A Friday Post page asks who’s to blame for PlayStation’s obsession with live service games, while readers discuss Donkey Kong’s new look.
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Short but good
So I think the Switch 2 reveal was good. I know some people were disappointed because it was so short, only showing one match, but there was absolutely no chance of showing many matches. We knew that going in and I think as an introduction to Switch 2 it was good. Everyone in my office saw it and they all seemed impressed and intrigued.
None of them had any idea it was on the way but a few then realized how much time had passed since the first console came out and agreed it was time for a new console.
I’m not sure this was the best Mario Kart 9 footage they could offer, but it seems like an open world to me, so that’s interesting and definitely something I want to learn more about. Especially since the game’s success depends on it being simple and accessible to ordinary players.
Maybe the trailer could have had more action – the voiceover couldn’t have been as haunting or the kind of memorable music – but I think it did its job well. It’s not Nintendo’s fault that there were leaks, and if there weren’t leaks, I think it would have been unanimously accepted as a good thing.
Onebi
Screen grabber
I’ve been watching in fascination as the Switch 2 reveal and hype train surrounding it unfolds. Nintendo hasn’t seen this much hype since, err…the original Switch!
Seriously though, all this speculation was free advertising and a masterclass in carrot feeding and drip feeding. After all, what has anyone else been talking about over the past few months?
We’ve now seen the hardware, and it can live up to this buildup. The question that still stands for me is, will it be an OLED screen?
This is a good deal for me, as the quality of those on the OLED Switch is amazing compared to the regular model.
Going forward, I’m really looking forward to revealing the games now and I’m very much hoping for good support from the likes of Capcom, EA and even Microsoft! If the device is as powerful as the portable PlayStation 4, it should, with careful programming, be able to achieve great results and it would be great to see more “impossible” ports.
Zippy
JC: All the rumors seem to agree that it’s an 8-inch LCD and making it OLED will make it too expensive (which you can infer means an OLED version will be around in two or three years).
Minimal effort
It was Nintendo’s Switch 2 reveal. This makes me wonder if the original plan wasn’t to say anything now but because of all the leaks they cut and pasted the opening 2 minutes into April’s reveal proper.
I like the look of the hardware though. A bigger, more powerful Switch with some extra functionality is a good thing for me. As others have pointed out, it’s not the hardware that Nintendo really needs to innovate for most of this generation, but rather the software, as many of their IPs need a fresh experience like Zelda and Breath Of The Wild.
Looking forward to the April Direct release though, there’s still a lot to discover. But Switch 2 news will be tuned in until then.
Simondo
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It’s not too late to change
I liked the new Donkey Kong design. I’m with those who never liked Rare’s attitude towards it and the “new” rare characters were even worse. 40 years is a long time to go without having a proper sequel for Nintendo, but I’m totally fine with New 3D Super Mario’s focus on it.
I also like his look in New Mario Kart, where he looks more expressive than the current version that always pulls the same face. I don’t understand how you add Diddy Kong and the others into the mix, as they don’t seem to have been redesigned. They weren’t in the movie either, but I don’t think they were on screen much with him, so you can’t really understand the contrast.
Higson
Take sides
I’ve always liked Shuihei Yoshida and can’t help but think he was fired from Sony, no matter what he says. He could have stayed at Sony until he retired, and I bet they saw his job in charge of indies as a demotion, even if he still enjoyed it.
This makes me wonder what happened with Jim Ryan, did he jump or was he pushed? More importantly, was it with the live service matches or against them? If Shaw was pushed, or even encouraged to leave, and was against live service matches, maybe Ryan was as well? Maybe he was warning them about it and this new Hermine Holst guy was all for them.
It’s really impossible to know because neither of them have properly spoken about it publicly, which is strange for something that’s supposed to be the entire future of the company.
Show me
Commitment issues
I just wanted to say thank you and Ali K who responded to my questions regarding gaming on Netflix. I’m pretty sure you’ve covered my main questions regarding performance and use of touch controls (I can’t help but shudder when I guess how these should work in GTA: San Andreas!).
I think the majority of games are fairly low budget, and they run well on a modest tablet, which is what I’ll be using. Thanks again for the heads up about including Netflix gaming in the mobile roundup, this is one of the few sections on your site that I usually skip, as I’ve long since stopped playing games on my mobile phone.
Does Netflix pre-release a list of upcoming games for release? I did a little research and couldn’t find anything really conclusive, just gaming rumors. I’m surprised they haven’t made more songs and dances about their selection since as I mentioned, there are some of the best titles out there and even in the app, the gaming section doesn’t really get much importance.
Death duck82
PS: Thanks for the Into The Breach tip. Fortunately, I picked this up a few years ago on Switch (thanks to your review) and lost many hours of my life!
JC: They occasionally post news stories on their blog but we don’t think there’s a release timeline or anything like that. It’s hard to gauge their commitment though as we saw a fair amount of Netflix Gaming advertising over Christmas, but just a few months before that they shut down one of their in-house developers.
Superstar casting
Thinking about The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, which featured both Sean Bean and Patrick Stewart, I wonder what famous voices will be in The Elder Scrolls 6? I think there are a lot of ex-Game of Thrones people out there. Charles Dance was already in The Witcher 3, so I bet most will be up for it.
It’s fun to have such famous people in games but I have to wonder how cost effective it is. Their presence in it is rarely advertised, so is the huge cost of paying them justified by more people buying the game because they are in it?
to treat
Portable upgrade
How powerful should a portable Xbox be? Could it be as powerful as the Switch 2? Because if Nintendo can get away with rolling out PlayStation 4 technology, why can’t Microsoft? Also, if you research enough, you will see a large number of mobile and vintage device options on the market, there are a lot available for consumers. And I’ve owned every Xbox console.
I have no interest in the Switch 2 or what Sony is doing. So, even as an Xbox Series But, like I said, you’ll be competing with a lot of options. So, I wonder how Microsoft will approach the mobile market because it will need something really special and unique to stand out. Now, given their track record, this seems up for debate.
I know a couple of families who own Xboxes but haven’t upgraded to Xbox Series Apply that more broadly and you can see how Microsoft has struggled to sell the Xbox Series So I think this is what a mobile device should be like.
This special bridge between generations should be what makes people upgrade or serve as a stepping stone to the next generation. It also has to compete with the Switch 2 and treat it as a competitor. It should also contain titles unique to the portable Xbox that only it can do. Oh, and Xbox Prime sounds good if only that was its real name. But unfortunately, I’m afraid Microsoft will choose something silly like Xbox Series X2+ or some other nonsense.
Stephen
JC: It’s the same for Sony. Half of active PlayStation gamers are still using a PlayStation 4.
Inbox is also turned on
Finally, the Nintendo Switch 2 has been announced but now we have to wait until April for more news? I thought he said February when I first saw the US trailer!
Renfield
I’m definitely in favor of an open-world, 24-player Mario Kart game. But could they have chosen a more boring route for the teaser? It looked like desert calamari in Mario Kart 64 (awesome track, think!).
The pessimist
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