The Switch comes out with a bang. Ahead of the announcement of the successor to the Nintendo handheld hybrid next year, this aging hardware continues to receive surprising new games in his 2023. The Legend of Zelda: Kingdom of Tears, one of the best entries to date in the long-running fantasy adventure series. Last year, it felt like the Switch quietly disappeared. 2023 proved that the barebones console still has some tricks up its sleeve and showed once again why this is one of the most beloved gaming machines of all time.
The history of the Switch over the past six years has been simple. If you make a great game, players will appear. Affordable hardware that prioritized convenience over specs proved that you don’t need teraflops or great online play to sell a console, just open world. zelda Or two, and a reliable drip feed of other great first-party exclusives. What’s remarkable about the Switch isn’t how much it’s grown since 2017, but how much has remained the same. In 2023, it feels like Nintendo has come full circle again, ignoring all expectations of modern gaming platforms and instead creating a new hit.
But that doesn’t mean the famous Japanese game company has shut itself into its shell. It extends to crossovers between movies, theme parks, new toys, and more. But the stacked release calendar of 2023 has bought Nintendo extra time and goodwill while also dispelling countless questions about the Switch 2, backwards compatibility, and what the heck happened. metroid prime 4. After all, there was still gas left in the tank of the old tablet running on 2015 graphics his chip.
The console itself is the same as before.Instead of new peripherals, accessories, or updated hardware, Nintendo released special editions tears of the kingdom and Mario OLED switch. The software was intact as well. Despite six firmware updates, the Switch received no meaningful new software features in 2023. Simple things like custom backgrounds are still his MIA, and party chat remains exclusive to many games’ mobile apps. Third-party social hub Discord has been fully integrated into PlayStation and Xbox this year. However, that’s not the case with the Switch. Like Netflix, this app doesn’t seem destined to appear on Nintendo consoles. It was a great game to come out on the handheld hybrid.
zelda and Mario save the day again
The Switch was released in 2017. Breath of the Wild And later that year, super mario odyssey.The star-studded lineup looks like A once in a generation chance momentbut Nintendo managed to recreate that magic and end the console’s lifecycle. tears of the kingdom It wasn’t just an open world remix zelda We’ve fundamentally reworked the formula to make building a rocket ship as natural as shooting arrows at Keith. Breath of the Wild Players can freely play in large and beautiful landscapes filled with monsters and puzzles. tears of the kingdom We’ve taken them underground as well as into the sky, adding new verticality to our vast open worlds and bringing crafting into the natural environment right from your menu screen.
Nintendo concluded 2023 as follows. super mario bros wonder, a maximalist return to platformers’ 2D roots, full of new mechanics, visual flourishes, and memorable side-scrolling set pieces.characterized by a deep influence super mario maker– Style level design and callbacks with dangerous obstacle courses super mario bros 3 and super mario worldwhich culminated in a way that pleased conservative audiences, but still ultimately became the fastest-selling game in franchise history.
Looking at these tent poles, it’s easy to forget just how strong the rest of the Switch’s release calendar was this year.How it all started fire emblem engageand metroid prime remaster. Pikmin 4 It attracted a lot of attention in the summer. Detective Pikachu is back and super mario rpg It helped me wrap up the year. mario kart 8 deluxe While continuing to add new characters and tracks, Pokemon Scarlet/Violet and xenoblade 3 Both have undergone significant expansion. Switch also scores big with Steam Sensation’s timed exclusive console port dave the diverand many versions of this year’s biggest indie games. dredging and space for unfettered people to Sea of stars and Blasphemy 2.
The only department where the Switch remains incredibly flawed is its ports of major third-party blockbusters. Fans are used to not getting the latest big-budget movies like: Star Wars Jedi: Survivor or Diablo IV, but even the games that do jump have been significantly nerfed.Planned switch version Evil Dead: Game, RoboCop: Rogue Cityand Marvel’s Midnight Sons All canceled.meanwhile hogwarts legacy It has finally arrived after a long delay, but the visuals have been significantly stripped down.surprise batman arkham trilogy The release was also a flop, with painful trade-offs that made the collection nearly impossible to recommend on underpowered hardware. Clearly, the wizards at Nintendo know something about optimizing games for the Switch that other wizards don’t.
Switch online level up
![Game Boy and Game Boy Advance games appear on a red background.](https://i.kinja-img.com/image/upload/c_fit,q_60,w_645 /e9745c1baaa7e511614359d29add29a7.jpg)
Nintendo’s multiplayer and retro library subscription service will add Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance games in 2023, answering the prayers of fans who want official access to classic games like I did. The Legend of Zelda Minish Cap and metroid fusion Also. New games have been added to the expansion pack tier, but the price still costs $50 a year, even though other services have increased their prices. With this subscription, Switch owners now have access to: mario kart 8 deluxenew DLC and new battle royale spin-off F-Zero 99.
Determining whether Switch Online is more “value for money” in 2023 than it was when it first launched, given that it’s the only subscription service that doesn’t include access to new and cutting-edge third-party games It’s difficult. Added N64 library, more than doubles his game selection golden eye 007 and pokemon stadium The NES also gets a surprising drop this year. mystery tower and devil worlda maze game designed by Miyamoto, but not previously localized in North America.
At the same time, it’s become clear that Switch Online’s retro library is a double-edged sword. Users can’t buy games outright, so they have to subscribe to the entire bundle instead of just buying the few games they actually want to play. Also, if you don’t want to lose access, you’ll need to maintain your subscription. If you stop paying for even one month, The Legend of Zelda Majora‘s mask Locked down again. And games that are ripe for remakes or remasters probably won’t be added to the service in the first place. super mario rpg. final fantasy iv and Final Fantasy VI It’s an obvious candidate to add value to Switch Online’s SNES library, but it’s available separately through the Pixel Remaster collection, leaving the retro library subscribers are paying for woefully incomplete.Of course, all of this would be forgiven if Nintendo eventually added mother 3.
Nintendo’s crackdown on leakers and fans
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It’s now commonplace for major first-party Switch games to be leaked and uploaded online before their official release date, spreading like wildfire across the internet’s backchannels.Fans have started mining games like tears of the kingdom and super mario bros wonder Check back for secrets and spoilers at least a week before the actual release. Nintendo has maintained an equally tough stance against copyright infringement and leaks, requiring entire Discord servers to submit user data to advance litigation against alleged infringements, but the end of the Switch’s lifespan is , it may be accelerated by the following situations: New round of flash carts It may encourage copyright infringement.
Nintendo is even more noteworthy. appeared to have intervened This is to ban Dolphin GameCube and Wii emulators from Valve’s Steam Marketplace. A list of stores for the long-running project appeared in March. However, by May, Valve removed the listing while the two sides resolved their legal issues. A Nintendo spokesperson said, “Nintendo respects the intellectual property rights of other companies and expects other companies to do the same.” Kotaku at that time.
Even more surprising is the company’s apparent war on its own superfans, from YouTubers promoting Nintendo games to esports pros. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and splatoon 3. Breath of the Wild Content Maker Eric ‘PointCrow’ Morino I begged Nintendo After filing copyright claims against dozens of stunt videos, they decided to leave him alone. The crackdown appears to be targeting videos featuring modified content, but it also targets videos in general. Later this year, changes to Nintendo’s official competition guidelines were sent out. Shock the competitive community. New rules have emerged that outlaw grassroots tournaments and ban modified games such as: Project Mpopular fan variations Super Smash Bros. Melee. It’s unclear how the apparent conflict with existing competing communities will be resolved, but until then, it feels like a major setback to the company’s community efforts.
Will Switch 2 arrive in 2024?
![Mario holds up a mysterious switch.](https://i.kinja-img.com/image/upload/c_fit,q_60,w_645/e2f4c4efa0361031055672194b4a9bd9.jpg)
All this brings us to what’s in store for Nintendo fans next year. Whether it’s the Switch 2, Switch Pro, or entirely new hardware, it’s hard to imagine Nintendo not showing off a new console by the start of its next financial year in April 2024. Gamescom and hardware specs that could bring the successor into line with his PS4-era console.Representative Director and President Shuntaro Furukawa Nintendo denied it was showing off a new device But evidence continues to mount that something will happen next year. Otherwise, 2024 could be the slowest year since the Switch’s launch.
But if that happens, there’s reason to hope that the Switch 2 might offer a smoother transition than the Wii U. “Our goal is to minimize the dips we often see at the end of one cycle and the beginning of the next,” Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser said earlier this year. “While we can’t speak to possible features on the new platform, the Nintendo Account is a strong foundation for communication as we transition.”
At this point, it’s hard to imagine buying a new Nintendo console and starting from scratch. Again, we’re talking about Nintendo. No one knows if the Switch 2 will support his 4K, have an OLED screen, or even have a slot for the Switch 1 cartridge. Built-in voice chat may not even start, let alone a streaming app. However, even if Nintendo were to go the Switch 2 route, it’s clear that it wouldn’t be able to take advantage of being the only handheld game console in town.and Steam, Windows, Cloud Gaming Handheld There will be more competition this time around as they are sprouting all over the place. However, if they continue to release games as good as the ones released in 2023, they’ll probably do just fine.