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February 16th is a Big Day for Nintendo Fans - MK9 And Nintendo Switch 2 Info (Leaks)

Hello Neogaf,

As you all own I run a website and been in the industry for a while I was fortunate enough to meet people and have individuals working for me who used to work in prominent game companies such as Square Enix and so on. One of our writers (Zach Barbierie) used to for Square Enix before he joined us. As you can imagine people who previously worked in other big gaming places most likely had connections and knew individuals from other well known places either meeting through friends, private developer chats and so on.

One of our sources is an individual from Nintendo itself who is currently working in the R&D department, obviously I am not disclosing any names or anything like that for obvious reason.

DISCLAIMER:

If mods need some sort an approval or proof, they can feel free to DM me in regards to this matter. Thanks.


This is just an information I was wanting to share with everyone. Please do not come in here and be aggressive with me or anyone else in the thread. I am not looking for bragging rights or any sort of validation. I know who I am and what I do. This is just simply an interesting discussion and a piece of information that I thought Nintendo fans or just gamers in general would find wouldn't mind to know.

I personally do not know the individual in any shape or form, never had any conversation or anything like that. However, one of my writer does, so this is something they shared with me and I can tell you that I do trust the people I work with and I do trust what they say. However, what they are told by the other individual is obviously up for debate and with anything related to such rumors or gossip. I am in no shape or form saying that what about to be said is true or 100% guaranteed.

I am only relaying information, everything else is up to the people on whether they want to believe it or not. Leaks are sensitive things and sometimes things may also change on the fly, what was true at one point, may not be true anymore in reality or behind the scenes and things may/may not change, so please keep that in mind and be respectful of the people that do relay such information. Keep in mind the world is also in a weird place right now because of COVID and all that.

Now I will tell you 2 things. 1 one of those things i am pretty confident that could possibly be very true. However, the other thing I am not so confident, let's go with the confident thing first and then talk about the other gossip.

Ok, let's get to the juicy stuff now.

On February 16th it is believed that there will be a Nintendo Direct going and that it will include Mario Kart 9 which is quite a big deal. It's been a very long time ever since for a brand new flagship game. The R&D individual did say that this is indeed happening. Now my second source who I also trust a lot is one of my good viewers that I've met through streaming (they found me) They are an older gentlemen who I've known for quite a few years now who is very supportive of our business and branding. They are also an older individual, they work a lot and support a big family, so I know they would never say or do anything silly to mess with me, it is also someone I speak to on daily basis. They know someone in real life who works for Nintendo and does Regional Management in the state of Arizona. This individual has also spoken of the MK9 reveal on February 16th.

With 2 sources talking about this, I feel pretty confident that February 16th will be a big day for the Nintendo and Mario Kart fans across the world and it will be exciting stuff. As for what else is in that direct we have been not informed, nor did we ask. But, Mario Kart 9 is NOT THE ONLY thing that will be there and that this direct is going to be quite important.

Now for the second story it is a bit more far fetched and I have a hard time believing. I also don't have a second source to confirm the same sentiments. This one is coming from the R&D individual.

This person has stated that Nintendo is planning to release the "supposedly" Switch Pro which is actually not a Switch Pro but is titled Nintendo Switch 2. Yes this is Nintendo's next big fancy toy. It will be support 4K visuals and just be a more beefed up switch and be backwards compatible with the original Switch titles. The problem that I have with this statement is that Nintendo recently released a statement that the Nintendo Switch is only in the middle of its lifecycle. So it is contradicting to what he said and another issue is that I do not have a second source that is saying the same thing. Maybe he misheard, or maybe plans have changed, also remember we are in the COVID times.

The big launch titles for Nintendo Switch 2 according to him this holiday season are Breath of the Wild 2 and Mario Kart 9. Nintendo Switch 2 will also have sort of a special Gyro gimmick for Mario Kart 9. What exactly that means, I have absolutely no clue, but it was mentioned. I could see this being true, what I cannot see being true is that Nintendo Switch 2 is coming out this Holiday.

Now let's look at the big picture here. Nintendo's track record normally does say that every 5 or so years a new system releases.

  • Gamecube came out in the year 2001 (Twilight Princess was originally slated for 2005 exclusively for the Gamecube, but was delayed by a year and release in November of 2006 for the Gamecube alongside the newly launched console which was the Wii)
  • Wii came out in the year 2006 along with the PS3 (5 years later launched with Zelda: Twilight Princess and Zelda: Skyward Sword was released at the end of its lifecycle in November of 2011 a year before the Wii U)
  • Wii U came out in the 2012 (6 Years later and Zelda: Breath of the Wild was released in 2017 alongside the Nintendo Switch version in March)
  • Nintendo Switch came out in 2017 (5 years later and launched with Zelda: Breath of the Wild)

If we follow this pattern that means that a new Nintendo system is indeed due. We are in the year 2022, and in March it will be exactly 5 years since the Nintendo Switch came out. However, there was a big curveball that put everyone beingand that is obviously COVID. So, assuming everything got delayed we wouldn't see a new console until who knows when. However, Holiday 2022 would put us at close to 6 years since the Nintendo Switch launched. , or it could also be a Spring 2023 launch. Who knows at this point. Either way, if COVID was NOT a thing, i would believe this. But sadly, it is a bit too far fetched for me to believed it until I see the official word from Nintendo on the interwebs itself.
 
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NeonGhost

uses 'M$' - What year is it? Not 2002.
Sure Jan GIF
 
I don't doubt you OP, but it seems like a strange move to distract from games like Splatoon 3, Kirby and other games in their current release schedule to show a monster like MK9 at this point.
Again the Switch 2 rumors also could be true or could be false.
I have no idea if the Switch two will release sooner rather than later.. For myself, I want Nintendo to make a significant jump in Tech. I don't just want a Switch but a little more powerful.. I want a super switch.
 
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I don't doubt you OP, but it seems like a strange move to distract from games like Splatoon 3, Kirby and other games in their current release schedule to show a monster like MK9 at this point.
Again the Switch 2 rumors also could be true or could be false.
I have no idea if the Switch two will release sooner rather than later.. For myself, I want Nintendo to make a significant jump in Tech. I don't just want a Switch but a little more powerful.. I want a super switch.
Well if the Nintendo Switch 2 is compatible with the original Switch then I do not think there is going to be any distraction from titles such as Splatoon 3 and Kirby. I mean it's same thing when Last of Us 2 and Ghost of Tisuhimu came out for the PS4 in same year as the PS5 honestly. MK9 would not be coming out early in the year anyway, so there is plenty of breathing room for those games.
 
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MagiusNecros

Gilgamesh Fan Annoyance
True or not I'm not going to get excited for any game that isn't a month away from actual release. And given how the Nintendo release schedule is one game a month I highly doubt they would give us both BotW2 and MK9 in the same window.

If there is a direct coming up I'd hope for concrete news on Bayo 3, BotW2, Mario Kart 9, Metroid Prime 4, Fire Emblem, Monolithsoft, and maybe another big Mario or Donkey Kong title.

I'm ever hopeful for another Golden Sun title but that's a personal hope and rather slim. Especially given how bad Dark Dawn was.

BotW2 and MK9 release is an incredibly safe and predictable guess for a plausible leak and therefore I have a large amount of skepticism.
 

VN1X

Banned
Thank you for sharing OP. Personally I don't care about MK9, but hope the Switch 2 is backwards compatible with Switch 1 games
It better be 'cause I basically stopped playing Age of Calamity because it ran so poorly. I really need that New Switch 2 Plus goodness or whatever it's going to be called so I can actually get back to that game in all its glory again (assuming older games like it would receive a simple fps boost or stability update).
 

Y0ssarian

Banned
It better be 'cause I basically stopped playing Age of Calamity because it ran so poorly. I really need that New Switch 2 Plus goodness or whatever it's going to be called so I can actually get back to that game in all its glory again (assuming older games like it would receive a simple fps boost or stability update).
I liked Hyrule Warriors Definitive Edition. A lot. Couldn't get into Age of Calamity for some reason.
 
True or not I'm not going to get excited for any game that isn't a month away from actual release. And given how the Nintendo release schedule is one game a month I highly doubt they would give us both BotW2 and MK9 in the same window.

If there is a direct coming up I'd hope for concrete news on Bayo 3, BotW2, Mario Kart 9, Metroid Prime 4, Fire Emblem, Monolithsoft, and maybe another big Mario or Donkey Kong title.

I'm ever hopeful for another Golden Sun title but that's a personal hope and rather slim. Especially given how bad Dark Dawn was.

BotW2 and MK9 release is an incredibly safe and predictable guess for a plausible leak and therefore I have a large amount of skepticism.
While I see what you are saying and half agree and disagree with that statement. Didn't the Nintendo Switch launch with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Breath of the Wild? Or did Mario Kart 8 Deluxe came out the following month which was April? I think they were a month a part.

I still see this being feasible, it doesn't have to be both titles day one, they could just be in the launch window which is usually the first 3 months of the console launch.
 
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THE DUCK

voted poster of the decade by bots
I've lost faith that they will do anything for years now, but still hope I'm pleasently shocked later this year.
 

VN1X

Banned
I liked Hyrule Warriors Definitive Edition. A lot. Couldn't get into Age of Calamity for some reason.
Yeah still meaning to go back to that one. Already played it a lot but haven't even come close to "100 percenting" it. It was my first introduction to the musou genre and I've kinda been hooked ever since lol. Finally bought Berserk the other day as it was finally available for a reasonable price on Steam.
 

MagiusNecros

Gilgamesh Fan Annoyance
While I see what you are saying and half agree and disagree with that statement. Didn't the Nintendo Switch launch with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Breath of the Wild? Or did Mario Kart 8 Deluxe came out the following month which was April? I think they were a month a part.

I still see this being feasible, it doesn't have to be both titles day one, they could just be in the launch window which is usually the first 3 months of the console launch.
I could see them being a few months apart. On the other hand though since these couple years have been the years of delays upon delays for everything I'm going to keep my expectations low.

Given there was a Nintendo direct in February last year I'm hoping there is a big presentation soon as you already have their big releases out in the open and you really don't have anything coming after Kirby.
 

Knightime_X

Member
What I expect:
Native rendered 4k graphics, 60fps.

What we're likely getting:
Upscaled 4k graphics from 1080p, 30fps on a good day.

If Nintendo continues to follow the late Iwata's weak console philosophy, we'll get something similar to Xbox Series S as best case scenario.
Fantasy wise, If we're lucky, we'll get Xbox Series X level of power.
 
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Ok, so Bayonetta 3 will be build with the next iteration in mind. Which to me reads "will have piss poor performance on current Switch". Got it.
 

onesvenus

Member
I can only see them releasing a switch 2 if it's backwards compatible, games release for the switch 1 during some more years and it's a two tier strategy that keeps producing the first one in bigger numbers than the second one. It makes no sense to release something in newer fab nodes with the way things are going on right now.
They haven't even lowered the price on the original one.
 
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Robb

Gold Member
I won’t believe it until I see it, but it’d be nice if all of that turns out to be true.

I’ll be happy as long as a new major Nintendo Direct is announced.
 

the_master

Member
We should also see the cycles of nintendo handheld consoles.
I think they will release a new console when they predict that the switch will start to drop on sales, not before
 

Zannegan

Member
Oh boy, I love a good unsubstantiated rumor. It's seriously what makes following the industry fun.

As for the actual content, we're due a new Mario Kart any year now, so that's not surprising or impressive even if it does pan out. Nailing the direct date would be something, but even that wouldn't be enough to talk me into buying the Switch 2 for 2022 rumor. My most optimistic estimations at this point don't have a Switch successor landing before spring 2023, and I always jump the gun.

I guess we'll see. Good luck OP.
 

ToTTenTranz

Banned
I don't get what is being said about the Switch successor here.

Is there going to be a Switch 2 or whatever it's named (Nintendo never numbered their consoles in the past BTW)? Of course there is. They can't afford to stay on the same hardware indefinitely and the concept has been well received.
But the OP doesn't mention release or reveal dates, so I'm not sure what the news are.
 

Zannegan

Member
I don't get what is being said about the Switch successor here.

Is there going to be a Switch 2 or whatever it's named (Nintendo never numbered their consoles in the past BTW)? Of course there is. They can't afford to stay on the same hardware indefinitely and the concept has been well received.
But the OP doesn't mention release or reveal dates, so I'm not sure what the news are.
It does say "this holiday season" when talking about big titles; but I agree that the rumored release timing could be clearer in the actual Switch 2 paragraph.
 
Naahhh……Switch 2 this year is hard to believe. They seen how hard for Sony and MS to sort out the chip shortage, the supply chain issue, all sorts of problems due to the pandemic, etc…..they’ve been dealt the best card out of the three, and now they want to jump into this mess??? ……it would be the dumbest decision they could ever make
 
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TLZ

Banned
Nintendo recently released a statement that the Nintendo Switch is only in the middle of its lifecycle. So it is contradicting to what he said
This doesn't mean a new console can't release soon. Like all consoles and handhelds before it, they don't just drop the console once the new one is released. It just means they'll continue to support the console a further few years more, until it dies out/slows down and the next one takes over sales-wise.
 

Elysion

Banned
The only way I see a Switch 2 releasing this year is if it‘s positioned as a premium device (priced somewhere between 399 and 499) that’s comparable in terms of power to the Steam Deck, with the regular Switch (and Switch Lite) remaining as the budget option. It would have to be backwards compatible, and would serve as a way for 3rd parties to port their new games to it. In fact, if it‘s as powerful as the Deck, but also has DLSS capabilities (as people have long been speculating), it could even be superior to the Deck in terms of real world performance.

The regular Switch would stick around for several more years, and most of Nintendo’s own games in the next few years could easily be released on both systems without people complaining, since many Nintendo games don‘t really need super powerful hardware anyway (with some possible exceptions, like MP4 hopefully). The Switch 2‘s premium price would allow Nintendo to make it pretty powerful while retaining their profit margins, while the regular Switch sticks around as the system of choice that parents buy for their kids (at least until the Switch 2 becomes cheap enough eventually).

So it wouldn’t really be a replacement for the regular Switch (at least not immediately), but something to keep 3rd part support and to attract (and retain) more enthusiast consumers who are more willing to spend money on new hardware. It would also serve as a foil to the Steam Deck, and to prevent it from taking too big of a slice from Nintendo‘s pie (yes, the Deck is absolutely a competitor to the Switch, it‘s silly to pretend otherwise). It could be dangerous for Nintendo to just rely on the current Switch for too long while letting the Deck build a larger and larger install base (especially once the Deck‘s price gets reduced).

The biggest hurdle for a possible Switch 2 would of course be the current chip shortage. But while that may restrict the amount of units Nintendo can ship, the same is true for all their competitors, so they wouldn’t really lose anything, especially with the regular Switch still going strong. In fact, since the Switch 2’s GPU/CPU would be much smaller and require less silicon, it wouldn’t be affected nearly as much as the PS5 or Series X.
 
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