Steam Deck VS Nintendo Switch

The survey conducted by e-commerce aggregator iPrice Group showed that across Asian countries, people have been registering much more interest in Valve's Steam Deck compared to the new Nintendo Switch OLED. For comparison, both consoles are designated to launch towards the end of 2021, but it seems that Asian interest in the Steam Deck has already outdone that of the new Switch OLED. Within the month of July 2021, Asians Google searched the Steam Deck around three times more than the Nintendo Switch OLED.

In Southeast Asia, the number of search results showed that people clearly cared way more about the Steam Deck, while countries such as Hong Kong and Taiwan were more neutral in terms of search results. Curiously, Japan showed over eight times more interest in Valve's new console compared to the Switch OLED, which is surprising considering Japan's well-documented love for the platform and most of its titles. The first factor is obvious Nintendo's Switch platform has been around for a good number of years now, and the new Switch OLED only offers marginal upgrades over its predecessor most notably the inclusion of a larger OLED panel. Understandably, the market for such devices has already worn out its excitement for the Switch platform and its games, while Valve's Steam Deck presents more of an unknown quantity with regards to handheld gaming. One huge attraction factor the Steam Deck has is its ability to play games cross-platform, which simply means that users can game alongside those playing on PC instead of being forced into just playing within a handheld-only community. This factor proves even more crucial when you take into account the current pandemic and the demand for more gaming options among those stuck at home. According to iPrice, the Steam Deck is set to have up to 111 more cross-play titles compared to the Switch platform, which gives it a heavy advantage in terms of multiplayer flexibility. From day one, the Steam Deck will reportedly be able to run games such as Valheim, Overcooked! 2, Terraria, and Sid Meier's Civilization VI. Coincidentally, iPrice says that the Steam Deck is also set to become the gaming console with the most cross-play titles upon launch (172 titles), beating out the Playstation 4 (147 titles), and Xbox One (109 titles). However, this doesn't mean that prospective buyers should ignore the Nintendo Switch platform completely. Alongside the announcement of the new OLED version, Nintendo also announced the extremely-hyped The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild 2, which looks to become yet another modern classic in the Switch's line-up of unique exclusives (Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Pokémon series, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, etc). Ultimately, the decision for which of these two handheld dominators to pick comes down to the type of gamer you are, and what titles you hope to play alongside your buddies. The Steam Deck is set to launch in December 2021 with a touted price of US$399 for the base model, while the Nintendo Switch OLED looks ready for an October 2021 launch with a starting price of US$349.99.

Apex Legends Is Out On The Nintendo Switch

The new Nintendo Switch version of Apex Legends offers cross-platform gameplay meaning that you can play with and against players on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC in addition to other Switch players. But any progress or purchases that players have made on those other platforms won’t carry over. Effectively, Apex Legends players on the Switch are starting from scratch. Despite the “Season 8” branding that covers Apex Legends, there’s no continuity for players on the Switch version so much so, that players have to replay the tutorial before they’ll actually be able to drop into a full match. In an interview with Nintendo Life, Chad Grenier (Respawn’s game director for Apex Legends) said that cross-progression is planned for the future, but with the caveat that “we’re a ways out from being able to offer that.” Grenier explains that there are a mix of issues preventing Respawn from offering cross-progression, with contractual, legal, and technical problems that need to be sorted out. “It’s a complex challenge of multiple accounts existing for various users that we have to resolve or merge, there are legal and contractual things to navigate with purchasing on other platforms and having those carryover and also some technical challenges.” Apex Legends is by no means the first mainstream game to run into this issue. Unfortunately, the lack of cross-progression is more common than not for most cross-platform games, both on the Switch and on other platforms.

Overwatch, for example, has been struggling with the lack of cross-platform progression and gameplay for years, despite the emphasis that Blizzard puts on cosmetic content unlocks. Control has been ported to plenty of platforms since its launch, including Amazon’s Luna, a cloud-based version for the Nintendo Switch, and a next-gen version for PS5 and Xbox One. But there’s no crossover for saves between those titles if you started Control on a PS4, then that’s where your save is stuck forever, even if you want to try streaming it from an internet service or playing with fancier graphics on a next-gen console. Obviously, there are real technical and legal issues here. Overwatch’s skins are heavily tied to its loot box economy, which are all purchased through the platform-specific stores, which can complicate things. Control’s lack of next-gen saves are tied to updates to the game engine that prevented Remedy from offering continuity for existing players. But there’s also a wealth of games in 2021 that show that a better way is possible. Fortnite and Rocket League are the gold standard here: simply log into Epic’s free-to-play games on your platform of choice, and all your stuff is there waiting for you. You can play with friends on any platform (well, except iOS), from any platform, with all of your skins, emotes, items, and unlocks. And even recent Ubisoft games have added cross-play and cross-progression through Ubisoft Connect, letting players start playing sprawling RPGs like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla on one system and continue on another. In 2021, offering cross-progression and cross-play is increasingly becoming table stakes for major games. With massive titles that can take dozens, if not hundreds of hours of players’ time, locking down progression to a single console or platform just doesn’t make sense. And that’s doubly true for free-to-play games like Apex Legends, which live or die on the strength and size of their multiplayer community and the money that they can make off selling cosmetic items. When your game is free to download on any platform, it’s critical that the time and money that players invest into getting those digital rewards be consistent across those platforms, because the collection of those items is the main reward structure of those games. Bungie figured that out a while ago, back when it transitioned Destiny 2 to a free-to-play title it now allows players to sync their in-game items to whatever platform they’re playing on (even if Bungie is still working out cross-platform gameplay). The whole point of putting a game like Apex Legends on the Switch is to offer players another avenue to play the game. Sure, it may attract some new players, but for many others it’s a way to spend even more time with a game they already love. But by locking things like hero characters or items that players have painstakingly unlocked through time or money to a single platform, the game is still stuck in an outdated model of game design. Players have a finite amount of time. And why would you open up Apex Legends to unlock all your old gear again when you pick up your Switch when you could make progress on your Fortnite battle pass a far more substantial unlock that isn’t tethered to a single system instead?

Nintendo Switch Online Subscriptions Boosted by Fans of Animal Crossing, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, More

Japan’s Nintendo on Wednesday reported surging person numbers for its Switch Online subscription service, pushed by hit titles like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, because the agency belatedly builds the recurring revenues such providers supply.

Nintendo Switch Online, which provides customers the choice to play buddies, save recreation progress on-line and entry basic titles, has been rising quickly this 12 months with greater than 26 million customers as of September, in contrast with 15 million in January, the Kyoto-based gaming agency mentioned.

The rise is pushed by the recognition of hit titles like Animal Crossing, which has bought greater than 22 million copies, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and the most recent Pokemon titles, President Shuntaro Furukawa advised a briefing.

Rivals Sony and Microsoft, which on Tuesday launched a cloud gaming service for taking part in Xbox titles on Android units, have been concentrating on subscription providers to increase the life of their consoles.

Nintendo has been gradual to develop such providers and is but to maneuver into cloud gaming, as an alternative specializing in the moveable Switch gadget, which has been on a tear this 12 months from customers in search of escapism amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Stuck-at-home players helped push up digital downloads to extra half of Switch software program gross sales within the quarter ended June. That pattern is being tempered by the reopening of retailers, Furukawa mentioned.

Nintendo’s president reiterated the agency’s dedication to each {hardware} and software program. In October it can launch a Mario Kart toy that may be managed by the Switch.

Nintendo Switch: ‘Doctor Who: The Edge of Time’ and ‘Burnout Paradise Remastered' set to arrive

Nintendo Switch console gamers have a lot to look forward to in the coming days and months ahead. Here are some of the titles expected to arrive at the console.

‘Doctor Who: The Edge of Time’

There’s another “Doctor Who” adventure awaits Nintendo Switch players. According to NintendoLife, “Doctor Who: The Edge of Time” is currently in development will be coming to the console.

However, it might take some time before Switch players can get their hands on the game. The publication noted that Kaigan Games will likely be releasing the title for the Nintendo console sometime in 2021. The report also added that the “Doctor Who: The Edge of Time” version coming to the Switch won’t be a VR title.

Multiple EA titles

Meanwhile, multiple Electronic Arts titles are reportedly heading their way into the Nintendo console as well. “This year we plan to grow our communities across new platforms and ways to play,” EA CEO Andrew Wilson told investors of the company’s plans to expand the reach of its titles, according to VentureBeat.

“And we’re also planning to deliver for more Nintendo fans with multiple EA games set to launch on Nintendo Switch this year,” Wilson added. “Burnout Paradise Remastered” is already confirmed to be one of the EA titles arriving at the console. VentureBeat also wrote that “Apex Legends” might be included as well.

May 2020 releases

There will also be a number of confirmed games that will be arriving at the console. For instance, the 80s themed “Huntdown” and the aerial combat scrolling shooter “Jet Lancer” will be launched on Switch on May 12.

There will be three games arriving on May 13. These are the first-person adventure game “Island Saver,” the “She Sees Red - Interactive Movie,” and the baseball simulator “Super Mega Baseball 3”

May 14th will be a lot busier as ten titles will be arriving at the Switch. These are “Satazius Next,” “Armed 7 DX,” “Wolflame,” “Carnage: Battle Arena,” “TT Isle of Man Ride on the Edge 2,” “Cooking Simulator,” “Kholat,” “Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee,” “Ion Fury,” and “Zenge.”

Meanwhile, six games will arrive at the Nintendo Switch console on May 15. These are “Emma: Lost in Memories,” “Thy Sword,” “The Eternal Castle” remastered, “Dungeon of the Endless,” “Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Mega Mix,” “Kakuro Magic.”