All posts tagged: nintendo

This bestselling gaming device is not a Nintendo or a PlayStation – and I highly recommend it

This bestselling gaming device is not a Nintendo or a PlayStation – and I highly recommend it

Published by skeptic

Alison DeNisco Rayome/ZDNET As a parent, I’m always looking for ways to keep my young kids entertained and expelling energy. The Nex Playground is a tiny gaming device that does both exceedingly well, using your body motion to play the games and effectively turning your living room into an arcade — with no controllers required.  I’ve watched the Nex Playground entertain groups of kids ranging from one to eight, and the adults in the room, too. It’s currently on sale at its lowest price of the year at $239 at Amazon, 20% off the usual price of $299. Also: The best mini gaming PCs of 2026: Expert tested and reviewed I’m the opposite of a gamer — I’m the person who tried Animal Crossing on my husband’s Switch in the early pandemic days, immediately got stung by virtual bees, and never picked it up again. So you can trust me when I say the Nex Playground is extremely easy to set up and operate, even for me.  The device itself connects to your TV via …

Pokémon 30th Anniversary Collabs—What You Can Still Buy and What’s Coming

Pokémon 30th Anniversary Collabs—What You Can Still Buy and What’s Coming

Published by skeptic

Listen closely, and you might still be able to hear it—a rousing 8-bit chiptune chirping out the first call to adventure for a generation, a challenge to catch them all and be the very best, like no one ever was. That’s right—2026 marks the 30th anniversary of Pokémon, which debuted on Nintendo’s original Game Boy handheld back in 1996 with the Japanese launch of Pocket Monsters Red and Green. While the series wouldn’t make its global debut for another two years as Pokémon Red and Blue—an updated version of Green—it was already on its way to becoming the most successful media product in history. With Pokémon now bigger than Mickey Mouse and Star Wars—combined—it’s little surprise that when the Pokémon Company announced a range of exclusive merchandise to mark the anniversary—for Japan only at the time—it immediately sold out. Things were so bad at one point that there were multi-hour waits to load the official website. Thankfully, the 30th celebrations are no longer restricted to Pokémon’s homeland, nor to Nintendo and the Pokémon Company’s offerings. As the year …

Final Fantasy XIV coming to Nintendo Switch 2 later this year, Square Enix reveals

Final Fantasy XIV coming to Nintendo Switch 2 later this year, Square Enix reveals

Published by Daniella Wilson

Final Fantasy XIV will be coming to Nintendo Switch 2 consoles later this year, it has been announced. The reveal came as part of the keynote speech at this weekend’s Fan Fest 2026 celebrations in Anaheim. To make the announcement, Square Enix president Takashi Kiyru took to the stage, stating that, “We are so happy to announce that you will be able to play Final Fantasy Online on Nintendo Switch 2.” The game is set to launch on the console later this year following a brief test period, with Kiyru noting, “We currently plan to launch the Switch 2 version in August. But to make sure that our servers are stable, we’ll be starting with a short early access period of about a month.” Players will also be pleased to learn that a Nintendo Switch Online membership, something typically required to play any online games on Switch consoles, will not be needed to play the game on the Switch 2. Want to see this content? This page contains content provided by Google reCAPTCHA. We ask …

Production Wraps Ahead of 2027 Release

Production Wraps Ahead of 2027 Release

Published by Daniella Wilson

The Legend of Zelda touched down in Sin City on Monday, with Sony teasing the upcoming video game adaptation during the studio’s CinemaCon presentation. First-look images from director Wes Ball’s live-action film had been released in November, and at CinemaCon, president of Sony’s motion picture group Sanford Panitch announced that the movie had recently finished principal photography. Sony did not reveal new images or details about the feature that counts Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto and Avi Arad as producers. “We just wrapped production on Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda — based, perhaps, on the most beloved gaming franchise of all time that sold over 180 million copies in four decades,” Panitch said. “It has been produced by the creator himself, Miyamoto, along with Avi Arad, and it’s directed by Wes Ball, whose most recent Planet of the Apes movie was a box office hit.” The exec continued, “The film releases worldwide May 7th, 2027. We and the legion of fans everywhere cannot wait. And video game adaptations continue to be a significant focus for us.” …

Nintendo drops new Switch 2 ‘Super Mario Galaxy’ bundle

Nintendo drops new Switch 2 ‘Super Mario Galaxy’ bundle

Published by skeptic

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie has not been especially well received by critics, but it is serving one important purpose: introducing new people to the two excellent games it was named after. And for a limited time, you can get in on the fun with a discount. Nintendo announced a temporary promotion from April 12 to May 9: anyone who buys a Nintendo Switch 2 console alongside Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 (the official name of a package containing both games) will get $20 off. This offer works with either the physical or digital version of the Galaxy games, but only if you get a Switch 2 at the same time. You also need to buy them from a participating retailer, which includes Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, Target, and GameStop. If my math is right, participating in this promotion would cost a total of $500 between the Switch 2 and the games, down from a total of $520 before taxes. It’s not a huge discount, in other words, but considering how infrequently Nintendo discounts …

Mac OS X Cheetah Successfully Ported to Nintendo Wii

Mac OS X Cheetah Successfully Ported to Nintendo Wii

Published by skeptic

Developer Bryan Keller was curious whether an old version of Apple’s Mac operating system was capable of running on the Nintendo Wii after seeing Windows NT ported to the gaming device, so he decided to give it a try. He was able to get Mac OS X 10.0 Cheetah to operate on the Nintendo Wii, and he shared a blog post walking through the project. The Wii uses a PowerPC 750CL processor, which is a newer version of the PowerPC 750CXe that Apple used in the G3 iBook and iMac, which is why Keller had a hunch that the process would be successful. Keller wrote a custom bootloader and eventually managed to load OS X, with the multi-step process detailed on his website. He had to patch the OS X kernel source code and compile a modified kernel binary, then write custom drivers so the kernel was able to read from the Wii SD card slot to boot into the file system. He also had to write a framebuffer driver for the OS X interface, …

James Bond’s 007 First Light release date delayed for Nintendo Switch 2 players

James Bond’s 007 First Light release date delayed for Nintendo Switch 2 players

Published by Daniella Wilson

Upcoming James Bond game 007 First Light has been delayed on Nintendo Switch 2, developer IO Interactive has confirmed. First announced as ‘Project 007’ back in 2020, the game was officially revealed in its current form early last year. While the game had been scheduled for a May release on all platforms, following a delay from its original March release date, it has now been announced that the Switch 2 version will not be arriving just yet. In a post from the game’s official social media accounts, the developers reaffirm the May release date for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC, before adding that the Switch 2 version will arrive “later this summer”. Want to see this content? This page contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as Twitter may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose ‘Accept and continue’ to allow Twitter and its required purposes. Accept and continue 007 First Light is one of a slew of new third-party titles that had been …

Sony’s PS5 Price Hikes Prove This Console Generation Is Far From Over. Good.

Sony’s PS5 Price Hikes Prove This Console Generation Is Far From Over. Good.

Published by skeptic

If you’ve been holding off on picking up a PlayStation 5 in hopes of a price cut, bad news: the cost of every model of Sony’s all-conquering console has instead just gone up considerably. It’s a move that breaks with decades of tradition (or at least consumer expectations) and is undoubtedly a blow for anyone hoping for a discount, five years into the current console generation. However, it’s also a sign that the current generation is likely to stick around for a while yet—and that may be a good thing, for the industry and players alike. Historically, at this point in a console generation, incumbent hardware sees steep discounts. For example, the PS4, which launched for $400 in 2013, was retailing for $300 by 2018, a 25 percent decrease. Even if hardware is loss-leading, it’s a pricing trajectory that’s usually win-win for manufacturers and customers alike. Production and component costs will typically have dropped over that half-decade, allowing companies to drop the retail price, often alongside slimmed-down hardware revisions. At the same time, players who …

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie First Reactions to Screenings

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie First Reactions to Screenings

Published by Daniella Wilson

Mama mia! The Super Mario Galaxy Movie held its first press screenings on Monday and the early reaction on social media seems mixed at best. Alas. While full critics reviews for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie are embargoed till Tuesday, Universal allowed press and others to post their limited reactions on social media on Monday. The followup to the hugely popular 2023 franchise starter The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Galaxy tells the story of Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach once again facing the evil Bowser (this time along with his son Bowser Jr.) in an adventure that spans the galaxy. Along the way they meet new characters including Princess Rosalina and Nintendo icon Yoshi. Galaxy once again features the core voice cast of Chris Pratt (Mario), Anya Taylor-Joy (Princess Peach), Charlie Day (Luigi), Jack Black (Bowser), and Keegan-Michael Key (Toad). New voices for the sequel include Benny Safdie (Bowser Jr.), Issa Rae (Honey Queen), Brie Larson (Princess Rosalina), Glen Powell (Fox McCloud) and Donald Glover (Yoshi). Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic return to direct Galaxy …

“Awful News”: Nintendo Shares Get ‘Donkey Konged’ After Switch 2 Production Cut

“Awful News”: Nintendo Shares Get ‘Donkey Konged’ After Switch 2 Production Cut

Published by Jenni Sidey

Nintendo shares in Tokyo tumbled overnight after Bloomberg reported that the gaming company has slashed production of the Switch 2 handheld amid soft holiday-season demand and underwhelming U.S. sales. *NINTENDO CUTS SWITCH 2 OUTPUT BY OVER 30% ON WEAK HOLIDAY SALES wait, wasn’t this thing supposed to be as popular as chatgpt? — zerohedge (@zerohedge) March 24, 2026 Nintendo is expected to produce 4 million Switch 2 units instead of the originally planned 6 million, with the lower production rate expected to continue into the second quarter. Despite a record June 2025 launch and 17.37 million units sold since release, management appears disappointed that momentum and hype for the Switch 2 have faded. Japan has held up better than overseas markets, helped by a cheaper domestic-only variant, while U.S. demand has been soft. “This hardware shortfall in its first year, during its big holiday season, is awful news,” Asymmetric Advisors analyst Amir Anvarzadeh wrote in a note. Sources noted that the output reduction should not affect Nintendo’s ability to meet the average Wall Street analyst …