From the makers of TinyTV: the $50 Thumby Color and $30 Thumby. Raspberry Pi Pico chips run at just in the low hundred MHz, displays are 0.85 or 0.4 inches respectively! But that’s enough for MicroPython games you can code in a web browser, or even real Doom on the OG Thumby (find installers here). More in my full story.
Square Enix closed out today’s Nintendo Switch 2 partner showcase with a game that features names liable to send you into fits of confused laughter. Launching next year, The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales is an HD-2D action RPG with a silly but acceptable name. (Elliot? Really?)
But Philabieldia, the name for where the story takes place, is truly one of the most ridiculous fantasy names I’ve ever heard. Philabieldia, wow. You know what, I’m in. The ridiculous name signals to me this is the exact kind of high-fantasy, low-stakes silliness I enjoy in not-Final Fantasy Square Enix games.
Square Enix’s gorgeous throwback RPG series is making its way to the Switch 2 with Octopath Traveler 0. The title makes it sound like a prequel of sorts, and the publisher says players will “experience a story of restoration and retribution over the divine rings — an epic saga that unfolds across the realm of Orsterra.” It’s launching on December 4th.
Star Wars Outlaws, the open-world sci-fi adventure that originally launched a year ago, is making its way to the Switch 2 on September 4th. Finally, you can take Nix on the go.
We got another look at the upcoming remaster of Final Fantasy Tactics, this one focused on the strategy game’s sweeping story. It won’t be long now before you can play it, as the game launches on September 30th. (It’ll be on both the Switch and Switch 2.)
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, the hack-and-slash-style spinoff of the Legend of Zelda series, covers the canonical events that led to Tears of the Kingdom. Most importantly, the game covers what Princess Zelda was up to hanging out in the past with the very handsome Goat King of Hyrule.
Frustratingly, there’s still no release date, with Nintendo sharing that the game will release some time “this winter.” Regardless, I’m looking forward to beating the bacon off an army of bokoblins.
EA’s battle royale shooter got a performance bump once the Switch 2 launched, but during the Partner Direct showcase, they announced the August 5th update for Apex Legends will include a Switch 2-native edition, with enhanced resolution and framerate.
The new season also brings Wildcard, a new permanently added game mode on all platforms that has tweaks to speed up gameplay, lets teams have more than one of a particular hero, and includes second chance respawns once your team is eliminated.
Persona 3 Reload, the remake of Atlus’ Persona 3, is coming to the Switch 2 October 23rd. The game released last year to rave reviews on PC, PS5, and Xbox. Now, Atlus is finally ready to release the game on the Switch 2, because why should the other consoles get all the devil-summoning fun?
To start off today’s Nintendo Direct partner showcase, Capcom showed off the latest entry in the Monster Hunter Stories series. Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is coming to the Switch 2 next year.
Try as I might, I can’t get into the mainline Monster Hunter games. Since Monster Hunter Stories are more structured, turn-based RPGs where I’m riding the monsters instead of trying to fight them all the time, I might have to give this one a try when it comes out in 2026 and see if it finally sticks.
At 9AM ET, Nintendo is airing its next Direct showcase, but this time the focus will be on titles from third-party developers. Are we finally going to see Silksong again? You can watch it all live below.
The latest Mario Kart World update increases “the frequency of lap-type courses” that appear during online races.
The change seems to address concerns over Nintendo’s decision to nerf the “random” track trick last month, which allowed players to avoid having to drive to their next track location, and instead have a traditional three-lap race.
Drag x Drive, the Switch 2’s 3-v-3 wheelchair basketball game, is coming out next month and Nintendo has shared a new trailer. The game, the first exclusive to make extensive use of the Switch 2’s mouse controls, will test more than just your hoopin’ skills.
The trailer showed off a ton of other things you can do like wheelchair races, skills challenges, and more. You can also create pick-up games with your friends, customize your player and their wheels, or practice against the computer when Drag x Drive comes out August 14th.
Nintendo previously let you remap your controller buttons while playing classic N64 and GameCube games through the Switch Online service, but that functionality has now been expanded to Super Nintendo games, too, as spotted by Nintendo Life.
Although the new View/Change Controls option in the SNES app was briefly seen in the Nintendo of America Mario Paint video released yesterday, the Japanese version goes into more detail about how it works.
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When Pokémon Legends: Z-A drops in October, everyone is going to be fawning over the franchise’s updated Kalos region. But Pokémon TCG Pocket’s next set — Wisdom of Sea and Sky — is going to be all about monsters from the Johto region, and it looks like the expansion will introduce to some interesting new gameplay mechanics like attacks that don’t require energy when it releases on July 30th.
It costs $60 and ships October 1st.
That’s a little less than a month after the game’s September 12th launch on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X / S.
Switch Online subscribers can now access more than 200 new tracks from NES and Famicom games via the Nintendo Music app, including Mario Bros., Duck Hunt, Wrecking Crew, and a handful of Donkey Kong titles. That gives you some retro tunes to listen to while playing Donkey Kong Bananza.
Ever see concept art and immediately say: “I would play the LIVING HECK out of that”?
Yeah. This is by Castpixel, and her portfolio is filled with fantastic pixel art (and more). She’s done work on Minecraft and Space Jam: A New Legacy and was sole artist on this $8 love letter to Bomberman. “If you can get Nintendo to hire me, it could be playable in 16 months or so,” she says of Chibi Metroid.
The playtest, which will be a test of the “same service” as the one in October, will accept up to 40,000 on a first-come, first-served basis. You can apply here, though you’ll need to have been a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscriber as of last Thursday as 6PM ET to be eligible.
[playtest-p.nintendo.com]
