Dragon Quest Heroes II graphics comparison + frame rate test
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Switch, Videos | 80 Comments
With Dragon Quest Heroes I+II having shipped in Japan, Digital Foundry is taking a look at the second game by comparing it to the PlayStation 4 and PS Vita versions.
Dragon Quest Heroes on Switch comes somewhat close to the PS4 edition. However, the Switch version struggles significantly on Nintendo’s platform. The frame rate takes a dip while you’re in battles, and the performance seems to be dragged down even further when playing in portable mode.
Digital Foundry’s full analysis is in the video below.
Zelda: Breath of the Wild director on having fun with falling and dying
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch, Wii U | 32 Comments
Many would agree that Breath of the Wild is the toughest Zelda game in years. That’s something the development team accepted early on.
Last week, director Hidemaro Fujibayashi spoke about the game’s difficultly with The Verge. Nintendo observed that many players were falling off of Hyrule’s towers while development was ongoing, resulting in deaths. The team ended up making some tweaks, but in the end, they accepted the fact that many players would fall and die.
Fujibayashi said:
“When we saw that, we also didn’t see it as something negative. There’s actually kind of a fun to be had from falling and dying. You learn to be careful and to be cautious. And we felt that that gave a lot of players the emotional preparedness to take on the rest of the world. So we ultimately decided that we should let them die.”
LEGO Worlds trailer
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Switch, Videos | 2 Comments
Warner Bros. published a new trailer for LEGO Worlds today, and also reconfirmed that it’s on track for Switch later this year. See the video below.
Switch sells 105,000 units on release date in France, best launch for a console in history
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch, Wii U | 17 Comments
Sales data is in for Switch in France. According to Le Figaro, the new system sold 105,000 units when it released last Friday.
Similar to the Americas, Switch had a record-breaking launch in France. It’s not only the best result ever for a new Nintendo console, but also the biggest launch for consoles as a whole.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was picked up by nearly all new Switch owners in France having sold 96,000 copies. Given that number, it’s an attach rate of over 91 percent. Breath of the Wild also sold 34,000 copies on Wii U.
Europe: Switch sells more in its launch weekend than any other Nintendo hardware in history
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 45 Comments
Nintendo has sent out an official notice about Switch’s performance in Europe. During the system’s launch weekend, it sold more than any other Nintendo hardware in history.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild also performed well. It’s the biggest-selling Nintendo launch title ever in Europe, outselling Wii Sports in first weekend sales.
Source: Nintendo PR
Japan: Switch sells over 300,000 units in first week
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 100 Comments
Update (3/7): Famitsu now has an article up on its actual website. Between March 3 and March 5, Zelda: Breath of the Wild sold 193,060 units at retail with a 58 percent attach rate. Also, Famitsu’s website reports a figure of 330,637, so we’ll be using that one instead of the previously-reported 313,700.
Original (3/6): Data from Famitsu reveals that first week sales of Switch came in at 313,700 units in Japan. To compare, other notable console launches include the Wii at 371,900 units, Wii U at 308,600 units, and PlayStation 4 at 322,100 units.
By first week, that should mean Switch’s first three days on the market. Famitsu’s next reporting period is between February 27 and March 5, and Switch came out on March 3 – so that would account for sales from Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Earlier today, it was reported that Switch doubled up on Wii U in the UK by selling 80,000 units in its opening weekend. No numbers are out for North America, but the system had a record-breaking launch for Nintendo.
More Super Bomberman R footage
Posted on 8 years ago by Zack in Switch, Videos | 3 Comments
Some new Super Bomberman R footage is on YouTube now, showing off a bit of 4 player multiplayer. You can check it out below.
More: Konami, Super Bomberman R
Switch in America: best 2-day sales in Nintendo history, Zelda best-selling standalone launch game
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 82 Comments
The New York Times recently had the opportunity to interview Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime. We’ll be seeing the publication’s full discussion soon, but reporter Nick Wingfield shared some information about Switch’s sales early.
Switch’s first 2-day sales in the Americas – meaning Friday and Saturday – were the best for any system in Nintendo history. The next closest was Wii, which launched during the holiday period.
We’re also hearing that Zelda: Breath of the Wild is now the best-selling standalone launch title (meaning not a bundled game) in Nintendo history. The game managed to beat out Super Mario for N64.
Zelda: Breath of the Wild director on how the game initially came together, Miyamoto climbing trees in the prototype
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch, Wii U | 6 Comments
The concept for Zelda: Breath of the Wild began with Shigeru Miyamoto and series producer Eiji Aonuma asking what would players would be able to do in the new game. Hidemaro Fujibayashi, who became the project’s director, responded by saying you could do everything.
Fujibayashi told Kotaku:
“But I had to sell it to them. How we’re going to make this happen. And I felt like the best way to convey this idea to them was to show them that you could climb walls.”
Work on Breath of the Wild began with a prototype. The team created a starting area with a small field and trees, along with rupees hidden throughout. Fujibayashi describes how Miyamoto played the demo:
Switch is compatible with USB keyboards
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 10 Comments
Here’s a random, but interesting little tidbit about the Switch. As it turns out, it’s fully compatible with USB keyboards. So long as Switch is docked, you should be able to use one. It even works in games as well for text prompts.
Thanks to Exy for the tip.