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Nintendo Switch revisited: Two years makes a big difference
The Nintendo Switch is no Wii U -- we knew that much when we reviewed it on March 1st, 2017. Its portable design lets you play your games anywhere, and it seamlessly turns into a home console when you dock it, something that still feels magical today. Best of all, you can hand off one of its controllers to a friend for some quick head-to-head action. While Sony and Microsoft chased the specter of high-end 4K gaming, Nintendo, once again, took a different path -- one that ultimately led to its most innovative console yet. It's still not perfect, but Nintendo managed to fix most of the complaints, like a lack of titles and no real online service, from our initial review. And it also showed us a few surprises along the way.
Xbox One X review: A console that keeps up with gaming PCs
The Xbox One X is the ultimate video game system. It sports more horsepower than any system ever. And it plays more titles in native 4K than Sony's PlayStation 4 Pro. It's just about everything you could want without investing in a gaming PC. The only problem? It's now been a year since the PS4 Pro launched, and the One X costs $500, while Sony's console launched at $400. That high price limits the Xbox One X to diehard Microsoft fans who don't mind paying a bit more to play the console's exclusive titles in 4K. Everyone else might be better off waiting, or opting for the $279 Xbox One S.
Futuristic racing game 'Lightfield' lands on PS4 and Xbox One
If you have a hankering for a different kind of racing game, Lightfield might pique your curiosity. You maneuver around by clinging to objects in a stylized, futuristic environment, with light trails streaming behind you. At any given moment, you can leap off the surface, parkour-style to find the fastest possible line to victory. Visually, it sort of looks like Tron meets Miami Vice, with pastel blue, pink and green colors trailing behind ships.
Microsoft's Xbox One X is still a tough sell
We get it, Microsoft. The Xbox One X is a beast! It'll run games in native 4K! (Not like that sometimes-4K from the PlayStation 4 Pro.) It's basically everything we've ever wanted, spec-wise, from a video game console. And yet, many aspects of the Xbox One X still fall flat, even though we're just a few months away from its November 7th release. That was more clear than ever at Gamescom this week, where Microsoft kicked things off with an overly long presentation that didn't give us many reasons to actually get excited for the One X.
'Splatoon 2' is a cautious but excellent evolution of the original
The Wii U was far from the most popular console of its generation -- but fans who took a chance on Nintendo's first HD machine were rewarded with a tightly curated library of modern-day classics. Exclusives like Super Mario 3D World, Pikmin 3 and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze showed that the value of the Wii U wasn't in its hardware but in Nintendo's creative library of games. Among them was Splatoon, the company's first online competitive shooter. The game's quirky squirt gun multiplayer battles were a genuine, delightful surprise -- and its Nintendo Switch sequel takes everything that was great about the original and makes it just a little bit better.
Engadget's editors on the Nintendo Switch
We were lucky enough to get an early look at the Nintendo Switch and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. But now that the console and its killer launch game are finally available to all (if you can find them, at least), we've asked several of our editors about their thoughts on the system. Despite the Switch's limited launch-title selection, most of them came away impressed.
What to expect from the Nintendo Switch's day-one update
The Nintendo Switch can't do much out of the box. It can play game cards (the system's tiny cartridges), but that's pretty much it. If you're getting a Switch tomorrow, you'll want to make sure you've got internet access to snag its day-one update, which adds support for the eShop, friends list and social-network posting. They're all things we couldn't use while reviewing the Switch, so I spent a bit of time with the new features today to see how they actually work.
Nintendo Switch review: Revolutionary, but it still needs work
There's a certain magic in the air ahead of a console launch. Unlike with phones and other gadgets, we don't see new game systems very often, so each new release feels momentous. That's particularly true for Nintendo, a company that's been striving to differentiate itself from its rivals. While Sony and Microsoft are pushing their consoles to be more like gaming PCs, Nintendo has focused on creating unique experiences that you can get only by buying one of its systems. The Switch has a lot riding on it. Nintendo has to make up for the missteps it made with the Wii U, and it has to convince gamers that a portable system can also be a decent home console. And of course, the company is under pressure from Sony's PlayStation 4 Pro and Microsoft's upcoming Scorpio. But while those systems are focused on offering powerful specs for 4K gaming and VR, Nintendo is once again selling something completely different.
48 hours with the Nintendo Switch
Is the Switch more like the Wii, Nintendo's ambitious and wildly successful console which unearthed a whole new audience of casual gamers, or the Wii U, the half-baked followup that even the company's hardcore fans never truly adopted? That was the main question I had in mind as I started testing the new console this week.
Nintendo expects to sell 2 million Switches in the first month
While Nintendo's earnings didn't look so good this quarter, President and CEO Tatsumi Kimishima apparently has a rosy outlook for the launch of his company's next-gen Switch portable console. According to the Wall Street Journal Tokyo correspondent Takashi Mochizuki, Nintendo plans to ship 2 million Switch consoles when it goes on sale in March 2017.
The Switch shows desperate Nintendo is the best Nintendo
Nintendo has something to prove. After the Wii U flamed out spectacularly, the company needed to do something truly different to stay afloat in the console world. Its answer is the Switch, a hybrid portable/home gaming system that's unlike anything we've seen before. While Microsoft and Sony are simply trying to shove in faster hardware to support 4K and HDR, Nintendo is going back to its roots with a device that evokes memories of spending carefree afternoons with your Game Boy, or going head-to-head with your friends in Mario Kart on the SNES. The Switch is a reminder that Nintendo innovates best after it fails, when its back is against the wall and it's not just reacting to pressure from the competition.
Will you buy the PlayStation 4 Pro?
The PlayStation 4 Neo Pro has finally been revealed, and it packs an intriguing amount of power and features unforeseen in the console world. But given that it's only been three years since the PS4's original debut, is it worth upgrading for the system's existing owners? With Microsoft's Project Scorpio, which is even more powerful on paper, coming next year, it might be worth waiting a bit before pulling the trigger. Engadget's editors have opinions.
PlayStation 4 Pro games look amazing, but don't expect real 4K
The PlayStation 4 Pro is undoubtedly the most powerful game console I've ever seen. Its GPU (powered by AMD's new Polaris technology) is more than twice as fast as the original PS4, and it sports a faster clock speed as well. But while Sony is marketing it as the ideal console for 4K gaming, the truth is more complicated. Rendering 4K games is something that's still tough for high-end PC gaming rigs today. So Sony is giving developers a variety of ways to make their games look better than standard 1080p titles on the PS4, even if they can't quite reach 4K.
Live from Sony's PlayStation 4 Pro event
Apple isn't the only big tech company making headlines today: Sony is also set to divulge its next console plans at its PlayStation event in NYC. While the company hasn't revealed any specifics yet, we're expecting to get a look at the PlayStation 4 Neo, its faster, 4K-ready PS4 follow-up. And of course, the thinner PS4 Slim will likely make an appearance as well, after being unceremoniously leaked over the past few weeks.
Nintendo's Classic Mini is a tiny NES with 30 games
That dusty old NES in your attic might be rife with nostalgic memories, but it's a pain to drag out of its box whenever you get the hankering for a rousing game of Super Mario Bros. 3. Nintendo totally gets it, as well as the fact that you might want something a little more convenient to enjoy your classic games. Enter the Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition, a mini replica of the original console.
We're updating our console reviews, starting with the Xbox One!
It's rare -- unprecedented, even -- that Engadget re-reviews the same product. But game consoles are a curious exception. Though the hardware stays the same, these machines receive myriad firmware updates, sometimes long after launch, that make them even more valuable. That's especially true of the Xbox One, whose interface became much, much easier to navigate after a major software update last year. With our coverage of the actual games still going strong, we thought it high time we revisit the devices themselves. As such, we'll be rewriting, re-scoring and even re-photographing our original write-ups of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. (With news that the Wii U might not live past this year, an obituary might be more appropriate than a fresh review.)
Nintendo says it's not stopping Wii U production
Contrary to reports from Japan's well-regarded business rag, Nikkei, Nintendo has told ITMedia that it has no plans to halt Wii U production so soon. "That's [Nikkei's report] not an official announcement. We plan to continue production through the rest of the year." (Admittedly, Nikkei's Nintendo scoops have been hit and miss in the past.) Despite rolling out a steady stream of new hits, the console is failing to gain the traction of the original Wii, and the higher-powered PS4 and Xbox One continue to make Nintendo's home console a distant third in installed user numbers. The games maker is hoping more exposure, courtesy of its tip-toeing foray into mobile, might help improve sales.
Nintendo is renovating its one-of-a-kind New York store
Nintendo's headquarters may be in Kyoto, Japan, but the spiritual center, where most big US console launches happen, is the Nintendo World store at Rockefeller Plaza, New York. The only official Nintendo store in the world is about to undergo a major renovation and when it's over, it'll also have a new name -- Nintendo NY. The new look will include an updated interior design, new Wii U and 3DS demo units, a 15-foot gaming screen and a large bronze coin at the entrance with the tagline "Where everyone comes to play" (below).
GAME takes a hit as Brits stop buying for PS3 and Xbox 360
The video game business can be cruel at times, as British retailer GAME knows all too well. After weathering a complete collapse and returning to the London Stock Exchange in recent years, the company has reported mixed success as consumers gets to grips with newer consoles like the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. In its latest financial results, however, GAME has been forced to admit that its sales and profits have been heavily impacted by a "challenging" UK market, one that has finally begun moving away from older hardware.
GameStop's going retro with classic consoles and games
GameStop is trying a new tactic as it faces increased competition from the likes of Gamefly, Amazon and other online retailers: It's going old school. IGN reports that beginning April 24th, the company will once again begin accepting classic consoles for trade-in and sale in 250 of its brick-and-mortar locations around NYC and Birmingham, Alabama. Technically, sellers will be able to offload their old consoles in an actual store but buyers will only be able to purchase these units online. Most every console from the 8-bit era on up to PS2's will reportedly be offered. And because the used consoles are first inspected and certified by GameStop before being put back up for sale, they're expected to come with warranties on par with those offered by the original manufacturers. GameStop hopes to roll the service out nationwide by the end of the year.