Comments on Nintendo Direct & Switch Next/2 Talk

I’ve stayed away from commenting on both the rumored Nintendo Direct (that many seem to think will drop tomorrow) and all the speculation around the next incarnation of the Switch. So I’ll say a few things now.

NINTENDO DIRECT

I’ve completely checked out of the speculation around what will and won’t be included in a rumored upcoming Direct. Nintendo is due for a Direct this month and there’s too much activity around it for some of the rumors not to hold weight.

A lot of discussion seems to have shifted to discussing when it will happen as opposed to what might be included in it.

I don’t really like to get into all the speculation and hype surrounding Directs. When I have, I ended up being very disappointed! Plus, I like surprises! However, with this go round, there was one rumored game that caught my attention…

I stumbled across Pyoro’s twitter page and it’s hinted there that a port of F-Zero GX may be on deck and ready to be announced at this Direct.

I’m doing my ABSOLUTE best to keep cool and stay calm, because I do not like my emotions played with! Possibly the ONLY game I’d choose over a port of Xenoblade Chronicles X and Twilight Princess HD is an HD remaster of F-Zero GX… I love F-Zero. And it’s been a long time. I’d even be ok with an upscaled version.

So, I’m not getting sucked into what could be again, and I’m not anticipating it at all. If this Direct is happening - I’ll wait, see, and then watch with no expectation still. I’m not getting hyped by these rumors one bit. I learned that lesson many moons ago!

SWITCH 2

Rumor has it that Nintendo showed off the Switch 2 behind closed doors at Gamescom. Nintendo reportedly showed off an enhanced demo of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in 4K running at 60fps with some nifty effects (perhaps ray-tracing) turned on.

The hardware was also able to handle The Matrix Reloaded demo, which runs on Unreal Engine 5, and saw visuals comparable to the PS5 demo, making use of Nvidia’s DLSS upscaling technology.

I say with absolutely no equivocation that I will IMMEDIATELY begin a third playing through of Breath of the Wild once if I get to play it in 4k resolution at 60fps. It would breathe new life into the game for me! And it would be absolutely glorious!

The idea of BotW running a 4k/60fps ALONE has me purchasing tickets to board the hype train.

There’s way too much smoke here. There are too many trusted sources reporting on this now - Eurogamer, Digital Foundry, VGC, Nate the Hate….

Something’s going down and I’m ready for some real details on what’s coming.

Oddly, backwards compatibility is still up in the air according to these sources and that’s my only worry - though I want to believe Nintendo wouldn’t be so dense as to not include it. We shall see.

In terms of release, I’m still hoping for a 2024 release later in the back half of the year sometime. I think March 2024 is too soon.

We shall see….

UPDATE :

A Nintendo direct has now been confirmed for 9/12/23 after this post was published!