Nintendo of America is asking the Western regional United States District Court to award it $4,500,000 in a default judgement against a once-anonymous user allegedly involved in distributing pirated Nintendo Switch games.

In a court motion filed on October 3, IP-related law firm Lowe Graham Jones claims on behalf of Nintendo that James Williams – known as Archbox online – decided not to respond to summons served in November 2024. This inaction allows a court to award Nintendo what it wants without Williams' input.

What it wants is "an award of $4,500,000," says the court motion, citing a 2023 judgement where Bungie was awarded $6,700,973 after cheat-maker Lavicheats failed to respond to a 2021 suit for comparison. Nintendo argues, however, that Archbox's case is actually much worse than Lavicheats' 2023 case, and "the money at stake by this Motion is nowhere near an amount that would compensate NOA for the seriousness of Defendants' conduct."

According to Nintendo, which focused on Archbox's posts on r/SwitchPirates and then an Arizona subreddit helping identify him as James Williams, Archbox is not only a "leading (if not primary) moderator of" SwitchPirates, but he also distributed "thousands" of stolen games by maintaining multiple Pirate Shops.

"The popularity of Nintendo's video games and consoles has made Nintendo an ongoing target of intellectual property thieves and hackers," the court motion concludes. "These individuals or entities benefit from Nintendo's innovation."

"NOA has been, and continues to be, damaged as a direct and proximate result of Williams' conduct," the motion adds after saying Nintendo of America is experiencing "extreme hardships" while Williams "would face little, if any, hardship if the Court were to enter the permanent injunction" against his purported involvement in piracy.

According to its recent financial results, Nintendo made $4.7 billion in gross profit during the last fiscal year.

"Nintendo has not had any contact with the Japanese government about generative AI": The Switch maker shoots down rumors, but insists it'll keep fighting "infringement of our intellectual property."

Publisher D4 Enterprise's EGGCONSOLE series has been giving the absolute most hardcore of JRPG lovers a window into the obscure gems of retro PC gaming in Japan through the magic of the Switch eShop for some time now. But two recent releases are suddenly set to disappear from the service, and while D4 itself hasn't offered any reason why, it's looking likely that Microsoft's own MS-DOS is to blame.

Yesterday, the Japanese EGGCONSOLE account on Twitter announced that two PC-98 titles, Fray and Brandish Renewal, would soon be removed from sale. As with most of the EGGCONSOLE line, these are untranslated Japanese PC RPGs, but they might hold some interest for Western fans – Brandish in particular is a notable early title from Nihon Falcom, the studio behind cult JRPG hits like Ys and the Trails series.

While D4 itself has not revealed why these two specific games are being delisted, there's a pretty good theory going around courtesy of a user going by All City Slop Shop on Bluesky: "they straight up used MSDOS in their PC98 emu."

My colleagues (Ed. note: not all of his colleagues. - Rollin) tell me that I need to explain what MS-DOS actually is here, and while I refuse to believe I'm that old, it's essentially Microsoft's first notable operating system. It was a central part of the early IBM PC standard that evolved into the PCs we know today, and it served as the underpinning for the early versions of Windows.

A version of MS-DOS also ran on the Japanese PC-9800 series – more popularly known as simply PC-98 – and that's how we get to Fray and Brandish Renewal. These games apparently make use of hard drive features you need an operating system for, so MS-DOS was bundled in on Switch to make them go.

If you check out some gameplay footage from either title you'll see that, sure enough, the MS-DOS name briefly appears on screen complete with a 1981/1992 copyright from Microsoft. It seems dubious to think that Microsoft would be licensing out a decades-old version of an unsupported operating system for an obscure set of Japanese RPG re-releases.

Both Fray and Brandish Renewal remain available on the North American eShop for now. If you're interested, you might want to grab them before anybody notices they're not supposed to be there.

Our list of the best JRPGs is a little more mainstream, but you'll still find some bangers that may have slipped under your radar.

The Switch 2 launch has come and gone, and it seems one of the biggest winners of the release was Deltarune. The Undertale follow-up was the best-selling game on the eShop during the console's launch month, beating out even Nintendo's own first-party launch titles and some venerable third-party favorites.

Deltarune was the best-selling eShop game of June, based on units sold across six major markets, according to a recent report from analyst group Newzoo. Combining data from the US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, and Italy, Deltarune beats out Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour in the number two spot and Mario Kart World in third.

It might be a bit of a shock seeing Mario Kart World, by far the most notable Switch 2 launch title, in third place, but remember that we're only talking about digital eShop sales here - physical retail units, which likely make up a fair bit of Mario Kart World's sales, aren't counted in this estimation.

The fourth and fifth place titles in this ranking, Minecraft and No Man's Sky, also show how eager new console buyers were to put the system through its paces with familiar games. And, of course, it demonstrates the enduring appeal of those two old favorites.

In any case, the big winner here is Deltarune. It managed to top Nintendo's digital charts, and had a PC launch so successful it seemed to even crash Steam's servers. Not a bad run for a follow-up to what was once just a niche little indie RPG.

Check out the best RPGs available today.

Donkey Kong Bananza is out today, and players already have physical copies in hand to verify one important fact: the game does not have the latest Nintendo Switch 2 firmware on the cartridge. That's a bummer, since it means there's still no way to play Switch 1 games on the new console without an internet connection.

As you may recall, there was a minor controversy around the Switch 2 launch when it became clear that the system was not going to launch with fully functional firmware. Instead, you'd need to connect online and download a day one console patch to enable features like GameChat, GameShare, and the Nintendo eShop. Those features mostly require the internet to work anyway, so the online connection isn't a notable barrier, but there's one big elephant in this room.

Switch 1 backwards compatibility is not enabled out of the box on Switch 2, so you need that firmware update in order to be able play old games on the new system. Switch 2 carts - at least the real ones, not the game-key cards - work without the updated firmware, but you can't plug, say, your old copy of Super Mario Odyssey into a Switch 2 and play it unless you connect online for the update.

BIG story of today: #DonkeyKongBananza does NOT come with newer firmware compared to the launch games. Still runs on 19.1.0. No update prompt.Best bet for offline backwards compatibility now is Mario Party, since it makes use of the SW2 camera, which needs a firmware update.

— @doesitplay.org (@doesitplay.org.bsky.social) 2025-07-17T17:41:17.657Z

Generally, new physical games include a console's latest firmware updates, but it seems Donkey Kong Bananza won't solve the issue. The game "does NOT come with newer firmware compared to the launch games," as DoesItPlay, a physical media compatibility watchdog group, notes on Bluesky. "Still runs on 19.1.0. No update prompt. Best bet for offline backwards compatibility now is Mario Party, since it makes use of the SW2 camera, which needs a firmware update."

This is a pretty narrow issue for now, since a pretty small number of people leave their consoles offline these days. But it does matter for that group, and it will matter to a much broader range of collectors in the future, when Nintendo will likely shut down the update services for Switch 2. Here's hoping that future physical games will offer an alternative path to the new firmware.

One of these upcoming Switch 2 games has to have the firmware on-cart… right?

Nintendo has announced that the Nintendo Switch Game Voucher service is coming to an end, with the deal going off sale in January 2026.

As we're all aware now, Nintendo games and discounts just don't go together. No matter if it's a masterpiece like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, or the worst game of the decade like Mario Strikers: Battle League, Nintendo is still selling them for full price. Even 1-2 Switch, which came out at launch and stank, still costs $50.

But Nintendo did offer ways to get a bit of a discount on games with Gold Points – which you could use as cash in the eShop at a rate of one coin to one cent after earning them from other purchases – and the Nintendo Switch Game Voucher system, which let you spend $100 and pick up two games. Gold Points were discontinued earlier this year, and now Nintendo is coming for your vouchers.

Nintendo announced this week that Nintendo Switch Game Vouchers will be discontinued on January 30, 2026, making them unable to purchase after that date. Since vouchers last for a year after you purchased them, you'll at the very least be able to pick up the Switch games announced for 2026, such as Rhythm Heaven Groove and Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream. While those two aren't confirmed to be coming to the Game Vouchers line-up, Nintendo does say it'll continue adding games to the list available, so there's a decent chance depending on their release dates.

Plus, while Nintendo Switch 2 games aren't available on there, Pokemon Legends Z-A's Switch release is, and the same will presumably be the case for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, meaning you'd only need to buy the upgrade pack if you want those games at a discount.

Regardless, it's disappointing to see Nintendo take this benefit away from players, especially if it wants people buying its games digitally. I'm usually a physical games person, but the vouchers had me picking up games I would want easy access to like Super Mario Maker 2 and Animal Crossing: New Horizons digitally. Hopefully this is just going away to introduce a new version for Switch 2 games, but considering Nintendo's price hikes as of late, I'm not holding my breath.

If you're looking to pick up some cheap games, look at our list of The best Amazon Prime Day Nintendo Switch deals.

Did you finally invest in a Switch 2? Well, you're going to need one of the best Nintendo Switch 2 microSD Express Cards to store and run the latest games. Your older SD cards don't have to collect dust though, as you can use them to transfer screenshots during a system transfer. But if you want more than the 256GB worth of onboard storage of the new handheld, you'll need to invest in one of these speedier cards.

These new SD cards have an integrated NVMe interface, similar to that of the best SSDs for gaming, which helps conjure up their lightning-fast speeds to keep up with your future Switch 2 games. Through our testing, the best card for the Switch 2 is the Samsung 256GB microSD Express Card. The officially licensed accessory not only looks the part with its Super Mario design, but it also managed to transfer the then 21.9GB worth of Mario Kart World in a little over five minutes.

Remember, just like the original Switch, you can archive your digital games, now known as virtual game cards, to save some extra space. But grabbing one of the best Nintendo Switch 2 accessories and popping in a microSD Express Card can help add more value to your brand-new handheld, and prepare you for all the wonderful future Switch 2 adventures ahead.

The Quick List

The best Nintendo Switch 2 microSD Express Card overall

With AAA game releases getting more storage-demanding by the day, having an extra 256GB at your disposal is as low as I recommend you go. There are 128GB microSD Express Cards out in the wild, but they're only marginally more affordable than this officially licensed card, and won't help you futureproof your new Ninty hardware.

This officially licensed Samsung 256GB microSD Express Card will put you in good stead if you want storage that not only looks the part (thanks to its cute Super Mario-themed branding) but also provides just enough storage for a few big releases, and some small indie games too. Of course, you can archive your new virtual game cards on the Switch 2 to save some room. But this 256GB is plenty of space to download that 22GB-sized digital copy of Mario Kart World if you opted for the Switch 2 bundle at launch, and any of your existing game library you move over from your older Switch device.

MicroSD Express Cards by nature are pretty speedy, but Samsung's official storage has read speeds up to 800MB/s, which is a notable step up from SDXC cards released in the past for the original Switch. This means that loading times will be faster on the new hardware, however, the specs for the write speeds have yet to be made public online.

If the Switch 2's lifespan is just as fruitful as the original handheld, eventually 256GB won't be enough - especially if you have a preference for digital games. Fortunately, brands like Lexar already make 1TB compatible microSD Express Cards, but until you reach that point, the 256GB licensed Samsung microSD Express Card is what I'd recommend as you start your Switch 2 gaming journey, as it's helping me through mine.

The best budget Switch 2 MicroSD Express Card

No matter what Switch 2 compatible card you choose, they're going to be pricey, and with microSD Express Cards still a relatively new form of storage, there aren't a lot of options out there to choose from. For now, that makes it harder to grab some new extra Switch 2 storage on a budget, which is why the officially licensed SanDisk 256GB microSD Express Card with an MSRP of $59.99 / £49.99 is what I'd recommend for those who don't have all the cash in the world to fork out on even more Nintendo hardware.

This 256GB microSD Express Card has lightning-fast write speeds up to 650MB/s² and read speeds up to 880MB/s, plus some adorable Super Mario branding like its Samsung brethren. Those read and write specs will be enough to bring those faster load times to your favorite Switch games and provide the transfer speeds you'd want from a brand-new handheld.

There are smaller capacity cards available, like the SanDisk 128GB microSD Express Card, for an MSRP of $52.99 / £41.99. However, while it's cheaper in price, it's not better in value. For just $8 more, you can get double the storage (an extra 128GB) by sticking to this officially licensed 256GB version - which will help you cope with that existing older digital Switch library of games, and any of the plethora of launch titles now available.

The Best Switch 2 MicroSD Express Card for eShop Fans

The 1TB PNY microSD Express Card isn't the only high-capacity Switch 2 card on the market, but it is the only one that provides ample amounts of storage and high read and write speeds at a competitive price. Other 1TB cards, like the Lexar 1TB Play PRO microSD Express Card, which used to sit in this spot of the guide, were available for $219.99 at launch. However, PNY's model arrived at retailers at $20 less with an $199.99 MSRP, making it better suited for eShop and digital Switch game fans.

During testing, the 1TB on offer wasn't just grand enough to re-download my huge existing Switch game library, and be prepared for digital-only releases like Pokemon Pokopia, but the card was also super speedy. The 6.1GB of Pokemon Pokopia took approximately 40.46 seconds to move off the 256GB onboard storage to the PNY microSD card, which was significantly less than the 1 minute that the handheld suggested it would take. When it came to loading times, Pokemon Pokopia took an average of 34.34 seconds to boot, too. While it wasn't as fast as the 32.30 seconds that the handheld storage could muster, it was awfully close, which is what I had hoped for when it comes to an almost $200 Switch 2 accessory.

Additionally, the 1TB PNY Switch 2 card can handle larger game sizes with the same blistering speeds. The 21.9GB of Mario Kart World moved from the onboard storage in just 3 minutes 58 seconds, which is faster than the officially licenced Samsung card at the top of this list. If you want a 1TB option that's as fast as it is spacious, this 1TB PNY microSD Card is the way to go.

How to choose the best Nintendo Switch 2 Micro SD Express Card

The first microSD Express Cards originated back in February 2024, with Samsung's first 256GB models. Unlike UHS-I-based microSD cards, they're still relatively new, so there aren't many to choose from. However, the longer we get into the Nintendo Switch 2 lifespan, the more new SD cards will be available, ranging in not just storage capacity, but speeds and even in design - if the previous best Nintendo Switch SD cards are anything to go by.

For now, the main consideration you need to undertake when looking at what card to buy is predominantly down to its storage capacity. The Nintendo Switch 2 comes with 256GB worth of onboard storage, and if that's enough for the kind of games you want to play, then you won't need a microSD Express Card at all. On the other hand, if you plan to play multiple AAA games at a time and want them installed on your device, having that extra space can go a long way.

Games like Mario Kart World and Cyberpunk 2077 require 23.4GB and 64GB, respectively, which combined already fills up a hefty chunk of that 256GB. You can double up this storage with the officially licensed SanDisk and Samsung 256GB Switch 2 microSD Express Cards. Alternatively, SanDisk also has an unofficial version of their 256GB card available on the market with forgoes the Super Mario branding but keeps its faster speeds in check. If you want the highest capacity card available right now, Lexar Play PRO microSD Express Card is available in a 1TB variant.

Another factor to consider when choosing the right microSD Express Card for your Switch 2 is price. From the get-go, these faster cards are more expensive than their non-express counterparts, with the SanDisk and Samsung 256GB versions starting at $59.99 at Amazon. Like with most gaming storage, the higher you go, the more you're likely to spend, and that's also true for the Switch 2. Right now, the 1TB Lexar microSD Express card retails for $199.99, which is almost half the price of the Mario Kart World Switch 2 bundle - if you can believe it.

Until we start to see a wealth of new microSD Express Cards hit the market, these two factors should be your priority when choosing what is right for your Switch 2 gaming needs.

Switch 2 Micro SD Express Cards Price Comparison

Nintendo Switch 2 Micro SD Express Cards: FAQ

How big are Nintendo Switch 2 games?

Of all the first-party Nintendo titles available right now, Mario Kart World has the largest install size, with the Switch 2 Editions of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom also taking up a fair chunk of your new handheld's storage. So you can judge how much space you need, I've gathered the sizes of these titles and many more games down below:

• Mario Kart World - 23.4 GB
• Donkey Kong Bananza - 8.5 GB
• Pokemon Pokopia - 10GB
• Kirby Air Riders - 25GB
• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth - 102GB
• Star Fox - 15.1 GB
• Splatoon Raiders (estimated) - 20 GB
• Super Mario Wonder Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park - 8.8 GB
• Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild Switch 2 Edition - 24.1 GB 
• Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom Switch 2 Edition - 19.9 GB
• Yoshi and the Mysterious Book - 19.6 GB

If you want to complete your Switch 2 setup, our best Nintendo Switch accessories guide is full of some of the best Nintendo Switch headsets, and the best Nintendo Switch controllers available today.

In the buildup to the launch of the Switch 2, not everyone has been filled with pure, unadulterated hype. A lot of people are seriously unhappy about the new game-key cards – a strange blend of physical and digital games that are being offered as the physical version of many (but not all) upcoming Switch 2 games, which former Nintendo marketing leads Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang have been discussing in their latest video.

Game-key cards give users a full download of a game rather than allowing them to simply play it right out of the box, which has prompted concerns about game preservation, and generally hasn't been met particularly warmly by those who value physical media.

Former Nintendo Minute hosts Ellis and Yang – who previously served as Nintendo of America's former director of social media marketing and original content and senior manager of creator relations and original content, respectively – have now shared their own thoughts on game-key cards, and offered some extra insight into Nintendo's potential thought process (below).

To do so, they also spoke to another former Nintendo employee, who's not named in the video, but is apparently someone who worked on the company's retail team – specifically on the program that saw full game download codes sold on eShop gift cards in physical stores. Game-key cards, Ellis points out, can be seen as an "extension" to this idea.

"What they had to say was, you know, even going back to the [gift] cards that you can get now, Nintendo really wanted a physical representation of a digital product in a retail store," Ellis explains. "Which makes sense, because Nintendo really values the retail channels, more so than a lot of other gaming companies."

Furthermore, he mentions that the original game download gift card idea "was really widely adopted within the company, nobody was really questioning it, it was like 'Yeah this this seems like a great idea for us to kind of have it both ways.'"

Yang notes that "they make so much more money off of the digital games," so "of course they're going to be looking at other solutions to kind of fill that gap, or even try to transition people over to an all-digital world."

Interestingly, Ellis notes that "nobody really had very high expectations" for the gift card games, "but it went on to become a very popular program," and it certainly wasn't rejected by consumers. "That obviously gave them the confidence of like, 'Alright, something like this, this is actually maybe more in line with how people are getting things now, want to buy things, want to use things, than maybe we thought.'"

But if game-key cards do sell well, what could this mean for the future? Well, the former employee Ellis and Yang spoke to says we shouldn't rule out the idea that some first-party Nintendo games could eventually get the same game-key card treatment, rather than getting regular physical cartridges.

However, one key point that the three ex-Nintendo staff agree on is that it's highly unlikely the company is looking to phase out physical games entirely. "This person was also very clear in saying like there is going to be some form of physical," Yang adds. "The physical nature of video games is not something that's going away, and Nintendo is not going to take that away. They realize the importance of that."

Ellis later adds, "I can't see the physical games vanishing completely," while Yang says we'll have to "see this initial batch of sales" and how they might "inform the future decisions," but "I don't think that physical is ever going to 100% go away, I don't think Nintendo will ever do that.

"Talk about someone that knows their audience, they absolutely understand the audience, that their most dedicated audiences that just want this because they have this emotional tie to their brand, and they want to cultivate that. So I don't think that they're going to go out of their way to, you know, sever that bond."

Looking for more Nintendo Switch 2 news? Be sure to check out our roundup of Nintendo Switch 2 launch games, too.

Nintendo has confirmed new details about the Nintendo Switch 2 screen – namely that the screen will be glass like the Nintendo Switch OLED, as opposed to the plastic screen found on the original Switch model.

Nintendo of Europe published a health and safety manual (via NintendoSoup) to its website, and it has all the usual tips and tricks – like, please call a doctor if you manage to get battery fluid in your eyes, and do not let children eat the game cards. But there's a line under the careful usage section that reveals a previously unconfirmed detail about the screen.

The final note of the section reads, "The screen is covered with a film layer designed to prevent fragments scattering in the event of damage. Do not peel it off." This warning is present in the health and safety details of the OLED model, seemingly confirming that the Nintendo Switch 2 will also feature a glass screen.

This film screen layer is present so that if the Nintendo Switch 2 gets launched by a raging five-year-old (or more likely, 35-year-old) who just managed to come 24th in Mario Kart World, the shattered glass will stick to the adhesive rather than scatter everywhere. So when you get your Switch 2 in later this week, don't peel the film off. Also, I still recommend getting a tempered glass screen protector for the console, even with the protective layer in place.

Nintendo also gives warnings in its safety manual like "Make sure to charge the built-in batteries at least once every six months. If the batteries are not used for an extended period of time, it may become impossible to charge them." But, considering the fact that the list of upcoming Switch 2 games is absolutely packed so far, this likely won't be a problem.

Nintendo "won't know" if the Switch 2 eShop will crash on launch day as everyone rushes to download Mario Kart World, former marketing leads warn, but "they're prepared."

The Switch 2's launch is finally upon us this week, and there are understandably a few concerns from fans wondering if the Nintendo eShop will be able to withstand the surge of people rushing to download Mario Kart World as soon as its metaphorical doors are opened. According to two of the company's former marketing leads, that's not something Nintendo will know in advance, but it will be "prepared" to fix any problems.

Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang – once the hosts of Nintendo Minute, and respectively the former director of social media marketing and original content and senior manager of creator relations and original content at Nintendo of America – have released a new video (further below) discussing what the company is likely to be busy with behind the scenes in the run-up to the console's launch on June 5.

Ellis mentions the worries from players that the eShop could potentially "burst into flames," noting that all those who've purchased the Mario Kart World console bundle will be receiving a download code that they must redeem in order to play it. That's in addition to other things like the Switch system transfers, and returning fans redownloading their Switch libraries, that are likely to keep Nintendo's servers busy.

Addressing this, Ellis notes that not only is the new console's launch thankfully staggered worldwide thanks to time zone differences, but "there are a lot of people right now who are planning for this, have probably been talking about this for weeks if not months."

Specifically, he says these employees will have been discussing "what can we do, how can we stay in touch," pointing out that Nintendo of America will likely want to hear how things go in Japan, where the console will be launching a few hours sooner.

"'Please give us your updates, is there anything that you did, is there anything that you saw that you didn't expect so that we can be ready,'" he says, giving an example of a conversation likely to be happening very soon. "This game of like Telephone and, you know, collective planning is happening in a big way right now."

Yang notes that this process is called "triaging," and it's something that only happens "during really, really big things like big launches like this." It requires those involved to "be on a call about every two hours or so," even into the night, to give updates on the current situation – good or bad.

The communications team is on hand to potentially "communicate out to the general public, like 'hey we recognize that there's an issue happening, here's the fixes that are coming" if things start to go awry, giving indications of when things might be back online and what's being done to fix it.

She notes that Nintendo won't "know 100% what is going to happen, it's a wait and see," while Ellis agrees: "They won't know until the thing actually happens." Although this could sound a little bit concerning, Yang reassures: "Yes, but they're prepared in terms of like having a team that can either fix it, or work on a fix, and communicate that out to people."

Yang adds that a team will be "on call," with Ellis saying that he can "remember many Christmas days where we had these calls scheduled, like 'Oh the eShop has died, and here's what's happening.'" On the other hand, however, launches that Nintendo had "been nervous" about, like Fortnite's Switch release, ended up going without a hitch. Here's hoping that issues are minimal when the new console's launch actually rolls around on Thursday.

If you're keeping up with Nintendo Switch 2 news, also be sure to check out our roundup of upcoming Switch 2 games.

It feels to me like the closer we get to the Nintendo Switch 2's June launch and the, apparently, $80 games associated with it, the more people are fighting with themselves over what is and isn't worth it. But at least Sony veteran and previous head of PlayStation Indies Shuhei Yoshida is free from inner turmoil – he thinks relatively expensive, high quality video games are unequivocally necessary.

Speaking to Critical Hits Games in a video interview during the recent Gamescom Latam, Yoshida says "when you look at life in general, other products in price have increased, you know, way more than the game price. So I think it was almost too late for the video game companies to start looking at the pricing structure."

"I don't believe that every game has to be priced the same," Yoshida continues. "Each game has different value it provides, or the size of budget. I totally believe it's up to the publisher – or developers self-publishing – decision to price their product to the value that they believe they are bringing in."

Nintendo openly shares this mindset, as current Nintendo of America product experience VP Bill Trinen told IGN in April: "We just look at each individual game and we look at the content and the value of that game, and then we say, 'what is the right price for the value of this entertainment?'" The developer elected to price its strange Switch 2 tutorial, Welcome Tour, at $10 – instead of making it free like PlayStation's comparable Astro's Playroom.

Yoshida continues to say that, "In terms of actual price of $70 or $80, for really great games, I think it will still be a steal in terms of the amount of entertainment that the top games, top quality games bring to people compared to other form of entertainment."

"As long as people choose carefully how they spend their money," he continues, "I don't think they should be complaining."

"I don't know" how much Borderlands 4 will cost, Gearbox boss says, but it had "more than twice the development budget for Borderlands 3" and "it might be" $80 like some Nintendo and Xbox games.

It sounds like Nintendo is really trying to crack down on Switch modding, as a new update to Nintendo of America's User Account Agreement says that your console may become "permanently unusable in whole or in part" if you break certain new restrictions.

The new user account End User License Agreement (EULA) was sent out earlier this week, and as reported by Game File, it makes some significant changes to the second section, "license." Before we get into it, it's worth noting that Nintendo explains that the term "Nintendo Account Services" can refer to everything made available to you via your Nintendo Account, from games, to DLC, products, apps, services, and more – this phrase is about to come up a lot.

Previously, the "license" section outlined that users are "not allowed to lease, rent, sublicense, publish, copy, modify, adapt, translate, reverse engineer, decompile or disassemble all or any portion of the Nintendo Account Services without Nintendo's written consent, or unless otherwise expressly permitted by applicable law."

With the latest changes, Nintendo removes "sublicense" from this list, and adds "offer for sale, or create derivative works of any portion of the Nintendo Account Services" to its list of forbidden actions.

The additions don't stop there, as it's now stated that users must not "bypass, modify, decrypt, defeat, tamper with, or otherwise circumvent any of the functions or protections of the Nintendo Account Services, including through the use of any hardware or software that would cause the Nintendo Account Services to operate other than in accordance with its documentation and intended use."

That's a lot of complicated terminology, but one part that really sticks out is the bit about using hardware or software that'd cause things to operate in an unintended (un-Nintended, if you will) way. Basically, modding is a no-go as far as the company is concerned, and it sounds like it's also directly cracking down on Switch emulation, which requires users to decrypt games to, y'know, actually run them.

Topping things off, users are also prohibited from obtaining, installing, or using "unauthorized copies of Nintendo Account Services," or exploiting them "in any manner other than to use them in accordance with the applicable documentation and intended use," unless Nintendo personally gives you a thumbs up to do so (or law expressly permits it).

So, assuming Nintendo doesn't tell you that you're free to grab and play any "unauthorized" pirated games, uh, assume that it really doesn't want you to. Not that that should be a surprise.

The consequences for breaking any of these rules could be severe, as the company warns that it can turn your Switch into an expensive paperweight if necessary. "You acknowledge that if you fail to comply with the foregoing restrictions, Nintendo may render the Nintendo Account Services and/or the applicable Nintendo device permanently unusable in whole or in part," it says.

If you don't dabble in Switch modding or anything like that, then you have absolutely nothing to worry about, but it definitely sounds like the company is trying to take a stronger stance against such prohibited activities.

New Nintendo of America policy asks users to give up their rights to a class-action lawsuit and call customer service instead: "Most matters can be quickly resolved in this manner."

With Cyberpunk 2077, developer CD Projekt Red is one of very few third-party studios offering a proper, physical game cartridge on Nintendo Switch 2. As most other third-parties instead opt for the new game-key card format – which contain no game data on the physical cart – CDPR says that's not what Nintendo players want.

Asked if CD Projekt Red could've gotten away with just launching Cyberpunk 2077 on a game-key card, business development VP Jan Rosner tells The Game Business that "it’s not a matter of getting away with something. Nintendo at physical retail is still strong, and retail is, in general, not going anywhere. I don't think we'll soon experience a reality where we're just having all games digital."

Rosner says that proper physical game releases are "especially important for the Nintendo audience. We maybe could have got away with it, but is there a point? The right thing to do was to have it out on the cartridge with a plug and play experience."

While game sales have been sliding towards digital over the years, physical games still make up a substantial portion of sales.

A report from GamesIndustry.biz in 2024 suggested that, across the first 40 weeks of the year, around 25% of all new games were sold through traditional retail in Europe. But that figure includes both the digital-only Steam and the digital-focused Xbox platforms. On Switch, a whopping 65% of third-party games were still sold through physical retail.

"Do not underestimate the physical edition," Rosner warns other studios. "It's not going anywhere and Nintendo players are very appreciative of physical editions that are done right."

Clearly, Rosner isn't the only industry figure who feels that way. Former Assassin's Creed and Far Cry lead Alex Hutchinson feels that game-key cards are "losing some of what made the business special," and Nightdive CEO Stephen Kick thinks they're "disheartening."

Popular rumor has suggested that Nintendo is offering only the option of game-key cards or massive 64GB cartridges to publishers. While that specific detail is technically unconfirmed, it's certainly cheaper for studios to focus on lower-cost game-key cards over proper cartridges. Whether players are willing to support that cost-cutting measure remains to be seen.

Check out our guide to upcoming Switch 2 games.

When we spoke to dozens of game developers about what they want from Nintendo Switch 2, a common request was a dramatically improved storefront. Alx Preston, director at Hyper Light Breaker and Possessor(s) developer Heart Machine, had especially strong thoughts on the state of the current Switch eShop.

In a group interview at GDC 2025, producer Myriame Pachapelle said, "I want the Nintendo eShop to be better."

Preston quickly cut in: "Oh, you don't like hentai on your Switch? With bad UI that takes 20 minutes to load one PNG?"

"It's pathetic," Preston added. "A pathetic store. Probably the most painful part of that system. Also, the controller pairing, good god."

Heart Machine narrative director Tyler Hutchinson, meanwhile, asked that Nintendo "please write the Nintendo eShop in compiled language and not a web app," referring back to its notoriously slow loading.

I checked the eShop on my Switch just minutes ago to see how it long it would take to spot a game with "hentai" in the title, and lo and behold, Hentai Girls: Postal Passion, a $3 rudimentary puzzle game with M-rated artwork presumably featuring postal workers, appeared after a few (incredibly slow) rows of scrolling, as if summoned by fate.

Preston had perhaps the most severe opinion on the eShop, but many developers were similarly down on the storefront throughout my interviews at GDC.

Her Story's Sam Barlow also hopes to see "a robust eShop and an ecosystem that supports indie developers with discoverability and a sensible approach to pricing." TinyBuild CEO Alex Nichiporchik wants "more social features on the store."

Multiple indie devs, from Iconoclast creator Joakim Sandberg to Sable dev Gregorios Kythreotis, hope to see improvements to the presentation and feel of the eShop on Switch 2.

Sandberg argues that "the current store has a sensation of just being a slow list that's added to, which makes it awful to look through and find new things." Kythreotis wants "a bit of a reset" that "can help surface indies in a more curated way and find a way to filter some of the noise."

Noah Allen of TetherGeist zeroes in on ways to help "the good stuff rise to the top," quietly echoing calls for console stores to learn from Steam's multifaceted and tailored visibility tools which have proven effective enough to give rise to the concept of "Real Steam."

New Blood boss Dave Oshry agreed that "the eShop needs to be better. MUCH better."

Ahead of promised improvements emulating the Wii Shop, Nintendo recently changed how some games are displayed in the eShop, with a focus on recent sales. This has the positive effect of pushing down the store's notorious feed of so-called 'slop' games, but there have been concerns that some indie games could get caught in the crossfire. How the Switch 2's store builds on these changes – hopefully in many ways – remains to be seen.

Even John Romero is worried about Joy-Con drift on Nintendo Switch 2, so here's hoping those "not Hall effect sticks" hold up better than the originals.

Not everyone is happy about the Switch 2's new game-key cards, including former Assassin's Creed and Far Cry developer Alex Hutchinson, who says "I hate it" and that it feels like "we're losing some of what made the business special."

Some upcoming Switch 2 games – despite coming with a physical card – won't actually be downloaded onto the card itself and playable out of the box like they are currently on the OG Switch. "Instead," Nintendo explains, "the game-key card is your 'key' to downloading the full game to your console via the internet," and once downloaded, the game is playable when you insert the card.

While the good news is that these are better than regular download codes since they won't be a one-use thing (thanks, GameSpot), it's not clear how this'll work years into the future if the Switch 2 eShop follows in the footsteps of the Wii Shop Channel and 3DS/Wii U eShops before it and shuts down for good. Needless to say, the uncertainty here doesn't have everyone on board.

Speaking to VideoGamer in an interview, Hutchinson – who served as creative director on Assassin's Creed 3 and Far Cry 4 before more recently becoming a co-founder of Raccoon Logic – speculates that "Nintendo is going to get away with it," even though he doesn't like it.

He explains: "It just shows you the power of nostalgia in our business that the way they will beat up Microsoft versus Nintendo is just not the same, especially in Europe. It's like, 'oh, Nintendo's doing it, alright we're not gonna say much.'"

Expanding on this, Hutchinson says "I hate it," adding: "I just feel like it's getting away… we're losing some of what made the business special. Trading Game Boy cartridges at school, or, you know, DS for the modern audience. There's something nice about that."

Although he argues that people aren't "gonna say much" about the game-key cards, it's one of the bits of Nintendo Switch 2 news that's caused some of the biggest uproar from players and devs alike. For example, it's raised concerns about game preservation – Stephen Kick, CEO of Nightdive Studios (famed for its retro remasters like The Thing and Doom 64) previously stated that "you would hope that a company that big, that has such a storied history, would take preservation a little more seriously."

"The eShop needs to be better. MUCH better": 28 game devs, from the creator of XCOM to indie legends, explain what they want from Nintendo Switch 2.

The Nintendo Switch 2 has ended up more confusing and expensive than some people may have expected, but the simple promise of a new Nintendo hybrid console has been exciting enough for many folks as they book retirement homes for their original Switch. $80 games? Digital game card restrictions? Confounding new-gen upgrades? An Astro's Playroom-style tutorial you have to pay for? I can barely hear you over the sound of a new Mario Kart, Donkey Kong, mouse controls, and the inevitable, endearing, 10-years-late jank of Nintendo-brand Discord.

As we learned more about the Switch 2, I became more eager to hear how game developers are feeling about it. Over the past few months, both before and after the big Nintendo Direct reveal, I've spoken to dozens of game developers across the industry to ask one question: what are your hopes and expectations for the Nintendo Switch 2? (I technically asked two questions, with the other focusing on what people get wrong about games.)

I've heard a mix of mild disappointment, overwhelming joy, cautious optimism, and unflinching demands for improvements. The Nintendo Switch is one of the best (and best-selling) consoles of all time, but many developers see room for the Switch 2 to do more without sacrificing what makes the Switch, and Nintendo itself, great.

A better eShop

Let's get a big one out of the way. Many, many of the developers I spoke to agreed that the Nintendo eShop is the kind of outdated, threadbare store that gives hot garbage a bad name. Amazingly, I'm only taking mild liberties with paraphrasing here. New Blood head Dave Oshry sums it up nicely: "Mostly the eShop needs to be better. MUCH BETTER."

Her Story and Immortality boss Sam Barlow seems to agree. "I'd love to see a robust eShop and an ecosystem that supports indie developers with discoverability and a sensible approach to pricing," he says. ("As a player," Barlow adds, "I just want CRT filters for the N64 emulation!")

"I hope Ecuador gets the eShop this time," says Ape Out's Gabe Cuzzillo, now part of the Baby Steps team.

In a group interview, Possessor(s) producer Myriame Lachapelle of studio Heart Machine also said, "I want the Nintendo eShop to be better." Director Alx Preston chimed in with a, "Oh, you don't like hentai on your Switch? With bad UI that takes 20 minutes to load one PNG?" Preston ultimately called it "a pathetic store. Probably the most painful part of that system." Narrative director Tyler Hutchinson pleaded, "please write the Nintendo eShop in compiled language and not a web app."

TinyBuild CEO Alex Nichiporchik wants "more social features on the store and a fast adoption rate of the Switch 2, so that it would make sense to develop for it directly." Iconoclasts creator Joakim Sandberg reckons "the current store has a sensation of just being a slow list that's added to, which makes it awful to look through and find new things." He also echoes calls for some Steam-sounding "discovery, features and user-based recommendations."

Noah Allen, dev on the promising Celeste-like platformer TetherGeist, hopes for Nintendo to take cues from Steam on curation and letting "the good stuff rise to the top." Gregorios Kythreotis of Sable dev Shedworks is likewise dreaming of "a bit of a reset on the Switch marketplace ecosystem" that "can help surface indies in a more curated way and find a way to filter some of the noise on the store," and avoid the "race to the bottom" approach behind some previous eShop sale tactics.

Smooth, updated hardware

Specifics are a little fuzzy, and new revenue rankings aren't necessarily an auspicious start for indies, but Nintendo has committed to eShop upgrades of some kind for Switch 2. But what about under the hood? How does it run, and how are devs gonna work with this thing?

Better hardware that's easier to develop for was another common response. The Switch 1 wasn't really state of the art when it came out – even Nintendo has lamented its slower processors – and roughly a million years later, it's noticeably behind other platforms. There's a reason a lot of games don't come to Switch nowadays, or run poorly, at least comparatively, if they do. Many devs are more than ready for Nintendo to get on the same page as the rest of the industry, even if the Switch 2 isn't quite on par with PS5 and Xbox Series X.

John Romero, now game director at Romero Games, has a simple wishlist: "A stronger and more premium-feeling console with better analog sticks would be great, as Joy-Con drift is a known issue for some people. More RAM, faster CPU+GPU, and 1080p handheld would be nice." (No Hall effect analog sticks, but at least some of Romero's wishes have come true!)

There's a real challenge and opportunity cost to optimizing for a system as weak as the Switch 1. It may be impossible, or so ludicrously difficult that it's not worth it (especially when those eShop hangups can limit your game's visibility and reach, wink wink). Will Gwasera, director of Yasuke: A Lost Descendant, notes that "a lot of game developers haven't been able to port their games on there because they can't match the system."

Bennett Foddy, dev of QWOP and Getting Over It fame who's now working on Baby Steps, hopes it "performs so well we don't have to care about optimizing. I'd love to be on that platform without it being really hard to be on that platform."

Looking to refine the existing Switch experience, Oshry singles out "more power and better performance and the ability to improve performance for our games from Switch 1." Maxi Boch, another Baby Steps and former Ape Out dev, dreams that it will "make our game play without having to do a single thing." Indie dev Aerial_Knight from the Dropshot team also just wants Nintendo to "give us a more powerful Switch."

"If we can get slightly better hardware, a slightly better screen, and people are still buying the thing they want as a handheld console, especially if we get better performance from a lot of games, I think that'll make a big difference," agrees Richard Atlas of Ultimate Sheep Raccoon dev Clever Endeavour.

EA veteran and Romero Games lead producer Alex Mann hopes to see Switch 2 drive the handheld gaming market forward altogether. "With the likes of the Switch and the Steam Deck pushing the limits in terms of what’s possible on the go, it’s exciting to think how other areas of the industry will innovate to cut the cable to the big home setups," they say.

There's more to third-party support than just hardware viability, too. Troy Saemann, of Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion's Graffiti Games, says, "I do hope that Nintendo's gonna get better about allowing third-party publishers to go onto the platform a little easier. Compared to Steam, Microsoft, PlayStation, that's just how Nintendo is."

Original XCOM creator Julian Gollop, now heading up action-strategy game Chip n' Clawz vs. The Brainoids, would "love to come back to working on a Nintendo console again ... there's a big update in the hardware, some cool new sort of co-op style game chat feature is really good. Game share is really good. It's reminiscent of what we had on the DS, for example. So yeah, I'm pretty excited about it."

Something surprising

Gollop gets into an understated element here. This isn't just a new console launch. It's a new Nintendo console launch. Deserved UX complaints aside, Nintendo is one of the best to ever do it. A new Nintendo box is rare and tantalizing. Circana games analyst Mat Piscatella told me that the Switch 2 has come at a difficult time where people just want to find something that makes them happy. Few devs do happiness like Nintendo, and many devs I spoke to zeroed in that inimitable Nintendo magic.

"I really hope it's successful, because the video game industry needs a bit of a breath of life in it at the moment, something new," Gollop said. "Obviously it's an iteration of the Switch. But I've already pre-ordered. I would love to develop games for it, for sure."

There's a delicate and interesting balancing act between playing it too safe and sticking to what worked with the Switch. Barlow reckons "the hardware itself looks pretty great! A really solid update to what we had with Switch." David Jimenez, of promising Metroidvania Altered Alma, describes it as "more of the same, but better." Atlas doesn't think it will "revolutionize the world," but it should "hold Nintendo over until their next, more creative thing."

Some devs are just happy with that. David Gorman, who I found at Offbrand Games via the lovely monster taming roguelike Aethermancer, says "my biggest hope is that they don't mess with a good thing. I think the Switch has really succeeded because it's very accessible, it's got a great diverse library of games, they're not trying to be the highest-power hardware." (Near across-the-board price hikes in the self-tariffed US do raise some concerns here, but hey, a new Xbox is now $600.)

Others want something a little more out-there, even if it's still packaged in a familiar way. Monster Train 2 director Andrew Krausnick is "a little worried" about how iterative Switch 2 seems. "I hear they've got a few things cooking," he says, "but I want another Wii, I want some wild stuff that's gonna keep us excited about games. Hopefully they're not just done with that at Nintendo."

Bethesda and AAA veteran Joel Burgess, who recently unveiled his new studio Soft Rains, just wants to be surprised. "That's all I want from it," he says. "I have such an immense respect for the design sensibility of Nintendo and how much that influences everything. It's been spoken about by Nintendo as relatively little as Nintendo speaks about their internal processes, but from game design to hardware to even the way they run as a company, there's such a tremendous sensibility."

Nintendo magic

The Switch 2's Joy-Con mouse functionality is one standout, Nintendo-grade oddity. As a strategy diehard, Gollop is intrigued: "A traditional style mouse control RTS might work really well here, and also you've got at least a reasonable number of switches you can use to substitute keyboard commands." Oshry, whose studio specializes in making shooters and hating money, said the mouse could be "a game changer." Metroid Prime 4: Beyond has arguably already shown the potential of the mouse-cons.

Foddy is of a similar mind: "There's so much you can do, that's interesting and new, just by having a Switch that's portable with two mice." Boch agreed that "more haptics is always welcome. I like new input devices. I think that controller hegemony is evil." On that note, Possessor(s) writer Laura Michet prays that the Switch 2 and its controllers aren't too heavy. "I busted my wrist playing the Steam Deck like that!"

Others turned to Nintendo's games as a demonstration of what the system and its architects can do. Romero Games studio director and CEO Brenda Romero is "looking forward to Nintendo’s launch slate of games almost as much as the console itself. Nintendo consistently sets a 'Game of the Year' bar with its launch titles, and I’m hoping Switch 2 is no exception," though "good luck with Blue Prince out there."

David Szymanski, a prolific purveyor of weird short games who's arguably best known for Iron Lung, says "my main hope is just for Luigi's Mansion 4! And that the wheelchair basketball game doesn't destroy everyone's wrists."

John Buckley, publishing manager at Palworld developer Pocketpair (who I spoke with at GDC shortly after he discussed the company's ongoing legal battle with Nintendo), admits he's been "a dirty PC Gamer for most of my life," so his hope for the Switch 2 is "more indies," and maybe a little more exploration from Nintendo.

"I played Cadence of Hyrule on Switch," he explained. "I just thought it was the coolest thing ever. The whole time, I was like, why aren't they putting this everywhere? Crypt of the Necrodancer is an incredible game anyway, but Cadence of Hyrule, I just, I'd love to see more of those kinds of things on Switch. I didn't own a Switch, I don't know if I'd buy a Switch 2 – again, I just play most games on PC – but for me it'd be those Cadence of Hyrule kind of games that'd convince me."

Folks like Strange Scaffold boss Xalavier Nelson Jr. are almost painfully relatable. "I don't want to be laid at the feet of scalpers," he said, "so that I can get one and I can play it with my wife. My hopes and expectations for Switch 2 are just that I can get it."

Like countless players, the developers I spoke to were looking forward to the Switch 2, but often for different and specific reasons. There's hope that Nintendo's latest wave of modernization will reach some of its dated practices alongside its processors, and while there is an appetite for more Switch-standard goodness, there's also a sense of longing for the wilder days of the Switch 1's launch.

We can't redo the portable console boom, but the Switch 2 has a shot at recapturing that sense of spirit and opportunity in a more dev-friendly package. Now we just have to hope we can actually buy one without being forced to choose our least favorite kidney.

A huge change appears has hit the Nintendo Switch eShop since the console's system update earlier this week, and no, it's not just the fact that it's red now. Ahead of the Switch 2, Nintendo has quietly altered the way its charts work, but it might not be good news for everyone.

First spotted by GVG's Jon Cartwright on YouTube (below), the fine print found at the bottom of the Switch eShop charts has altered since the console's update. While it previously stated that the games displayed on the charts were "the software titles with the most downloads for the past two weeks," it now says that "these are the software titles with the highest sales for the past three days."

While this phrasing is a tad vague, GVG's theory is that the charts may now be calculated based on the revenue earned from games – like Steam's top sellers chart – rather than the number of downloads accumulated.

This idea makes sense when you look at the side-by-side comparison of the charts in the video – a few days ago, it was filled with loads of lower-priced games, such as some that happened to have huge discounts at the time.

However, the new chart has changed the landscape completely, with many more full-priced AAA games like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Super Mario Party Jamboree sitting high up the rankings, instead. If the new chart toppers are determined by revenue, this adds up – the sale of one of these first-party games would count for more than the sale of a $5 title, for example.

Is this a good change, though? Well, yes and no.

On one hand, this new system seems to do an excellent job of hiding the deluge of shovelware games on Switch that seem to thrive on being discounted all the time. I'm talking about the sort of games that appear multiple times in listings thanks to being given loads of different re-released "editions" bundled with slightly different DLC – a strategy which also allows games to keep reappearing on the "recent releases" section.

Having so many different versions of games like this also means that they're more likely to be spotted in the "current offers" tab when they're on sale. All these things have made it harder to browse for new games, but it sounds like these titles may not appear quite so often from here on out, as their discount-focused strategy wouldn't be rewarded nearly as much by a revenue-based system.

However, this system could be potentially very problematic for indie developers, who generally sell their games at far lower prices than the big AAA titles of the world. If you're a new dev who's just released a game at a discounted launch price of $10, hoping to gain some traction, but you have to sell six copies to equate to even one sale of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, that's going to be really tough, especially when even more expensive upcoming Switch 2 games like the $80 Mario Kart World come into the mix.

Let's just hope that indie games are still able to get the visibility that they deserve going forward. Obviously, we still see indie hits appearing in Steam's revenue-based top sellers chart – just look at REPO, which has been in the chart for nine weeks in a row despite its low $10 price tag.

Stuff like that should be pretty reassuring for Switch developers, assuming that Nintendo's own charts are now operating in this same way.

When you're not staying up to date with all the ongoing Nintendo Switch 2 news, be sure to check out our list of upcoming indie games to see what new gems are on the way.

The base price of the Nintendo Switch 2 remains $449.99 in the US despite the Trump administration's ongoing and chaotic tariff rollout, but those tariffs have already sparked US price hikes on a range of Switch 2 peripherals. Analysts expect the Switch 2's core US price to hold for now, but veteran games analyst Mat Piscatella of Circana reasons that the US games industry is largely caught in "contingency planning" as it enters "unprecedented territory," despite big hitters like a new Nintendo console and a new GTA on the horizon.

"I think folks want to be optimistic about things like Switch 2 and GTA 6 coming into the market," Piscatella tells GamesRadar+, "but this looming cloud of tariffs and the impact and what's happening on the trade side of things, and how that might impact products like accessories and hardware and that type of thing, it's just, no matter what industry you're looking at, you're looking at this stuff going, okay, what happens next?"

A common refrain in the games industry last year was: "Survive 2024." After post-covid downturns, many developers hoped to simply get through the year, get to the Switch 2, get to GTA 6, let them bring a whole bunch of people and spending and investment and opportunity back to the industry, and then reassess. Piscatella said he'd heard the same from many publishers and retailers. In the US, these new tariffs have complicated those hopes a fair bit.

Today, there's a lot of "contingency planning, trying to read the tea leaves," Piscatella says, and "trying to figure out the best way to move forward when the layout of the tariffs has been a little bit chaotic and hard to predict, to say the least. People are just kind of waiting and seeing what's happening and trying to plan accordingly, but hopeful that, with Switch 2, with GTA 6, when it comes to the tariffs, the increased presence of digital – which wouldn't be subject to those tariffs, at least not at this stage – lessens those kinds of burns a little bit. But everyone's still nervous, right?"

Piscatella said just last December that the combo of GTA 6 and Nintendo Switch 2 is almost unprecedented in the games industry's history, and as interesting as these mega-releases are, at this point I selfishly find myself hoping to one day speak to him during quite precedented times.

These tariffs have affected much more than just games, of course, and resulting economic knock-on effects can directly impact game spending as well if they reach daily essentials.

Piscatella dismisses the old theory that games are especially resistant to inflation or other financial hardships – "I don't think that's right at all, I don't think the data even supports that idea," he says – and stresses that when life gets more costly, games can face pressure just like any other non-essential.

"If things like groceries get a lot more expensive, or other everyday, essential categories get more expensive, then consumers are really going to have to pick and choose," he says. "And you know, are you going to pick food, or are you going to pick a new game? For most people, they'll pick the food. But you know, we have some dedicated players that could pick a game and eat Top Ramen. Who the hell knows? But anyways, long-winded answer, I think everyone's just kind of waiting and seeing and trying to prepare for what may come next."

Even if people do choose to game through a recession, or shrinkflation, or what-have-you, Piscatella says we can still see "more people kind of shifting to free-to-play, to easily accessible products, to kind of offset what they're experiencing in other parts of their world."

Piscatella regularly emphasizes the power of today's biggest live service games – the Minecraft, Fortnite, and Roblox of the world – being "the majority of what the mass market plays." As ever, "there's immense pressure on the market. And if you throw in things like a recession or higher prices on groceries and all this other stuff, I think it gets nasty."

"People talk about the competition thing and what's the biggest competition for Switch 2," he adds. "And I don't know, I think the biggest competition for Switch 2 is going to be Switch 2 supply and the tariffs, but we'll see what happens."

Former Rockstar dev says we've seen enough GTA 6 trailers: "The element of surprise is going to make the release only bigger as an event."

Have you ever been deeply, utterly ashamed of one of the games you play? No? Well, Nintendo thinks some of you should be. The company is implementing a feature borrowed directly from Steam: the ability to hide digital games.

Ahead of the Switch 2's launch, Nintendo revealed new virtual game cards that you can move between consoles and can be shared between friends via a two-week loan.

A Twitter user has shown off the feature, which brings up an option to ensure "this virtual game card will be hidden from the list."

"Very important feature," the Twitter user writes.

To absolutely no one's surprise, the hidden virtual game card in question is Hentai Girls – currently on sale for a whopping 90% off, just $2, down from $20.

It's important to note that games hidden like this can still be found on the console – how else would you be able to play it yourself? Simply click the option that reads "Can't Find Software" below the list of all virtual game cards on your Switch, and you should see your hidden games there.

Hentai aside, this concealing option might be most useful for those of you who want to hide your virtual game cards from friends who want to borrow them from you. It seems similar to Steam's own feature that allows you to make a game private. It hides the fact you own a game, how long you've played it for, if you're currently playing, and any activity you have, such as getting achievements.

The Switch 2 also has a new game sharing feature that will allow multiple people on the same local wireless network to play a single game, and it's coming to the original Switch as well. The shared game has to be started on a Switch 2 though, for some reason.

While you're here, check out all the upcoming Switch 2 games.

Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders are live, but a lot of developers and games industry figures have had trouble getting them. Websites are crashing, Switch 2s are disappearing from carts, and only a lucky few are getting their hands on them.

LocalThunk, creator of the viral indie poker roguelite Balatro posts to Bluesky, "Best Buy don’t you dare do me like this," alongside a screenshot of a blank page when searching for the Switch 2. He follows up with, "Welp no dice, looks like it's just my OG switch for me!"

John Epler, formerly the creative director on Dragon Age: The Veilguard, now the narrative director on skateboarding game Skate, posts: "Okay I think I got a Switch 2 preorder from best buy but I guess we'll see, the site was a complete clusterfuck."

He adds, "Did it used to be this annoying to try and preorder something? I don't think it did."

Josh Sawyer, studio design director at Obsidian, the place that brought you Fallout: New Vegas and Avowed, writes: "I buy consoles about 5-7 years after they come out but I’m happy for all of you or sorry that happened." Lucky him – seems to be staying out of it.

Even The Game Awards organizer Geoff Keighley is out of luck. He tweets, "Man, Target is brutal for Switch 2 pre orders. System was in my cart, then it wasn't, then it was, wouldn't let me pay, etc. Anyone having any luck elsewhere?"

One lucky pre-order winner is none other than Masahiro Sakurai, the icon behind Super Smash Bros. and Kirby. He tweets a picture showing that he's managed to get a Switch 2, but it seems wild Nintendo wouldn't just send him one itself considering he's making Kirby Air Riders specifically for the platform.

Meanwhile, Final Fantasy voice actor Yuichi Nakamura responds to Sakurai's tweet with a picture of a 2 painted onto the back of a Switch.

If you're unsure of whether or not to get the new console, check out our list of all the upcoming Switch 2 games and see if you really want any.

Nintendo has cleared up some confusion surrounding its upcoming Switch 2 GameCube controller, which apparently will be compatible with non-GameCube games after all, although "there may be some issues" if you choose to use it this way.

The Switch 2 GameCube controller was announced during the flurry of Nintendo Switch 2 news earlier this month, as an optional controller to use with the upcoming classic GameCube titles being added to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack. However, fans were quick to spot a line of fine print in the controller's trailer that made the deal seem a little less sweet.

"The controller is only compatible with Nintendo GameCube - Nintendo Classics," it reads, seemingly confirming that its overall use would be very limited. However, in a statement sent to Nintendo Life, it now appears that this isn't quite the case.

Asked if the controller will work on games outside of the GameCube Classics, Nintendo notes that it's "designed for use" with those in particular, but adds: "Since it doesn't have all the buttons and features found in other controllers that can be used with the Nintendo Switch 2 system, there may be some issues when playing other games."

That sounds like it'll be in the same situation as the other Classic controllers, like the Switch SNES one.

GameCube games are only coming to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack on Switch 2, but despite the controller apparently having greater functionality beyond these retro titles, it "can only be used on Nintendo Switch 2 and is not compatible with Nintendo Switch."

Therefore, anyone who wants to use a GameCube controller on the OG Switch will have to continue to use an adapter to connect them.

Be sure to check out our roundup of upcoming Switch 2 games to see what's headed to Nintendo's new console.

The big Nintendo Switch 2 reveal gave Tomodachi Life fans the announcement they've wanted for more than a decade, but their Animal Crossing companions across the pond were left hungry for news on what's next for their life sim obsession.

Wander a bit further in the valley of life and social sims and you'll find more good news. I've been eating like a king for months because Level 5's new life sim RPG, Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time, is finally coming after 11 years.

A new trailer for Fantasy Life i, the first non-mobile installment in the series since 2014's underrated 3DS banger Fantasy Life, was released earlier today (in Japanese but with English subtitles), and this long-awaited follow-up looks better every time I see it.

It won't be a native Switch 2 game, but Fantasy Life i is coming to Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on May 21, ahead of the June 5 Switch 2 launch. I'll probably end up playing it on my Switch 2 anyway to help justify spending a small fortune (now a slightly larger fortune, with Switch 2 accessory prices rising in the US) on a console that has one exclusive game I'm actually interested in.

As a reminder, Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders now open in the US on April 24, and the base price of the console is holding at $449.99 in the region.

The Fantasy Life bug has slowly been spreading around the GamesRadar+ office, with my comrade Anna joining me in despairing over its repeated delays.

There's something about this series' – which is to say, the previous game's – mix of crafting, gathering, and combat skills that hits my brain in a way no other life sim has. It's more adventurous and goal-oriented, and quests and progression systems loop back on each other in a way I found irresistible all those years ago.

The new trailer spotlights the cycle of accepting a quest to craft a specific item, sourcing the materials out in the wild (sometimes by courteously escorting monsters or skill bosses into the afterlife), and then crafting up a storm back at the carpentry desk.

Fantasy Life i lets you change jobs as needed out in the field, increasing your options and reinforcing the synergy between different life paths. A good Carpenter can make good bows to use as a Hunter, for example, while a skilled Angler will find it easier to make better dishes as a Cook.

I've always described Fantasy Life as a life sim moonlighting as a Zelda game, and the latest entry looks like an expanded, spruced-up version of that. Enlivened by a Japanese narrator describing these life paths with the energy of a MOBA esports moderator shouting "pentakill," the new trailer communicates that same charm.

This one can't come soon enough.

Farming RPG Rune Factory takes the mic from Nintendo, says its Switch 2 game card is cross-gen: "Insert the card into either a Nintendo Switch or Nintendo Switch 2."

Nintendo has just announced that Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders will open in the US on April 24, and that the new console's accessories will receive a regional price hike from what was previously stated. It's a dark day for all the "drop the price" warriors out there.

"Nintendo Switch 2 accessories will experience price adjustments from those announced on April 2 due to changes in market conditions," a press release says. "Other adjustments to the price of any Nintendo product are also possible in the future depending on market conditions," possibly referring to the US' new supposed international tariffs.

Most of the Switch 2's extras are up $5, according to the Nintendo website, which indicates that the Switch 2 Pro Controller is $84.99 (up from $79.99), an all-in-one carrying case is also $84.99 (instead of $79.99), while a case and screen protector bundle costs $39.99 (increased from $34.99).

A pair of Switch 2 Joy-Con controllers will likewise cost $5 more than its original set price – $94.99 and not $89.99.

It appears that the Nintendo US store has briefly removed prices from these accessories' listings while they shift.

If it helps, Nintendo's press release confirms that the Switch 2 itself will remain $450 in the US, as originally announced, and upcoming Switch 2 games Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza will stay $80 and $70, respectively.

The press release continues: "We apologize for the retail pre-order delay, and hope this reduces some of the uncertainty our consumers may be experiencing. We thank our customers for their patience, and we share their excitement to experience Nintendo Switch 2 starting June 5, 2025."

If by "excitement," Nintendo means utter disbelief that initial complaints about the Switch 2's pricing have just been met with more shocking numbers then, yeah, sure.

Thanks to the PS5's second price hike in less than 3 years, the console is now more expensive than a Nintendo Switch 2 in multiple regions

After five months, Nintendo is bringing back servers for Splatoon and Mario Kart 8 on Wii U, but the company is already warning that a permanent shutdown could come without much notice.

Servers for both games will return on August 3, exactly five months and one day after they were taken down, according to a new post on Nintendo's support site. You will need to download an update before you can play, however. While both Japanese and European Nintendo branches have made the announcement, Nintendo of America hasn't officially done the same - though it's a safe bet that confirmation on the US side will be coming shortly.

The original issue was described as "a vulnerability related to online play." Nintendo now says "if further issues occur which make it difficult to continue supporting online play, we may have to discontinue the online play service for the Wii U games Splatoon and Mario Kart 8 at short notice." In other words, it sounds like Nintendo's prepared to issue a permanent shutdown if another major security issue crops up.

The company does helpfully note that "offline play would continue to function normally" after a full server shutdown, so single-player Splatoon and Mario Kart 8 action is still on the table. And, of course, none of this affects the servers for the modern Splatoon sequels or Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on Switch.

Fan-built Wii U servers are likely to keep games like these running in the future - and, in fact, they provided an alternative even during this five-month shutdown. With the Wii U and 3DS eShop shutdowns having landed just a few months ago, it's increasingly looking like fan work is the only way we're going to be able to maintain access to big chunks of gaming history.

It's never a bad time to dive into the best Wii U games. 

While we're getting a Pikmin renaissance with the release of the original two games on Switch, the release is also killing the dreams of Nintendo fans eager to see GameCube titles on Nintendo Switch Online.

Nintendo Switch Online is the platform's paid online multiplayer service, which also features a selection of occasionally-updated NES, Super NES, and Game Boy libraries. The more expensive Expansion Pack version of the subscription also includes Nintendo 64, GBA, and Genesis/Mega Drive games. Fans have held out some hope that the subscription would eventually expand to include GameCube games, but those hopes are starting to fade.

After today's Nintendo Direct, the original two GameCube Pikmin games hit the Switch eShop at a relatively pricey $30 each, or $50 for a bundle of the two. This comes after Super Mario 3D All-Stars, which featured largely unremarkable ports of three Mario games including GameCube's Super Mario Sunshine, launched for $60. It also comes after Nintendo brought us an excellent $40 GameCube upgrade with Metroid Prime Remastered, and amid long-standing rumors of standalone ports of the two GameCube Zelda games for Switch. 

In short, it sure seems like Nintendo is more interested in reselling GameCube games at premium prices than it is in making them a bonus for subscribers.

"This kinda cements that GameCube games won't be part of Nintendo Switch Online's future," as one Reddit user puts it. "Shout out to the people on this sub who called Nintendo will just sell us GC ports instead of being an online service," as another says.

Pikmin 1 and 2 on Switch technically fit the bill as 'remasters,' but it might be more accurate to simply call them 'ports,' since the only real improvement over the GameCube originals seems to be the clarity of HD resolution - though that certainly doesn't do the original textures any favors. These versions don't even go the extra step to include the option of the pointer controls from the Wii ports. In fact, the one major change here seems to be the removal of branded items like the Duracell battery in Pikmin 2.

It's always a good time to play some of the best GameCube games.

This month's rollout of retro games for Nintendo Switch Online is here, and we've got maybe the most notable selection of titles in the history of the service.

The coolest addition is arguably Mystery Tower, whose name is going to be unfamiliar to even the most hardcore of retro enthusiasts. That's because this was a Japan-only Famicom release with a title that translates to Tower of Babel. While Nintendo no longer has the restrictions against religious iconography it did back in the NES days, it's perhaps easy to see why this version ditches the Old Testament verbiage. There's even a new title screen.

While this isn't the first Japan-only game to hit the Nintendo Switch Online catalog, it does seem to be the only one to have gotten anything approaching a proper localization effort - not that there's much text beyond the title screen to change. Tower of Babel (or, now, Mystery Tower) is a 1986 Namco game where you use blocks to climb your way through increasingly obtuse levels. It's a solid action-puzzler for its era.

We're also getting Harvest Moon, which is notable as the SNES game that kicked off the whole farming RPG genre. Later entries in the series - which would eventually become known in the West as Story of Seasons - and of course indie games like Stardew Valley would refine the formula greatly over the years, but all the basics are here.

With the shutdown of the Wii U eShop, this is now the only current, legal way to play the original Harvest Moon. It might be the preferable way to play even if you keep retro hardware around, too, since original carts regularly sell for over $300 these days.

Then we've got Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble, a GBC classic notable for its use of an accelerometer, allowing you to tilt the handheld to control Kirby. The tilting action is fully emulated with Switch's modern motion control options which, again, makes this probably the ideal way to go back to this game in 2023. (Here's hoping the excellent WarioWare Twisted on GBA is coming up soon.)

Rounding out the collection is Blaster Master: Enemy Below on GBC, and while that's a well-regarded game in its own right, it does not have the same sort of unique notability of the other three games being added to the service.

All four games are available on the standard, non-Expansion Pack tier of Nintendo Switch Online right now.

A whole lot of the best NES games, best SNES games, and best Game Boy Color games of all time are now on Switch. 

The 3DS eShop shut down earlier this year, cutting off legal access to hundreds of digital-only games. Now, Nintendo is investing its resources into ensuring that those games are truly lost to time.

A new 3DS system update launched on May 22, promising "further improvements to overall system stability and other minor adjustments have been made to enhance the user experience." It's unclear whether any of these user experience enhancements are actually noticeable, but the homebrew community quickly realized that the famously simple method for jailbreaking your console no longer works after the firmware update.

Information around this update is currently evolving as modders work to figure out what changed, but for now, it seems the official update is safe to download if your 3DS is already hacked and updated with the latest custom firmware. It's unclear how (or even if) new custom firmware installs will work after this update, but the modding community obviously has a history of being resilient in the face of challenges like this.

As with, say, jailbreaking an iPhone, hacking your 3DS is perfectly legal, but let's be real here - most people hack their video game consoles in order to pirate games, which is definitely illegal. Dedicated hacking sites take measures to distance themselves from piracy, but homebrew apps that let you download pretty much whatever you want to your SD card are simple to find and even easier to use.

This isn't the first 3DS system update to break homebrew efforts and there's a decent chance it won't be the last - and it's worth noting that Nintendo is well within its legal rights to take whatever action to stop piracy it deems fit. This update just serves as a frustrating reminder of the fact that so many notable 3DS games are now available only to pirates.

Preservationists are working to re-open legal paths for playing 3DS games, but there's a long road to improving copyright law for non-corporate interests.

A dedicated Pokemon pro has made one of their favourite pocket pals a champion in every region where they're allowed to battle, but a single coveted badge of honour might be the true standout achievement.

That badge comes in the form of a prize called the Legend Ribbon, and the easiest way for your Pokemon to get it is by beating Red at Mt. Silver in one of two games released nearly 14 years ago. As one of the starters available in HeartGold and SoulSilver, a Cyndaquil with that prize is a common sight - though the journey that trainer Murkiri’s pocket pal went on after is anything but common.

When we spoke with them, the competitive Pokemon player told us that their desire to create a team they were truly attached to spawned the idea. For the budding trainer, given how often Pokemon and their moves and items are switched, it's “hard to get attached” to individual Pokemon - you might have a favourite species, but a single cherished creature is a lot more rare.

Shut down

“When Nintendo announced the eShop was shutting down, I started a playthrough of the entire series in an attempt to grow a group of Pokemon I was attached to when the time came for me to transfer my Pokemon from Pokemon Bank to Pokemon Home and then eventually to Scarlet/Violet,” Mirkiri told us.

“Once I had completed my playthrough, I had the idea of transferring Pokemon from older games to use in Sword/Shield for video game championship (VGC) tournaments." That decision came after the realisation that Ribbons - prizes awarded for feats accomplished throughout individual games - can be used to add titles to your Pokemon. "I did this for a Kyogre from HeartGold/SoulSilver that I had defeated Red with so I could use a ‘Kyogre the Living Legend’ at Melbourne Regionals 2022. So I've mostly been doing this for a little bit.”

I choose you

As for how Typhlosion fits into this, Murkiri explains that a friend made them aware a Cyndaquil from Johto could be traded into Pokemon Legends Arceus and evolved without losing its ribbon data. As such, a Hisuian Typhlosion - a regional variant of the original Gen 2 starter - in possession of the ribbon awarded for beating Red in HeartGold and SoulSilver is a possibility. “The novelty of having a very unique Hisuian Typhlosion was very attractive to me."

What makes Murkiri’s well-decorated Hisuian Typhlosion unique is that there are very few of them, and limited means for new players to create their own. Before Nintendo shut the 3DS eShop down, Murkiri used Pokemon Bank alongside Poke Transporter – an app that connects to Bank so you can transfer pocket pals from Gen 5 to older 3DS games – to make the journey possible. Thanks to the eShop closure, Transporter is no longer available to you, so you’d likely have to resort to illegitimate means to train a Living Legend of your own. Murkiri got in before all that, so the only major obstacle they faced was getting their hands on second-hand versions of old Pokemon DS games.

Red with envy

While Murkiri’s Hisuian Typhlosion has some of the most desirable ribbons in the series, one major prize remains beyond their reach. Pokemon games initially featured a national PokeDex that included every 'mon out there, though Sword and Shield were the first to narrow the focus and leave some to the side. Three of the Pokemon that didn't make the jump to Gen 8 were the Cyndaquil-Quilava-Typhlosion line, meaning that Murkiri's Hisuian Typhlosion is unlikely to be crowned a champion of Galar. 

While Murkiri relates to wishing you could take any Pokemon anywhere, they see the current setup's benefits. 

“There have been several times I've wished certain species of Pokemon were coded into Sword/Shield or Scarlet/Violet,” they say. “However, I do understand that, especially now with over 1,000 different Pokemon, there are a lot of Pokemon to keep track of and account for with the different changes/new moves for each of them. Keeping them all available in every game would be a bit of a feat. This is something a lot of people don't understand, particularly the #BringBackNationalDex crowd." 

“Plus, from a VGC perspective, it keeps the list of available Pokemon curated and keeps a lot of "problem" Pokemon out of play (e.g. Smeargle). Probably the only benefit of the decision.”

As for what’s next, Murkiri has more Pokemon in their sights to add to their dream team. “I do specifically want to do one for Porygon because it is my favourite Pokemon, but also for Mankey, due to the new evolution it got in Gen 9 with Annhilape,” they say. “I think for those, I will attempt to get more ribbons for them before taking them to Gen 8/9.”

This YouTuber's wild $20k quest to preserve the Nintendo eShop could be the only legal way to save game history, and that sucks.

The Switch port of The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan is out now, with one bizarre caveat: it only runs at 24 FPS.

Today's launch was a surprise, especially considering that the original game launched on PS4, Xbox One, and PC way back in 2019. The narrative-first horror game, and like other recent titles from developer Supermassive, puts a big emphasis on its photorealistic cast. Given the limitations of the Switch hardware, it would be fair to expect some compromises.

But I don't think anyone could have expected to see a disclaimer warning that "the Nintendo Switch version runs at 24 FPS" right there on the eShop page (as noted by Wario64). It is admittedly buried way down at the bottom of the store page alongside the copyright information and photosensitivity warnings, but it is at least visible on the console store, too.

It's not unusual to see Switch games running at 30 FPS and frequently dipping below that target, but it is unusual - in fact, it's unheard of, at least as far as my hearing goes - to see a game on any platform actively targeting 24 FPS. And while I haven't played this port myself, that frame rate sounds like a bad time.

Most modern TVs display 60 images per second, so games tend to target either 30 FPS or 60 FPS, because in either case there's a nice, even supply of frames to the TV to run. A 30 FPS game would show each one of its frames exactly twice, for example. If a game deviates from that target, one frame might be shown three times, and another frame four times, leading to what video nerds refer to as 'judder.'

A single instance of judder is effectively imperceptible, but sustained judder over the course of several seconds, or longer, leads to a game feeling jerky and inconsistent to play. A 24 FPS game has no way to escape this issue. Movies, which are obviously filmed at 24 FPS, are largely able to look fine on modern TVs thanks to the concealing effects of motion blur, but I've yet to see a game that can manage the same.

In defense of the developers, they did put out a trailer for the Switch version that pretty clearly shows the compromises of this port, so if you want an idea of what you're getting into, give it a watch. For me, well, I'm still holding out for that Nintendo Switch Pro.

Heck, you might be able to find a few 60 FPS oases among the best Switch games.

Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer is free to play for a limited time, giving Switch Online subscribers something better to do than counting down the minutes to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. 

In case you haven't played it, Cadence of Hyrule is an absolutely sublime rhythm-based roguelike Zelda spinoff that launched on Switch to rave reviews back in 2019. There's been a free demo for years that you can still get today, and now the whole game is available to download and play for free through Sunday, May 7 as part of Nintendo's Game Trials. 

This is the perfect free trial for this particular game, as a single run should only take you a few hours, and from there you can figure out if you find it replayable enough to justify the full purchase price.

If you do decide to give it a go, we have a bunch of guides that are still very relevant today, including Cadence of Hyrule tips, where to find the Cadence of Hyrule Flippers, how to beat the Cadence of Hyrule Lost Woods, and whether to choose Cadence of Hyrule Link or Zelda at the start. These should help you clear the game as quickly as possible to ensure you get through at least one run during the free trial.

Finally, Nintendo and developer Brace Yourself Games are sweetening the deal for those who do want to keep the beat going after the trial. Not only will your save file carry over to the full game, but there's also a 50% discount going for Cadence of Hyrule and its season pass on the Switch eShop. That should be more than enough to keep you busy until Tears of the Kingdom arrives and steals all of our free time.

Speaking of the Breath of the Wild sequel, it's officially Tears of the Kingdom leak season, so tread carefully in the short time until launch.

The Nintendo 3DS eShop may have shut down in March, but loyal 3DS fans are helping to preserve the handheld's social features through events organized on Discord. 

March 31st through April 2nd saw 3DS owners gather at various points around the globe to revive StreetPass, a feature that allowed multiple Nintendo 3DS consoles to link together just by being within close proximity to one another, or by visiting StreetPass relay points.

If you passed another 3DS player out on your travels who also had StreetPass activated, you would encounter their Mii in your StreetPass plaza, allowing you to interact, share in-game achievements, and earn badges.

StreetPass revival events took place in New York, Australia, Ireland, Tokyo, Belgium, Florida, London, Nottingham, and Hawaii to name a few. These events were timed with various fan conventions and events to attract as many gamers as possible and took place in the same month that Nintendo would act on its plans to shut down the online store with "no plans" to preserve its game library.

"I kept seeing people leave comments or make videos about wanting StreetPass to come back, but nobody was working with each other so everybody's voice got lost in the crowd", said Shane Kressley, who played a pivotal role in organising the various meetups.

"I reached out to several community members, YouTubers, and 3DS enthusiasts about how to make something work and came up with this", he said.

Preserving gaming hardware is tough at the best of times, and particularly when a manufacturer starts to decommission online services like the eShop for the 3DS, it can become a real uphill battle. Besides emulators that can help to preserve a platform's software library, preserving the hardware itself becomes more difficult as more owners see no reason to keep it around. Shane has luckily received a lot of support from other enthusiasts, and he added "I'm lucky to have made friends that support the event in my place by going to cons and expos with their system.

"We wanna make sure nobody is left out so I tried to cover many different countries in both promos and finding local reps to carry their 3DS there.

"The 3DS is in an awkward spot as a handheld since it's over a decade old but its software and community are still alive and well now. If it weren't for the Switch, we would still have the eShop, but now that the hype has worn off you see more people return to the 3DS and try to preserve its high-quality library.

"We hope this brings more love to the handheld and inspires more care towards preserving it as parts dry up and online services shut down."

When asked if these events would continue into the future, Shane said that with the release of the Super Mario movie this week, thousands of 3DS owners will be taking their handhelds to cinemas in attempts to bond and find tags.

If you'd like to get involved in future 3DS preservation efforts, you can join the Discord that organizes meetups, and follow StreetPassLove on Twitter for broader announcements and plans.

If you want to deck out your current-gen Nintendo hardware, take a look at the best Nintendo Switch accessories, the best Nintendo Switch headset, and the best case for Nintendo Switch.

You can no longer purchase games on the 3DS and Wii U eShops, but neither store is completely dead just yet, as Nintendo has issued a brief stay of execution on your ability to redeem eShop codes.

It seems Nintendo accidentally shut down eShop code redemption a few hours ahead of the proper store shutdown, so the company's extended the deadline to get your downloads in. "As the feature to redeem download codes was disabled earlier than scheduled, we’ve extended the ability to redeem download codes until approximately 9:30 PM Pacific Time on April 3, 2023," Nintendo explains in its support article. "Please redeem any remaining download codes from the Nintendo eShop for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U before then."

This is a real 'last chance for desperate circumstances' sort of PSA, however. Most online retailers no longer sell digital game codes for either system, so you'll likely only have reason to heed this warning if you've got some old codes lying around - perhaps you've forgotten to redeem a DLC code included in a game package. If you've got a stack of Wii U or 3DS cases on a back shelf somewhere, maybe pop those open before April 3 rolls around.

A handful of indie devs are also giving away free codes for their 3DS and Wii U games as part of some social media promotions, as Nintendo Life notes. Keep your eyes peeled for other giveaways if you're keen to pack your SD cards to the gills in these final days.

With the eShop shutdown, hundreds upon hundreds of games are becoming inaccessible by legal means, available only to those willing to engage in software piracy. Gaming historians are working to make legal libraries for these digital games available for everyone, however, and one YouTuber's $20,000 quest to buy everything on the entire eShop is a surprisingly big step toward making that possible.

If you're looking for alternative ways to play your 3DS library, the excellent Citra emulator recently detailed some major updates.

With the 3DS eShop's closure, the app bridging nearly two decades of Pokemon history is now inaccessible to new users.

Pokemon Bank is - or rather, was - a 3DS app that allows you to transfer Pokemon from the handheld to the cloud storage of Pokemon Home, and through that into the modern games. Between the 3DS Virtual Console versions of Gen 1 and 2 and the convoluted chain of transfers available from Gen 3 through Gen 7, Pokemon Bank supported 19 years worth of Pokemon games.

Bank was always a free app, but previously, to upload and transfer your creatures into Home, you needed to pay for a $5 subscription that got you access to the Poke Transporter companion app. The Transporter app was never available for download without that subscription. However, the Pokemon Company previously announced that Bank and Transporter were going to become free following the 3DS eShop shutdown.

Now that the eShop is closed, you can no longer download software - even free software - unless you had acquired it at least once before. That means that even though Transporter is technically now free, unless you previously paid that $5 subscription fee to download it in the past, you cannot download it now. Neither Nintendo nor the Pokemon Company ever fully spelled out that this would be the case, though you could certainly read between the lines to guess it.

I've never paid for the Bank, and I can personally confirm that the Transporter app is now completely inaccessible. When Bank directs you to download Transporter from the eShop, you'll see the message "this software is currently unavailable." My dreams of someday doing a full Pokemon series playthrough to build a living Pokedex are now completely dead. Ah, well.

Earlier it seemed that Transporter was broken even for players who had properly gone through all the steps, but that was just a glitch - old Bank subscribers can still save their old Pokemon. The rest of us will have to prepare to say goodbye to all our old creatures once those cartridges finally go kaput.

Hopefully this will at least ease the price gouging around retro Pokemon games a bit.

There haven't been any public updates on the development of 3DS emulator Citra since 2020, but the software isn't dead - in fact, the devs have just posted a massive progress report following the shutdown of the official 3DS eShop.

Perhaps the most notable addition is support for separate windows, letting you move the displays of the two 3DS screens wherever you like on your desktop. That will, for example, let you spread the dual screens across two separate desktop monitors, for the weirdest sort of authenticity. There's now an automatic controller binding feature, so you won't have to manually configure most major controller types. There's also streamlined support for motion controls.

All these changes have already been implemented over the past few years, but if you weren't regularly updating the client and paying close attention to the menus, many of them likely would've slipped your notice. Many other changes are much more technical - you can read about them in the full progress report - but there's one newly announced technical change that's worth calling out.

Vulkan support for Citra is now in development. If you're not deep in on PC gaming tech, Vulkan is an alternative set of tools to let games give instructions to your graphics card. Citra currently uses OpenGL for this process, which broadly works fine, but in many cases Vulkan is more efficient at handling 3D graphics. In other words, Vulkan could make Citra run better, depending on the particulars of your hardware.

Whether or not the timing of this announcement with the official 3DS eShop shutdown was intentional, it's still worth noting, as Nintendo has just cut off the only legal path to access hundreds of digital 3DS games. Meanwhile, historians are working on preserving these games and changing the law so that they can open free, legal digital game lending libraries. Continued development on emulators like Citra will be essential to ensuring a wide audience has access to accurate versions of these games in the future.

The best 3DS games are set to stand the test of time.

Pokemon Bank users are reporting the app isn't working following the 3DS's eShop closure.

March 27 sadly saw the 3DS's eShop close its virtual doors for good, just like Nintendo announced it would last year. The Pokemon Company always maintained that the Pokemon Bank app would work following the closure of the eShop, but now users are reporting that the app no longer works correctly.

The issue seems to stem from Pokemon Transporter, a companion app released alongside Pokemon Bank that allowed for the transfer of Pokemon from Gen 5 (Black, White, Black 2, White 2) to Gen 6 (X & Y). While Pokemon Bank is staying online, it looks as though if you didn't already have Transporter installed, there's no way of making the new download now that the eShop is gone, so your Pokemon are trapped in Gen 5.

There do seem to be some teething troubles around Pokemon Bank, most notably a mysterious 'Free Trial period' notification that grants players access for a number of days accompanied by a question mark. Nintendo has suggested that message can safely be ignored, but it's not addressed the issues with Transporter.

Pokemon Bank is a feature that basically allows you to transfer creatures between multiple platforms and devices. So you could send a Charizard through to Pokemon Sword and Shield, or an Eevee forward through Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team DX, and many other games.

This particular failure of the Bank system threatens a significant portion of the mainline Pokemon series, potentially consigning much of an entire generation to the void. Some commenters have suggested that given the short amount of time since the eShop's closure, Nintendo could still be working on a fix, but others have claimed it's unlikely that the company will be working on solutions to a now-defunct piece of software, especially given that 75% of all Pokemon games have been made unavailable with the eShop's closure.

You can see why this is a little worrying for hardcore Pokemon players. Last year in February, Pokemon Bank went free-to-use after previously costing an annual subscription fee of $4.99. With the app opening up for anyone to use, you've got to imagine there's more Pokemon Bank users than ever now panicking that their creatures might be lost to the void.

Check out our upcoming Switch games guide to see what the future holds for the Pokemon franchise. 

The Nintendo 3DS and Wii U eShops are closing down today, meaning it'll be the last time we'll get to see the store's little shopping bag mascot.

After it was announced last year, the day has finally come for the Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo Wii U eShop to close down. There's been a lot of disappointing news surrounding this decision, particularly when it comes to game preservation and the fact that 75% of Pokemon games will disappear, as Nintendo currently doesn't have plans to save those 3DS and Wii U exclusive titles. 

One part of the store shut downs that's been overlooked though is the fact that we'll no longer be able to see the cute little shopping bag mascot that greets customers on the older Nintendo eShops - and we're not alone in thinking that. Several Twitter users have also shared their sadness (as well as joked) about the passing of the little orange mascot.

"The Wii U & 3DS eShop closes tomorrow. Which means this guy is passing away!" One user wrote with an image of our small orange friend. "Last day of Nintendo eShop for 3DS & Wii U…" another user shared along with images of the shopping bag waving to other Nintendo mascots such as Nikki from Swapnote. 

The best goodbye we've seen so far though is from Twitter user @ScottofAstora who shared that scene from Toy Story 3 where Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the gang wave Andy off towards the end of the film, except instead of Andy, it's the 3DS, Wii U, and the eShop mascot. 

There is one bit of good news to come out of this situation though. Although unrelated to the eShop mascot, another iconic part of the handheld's history is being revived as a globe-spanning Nintendo 3DS meetup aims to keep StreetPass alive. From March 31 to April 2, StreetPass Revival 2023 will see 3DS users meet up across various locations to enjoy one of the console's best features again. 

Want to remember the good ol' days? Take a look at our best 3DS games and best Wii U games lists for a trip down memory lane. 

Loyal players of Nintendo Badge Arcade on the 3DS have been surprised to find that the game's been rendered unplayable, and while this may be a temporary technical issue, indications seem to suggest that the looming eShop shutdown will spell the end for this bizarre game.

Nintendo Badge Arcade launched in 2015, during an era where the company was experimenting with increasingly bizarre microtransaction models for downloadable 3DS games. The StreetPass Salesbunny would give you hard sales pitches on bonus Mii Plaza games, while Rusty's Real Deal Baseball had you listening to the sob story of a down-on-his-luck dog dad in an effort to get real-life discounts on bonus minigames.

With those kinds of efforts in mind, the concept for Nintendo Badge Arcade seems almost pedestrian. It's basically a 2D crane game with rotating machines to pull from and hundreds of badges to collect. The idea, of course, is that you'll pour real money into the game in order to get the badges you want - there's a reason we called this Nintendo at its most cynical back in 2015 - but daily free plays ensured that the game got an audience of people who enjoyed checking in to slowly chip away at their collection a day at a time.

But now, those free plays seem to be gone. There have been conflicting reports on how far-reaching this all is, but numerous players have been reporting that their daily free plays have suddenly disappeared. I was able to get some bonus free plays from the practice machine, though I'm not sure if that's just because I had some left over after not playing the game in years. None of the daily login bonuses popped for me, either way.

Dataminers have suggested that this might all be due to a mislabeled server configuration file, which caused this week's set of daily bonuses to end a day earlier than precedent would suggest. There's potential that a new, correctly configured config file could land within the next day or two and set everything right, but I'm not holding my breath.

Nintendo Badge Arcade already has a built-in expiration contingency, as an update years ago added an in-game message message that's set to be activated when the game shuts down. You can see the message in full on The Cutting Room Floor, but this excerpt will give you the gist: "We regret to inform you that this establishment has closed down. Our deepest thanks to all of you for your support and patronage."

Clearly, Nintendo is prepared for the Badge Arcade's eventual shutdown, and it's tough to imagine it lasting past the eShop itself. It's already impossible to plug your credit card into the store, and with the store shutdown looming, you soon won't even be able to use gift cards to bypass that restriction. Will a game built almost exclusively to push microtransactions really outlast your ability to put money into it?

Most Nintendo 3DS games you've downloaded will continue to work after the shutdown, and The Completionist recently underwent a ridiculous quest to help historians make it legal to save the rest.

With the 3DS eShop closure looming, handheld fans are gathering to celebrate one of its best but most forgotten features: StreetPass.

StreetPass was - and is - a feature that lets 3DS systems passively communicate when they're near each other. You might pass a fellow 3DS owner on the street, and when you open your console later you might meet their Mii avatar, find their time trial ghosts in your copy of Mario Kart, and get a new piece of a jigsaw in an extensive puzzle collecting minigame.

It always seemed like a feature designed for Japan's densely-packed urban cities, and if you - like me - spent the 3DS's life in rural America or the suburbs, you might not have gotten to take full advantage of StreetPass. Still, it remains one of the coolest features on one of Nintendo's best platforms, and a loyal group of fans aims to keep it alive.

StreetPassLove has been helping organize StreetPass meetups for some time, and now they're working to promote one big weekend-long event for 3DS fans worldwide. Billed as StreetPass Revival 2023, the idea is to simply get everyone who still uses their 3DS to head to a meetup location that works for them, whether that be a park, a local game store, or a larger convention.

StreetPass Revival 2023 is set to run from March 31 through April 2. You can head to the StreetPassLove Discord if you want to find or help organize a local meetup. Below is a list of events that weekend that the group is highlighting, ranging from small local game clubs to much bigger conventions and esports events.

• Switch & Play (New York City, NY)
• Nintendo Nottingham (Nottingham, UK)
• Oz Comic-Con (Perth, Australia)
• Kaizoku-Con (Cork, Ireland)
• EVO Gaming Tournament (Tokyo, Japan)
• Paris Manga & Sci-Fi Show (Paris, France)
• South Lamar Alamo (Austin, TX)
• FACTS 2023 (Gent, Belgium)
• London Games Festival (London, UK)
• MegaCon (Orlando, FL)
• Chicago Comic + Entertainment Expo (Chicago, IL)
• Steel City Con (Pittsburgh, PA)
• Kawaii Kon (Honolulu, HI)
• Midwest Gaming Classic (Milwaukee, WI)
• Charlotte Comicon (Concord, NC)

The 3DS eShop will shut down on March 27, so if you want to pick up those last few digital StreetPass games before the end, the clock is ticking.

If all this has you StreetPass-curious but without any like-minded people in your local area, I should also mention that there have been many fan projects over the years that aim to let you connect with other StreetPass enthusiasts via the internet. Projects like PiPass let you set up your own StreetPass access points to connect with others worldwide - though, admittedly, that doesn't offer the social benefits of hanging out with other 3DS fans in person.

The Completionist's $20k quest to preserve the Nintendo eShop shouldn't be needed, but it might be the only legal path to save these games.

If you've had an eye on the retro game collecting scene recently, you know the price of old games has risen dramatically in the past few years - and Pokemon fans in particular are driving some of the most ridiculous price gouging.

As a not-altogether-serious collector I've been vaguely aware of this trend for a bit, but a tweet from Goodwill Goblin - an account that highlights video game items posted on the ShopGoodwill auction site - really put the situation in perspective. Loose Pokemon Emerald cartridges are now selling for close to $200.

You know how popular Pokemon is today? You know how popular Pokemon was back in the early 2000s? The best selling games on the GBA were Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, with 16 million units sold, Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen, with 12 million units sold, and Pokemon Emerald, with 7 million units sold.

Despite that, auction tracking services like PriceCharting show that they're also some of priciest games on the GBA, rivaling even the handheld's most obscure, sought-after titles. Emerald averages a sale price of $178. The others routinely reach near $100. None of these games are hard to find, so why are they so expensive?

I can't pretend to be able to fully pin down the market dynamics of retro game collecting, but I've got a few theories. First, it's worth noting that average retro game prices have effectively doubled since the beginning of 2020, but that doesn't fully account for what we're seeing with Pokemon. Where other beloved retro games have doubled in price, many Pokemon games have tripled - or in Emerald's case, quadrupled - over the same period.

The thing with Pokemon is that it has never truly come unshackled from its past. Through a long, convoluted chain of transfers, you can bring every old Pokemon you've collected going back to the GBA games up to the current generation, storing them in the cloud with Pokemon Home and transferring them into whichever modern games still have a Pokedex that supports them.

That means all these games remain relevant for modern Pokemon fans, and there's a big question mark lingering over how much longer this will be the case. Pokemon Bank is a downloadable 3DS app that's essential in the transfer process, and you might have heard that Nintendo is preparing to shut down the 3DS eShop. All official indications suggest that Bank will remain available for the foreseeable future if you've used it at least once before, but nobody knows how long that will continue to be the case, and fans are getting nervous.

Nintendo has previously made Virtual Console versions of the original Game Boy Pokemon games available on 3DS, complete with the option to directly upload creatures into the cloud, though obviously those are about to become inaccessible, too. With Game Boy and GBA games now available as part of the Nintendo Switch Online service, I don't understand why the classic Pokemon titles aren't already available there and directly connected with the modern Pokemon Home cloud.

Would that solve the price issues on the secondhand market? I don't know, but it would at least mean that retro game collectors and Pokemon fans who just wanna catch 'em all would no longer be competing over the same cartridges.

In the meantime, take this as a PSA from both me and the Goodwill Goblin: you shouldn't spend nearly $200 on the third most common GBA game.

You know you can get Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 for like seven bucks on eBay? That's still one of the best GBA games of all time.

Over the past year, YouTuber Jirard 'The Completionist' Khalil spent $22,791 and uncountable hours purchasing and downloading every single game on the Wii U and 3DS eShop ahead of the shutdown of those two services later this month. This is an absurd quest that no one should ever undertake. But according to video game historians, it could also be the only legal path to preserving any of these games in the years to come.

Last year, Nintendo announced that it would be shutting down the Wii U and 3DS eShops on March 27, 2023, just as it had shut down the original Wii Shop Channel back in 2019. You'll still be able to download any games you'd previously purchased through those stores for the foreseeable future, but if you want to make any additions to your digital library after that point, you're outta luck. And as we've seen with those digital Wii games, you might not be able to count on those redownloads being constantly available even before they're officially shut down.

The Completionist video on the whole effort to buy all those games is documented in the video below, and it's worth a watch just for the ridiculous roadblocks that stand in the way of simply purchasing these games as an end user. The digital stores no longer accept credit cards, so you have to buy physical eShop cards from retail stores. Retail stores have security measures in place to keep you from buying thousands of dollars worth of gift cards. Nintendo will only let you keep a balance of $250 in your account, so you have to slowly redeem those cards one by one. The Wii U will only let you keep a certain number of games installed at a time, regardless of the storage space available. And on and on the list goes.

Khalil was able to do all this because he had a team backing him up through the long hours and, as a well-known YouTuber, was able to offset some of this absurd expense by taking on additional sponsorships. Time and money are both precious resources, and they're resources that organizations like the Video Game History Foundation do not have infinite supplies of. Admirably, Khalil intends to donate these consoles and storage devices to the VGHF, and the group already has plans - or at least hopes - for how to turn it into a legally accessible video game library.

The elephant in the room, of course, is that all of these games have already been 'preserved' and made available to anyone who wants to access them - illegally. In the minds of players who don't care about breaking the law, this talk of 'losing' games is silly. Preservation is effectively a solved issue, since it's no secret that all these games are already available on the darker corners of the internet, right?

Well, that line of thinking becomes an issue for historians who are making efforts to see that gaining access to these games is no longer illegal. Ars Technica ran a feature last week breaking down how the VGHF and other groups are gunning to build an online library that would let you legally check out digital games to play online, but game industry lobbyists are pushing hard against that idea - despite the fact that libraries already allow check-outs of other types of media like books and films.

The Wii U and 3DS libraries that Khalil built, contained on the consoles and storage media shown above, will be stored with the VGHF, though for now the only thing the organization can do with them is invite researchers and historians to its physical location to see the games. But the organization is making its own efforts to change the law to allow wider lending access to these games.

VGHF co-director Kelsey Lewin says on Twitter that "there’s a very big thing that we’re working on changing (with the incredible folks at the Software Preservation Network). You know how you can rent eBooks and movies from libraries? Not just your local ones, but places like archive.org? Well, you should be able to rent video games that way too. Remotely. Using emulation, even!"

In other words, the VGHF is aiming to change the law so that lending libraries for these digital games can go public. But even if the organization successfully changes the law so that they can lend digital games, copyright holders might still pitch a fit if the games in the library are obtained through illegal means. As Lewin explains, "the specific problem that Jirard’s quest here solves is that WHEN these laws change… they’ll need some legally bulletproof, cleanly obtained ROMs to start from."

Again, a history foundation is spending its time lobbying for a legal change that would allow them to create a public video game library, and the only reason it even has the possibility of including digital 3DS and Wii U games as part of that library is because a YouTuber spent over $20,000 and a year of effort to archive all those titles before legal access to them was killed off.

That is some hot garbage. The industry is actively lobbying against historical preservation efforts even as it continues to cut off legitimate ways to access its classic library. Nintendo's shutting down its aging stores, Sony and Microsoft are playing chicken with doing the same, and publishers like EA are cutting off access to their old library piece by piece. Microsoft seems to be the only one willing to put in effort to keep its library easily accessible to modern audiences - the Xbox Game Pass push benefits hugely from an extensive back catalog, after all - but even that is far from a complete look at Xbox history.

In this particular instance, Nintendo could choose to give historians access to a catalog of its digital library, but it won't - presumably because its lawyers have decided that an iron grip on its IP is more important than any civic-minded support of preservation efforts. Historians and activists have access to far fewer resources than the corporations that control legal access to these games, and it's terrible to see flaming hoops they have to jump through just to try to make things better for the future.

If you want to do some last-minute shopping, these are the 10 games to download before the Wii U and 3DS eShops close down.

New consoles and PCs come with a generous amount of hard drive space for installing your favourite games, but you can quickly run out of room by downloading just a few modern AAA titles. Of course, these games benefit from gorgeous graphics and gargantuan worlds compared to older games, but at a massive cost of hard drive space, so much so that you could store an entire library of games from an older machine for the same amount of space that one modern game requires. 

As spotted by Twitter user NCSmaster, if you were to download every single 3DS game from the eShop, together, they would be almost the same size as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Their tweet highlights an article by ArsTechnica from 2022 in which it states that Modern Warfare, together with Warzone, needs a total of around 250GB on PC. While the combined size of all 1,547 3DS titles, over $13,000 worth of games, is 267GB. Additionally, every Wii U game comes to 1.2TB, which, as Twitter user Jon Cartwright points out, "comes to the size of like 6 modern games".

This was discovered after one YouTuber, Jirard Khalil, aka "The Completionist", took it upon themselves to buy every single game on the Wii U and 3DS digital storefronts before they shut down for good on March 27. This meant purchasing 866 Wii U games and 1,547 3DS games. It took them a total of 328 days, 464 eShop cards, and cost $22,791.

"When a digital storefront shuts down or games get delisted, countless titles run that risk of being lost forever," Khalil explained in their YouTube video." That's when I got a stupid crazy idea 'what would it take to save all those Nintendo Wii U and 3DS games from being lost?'" 

As it turns out, it takes a lot of time, money, and effort, but in comparison to modern games, relatively little space. Khalil says that it was "absolutely worth it" and will now be donating the collection to the Video Game History Foundation, a non-profit organisation dedicated to preserving and celebrating the history of games.

See what great titles are on the horizon with our guide to new games 2023.

Game preservation communities attempting to fix dying Wii U consoles are discovering that the lifespan of the console might just be a matter of luck.

Over the weekend, YouTuber Voultar documented their efforts to bring "unrecoverable" Wii U consoles back to life after reports that not using the machine for a lengthy period of time could contribute to its untimely demise. As the system's eShop approaches its close, those reports sparked notable concern, as players would lose access to its games as well as the ability to buy them.

Voultar claims that they were able to repair several 'bricked' consoles via a relatively cheap and simple method, using a $9 Raspberry Pi Pico to circumvent two common error codes. They outline their efforts in the video below, and say that they've heard from several fans that they've been able to repair their consoles using this method.

However, other members of the preservation scene have claimed that this won't fix some of the other Wii U issues that have reared their heads in recent weeks. Those are linked to the system's NAND Chips - a form of storage that doesn't need a power supply to retain its information. 

According to dataminer and developer OatmealDome, some of those NAND chips are dying faster than others. Three companies - Samsung, Toshiba, and Hynix - were involved in the manufacture of the Wii U's chips, but it seems that almost all of the consoles that are proving to be truly unrecoverable contain Hynix chips. OatmealDome says that "you basically have to win the lottery" and hope that your console features the Samsung or Toshiba equivalent, as currently there's no fix for the deterioration of the Hynix alternative.

You can check what kind of chip you've got via the methods outlined in this tweet, but if you find a Hynix version, you might want to get yourself in the market for a new console. 

Keep a look at what you might lose with our list of the best Wii U games. 

Due to a security issue, Nintendo has taken the Wii U versions of Mario Kart 8 and Splatoon offline. 

As reported by VGC, the servers for both games were temporarily shut down yesterday, March 2, at 8.30PM PT / 11.30PM ET / 4.30AM GMT (March 3) while the company works on a fix for the problem.

"This network service is currently unavailable due to urgent maintenance required to fix a vulnerability related to online play," reads a post on Nintendo's official website. "We do not yet have information on when network services can be restored. We apologise for any inconvenience caused."

Nintendo didn't go into detail on exactly what the issue is, but according to a tweet by OatmealDome, it's "almost certainly ENLBufferPwn." As the well-known dataminer explains, this is a network vulnerability that enables an attacker to take over your console and execute code on it remotely if you connect with them in an online game.

In a follow-up tweet OatmealDome explains that other Nintendo games, including Mario Kart 7 on the 3DS and several Switch titles, have been affected by this exploit in the past. Yet while patches were released to better protect players of those games "Splatoon 1 and Mario Kart 8 did not receive any despite being known to be vulnerable".

If you're a fan of Nintendo's older console, it's worth keeping in mind that the Wii U eShop will be closing its doors for good on March 27. The 3DS eShop will also be permanently shut down on this date. Sadly for Pokemon fans, this means that 75% of the series' back catalogue will be unavailable commercially as a result.

Check out the finest Nintendo's last-gen console has to offer with our pick of the best Wii U games.

75% of the Pokemon back catalogue will be unavailable commercially once Nintendo closes the 3DS an Wii U eShops.

This figure comes from Phil Salvador of Video Game History Foundation, who tweeted a graph that demonstrates what percentage of Pokemon games will be available to purchase from Nintendo once the 3DS and Wii U eShops close down for good this month. As you can see from the tweet below, only 25% (soon to be 26%) of Pokemon games will be available to purchase in any form from March 27. 

If you're wondering, the games included in this 26% are all playable on the Nintendo Switch, so that includes Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, Pokemon Legends: Arceus, Pokemon Sword and Sheild, and so on. It also includes those available through Nintendo's virtual consoles so Pokemon Stadium 1 and 2 via the Nintendo 64 emulator, and soon, the Pokemon Trading Card Game on the GameBoy emulator. 

As for the games we'll be losing, according to Salvador's graph, it'll soon be much trickier to find the likes of Pokemon Red and Blue, Pokemon Yellow, Pokemon Gold and Silver, Pokemon X and Y, Pokemon Sun and Moon, Detective Pikachu, a bunch of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games, and many more. 

This has understandably got to be disappointing news for long-time Pokemon fans who may soon not be able to play some of their favorite games in the series. There's always a hope that Nintendo will bring more Pokemon games to the Nintendo Switch via Nintendo Switch Online, but since there isn't a DS, 3DS, or Wii virtual console just yet, we may have to wait a while before we get to revisit classic Pokemon games. 

With Nintendo closing 3DS and Wii U digital stores, where does that leave video game preservation?

Here's an important PSA for long-time Pokemon players: you need to download the Pokemon Bank app on 3DS very soon. One fan's harrowing experience of nearly losing two decades worth of collected creatures is serving as a wake-up call for members of the community.

Through a convoluted process of transfers, trades, and imports, it is possible to bring Pokemon from every generation forward into the modern games. (The original Game Boy cartridges are an exception, though the 3DS Virtual Console versions of those titles can still be part of the transfer chain.) Every Pokemon you've collected through the years can live in the cloud via the Pokemon Home app, and then can be transferred into whichever modern games support those particular creatures.

You can read our Pokemon Home transfer guide for details on how it all works, but there's one important link in this chain that's about to be broken: Pokemon Bank on 3DS. Bank is the only way to complete the arduous process of transferring all your past-gen Pokemon into the current Home app, and with the shutdown of the 3DS eShop looming on March 27, you need to download that app right now before access to it is shut down.

Over on Reddit, a two decade veteran of the Pokemon series who goes by Crusnik_Asparagus nearly came out on the bad end of this shutdown. After a few years away from the series, they reasonably assumed that all the Pokemon they'd previously uploaded to Pokemon Bank would be available in Home. That was not the case.

"I’ve been playing these games for 18 years," Crusnik_Asparagus writes. "140 hours per game. I’ve bred Pokemon in rare balls with hidden abilities, egg moves and 6 IV’s. Manual labor. Hundreds of hours upon hundreds of hours. Rare event Pokemon. ALL. GONE. I didn’t even cry because I went into a semi-shock state."

At the risk of sounding dramatic: this warning of "20 years of gaming almost down the drain" could apply to you after March 27. This player would've been fine either way since they'd already downloaded Pokemon Bank and uploaded their creatures to it, as you'll still be able to redownload Bank after the eShop shutdown as long as you've grabbed it at least once before, according to Nintendo's official notices. (Bank's annual fee is also disappearing alongside the shutdown, but the Pokemon Company says the app will remain functional.)

But if you haven't downloaded Bank by that March cutoff date, your old Pokemon will be trapped in your old Pokemon games. If you want to keep official access to all your beloved teams, dust off your 3DS and make sure you've got access to the Pokemon Bank.

Today announcement of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet DLC and the reintroduction of over 230 past-gen Pokemon.

There are very few gaming announcements as satisfying as a surprise reveal of a title that’s suddenly available to download on the same day. Especially when it’s a stone cold classic. But this is exactly what happened earlier this month with Metroid Prime Remastered, revealed as part of February’s Nintendo Direct, and now available digitally for Nintendo Switch. Don’t worry, it’s OK to have been distracted by the Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom trailer, we understand. And Samus’s revamped legendary adventures aren’t just available on the Nintendo eShop. You can currently pre-order the physical version of the game which is being released on the 3rd of March.

Given that we’re coming up on 21 years since the original Metroid Prime was released in 2002 in North America, this is as much a chance for new players to discover this critically acclaimed adventure as it is for old hands to revisit their classic memories. The combination of innovative exploration techniques - hello again, Morph Ball and Grapple Beam - and incredible atmosphere as we return to the lonely planet of Tallon IV make this just as thrilling a journey as it was two decades ago. Plus with Metroid Prime 4 on the way, it’s an ideal time to make sure you’ve done your series homework with this hybrid of action, shooting, and adventure. Modern metroidvania fans can’t afford to miss the experience of puzzling through the first in the iconic series.      

And Metroid Prime Remastered comes with some new upgrades for 2023. On top of the entirely revamped graphics and sound, the controls have been updated fully for Nintendo Switch. There are now fresh dual-stick control options as well as motion aiming that makes the most of the Switch’s built in gyroscope. But don’t worry, if you want to truly feel the experience in all its original glory, you can always revert to the classic controls and play noughties style. There’s even a hybrid option so you can get the best of both worlds as you join Samus on her epic journey. 

From Retro Studios, Metroid Prime Remastered is available on the Nintendo Switch eShop now for £34.99 and you can pre-order the physical edition for release on the 3rd of March 2023. 

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Nintendo Direct time is nearly here again, and as is tradition fans have begun setting themselves up for inevitable disappointments.

The announcement for tomorrow's Direct says that it will feature "roughly 40 minutes of information mostly focused on Nintendo Switch games launching in the first half of 2023." It's a safe bet that we'll get new information on The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, as well as Bayonetta Origins and Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe, all of which are scheduled to be out by May.

If you look at the community reaction to the event, however, the bets are getting downright reckless. Hollow Knight Silksong fans are gluttons for punishment, but I will at least give them the benefit of the doubt since there were hints of Silksong releasing by June 2023. But, like, there are new forum posts getting excited over the fact that Silksong has a Switch eShop page - a page that has been there, unchanged, for a year.

Beyond that, well… if you can imagine Nintendo announcing it, fans are wantonly speculating about it. Advance Wars 1+2 shadowdrop during the show? A bigger look at Pikmin 4? An acknowledgement of Metroid Prime 4's existence? Old rumors like the Metroid Prime remasters and Game Boy titles for Nintendo Switch Online are coming home to roost, too. One thing everyone's sure about - there will be more farming games.

Then, there's speculation about Switch 2. Most fans are - quite reasonably - laughing off the idea of Nintendo's next hardware being announced at this event, but the age of the Switch and the long-standing rumors about its successor means that people are still discussing the possibility. I honestly can't even tell who's joking anymore.

Really, you should just take after Reddit user Popple06's example. "I'm going to keep my expectations low by only expecting Metriod Prime 4, Pikmin 4 release date, new 3D Mario, new DK game, Nintendo to pay off my credit cards, and world peace to be solved." At least some folks have their heads on straight.

I can reveal with some confidence that the Direct will feature information on upcoming Switch games. For more on the big show, why not check out our Nintendo Direct predictions.

The Christmas and New Year celebrations might officially be over for another year as we sadly look at taking down the tree, but Nintendo is keeping the joy alive a little longer with the Nintendo eShop New Year Sale. What better way to cheer yourself up after vacuuming up pine needles than with up to 75% off some of the best-selling Nintendo Switch games? Go on, treat yourself, you deserve it. 

And there are a slew of titles being discounted. Maybe you want to spend some quality time with Mickey Mouse in the incredible Disney Dreamlight Valley, or put your pedal to the colourful metal in the biggest Mario Kart yet, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Or perhaps you fancy joining Sonic and Tails in Sonic Mania, or exploring the lush and beautifully emotional world of Ori and the Will of the Wisps. 

Plus, plenty of Nintendo heavy hitters are on sale too. The exceptional Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening is discounted, as are the tasty delights of Kirby’s Dream Buffet. Check out the Nintendo eShop for the full range of discounted games. Importantly, this is a limited time offer. These discounts will be available until January the 8th 2023 so make sure you head into the eShop before then to make the most of the New Year Sale.  

But that’s not all that’s on offer. If you’re like us and always hungry for more Nintendo eShop Gold Points, you can currently earn twice as many Gold Points with every purchase from now until January 31st 2023. Nintendo Switch Online and Expansion Pack members will receive double Gold Points - that’s 10% of the purchase price - on all purchases of games, DLC, and even game vouchers. 

If you’ve just got a new Nintendo Switch for Christmas and don’t know about Nintendo eShop Gold Points, these are a digital currency that you earn with every purchase on the eShop. You can then use these points as a discount on future purchases so, simply, the more you earn, the lower the price will be on your next game purchase. Given how busy 2023 is going to be for Nintendo Switch games, this is a perfect time to collect as many Gold Points as possible. Happy shopping! 

See below for the full terms and conditions for both the Nintendo eShop New Year Sale and Gold Points offer info.    

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To be able to purchase download games or download demos and free software from Nintendo eShop on the official website, you'll need to have a Nintendo Account which is linked to your Nintendo Switch console. You'll need to have your console registered as the active console for downloads for your Nintendo Account by visiting Nintendo eShop on the device you wish to download on at least once. For automatic download, your system must be updated and connected to the internet with automatic downloads enabled, and it must have enough storage to complete the download. To find out more, visit the Support section. Purchases made or demo downloads activated through the Nintendo website are processed via Nintendo eShop.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet pre-orders are still live, with plenty of in-game rewards and merch up for grabs for those getting their orders in early. Retailers are offering their own individual incentives on top of the special Pikachu up for grabs for anyone who buys before February 28. We're seeing listings live all over the place right now, so if you're looking to get your name down for either title (or both, with the Double Pack option) before that November 18 release date, we've got you covered. 

From extra berries to in-game healing packs, you'll find plenty of digital bonuses on US shelves. We've scoured the web on our own Pokemon Scarlet and Violet pre-order hunt, and we'd recommend heading to Amazon first. With speedy release day delivery and an ever so slight reduction on that $59.99 MSRP (down to $59.88 - win). 

If you're in the UK, there's a lot more to consider. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet pre-orders across the pond are being widely discounted, and include a range of free gifts as well. You'll find plenty of options below, but the headline here is that Currys is your best bet. You can use promo code STARTER20 here for a £10 discount on the £49.99 RRP - bringing you pre-order all the way down to £39.99.

You'll find all the latest Nintendo Switch deals on this upcoming pre-order just below. 

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet pre-orders in the US

Pre-order Pokemon Scarlet and Violet in the UK

We're also rounding up the latest cheap Nintendo Switch games and showing you where to pre-order Splatoon 3. If you're after a whole new console, we're rounding up all the retailers offering the chance to buy the Splatoon 3 Nintendo Switch OLED as well. 

The Nintendo Switch 2 relies on speedier microSD Express Cards to store and run games, which can be pricey, and not everyone has the means to make the next-gen upgrade. If you're not ready to grab the best Nintendo Switch 2 MicroSD Express Cards, sticking with the OG Switch and one of the best SD Cards can help rejuvenate your older device before you’re ready to make that next-gen leap.

Through our own testing, we worked out that the average first-party original Nintendo Switch game sits at around 6.7GB, so it's fairly easy to work out which size you need based on your current or future library. Indie games tend to be far smaller, so there's wiggle room here as well. The best Nintendo Switch SD cards can expand the older handheld all the way up to 2TB. Of course, very few Ninty fans need that much space, unless you're also fond of taking a lot of screenshots and video clips.

While it's disappointing that one of the best Nintendo Switch accessories isn't compatible with the Switch 2, you can pop your older SD Cards into the Switch 2 to transfer screenshots and clips - so don't throw any of these away just yet if you're thinking of investing in Ninty's newest machine.

The Quick List

The best Nintendo Switch SD card for a storage boost

64GB Nintendo Switch memory cards are about as small as you'll want to go. They double the storage space on an OLED device, but in the grand scheme of things they're still pretty restrictive. They are, however, the cheapest way to upgrade your storage.

It's a storage boost for those who generally buy cartridges rather than running full first party titles from the eShop, but still want to download a few smaller indies. If you're going for the big Ninty releases, you'll get somewhere between 7-10 games on here, depending on individual install sizes - but considering smaller experiences can barely leave the 1GB mark there's plenty more room for others.

A 64GB card isn't going to last forever, but if you don't want to spend too much cash on your first upgrade and won't be downloading more than a couple games a month over the next year or so then it's the cheapest way to go.

The best Nintendo Switch SD card for eShop fans

Sandisk is one of the biggest and best names in MicroSD cards, and this is the best value model you can buy. For about $20 / £20 you get 128GB of storage, a reliable MicroSD card with decent file transfer speeds. Plus, you even get an adapter should you want to use this in an SD-based device like a digital camera or should you have the urge to transfer all of your favorite screenshots and video clips to your laptop. That makes it hugely versatile. Nintendo partnered with SanDisk for the official SD card for Switch, so it's a make Ninty trusts too. And yes, we have tested this MicroSD card and it 100% works with your Switch.

Best budget Nintendo Switch SD Card

The Amazon Basics line of microSD cards is as just like the name suggests - basic. The line only comes with all the basic necessitates of any microSD card, a pretty basic design and pretty basic speeds, but that's what helps keep costs low to make it best best SD card available for the original Switch today.

Modern microSD cards by brands like Sandisk can almost double the speeds of this card, even with the iconic storage tech brand's own 256GB equivalent card. But, it's pretty hard to out-do the Amazon Basics line when it comes to being budget friend, as this microSD manages to bring 256GB to the table while keeping costs below $20 / £20.

Again, this card's read and write speeds of 100MB/s and 90MB/s respectively are nothing to write home about. But if you're sticking to your original Switch and not making that next generational leap with the Nintendo Switch 2 because you have a strict budget to stick to, this is an ideal way to still get extra space for your games without breaking the bank.

The best Nintendo Switch SD card for eShop Pros

Hitting the ‘Goldilocks window’ for Nintendo Switch SD cards (being more than big enough for most game storage needs, but remaining at a price that’s entirely fair), the 200GB SDXC will evaporate all your storage worries for a long time. For the price of roughly one AAA Nintendo Switch game, you’ll get a home for dozens and dozens more – you could fit Super Mario Odyssey on this thing 33 times. If you’re not on a particularly tight budget, and want a robust Nintendo Switch memory card that still won’t cost the Earth, this is the one to go for. It's worth noting that the cost of SD cards continues to fall, so you can pick this one up much cheaper today than it was 6 months ago, so it's worth stretching your budget a little.

The best Nintendo Switch SD card for future proofing

If you're ever thinking about being completely, utterly, and totally future-proofed in terms of your Switch's capacity then the Silicon Power 1TB Superior SD card is for you. Yes, the 1TB capacity will mean it is a larger investment by default to begin with but the sheer value here is ridiculous, and you'll literally never have to worry about storage space again. Pop this in and even the most storage conscious of future-proof worried among us will have their minds eased.

With Nintendo still bringing out bangers, even though the Switch 2 is out in the wild, 1TB will have you more than prepared, especially if you prefer your digital downloads over physical carts. Whether it's The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Mario Party Jamboree, or Mario & Luigi: Brothership, you'll be at ease knowing 1TB will more than be enough for Nintendo's recent releases, and then some.

The Superior 1TB SD card also comes with an adapter so you're good to go with any kind of mobile device or laptop should you need to shift gears, and there's a five-year warranty so you can have peace of mind. Simple, massive stuff.

The best looking Nintendo Switch SD card

When it comes to the best microSD cards, how the card actually looks likely won't matter to everyone - especially where the Nintendo Switch is considered. Once you've inserted your microSD card into any model Switch, you're never going to see it again unless you frequently swap between multiple cards at a time.

Regardless, SanDisk and Nintendo thought of everything and have a whole line-up of officially licensed cards for those who care. This Super Mario mushroom design is just one of a whole array of microSD cards based on Nintendo properties, varying in all the usual storage variants you can imagine. Outside of the flashy designs, there's not much going on that separates them from their non-licensed counterparts.

This red microSD card still sports read and transfer speeds up to 100MB/s, write speeds up to 90MB/s, and 128GB worth of space for all your eShop game downloads. The only difference you'll find here is in its design, and if your microSD needs to look as flashy as your Switch case, then this, and the rest of the officially licensed Nintendo Switch memory card line, are the best looking cards you can get your hands on.

*Based on an average of 6.7GB per title, allowing for unusable storage space on the card itself

How to choose the best Nintendo Switch SD card

When it comes to choosing the best Nintendo Switch SD card for your Switch, you'll want to make sure you're getting the right memory card size for your playstyle and existing library.

For example, if you generally stick to indie games and smaller releases you'll be able to get away with a 64GB or 128GB card a lot easier than someone who plays all the first party games. Official Nintendo Switch games generally scale between 5GB and 10GB of space, and some can go a little beyond this as well. However, if you already know you prefer to buy most of your games physically you can scale down your required storage a little.

We'd recommend a 128GB or 200GB card for most users, giving you a good spread of first party downloads and bags of space for smaller installs. That's with a handful of physical games thrown in - if you're going all digital and regularly pick up new releases you might want to invest in a one-and-one 1TB option.

Of course, if you're a die-hard Nintendo collector, you can also pick between one of the official cards. The licenced SD cards feature iconography from the Super Mario Series, Animal Crossing and The Legend of Zelda, but I'd only recommend choosing these above the rest if you're a dedicated Ninty fan. They make look better than other cards, but their flashy looks comes at a higher price point than those of the exact same storage size.

Remember, if you want to store and run Switch and Switch 2 games on your new Nintendo Switch 2 handheld, you will have to pick up a choose a compatible microSD Express Card instead. The handheld comes with 256GB worth of onboard storage, however, so you can use it and your older SD card for screenshots in the interim before you've gathered the funds for the new, speedier cards.

The best Nintendo Switch SD Cards: FAQ

How big are Nintendo Switch games?

It's easiest to find the right Nintendo Switch memory card when you know what you're going to be piling into it. You'll find the install sizes for the latest and greatest Nintendo Switch games just below. It's also worth noting that these are some of the largest titles on the eShop; smaller indie games can be as little as MBs in size. (The average size for a first party Nintendo title is around 6.7GB.)

• Mario & Luigi: Brothership - 9.9GB
• Splatoon 3 - 5.2GB
• Kirby and the Forgotten Land - 5.8GB
• Pokemon Legends Arceus - 6GB
• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - 6.7GB
• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - 13.4GB
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - 18.2GB
• The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - 7.5GB
• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom - 5.4GB
• Animal Crossing: New Horizons - 6.2GB
• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - 13.6GB
• Metroid Dread - 4.1GB
• Luigi's Mansion 3 - 6.3GB
• Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury - 2.9GB
• Fire Emblem Engage - 18GB
• Monster Hunter Rise - 6.6GB

Nintendo Switch memory card glossary

Even smaller plug and play SD cards like the kind used in the Nintendo Switch can come with a plethora of terms to make the whole buying process more difficult. We're breaking down common jargon here, to make sure you know exactly what you're buying.

If you want to get more value out of your older Switch handheld, you'll find all the best Nintendo Switch chargers available now, as well as the best Nintendo Switch headsets. We're also rounding up all the best Nintendo Switch controllers and the latest Nintendo Switch game deals as well.

Some players still don't know that Overwatch 2 is free, an issue that's been exacerbated by the fact that only the paid Watchpoint Pack is available on digital storefronts ahead of launch.

If you head to the relevant store page for Overwatch 2 on PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo eShop, or Battle.net ahead of launch, you will only see the $39.99 USD Watchpoint Pack available for purchase, which gets you the Season 1 battle pass, a selection of skins, and 2,000 Overwatch coins for buying premium items.

There is no listing for the standard, free version ahead of the Overwatch 2 release time. The only way to get an Overwatch 2 preload going ahead of launch is to purchase the Watchpoint Pack, or to download it as an update to the original Overwatch.

For now players, this has been a pretty confusing rollout. Social media is filled with questions about whether or not Overwatch 2 is free-to-play.

So yes, for the record, Overwatch 2 is free-to-play. You'll see a free version of the download go up on digital stores around launch time.

Some players are already having issues with the mobile authentication system, so don't be surprised if you have some extra steps ahead of launch. And, of course, everyone's expecting the Overwatch 2 servers to break at launch, since it is a major online game and those never release without issues. If you want to step back and wait for those issues to get worked out, the free download will still be waiting for you.

Check out all of the best FPS games you can be taking aim at right now.