Nate The Hate

Nintendo has hosted the first Nintendo Direct in over a year & expectations were high; but did Nintendo deliver? We discuss our thoughts on the recent Nintendo Direct presentation & how the show has given us a better idea of what to expect in 2021 from Nintendo. Furthermore, two recent bits of news seem to suggest Nintendo may be building to replicating their 2017 success in 2022. What do we mean? Listen and find out.

Nintendo have issued an official statement concerning when they may discuss the release potential of a Switch Pro & the company is coming off a historic year in terms of both hardware and software sales. We discuss when Nintendo is most likely to announce their Switch Pro revision plans & why the timing makes sense. Furthermore, we dive into both the recent hardware and software milestones and provide our own projects as to how the Switch will perform to the legendary Nintendo duo -- the Wii and Nintendo DS.

Despite Microsoft's recent backtracking, the company has made it clear that Xbox Live Gold is a relic of their past & their new focus it on GamePass. We analyze the original Xbox Live Gold price increase announcement, the real reasons as to why it happens, why they reversed course on the initiative so quickly, and discuss why Xbox Live Gold may be an albatross around their neck for the next couple of years. We dive deeper into Microsoft's ongoing marketing struggles & touch on the double-standard the industry has when it comes to negative press & how Microsoft's lack of goodwill plays a key role in how we receive & react to their announcements.

A new lawsuit has been filed against Nintendo in regards to the ongoing matter of JoyCon drift. Lawsuits have been filed in the United States & France; with a new lawsuit being filed in Québec, Canada earlier this month. 

The plaintiff, citing numerous repairs and replacements, seeks to obtain compensation for consumers who bought the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite gaming systems, as well as Joy-Con and Nintendo Switch Pro controllers.

Do they have a case? We invited Richard Hoeg to discuss the legality of the lawsuit & why Nintendo will likely win these legal proceedings. A win in court may be their focus, but could they lose consumer confidence? 

Nintendo and the Switch Pro is going to be an on-going conversation throughout much of 2021 & a recent datamine leak has found its way to the discussion spotlight. Does the datamined information shed light on the Switch Pro? Or is there more to the story? We explore the numerous options the development profile may represent & come to a number of exciting conclusions.  

Nintendo's 2021 is now underway & they have already made headlines with a recent acquisition; however, that is just the start to what has the makings to be a banner year for the company. Fans have a lot to look forward not just in the 2021 calendar year, but Nintendo's upcoming fiscal year -- April 1, 2021 thru March 31, 2022. We discuss what we anticipate from Nintendo & why they are going to surprise.

Nintendo Switch Pro rumors have once again surfaced & may deserve our attention. While the information is exciting, does it have foundation based in reality? We breakdown the information & discuss if the concept could become a pathway worthy of exploration for Nintendo moving forward with the current Nintendo hardware line. 

Furthermore, Nintendo of America's Doug Bowser recently conducted an interview with Polygon and touched on a number of topic matters; but one particular topic stood out: timed releases. We discuss his comments on the future of limited releases & why Super Mario 3D All-Stars is the just the beginning of this concerning trend.

CDPR's highly anticipated release, Cyberpunk 2077, has launched on PC, PS4, Xbox One and is backwards compatible with PS5 and Xbox Series X; but the game is far from the quality standard gamers have come to expect from such a high profile release. 

Due to deceptive marketing tactics & straight up lies, the launch of Cyberpunk 2077 has been less an exercise in patience & a lesson in trust. CDPR intentionally withheld performance information concerning the base versions (Xbox One & PS4) of CP2077 and treated as a cashgrab. 

Now they are apologizing & we, the consumer, should use our right for a refund & refuse the shady marketing tactics used by CDPR and withhold money until they deliver a working product.

The Game Awards are upon us & that means it is time to give our predictions on what Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony may have planned in terms of reveals during the show. Will we finally see The Initiative's take on Perfect Dark? Will Nintendo share a new trailer for Breath of the Wild 2? And will Sony finally get loud with a Silent Hill for PS5 reveal? 

Furthermore, we go into some detail about how games get nominated & how the judging/voting process works; and then share our thoughts on who could win some of the key categories, including the coveted: Game of the Year.

PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X | Series S have fallen victim to online scalpers, but there is a bigger problem beyond the consumer being denied access to these new pieces of hardware. We discuss how the consumer holds the power over these PS5 scalpers & how these resellers not only hurt the consumer, but also the impacts these resellers have on the entire industry.

Capcom recently became the victims of a data breach & a mountain of information from the company -- ranging from personnel files to their software roadmap for 2021. With several unannounced titles mentioned in the files, as well as intents to bring announced games to other platforms, the leak is heavy; however, in the planning for 2021 releases,  there is one noticeable omission: the Nintendo Switch Pro or 2021 revision. What does this omission mean? We discuss the leak and whether this is a red flag about any planning Nintendo hardware revision releasing next year.

The PlayStation 5 has launched & many are excited for Sony's latest hardware. With an innovative new controller & a strong launch lineup of first-party releases, the PlayStation 5 has a fresh feeling to it; but are the games serving as distractions to other issues? While an impressive piece of hardware, certain areas of the PS5 feel incomplete. Are these concerns just a firmware update away from being rectified? We discuss.

The dawning of a new console generation is upon us, with Microsoft serving as the creator. However, something is amiss with this console genesis, at least on Microsoft and the Xbox Series X & Xbox Series S side of things. When compared to previous next-gen introductions, the new line of Xbox hardware has a noticeable problem: software. Is this a reason for pause? Should you question your purchase? We discuss. 

With the Xbox Series X and Series S now in the hands of consumers,  what is next for Microsoft? We discuss how Microsoft needs to build momentum leading into 2021 and how they can excite the Xbox base and prospective buyers with software announces, new acquisitions, and more.

The Nintendo Switch hardware is expecting a new arrival in 2021 with the release a revision of the hybrid model, but could Nintendo release another formfactor? Some industry analysts think Nintendo should drop the hybrid and favor the Lite; but we think Nintendo should add another form: home console. 

With Cloud Versions of select software now available on Switch in all regions, what could the arrival mean for the Switch Pro revision? Will we see Switch get Cloud Versions, while Pro gets native ports? We discuss. 

Nintendo have enjoyed strong sales in 2020; but this is the calm before the storm that awaits in 2021. With a hardware revision poised for release & hotly anticipated sequels set for launch, the Nintendo Switch is in the perfect position to deliver a year that rivals 2017 in terms of first-party output. Factor in third-party support & 2021 could be one of the strongest years in Nintendo history. It's an exciting time to be a Nintendo fan and 2021 has all the makings to be the year that many have been waiting for.

The subject matter of crunch in gaming has been an ongoing topic of conversation throughout 2020 & it has once again surfaced due to mandated crunch at CD Projekt Red in regards to the development of Cyberpunk 2077. However, the crunch culture isn't exclusive to CDPR. In fact, it permeates through the entire industry. We talk with a developer about their own personal experience with crunch, what causes it, & how it can be changed.

Sony have officially detailed their backwards compatibility solution for the PlayStation 5 and it is more promising than expected. Touting support of over 4,000 games on launch day, the PlayStation 5 backwards compatibility plan is similar to what Microsoft has crafted for Xbox Series X; but one company still holds an advantage. 

How does the PlayStation 5 compare to the Xbox Series X in this regard? We discuss. 

Microsoft has been transparent & open about many of their initiatives with the Xbox Series X and Series S -- including their backwards compatibility solution. With media getting their hands-on the Xbox Series X, we now know how the platform will handle backwards compatibility & enhance our old games. Does this feature provide the Series X with a system selling advantage over the PS5? We discuss.

The Nintendo Switch "Pro" is back in the news due to three occurrences over the last week: a retail listing, a Nintendo of America job posting, and a Twitter rumor. Do any of them provide substantial information? Or are all three just random events that provide little to no new insight about Nintendo's 2021 Switch revision?

Furthermore, Sony's marketing is once again confusing people; however, this time due to a curious decision with an upcoming PlayStation 5 launch release -- Marvel's Spider-Man. Is this a sign of things to come? Or is this a one time instance? We discuss. 

Microsoft have made an industry changing move by purchasing Bethesda and strengthening their first-party studio development team. Microsoft now owns iconic IP, of which include: Doom, The Elder Scrolls, Wolfenstein, Fallout, Starfield, and The Evil Within. 

Initially, Microsoft will retain contractual agreements, like those on Ghostwhire Tokyo and Deathloop being PS5 timed-exclusives; but how will Microsoft approach future releases? Will the company keep Elder Scrolls exclusive to Xbox, PC, GamePass and xCloud? Or will they bring the franchise to PlayStation 5 and Nintendo platforms? We discuss this and more.