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I think it's a decent result by XC3. The pandemic shifted people's buying habits and accelerated the move to digital gaming. If XC3 has managed to do near enough the same numbers as its predecessors post -lockdown/pandemic, then I would call that a win. 

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1 minute ago, Hero-of-Time said:

I think it's a decent result by XC3. The pandemic shifted people's buying habits and accelerated the move to digital gaming. If XC3 has managed to do near enough the same numbers as its predecessors post -lockdown/pandemic, then I would call that a win. 

Well, we're comparing 2017 to 2022; so COVID doesn't really factor in this case.

XB3 should be up significantly in terms of digital sales though.  We won't really know for sure until the next financial quarter though.

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3 minutes ago, Dcubed said:

Well, we're comparing 2017 to 2022; so COVID doesn't really factor in this case.

I'd argue it does. As I said, Covid had a knock on effect in how people bought games and it still remains to this day. The physical market was dying a slow death before the pandemic and the pandemic just hit the fast forward button on this trend. For XC3 to do roughly the same as the other games despite releasing after a lot of people made the switch to buying digital games is impressive. Of course, this all hinges on whether or not the digital sales have gone up significantly. If they haven't then the series has clearly reached its limits here in the UK.

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The most interesting part of these sales is the pretty large drop-off in software sales within the US...
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People are starting to get tired of the current Switch hardware... Nintendo had better not be considering waiting much longer before announcing that successor...
Surely that drop off is because people aren't in lock down any more, and so have less time for buying and playing video games?

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22 minutes ago, bob said:

Surely that drop off is because people aren't in lock down any more, and so have less time for buying and playing video games?

There's also the skyrocketing costs for...well...living.

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3 hours ago, drahkon said:

There's also the skyrocketing costs for...well...living.

Indeed. Everyone is cutting back where they can and games are very much a luxury item that can be done without. Gaming isn't the only entertainment industry seeing these effects. 

If things continue the way they are I wouldn't be surprised to see gaming subscriptions such as Game Pass see a big increase as it will be a cheaper option for people who still want to play games but don't want to pay £50 for a single title.

The friend I work for also owns a gym and he says memberships have plummeted since the cost of living crisis started earlier in the year. Not only that but those with memberships already paid for aren't showing up because they are trying to save on fuel. People are saving where they can.

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7 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

Indeed. Everyone is cutting back where they can and games are very much a luxury item that can be done without. Gaming isn't the only entertainment industry seeing these effects. 

If things continue the way they are I wouldn't be surprised to see gaming subscriptions such as Game Pass see a big increase as it will be a cheaper option for people who still want to play games but don't want to pay £50 for a single title.

The friend I work for also owns a gym and he says memberships have plummeted since the cost of living crisis started earlier in the year. Not only that but those with memberships already paid for aren't showing up because they are trying to save on fuel. People are saving where they can.

Reasonable... Uh... Reasoning, but it begs the question, why is only America seeing that drop then?

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1 minute ago, Hero-of-Time said:

Who knows? Why don't you fly over there and ask them? 

Eurgh! Go to America? In this heat!?

You're trying to kill me, aren't you?

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16 minutes ago, Glen-i said:

Eurgh! Go to America? In this heat!?

You're trying to kill me, aren't you?

Something isn't quite right here...

Quote

Eurgh! Go to America? In this heat!?

You're trying to kill me, aren't you?

Much better :p

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1 hour ago, Hero-of-Time said:

 

Sooooooooo...Switch 2 in time for the Untitled sequel to the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild next Spring (April to June) confirmed?! :p

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I was saying to lostmario the other day that a new Switch will no doubt launch with BOTW2. I think the only concern is whether or not they will have enough of the components to make a new Switch widely available.

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Did anyone play the Kotor release on Switch? Currently fighting the urge to buy an Xbox Series X to play my copy so the Switch version currently on sale might be a cheaper option 😂

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3 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

I was saying to lostmario the other day that a new Switch will no doubt launch with BOTW2. I think the only concern is whether or not they will have enough of the components to make a new Switch widely available.

Yeah, I think you'd be right about that.

I don't know if I think Nintendo need to pull that trigger yet - honestly, I think it'd be a shame for it to be doing as well as it is and having a great chance at overtaking the PS2 and DS a few years from now, just to have its legs brutally chopped off and end up in no-man's-land - but I also think Nintendo is really difficult to gauge as needing to make a step up in terms of raw specs, and it kind of feels like their generational leaps are more based on wanting to shake things up or try new things. 

To explain what I mean, other than games running better than they are now, I think they're the platform holder where it's hardest to imagine what next-gen actually looks like for them, as they rarely go the PlayStation path of aiming too high on terms of performance yield to have technical hiccups (they're there, sure, but their choices in art style, the Switch being a hybrid, etc., gives them a weird amount of leniency in this regard I think that PlayStation and Xbox don't with their own titles), and Xbox basically make games for PC these days and don't get as much out of their machine as PlayStation from a stylistic point of view (just my perspective, but Halo Infinite being smooth as hell but then looking kind of flat was...weird). Nintendo on the other hand seem to firmly push on their limitations, but they design for and around them more so than I think the others do, which is why I think it's hard to imagine. 

Ultimately, if STTLOZBOTW (sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild) does launch with the Switch successor, I think the components shortage almost becomes a non-issue in that it would likely sell out regardless, and would have a similar launch to what I think a Switch Pro might have: the people there on day one are going to be the diehards who want the best experience for the Breath of the Wild sequel (like me, because I don't want my time spent in a forest to look like a flip book).

That might make the transition a bit smoother, but then I think it runs into this weird issue where Nintendo have a much bigger hurdle to overcome, which is actually marketing this thing well. I think it could get very confusing thanks to how generations have worked previously - maybe even more so with Nintendo - where backwards compatibility, at least for me, has felt like a footnote on the features list. I guess you could just say "releasing on Switch 2 and Switch in April 2023" in your advertising campaign, and then have a little graphic to say "best experienced on Switch 2!", but I don't know how you would go about communicating that new games on Switch also work on Switch 2 (and then you also get into the new Switch 2 boxes, etc., and how they'd communicate things...it could be very confusing for casual buyers). I guess there are ways to do it, but what gives me pause is that this is the same company that decided calling a console the 'Wii U' was a good idea :laughing: maybe it'll be the PS4/PS5 method where you just see both versions on shelves, or they go the Xbox route of having it all under one (potentially confusing) umbrella.

This is all of course assuming it'll be a cross-gen title, and that the Switch successor will be backwards compatible :p

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1 hour ago, Hero-of-Time said:

I think the only concern is whether or not they will have enough of the components to make a new Switch widely available.

My main concern is that they have the right components to make joysticks that don't drift.

Those rooftop Super Mario Party parties got heated enough before drift started wreaking havoc with player control.

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2 hours ago, Happenstance said:

Did anyone play the Kotor release on Switch? Currently fighting the urge to buy an Xbox Series X to play my copy so the Switch version currently on sale might be a cheaper option 😂

I didn't play it but I know both the original and sequel had many issues when first ported over. I imagine they will have been patched by now.

I loved the original back in the day but it now looks VERY dated and clunky.

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11 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

I didn't play it but I know both the original and sequel had many issues when first ported over. I imagine they will have been patched by now.

I loved the original back in the day but it now looks VERY dated and clunky.

I was planning on replaying it with my Steam Deck but I'd forgotten that the PC version was keyboard and mouse only and I can't be bothered to either configure something useable or mod in controller support.

The big debate at the moment is basically I either get the Xbox and Gamepads as I a!ready own Kotor there or PS Plus Extra & Kotors on Switch. Cheaper the second route but the few exclusives on Xbox would be nice to play.

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When was the last time you played it? If it was a while ago I'd just opt to buy the Switch version. That way if it has aged badly for you then you haven't spent much money trying it out. 

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14 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

When was the last time you played it? If it was a while ago I'd just opt to buy the Switch version. That way if it has aged badly for you then you haven't spent much money trying it out. 

Few years ago now. The Xbox wouldn't just be for Kotor though so I'd hope I wouldn't feel like it was wasted money regardless. Just wish they'd announced more coming soon. We see all these acquisitions then nothing to show for it.

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Hah! Even Dedede knows that Mii pose is the best one! And everyone knows Dedede is perfect.

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