away from the price insensitive Nintendo hyper-enthusiast day-one buyers more towards general gaming enthusiasts." Nintendo has predicted that it'll sell 15 million Switch 2 consoles in its first year, as well as 45 million games, but has already indicated that the demand for the device has exceeded its expectations. Let's just hope everyone who really wants one doesn't have to wait too long at the console's release. Keeping up with all the Nintendo Switch 2 news? Be sure to check out our roundup of upcoming Switch 2 games, too.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
"I hate it": Former Assassin's Creed, Far Cry lead says that with Switch 2 game-key cards, "we're losing some of what made the business special"
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Credit: Nintendo Not everyone is happy about the Switch 2 's new game-key cards, including former Assassin's Creed and Far Cry developer Alex Hutchinson, who says "I hate it" and that it feels like "we're losing some of what made the business special." Some upcoming Switch 2 games – despite coming with a physical card – won't actually be downloaded onto the card itself and playable out of the box like they are currently on the OG Switch. "Instead," Nintendo explains , "the game-key card is your 'key' to downloading the full game to your console via the internet," and once downloaded, the game is playable when you insert the card. While the good news is that these are better than regular download codes since they won't be a one-use thing ( thanks, GameSpot ), it's not clear how this'll work years into the future if the Switch 2 eShop follows in the footsteps of the Wii Shop Channel and 3DS/Wii U eShops before it and shuts down for good. Needless to say, the uncertainty here doesn't have everyone on board. Speaking to VideoGamer in an interview , Hutchinson – who served as creative director on Assassin's Creed 3 and Far Cry 4 before more recently becoming a co-founder of Raccoon Logic – speculates that "Nintendo is going to get away with it," even though he doesn't like it. He explains: "It just shows you the power of nostalgia in our business that the way they will beat up Microsoft versus Nintendo is just not the same, especially in Europe. It's like, 'oh, Nintendo's doing it, alright we're not gonna say much.'" Expanding on this, Hutchinson says "I hate it," adding: "I just feel like it's getting away… we're losing some of what made the business special. Trading Game Boy cartridges at school, or, you know, DS for the modern audience. There's something nice about that." Although he argues that people aren't "gonna say much" about the game-key cards, it's one of the bits of Nintendo Switch 2 news that's caused some of the biggest uproar from players and devs alike. For example, it's raised concerns about game preservation – Stephen Kick, CEO of Nightdive Studios (famed for its retro remasters like The Thing and Doom 64) previously stated that "you would hope that a company that big, that has such a storied history, would take preservation a little more seriously."
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Nintendo responds to questions of Switch 2 stick drift with assurances the new Joy-Con 2 controllers "have been really designed from the ground up from scratch"
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. In response to a question over whether the Nintendo Switch 2 improves the stick drift that plagued its predecessor, Ninty assures that the new Joy-Con 2 controllers really have been "designed from the ground up from scratch." As part of a press conference following the Switch 2's big showcase, a selection of Nintendo developers have taken questions over the sparkly new console. Naturally, one of them was over whether Nintendo had remedied the OG Switch's stick drift issues with the Switch 2. "As you may have witnessed and felt, the new Joy-Con 2 controllers for the Nintendo Switch 2 have been really designed from the ground up from scratch, and they have been designed to have bigger movement and smoother movement," Switch 2 hardware design lead Tetsuya Sasaki says. That's not the firmest of replies and speaks more to a 'we'll have to wait and see', I suppose. You're always at risk of picking up a faulty controller and potential issues with things like stick drift are likely to emerge more clearly after people have had their Switch 2 for a while. Still, it sounds like Nintendo has taken the time to consider and improve upon the original Joy-Cons, so here's hoping the gang have knocked the issue on its head. You'd hope so, anyway. The Nintendo Switch 2 costs $449.99 whereas a Joy-Con 2 pair itself costs $89.99. That's roughly within the range we expected but it's still a rather meaty investment. Maybe all the upcoming Switch 2 games will make the plunge all the more worth it. Missed a beat? Catch up with all the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct news right here.
