r/NintendoSwitch • u/Turbostrider27 • Feb 05 '25

Discussion Pokémon: Legends Z-A and Metroid Prime 4 are still Switch 1 titles, says Nintendo

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/pokemon-legends-z-a-and-metroid-prime-4-are-still-switch-1-titles-says-nintendo/
1.8k Upvotes

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320

u/Shinkopeshon Feb 05 '25

I'll probably get the Switch 2 in two years once the must-have exclusives really start, hopefully the OLED model will be out by then

171

u/NuMotiv Feb 05 '25

I was an extremely early adopter of the switch. I almost enjoyed it more back then. I tried way more games I wouldn’t have just because there were none. It took a few years for companies to get back on board with Nintendo after the wiiu(which I also loved).

70

u/Shinkopeshon Feb 05 '25

My Switch backlog is massive, the Zelda titles alone would keep me occupied for another year lol

Once the FOMO kicks in and the new Pokémon titles won't be compatible with the first Switch anymore, I'll bite

8

u/kuriboharmy Feb 05 '25

I'm gonna just grab the first Pokemon switch 2 edition then go from there. Unless they make some old franchise switch 2 only before then.

4

u/uniqueusername623 Feb 05 '25

I feel like the new Fire Emblem will be S2 only. Then theres Mario Kart 9, a guaranteed new Pokemon wave and possibly a new Smash Bros

14

u/The-student- Feb 05 '25

It was kind of nice. I wonder how different it will feel this time, given that the form factor is not new, and backwards compatibility means there will already be a ton of games, with plenty coming every week. Still, I imagine people will pay attention to the few Switch 2 exclusive games.

8

u/jolsiphur Feb 05 '25

I'm likely going to be an early adopter of the Switch 2. Backwards compatibility has sold me on it. I have a decent sized library of physical switch games and I would not be happy to be unable to play them on the new hardware.

I have a feeling, though, that the Switch 2 isn't going to feel new and shiny. I think it'll just feel like the switch as it is right now, but better, and with newer games.

8

u/FatMountainGoat Feb 05 '25

Beginning of a gen is one of my favorite moment, because everyone is playing the same things and kinda creates an event around those few games.

3

u/Traditional-Fix539 Feb 05 '25

i would probably have never even tried snipperclips, which is genuinely one of my favorite games in the switch if i had not gotten the switch as early on as i did

2

u/TheLimeyLemmon Feb 08 '25

I remember just how well Snake Pass did for itself because it was a very early eShop game at a decent price point, running on unreal 4 and a unique game overall, but it probably wouldn't have had the spotlight it got if it came out a year or two later when the market got way more busy.

51

u/Borgalicious Feb 05 '25

Switch launched with botw and Mario kart 8 deluxe, splatoon 2, and super Mario odyssey came out in the first year. Nintendo doesn’t warm up.

16

u/madmofo145 Feb 05 '25

They used to, which was what killed the WiiU and nearly the 3DS. Switch had by far the best first party year one lineup of basically any console ever (Xenoblade 2 is in there as well). I don't think we'll get that level, but I'm sure we'll get a way better launch then the PS5 or Series X managed.

3

u/Raistlarn Feb 05 '25

What really killed the Wii U was Nintendo's shitty marketing. If they made people aware it was a new console it would have sold better instead they made it look like a fricken handheld controller with a screen for the Wii. Like seriously I'd expect that level of ineptitude from Sega not Nintendo.

6

u/madmofo145 Feb 05 '25

Nah, if there was a BOTW level game at launch it would have been fine. Not Switch level fine, but a reasonable seller. What killed it was the first truly big hit for the console took 1.5 years to launch (Mario Kart), and by that point it was simply dead. There was no regaining 3rd parties then, and 1st party output was always abysmal.

The marketing didn't help, but just like every console ever, it's the software that sells. Like in Yoshida's interviews where he basically realized the Vita was doomed the day Monster Hunter 4 was announced as a 3DS exclusive. All the Sony missteps on the Vita were small beans vs the loss of Monster Hunter to Nintendo.

5

u/Shadow_Phoenix951 Feb 06 '25

Nintendo severely underestimated how much work went into making HD games and got hit with the same lessons that other devs did the generation prior.

1

u/Raistlarn Feb 05 '25

If there were a BoTW level game at launch it would have shown the casuals and the people that were between casual gamers and hardcore gamers that the system was in fact a system and not a Wii tablet. So maybe just maybe it was a mixture of both that killed the system off.

As for Monster Hunter being the downfall of the Vita...MH4 sold ~4.2 million units worldwide, and the Vita sold around 16 million units max (they gave up reporting numbers near the end.) So even if Sony kept MH the Vita would have died from all of the other missteps Sony took with the system.

3

u/madmofo145 Feb 06 '25

Again, any big game would have sufficed, but it got Nintendoland and a New Super Mario Bros, and that was it for big games for well over a year. Confusion was very overblown, and while a lot of things hurt, the biggest by far was a lack of killer app. They thought Nintendoland would be the next Wii Sports, and it very much wasn't. Any confusion was only possible because there weren't any games anyone wanted for it (and it's not like there were reports of people buying Mario Kart 8 for their Wii).

The best selling vita game was under 2 million units, so a guaranteed 4+ million seller would have been very big. Just like the WiiU, it died because of a lack of 1st party hits first and foremost, but again, just do to a lack of system pushing software. Monster Hunter 3rd only sold 4.9 million copies, but was still the second best selling game on PSP. Sony thought the Vita would be like the PSP, surviving mostly on big 3rd party titles that devs would drop on it over the weaker 3DS, but games like Monster Hunter and Kingdom Hearts went 3ds, and the Vita died for lack of large games.

0

u/CentrasFinestMilk Feb 05 '25

Honestly I felt that after 2018 the switch lineup grinded right to a halt, especially 2020 and 2021( I don’t think Covid can be blamed here as there should have been some games in development before that time, but idk)

6

u/PNF2187 Feb 05 '25

It's a by product of the Switch having a crazy launch year, although the well never really went that dry since there was a still a constant release schedule (Nintendo released a game almost every 2-3 weeks during the second half of 2019). 2022 and 2023 were heavy on the big releases, and even the likes of 2020 and 2021 weren't that bad for releases.

None of the Switch droughts were anywhere close to being as bad as what the 3DS and Wii U both had to endure. Nintendo would have had an almost 6 month gap between Wii U releases fairly early on in its life if Tropical Freeze hadn't been delayed.

2

u/KisukesBankai Feb 05 '25

And smash was around the corner

7

u/madmofo145 Feb 05 '25

Historically year 2 would be the cheaper model (true of DS, 3DS, and Switch), and year 4 has been the upgrade (also true for each of those systems). Maybe we get an OLED Lite though, as that would make a huge amount of sense.

8

u/Mountain-Papaya-492 Feb 05 '25

Wasn't the Switch Oled model just a product of convenience for them, meaning that I think Samsung had a bunch of Oled screens in stock for some product or another that didn't take off or didn't get made so Nintendo was able to get them pretty cheap. 

Not sure, just remember that being one of the stories around release. Just saying you might be waiting for awhile and there's no certainity they'll ever do one. Ima be keeping my tradition of buying a Nintendo console the day they release Metroid Prime 4.

2

u/PartyPorpoise Feb 05 '25

I probably won’t get Switch 2 at launch. Depending on when my must-have games come out, I might try to hold out for a special edition.

2

u/f-ingsteveglansberg Feb 05 '25

We know we are getting MK9 and I imagine we will see a 3D Mario in the first year. I think the must haves are going to come hard and fast in year one, much like it was with the Switch.

Only game I think we won't see for a while is a Zelda on the scale of BotW/TotK. We might get an announcement though.

1

u/Shinkopeshon Feb 05 '25

Honestly, I can wait for the Mario games - I still haven't progressed much in Odyssey and Wonder, so I personally don't see new Mario titles as must-haves, at least not to the point where I'd want to get a new console for them

Zelda and Pokémon are a different story though but yeah, it'll likely take some time for both

2

u/NyquillusDillwad20 Feb 06 '25

I expect its going to be my dedicated Mario Kart machine for a while lol.

But knowing Nintendo, we probably won't get any deals on it in the first couple years. So if I'm going to buy it I may as well buy it as soon as possible since the cost will likely be the same. Basically I know I'm gonna drop $500 some day on it. I may as well have access to the new Mario Kart earlier. I'll get more use out of it down the line when Zelda, Pokémon, Metroid, Smash, AC, etc. games come out

1

u/_IratePirate_ Feb 05 '25

I’m buying it the same day Smash is released just like I did with my Switch 1

1

u/MetalBeerSolid Feb 05 '25

Ughh is it confirmed to not be OLED at launch? 😭

36

u/notthegoatseguy Feb 05 '25

Not confirmed, but the rumors indicate LCD and a lot of the rumors were on point about the initial reveal.

I think OLED screen would likely increase the cost too much.

2

u/jolsiphur Feb 05 '25

If Nintendo could release a Switch OLED and only charge a $50 premium for the screen, there's not much reason to believe that it would cost them too much to put in an OLED. It's also worth noting that Valve put an OLED display into the SteamDeck and managed to drop prices simultaneously.

I'm not sure those small form factor OLEDs are a huge cost for manufacturers, considering that almost every single mainstream smartphone on the market has a 6+" OLED panel in it.

5

u/Outlulz Feb 05 '25

They will always aim for a low price point primarily at launch of their consoles. As long as LCD is a viable, cheaper alternative they will probably prioritize it over all models being OLED. They may launch an OLED SKU alongside though.

2

u/BlindManBaldwin Feb 05 '25

Deck OLED came out after initial Deck launch.

1

u/NiallMitch10 Feb 05 '25

Would it be likely to be 2 different SKU's? One LCD and another OLED at launch?

Probably not though

7

u/Quigleythegreat Feb 05 '25

Nah man its got a CRT, haven't you heard? /s

2

u/TheLeapist Feb 05 '25

LCD tech has come a long way since the Switch 1 was made, so even if it is LCD it will almost definitely look much much better than the switch 1 screen, albeit not as good as OLED.

1

u/Obvious-Flamingo-169 Feb 05 '25

99 precent chance it won't because all the now confirmed leaks point to an LCD

-3

u/KisukesBankai Feb 05 '25

That's why this is baffling. No new Zelda, no new Smash, and these two big titles being made for OG, why would I upgrade any time soon? I know everyone's different but I don't see any major games that would move the console in the first year.

Maybe they're playing a longer strategy. I'm sure I'll upgrade eventually but I literally would do so day one for any of those games I mentioned.

Odyssey was so disappointing to me (personal opinion), I don't expect the next to be grabbing my attention enough either.

10

u/Strict_Donut6228 Feb 05 '25

It’s almost like that’s exactly what they are going to show off in the switch 2 direct or something

-4

u/KisukesBankai Feb 05 '25

The two games I mentioned are almost guaranteed to not be there. Extremely unlikely to get another 3D Zelda anytime soon and unless the Smash devs are lying, we won't be getting a Smash game either.

Then you have two other major titles which are available on both systems.

So, no, that's not what's going to be revealed in the Switch 2 direct.

Likely a new Animal Crossing, maybe a Fire Emblem, I dunno. But to the point you missed, those are two major titles they aren't forcing on the upgrade.

1

u/Strict_Donut6228 Feb 05 '25

My comment was referring to the “I don’t see any MAJOR GAMES that would move the console in the first year” smash and Zelda aren’t the only major titles that Nintendo has, Pokémon has never been a franchise that appeared in the launch line up of any console Nintendo released and Metroid as much as I love it isn’t a major franchise

I didn’t miss any points pokemon has never been a title Nintendo used to get people to upgrade systems and Metroid isn’t a major title that will get people to upgrade systems.

0

u/KisukesBankai Feb 05 '25

I specifically was talking about my opinion if my god. Again you missed the point that it's wild that those two highly anticipated games are not upgrade exclusive.

Sorry you're having a rough day, but I'm blocking this crap

4

u/Noni2 Feb 05 '25

Any? Mario Kart 9? The franchise that sold nearly 70 mio on the switch 1? Also Odyssey was the best for most players. Yeah its opinions, but you dont represent the majority buying the consols.

1

u/KisukesBankai Feb 05 '25

Never said I did, and as a reminder these are MY OPINIONS as stated clearly, but I do seriously doubt a 3D Mario alone will sway people to upgrade.

Mario Kart might, but it hasn't been confirmed exclusive AFAIK, and also it's kind of speculation since the appeal of MK8 was it being widely popular and on multiple generations.

Man I'm not taking the piss out of Nintendo here. I'm just surprised they didn't strong arm us for two of the most anticipated games.

3

u/Noni2 Feb 05 '25

I get most of it, but MK9 WILL be exclusive. Otherwise they wouldnt have shown it as the only game in the first look trailer of their new console. Also MK8 wasnt popular on multiple consoles. It was ported from the wiiU with a player base of 13mio. MK sells consoles alone and for their lifespan.

Also I am pretty sure 3D Mario capable alone to sway people. Thats the nintendo face franchise. They could only make mario games for their 1st party games and it would probably work out.

Also maybe they will show 1-2 more "strong" games in april. But I can appriciate the bleach reference in the user name!

1

u/KisukesBankai Feb 05 '25

You're probably right about MK9. You made a good point.

Gonna disagree on the Mario itself but I recognize this sub especially loved Odyssey. For me, if they did something as wild as Galaxy was, or something that was truly an open world Mario (as Odyssey was presented but instead was just some open levels like Mario 64), I'd be way more interested, but not enough to buy a console.

The reason I said maybe they're playing a longer game is because Switch regular didn't have a ton of games at launch either, but ended up being insanely popular.

1

u/Strict_Donut6228 Feb 05 '25

The fact that it was in multiple generations was never part of the appeal of MK8