Handheld gaming news wk2

Come on in, have a cup of coffee (or tea) and let’s chat some handheld gaming news! I’m a bit late in gathering the news this week, sadly I was hindered by a migraine that lasted for days. So no gaming devices, no searching for gaming news online and no writing. At least I was able to watch the Nintendo Switch presentation this afternoon, and I guess that’s the largest portion of news this week.

The week wasn’t all glum for me though, I celebrated my birthday too. Even at my advanced age I always look forward to it, and I was touched at all your kind messages. My gaming friend BriBri and I write back and forth daily in MiiTomo, and he was kind enough to tweet this. A lot more messages from you readers cam my way, and I’m very chuffed about that. Thanks everyone!

Nintendo Switch presentation

Have seen it you already? I always look forward to a Nintendo presentation, though when it’s held in America with Reggie hosting we can expect more pun and fun. The fact that it was held for a Japanese audience meant it was much more correct and straightforward. Kimishima opened the show in a way that dearly made me miss Iwata. I felt Yoshiaki Koizumi, who did most of the presenting, did a nice job though. But overall, it wasn’t the quirky entertaining affair that I’d expected.

There were a couple of things I noticed though. One made me very happy: no region locking for the games that we will play on the Switch!! Now that is excellent news. As you know I have three 3DS’s now, one for each region, and that won’t be necessary anymore when it comes to Switch games.

But what about the online services? We will get them free at first, but afterward it’s a paid service. I don’t know what to expect there. I don’t think we can we still play online with friends, if you don’t pay monthly. That’s sad, right? I know it’s a concept Sony and Microsoft have embraced before, but at Nintendo, we are used to livening up our gaming with some great online connectivity. You can see what to expect in this picture.

A look at JoyCon

By now we all know that you can detach them from the Switch screen to play tabletop style, and even share it with a friend. But we didn’t know yet was that there’s a NFC in one of them so we can read our amiibo. The other one has a capture button to capture screenplay. It even has a IR Motion camera in it, so it’s able to detect the distance, shape, and motion of nearby objects in specially designed games. The wrist straps makes them look quite comfortable to use, and they come in three colours: grey, neon red and neon blue.

The HD Rumble is a nice feature. During the presentation, they shared an example of how these detailed effects could allow players to feel the sensation of individual ice cubes colliding inside a glass when shaking a Joy-Con. The HD Rumble is said to be able to provide players with a level of realism that can’t be experienced through sights and sounds alone.

Games for the Switch

Some games have already been confirmed at launch for the Switch. These are:

• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
• 1-2 Switch
• Super Bomberman R
• Skylanders Imaginators
• Just Dance 2017

Other games are confirmed with a Spring 2017 date:

• I am Setsuna
• SnipperClippers
• Fast RMX
• Has-Been Heroes
• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
• Arms
• Disgaea 5 Complete
• Puyo Puyo Tetris
• Rime

Other then that, we are in for a long wait. Splatoon 2 was shown, but won’t make it before Summer. And while most people will get very happy about Super Mario Odyssey, it won’t reach us till the Holidays 2017. A year from now.

Of course, a lot of games are in the works, lots from third parties. I’m looking forward to Dragon Quest X, project Octopath Traveller which Square Enix presented at the event, and some other titles that have been mentioned before, like Pikmin 4 and Stardew Valley.

Thoughts about the Switch

I really would have like more launch games, there isn’t one that would interest me enough to buy the console right away. I know many of you will think Zelda is the game to buy Switch for, but at the price of $ 299,99 that’s a bit much for playing one game.  But then, I am Setsuna should be interesting, and Octopath Traveller has me interested.  I do hope we will see games like Animal Crossing, Story of Seasons or another good simulation game in the near future.

Of course, I would have liked a lower price for the console, especially considering that this time, there won’t be any games included. Not even 1,2 Switch, which to me is a game that I would pay no more for then a couple of dollars. It seems that Nintendo plans to ask $ 59,99 for Switch games, which should make it a financial challenge to build up a good games library.

The things that weren’t mentioned bother me too. Is there easy access to the internet, like on a tablet? What will be the price of the Online Services? Is there no backwards compatibility to any of the earlier consoles? I think not, as Switch will be using cartridges.

The question for me is: will I take the Switch instead of my 3DS with me on my daily commute? I don’t see that happening yet! So, I’m still on the fence. What are you thoughts about the Switch? Is it a must buy on day one for you? Or are you waiting to see what happens next?