The rumored Oculus Rift S virtual reality (VR) headset reportedly has rather minor upgrades in the works so far, further affirming rumors that the device will not focus on visual experience upgrades but rather quality-of-life improvements.
UploadVR reports to have found evidence of this within the Oculus PC app’s user interface code, first quoting references to a setting that would allow the user to choose between 50Hz and 60Hz room lighting as well as automated function for this setting.
Described as “lighting frequency for Rift S cameras to adjust to room lighting,” this suggests that the Oculus Rift S will handle its own positional tracking via built-in cameras much like the Oculus Go of 2018.
UploadVR goes on to detail that this new headset will likely remove the physical dial that adjusts inter-pupillary distance, or the space between the centers of your eyes, in lieu of a software control. Without this physical lever, the headset would have to either include a motor or adjust the pixels on the screen to match the unique distance between each users’ eyes.
It’s unknown both to this outlet and to us why Facebook and Oculus would make such a change when the upcoming Oculus Quest standalone headset maintains the feature.
Of course, Oculus and Facebook declined to comment on the matter.
These new details help affirm earlier rumors that the Oculus Rift 2 that was supposed to be the company’s true next phase in PC-based VR is cancelled. They also lend credence to the reports that Oculus co-founder Brendan Iribe left parent company Facebook over the rumored cancellation of his Rift 2 project in favor of this smaller revision.
For this Oculus Rift S, the adoption of internal positioning cameras would be a major quality-of-life improvement for existing fans and far less intimidating to new users. However, we would adjust our expectations for a knock-out VR experience if and when Oculus Rift S sees the light of day.
Social media giant Facebook is reportedly building a unified messaging for business feature that will allow companies to access and manage Instagram Direct messages alongside Facebook Messenger messages.
Last month, The New York Times reported that the company was planning to unite the back-end technology running Instagram, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp on the consumer side. Now though, it appears that Facebook is also building a tool to do the exact same thing with its apps for business.
The company’s new feature will add Instagram Direct messaging to the messaging inbox inside the Facebook Pages Manager app on both desktop and mobile. Currently the tool only allows businesses to receive and interact with messages from Facebook Messenger.
End users will be unable to see the difference between a message sent on Instagram and one sent on Facebook Messenger as the function would exist only on the front-end for business page mangers.
Business messaging
Facebook’s decision to unite the backed of its three messaging services has the potential to shake up the business messaging space as the company looks to gain a foothold in the growing market.
As users spend more time with its messaging apps, this could help grow its advertising business and while there there are currently no monetization plans for its combined messaging experience, the idea has been discussed by the company.
Facebook’s messaging tools are used as a B2B communication platform between vendors and consumers with 150m people using Instagram to talk with businesses and 10bn messages sent between consumers and businesses every month on Facebook Messenger.
As of now, the company has yet to announce anything regarding the possibility of combining Instagram and Facebook Messenger into a unified messaging service but if the rumors are true, we could likely hear an announcement soon.
Hold on to your lightsabers: there’s a new Star Wars game in development, and it’s called Jedi: Fallen Order.
The reveal came in a surprisingly low-key fashion during EA’s conference at E3 2018, during an off-the-cuff interview with Vince Zambella, co-founder of Respawn Entertainment (of Titanfall fame).
While fans of the galactic franchise have seen official tie-ins in the form of Star Wars Battlefront I and II, the new entry seems to be taking a different tack, possibly focusing on a single-player experience more in line with 2008’s The Force Unleashed – but we have all the concrete news and wild speculation you could want below.
[Update: EA has revealed Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order will release in Fall 2019.]
Cut to the chase
What is it? A new single-player Star Wars game from the creators of Titanfall
What can I play it on? It’s all but certain we’ll see it on PS4, Xbox One, and PC
When can I play it? Autumn/Fall 2019
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order release date
EA has confirmed Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order will release in Fall 2019 (so between mid September and December), just in time for Christmas.
Star Wars Battlefront I and II were both released on November 17, in 2015 and 2017 respectively, so it’s likely Fallen Order will fall on the same date (or in November anyway). Given the two-year windows between each game, though, this may mean a third Battlefront game is a long way off.
Star Wars: Battlefront II (2017)
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order trailers
At the time of writing, there’s no trailer, or even any concept art to go on.
When there is one, it’s likely to be at EA’s official Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order webpage – but feel free to stare at the site and drool in the meantime.
There is, however, this video from EA on its future Star Wars titles:
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order news and rumors
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order release window
“In addition to Apex Legends, another team at Respawn is set to deliver Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order this fall,” EA CEO Andrew Wilson revealed during a quarterly earnings call (via Seeking Alpha). “This game’s development is led by the former director of the God of War series, with a team of veterans from some of the industry’s biggest action-adventure games.
Development is well underway
“It’s very far along in development, and having spent time with it recently myself, it plays spectacularly well,” EA CEO Andrew Wilson revealed during a quarterly earnings call (via Seeking Alpha). “This game truly captures the fantasy of becoming a Jedi, and we will have a lot more to share soon.”
We will start seeing more soon
“You’ll start to see in the next few months glimpses of the Star Wars game and I think you’ll be blown away by what you see,” said EA CFO Blake Jorgensen during a quarterly earnings call (via Seeking Alpha). “We’ve played 20 plus minutes of it last week and it is exceptional in terms of its like level of polish depth and what living inside of the Star Wars world is a Jedi and I think people will be blown away by.”
A Padawan called Cal?
According to rumored information from a Star Wars marketing day (which obviously made its way to Reddit) the story will take place roughly five years after Revenge of the Sith and will follow surviving Padawan Cal (via GamesRadar). This rumor also states that one of the game’s main plot points will revolve around Cal’s mentor figure – a woman named Ceres.
It’s set after Revenge of the Sith
We don’t know the specific time in which the game is set, but we’ve heard that it will take place at some point between Episodes 3 and 4, after the end of Revenge of the Sith but before Luke Skywalker’s appearance in A New Hope.
This places it after the Galactic Empire hunted the 10,000-strong Jedi Order practically to extinction, leaving only a small fraction of Jedi alive (aka Order 66). With the promise that the game will be set ‘in the dark times’, it sounds like our Jedi protagonist may be more the hunted than the hunter.
You’ll play as a young padawan
EA’s official webpage for Fallen Order specifies you’ll play “a surviving Padawan”, technically meaning a Jedi apprentice rather than a fully-fledged master of the Force. Given the dearth of living mentors left to train you, it’s possible Obi-Wan Kenobi or Yoda – or some less high-profile Jedi, like Quinlan Vos – will appear in a supporting role.
The single-player mode comes first
Respawn co-founder Vince Zambella tweeted about the upcoming game, describing it as an ‘SP’ (single-player) story. While a multiplayer component seems likely, given both Respawn’s strengths in the area and EA’s focus on online play, it sounds like the primary focus this time could be on a well-delivered single-player experience.
Star Wars: Battlefront II (2017)
I find your lack of faith disturbing
It’s been a bit of a fallow year for Star Wars, with Star Wars: A Solo Story struggling in cinemas and the negative player response to EA Dice’s Star Wars: Battlefront 2 – largely in reaction to its prevalent use of microtransactions – still in recent memory.
Jedi: Fallen Order has been handed to a different studio, albeit one that’s still a subsidiary of EA. But Respawn has garnered a lot of respect as the studio behind Titanfall and Titanfall 2, two critically acclaimed sci-fi action games that pit players against each other in giant mechanized suits, and which both came with strong single-player and multiplayer offerings.
So, while we haven’t heard much about Fallen Order so far, it looks like the game is in safe hands.
Keep checking back here for all the latest Jedi: Fallen Order news
Microsoft has revealed the titles being added to Xbox Games Pass in February 2019 – and there are definitely some whoppers.
During the latest Inside Xbox livestream, Microsoft announced that Shadow of the Tomb Raider, The Walking Dead: The Complete First Season, Pumped BMX Pro, de Blob, Crackdown 3, and Batman: Return to Arkham will be added to Xbox Games Pass this month.
Check out the tweet from Xbox’s Larry ‘Major Nelson’ below:
Actually, looks like we just listed them all – Shadow of the Tomb Raider, The Walking Dead Season 1, Batman Return to Arkham, Pumped BMX Pro AND de Blob. All coming to Xbox Game Pass in February. https://t.co/s8ZFneUIBSFebruary 5, 2019
When can we expect them?
Arguably the biggest announcement on the list is Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the final instalment in the Lara Croft reboot, which will arrive on February 7.
Alongside this, we will also see the first season of Telltale’s episodic adventure The Walking Dead and arcade trickathon Pumped BMX Pro arriving on February 7.
Then, just in time for Valentine’s Day, platform-puzzler de Blob will arrive on February 14.
But if you prefer your games a bit more action-packed then Crackdown 3 will launch straight onto Xbox Games Pass on its release day of February 15. It will also be available on PC via Play Anywhere.
Last, but certainly not least, Batman: Return to Arkham will swoop in on February 21.
Not a bad haul for $9.99 / £7.99 / AU$10.95 a month…
The run up to the reveal of Rage 2 has been somewhat fitting for a game that seems like it’s going to revolve around chaos and anarchy.
Between leaks, tongue-in cheek teasers and even more leaks we now officially know that Bethesda is going to be following up 2011’s Rage with a sequel titled Rage 2.
From everything we’ve seen so far Rage 2 will be another post-apocalyptic thrill-ride that will bring players into a world that’s a cross between Mad Max, Fallout and Borderlands. With, of course, the fast-paced shooting we’ve come to know Bethesda games to have.
[Update: We had some hands on time with Rage 2 – and it’s not quite we we expected. Check out our Rage 2 first look review.]
Cut to the chase
What is it? A sequel to 2011’s post-apocalyptic first-person shooter Rage
What can I play it on? PS4, Xbox One and PC
When can I play it? May 14, 2019
Rage 2 release date
Bethesda originally confirmed a Spring 2019 release date, and we now know it’ll be on May 14, 2019. Start your engines, survivors.
Rage 2 trailers
Game Awards 2018 open-world trailer
Not much to add at this point, but this trailer is still a fun MTV-meets-Fallout run-through of the dusty neon wasteland.
QuakeCon 2018 extended gameplay trailer
We’ve already seen quite a bit of Rage 2, but the Eden Assault extended gameplay trailer shown during the QuakeCon 2018 keynote gave us a closer look at the seamless open world, vehicle combat, abilities and enemy convoys.
Take a look:
E3 2018 gameplay trailer
E3 brought us an extended gameplay trailer of Rage 2 and you can watch this fast-paced adventure for yourself:
Official Trailer
Though many people had already watched it through leaked recordings, the official advertisement for Rage 2 has finally launched and you can watch it for yourself below.
Gameplay trailer
Following this somewhat obscure live action footage, Bethesda went on to release a gameplay trailer which gives us a little more of an idea of what we can expect.
Overall, Rage 2 looks like it’s going to be a fast-paced, chaotic and utterly silly game (in a good way, of course). The trailer promises a more open world, more vehicle gameplay and some seriously big guns. With more expletives than that. Watch it for yourself below:
Rage 2 news and rumors
QuakeCon 2018
The QuakeCon extended gameplay trailer gave us a closer look at the obstacles we’ll be facing in Rage 2.
Set 30 years after the events of Rage, Rage 2 takes place in the aftermath of a global catastrophe which essentially turned Earth into a wasteland. Although the world is beginning to recover, with wildlife slowly making a return, the Authority is using extreme measures to shape the wasteland in the way it sees fit – even if that means taking out non-mutant humans.
Alongside the Authority, the wasteland is home to an array of bandits and rebels, such as the hyper-violent Goon Squad and the technologically-advanced Immortal Shrouded. Each faction has its own weapons, settlements, combat styles and vehicles. Some even travel in monstrous convoys – but they’re no match for your mortar.
Explore jungle, wetlands and desert biomes on your mission to take down the Authority and cause utter chaos.
E3 2018
Bethesda’s showcase during E3 brought us a little more information about Rage 2 and gave us a good glimpse into how it will play. Players will take up the role of Walker, an orphan of the wasteland fighting to survive. In the gameplay footage we saw a wide open world, a look at some seriously cool off road vehicle and some fast-paced, intense shootouts.
The gameplay trailer
Our most in depth look at Rage 2 yet has come from the gameplay trailer which was revealed on May 15. This trailer confirms that the game will be released sometime in 2019 and suggests that players will be entering a much more open world than was featured in the original title. The combat looks utterly wild, with big guns and super-fast fluid movement.
As far as story is concerned, information is still pretty thin on the ground but we do know there will at least be one. Bethesda says that players will take the role of Walker, “the last Ranger of the wasteland.” As Walker “you will tear across an unforgiving wasteland battling sadistic gangs to find the tools and tech needed to crush the oppressive rule of The Authority once and for all.”
A more open world
The trailer leak
After the Walmart leak, Bethesda managed to claw back some control over Rage 2 with its Twitter campaign which teased a formal reveal and trailer. Only to fall foul of another leak.
Following the teasing that a trailer for Rage 2 would be released on May 14, Gematsu reported that the trailer had leaked in a YouTube pre-roll advert. The trailer apparently revealed in front of several videos tied to gaming on YouTube and outside of Gematsu’s report, Tweets from Wario64 and others appeared online.
short Rage 2 teaser https://t.co/paZPUu0zff pic.twitter.com/rhA8zyrRzKMay 14, 2018
The trailer was quickly set to private and anyone that managed to mirror capture the trailer and re-upload it to YouTube has seen their videos taken down. The Twitter captures, however, remain. They show a range of Mad Max-style characters screaming, shooting and lifting weights while plumes of neon smoke billow in the background.
The Twitter teasing
In response to the Walmart leak, Bethesda did the right thing. It teased Rage 2 by reviving the Rage Twitter account. And teased Walmart. After picking apart Walmart Canada’s font on the leaked game cover, the account started teasing an announcement and trailer for Monday May 14 through a series of images.
Clean up on aisle 6 – Walmart Canada has sprung a big leak
The first evidence of Rage 2 emerged from a May 2018 leak on Walmart Canada’s website. The retailer published a list of games, some of which hadn’t been announced, to its website. And one of the games which appeared on this list was Rage 2.
Naturally at this point, Rage 2 wasn’t a certainty since the list did have some spurious titles on it – Forza Horizon 5, for example. However, it also appeared alongside some games we both know are coming such as Beyond Good and Evil 2 and The Last of Us 2, as well as games that haven’t been announced but seem likely such as Gears of War 5 and Splinter Cell.
What we want to see from Rage 2
It’s been a long time since the release of the original Rage and there have been a lot of advancements in gameplay that we would love to see the sequel take advantage of.
Maintain the visual quality
If there’s one thing the original Rage got right it was its looks. It was a visually stunning game and very graphically impressive, particularly for its time. We’d like to see the same effort go into this release, particularly now that we’re a few years into the new generation which offers 4K and HDR opportunities.
Keep the combat and AI quality
As well as its visuals, Rage impressed with its combat and enemy AI. It was a first-person shooter with seriously satisfying gunplay and its enemy AI was genuinely clever. Combined this makes for some thrilling gameplay. If the original game could have such advanced AI, we’d love to see Rage 2 continue to innovate in this area and maybe make player movement and action even more varied to keep up with it.
Make it more open
When it comes to exploration, the Rage game world had a lot of potential but it didn’t quite live up to it. We’d love to see the game world open up a little more in Rage 2. However, it’s worth noting that we only want a large map if it’s going to be filled with interesting things to do and characters to meet.
Open world games have come a long way since 2011 and recently we’ve seen a wide range of releases which manage to balance open world freedom with a gripping and engaging story as well as strong characters. Without the need to fill maps with pointless check points. We’d like to see Rage 2 try this for itself.
Thanks to the gameplay trailer revealed in May, we now know this will be a part of it.
Better vehicle gameplay
While the first person shooting in Rage was fantastic, its car combat was somewhat lacking. Thankfully footage in the announcement and gameplay trailers says it’s going to be back but we would like to see it improved upon significantly because it could really help Rage 2 stand out from all the other post-apocalyptic games out there. Especially if it does have a more open world.
Keep a single-player element and improve the story
After Rage’s story was criticised, we hope that the developers will try to improve it rather than eradicate it for the sequel. In fact, given the end of the original was somewhat short we wonder if this might be a chance to expand on it and make up for it.
As more and more games move into always-online multiplayer gameplay, there is some part of us that’s expecting Rage to go the same way. The original Rage did have some co-operative and online elements but we wouldn’t have liked to have played an entire game with just those.
Rage 2 would, admittedly, be a great game world for a AAA battle royale and we imagine Bethesda is keen to seize on the current popularity of this genre in some way. However, it’s also a great game world for a gripping single-player narrative and we hope that Rage 2 tries to get this right with something that’s a little longer and more engaging.
The Plantronics Rig 500 Pro is one of a suite of Rig headsets that Plantronics has on the market at the moment. While some headsets can go for £100/$100+, the Rig 500 Pro offers a premium audio experience with Dolby Atmos for Headphones support alongside a lightweight design for less than £90/$90.
But is it too good to be true? We’ve spent some time playing games using the Rig 500 Pro, and here’s what we think. For more headset inspiration, take a look at our selection of the best gaming headsets available right now.
Plantronics Rig 500 Pro pricing and availability
The Plantronics Rig 500 Pro has a budget-friendly RRP of £89.99/$89.99 and is available to buy via Plantronics, although as you’ll find out in our review, it can take on headsets that cost much more. Even better is that Amazon also stocks the headset, and it’s currently retailing at an attractive £69.99/$76.79. This puts the Rig 500 Pro up against other impressive headsets including the Logitech G Pro, so it’ll have its work cut out to tempt gamers.
Plantronics Rig 500 Pro review
The Plantronics Rig 500 Pro is a decent effort at a headset that makes the right compromises to offer solid audio at a sub-£100/$100 price point.
For example, you get a metal headband to provide rigidity and solidity, but the main body is plastic to keep things lightweight and affordable. Like a growing number of gaming headsets, this also features a secondary fabric headband intended to help the headset sit comfortably and lightly, without becoming insecure. Unlike most rivals this actually works, and the Rig 500 Pro really does sit snugly.
If there’s a downside to the design it’s that it’s, well, pretty damn ugly. The angular metal-and-plastic lines and gold finish don’t feel very 2019, and this is far from sleek. It’s a capital-G Gaming headset, with all the questionable design choices that entails, and Plantronics is lagging firmly behind its competition here.
Audio quality is solid, if not remarkable, but it’s strong for the price. Bass response is strong from the 50mm drivers, and there’s a noticeable surround sound effect. Audio can get a bit muddied, making it tricky to isolate specific in-game sounds at times, but generally speaking this makes games sound good.
The microphone is more impressive, with crisp, clear audio that could rival much more expensive headsets. There’s no foam windsock to protect against plosives, but that’s only a minor downside really – especially once you factor in that the mic is removable, and boasts a flip-to-mute function that makes it dead easy to use.
Controls are minimal other than that, with just a simple inline volume slider. If you’re a console player, keep an eye out for the Xbox One and PS4-focussed 500 Pro HX and HS respectively, which instead come with volume dials that sit on the controller’s headphone port for quick access – though you lose the metal headband in the process.
There’s also a pricier 500 Pro Esports Edition, which has a whole metal frame and includes extra ear cushions and audio cables.
Verdict
Set the aesthetics aside, and the Rig 500 Pro is a really impressive gaming headset for its price. We’ve frequently forgotten that this is costs less than £100/$100 while we’ve been using it, happily switching between it and some far more expensive alternatives.
Solid metal construction means its comfortable and built to last, with powerful bass that’s perfect for driving shooters and refreshingly simple controls.
E3 2017 was a big event for Pokemon fans, as it was the place where it was confirmed by Nintendo that we will see a mainline Pokemon game come to the Nintendo Switch. Eventually.
With that announcement, the time seems ripe to speculate on what form this game would take (as if we weren’t doing it regardless of an official confirmation). At a May 2018 press conference it was confirmed that this core Pokemon RPG will be coming to the Nintendo Switch in late 2019.
However, it’s been two years since the Pokemon RPG was announced and we’re still short on solid information. But that hasn’t stopped us from speculating about what the upcoming core game will involve…
Here we’ve laid out exactly what the latest rumors are, and we’ve also thrown in a few things we’d like to see from the first core Pokémon Nintendo Switch title.
Cut to the chase
What is it? The first core Pokemon game to launch on the Nintendo Switch
When can I play it? It’ll be late 2019
What can I play it on? Nintendo Switch of course!
Pokemon Switch release date
We don’t have any kind of solid release date for Pokemon on Nintendo Switch but during a May 2018 Pokemon press conference where Pokemon Let’s Go were confirmed for 2018, it was also confirmed that the core Pokemon RPG will be released in late 2019.
We imagine a November 2019 release is the most likely outcome.
Pokemon Switch news and rumors
Tzunekazu Ishihara talks
After the announcement of the more stripped back and simplified Pokemon Let’s Go titles, there has been some concern amongst fans that the 2019 RPG won’t offer the full gameplay experience that’s been built up over the past 20 years. Head of the Pokemon Company Tzunekazu Ishihara assuaged these concerns in a recent interview with Famitsu magazine (via Siliconera).
According to Ishihara, the 2018 Pokemon release will be a “completely different game” to Pokemon Let’s Go. “It’s is not an entry game,” he says, “but a game that we want long term fans of the Pokemon series to look forward to.”
Ishihara has promised a game with “new Pokemon” that will “succeed the traditions of Game Freak.”
The Pokemon press conference
It’s widely expected by fans that Nintendo will bring some kind of Pokemon Switch news to E3 2018 but that didn’t stop all kinds of rumors emerging in the run up to it.
Industry insider Emily Rogers created a blog post which suggested that Pokemon on Switch will be revealed before the end of May, cutting in just before E3.
As with all core Pokemon games, Rogers reported that the Switch release will have two versions. Though she added that the versions may surprise some fans.
Not long after this a 4Chan user uploaded an image of what they said was a logo for the game: Pokemon Let’s Go! And reported that the two versions Rogers had hinted at would be Pikachu and Eevee versions.
These games, the user said, would be remakes of the Pokemon Yellow games, featuring Piakchu and Eevee as starter Pokemon who would follow the player around the world. The Switch version will, according to this leak, take players back to Kanto and, while Red and Blue, wouldn’t be the protagonists, they would feature.
This is first, so I don’t expect anyone to straight up believe me. I have a source that can confirm these leaks as true, I guess we’ll find out in the future.The games will be called Pokemon Lets go Pikachu/Eevee. pic.twitter.com/u3YNuCjIg2May 14, 2018
Now we know, however, that while Pokemon Let’s Go will be released with both Pikachu and Eevee versions, they won’t be the core RPG release that was first promised at E3 2017.
This news came at a Pokemon press conference which was held, as Rogers rightly predicted, at the end of May. The Let’s Go titles will instead be spin-offs designed to draw the Pokemon Go audience into both Switch and the Pokemon console experience.
As it stands, then, we still don’t know much at all about the core Pokemon RPG for Switch other than that it’s going to be a “brand-new” adventure.
Holding a Pokemon press conference this close to E3 suggests that Nintendo wanted to give the Let’s Go releases their own platform, while we may find out a little more about the 2019 core release at the gaming show in LA. This is, after all, where the hardcore Pokemon audience is likely to be paying the most attention.
CEO of the Pokemon Company publicly puts faith in the Switch
In an interview with Bloomberg, The Pokemon Company’s CEO, Tsunekazu Ishihara has said that while he originally thought the Nintendo Switch wouldn’t be a success, he now realizes his error.
Ishihara said that he told Nintendo that in the age of the smartphone, no one would want to carry around a games console before adding “it’s obvious I was wrong.”
“I came to realize the key to a successful game is quite simple – software with absolute quality leads sales of hardware,” he said, “Playing style can be flexible if the software is attractive enough.”
What about his own company’s software offering for the console? Ishihara offered what could be seen as a few small hints.
“With the Switch,“ he said, ”we see it as a chance to create Pokémon that goes deeper and with a higher level of expression. As a result, that makes it an extremely important platform […] Right now we’re using 7 to 8 inch screens, but on a high-definition TV you can express a whole different world with graphics and sound.”
He also suggested larger scale multiplayer gameplay is being considered: “Until now, games were made as one for one person, but now you can go home and play with everyone – so how do we tackle these themes, and how do we make sure it’s not complicated?” Whether or not that’ll be split Joy-Con local multiplayer or something more online based, we can’t tell.
As far as extra Pokemon-themed peripherals for the console, Ishihara wasn’t able to offer any confirmation but did say he’d “like to think of that possibility.”
Game’s developers admit they’re feeling the pressure
Considering the yet-to-be named Pokemon Switch title will be the first mainline game in the franchise to come to a home console it’s understandable that fans are excited but this means expectations are high.
As a result, the game’s developers have admitted they’re feeling the pressure. In an interview with Game Informer series director/producer/composer Junichi Masuda and director Shigeru Ohmori said that though it’s “really fun” to see “all the excitement for the announcement” it does mean there’s “a lot of pressure” on the team.
Ohmori said that Game Freak is going to to do its utmost to meet a game that’s capable of living up to these expectations but asks that fans don’t raise them “too high.”
Pokemon confirmed for Nintendo Switch at E3 2017
After a long build up of speculation, Nintendo confirmed during its 2017 E3 live stream that a core Pokemon game would be coming to Nintendo Switch.
Other than the fact that the game is coming, we know nothing else. Nintendo didn’t offer a name nor did it offer a release date other than it being more than a year away.
The fact that the release date is so far in the future means it could very well be different from Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon which have been confirmed to be coming to the 3DS later this year.
This announcement means that the Nintendo Switch is breaking the Nintendo home console curse, whereby only side titles, such as the already confirmed Pokken Tournament, were released while mainline titles stayed on handhelds.
The Pokemon Company and Game Freak had previously said that they were waiting to see how the Nintendo Switch performed and whether or not it would work with the Pokemon series before committing a core game to the console.
Rumors have been circulating for a number of months about the game, suggesting it might be released under the name Pokemon Stars, but Nintendo offered no comment on this.
Main series producer, Junichi Masuda, doesn’t discount it and Pokémon Company CEO confirms.
In September 2016, back when the Switch was still known as the NX, Pokémon Company CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara confirmed in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that the company would develop games for the console.
Later in the year, Pokémon series producer, Junichi Masuda, was less enthusiastic with his commitment to Switch support. However, he did not discount that mainline Pokémon titles were a possibility for the Switch, stating that he was waiting for the console to be released to market to determine whether or not it would benefit from Pokémon .
Adding fuel to the rumor fire, Eurogamer published a report in late 2016 that said multiple sources had confirmed a new version of Pokémon Sun and Moon was being developed for the Switch under the code named Pokémon Stars.
According to the report, this third title was developed alongside Sun and Moon for 3DS and already had feature working versions of Sun and Moon content.
Development was said to be slowed down in the run up to the launch of the 3DS titles but after their release would resume and work would begin on new features.
The report finished up by stating that though the game had initially been slotted for a Summer 2017 release, it was then pushed to later in the year. Now that we’re well into 2018 we know this report wasn’t entirely accurate in terms of release windows but Pokemon Stars still hasn’t been ruled out.
Then came the hiring call
Just after the Switch’s release in March of 2017, Game Freak re-started the rumor mill by posting job ads on Indeed Japan stating that they were looking to temporarily hire people capable of creating character models on machines like the Wii U and PlayStation Vita for a new entry in an RPG series which is “popular on a global scale.”
Now, there was no direct mention of Pokémon in this listing but it does seem like the most likely scenario considering Game Freak doesn’t have many RPG franchises under its belt that would fall into this globally popular category.
What kind of Pokemon game can we expect on Switch?
After the E3 2017 confirmation, we now know we’re going to be getting a mainline Pokemon game, but where this game will be set and which generation it’ll explore is unclear. It’s unlikely that it’s going to take players back to Kanto since Pokemon Let’s Go will do that in November 2018.
The official Pokemon Twitter account said that this release would be an “all-new” core series title. This suggests that the game won’t be a continuation of Pokemon Sun and Moon as has been previously rumored and could even take players to a new map and into a whole new generation.
A Spanish edition of Nintendo Life certainly seems to think this is the plan. According to this publication (via NintendoLife) Pokemon on Switch will introduce players to an entirely new generation: generation 8. Not only that it suggests that the game will have entirely new mechanics, which isn’t really that far out of the realm of possibility given what we’ve seen Pokemon Let’s Go is attempting with Switch hardware and Game Freak will want to take advantage of the tech as other developers have done. Things will need to change slightly, realistically.
It’s worth noting, however, that though this is an official Nintendo publication, it has gotten things wrong before with Pokemon rumors so we’d say take it with a pinch of salt until we know more.
At the very least we know we’ll have Pokemon Bank to bring our creatures from past consoles and generations to our newest adventure with little fuss.
What we’d like to see in Pokemon on Switch
That’s everything we know. Now let’s get into the things we’d love to see from the rumored game.
Better graphics and animations
Game Freak pushed the Nintendo 3DS to its absolute limits with Pokémon Sun and Moon (to the point where 3D support had to be removed). That means Game Freak is ready to move beyond the limitations of the 3DS and we’d fully expect to see graphical advancements in the Nintendo Switch version.
The graphics and animations in Sun and Moon were already excellent, definitely the best we’ve seen so far from a Pokémon game, but moving to Nintendo Switch could very well allow for sharper character and environment models and much more expressive character faces.
A well-translated UI
For a long time now, the Pokémon games have been developed for Nintendo’s DS handhelds which has given developers two screens over which to spread the game’s UI. This has resulted in arguably one of the most well-designed UIs in video games with Game Freak making the most of the space to put interactive menus on the bottom touchscreen of the DS consoles.
The Nintendo Switch, however, only uses one screen which would mean Game Freak would have to drastically rethink its UI approach and there’s a risk it wouldn’t work quite as seamlessly. Of course, the company had to develop single screen UIs for Pokémon before the release of the DS but we’re not sure we’d like to return to this more crammed in design.
The fact that the Switch has a touchscreen could possibly help to balance matters, though, as it would allow for more immediate interaction rather than a return to using the directional pad to scroll through options. There’s also room for interesting innovations using the console’s modular controllers.
Make good use of the Festival Plaza
The Festival Plaza was an odd addition to Sun and Moon. It felt strangely separate from the main game and wasn’t a particularly good use of online features. This could completely change with the Switch. The plaza could become the perfect place for players to meet up and the LAN party capabilities of the Switch could see Festival Plaza become the place where an eSports community takes off.
New Pokémon
While most people say they’re not sure they can handle any more Pokémon and that they stopped paying attention after the original 150, we just want to see more. The new setting in Pokémon Sun and Moon brought in interesting and fun Alolan variations on Pokémon we already know and love so if we can’t get any more completely new creatures, we’d love to see a few more instances of this. Alolan Vulpix changed our lives and we’d like some more of that.
Motion controls
The Nintendo Switch benefits from its motion-control capable Joy-Cons. We’ve seen them used in some interesting ways thus far which gives us some hope that they’ll be implemented in Pokemon Stars. The hat-throwing mechanic used in Super Mario Odyssey, for example, could be translated to a PokeBall throwing mechanic and that’d be an interesting new dimension to the series that only the Switch could offer.
Now that Pokemon-specific Z moves have been introduced, it could even be that players have to move their Joy-Cons in the right pattern to start up their Pokemon’s special powers. While we’re not particularly keen on doing some of those dad-dance moves in public, we’re more than willing to do them in the privacy of our own home.
Amiibo Support
We want Pokemon Amiibo support. There, we said it. Though Pokken tournament and Detective Pikachu have Amiibo figurines, we want to see even more introduced for the brand new mainline Pokemon game. Whether they unlock new accessories for mini games, new items of clothing, or new moves we just know these will be highly collectible and probably adorable.
