Dcubed

Well, I mean, it’s a Ys game; of course the music is killer.

Midway really were the N64’s biggest 3rd party publisher, weren’t they? Their output on the console is kinda bonkers. And most of it is at least semi-decent to boot too. Shame that they didn’t last much longer after the 5th Gen. They fell off their peak like a lead balloon as soon as we hit 2001 and as they exited the arcade business.

https://www.gematsu.com/2024/05/cotton-reboot-high-tension-announced-for-ps5-ps4-and-switch Potentially of interest to @Hero-of-Time I’m always down for a good rail shooter

See, the thing about those old T239 rumblings is that they came about so long ago now that I can’t imagine that they’d still be valid anymore. If the console had launched back in 2022-2023, then yeah, it’d make sense, but this console is gonna be launching in 2025 now. Nvidia will be moving onto their next hardware architecture (Blackwell) this year with the RTX5000 series, so there’s no way that they’d still be using the now 4-5 year old Ampere architecture with a 2025 system; they won’t be manufacturing with that node or architecture anymore by that point. The hardware will undoubtedly have been heavily revised since those rumours first came about 2-3 years ago, they’re probably using something completely different now. I’d expect that they’d have to support SD Express by this point. There’s no other real viable option for external storage in a portable device that’ll have the loading speeds that this console is gonna need. Of course, the main problem is that SD Express cards aren’t commercially available yet, and there isn’t really any incentive for SD Card manufacturers to begin making these cards until Switch 2 comes out; since it’s gonna basically be the only device out there that’ll even be making use of the tech (well… until Steam Deck 2 comes along as well I suppose).

I guess there’s just nothing you can do except use QR codes but shh, don’t ruin the joke.

Keep in mind that's an unofficial translation (the Investors Q&A isn't out in English yet), so take the exact wording with a grain of salt until the official English transcript comes out. I'm not overly concerned about how Nintendo will handle the increase in hardware power with Switch 2, because I think they're sensible enough to realise that they don't have to massively increase the fidelity of the art assets in their games. Nintendo are also already releasing plenty of games with mid-tier and lower budgets that aren't pushing the limits of AAA Switch production (such as the recently announced Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition), and they've had plenty of success with said mid-tier budget titles. I don't expect a huge jump (if any) when it comes to art asset fidelity with Switch 2. All they really need to do is stick with their current level of visual fidelity, but allow their games to run in higher resolutions at better framerates, with reduced loading times. Give their current games more breathing room on a technical level. That's all we're really asking for from their next hardware when it comes to production values. If anything, the reduced amount of time needed to achieve the extreme level of hardware optimisation that games like TOTK needed in order to run on the current Switch should actually reduce development time if anything. I think Nintendo are sensible enough to realise that this is the way to go.

Game Pass is Xbox's only real legitimate USP though. Otherwise, there's nothing else that it offers that isn't already offered by Playstation. There's a reason why the consoles are commonly nicknamed "The HD Twins" after all. Ultimately, this is the culmination of what Iwata was warning about back in the early 2000s. He warned that the lack of gameplay differentiation between consoles would ultimately result in games becoming a comoddity business, where lower prices would be the only way to meaningfully differentiate your public offering. And he was right. The problem with Game Pass is that its growth potential is directly tied to Xbox hardware sales, and that has now become a bit of a chicken & egg situation. Can't sell subs to people who don't have Xboxes, but they haven't got enough exclusive software to bring people to the platform, so hardware sales continue to stall. Price drops remain their only real option, but that takes away the revenue needed to sustain their expensive (and chaotic) development pipeline.

Most people consider rail shooters like Star Fox and Space Harrier to be a completely different genre compared to horizontal or vertical shmups, but there is certainly enough crossover that it can at least be considered an adjacent genre. Personally I get more annoyed when people don’t consider Space Harrier or Afterburner to be in the rail shooter genre, despite them basically being the progenitors of said genre!

It does summarise the specialities of each platform and the differing expectations of each respective audience quite nicely doesn’t it? By the standards of 3D platformers seen on PS1, Gex ain’t bad at all. But once you bring it to the N64? You’re up against Mario 64 and Banjo; which is a lopsided fight that no 3rd party could ever be reasonably expected to compete against. Conversely, the Tony Hawks games on N64 are solid enough, but they compare poorly to their PS1 counterparts.

8 player local multi support is sick! Doesn’t look quite as creative as NES Remix, but it still looks fun. Will cop

https://www.resetera.com/threads/some-companies-are-already-confirming-switch-successor-support.864372/ That's two already (though admittedly small devs), confirming support for the Nintendo Swop. Guess we'll probably start seeing developers and publishers announcing games for the system before we see the console now that it's officially "announced". Nice to finally get the ball rolling

Yup, totally agreed. They'll likely be on the chopping block when Hellblade fails to sell 10 million consoles. Speaking of which, I'm shocked that MS haven't shut down Rare. They've basically been spinning their wheels ever since the end of the original Xbox and have only had one true bonefide hit (Kinect Sports) since their acquisition in 2003 (Ok, Sea of Thieves has done well in terms of userbase size; but it hasn't really made any money since it was the first first party game to be given away for free on Game Pass). Everwild is also a complete failure, having already been rebooted at least once and having nothing to show for 7-8 years of development. Same with The Initiative as well. They've been working on Perfect Dark since 2018 and that has been such a disaster that MS had to hire Crystal Dynamics to take over development from them. How can they justify shutting down studios that have a proven ability to ship product and (usually) quality product at that, when they are happy to keep throwing money into the Rare and Initiative black hole!? Utter mismanagement at the highest level of Xbox.

Insane action that Xbox are taking today. The absolute last thing they need to be doing is reducing their output, and especially not cutting the developer responsible for their most critically acclaimed first party game since the Xbox 360 era. I seriously question whether or not they're planning on launching another console if they're gonna be taking actions like this. Feels like they're just giving up now.

Some choice words from Arkane Lyon's Co-Creative Director... ... not exactly a good look when your own developers are publically throwing your company under the bus.

At the end of the day, it's mostly a worse version of the original D/P (And I do mean Diamond/Pearl, not even Platinum). There's very little that they've added, and there's even stuff taken away (such as the GTS). Not to mention that nothing from Platinum was included. It was also released in an utterly dire state (FFS, it didn't even have a bloody title screen or a proper soundtrack on its original cartridge print! Prior to its, very late, post launch updates, it was in a shambolic and utterly unacceptable state). It's not hard to see why people were unhappy with it.

Yup. Sounds like they're going all-in on Fallout and Elder Scrolls; screw everything else basically.

It's insane! HiFi Rush was a hit, and unanimously considered Xbox's best reviewed game of 2023! Why would you shut down the studio responsible for your best received game!? And Arkane Austin were responsible for numerous criticically acclaimed titles before being forced onto a multiplayer project that they didn't want to make. Why should they die for the sins of Bethesda's execs!? Meanwhile, the other Bethesda developers are seemingly getting roped into Fallout duty as they scramble to respond to the success of the TV show... which not only consolodates their output into a single franchise, but will also end up releasing several years from now; far too late to capitalise on any success from the TV show. These are the exact studios that Microsoft desperately need right now. They need criticically acclaimed exclusives like people need water. FFS! This is exactly the mistake they made back in the Xbone era that landed them in the mess they're currently in! It's nuts! The last thing Xbox needs is a return of the endless tired old Forza, Gears, Halo trinity (now with Fallout and COD added in for good measure). Xbox is so fucked.

What the actual fuck!?

Wouldn't be the first time Nintendo had announced a game for a console, only to later port it exclusively to its successor. Their history is littered with examples (Super Paper Mario, Sim City, Eternal Darkness, Pikmin 3, Project Giant Robot etc).

If they follow the same pattern as with Switch 1, that full reveal with price/release date/launch lineup won't be coming until January anyway. September will be the first unveil video showing the basic concept of the new console... which is the kind of thing we always get with a new console before the big blowout. The announcement to release cycle for a brand new console is always at least 1 year; has been that way throughout the entire history of the industry; and I don't expect that to change here. The ~1 year clock starts now.

Ensuring the success of their next console and securing their business as a going concern over the next 6-8 years is more important than selling a few extra copies of a single game. Remember that Nintendo has no backup if Switch 2 fails. There is no seperate handheld pillar to prop them up this time, so they have to make sure that Switch 2 is an explosive success right away in order to keep their business going through the transitionary period. That means no dicking around with their releases and being all-hands-on-deck to make sure that Switch 2 is a massive success. Switch 1's days are numbered, and they cannot afford to let Switch 2 fail. The big hitters need to be exclusively focused on Switch 2 now (which is why the last year of Switch 1 has been almost entirely made up of remasters/remakes that are mostly outsourced).

Now that we have confirmation of a June Direct, the question then becomes "What are they going to show there?" This will almost certainly be the last Direct focused on the current Switch model. So I reckon they're gonna look to go out on a good note here. Wasting Metroid Prime 4 on the current Switch would be a stupid move, but if it is going to still happen for the existing Switch 1; this is the game's last chance of being announced for Switch 1. If it doesn't appear here, then it's a guaranteed launch window title for Switch 2; and it'll probably be exclusive and not a cross-generational release. Now, I think it's safe to say that the majority of the Switch 1's lineup is gonna be made up of Wii U ports and Wii/3DS HD remasters/remakes, we all know this, has been the case for around a year now. But I do think we're gonna get a small handful of new games and we already know about Nintendo World Championships, but I propose that we could also be looking at a new Mario Party game too. ND Cube usually put out one game every 1-1.5 years and the last game they worked on was Everybody 1,2,Switch as a co-development with EPD (Their last solo game being Mario Party Superstars in 2021), so I reckon they'd be due another release come November this year. We have had late-life Mario Party releases a few times before (7, Advance, 9 and Top 100 all spring to mind immediately) and it's basically a guaranteed 7+ million seller by this point. So I reckon it'd fit the bill nicely. HAL are also due to pump out one more Kirby game (their last release being Kirby & The Forgotten Land in 2022 - KRTDdx was made by Vanpool; before being shut down that same year... perhaps their staff were absorbed by HAL and IS?). You all know that every Nintendo console has to close out with an incredibly late Kirby game, it's basically law at this point. So I'm gonna bet on a Kirby game either at the end of this year, or start of 2025. Naturally, we also have Level 5's upcoming games that are due eventually too. Not unlikely that they'll show up here again with new trailers and (hopefully!) release dates. Add on a spattering of ports/remasters/remakes (Metroid Prime 2 & 3, Zelda TP HD/TWW HD seem like shoe-ins at least) and you've got yourself a solid console closing Direct I reckon

Well we now have our official "start" of Switch 2, so this can now be our thread regarding everything to do with the next console. If anything, it'll stop me clogging up the main Switch thread with my console begging

Our first official announcement regarding Switch's successor at long last! Will be formally announced/unveiled this financial year, but not during the next Direct in June (so probably in September then).

Fixed that for you.