June 4th 2025.
It seems like everyone is eagerly anticipating the release of the new Nintendo Switch 2. The Wednesday letters page was abuzz with readers discussing the recent announcement from Sony about their State of Play event. One reader even mentioned that they were finally starting to get excited about the Nintendo Switch 2, which is quite a feat considering how much anticipation there has been for this console.
If you want to join in on the discussion, you can email us your thoughts at email. Unfortunately, there are no notes to provide at this time. I was pretty disappointed to hear that there won't be any reviews for the Nintendo Switch 2 at launch. It was just a rumor, but I was hoping to get a detailed hardware review of the console and its peripherals. I mean, we already have previews of games like Mario Kart World, so a review for that isn't as crucial. But for the console itself, it would've been nice to have some insights before making a purchase.
I wonder if any hardware-focused outlets, like Digital Foundry or a similar YouTube channel, were given early access to just review the console and not the games. I haven't pre-ordered one yet, but I was planning on picking one up this week. Now, I'm not sure what to do. I'm not buying the day one update excuse, but I also can't understand why they would do this. Nintendo games always review well, so it's a bit worrying that they don't have confidence in these ones.
According to GC, it's possible that Nintendo could've given hardware-only outlets early access, but as far as we know, everyone in Europe is in the same boat as us. Maybe some of the bigger US sites will get them earlier, but it doesn't seem likely since they haven't received them yet.
Moving on to other news, it has been officially confirmed that there will be no Nintendo Switch 2 reviews before the launch, and possibly not until next week. Of course, there will probably be reviews from unreliable sources, which is a good reminder to note who to avoid in the future.
I don't think Nintendo is intentionally trying to manipulate anything, but it's worth mentioning that some previews have pointed out that the open world in the new game isn't used for much other than messing around. This is something I hadn't considered before, as I assumed there would be plenty of extra races and missions. But it seems like the extra missions are pretty trivial. No one can say for sure because no one has played for more than five hours, but if this was intentionally left blank for future DLC, I think it's pretty cynical and could backfire, given the game's cost.
But what's the alternative? Did Nintendo lose its touch and create a big open world without anything to do in it? People don't seem to have any complaints about the actual races, but I doubt this game will receive any perfect 10 out of 10 scores.
In other news, it's pretty shocking that Sony would try to undermine the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 with their State of Play event. They can deny it all they want, but announcing it at the last minute, just an hour before the Switch 2 comes out, seems like a calculated move. They knew exactly what they were doing.
It's been a while since Sony has been this aggressive. I don't even think they've publicly acknowledged Nintendo since the days of the PSP battling the DS. On one hand, it's childish and petty, but on the other hand, at least Sony is doing something. At least they woke up for a second and showed some fight.
I'm worried that the State of Play will just be more live service games, but if they manage to put out a good one, this could be seen as a turning point. Maybe this will finally convince them that whatever they've been doing for the past two years hasn't been working and they need to change things up quickly.
On a personal note, I sold my Xbox Series X last year and considered getting a PlayStation 5, but then Sony decided to raise the price and hint at a PlayStation 6, which turned me off. However, I recently bought a new gen Fire TV Max stick and realized that I can stream Xbox games with Game Pass Ultimate. So, while I wait to buy a Switch 2, I dusted off my last remaining Xbox Series X controller (a custom one by The Juve using my Microsoft Reward points), bought one month of Game Pass, and had a quick blast.
I have to say, it works really well. I haven't had any problems with games like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor or Atomfall, except for some minor texture issues. Next up, I'll be playing Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. I recently upgraded my internet, so I don't think I would've been as impressed a month ago.
But even though it works well, I still don't see the value in a persistent subscription, especially at the current price. I'll probably dip in and out and stick to physical media, which will always be my preferred option.
Finally, it's a bit of a mess with Sony deciding to do a State of Play so close to the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2. It's clear that they're feeling the pressure, hence the desperate move. But let's be real, the State of Play will most likely disappoint once again. Sony isn't exactly helping themselves by focusing on live service games like Marathon by Bungie. This just seems like a desperate attempt to steer the focus away from other events, like Summer Games Fest and the Xbox Games Showcase. I can't help but shake my head at the people who will expect the world and end up with nothing.
It seems that no one has gotten their hands on a Nintendo Switch 2 yet. The Wednesday letters page was taken aback by Sony's bold State of Play announcement, while one reader was finally getting excited about the possibility of the new Nintendo Switch. To join in on the discussions, you can email us at the given email address. Unfortunately, there are no notes to share at the moment.
I was pretty disappointed to hear that there won't be any Nintendo Switch 2 reviews available at launch. However, this was just a rumor, so I shouldn't be too surprised. While I don't necessarily need a review of Mario Kart World, as there are already previews out, I was looking forward to a detailed hardware review of the console and its peripherals.
Do you think it's possible that a hardware-focused site like Digital Foundry or a similar YouTube channel could have been given early access to review just the console and not the games? I haven't pre-ordered yet, but I was planning on picking one up this week. Now, I'm not sure what to do.
I'm not buying the excuse of a day one update, but I also can't figure out why they would do this. Nintendo games always receive positive reviews, so it's concerning that they don't have confidence in these ones. -Benjy Dog
It's possible that Nintendo could have given early access to outlets solely focused on hardware, but as far as we know, everyone in Europe is in the same boat as us. Maybe one or two of the bigger US sites will get them earlier, but we highly doubt it since they haven't received them yet.
It's official now, there will be no Nintendo Switch 2 reviews before launch and most likely not until next week. Although I'm sure we'll see plenty from less reliable sites, which is a good opportunity to make a mental note of who we shouldn't trust in the future.
I don't think Nintendo is intentionally trying to manipulate anything, but I have noticed that some previews, including from GC and Eurogamer, have mentioned that the open world in the game doesn't have much to offer other than just messing around. This is something I hadn't considered before, I just assumed there would be plenty of extra races and missions. It's unclear since no one has played more than five hours, but if they left it intentionally blank for future DLC, I think that's pretty cynical and it may backfire, considering the cost of the game.
But what's the alternative? That Nintendo has lost their touch and created a big open world with nothing in it? No one seems to be complaining about the actual races, but I don't think this game will be receiving any perfect scores. -Focus
It's pretty shocking that Sony would try to undermine the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 with their State of Play announcement. They may deny it, but announcing it last minute, just an hour before the Switch 2 comes out, is a clear indication that they knew exactly what they were doing.
It's been a while since Sony has been this aggressive. I don't think they've even acknowledged Nintendo publicly since the PSP was competing with the DS many years ago. On one hand, it's petty and childish, but on the other hand, at least Sony is doing something. At least they're showing some fight.
I'm worried that whatever is shown in the State of Play will be more live service garbage, but if they manage to put out a good one, maybe this will be seen as a turning point and whatever they've been doing for the past two years will quickly become a distant memory. -Hammeriron
You can email us your comments at the given email address.
Now and then, I sold my Xbox Series X last year and considered getting a PlayStation 5, but then Sony decided to raise the price and hinted at the PlayStation 6, which made me change my mind. However, I recently bought a new generation Fire TV Max stick and noticed that I can stream Xbox games with Game Pass Ultimate. So, while I wait to buy a Nintendo Switch 2, I dusted off my last remaining Xbox Series X controller, which was a custom one by The Juve using my Microsoft Reward points, bought one month of Game Pass, and had a quick play.
I have to say, it works really well. I haven't had any problems with Star Wars Jedi: Survivor or Atomfall yet, except for some minor issues with textures. Next, I'll be playing Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. I recently upgraded my broadband, so I doubt I would've been as impressed a month ago.
While I'm pleasantly surprised at how well it works, I still don't see the value in a continuous subscription, especially at the current price. I'll probably only dip in and out, and physical media will always be my preference. -Foximusprime81
It's a bit of a mess now. My week has become busier than usual. Firstly, the most pressing question is: does Sony know that their move is foolish? Because their announcement screams only one word. It's not genius or excitement, it's desperation. Sony may be feeling blue with Nintendo just two days away from stealing their spotlight. Why would they make a move that would only further humiliate themselves?
Let's just say it, the State of Play will most likely disappoint us once again. It will fail on all accounts. Why wouldn't it? Sony isn't doing themselves any favors by focusing on live service titles, like Marathon by Bungie. This seems like an attempt to divert attention away from Summer Games Fest and the Xbox Games Showcase. This could be due to mismanagement or a wrong chess move.
At this point, should I even bother shaking my head at the people who will expect the world and only receive scraps? -Shahzaib Sadiq
The last State of Play was actually pretty good. -GC
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