RUMOUR: Host of Technical Details Appear

Yep, another batch of Nintendo Switch rumours... I remember when I wrote about other things but people want the switch, seriously our viewership has increased a 100 fold since the NX started to heat up. Thank you for that BTW.

Today's rumours are a little different as they all reference various technical aspects of the Switch's hardware. As always we'll try to reason these rumours but as always best grab some salt.

RAM
First up with Emily Rodgers is now saying her sources have confirmed the retail version of the Nintendo Switch will have 4GB of RAM, not just the dev-kits.

Alright. I have some good news. I can confirm that Switch has 4GB of ram in RETAIL units. Not just the dev kits. Double the Wii U's ram.

— Emily Rogers (@ArcadeGirl64) October 30, 2016

Compared to the Wii U that's double but compared to the Xbox One and PS4's 8GB it seems low. It is worth remembering PS4 holds back 3.5 GB for its OS, while the Xbox locks up 3GB and whilst we don't know what the OS for Switch is like other "portable" platforms' (tablets, phones and Handhelds) OS are very lightweight. What this does mean though is providing the OS isn't a Behemoth then the Switch would be "within range" of the standard X1 and PS4.

It's also worth pointing out the above doesn't include any "boosts" the dock may/may not have and the fact that the Switch uses cartridges does mean games aren't as heavy on the RAM (I doubt this will come into play as it would rule out digital as an option for games that use that advantage).

Carts
According to Takashi Mochizuki of the Wall Street Journal, his sources say that Switch Standard Cartridges at launch would be 16GB.

Looks like standard capacity of Switch game card at least when console launched would be around 16; enough for one-layer Blu-ray game.

— Takashi Mochizuki (@mochi_wsj) October 28, 2016

That's less than the Wii U's 32GB and is about enough space for a "single layer Blu-Ray game". Which probably means very little as the 3DS launched with 2GB cards, Resident Evil Revelations was a 4GB card, as did Metal Gear Solid 3, Bravely Default and it's sequel. Apparently (according to the card makers) the 3DS card taps out at 8GB though no game has used it. The same company works on the Switch cards and giving the fact you can buy 128 GB MicroSD cards so it's not unreasonable to think we would see meaty cars high as 64GB, larger than a dual layer Blu-Ray (50GB)

Nvidia Chip
Japanese journalist Nishikawa Zenj has produced a report on what's reportedly inside the Switch

• Switch will likely use the NVIDIA Pascal ‘Parker’ architecture for its GPU
• the Tegra chip inside the platform could help the Switch evolve just like the PS4 and the PS4 Pro
• There are no indications that Nintendo will opt for the ‘Maxwell’ architecture within the Switch
• The custom NVIDIA chip will feature a floating-point performance around 1 TFLOPS
• There is almost “no possibility” that the Switch will perform above 1.5 TFLOPS due to the battery drive inside the Switch

So let's jump on the key points first the "evolve comment" means he believes Nintendo could launch a more powerful Switch later without "leaving" the generation, So like 3DS to New 3DS and not DS to 3DS. The Switch running at only 1 Teraflops might be weaker than the X1 (1.32) but less than the X1 is to the PS4 (1.84). Which like the RAM rumour throws the Switch into the same "ballpark" as the other two. Of cause, Teraflops isn't a true indication of how the system will perform in the real world.

For reference, the PS4 Pro is 4.14 and the Scorpio is 6 Teraflops.

Abe's Take

This is the sort of thing I was expecting to hear from the Nintendo Switch. Not as powerful as the X1 but close enough to make porting easy enough. I expect for third parties to market their Switch titles as portable versions of the "same great games" as on Xbox and PS4. But alas they are rumours and as such we must wait the 70-odd days till the full reveal.

Dear Nintendo, please release me from an never ending "30 days of" feature!

Third Parties Surprise Nintendo

The Wii U had a lot of touted a lot third party support during its first E3 (of 2) before launch. unfortunately, THQ collapsed and Ubisoft delayed (then made multiformat) the systems first major exclusive which caused chaos with Nintendo's release schedule which slowed sales. 

It's not just us players interested in the Switch.

The Wii U's slow march never picked up steam after that and that affected Nintendo deeply. As such Nintendo currently has (public) plans for 2 million units of Nintendo Switch for the first month (which could be low if its out the 1st of March or a lot if its out the 31st) but it appears the overwhelmingly positive reaction has Nintendo preparing to drop more units at launch, the company is apparently keeping a close eye on all the events to see the public and press reaction. If it's still positive they will produce far more for launch. (It is currently assumed Nintendo has the machines made but wants to throttle shipping them so they don't over produce units.)

Apparently, it is the third parties who have had the strongest response. Their enthusiasm for the new machine has surprised Nintendo, who was expecting to have to win publishers and developers over. It's not the official partners (who have access to the device) that are surprising Nintendo but those who saw it at the same time as the rest of us.

UPDATE: Here are some comments from Level 5 and Square Enix. These aren't overly relevant as their companies are official partners but I didn't see the need to create separate articles for two statements.

“We plan to make games for Nintendo Switch, but I think it’s very important to find out the best way to get the most out of the console. For that reason, we won’t have any titles at launch, but we’ll work with it as soon as we figure out how to take advantage of it.” - Level 5 CEO

“I’m very interested in this machine! As a player, but also as a developer, The Nintendo Switch that you can transform into a controller, that you can put into a dock, that you can move around with, on which you can replace elements. It’s been a while that I’ve told myself that I would like to make games on a Nintendo machine, so if the Nintendo Switch could be that opportunity, I’ll be delighted!”  - Final Fantasy Director Hajime Tabata

Abe's Take
I would certainly like to pick up multiformat games on the Switch but i suspect the specs won't allow every game to come to it unless the device is as easy (read cheap) to port to we might see "weaker" versions of games seen on Xbox and PS,

A confirmed game and MORE Nintendo Switch Rumours

Yep, these rumours just keep on coming, which makes sense as leakers are braver after Nintendo has revealed the device and at this point, the amount of people involved in developing the device must be expanding by the day. 

Offical
Koei Tecmo has confirmed its first Nintendo Switch game, interestingly it is not a Warriors game. Although it is in fact based on the same period as Samurai Warriors. Koei is bringing their latest title Nobunaga's ambition to the NS.

What type of game is it? well if you put a gun to my head and forced me to answer I'd say "it's a little like total war" but since you don't have a gun, I say check out some gameplay from the below live stream instead.

Nintendo president Kimishima has slightly elaborated more on the Switch "accessories" he made vague references to recently. It seems that theses accessories could be alternatives to the Joy-Cons attaching to the device, it seems we should find out at the Switch's party in January (the 12th)

"[In the trailer], we have shown you various scenarios [and] depending on the software, it will also allow you to do things beyond that." 

"In terms of the various ways you can play, you will have to see it together with the software and accessories that we'll have, which we will reveal in January."

Kimishima again confirmed the 3DS will keep going after the Switch launches stating that the system still has momentum and he doesn't expect the two devices to effect each other's sales.

Rumour
Eurogamer claims to have a scope on the Nintendo Switch's screen. According to their source, the device does feature a touchscreen, which is 6.2 inches, 720p, and a first for Nintendo a multipoint (rumoured to be 10) capacitive screen. The Wii U, 3DS and DS all used single point resistive touch screens. This means the screen like a tablet or smartphone is more accurate and can track more than one finger at a time. Eurogamer's report references an older rumour that the Joy-Con R has an IR pointer to emulate a touch screen when the system is docked for home use.

Another report references the eSports section of the reveal. Nintendo is apparently reaching out to all the major eSports organisers, teams and leagues about adding the Switch into the rotation. Obviously, Super Smash Bros has a healthy tournament scene according to sources Nintendo isn't trying to "lead" eSports but instead wants to be a part of it, the sources go on to say Splatoon was part experiment to see if Nintendo could make an eSports title, with Nintendo currently deciding between making a new title for eSports or if Splatoon could be improved to become one.

Abe's Take
All good stuff today but again this affirmation of continuing 3DS support, again worries me deeply. For example, if the 3DS is still active will that stops the Switch from inheriting it's titles will the guaranteed system sellers of Pokemon and Monster Hunter hit the Switch if the 3DS is still floating around? or will they release a port on the Switch instead effectively limiting the quality of the games?

To me confirming the 3DS does, in fact, have a shelf life is probably a bigger question on the Switch than even battery life. The Switch's greatest advantage is Nintendo merging its home and handheld business focusing the entire Nintendo fan base on 1 device. Lets hope this is just an enthusastic version of the normal "we'll support the old system for a while yet" that happens with console generations.

Nintendo Switch Official Teasing, Retail Chatter and Rumours Barrage.

Sigh! and I mean a really big one. 76 days of rumours, here is a fist full for of them now. There're some interesting comments from Nintendo President, and some UK retailers give their thoughts on the Switch

Official
according to Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima refers to the reveal video as "describing the core product" and that there was more to the system

By no means was that everything [in the preview trailer]. [On the ecosystem] It may be appropriate to call them accessories. Or it might be better to call them add-on hardware. It's probably more correct to call them accessories. You can assume that there will be a wider array.

This flashes back to their patent for an external performance booster and old rumours of VR which leads nicely to Kimishima's next part.

VR offers new ways of playing, but that depends on what kind of software can be played. If you ask us whether there are any possibilities, we can't say no. It may be that we will build VR software titles, I think that opportunity is available to us.

hmm, It wouldn't be too hard to create a mount like the Samsung Gear or Google Cardboard for the Switch. Kimishima also lightly talks about why we only see games during the reveal.

One thing we still can't show is the software lineup. We want people to touch the device in January and experience the software for themselves.

Chatter
So far the reveal has hit 23 million views on Nintendo's various Youtube channels and has been largely positive with 95% of viewers responding favourably. So whilst the public has been kind to the new machine Nintendo's investors on the other hand "hated" it. No one's sure on what they were expecting from Nintendo's new console reveal. They seemed to of believed that Nintendo would announce their new console was mobile games. However UK retailers GAME, ShopTo and HMV are pretty happy with the device.

It's very Nintendo to bring something new and different to the market. The early third party list supporting the console is impressive. Let's see what gaming brands are announced over the coming months. The storage space is high up on the list of questions. The future is most certainly going the digital way for Nintendo as well. The storage will dictate the requirements for cartridges which are unclear at the moment. - ShopTo

I was pleasantly surprised by the Switch reveal and I'm optimistic about it's sales potential. I think it's a significant step up from the Wii U and, with the third party support they're boasting, will hopefully appeal to a very broad spectrum of consumers. I look forward to seeing more details around the specs and, crucially, price! With the more powerful and established PS4 and Xbox One consoles now hovering around £249, the Switch needs to be competitive. - HMV

the SWITCH is another example of Nintendo differentiating its gaming experiences to appeal to a broad array of gamers. Nintendo has consistently developed home consoles and handheld gaming to see its beloved and engaging games and characters deliver ultimate fun and enjoyment. SWITCH is clearly taking some of the best features of handheld and home consoles and merging them into a fantastic new way to play. We will be bringing more details to our customers as soon as possible. - GAME

Rumours
First up with have Emily Rogers saying her source has information on Retro Studios current project. Reportedly it is not Donkey Kong or Metroid related and is a new IP for the studio, Rodgers was quick to point out this doesn't mean their game is an all-new IP for example,it could be F-Zero as they haven't made one before. Rodgers source also says we'll be playing Retro's new game next year,

Next up with Laura Dale's site "let's play video games" says a Nintendo source has contacted them to confirm the Switch's main unit does, in fact, support SDXC cards up to 128GB and that the SD slot is located behind the kickstand.

Abe's Take
It's been interesting seeing the response of gamers from around the world taking such a shine to the Switch after the Wii U's very rocky relationship. The reveal trailer seems to have delivered a far clearer message than the Wii U's marketing over its entire life span. As to the Switch getting lots of accessories, something people have talked about ever since Eurogamer leak but it's also something that was rumoured but never happened with the Wii (outside of plastic mounts).

Monster Hunter XX Announced

Remember last week we told you that Japan was getting a Monster Hunter Direct, well that happened.

During the presentation, Capcom announced Monster Hunter XX which if it gets brought to the west will be Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate. If you're unaware of how the G/Ultimate versions differ from the first releases (if you're a western 3DS MH hunter then you wouldn't have experienced this). Let's break it down for you.

• These are full games, not DLC with save file transfer.
• They add all new and new variant monsters, weapons and armour.
• They add a new tier of missions known as G-Rank, these quests are far harder with no supply items and random spawns.
• G-Rank also reintroduces existing equipment as higher stats  

Seeing as this is an update on Generations it adds to the new elements such as a two new hunter styles, new village (well actually it's an AIRSHIP!) and an upgrade to the Prowlers (Playable cat hunters) that allows them to use Aerial and Adept hunter styles. Two of the new monsters add to the original games quartet of bosses, first is a new Diablos variant and a new dragon that has wings that appear to be jets!

If you want to check out the Japanese direct here.

Monster Hunter XX will launch in Japan mid-March next year... Not even really bearded people know if we'll get it over here or how many years we'd have to wait.

Abe's Take
Wait a minute! That's right when the Nintendo Switch comes out! Could there be a Nintendo Switch version too? If there is no switch port it's possible that in terms of Japanese sales Capcom has just sabotaged Nintendo's new console launch.

Back on topic, YAY! whilst I enjoyed Generations it did feel 'short' to veteran hunters who are used to having that G-Rank offering up an harder challenge.

Nintendo Switch's Return

For months and months, the NX hung over gaming conversations and created a pretty hefty shadow for the Wii U and 3DS. Nintendo finally unveiled it as the Switch but has since gone silent again.

Nintendo has finally confirmed when we'll get to know the Switch more. On January 12th Nintendo will be hosting an event for the device and whilst it will be live streamed it will not be a traditional direct, in fact, it's going to be closer to an E3 event with the media, analysts and trade partners in attendance. 

Nintendo will be talking a lot about the system in very certain terms and has confirmed they will talk about the following;

• The exact launch date.
• Price.
• Launch titles.
• Titles currently in development.

Following the event, Nintendo plans on having "sampling events" in Europe and the US for " invited consumers, media and partners" and seperate events for the public to get to grips with the console before launch in March. That means we only have to suffer through rumours and hearsay for the next 76 days!

Abe's Take

So it looks like Nintendo will dominate the gaming narrative in January. I'm excited about the console though Nintendo's talk of supporting the 3DS after Switches launch gives me pause. If it's the usual "we'll support the old device for a while" that's fine but there does seem to be chatter that the Switch isn't ever going to replace the 3DS as Nintendo's handheld. The strongest case for Nintendo making a hybrid was that it would unify home and handheld teams, dramatically increasing the companies output and freeing studios to pursue more IPs

on a positive note, it appears the Joy-Cons have hidden shoulder buttons for multiplayer. which means they have the same number of inputs as a SNES pad.

Dead By Daylight - Halloween DLC

For those who haven't yet seen the trailer for the new DLC which dropped yesterday, here it is!

   
*Available on Steam for $6.99/£5.50

This is the first paid character DLC that they have released, and while a lot of people will probably complain (since Nea and the Nurse were free), you will still get to play against the new Killer and on the new map regardless of purchase or not.

Dead by Daylight has been needing a new killer since the last one was released. The Nurse, while terrifying and in desperate need of medical help herself, was the scariest thing to happen to Dead by Daylight. Until yesterday.

Nintendo Switch Talk and Reports

It's been a busy few days and there's been a lot of rumours that nearly fill a tweet, so we decided to bundle them all together with some information from the Nintendo quarterly report, and sprinkle that with some comments from developers and analysts. 

Quarterly report
Today is Nintendo's shareholder meeting and we're getting little tidbits from Nintendo which gives us some insight

• Nintendo is "confident" that consumers won't confuse the Switch as a 3DS refresh
• Nintendo reconfirmed there would be no further announcements this year.
• Nintendo hasn't set a price, won't be sold at a loss BUT Nintendo is "listening to Consumer conversation" on it. 
• Nintendo expects to ship 2 million units this fiscal year, which ends March 2017. So basically they expect to move 2 million units at launch. 
• Unsurprisingly the Wii U and 3DS haven't done well this quarter with the NX silently dominating the conversation.
• Lifetime sales of the Wii U are 13.36 million units and 92.35 million games. 
• Lifetime sales of the 3DS are 61.56 million units and 293.40 million games

We also got a look at how Nintendo's first party titles have sold.

Mario Kart 8 - 8.00 million pcs.
New Super Mario Bros. U - 5.45 million pcs.
Super Mario 3D World - 5.19 million pcs.
Nintendo Land - 5.13 million pcs.
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U - 4.99 million pcs.
Splatoon - 4.57 million pcs.
Super Mario Maker - 3.73 million pcs.
New Super Luigi U - 2.74 million pcs.
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD - 1.98 million pcs.
Mario Party 10 - 1.94 million pcs.
Pokémon X/Pokémon Y - 15.64 million pcs.
Mario Kart 7 - 13.94 million pcs.
Pokémon Omega Ruby/Pokémon Alpha Sapphire - 13.18 million pcs.
SUPER MARIO 3D LAND - 10.98 million pcs.
New Super Mario Bros. 2 - 10.60 million pcs.
Animal Crossing: New Leaf - 10.34 million pcs.
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS - 8.35 million pcs.
Tomodachi Life - 5.30 million pcs.
Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon - 5.03 million pcs.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D - 4.52 million pcs.
Pokemon OR/AS - 1.3 million pcs (this figure is for Q2 only)
Kirby: Planet Robobot - 1.08 million pcs. (this figure is for Q2 only)

For comparison PS4 first party exclusive: Uncharted 4 has sold 4.20 million units and Black Ops 3 that released on 5 platforms sold 23 million.

Rumours
Laura Dale, who first broke the Switch's form has some more info from her sources. First, up the Nintendo Switch won't be sold in any bundle without the dock, to be clear there will be no "portable only" option. This doesn't mean there won't be one down the line, just not for a while IF it happens

Secondly she The Joy-Con R (Right) apparently has an "IR pointer" for games that use the touchscreen, obviously, this reconfirms her previous rumour that the Switch has a touchscreen.

The guys at King Avery Games has cleaned up the image of the Nintendo Switch Pro-controller and believes the pad doesn't have a headphone port. That is assuming of cause the (surprisingly 'used) looking controller in the trailer isn't a dummy. You can see for yourself

Talk
These are not rumours, as they're simply people saying things themselves or making predictions.

David Gibson of Macquire (the guys who preemptively got disappointed in the switch before its reveal and downgraded Nintendo's status) believes the Switch will cost $250 and will sell roughly 10.6 million units a year.

Mark Lipacis of 2Jefferies & Co" believes that Nvidia is going to make between £200-320m a year, they too think the first year sales of the Switch will be 10 million units (or as low as 4 million)

DrinkBox Studios the extremely talented guys behind GKUK favourite Guacamelee are impressed with the Nintendo Switch and has publicly asked for some Dev Kits.

It seems the Switch has sparked something within Hideki Kamiya (director of Okami, Bayonetta 1, Vanquished and Scalebound) as he is "kind of" interested in porting Wonderful 101 to the new device. We already know his studio Platinum Games is an official partner for the Switch which lends some credit to an old rumour that PG was working on Bayonetta 2.

Abe's Take
whilst the market analysts are bullish on the Switch (they seem to either want a Nintendo branded PC or a phone) the developer and gamer response have been overwhelmingly positive, So it reasonable to think we can expect these Switch rumours to keep on coming. Nintendo expecting to ship two million units in a month suggests we could see the Switch launch in the part way or late into March.

Bethesda Changes Review Policy.

Okay, that's not the most exciting sounding title but it is something that will impact for us all going forward.

From now on Bethesda will not be providing review copies of their games anymore. Reviewers will receive their copy 1 day in advance. Here is Bethesda's statement

"At Bethesda, we value media reviews.

We read them. We watch them. We try to learn from them when they offer critique. And we understand their value to our players.

Earlier this year we released DOOM. We sent review copies to arrive the day before launch, which led to speculation about the quality of the game. Since then DOOM has emerged as a critical and commercial hit, and is now one of the highest-rated shooters of the past few years.

With the upcoming launches of Skyrim Special Edition and Dishonored 2, we will continue our policy of sending media review copies one day before release. While we will continue to work with media, streamers, and YouTubers to support their coverage – both before and after release – we want everyone, including those in the media, to experience our games at the same time.

We also understand that some of you want to read reviews before you make your decision, and if that’s the case we encourage you to wait for your favorite reviewers to share their thoughts.

Skyrim Special Edition releases globally on October 28 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. Dishonored 2 releases globally on November 11 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC."

Obviously, this has upset the larger outlets as they are used to having a large amount of time to play the game before release. (a good amount do it to give the game an unrushed review, others just to enjoy their free game) but this move means big things for smaller outlets but the real winners are the Streamers and Let's Play's, these can hit the web minutes after launch and allow buyers to see raw gameplay before their purchase.

Of cause, the gamers are the most at risk, as there won't be any "full reviews" for us to use before launch. Which with Bethesda they do serve a secondary function: bugs and performance. Historically Bethesda open worlds have plenty of bugs but more importantly the studio has had issues with the Playstation versions of their games and reviews give PS gamers a chance to see if it's worth jumping in. However, to Bethesda's credit, They are suggesting anyone whose uses reviews to gauge their purchases should wait for said reviews.

Bethesda has two upcoming games Skyrim: Special Edition and Dishonored 2. We don't expect this design to affect these games too much. 90% of the Skyrim reviews will be the same as original and GOTY release, with the improved graphics and console performance shouldn't take that long to ascertain. Dishonored 2, on the other hand, is all new but is a far smaller game than Fallout or Elder Scrolls.

UNHAPPY? Take action!
Of cause it's us gamers who have the power, If you are unhappy with the idea please contact Zenimax (here) and don't forget to make your feelings known on their Facebook and Twitter.

Abe's Take
Personally, as a gamer, I'm okay with Bethesda doing this, simply because Bethesda's games are games that I take great pleasure exploring and discovering myself. Fallout 4 was a wonderful enigma to a lot of gamers but on day 1 we were blasted by IGN and Gamespot with huge guides, "don't miss this" articles and constant videos. Also, the review copies tend to be the source of story leaks and spoilers, In my case, the Fallout 4 twist was spoilt the day before launch on FB.

Rise of the Tomb Raider DLC

So, it's been 20 years to the day that Tomb Raider has graced our consoles with its presence. It goes without saying that it has become iconic and a well-known part of the gaming circle of life, who hasn't seen or heard of it, let's be honest here.

[This new content is available on Xbox One via season pass and the Anniversary edition on PS4]

With the new content for 'Rise of the Tomb Raider' recently released for such an occasion, it seems fitting to review it under the same circumstance.

There'll be writing about the multiplayer first, and then throwing 'SPOILER WARNING' for Blood Ties, because I can't honestly write about it and not talk about what happened. It's just not in me. Also, if you haven't got the DLC yet, shame on you.

Nintendo Switch Size Comparisons

Nintendo's upcoming system is promising a unified home and handheld experience which is an impressive goal but with such a promise there are questions of how do you marry these two extremes of gaming. 

Handhelds gaming needs portability and battery life, home games, on the other hand, need a large clear screen and power. Well it appears today we are getting a look into one of those aspects as the guys at King Avery Games have made some handy images comparing the 3DS XL to the Switch

So it appears the console main body (no Joy-Cons) is slightly wider and taller as a closed 3DS XL, and it looks like the console screen reaps the benefit.

But how does the whole package compare against the Wii U's gamepad that was "unwieldy" to some? well KAG thought the same and produced this other handy comparison.

As you can see the Switch manages to cut down the Wii U's bulk whilst increasing the size of the screen. Whilst we don't know the spec of the screen I think it's safe to assume is resolution (been rumoured to be 900/1080) above the 3DS and Wii U's screen.

Abe's Take

This is roughly what is was expecting but I'm impressed with its size and it's certainly less unwieldy than my Vision 8 Tablet for Xbox One streaming. That's device is most certainly not portable and is more than a little tiring to hold for extended periods. 

 

Nintendog Switch!

A few day's ago we posted an article about Publisher Reacting To Switch. At the end of the article, I posted a bonus picture I found online of the Switch Joy-Con mount as a puppy. Well...

Yep! Someone has turned that cute drawing into a super adorable Nintendog Switch plush. This adorable doodle now plush is the work of 'Anna The Red' who has a whole host of other plush for sale on her site here. Please check out the rest of her work (which includes an awesome Jak and Daxter).

Abe's Take
As a bearded 'core' gamer I am above such things as plushes... have the other core gamers gone? good! I want about 4 of these, one is going to sit next to the Switch's dock on a little shelf above my TV, Next to my Wooly Yoshi Amiibo.

Monster Hunter Direct!

Well, we've been talking a lot here about the possibility of Monster Hunter on the NX and then suddenly this appears.

Update: The official website says the Direct will not feature the Nintendo Switch or Smartphones

Original Story:

2016年10月27日（木）20時よりモンスターハンターシリーズに関する情報を、カプコンの辻本さんからインターネットをご覧のみなさんに直接お届けします。#NintendoDirectJP https://t.co/ChUHY5FAuX

— 任天堂株式会社 (@Nintendo) October 24, 2016

Nintendo Japan is having a (currently) Japanese exclusive Monster Hunter Direct on Thursday the 27th at 20:00 Japanese time, which is about 12pm if you feel inclined to watch it.

What could be discussed? Monster Hunter Stories has already been released in Japan, so unless the game is getting some large DLC that seems unlikely. Current favourites are Monster Hunter X-G (Generations Ultimate to western fans) or an MH for Nintendo Switch. well I guess we'll find out in a few days

Abe's Take
Monster Hunter stands out as a franchise that'll benefit from the "dual nature" of the Switch. Global MH fans have been very split but equally vocal in the past about wanting mobile and home experiences.

Take a Look at 3D model of the Switch

After months and months of rumours and fan mock-ups, we had a look at the device via the 3 minute Nintendo Switch Trailer (currently hitting at 12 million views on NOA's youtube)

Want to have a better look? Well, thanks to a digital artist going by the handle of ShaderBytes you can! and it's not just some fancy pictures of a render, oh no this is a full 3D model which thanks to the viewer below you can explore the device freely.

Nintendo Switch by Virtual Studio on Sketchfab

Once again I can't help but admire how well designed this is (both on Nintendo's and Shader's work) and how un-Fisher Price the Switch looks in comparison to the Wii, Wii U & DS.

Also, I wonder if that little button underneath the D-Pad is that rumoured share button, as it also features on the Switch Pro controller.

Abe's Take
I can't wait to get hold of this device and hope we don't have to wait too far into 2017 to hear more.

More Switch Details and Rumours Appear

Yep back to more rumour but technically they aren't NX rumours, They're Switch rumours so its different.. Yeah I know but its the only way I'm going to get through this. 

Official
First up lets start with some confirmed news. The Nintendo Switch marks the end of Nintendo's adventure into dual screen gaming, which started with the DS and ended with the Wii U. The Switch will be strictly a single screen system, which was to be expected seeing as the device has to be inside a dock for the image to appear on the TV.

In other "well yeah obviously" news, Nintendo has also confirmed the Switch will not be "compatible with physical games from Wii U/3DS" which has an obvious eye brow raising wording. Could it be possible that digital Wii U and 3DS games be playable? Think its going to depend on where the Switch has a touch screen, without it you can dismiss any idea of backwards compatibility.

Also Amazon has a product page up for the Switch where players can sign up for email alerts.

Rumours
Now entering rumour town with some of the more stable rumours via Wall Street Journal which says Nintendo wont be making anymore Switch announcements this year about games, specs, or the status of region locking. This whilst disappointing it also makes a fair amount of sense as Nintendo has some high profile games on 3DS this Christmas. But also any official announcements for a future console are bound to get lost in PS4 Pro marketing and the Christmas media tornado.

Next we have Laura Dale saying her sources have confirmed the Switch features analog triggers, something the Wii and Wii U didn't have (which makes racing games a lot better), A multi touch screen, The dock gives the console a minor boost to help the console outputting to a TV, and finally (and more worryingly) a current battery life of 3 hours whilst on max settings.

Before we loose it, its worth noting that's doesn't mean the retail unit will have that life span, however a quick check on the Nvidia Shield Tablet turns out 3 hours is a huge improvement as that device only had 1 hour of playtime (a little more if you turn everything off). An additional detail here is that each Joy-Con appears to have its own battery, so you can use them in multiplayer and free from the device as such having them attached could drain the battery on the unit quicker.

And finally Emily Rogers is saying the Switch will see at least two "enhanced ports" from the Wii U. Supposedly these include the two we saw in the trailer: Mario Kart and Splatoon but also Smash 4 and Super Mario Maker. Obviously that last one might have trouble as the Switch might not have a touchscreen and defiantly wont have a 2 screens.

Abe's Take

Whilst it seems like an ice age till we here more official details about the Switch till next year but thats actually 70 days/just over 2 months and there is plenty for us to do between then and now.

Publishers Respond the the Switch

Well, the cat is finally out of the bag, the NX has revealed itself to us as the highly interesting Nintendo Switch. Now everyone one has had time to digest it we're starting to get reactions from across the industry.

First up we've got some more details from Nintendo, The console is the handheld with the dock only handling charging and powering the device, pumping the image onto the TV, and the consoles USB connections (pad charging? hard drive?). Nintendo has also confirmed that the "Joy-Cons" come as standard in the box with the NS, and Amiibo will be supported via NFC. However, they won't confirm/deny if the NS will feature a touch screen, though rumours have long said it will.

Now onto the publishers! Let's start with one of our favourite Nindies Image and Form.

"The hybrid approach is truly innovative and we intend to make full use of as many features as possible. The development environment is simply fantastic! I'm confident that Switch will be a hit for Nintendo since they're once again reinventing the gaming industry. As for our own game: it's an Image & Form title, and it's going to be our finest work to date. If you liked anything about our past games you'll absolutely love it."

Next up with have Ubisoft, who have been almost the sole source of hype.

“With the Nintendo Switch’s unique capacities and design, Nintendo could again redefine the way we play games. The Nintendo Switch is accessible at its core and also seizes on the growing trends of sharing more experiences and playing anywhere at any time. Ubisoft and Nintendo enjoy a long-standing partnership and we are currently developing a number of games for the platform, including Just Dance 2017. We look forward to sharing more at a later date.” – Yves Guillemot, Co-founder and CEO, Ubisoft

2K - Who we now know are behind the basketball game in the trailer.

“We’re happy to have had the opportunity to collaborate with Nintendo on the trailer. While we are not confirming any specific titles at this time, we are pleased to announce our partnership with Nintendo and support of Nintendo Switch. We look forward to revealing specific details at a later date.” – 2K representative

Bethesda apparently is quite ready to commit Skyrim to the NS yet, but judging from the... similar nature of their response to 2K's we're guessing there is still some heavy contracts at play.

“We’re happy to have had the opportunity to collaborate with Nintendo on the video. While we are not confirming any specific titles at this time, we are pleased to announce our partnership with Nintendo and support of the Switch. We look forward to revealing specific games and details in the future.” – Bethesda representative

EA, who promised big things on Wii U but delivered little is more reserved this time.

“Congratulations to our partners at Nintendo on their reveal of Nintendo Switch – it’s great to see the excitement for their new device.” – EA representative

SEGA had all ready confirmed Sonic 2017 was coming to Switch back when it was the NX

“SEGA and Nintendo have been great partners over the years, and we continue to with our support of the Nintendo Switch. We look forward to revealing specific game plans soon, but have nothing further to announce at this time.” – SEGA representative

NIS America

“We are very excited about the possibilities that the Nintendo Switch brings to the gaming space. However, we don’t have anything to announce about already-existing titles or content that may currently be in development for it at this time.” – NIS America representative

Epic Games, their support is interesting because they refused UE4 for the Wii U.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Nintendo to help Unreal Engine 4 developers bring their games to Nintendo Switch!” – Epic Games on Twitter

Bandai Namco, hopefully, their support should get the NS should get some hardcore Japanese gaming love.

“Bandai Namco Entertainment has enjoyed a long partnership of publishing and developing great titles for Nintendo systems. We want to congratulate Nintendo on their exciting announcement. We look forward to bringing both iconic franchises and new titles to Nintendo Switch.” – Bandai Namco representative

Telltale, whose games hit every platform pledge their support.

“While we cannot confirm any specific series today, we can share our excitement to soon be bringing our projects to Nintendo Switch. Our dedication to creating emotionally engaging interactive stories that are identical for players using home consoles or on mobile/tablet devices on the go is a perfect fit for Nintendo’s innovative new hardware.” – Job J Stauffer, Head of Creative Communications, Telltale Games

Warner Bros. Injustice 2 anyone?

“Nintendo continually innovates to develop unique technology for gamers, and we are excited to expand our long-standing relationship by creating games for the Nintendo Switch.” – WB representative

Atlus seems excited to jump on board

“We’re excited to be supporting the Nintendo Switch and believe the games we publish are a perfect fit for the portable nature of the console.” – Atlus representative

And now as a special bonus here's is a fantastically awkward Twitter conversation with Phil Spencer, head of Xbox.

@Nexi_Dios I'm always impressed with their ability to state a bold vision and build a product that delivers on that vision..

— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) October 20, 2016

@arqagogo @Nexi_Dios Innovation, for all of us, is the best long term differentiator. it's not ads/promotions, true innovation is critical..

— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) October 20, 2016

Abe's Take
Ouch.. Sony has yet to comment, I suspect to hear positive things from Kaz but part of me can't help but think their quiet because they are frantically copying every idea the can ready for a PSP3

It's been a largely positive response from the gamer community as a whole but of cause we still have plenty to learn. In the mean time check out the Switch puppy

Introducing the Nintendo Switch

After months and months of rumours, dodging and waiting we finally have seen what lay behind that NX shaped curtain. THE NX IS DEAD, LONG LIVE THE SWITCH!

Ah its nice to see the classic red and white colours again. So lets have a look at the reveal trailer.

One moment.... Skyrim? on a Nintendo console? SKYRIM!

And we're back. Where was we? Ah yes the Switch (odd name but hey we lived with Wii/Wii U), as you can see it matches the NX leak from Eurogamer. As predicted the new device is an hybrid. Acting as a home console connected to your TV and a mobile system

So the device's detachable controllers can be used in a number of ways.

• Independently for multiplayer. We saw Mario Kart Split screen and 2v2 Basketball.
• Together in a controller (not very pretty) housing, 
• Attached the to machine in handheld mode.
• Used "wii-mote style" (which was pretty relaxing on MH Tri and Twilight Princess). 

On a personal note: I'm going to be upset when they don't have that 'click' noise featured in the trailer.

There was also shown an "proper" controller shown that looked like the offspring of the Day One Xbox One pad and the Wii U's Pro pad. Here's a snap from the trailer.

I'm sure you might of noticed some of the third party games in the trailer. Well it looks like Nintendo has locked in a good amount of third party support. Here is a handy image from Nintendo Japan.

Lots of nice names there and I can see some of those guy's games working well on the Switch, Capcom's Monster Hunter seems painfully obvious, I'm also oddly in thralled at the idea of playing Metal Gear Solid 5 in portable setting, and Bayonetta 3 should be a lock.

We also got to see what appears to be enhanced versions of Mario Kart 8 and Splatoon running on the Switch and we even got a look at an all new 3D Mario game. The short clips for Mario in an day of the dead themed village appears to confirm its more like Mario 64/Sunshine than 3D world or Galaxy

The games shown whilst obviously not running in real time looked pretty great (not PS4 Pro, Scorpio levels). Nvidia has now confirmed that the Switch is powered by a custom built Tegra series chip.

Nintendo Switch is powered by the performance of the custom Tegra processor. The high-efficiency scalable processor includes an NVIDIA GPU based on the same architecture as the world’s top-performing GeForce gaming graphics cards.

The Nintendo Switch’s gaming experience is also supported by fully custom software, including a revamped physics engine, new libraries, advanced game tools and libraries. NVIDIA additionally created new gaming APIs to fully harness this performance. The newest API, NVN, was built specifically to bring lightweight, fast gaming to the masses.

Gameplay is further enhanced by hardware-accelerated video playback and custom software for audio effects and rendering.

We’ve optimized the full suite of hardware and software for gaming and mobile use cases. This includes custom operating system integration with the GPU to increase both performance and efficiency.

NVIDIA gaming technology is integrated into all aspects of the new Nintendo Switch home gaming system, which promises to deliver a great experience to gamers.

Abe's Take
obviously we'll need more information from Nintendo and third parties but as it stands? I am excited about the Nintendo Switch. The ease of transferring from console to handheld appeals to me. As a father of three TV screen time is very limited. The Wii U had an obvious range issue and the Xbox One's solution is far from elegant. However my favourite aspect of merging the Handheld/Home idea is that Nintendo's studios are now free from their previous limits, no more need to have two Mario Karts.

NX REVEAL TODAY

THIS IS NOT A DRILL! Repeat this is not a drill. No rumour to be found here, no chatter be cold hard facts.

Today over at Nintendo's main page at 3pm/16:00 CEST Nintendo will deliver its first look at what is currently known as the NX. This will be a reveal trailer that will "serve as a preliminary announcement" so it's unlikely we'll get too much detail today but at least we'll KNOW. Here's hoping the trailer ends with an date where we can get a full look at the device,


UPDATE: First Nintendo seems to of confrimed the NX is a "home" system.

Next up the Eurogamer report's (first 'leak and Beyond Good and Evil Semi reboot) author believes to know what will be featured in today's trailer (kinda... KINDA spoiler, not the name!)

Expect NX official name to be revealed tomorrow, alongside the look of the device. Not launch line up. Zelda BOTW NX shown.

— Laura Kate Dale (@LaurakBuzz) October 20, 2016

Whist another Eurogamer reporter believes another game will be shown, This is Tom Phillips the one who claimed Nintendo was going to reveal the NX in September.

Fun fact: Back in July Nintendo was indeed targeting September for NX's announce but Mario NX wasn't running perfectly. Now it is.

— Tom Phillips (@tomphillipsEG) October 20, 2016

Abe's Take
Finally Nintendo will SHOW US THE THING.
So looks like Ms Rogers was wrong to climb down from her rumour yesterday.

NX (Rumour) Battle!

NX chatter is really starting to pick up again, Is it because Nintendo is entered that leaky period before reveal? Or is it because the Shareholders meeting is about a week away and Nintendo has to at least mention it for then? Seeing how long we waited so far... probably the second.

Anyway on to today's news and this is a bit interesting.

First up with have long time Nintendo "insider" Emily Rogers whose record is a bit spotty as she has in the past "read between the lines" to make predictions that have failed but has also tapped into good sources correctly predicting Paper Mario: Colour Splash.

So...Both this week and next week should be interesting.

— Emily Rogers (@ArcadeGirl64) October 17, 2016

I believe this week is an important week for NX. Next week's investors meeting will answer more questions about NX. https://t.co/LuI9HKk1I8

— Emily Rogers (@ArcadeGirl64) October 18, 2016

Which lines up with other sources over the last few weeks its possible she's simply repeating the Macquire and she's quick to point out To Nintendo Life's own Thomas Whitehead (who state a broken clock is right twice a day).

@ThomasBW84 I'll just say this. My teasing wasn't based on any past reports.

— Emily Rogers (@ArcadeGirl64) October 17, 2016

However since then she has climbed down form her position after contacting other sources.

After speaking to some people, I'm not 100% convinced that news will happen this week. But I do have a software update if you're interested.

— Emily Rogers (@ArcadeGirl64) October 19, 2016

So instead Ms Rogers offers us a possible glimpse into a new IP from Nintendo, which is apparently "not like Wii Sports"

New IP coming to NX from one of Nintendo's teams in Japan. Described as weird, fun and crazy. "Nintendo doesn't have another game like this"

— Emily Rogers (@ArcadeGirl64) October 19, 2016

However! Dr. Serkan Toto an game industry consultant at of Kantan-Games, who has been pretty good in the past doesn't believe we'll the NX this week, whilst also confirming DNeA is doing the grunt work on Super Mario Run (which currently has 20 million notifications) whilst Nintendo handles direction and level design.

3) No trolling intended+take this one with a big grain of salt, but I was told not to expect a NX reveal this week. Might be wrong! //end

— Dr. Serkan Toto (@serkantoto) October 18, 2016

Whilst he's certain on his source for Super Mario Run but his NX source is apparently a bit shakier.

"It is unlikely—though not impossible—that the company would talk about the NX this week via online presentations." https://t.co/12NVy7apsZ

— Dr. Serkan Toto (@serkantoto) October 19, 2016

Dr. Serkan Toto is certain Nintendo will talk about the NX next week but they would HAVE to because it's their share holders meetings.

Abe's Take
Come on Nintendo it is time to show your hand, everyone else has checked and has patiently waited to see what you have. Today we've had two people claimed opposing things but then backed down from their positions leaving us... here. Again.

CONFIRMED: RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2!

Looks like Rockstar has finally ended it light teasing and is at least telling us whats going on. Introducing....

Yep Red Dead Redemption 2, apprently the third entry (yes third) is real and is coming out Autumn/Fall 2017.

Acording to the annoucement Red Dead Redemption 2 will be...

An epic tale of life in America’s unforgiving heartland, the game's vast and atmospheric world will also provide the foundation for a brand new online multiplayer experience.

which all sounds great luckily we'll be able to SEE IT on Thursday the 20th of October when Rockstar releases an trailer for the new game. Whats interesting (and concerning to PC fans) is that Rockstar have only confirmed RDR2 for X1/PS4  and not for PC, Lets hope that this follows GTA V's path of releasing a year later and not the path of RDR1 which never did launch on PC.

Here's hoping Red Dead Redemption 2 makes use of the PS4 Pro and Xbox - Scorpio.

Abe's Take

Sounds exciting and we cant wait to see it on Thursday, I must stress how excited I am for it. However I personally an worried about the "brand new online multiplayer experience" as GTA Online was sold as a "persistent city" and had previews of player races being interrupted by another players mission's cop chase. When the reality was the city was an unchanging lobby with some activities and everything else running in a separate instance. For reference Day Z, Rust, Ark and Minecraft have persistent worlds, GTA Online (and Destiny) had consistent worlds.

Of cause that being said they never stopped with the free content for GTA Online and the single player was great.

Rockstar Registers RDO

Well this is interesting. After two days of direct but wordless teasing Rockstar has registered a new domain name and it certainly connects to an new Red Dead title.

You may want to sit down for this but trust us don't panic right away. Right ready?

The domain is for Red Dead Online. Right stop right now and move your hand away from the pitch forks and torches. I know the rather good (and well updated) Online mode to GTA gets a lot of anger from fans who desperately want some single player DLC. However the RDR's multiplayer mode was fantastic and received an fair amount of DLC alongside the amazing Undead Nightmare.



Of cause we'll be the first inline with our flaming pitchforks if its the ONLY part of this series of teases. Now as an expansion to GTA Online that comes as part of an remaster or an follow up Red Dead Online could certainly be a worth while addition, though that might have something to do with the humorous idea of fleecing people of their micro-transaction bought cash via an "friendly" game of poker. 

Abe's Take
With this simple teases its nice to have something a little more detailed even if its just a web address. Rumour has it we'll be seeing a younger John Marston this Friday in a reveal trailer.

Hmm another rumour about a reveal this week... interesting (we are not suggesting RDR will come to the NX because life is never that fair)

United Front Games Shuts Down

Today's first story is a sad one. The rather great United Front Games (Sleeping Dogs, ModNation Racers) has closed. Leaving us with out an Sleeping Dogs.

The developer had an uneven history the ModNation Racers series for example was realtively poor but Sleeping Dogs was an underappreciated gem that whilst short gave GTA a run for its money. The team even worked on the Xbox One version of Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition

We loved Sleeping Dogs when we reviewed it and we loved it some more when we played the remaster. It even compelled our often silent partner Himaru to chime in (still waiting on that first article BTW). Its a shame the dev's tried experimenting with an multiplayer exclusive follow up, whilst I applaud the attempt at trying something new, we at GK-UK felt it was to early to try "mixing things up" with the franchise. United Front Games has pulled their latest early access title SMASH+GRAB from steam.

If you haven't played Sleeping Dogs we highly recommend picking it up, Its currently only £10.80 on Amazon 

Abe's Take.
Its a damn shame. These guys had such potential. We at GKUK wish them all the luck in the world in their future endeavours and hope we hear from them soon

RUMOUR: Beyond Good and Evil details

A while ago there was story on Destructoid that Beyond Good & Evil would be getting a follow up and it would be NX exclusive. This obviously caused some upset with X1 and PS4 fans but also apparently Ubisoft who ask Destructoid to take the article down, something you don't do if the article is inaccurate.

UPDATE: We made a mistake regarding the rumoured launch year, the article has been corrected.

ORIGINAL STORY: Well since then not only has Ubisoft confirmed the game is actually in pre-production but its creator Michel Ancel (Rayman) has been releasing concept art for the follow up.

 

Well today the original author of that Destructoid article, Laura Kate Dale is back with even more information and reconfirms (via a seperate source) that the new game will infact be an NX exclusive. Dale's sources all so say the new game isn't actually a sequel but a semi reboot, prequel and sequel... thing, which at first seems confusing but it seems they want to use it to relaunch the franchise.

"According to our source, the currently planned direction for the game is that it will partially retell Jade's origin tale from Beyond Good & Evil, flesh out Peyj's backstory, then continue to extrapolate on the ending of the original game. The intention is that players who have not played the original will be able to jump into the new game, which will feature a subtitle rather than a number at the end of its title, and understand both who Jade is and what drives Pey'j. It also seeks to provide closure to fans of the original wondering what the cliffhanger at the end meant for the series' ongoing plot.

While many existing fans of the series may be upset about the new game not being a direct sequel, the idea of modernising the original tale and fleshing out the world while continuing the story beyond where it once ended offers the series a better chance of an ongoing life than it previously had."

Dale's source also says that Beyond Good & Evil will be present at the NX reveal with an CGI trailer. If recent chatter is to believed should be this week. According to this rumour NX owners should be playing the subtitled Beyond Good & Evil summer 2018.

Abe's Take
This wouldn't be the first Ubisoft "hardcore" exclusive for Nintendo (Zombi U) or the first time an multi-format game got an Nintendo exclusive sequel (Bayonetta 2). It would at least make more sense this being Nintendo exclusive as the original title was warmly received on the GameCube but I suspect there will be plenty of backlash.

Another Red Dead Redemption Tease

Well this is just getting mean Rockstar, yesterday you teases us with a basic red splash with a black logo and now this!



Yep that looks pretty Red Dead Redemption-like to me. Hopefully Rockstar releasing these teases so quickly means an announcement it soon... Tomorrow would be a good day for a teaser. HINT HINT!

Not really sure what to add here other than please let there be an co-op mode as well! Something along the lines of FarCry 4 where the side missions and world activities was available for two players whilst the story was kept strictly single player. I wounder if this game comes with Red Dead Online (like GTA Online) the first game's multiplayer mode was an stepping stone for GTA V's offering.

Abe's Take
Finally an new Red Dead! (Don't make me a liar Rockstar)

NX Reveal Soon? Also Some Rumour Round Up

Yep its time for more NX chatter... we know we're rather bored of it at this point too but since MS is being ultra vague about Scorpio and the PS4-Pro is kinda disappointing, the NX is the only mystery hardware we have ahead of us. Hey! At least we're not digging up old forum posts, Harassing Zelda Williams, or talking about mysterious (and evidence free) Miyamoto sightings at Universal Studios.

Update: Turns out I missed more details from the Gameblog rumour, jump to the bottom to see the updated list.

Original Story: So onto today's chatter. Wall Street Journal's technology reporter Takashi Mochizuki believes that NX details are on their way.

Speculation is Nintendo would unveil NX details in coming week. I guess all we can do is just wait. No announcement from company yet.

— Takashi Mochizuki (@mochi_wsj) October 16, 2016

As you can see Mr Mochizuki is only relaying speculation, however he used this in the past and was right about Nintendo ending the Wii U's production in 2016. It stands to reason that we should hear about the NX soon other sources such as an damming report from Macquire Group, an investment banking firm (downgrading Nintendo's status) claiming details was coming (then) 'next week' and of cause Nintendo has an shareholders meeting on the 27th of this month. It would be very hard to ease the concerns of investors with Super Mario Run; which is exclusive to half the mobile base and will probably be skipping China (estimated to be 60% of the mobile gaming market by Macquire). 

There is also been chatter for a while that Nintendo will reveal the NX in a special direct on the 21st which just so happens to be this week, before the Nintendo shareholders briefing and the 5th, and the anniversary of the first ever Nintendo Direct. Boy is there going to be a lot of red faces if there is still no NX by next Monday.

Rumour Round Up

Hey Link.... Wait a minute!?

First up we have developer FDG Entertainment confirming their Wind Waker inspired mobile game Oceanhorn (now an enhanced version is on X1 and PS4) is coming to PS Vita and 'A Nintendo console'. Its unclear if the dev has an NX kit or if they just want to port their game to it whenever it arrives.

Next up with an unnamed retailer claims to be leaking various details about the NX. Here's their wide range of information in handy bullet point form.

Marketing

• “Interact with your game on the go.” phrase seen on a poster.
• Strong co-branding effort with a Mario launch title.
• Console is currently set to launch with least 4 titles on deck (assumed Nintendo titles).
• Stores should be receiving demo units around February.
• Base price point is sitting at $299.99 *

Bundle

• The NX is set to have a bundle but the contents of this bundle is currently unknown however its price is currently $399.99 * (Falls line with the price range by Macquire) 

Packaging

• The packaging for the NX will be slightly larger than the Wii U’s packaging.
• The packaging is relatively clean and simple and is similar to the Wii U in terms of package design.
• The color scheme for the packaging is white and blue (compared to the Wii U’s blue and black).
• The packaging seems to be an prototype as it still says “NX” however there is still no indication if this is a placeholder or the final name and he areas of the packaging that would usually depict the hardware were blurred by Nintendo in attempt to keep it hidden.

Features and Specs

• Games will be on cartridges (heard this before)
• 4k streaming has been mentioned. – What this likely means is playback of content such as Netflix, etc. Not gameplay. (heard this before)
• 1080p and 60fps are being used by the marketing teams in relation to gameplay on to the console portion. I’ve heard unconfirmed rumblings of 900p for the infamous hybrid part of the device.(hey this too!)

Next up we have an report from Gameblog.fr who has been right AND WRONG before. They mostly reported old details we've heard before and then added some extra to it, which hey is here.

• “Sure about 20 games in development” Their sources are currently developing on the platform and have devkits 
• “You’ll be able to verify these leaks very soon” but not aware of the actual reveal date. 
• Nintendo hasn’t shared all of the NX “gimmicks” with their dev yet Hybrid confirmed but not the only “surprise” 
• Confirmed there are detachable controllers 
• No real dock where you plug the handheld, but a wireless ‘dongle’ 
• Upscaling for the TV, The handheld game is the same as the “docked” game Games look good on the handheld screen (780 – 900p), about PS4 level Ports should be easy despite the different architecture 
• Very positive feedback on the dev tools 
• Breath of the Wild looks nicer on NX 
• Smartphone connectivity maybe possible 
• VR not out of the question but first tests aren’t satisfying. 
• Lots of remasters planned (Skyward Sword, MK8, Splatoon, Smash 4, N64 and Wii games) 
• FFXV and FFVII Remake are coming to NX 
• Platinum Games and Capcom are in. (PLEASE be Monster Hunter, Street Fighter and Bayonetta) 
• Ubisoft with BG&E 2 discussed but not confirmed, Splinter Cell and a Yoshi / Rabbid Rabbits crossover being discussed too

Abe's Take
SHOW US THE THING! Mainly because I want to see it but also I'm tired of reporting on these rumours.

I would imagine if Nintendo doesn't reveal the NX before their meeting on the 27th then its possible it wont be till after Christmas.