Nintendo has been criticised in the past for not giving the Metroid series enough spotlight compared to certain other franchises, but it seems things will be different this time around.
Ahead of the release of Metroid Dread next month, Nintendo is rolling out the red carpet for its intergalactic bounty hunter. In addition to all of the trailers, reports and social media posts it’s released so far, the company has also gone to the extent of throwing up gigantic Switch ads at train stations in Tokyo:
While it might not seem like much, keep in mind this is Metroid we’re talking about here. Seeing Samus instead of Super Mario, Link or Animal Crossing is a big deal, and it’s great to see Nintendo giving the conclusion to the original Metroid saga the attention it deserves.
It seems the new entry for Switch is already on track to become possibly the best-selling Metroid game to date – with the title topping Amazon and other pre-order charts just days after it was announced. And with Metroid Prime 4 still on the way, Samus’ resurgence is likely to only get bigger and better.
Do you think Nintendo has done enough for Metroid Dread ahead of its release? Will you be picking up Dread when it arrives on the Switch on October 8th? Show your support in the comments below.
If you’re desperate to salvage those drifting Nintendo Switch Joy-Con, have watched all the videos online (including our own), and still haven’t had any luck, then why not try this new fix that’s surfaced on YouTube, which is claiming to have solved Joy-Con drift problems once and for all.
VK’s Channel on YouTube identified how the Joy-Con realigns when pressure is applied to the surrounding area of the analog stick. Therefore increasing pressure within the Joy-Con (which loosens over time), makes the drift disappear.
Surprisingly, this fix doesn’t require any technical know-how, but it will require the right tools. All you have to do is open the case and insert a small piece of paper or cardboard (around 1mm) where the analog is located. Yes – it’s that simple. It’s further explained how the prongs inside the controller lose contact with the pads over time and the paper fills the gap and restores pressure.
The YouTuber also notes how their own drifting Joy-Con have been working fine for around two months now, and that the same fix can be applied to the Nintendo Switch Lite. Skip to 5:55 to see the main fix in action.
Keep in mind, inserting things into your controllers (even pieces of paper) is at your own risk, and will likely void any warranty. Will you be giving this incredibly simple fix a go? Leave a comment below and tell us if you’ve had any luck with this fix yourself.
“I need the TLDR,” a friend texted me a month ago. “Should I wait to buy a Nintendo Switch?”
She’s no gamer but, despite having not picked up a controller in years, knew an updated Switch was in the works. Wanting to secure a birthday surprise for her boyfriend, she had done some Googling and chanced upon rumors on Nintendo’s worst-kept secret. I told her the new model might be called the Switch Pro, might support 4K and might be worth waiting for.
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Not so. The new model doesn’t support 4K, and it’s not called the Switch Pro. Actually, I don’t know what it’s called. Switch OLED? Switch with OLED? Regardless, as the name — whatever it is — suggests, its main improvement is the OLED display.
It’ll be 0.8-inches bigger than the regular Switch’s 6.2-inch screen, with deeper blacks and better contrast. Other touted features include an improved kickstand and “enhanced audio.” In other words, it’s anything but a generational leap. These modest improvements come with a modest price hike. The Switch Deluxe launches at $350 on Oct. 8, at just $50 more than the Non OLED Switch.
That seems fair, but the online reaction hasn’t been kind. That’s because, like me, it appears most people anticipated more. An upgraded Nintendo Switch was first reported by Bloomberg some 11 months ago — long enough for imaginations flourish and expectations to soar.
And those inflated expectations are the issue here — not the New and Slightly Improved Switch. If it was a surprise announcement, gamers would have met the new edition with a polite “fair enough.” It’s only against hopes of substantial hardware improvements, and existing owners wanting a decent reason to upgrade, that the reaction becomes “Nintendo ruined everything again!”
Don’t get me wrong. If I had it my way, Nintendo would have announced a Switch Pro with 4K resolution, a new graphics chip and better battery life. I’d also fix the ongoing drift issues with the console’s Joy-Cons, and its lack of native bluetooth support — which is absurd at this point. But with the Nintendo SWOLED, Nintendo isn’t trying to get my dollar. There are millions of people who care about 4K gaming, but there are billions who play games that don’t.
Nintendo is after that second group.
Nintendo Switch’s Half-life
The NintendOLED Switch makes sense for a few reasons.
First, Nintendo isn’t yet interested in the Switch 2 or anything resembling a next-generation console. Doug Bowser, Nintendo America’s hilariously named president, told Polygon in December that we’re at around the “midpoint” of the Switch’s lifecycle. Since the Switch has sold more units each year — 15 million in 2017’s financial year, 17 million in 2018, 20 million in 2019, 26 million in 2020 — Nintendo rightly sees that it doesn’t need to do anything drastic with the console’s hardware. A gentle nudge, like a bigger and clearer display, should keep the money flowing.
This is the company’s modus operandi. Do you remember the 3DS XL, the DS Lite, and the Game Boy Advance SP? Of course you do! They were awesome. But don’t forget the 2DS, the 2DS XL, the DSi, DSi XL, the backlit Game Boy Advance SP and the Game Boy Advance Micro — which Nintendo released almost a year after the original DS.
“Extend Console Lifespan with Iterative Models” isn’t catchy, but it’s the name of the game.
Like all of the aforementioned renovated models, the OLED Switch has two goals. It serves diehard fans, numbering in the millions, who flock to buy any new Nintendo console. Second, and more importantly, it provides an extra option to people who haven’t bought a Switch yet.
The console has sold over 84 million units since 2017, about 16 million shy of becoming the best-selling Nintendo home console ever. But the company isn’t scraping the barrel for more buys, as there are hundreds of millions of potential sales yet to be realized, and it’s these to whom Nintendo are appealing by adding to the Switch hardware range. It’s a push for those who’ve been on the fence since 2017, or those who have rekindled their love of gaming during the pandemic. It’ll also help build hype for Metroid Dread, which launches on the same day, as well as Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.
So horribly disappointed with the new Nintendo Switch OLED specs & lack of improvements. Anyone know where I can preorder?
— Goldy (@GoldGloveTV) July 6, 2021
I could be fanboying here, but I’m so prepared to snatch that OLED Nintendo Switch. The current Switch is from launch day 2017. It’s been beaten to death from all the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate grinds. Not only do I want those white Joy-Cons, it launches in my Birthday week! pic.twitter.com/Zhrf1BkBJR
— Dan’s Nintendo Feed (@TheNintendoFeed) July 8, 2021
3+ million views on YouTube already for Switch OLED, 156k Likes, 91% Like Ratio and #1 Trending all day
While this isn’t getting received super well in the hardcore gaming community there seems to a be a lot more positive sentiment and interest among the general audience pic.twitter.com/VzxS9hzPsZ
— Benji-Sales (@BenjiSales) July 7, 2021
The company’s calculus appears as follows: Switch OLED +Metroid Dead xholiday sales multiplier =a Merry Christmas for Nintendo. I suspect the math will check out.
Nintendo has always prized accessibility over technical prowess, which is how the Wii, DS and 3DS all became huge successes. I suspect Nintendo will eventually create a 4K-capable console when it can do so cheaply enough to sell it for under $400 — by which time Sony and Microsoft will already be onto 8K.
It’s not a bad strategy. When my friend texted me for Switch advice — something she’s unlikely to do ever again — she decided against waiting to buy her partner a newer, more powerful Switch.
“Do you have a 4K TV? Does he care about 4K graphics?,” I asked. “We do,” she answered, “he doesn’t.”
The latest NPD data has revealed “total lifetime dollar sales” of Switch hardware in the US has now surpassed the Nintendo DS.
This apparently makes the system the second “best-selling” Nintendo platform “in tracked history” within the country. The Wii is still in the top spot. Overall, this supposedly makes Nintendo’s latest hybrid system the seventh best-selling video game hardware in the US (no figures were provided).
“Total lifetime dollar sales of Switch hardware now exceed the Nintendo DS, making Switch Nintendo’s 2nd best-selling platform in U.S. tracked history (Nintendo Wii ranks first). Switch is currently the 7th best-selling hardware platform in lifetime U.S. dollar sales.”
Nintendo’s hardware has experienced just as much success over the past month. NPD’s Mat Piscatella noted how it was also the “best-selling” system of February 2021 (again, no figures were attached).
It’s also had the best hardware sales of any platform in the month of February since the Nintendo Wii in 2009:
“Nintendo Switch was the best-selling hardware platform in both units and dollars in February. Unit and dollar sales of Nintendo Switch hardware in February were the highest for any hardware platform in a February month since the Nintendo Wii in Feburary 2009.”
On the software front, Nintendo has performed just as well – with NPD data revealing the first-party release Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury was the best-selling game last month. This enhanced Wii U re-release is also the second best-selling game of 2021 so far, right behind the latest entry in the Call of Duty series.
Did you contribute to Switch hardware sales last month? Leave a comment down below.
Gonna have to disagree on the “It’s a handheld first” part since I think Nintendo went out of their way to make it an actual hybrid. Where you can see they achieved that is how people use it differently. Personally I barely use it as a handheld and some games just need the big screen. But others play it both ways and some even mostly handheld. That’s the genius of the Switch… Well part of it. But the price was lower specs, yeah.
Anyway, since they can’t compete with the two (actually 3 since PC gaming is ever growing) power beasts the Switch is a perfect place for unique games. They already have plenty but if 3rd parties are smart, and some like Capcom seem to be, more exclusive games should be heading it’s way with the occasional port. Astral Chain and Octopath both sold over a million copies each. Nintendo make great games, but they can’t push out enough of them alone, so third parties should look at them sales now! It’s time
Nintendo should, inmy opinion, work with third parties for the Pro. That way, not only MP4 and BOTW2 will make good use of them but some 3rd party games can be a part of it’s launch. And it would still be in the Switch family and keep selling for some years until it’s successor.
It’s about providing new gameplay experiences for all Switch owners.
This could also mean add-ons, which can be a tricky thing. The PSVR worked for Sony, but the Kinekt for MS…Not so much. But hey! It’s Nintendo. They like to surprise us.
Nintendo has announced the next SNES and NES games coming to its Switch Online service. Depending on your perspective, the selection shines a light on some underappreciated gems or demonstrates that you probably shouldn’t expect any more big-name third-party titles to appear in the library. Possibly both.
Here’s the list of games:
Psycho Dream (1992, SNES, Telenet Japan)
Doomsday Warrior (1992, SNES, Laser Soft)
Prehistorik Man (1995, SNES, Titus France)
Fire ‘n Ice (1992, NES, Tecmo)
Not exactly big hitters, then: three fairly obscure SNES side-scrollers and an NES puzzle game. Fire ‘n Ice might be the most recognizable title for many, and only then if you know that it’s the North American name for Solomon’s Key 2.
Psycho Dream is a pretty neat addition. It’s a visually impressive action game that was originally meant to be released in the US as Dream Probe, but for whatever reason the plans fell through and it remained exclusive to Japan. And look at this synopsis:
When Sayaka doesn’t return to reality after entering an immersive virtual world known as a D-Movie, the protagonists, Ryo and Maria, must progress through a terrifying fantasy game called Legend of the Fallen Capital to rescue her and bring her back to reality.
Nintendo has been adding deep cuts to Switch Online for a while now, but the last three rounds of additions at least included each game in the Donkey Kong Country trilogy as crowd-pleasers. Personally I like checking out whichever titles unexpectedly show up, but it does seem clear that Nintendo is running out of games that either it owns the rights to or can convince other publishers to include.
It might be a good time to start wondering about when other platforms might make their way onto Nintendo Switch Online. Perhaps the delisting of Super Mario 3D All-Stars next month could pave the way for Nintendo 64 games at some point. In the meantime, you can check out the latest additions on February 17th if you have a $19.99-a-year Switch Online subscription.
Over the years, video game fans chalked it up to a crack in the rumor mill and moved on.
On Februrary 1st, 2021, YouTube channel The Serf Times published an interview with Adam Conover of Adam Ruins Everything, wherein Conover drops some gossip from his time at College Humor in the 2010s. Twitter user @supererogatory first called out the juicy bits:
Apparently, College Humor was planning a claymation skit combining Star Fox and Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto even came to the office to talk through the details. According to Conover, the project was canceled about a month later, and he asked his boss what happened.
Conover recalled the boss saying, “Oh, someone at Netflix leaked the Legend of Zelda thing. They weren’t supposed to talk about it. Nintendo freaked out … and they pulled the plug on everything. They pulled the plug on the entire program to adapt these things.”
So, the live-action Zelda Netflix series was actually real.
I can’t believe that I somehow stumbled upon something resembling a gaming scoop-of-sorts while watching a YouTube video but based on a Twitter search I apparently did.
— ⬜️◽️▫️ (@supererogatory) February 2, 2021
Nintendo is notoriously protective of its IP, and it doesn’t easily lend out its franchises to third parties, which is one reason the Zelda Netflix rumors were such a big deal. According to Conover, the Netflix leak pushed the company further into its shell.
There’s a hungry audience for video game-related content on Netflix, as demonstrated by the Castlevania, Resident Evil and Sonic animated shows, and The Witcher live-action and anime series. With the Zelda franchise hitting its 35th anniversary this year, it’d be fitting for Nintendo to give Netflix — or any other streaming service — another chance. We’ll believe it when we see it, though.
Nobody likes Joy-Con drift. In fact, Joy-Con drift sucks so hard that Nintendo has been pummeled with numerous lawsuits over the widespread, well-documented problem. Well, Nintendo can add another lawsuit to the pile. A Canadian law firm, Lambert Avocat, has filed a class-action lawsuit seeking compensation for anyone in Quebec who bought a Nintendo Switch, Switch Lite, Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, or Joy-Cons.
If you and all your Switch-owning friends have miraculously avoided Joy-Con drift, the issue is that after a while (sometimes not even a very long while), Joy-Cons start triggering phantom movements on screen, regardless of whether you’re actually touching the joystick. Lambert Avocat notes that its client discovered her left Joy-Con was drifting after 11 months. After sending them back to Nintendo for repairs, two months later, the right Joy-Con started drifting. She then bought a second pair of Joy-Cons and a Nintendo Switch Pro Controller—all of which eventually exhibited Joy-Con drift.
The firm contends that Joy-Con drift “constitutes an important, serious and hidden defect” that wasn’t properly disclosed by Nintendo, consumers wouldn’t be able to detect defective Joy-Cons just by looking at them, and all-in-all violates Quebec’s Consumer Protection Act. (If you happen to live in Quebec and have bought any of the aforementioned products since Aug. 1, 2017, you, too, can apply to be part of the lawsuit.)
Nintendo’s Joy-Con drift legal woes span the globe. There’s one in Illinois, another one in California led by a child and his mother, and another in Washington that was later amended to include the Switch Lite a week after it launched. Per IGN, at the end of last year, nine European consumer organizations said they had received nearly 1,000 complaints about Joy-Con drift and called on consumers to report their problems as part of a potential investigation. A French consumer protection organization has also filed a complaint against Nintendo, alleging that drift and Nintendo’s continued failure to permanently address drift were evidence of planned obsolescence.
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Clearly, there’s a problem here and Nintendo knows it. No, seriously, they know because, as our sister site Kotaku reported last year, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa apologized during a financial Q&A session. “Regarding the Joy-Con, we apologize for any trouble caused to our customers,” Furukawa said, before citing a class-action lawsuit as a reason why Nintendo couldn’t comment further on how it intended to fix this whole mess. It has since added a whole Joy-Con repair section to its customer support website.
Consumers and consumer advocacy organizations are right to be pissed, but the onus isn’t on them to fix Joy-Con drift. Yours truly has experienced drift withtwo sets of Joy-Cons, both after less than six months of use. And while it’s nice Nintendo will repair Joy-Cons for free, it’s moot if, after repairs, you continue to experience the problem. Buying replacement Joy-Cons also loses its luster when there’s a good chance that those, too, will also eventually drift. What you end up with is a periodic cycle of repair or replacement that you likely didn’t factor into the initial purchase cost. In any context, this is bad form for any gadget maker.
There are plenty of theories as to what actually causes Joy-Con drift—some say it’s dust and debris sneaking its way into the controller, others contend it’s wear-and-tear on contact pads. But until Nintendo sheds some light on why, publicly commits to a more permanent solution, or updates how the controllers are designed, Joy-Con drift ain’t going anywhere. And neither are the lawsuits.
