Good morning/afternoon/evening N4G,
What attracts us to gaming platforms? More of the same or stark contrasts to what we knew and loved/hated? We tend to be a little heavy-handed in a console's assessment after buying it and somehow we seem surprised at what the product offers. Common ones this generation are "PS4 is just a more powerful PS3" and "XBOX One is just an XBOX with a better camera". Well, yes and no. There's a clear effort to incorporate touch, motion, and position into the player's experience, but more on that in a bit.
Consoles aren't arbitrarily named. Quite often, the names communicate a level of vision for the product, and I think we overlook that. Look at Nintendo: NES to SNES (a more powerful NES) to N64 (use of 64-bit, third-dimension graphics, 4 controller ports, and a thumbstick), GameCube (dual thumbsticks, mini-discs, GameCube for Broadband, LAN), Wii (completely modified control input, bluetooth, DVD9, self-loading slot, and multiplayer focused experience) and Wii U (play with others but with a more centralized experience thanks to the Gamepad, adding a more definitive layer of a "we" experience, or a "you" experience; HD graphics with HDMI output). Each console in this case builds upon experiences of previous models, but when the names really differed, it warranted substantial changes in the product offering.
So back to what I was saying before (PS4/XBOX One = more of the same). You can't criticize them for that. Let's look at PlayStation 4. The product is communicated as "PS3, and more" and, according to my research, 4 is in fact greater than 3. Sony has added some great features to PS4, and we can totally appreciate that. It's not meant to produce an experience that alienates PSOne, PS2, or PS3. In fact, it's more of an addition to the family, much like most games and their sequels where many core mechanics are [at least intended] to have been improved in later iterations. iPhones are another piece of hardware that share this pattern, each one within a family meant to improve upon the previous iterations. Although, PS4 may not be a particularly accurate name for long with the advent of Morpheus. Obviously, Sony wasn't happy with the PlayStation Portable (an oxymoronic name, if you think about it) and completely recreated their vision for a handheld with Vita focusing on life: staying connected, fast, and ever in motion.
Regardless! The Super Nintendo was basically the NES improved and the N64 was different from the SNES in many ways as the GameCube was radically different from the N64 as the Wii is drastically different from the GameCube and the Wii U is comparable to the Wii.
Microsoft's XBOX line has extremely similar input by design with the name specifying its vision where XBOX 360 focused on global connectivity and XBOX One strives to be a living room representative. The controllers, services, and focuses are largely analogous with each other in the XBOX family just as is the case with the PlayStations (1-4).
My point is, can we really criticize a company for doing "more of the same"? If PlayStation 5 comes to fruition and is an improved upper-tier PS4, would it be a surprise? If the next XBOX is realized and it is definitively similar with camera and controller, would you be shocked? Probably not, and you shouldn't be. A different name would really constitute a company extending quite far outside of their comfort zones. Nintendo retired Gameboy and created the DS, succeeded by the 3DS and are quite different from Gameboy yet similar in many ways to each other.
Not that any of this particularly matters to the well-informed consumer, but I just figured it was good food for thought. So let's not berate manufacturers for being literal. If you didn't catch that, well...I'm sorry...?
Have a great one, gamers.
Son Heung-min Fortnite collaboration confirmed for June 21 with exclusive skin and Snap Ceremony emote bundle.
The Nintendo Switch 2 may receive support for docked mode 4K and 120 Hz output at some point in the future.
hopefully VRR via a firmware update is released for docked play as well (like the PS5 did post release)
Not a knock on Switch 2 but it’s not made for it. Maybe a lower resolution at 120fps or 4k at a low fps but it’s not capable of both.
There's actually a pretty long list of games on PS5 that support 120hz. Even more with 60+hz unlocked, and that isn't even counting PS5 Pro.
https://www.reddit.com/r/PS...
Yes, according to the dock teardown. It contains HDMI hardware chip of Realtek RTD2175N that supports 4K 120hz. And the HDMI included on the Switch 2 is HDMI 2.1.
Nintendo Switch 2 breaks US launch sales record, selling over 1.1 million units in its first week. This breaks the record set by PS4.
Could be a 3DS though. 3DS outsold DS by 2:1 in its first year in the United States yet lifetime sales ended up being less than half.
I'm happy for Nintendo. Even though the Switch 2 has received so much hate just to bring it down, it hasn't won. Even though some are saying they'll boycott Nintendo, it hasn't affected sales. Especially now, with word of mouth that the system is good, demand for the Switch 2 will definitely increase more.
Considering the record sales the Switch 2 is seeing around the globe its clear a portion of the loud minority clearly bought the device.
But But the internet told me the switch 2 was going to be a failure.
Such a good system im having a blast with it and really enjoying my first ever playthrough of yakuza 0
Sold through or to the stores? Asking because they're tons of them at my local Best Buy. When the PS5 and Series consoles launched, you couldn't find them anywhere.
The article clearly says sold. If it were shipped, it would say shipped.
Nintendo had been saying the last year or so that they would be flooding stock so that scalpers would not be an issue. They've followed through with their word. It's not cutting edge tech, so it's been easier for them to sit on stock for a while until it accumulated to a massive number available to be shipped.
Companies often use shipped and sold interchangeably. Regardless of what it is, supply hasn't been an issue at all.
What is the location of the Best Buy you speak of? We can find out if they have units or not. If they do, I can put something out there on Twitter/X for those in the area looking for a Switch 2.
Good for them, I'm still not buying.
Looks to be a pretty safe and boring upgrade over Switch 1 which I don't think they can top it on how plain looking it is design wise.
Shame since Switch Lite showed they still know how to make a handheld that looks good and is actually portable in a classic Nintendo sense.
That's why I got one over Switch 2's block of charcoal.
Then there's the prices of it all and the whole Key card thing destroyed any sense of game ownership.
There'll be a number of revisions for the s2 like a s2 lite or oled also seems inevitable
Unless they drop the prices and actually has a more portable variant that can also dock then maybe I'll reconsider but as of now, nope too big too boring and expensive to make it worth this early, not enough of its own games atm as well.
Who knows removing the dock capabilities would lower the cost of the unit pretty significantly.
The cost of the dock, reduction in shipping costs etc bug savings which will enable a cheaper system
I always find things like this interesting. I remember seeing some articles on marketing psychology related to branding and how powerful a name can be and vice versa. Not only names, but color palettes and even "buzz" words that are associated with products. It's very interesting. That being said, I STILL can't get with the name Wii. It just didn't really register! LOL
The "i" in the iPod craze is the reason for the Wii's name. They put two "i"s to make it seem better than that subconscious thought of iPod and iPad being a positive thing. Even PEPSI changed the font on their logos in 2006 so they could capitalize on the iPad iPod subconscious of being elite or more sophisticated. The little "i" is still having a good run.
In Sony's case, the names of each of their consoles is no surprise since each one has been a huge seller and 'Playstation' is literally a great description for what the product is and does.