Watch: Nintendo's history of console gimmicks | Switch On Episode 9

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Nintendo's history of console gimmicks | Switch On Episode 9

Welcome to Switch On, the series where we bring you the latest news and talking points about the Nintendo Switch 2. Nintendo has a long history of developing hardware, and while its games have remained pretty consistent, its consoles couldn’t have gone in many more different design directions if they tried. So let’s take a look back at the company’s weird and wonderful legacy of gaming hardware, and see what it learned along the way. Video by Hal Dimond Additional material: Maddy Kendall-Murray and James Daly

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Nintendo's history of console gimmicks | Switch On Episode 9

Previews

The Blood of Dawnwalker is filled with smart role-playing choices that are making us hunger for more

We’ve played Claws of Awaji and it’s an ambitious yet familiar Assassin's Creed Shadows expansion

007 First Light was one of our highlights of Gamescom 2025!

Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival feels like the game your parents warned you about growing up!

We played Where Winds Meet at Gamescom!

We played Dawn of War 4 and it's a stunning RTS game

We played Onimusha: Way of the Sword at Gamescom!

We played Deadpool VR at Gamescom!

We played Invincible VS at Gamescom!

We've played Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds and it's the most SURPRISING racer of 2025

We played Kirby Air Riders and it's PERFECT if you've had enough Mario Kart

We've played Pokémon Legends: Z-A and its AWESOME new combat may be the way forward for the series

The Outer Worlds 2 is the next hit for true RPG sickos

We've played Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds and it's the most SURPRISING racer of 2025

We played Dawn of War 4 and it's a stunning RTS game

We've played Hollow Knight Silksong and it's real, AMAZING, and a GOTY contender

We played Resident Evil Requiem and got annoyed at the protagonist. But that’s ENTIRELY the point

We've played Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 and it's DEFINITELY worth the wait

After playing Pokémon Legends: Z-A, it could be the adventure Arceus should have been

We've played Ninja Gaiden 4 and it pushed us to the LIMIT

PowerWash Simulator 2 has Witcher senses to help you find dirt

We’ve played Silent Hill f and it’s made us excited for the series’ future | Silent Hill f preview

We’ve played Cronos: The New Dawn and it’s Silent Hill 2 meets Dead Space

We played Dying Light: The Beast and it’s a nailbiting survival horror

The 25 HOTTEST upcoming games right now

Has the Switch 2 found its Super Mario Odyssey? | Donkey Kong Bananza preview

We've played Borderlands 4 | hands-on preview

Reviews

Dying Light: The Beast review | A stunningly refined action-horror experience on every level

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds review | Even more frantic than Mario Kart World

Borderlands 4 is the best FPS we've played in 2025 – almost in spite of itself!

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater review | Still one of our favorite games of all time

What you NEED to know before playing Wuchang: Fallen Feathers

A genuine must-play for Switch 2 owners | Donkey Kong Bananza Review

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach review | More Metal Gear Solid than ever (for better and worse)

Blades of Fire review | Dares to make the case for weapon degradation being good

DOOM: The Dark Ages Review | Goretastic prequel hindered by new ideas

Expedition 33 Review | THRILLING turn-based RPG with Sekiro parries

Assassin's Creed Shadows review | What you Need to Know

The Need to Know: Monster Hunter Wilds review

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 review | An utterly absorbing realization of medieval life

Dynasty Warriors: Origins review | Stripped back with a focus on visceral yet tactical clashes

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: the franchise's best adventure since The Last Crusade

The 25 best games of 2024

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl Review | The best but most broken game of 2024

Lego Horizon Adventures review | This unlikely build fits together perfectly

Nintendo Switch 2

We've played Pokémon Legends: Z-A and its AWESOME new combat may be the way forward for the series

We played Kirby Air Riders and it's PERFECT if you've had enough Mario Kart

Donkey Kong Bananza is an adventure that rivals Mario’s best

A genuine must-play for Switch 2 owners | Donkey Kong Bananza Review

Nintendo Switch 2's first month breakdown

Has the Switch 2 found its Super Mario Odyssey? | Donkey Kong Bananza preview

Breath Of The Wild Is Still The Superior Zelda Game

There's a new Splatoon game coming called Splatoon Raiders

The Optimal Way To Unlock Every Vehicle In Mario Kart World

Mario Kart World Is "Completely Broken"

Nintendo Say It's Unlikely That Physical Games Will Ever "100 Percent Go Away"

Moo Moo Cow Is The Best New Mario Kart World Character

7 Best Switch 2 Games So Far

Nintendo Switch 2 worth it? | Full console review

Answering Your Switch 2 Questions

Everything we know about the Duskbloods | FromSoftware's Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond preview | This monumental Switch 2 release has a LOT to live up to

Donkey Kong Bananza preview | DK’s return to the third dimension is looking worth the wait

This is what the Switch 2 eShop needs to be like

Nintendo's history of console gimmicks | Switch On Episode 9

News

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 removes DLC after fan reaction

Palworld dev says a Dark Souls 3 mod invalidates Nintendo's Poké Ball patent

Assassin's Creed Shadows DLC launches to 'Mostly Negative' rating on Steam

Borderlands 4 boss says online hate is actually a different form of love

Helldivers 2 players forced Arrowhead into disabling the Rupture Strain

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds does what Nintendon’t

Randy Pitchford says virtually no one is having performance issues with Borderlands 4 on PC

Gabe Newell says people tell him to uninstall Dota 2 when he plays

Baldur's Gate 3 Shadowheart actor Jennifer English says Dark Urge is too challenging as a player

Baldur's Gate 3 dev says patents like Nintendo's are too often used in bad faith